Noni’s eyes filled with hot tears. Talia. The people bidding might want to hurt her. Use her. God.
Seven seconds. Six. Five.Denver typed some more.
Finally, with two seconds to go, he pressed theENTERbutton.
Noni grabbed the back of his chair to keep herself standing upright. Her entire body hurt. “Denver?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Malloy leaned forward. “If they asked everyone for pictures, they might be playing a con. Getting money from everybody and then running.”
“I know,” Denver said, his voice grim. “We’ll have to play it out.”
Nothing. The screen went black again. Silence. It was as if the entire Internet paused.
Then a blue goblin came on the screen. “What the hell?” Malloy said, leaning toward Denver.
The goblin opened its mouth, and words poured out:
Congratulations. You are the high bidder. Be at this address at exactly 4:00 a.m. tomorrow. Only one person may come. Wear a red shirt.
An address scrolled across the screen next. “Where is that?” Noni breathed.
Malloy leaned in farther. “That’s the old abandoned Louis gas station at the edge of town. Good place for an exchange.”
Denver shook his head. “That’ll probably only be the first stop. Whoever is running this thing is pretty smart. They’ll already have surveillance in place.”
Malloy breathed out. “Agreed. We’ll have to suit up and be prepared to move in as soon as it’s safe. We’ll need a tracker on you.”
Denver turned toward him, his body tense. “We have to prepare here. The gang or Madison or both will be watching the police station and the FBI for any movement. You know it. This thing is put together too well.”
Malloy wiped a hand across his eyes. “I get that.” He reached for his phone. “Then we’ll mobilize under the radar. How’s the cloud cover?”
Denver shook his head. “Still too thick. Satellite won’t be useful.”
“Ah, but traffic cameras will.” Malloy sat up, wincing and then rolling his shoulder. “We’d better get to work.”
CHAPTER
19
Denver finished scouting the area outside the cabin for threats, finding nothing. Darkness had fallen along with even more snow. Christmas lights twinkled again across the lake, their merriment in direct opposition to his mood. As he reached the front door, he took several deep breaths. In a few too many hours, he’d know the fate of that innocent baby. There was a chance—a good one—that the gang wouldn’t hand her over. There was also a chance that Madison and Cobb had found him, which put Noni and Talia in danger.
Either way, he had to get his priorities straight. Squiring Noni and the baby to safety was the only thing that mattered. It was that simple.
For the first time he was willing to put something else in front of his need to take out his past. Somebody else. Noni and the baby had to come first. No matter what. He hadn’t been given a chance at a good childhood and his adulthood was questionable, considering he knew how to torture and kill. And had. He was who and what he was because of his past. He wouldn’t let anybody force Talia into an existence she had to wonder about. She would be saved. Period.
He pushed open the cabin door and stomped the snow off his boots.
Noni was waiting for him, seated in front of the fire, her eyes pools of concern. Of course she was scared. His chest thumped. He left his jacket on a hook and moved into the warm living room.
“Your brothers called on Malloy’s phone,” she said quietly.
Denver looked over to the table where Malloy and Tina were going over the maps he’d downloaded of the area around the deserted gas station. “Did you tell them the plan?”
Malloy nodded absently, his gaze not moving. “They didn’t like it.”
Figured. Denver rolled his aching neck. The tension there had dug in and spread until his shoulders felt like rocks. “Here’s the deal. Noni and Tina, you’re staying here tomorrow.” He’d leave them with enough firepower to protect a small village.
