When Madden answered, he headed north.
“Hey, man. How’d it go with Tara?”
“No time for that,” he said as he waded through the crowd. He scanned each face, praying one of them would be Eve. “Eve’s gone.”
“What? How did that happen?”
“I don’t know, man. She was right there when I was talking with Tara. Now she’s missing.” He pounded forward. His heart threatened to beat through his chest with each step. “Tara and I split up to find her. I need your help.”
“You got it. I’ll get Dax and Ben to search and have Lily make some calls. Maybe someone got ahold of her and needed something. Don’t worry. We’ll find her.”
Disconnecting, Reid dialed Eve one more time. When she didn’t answer, unshed tears stung his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. He’d taken his focus off her for one second. How could someone take her from practically right under his nose?
As he pounded the pavement, pulse racing and gaze scanning every face he passed, the cold, hard truth formed a hard ball in the pit of his stomach.
Tyson Brown had gotten his hands on Eve, and it was all his fault.
The hard grip on Eve’s arm bit through her long-sleeved shirt. Instinct told her to yell, to scream, to yank away from the man leading her through the maze of people.
But if he had Suzy, she had to do whatever he told her. Had to stay strong and calm, prepare herself to fight tooth and nail to keep the little girl safe.
The farther away from Main Street they walked, the thinner the crowd became until they left the chaos and laughter behind. She kept her mouth shut as her mind raced. Once she had Suzy in her arms, she’d scratch Tyson Brown’s eyes out if she had to in order to escape.
Tyson steered her down a back alley that bled out to a side street where his truck was parked. “Get in and don’t try anything stupid.”
Her heart pounded as she reached for the handle. Her arms ached to wrap around Suzy. To hold her close and let her know everything would be okay. Opening the door, she hopped inside while Tyson hurried around the front and climbed into the driver’s seat.
She searched behind her in the tiny space between the bench seat and the window. Desperation lodged in her throat. “Where’s Suzy?”
Snickering, Tyson hooked an arm on the seat, his fingers skimming the top of her shoulder, and shot out of the alley. He sped forward, putting distance between them and the town faster than she could wrap her mind around what was happening. “Did you really think I had her? That she was just patiently sitting and waiting for us in my truck?”
“I don’t understand,” she said, voice shaking. “What did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything with her. She’s probably still back at the parade. I just took her picture because I needed to get you away from that macho baboon that’s always panting after you.”
Anger clashed with relief, leaving her dizzy. “So she’s safe?”
He shrugged. “How should I know?”
Blowing out a ragged breath, she rubbed her temple, trying to regain her senses. He didn’t have Suzy. He’d used the girl to break down her guard and keep her quiet while he got her away from safety.
And now she was screwed.
She struggled to regain her composure. Keeping her wits was paramount in making it out of this alive. She stared out the window, keeping mental track of each turn as he navigated out of town.
“So what now?” she asked. “What do you want from me?”
He spared her a quick look and maneuvered his hand from behind her shoulders to slide down to rest on her thigh. “All I wanted from the start was to thank you for your kindness. I mean, you bought my meal. That means something. I understand my enthusiasm scared you, and if that jackass wouldn’t have interrupted, I could have made you see how great we could be together.”
Digesting his words, her stomach dipped. He wasn’t just dangerous and violent, he was delusional. She debated the best way to handle him. As much as she wanted to smash her fists against him and scream, she feared it wouldn’t get her anywhere.
“And what about you breaking into my home? Was that supposed to make me feel better?”
His jaw dropped, as if befuddled by the question. “Of course. You love flowers. I left you my best work, then I picked as many as I could find. Ifhewouldn’t have taken you away, we could have had a perfect evening.” He tightened his grip on her thigh, the cold edge creeping back into his voice.
Her body stiffened. She didn’t want to upset him any more but was afraid whatever she said would only push him closer to the dangerous edge where his mind teetered. She needed to take a different tack. Get him talking about what he planned so she could figure a way out. “Is that what you want for today? To make up for losing out on the perfect night?”
He shot her a wide grin before returning his focus to the country road. “Exactly.”
