“Let’s go get your girl,”said Chase.
The team followed him into the hidden room off Chase’s office. Weapons of all kinds were arranged on the wall, along with bulletproof vests, radios, and tactical gear. After suiting up, they piled into the trucks.
Finn’s heart thundered. Was she still in the warehouse, or had they moved her already? Would they get there in time? Maybe she was never there and someplace else? He couldn’t go there. Couldn’t think about what might be happening to her.
They already lost an hour tracking down camera feeds and chasing leads from Tex on the syndicate.
They had to move fast. Before it was too late. His son was counting on him.
“Richard.”
Lainey’s gut twisted. The man who screwed her over in Atlanta and threatened her mother and son—her onetime ex-boyfriend—stood before her, smug as ever. She shifted in the chair, the ropes digging into her skin.
He was still obsessed with appearances—always a sharp dresser. Image was important, you know. Today, strolling closer to the chair she was now tied to, he had his shirt sleeves rolled up and wore linen slacks and polished wing tips, looking totally relaxed like he was in a board meeting instead of in a filthy building holding her hostage.
“Lainey, Lainey, Lainey,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “I gave you so many chances to walk away from that project. But you were always too stubborn to read the room.”
“I worked my ass off for that project. It’s mine,” she snapped. “You already screwed me once. Why can’t you leave me the hell alone?”
Richard cocked his head and raised his brows. “I had no idea you were the project manager. That little twist came later. You can imagine my surprise when I found out. But I’m all about solutions.”
“What do you want?” she hissed, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.
He stepped closer. “You know what I want. I want you to sign the project over. Or resign. You walk away, and you and your family stay untouched.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
He gave her a slick smile and shrugged. “Probably. But I’m also in control.”
His phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, glanced at the screen, and frowned. “Stay here. I have to make nice with my investors.”
She didn’t bother replying. Her mind raced. One thing was certain, she wasn’t handing over that project. Not to him. Not to anyone. Because the minute she did, she was dead whether sheturned it over or not. The bastard would just have to work harder for it.
He paused at the door and turned. “Oh, if you’re thinking about holding out on me, Travis here knows what to do to soften you up.” He glanced at Travis. “Not too much now, just enough to make her see reason.”
“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Travis said. “You said scare her off, not hurt her.”
“That’s what you signed up for. Do your job.” Then Richard turned and left.
Lainey’s blood turned to ice. She didn’t move. Couldn’t move even if she wanted to. Her breath caught. Oh, sweet Jesus. She pictured Luke’s crooked smile. She thought about Finn and how fortunate it was he came into their lives. How he would keep Luke safe. Finn would come for her, she was sure of that. But would he be in time?
The truck wassilent as Finn raced through the outskirts of Haywood Lake. The warehouse was in a loading facility that had long been abandoned.
Finn gripped the wheel tighter, scanning every building, every alley. Dex had narrowed it down to a three-block radius, but this part of Haywood Lake was a maze of abandoned buildings and forgotten signs. Every second they lost was a second Lainey could be slipping further out of their reach.
“Should be close,” Dex said, flipping through notes on his laptop.
Finn gave a tight nod.
Every second felt like an hour. Fear crawled deeper under his skin.
He pulled to a stop half a block away from several warehouses with boarded windows. Chase, Caleb, and Titus rolled up behind him.
“It’s one of these buildings,” Dex said quietly.
Finn stepped out of the truck, met the other men, who were already checking weapons. “Let’s move.”
Lainey was close. He had to believe that. Because anything else wasn’t an option.
