We screech into the gym lot fifteen minutes later. The sight of Sera’s car mocking me.
“She was here an hour ago. We’ll find her.”
I ignore the people in the gym, heading straight for Brady’s office in the back, when Finn beckons me from the doorway.
He immediately returns to a laptop on the desk, fingers flying across the keys. “Brady’s on his way back,” Finn says without preamble. “Should be here in a couple of hours. I hacked into the city’s mainframe and got the traffic cams.”
He spins the screen toward me, a frozen frame filling the display: a blue sedan, a woman in the driver’s seat, blonde hair, and a familiar face.
My blood runs cold.
“Do you know who that is?” Finn asks, eyes sharp.
Shock slams into me, followed by a wave of confusion so thick it chokes. “That’s her friend Hannah, from group therapy. She’s Sera’s friend.”
Someone she trusted. Someone who could blindside her. The pieces don’t fit, but the dread deepens, a black pit opening in my stomach. “Send me the pic.”
Finn grunts, still typing furiously. My phone pings seconds later, and I forward it to Alex. “Have our people run facial recognition.”
Alex nods, stepping into the hall, already dialing.
I turn back to Finn, pacing the small office like a caged animal. Every second that ticks by feels like torture. My mind spins—images flashing unbidden of Sera, hurt, alone. Her smile this morning… the way she fits against me at night.
The way she’s my entire world.
“I’m trying to follow her car through traffic,” Finn mutters, eyes glued to the screen. “But coverage isn’t as thorough on the side streets as I’d like. Give me a few minutes.”
Minutes. It feels like hours. I stop pacing, leaning against the wall, arms crossed to hide the tremor in my hands. My chest tightens, breath coming shorter.
What if… No, focus. She’s a fighter, my Little Warrior.
“It’s gonna take a few minutes,” Finn snaps. “Your growling and sighing are distracting. Go marshal your troops or whatever.”
I stare at him, the words cutting through the haze.
Finn looks up, face set in icy determination. Something hard and unyielding is in his eyes that I haven’t seen before.“Wherever they’ve taken her,” he says, voice steady. “We’re getting her back. No matter what.”
I jerk my chin up, the knot in my chest loosening just a fraction. “Yeah. We are.”
Alex appears in the doorway, phone in hand. “Got her on facial rec. Her real name is Anna Welch, and she’s a private investigator. Joelle Taggert hired her three months ago.”
I push off the wall. “That’s a month before Sera said they met.”
Finn’s face is grim. “She must have followed her to the group therapy and thought it was an in.”
“What the fuck do they want from her? She gave them the money.”
Finn meets my eyes. “She wants to know where Aaron’s body is.”
“She doesn’t know.” I can barely get the words out.
But Aaron’s mother won’t believe her.
My phone buzzes again—Brady.
“I’m an hour out,” he announces, his voice sounding as raw as mine.
“I’m not waiting for you if we get a location.”
