“Oh, my God.”
“If something happens to her…” Haunted hazel eyes met hers.
“You’ll get her back.” She truly believed it. Knew without a doubt Jayson would tear the world apart looking for his daughter.
A muscle flexed in his cheek, and his expression turned steely. “Fuck, yes, I will.”
What would it be like to have someone love you so much he’d burn down cities to save you?
“I have to go.”
When he turned to leave, she knew this was her opportunity to escape. While he was consumed by worry and completely focused on Emma, she could ditch town. Save her cover and deliver part of what she was tasked with uncovering.
Her attention dropped to his laptop, the flash drive hopefully full of information that could be used against him. But guiltflooded her, and before she could think too hard about it, she snatched the drive, pocketed it and jogged after him.
He stood in the front hall, hands searching his pockets, cursing under his breath. A quick scan of the area, and she spotted his car keys laying on a side table. Whether for better or for worse, she hurried over, swiped up his keys and grabbed her coat.
“C’mon, I’m driving,” she announced. The last thing she wanted was for him to drive too fast or recklessly and get into an accident, because there was no way he had a clear head right now.
He didn’t argue, just gave her a sharp nod. “If anyone hurt her,” he forced through gritted teeth, “they’re fucking dead.”
The easygoing man she’d first met, a homebody who built furniture, had turned into the fiercest of protectors right before her eyes. A palpable, building fury rolled off him, providing her first good look at Jayson Knight, former military badass. And it was intimidating as hell.
As they hurried out to his Tahoe, she vowed to help him however she could. This wasn’t how she’d planned for things to go down, but she couldn’t walk away now. Couldn’t leave him floundering in a father’s worst nightmare, possibly on the verge of losing the most important thing in his life.
But Sabrina was smart enough to realize she might be in over her head. Jayson was far more dangerous and intuitive than she’d given him credit for, and she knew she had to tread lightly. That dad cardigan and easy, laidback nature of his had been damn deceiving. Hidden beneath it was a ferocious warrior. And the last thing she wanted to do was make an enemy out of the former Army Ranger and his spec ops friends.
Chapter six
The moment Brett said Emma had been taken, Jayson’s world had ground to an abrupt halt. A million questions sped through his mind as he directed Sabrina to the apartment Emma and her fiancé shared. Sabrina drove fast and with confidence, wisely choosing to remain silent. She was a whole other fucking problem he had to figure out how to handle.
The truth was, a huge part of him was incredibly disappointed. He’d genuinely liked her, but she was clearly using him. For what, he wasn’t sure yet. But he’d find out. Just as soon as he got his fucking daughter back. For now, she was all that mattered.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a long ride, because he was about to lose his damn mind. Emma was a good girl who never got into trouble. She worked at one of the gift shops on Main Street and always had a friendly word for everyone. She had a sharp business mind and even talked about opening her own store one day. She was happy, on the verge of getting married and starting her life and a family of her own.
Why would anyone take his daughter? His sweet Emma didn’t have any enemies.
He did, though.
Fuck.
His gut churned. If this was somehow his fault, he’d never forgive himself.
Then the worst thought yet crossed his mind, and he turned his full attention on Sabrina, fists clenching. “Who the hell are you? Did you have anything to do with my daughter’s disappearance?” he demanded, tone lethal and suspicious.
She glanced over at him, eyes widening. “No! Absolutely not.”
“I want to believe you.” He searched her face for any sign of deception. “But I know you’re hiding something. Why were you going through my stuff?”
She pressed her lips together, as if trying to decide what to share, then sighed as she turned her attention back to the road. “I’m FBI, Jayson. I was sent to find out if you or your friends had anything to do with Donato Ferrante’s murder. His brother Rocco is on a rampage, trying to find the killer. Or killers.”
Pieces began rapidly snapping into place. Sabrina’s sudden appearance in a neighborhood that rarely attracted single women. Her convenient heating and plumbing problems. Him—a lonely sucker who fell for her duplicity hook, line and sinker.Goddammit.
“If Rocco discovered it was you, he’d want revenge,” she stated.
“I didn’t kill Donato Ferrante,” he growled.
“Do you know who did?”
