His laptop beeped.
Frowning, he flipped open the lid and went through his extensive security to reach the searches he was still conducting. A few minutes later, he was on the right site on the good ole dark web.
A line caught his eye. An auction. He knew it. Damn it. His patience had paid off, but he didn’t like what he read.
“There you are,” he murmured. He kept reading, his blood freezing in his veins. The gang was auctioning off the baby, just like he thought they would. A picture of Talia, her baby eyes so innocent and vulnerable, filled the screen.
God.
CHAPTER
12
“Get dressed, sweetheart.” Denver gently tugged Noni up, turning her to examine the bandage on her arm. “This will keep. We have to go,” he whispered.
She instantly awoke and looked around. It was still dark outside. “What time is it?”
“Five in the morning. We have to go before Malloy wakes up.” Denver tossed clothing onto the bed for her.
She shrugged into a thick sweater and pulled on her jeans before quickly braiding her hair down her back. “Why are we sneaking off?”
Denver handed over her pack. “Malloy is a cop, and we have to make this easy on him.”
“I wondered how long we could stay.” The detective would probably have to fight his conscience to just let them go and not drag them down to the police station. “But I still want to say thank you to James and Tina.” Noni stepped into her boots.
“You can send them a fruit basket later.” Denver motioned her toward the doorway. “Follow me.”
Smart aleck. Noni stopped by the bathroom quickly to take care of business and brush her teeth. Denver was waiting for her right outside. “Let’s go.”
She shook her head but did as he said, following him down the hallway and through the living room. The Christmas lights still twinkled happily in the corner. Would she ever have this with Denver? Was it possible? She was off balance, and somehow sad. Leaving the comfortable home made her feel chilled. He opened the door, and more cold instantly slammed into her. Barely keeping herself from grumbling, she grabbed her coat and shoved her arms in before heading out into the darkness.
Denver took her hand and led the way down the walk to the street, where a man leaned against a deep green SUV. He pushed off as they approached. A hat sat low on his head, and in the darkness she couldn’t really see his face. He handed Denver the keys and a piece of paper, turned without a word, and trudged down the sidewalk.
Noni watched him go. This was all so weird. “Who was that?” she whispered, even more off balance than before.
“Get in.” Denver opened the passenger side door, and she climbed in, then he walked around and got in too. He ignited the engine, and they drove away from the detective’s house.
Noni secured her seat belt. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a motel on the outskirts of town.” Denver maneuvered through the subdivision and reached the quiet main road before flipping on the light above the mirror. He unfolded the paper the man had given him. “Or maybe not.”
A male voice suddenly came over the speaker. “You get the present?”
Noni yelped and shoved back in her seat. Her heart sped up. She put her hand to her chest. “What in the world?”
Denver sighed. “Noni, meet Ryker, my brother. Apparently he hacked into the vehicle’s phone system.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ryker said, his voice deep.
Noni blinked. “It’s likeKnight Rider,” she murmured.
Ryker laughed. “Good one. Did you get the paper?”
“Affirmative,” Denver said. “Figured it was from Jory, though.”
“We coordinated through the night. The messenger was one of his guys, though. We found a different safe house in Coeur d’Alene. We bought it, and it’s now registered to a shell corporation that can’t be traced to any of us,” Ryker said.
Noni’s mouth gaped. “You managed a land exchange in the middle of the night from somewhere else. Just what kind of connections do you guys have?”
