“They weren’t grieving too much when my wife got my life insurance policy from Uncle Sam. We were already headed for divorce because she wanted me to leave the military when my contract was up. I didn’t want to. When the CIA made their offer, it was my chance to be rid of that bitch and the baggage she trapped me with.”
What the hell? This wasn’t the Stephens she thought she knew back in the Army.
This fucker was along the same lines of how Mutt and Daniels talked. Had she mourned a man who didn’t deserve it?
“Why am I here, Stephens? I never had any issues with you.” Desiree changed the subject.
“Oh, that’s the easy part. I’m here to let Mutt and Daniels finish what they started in that cave. I’m letting them have their way with you and then we’re going to dispose of your body where no one will find you.”
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
Max was fuming by the time he’d made it to the store where everyone else had been waiting when Jose had called him and told him they’d found Desiree’s vehicle, his heart stopped beating for several minutes.
He had to admit he’d feared the worst but cheered when they said she still hadn’t been found. To him, that meant there was a chance that she was still alive.
When he arrived at the store, he’d found where the others were standing around quickly. Tiny blocked his path when he rushed to get to her vehicle.
“Slow down, Max. We need to process the scene the proper way, by the book. Jose has called in forensics and asked for a warrant for us to look at the surveillance footage from the store cameras. Let us do our job so that we can find her and deal with the fucker without him getting off on a technicality.”
“What did you find?” Max asked through gritted teeth.
“Nothing. That’s why we need the footage from the security cameras.” Tiny admitted as he continued to block Max’s way to his wife’s truck.
“How long until you get that warrant? My wife is probably being tortured by whoever took her. I can’t let them hurt her,Geramie. She’s my everything.” Max pleaded with his brother, for what he didn’t really know at the moment.
“I know, brother. Trust me, I know this. We are doing everything in our power to bring her home. Just be patient with us. Please!” Tiny softly pleaded with his brother.
Max stared at his brother, seeing the pain in his eyes. He knew Tiny was hurting over Desiree’s disappearance just like he was.
To him, Desiree was his baby sister, just because she was Jose’s baby sister. But now that she was married to Max, that made it even more solid in Tiny’s eyes.
He would do anything in the world to find her and bring her home. He knew that without a shadow of a doubt.
It just killed him being away from her like this and not knowing what was going on with her. He knew that no matter what condition he got her back in, he would never leave her side.
She was his and he would make sure no one ever harmed her again once they got her back. Time for him to become the villain he said he would be if anyone laid a hand on his wife without her permission.
He was going to burn the whole fucking planet just to find his wife. He wasn’t waiting for them to do what they needed to do.
As he turned to walk away from Tiny, Jose came up to them with a piece of paper in his hand. He prayed it was something important to find out where his wife is.
“We got the warrant for the cameras. I’m headed in now to get a look at them.” Jose announced once Max and Tiny met up with him.
Max followed Jose and Tiny into the store with Andrea, Iris, and Nightshade following behind them. They all went up to the cashier and asked for the store manager to meet with them.
When the manager showed up, he was stuttering, his face flushed, and wringing his hands. “H-how can I help you officers?”
“Are you the manager for this store?” Jose asked the squeamish store manager.
“Y-yes. What seems to be the issue?”
“I need to see your cameras for earlier today. I would say from three this afternoon until the time we showed up on the scene. We’re looking for a missing woman who may have come here to this store.”
“Oh. Um sure. Please follow me.”
The group followed the manager to his office and waited for him to pull up the cameras. For the next hour they went through the camera, frame by frame, inside the store and in the parking lot.
