Kate shoved up from her chair, sending it scraping across the floor. “Oh, God, Jase.”
He stood up, too, pulled her against him and felt her tremble. “Let me take over, baby. Let me handle things from here on out.”
Kate jerked out of his arms. “No way in hell! I won’t rest until we find them. I won’t have a moment’s peace until I see every one of those rotten bastards behind bars—or dead.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Kate sat back down at the kitchen table. After a couple of deep breaths, she managed to crush her emotions and bring her temper down from boiling to simmer. A thousand scenarios rolled through her head. None of them good.
When her sister had run away, their mother had never given up hope. But after the first year of searching, Kate had secretly begun to think her father was right and her sister was dead. Thousands of people were reported missing every year. Undoubtedly a number of them were killed in some sort of accident, others fell victim to murderers, particularly kids and young girls like Chrissy.
Eventually, the police had given up the search. Even the private detective her father had hired thought it was time to quit. Kate had continued to check Chrissy’s social media, hoping something would turn up, but nothing was ever posted on any of her sites again. Kate had forced herself to move on.
Now she was faced with the possibility that her sister had been held prisoner, unable to get back home. Forced into a life of drugs and prostitution.
Kate was determined to find out. She wanted justice for Chrissy. Even more, she intended to do everything in her power to keep other women from suffering the same terrible fate.
She glanced up at the sound of Jason’s cell ringing. He plucked it up off the table, checked the screen and pressed the phone against his ear.
“Hey, Tab. I’ve been hoping to hear from you.” Jase nodded at something she said. “Hold on. I’m with Kate. She’ll want to hear this. Let me put you on speaker.” He set the phone down on the kitchen table.
“Hi, Tabby,” Kate said.
“Hi, Kate. I haven’t forgotten you two. I tried like crazy to track the place Tina’s disposable phone was last used, working backward from the number on her website, but the phone pinged all over Eastern Europe. I haven’t figured out how to get past the wall that’s blocking the info, but I’ve got a couple of new ideas I want to try before I give up.”
“Tell her what you found, Tab,” Jase impatiently urged.
“After you guys were here, I set up an alert, anything related to a tattoo like the one on Tina’s neck. I got a hit this morning. A young woman in San Antonio turned up dead.”
Kate’s stomach knotted.
“Where’d the info come from?” Jase asked.
“Got a gamer friend who works in the ME’s office. He happened to notice the alert. When the body came in, he let me know.”
“Same color, same location behind the left ear?”
“Yup.”
“Tab, you’re the best. I owe you.”
“Yes, you do,” Tabby said. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure a way to collect. Keep him out of trouble, Kate.” Tabby ended the call.
“Another woman is dead,” Kate said.
“That’s right.”
“You think San Antonio is where my sister was before she came here?”
“I don’t know, but it’s the best lead we’ve got. I know some people down there. I need to make some calls, get a few things lined up. Pack an overnight bag in case we need to stay. We can leave as soon as you’re ready.”
Jase didn’t ask if she wanted to go. Maybe he had finally accepted that she was in this until it was over.
Kate hurried out of the kitchen, down the hall to her bedroom. They were on their way to San Antonio. Determination stirred inside her. She had no idea what they would find when they got there.
Except for another dead girl.
It didn’t take long for Kate to shower and dress, then pack an overnight bag. She found Jason pacing impatiently in the living room. Though the view of the city was fantastic, he never stood in front of the windows. Fear of heights? She was pretty sure Hawk Maddox wasn’t afraid of anything.
