The TV still played softly. Good chance no one was in the room, but they had to know for sure. He knocked again. The sound of footsteps padding across the carpet was unexpected, the first evidence of an actual human being inside.
His pulse kicked up.
“Who is it?”
“Room service.”
“You got the wrong room. I didn’t order any food.”
“You sure? I got two orders of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Says here it’s for suite 1806.”
“I told you—I didn’t order it.”
“Yeah, well, if it wasn’t you, I’ll have to take it back. I do that, it’ll just get thrown out. You might as well have it. No charge.”
There was a moment’s hesitation. Then the door opened as far as the end of the security chain, enough for the guy inside to look into the hall. The black slacks and short white waiter’s jacket did the trick. The chain slid off, the door opened, and a short, muscular man with curly black hair stepped back to let him in.
Reese pushed the cart through the door, jamming it open with the wheels as he pulled the pistol beneath his white jacket. “Hands up! Do it now!”
The guy’s hands shot into the air, and Reese moved farther into the room, forcing the guy backward. Behind him, Hawk pushed the cart farther inside and followed, holding the guy at gunpoint while Reese sprinted for the bedroom.
The bedroom door stood open. He panned the room with the pistol in a two-handed grip, checked the bathroom, and returned to the bedroom. The bed was unmade, the covers messy and tossed aside, but the room was empty.
He looked up to see Kenzie running into the bedroom. He holstered his weapon and pulled her into his arms. “He’s not here, honey.”
Her eyes filled. “Are you sure? That man in there—he...he’s one of the kidnappers.”
Reese began to search the bedroom, looking for any sign Griff had been there. A single sock lay half exposed at the foot of the bed.
“Is this Griff’s?” He held up a white athletic sock way too small for a full-grown man. There were red and blue strips around the calf.
“Oh, God, Reese.” Kenzie took the sock and held it against her heart. “Texas Ranger team colors. Griff wore them to bed sometimes.”
Reese looked at Kenzie’s grief-stricken face, and rage burned through him. “Griff isn’t here now, but he was.” He urged her back into the living room, over to where Hawk held the kidnapper at gunpoint.
“He’s one of them,” Kenzie repeated. “He’s the one who hit me.”
The scabbed-over scratches on the side of the man’s face reminded Reese of what he’d done and how hard Kenzie had fought him. Reese clamped down on a wave of fury that threatened to break through his iron control.
“He’s going to wish he’d never touched you.” Moving closer, Reese backhanded the guy across the mouth hard enough to split his lip and send a spray of blood into the air. “Where’s the boy?”
“Guy’s name is Eddie Fontaine,” Hawk said. “He’s one of DeMarco’s enforcers. I made a couple of calls on my way over, asked a friend in law enforcement for the names of the guys in Sawyer DeMarco’s inner circle. He gave me names and texted me photos. Eddie’s picture was among them. According to my source, he usually works with a guy named Nolan Webb.”
Reese grabbed the front of Eddie’s shirt, jerked him up on his toes, and slammed him back against the wall. “I asked you a question. Where’s the boy?”
Eddie wiped blood off his mouth. “Go fuck yourself.”
Reese fought down a fresh rush of fury. He drew back and punched Eddie square in the face. Blood flew and Eddie slammed backward into the wall. Reese grabbed him again, dragged him over to a chair, and heaved him into the seat.
“You’re going to tell me where he is.” He flexed his hand, ignored the scraped knuckles, and clenched his fist. “It’s just a matter of time.”
“And if he gets tired of hitting you,” Hawk added, “I’m happy to take his place.”
“Where’s the boy?” Reese pressed, his expression leaving no doubt what would happen if Eddie failed to answer again. He glanced at Kenzie, who was staring at him as if he were a man she had never seen before.
Reese ignored her. “You really want to do this, Eddie? Because every time I hit you, I’m going to think about the beating you gave Kenzie and feel really good.”
Eddie’s jaw jutted out. His gaze went from Reese’s furious expression to Hawk’s hard-edged, determined one.
