“We’re good to go,” Riley calls out.
Bradyn offers a thumbs-up from the cockpit.
All while my mind is still on Weston. “She set us up.” He’s right. Ryker’s right. All signs point to Brenda sending us in there to die. The question is, why? “Can I use your phone?” I ask Riley. We’d destroyed ours and left them in the rubble. That way, if someone tried to track them, they’d be right where they hoped to find us.
“Sure thing.” He offers it to me, and I type in Garrison’s phone number.
It rings once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then goes to voicemail.
Fear creeps up my spine. He always answers. Or, at the very least, sends a text saying he’ll call back. I wait, holding my breath, but no message comes through. Even with this being an unknown number, he would answer.
Unsure what else to do, I call him again.
“Garrison’s not answering?” Sawyer asks. His expression tells me he’s thinking the same thing as I am: We weren’t the only ones led into a trap.
“No. I’m calling Leopold.” If it’s not an emergency, Garrison will likely be annoyed that I sent the police over there, but if it is…
“This is Officer Leopold,” he answers.
“It’s Zane.”
“Zane.” His tone is sharp, laced with emotion. “Listen?—”
“What happened?” I all but choke on the words. Is he okay? Is Tessa okay? Did I leave them to die by following the orders of a traitor?
“Garrison was attacked in his apartment. Stab wound to his side. The attacker used a serrated blade for maximum damage. He suffered a collapsed lung and lost a lot of blood.”
No. No. No.
The lump in my throat makes breathing impossible. “Is he alive?” My gaze levels on my team. All of them are staring back at me, their expressions hard as they expect the worst news.
Even Lani and Riley stop what they’re doing to focus on me. I pinch the bridge of my nose. God, please don’t let him be dead. Lord, please wrap us in Your light. Please, God, protect us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I put the phone on speaker because repeating whatever he’s about to say is likely going to be too hard. “He’s in surgery right now. A neighbor found him. I was actually just about to call you because I don’t think he has any family here. I wasn’t sure who else to call.”
“Tessa?” I choke out.
“I haven’t had a chance to go check on her yet.”
“She’s okay, though?”
“I’m headed to the boat now just to check and see. I sent an officer there to wait outside and keep an eye on things.”
The boat. What little hope I was clinging to that she wasn’t involved is gone. “She’s not on the boat.”
“Where is she? I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“She was staying at Garrison’s apartment.”
He goes completely silent, processing what I just said. “You’re sure she was there?”
“Positive.” I choke on the word, my entire body rigid as I sit here.
