"She never showed up," Tyler said. "Dammit! I knew something was wrong. I just thought she was running late and still had her phone off from last night. When did you last see her?"
"She dropped me off about a block away from Bryant Park at nine-forty. She's in one of the team SUVs. You should be able to track it."
"On it now. Hang on."
His hand tightened as he could hear Tyler talking to someone in the background. There was no way Kara wouldn't show up for a meeting of the joint task force. So where was she?
Tyler came back on the phone. "Her car is at the corner of Ninth and Jackson."
He started running even before Tyler finished speaking. That was only three blocks away. "I'm going there now."
"Keep your phone on. Wes and I are pulling up security cameras from the area."
His heart was in his throat when he turned the corner and saw a black SUV on the side of the road with a smashed rear fender and an open door.
"Found the car," he yelled as he ran across the street, dodging traffic and horns. When he got to the vehicle, it was empty, but Kara's bag was on the seat. "She's not here." His gaze scanned the surrounding area. "But someone smashed into her car." The truth hit him hard. "Someone grabbed her." He suddenly felt sick. "Qadir," he breathed. "It had to be him. He's taken Kara."
"We've got the accident on camera," Tyler said. "A van pulled up next to her. We have a partial plate, but a bus blocks the camera. And when it's gone, the door is open, and there's no sign of her. We're going to look for different cameras, different angles."
"We have to find her," he said, filled with a raging fear that was almost overwhelming. "Before it's too late."
Max's anger was still raging when he got to Dominic's townhouse, but he tried to tamp down his emotions as he nodded to the security team in the lobby and then the guards outside Dominic's front door.
"Mr. Ashford's expecting you?" Brett Connors asked, his tone more courtesy than suspicion.
"He is," Max replied as the guard opened the door and let him in.
He could hear voices from the study. It sounded like Dominic and Caroline. He didn't bother to knock. He pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside.
Dominic was standing behind his desk, dressed in dark slacks and a white dress shirt, but he looked like he'd aged ten years overnight.
Caroline stood across from Dominic. They both looked at him in startled surprise.
"Max, what are you doing here?—"
Before Dominic could finish that sentence, he'd crossed the room in three long strides, grabbed Dominic's arms, and slammed him against the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf next to the desk. Books tumbled to the floor as Dominic's head hit the wooden shelving.
"What the?—"
Dominic yelled in disbelief, stopping abruptly as Max put his gun against Dominic's throat in one smooth motion.
Caroline gasped. "Max, no."
"Where is she?" he said, his gaze boring into Dominic's. "Where is Kara?"
"How the hell would I know where your FBI agent friend is?" Dominic asked, instilling some bravado in his voice, but his eyes were filled with fear.
"Because Qadir is holding her. And he's your friend, right? Your new partner? The one you're selling me out to?"
"Max, stop," Caroline implored. "Let's talk about this calmly."
"You told him?" Dominic asked, his gaze shooting to Caroline, betrayal in his voice.
"I'm scared for you, Dominic," Caroline said. "I did it to save you."
"No, you didn't," he said coldly.
"Shut up," he told Dominic. "This isn't about her. This is about Kara. She's missing. Qadir has her. You tell me where she is and I'll let you live."
