“And heiscoming home, Colin! HeIS!”
Colin nodded and buckled the seatbelt.
David gave him a quick look. “Colin, do you want to notify either one of your families?”
“No!” Colin shot back. “Not yet. Not until I have something real to tell them. Right now, all I know is that he’s missing and possibly abducted.” He drew in a quick, noisy breath through his nose. “I’m not going to make them suffer the way I’m suffering. It’ll be bad enough if Josh…” His breath caught in a half-sob which he stifled at once. “Let’s wait.”
David nodded. “Understood.”
They arrived at the campus police station at seven minutes after ten and were walking toward the door when Donald came rushing toward them. “Colin! He sent his sister a text! She just called us to report it. We’re trying to run it down. It may give us a location!”
Colin grasped Thompson’s arms and felt a sudden burst of hope ignite within his chest. “Oh god, Donnie!Canyou?”
“We’re getting tower dumps now from three separate locations,” Donald said, leading Colin into the station. “Lenny can use that info to request a court order. Then we can get the rest of the relevant information…logs, locations!” He clenched his teeth and shook Colin’s arm. “We’re getting close, Colin. We’ll get this slimy motherfucker, I promise you!”
“I pray that Josh...” Colin began, then stopped and lowered his head, staggered by a wave of pain.Jesus,he thought,all this is going to take time! How much time does Josh have left?“Oh god, baby,” he moaned in anguish. “Please, hang on!”
David placed a hand on his shoulder and spun him around. “Listen to me. Josh is the strongest guy I know. I’ve seen first-hand what that tough little dude can take without shedding a tear or uttering a sound. Don’t underestimate him. He’ll come through this.”
“Being tough won’t help if that bastard is armed,” Colin muttered, swiping a sleeve across his damp cheeks. As if by instinct, he wandered to the desk which had been his own for the ten years he’d worked in this office and collapsed into the chair. He sat without speaking, staring at the wall. His fellow officers hovered nearby but did not approach him.
“Give him a minute,” Lenny said when David made a move to go to Colin’s side. “Let him pull it together. Let him focus.”
David wrapped his arm around Nate’s shoulders. “Did you get the court order?” he asked, and Lenny nodded, his face grim.
“It’s coming.”
“I just hope it comes in time,” Nate rasped out.
“Nate, don’t! Don’t think like that.”
Nate’s eyes swung to meet David’s. “I can’t help it, Davy. I’m scared. I was scared when Colin was shot, but somehow that was different. That was Colin. And I could count on his strength to pull himself through. But this time, it doesn’t depend on Josh—it depends on someone elseentirely! And that someone else is alunatic!”
“Don’t write Joshua off,” David muttered, leading Nate further away from where Colin sat.
“I’dneverdo that!” Nate cried. “If all that mattered was Joshua’s strength, Iknowhe’d come through this!”
“Count on Joshua’sintellect,” David said. “I’d bet real money that it’s a match for any lunatic on the planet. We’ve both seen him outsmartColin. So, what kind of chance does this guy have?”
“Like Colin said,” Nate mumbled, leaning against David’s shoulder. “Being smart won’t help if that bastard is armed.”
Chapter 16
Joshua
Joshua – 10:55 p.m.
Joshua sat without moving for several minutes. He had lain on the filthy floor with his hands bound behind his back for what felt like hours. Both his right arm and left knee throbbed, and a crushing pain in his chest made breathing difficult. He knew his face was swollen. The skin felt stretched and tight, and he could barely see.
He peered toward his captor, trying to evaluate his condition. The man did not speak, didn’t even move. For a startled moment Joshua wondered if he had fallen asleep, then saw his eyes shift away from Joshua and toward a glassless window frame beyond which there was only darkness. Joshua drew in a deep breath. “Are you Lukas Page?” he asked. Talking was difficult. His lips were swollen, and his words sounded slurred and awkward. Without seeming aggressive, he tried his best to hold the man’s gaze as he spoke. It was important at this stage to establish a dialogue, but it was also vitally important that his abductor continue to believe that he was in control of their situation. If Joshua wanted to live, he had no choice. He had to ignore his pain and focus on making a connection with his abductor.
“Why do you want to know?” the man asked.
Joshua paused before responding. “Look,” he said. “I feel as though you’re a guy who’s felt like an outsider his whole life. So have I. Do you want me to lie to you? Or tell you the truth. I’d just like to know up front.”
“I can take the truth,” he said. He shifted the rifle in his arms.
“I’d like to know your name so I’ll know what to call you,” Joshua told him.
