As I run around my perfect tiny home gathering supplies, I think back on my conversation with Carter yesterday and what it all means for us. I hope he’s willing to spend some time here too. I know it’s ridiculous but it’s my very first home, and I want more of me before it becomes all about us.
The knock on the door pulls me out of my own head.
“Hi, you’re early.” I open the door wider and move to grab the box with the materials I had prepared.
He comes in without a word and the second I turn around I feel a wet cloth over my mouth. I’m kicking and screaming but his hold is too tight. The living room starts swimming around me, my limbs become heavy and I’m powerless to struggle any longer.
My mind is void, paralyzed by fear before my living room dissolves into darkness.
Chapter Forty-Six
CARTER
Eliza might not be sure yet, but I know damn well I am. Leaving a half-cold bed after everything we shared is not enough to push me away. I told her I’m not giving up easily and I meant it. I’d be an idiot to let her slip through my fingers and lose the woman who taught me love doesn’t have to hurt.
Her front door is slightly ajar, and dread takes hold of my insides like a sharp claw.
“Eliza,” I call out, hopeful, but my gut feeling is sounding the alarm.
The bag she had at the party is on the floor, its contents spread under the living room coffee table. A wave of nausea washes over me and I act at the speed of light.
“Code red. Somebody took Eliza,” I bark into the phone. “Send the tactical unit here.” The air is thick, moving sluggishly in and out of my lungs. “Put the rescue team on the helicopter to sweep the area. I’ll give you details as soon as I know more.”
“On it. Are you in any danger, boss?” Derrick’s voice is the epitome of cool professionalism.
“No.” I wish I was the one taken, instead of her. She knew so many people and Derrick’s team did abackground check on all of them. There were no red flags. “Send me the sheriff’s contact. ASAP.”
My mind scrambles to go through all the scenarios. Jared? He’s an asshole, but his record is clean. Would he want to hurt Eliza just because he’s a jealous bastard?
My security chief is still on the line, a flurry of activity in the background. “Somebody you pissed off, boss?”
The thought makes me sick. I’ll never forgive myself if I’ve put her in danger with my carelessness. There have always been people with an ax to grind against big tech companies. They were loud, but never made any moves to actually pose a threat.
The competition is fierce in our field. I’ve met many shady people wanting to use our tech for less than honorable or legal purposes. I’ve always blacklisted them. Did one of them plan to force my hand by taking Eliza?
“Walker.” The brusque baritone of the sheriff bellows in my ear and I fill him in. “Stay put,” he orders.
The next call is to the only other person I’d trust in this situation besides Derrick.
“I need your help.” I let my panic bleed through.
Logan doesn’t miss a beat and speaks over the sound of his fingers flying over the keyboard. “How bad is it?”
“It’s Eliza. Get your trackers on her. Somebody has her.”
“Shit,” he grunts and yells at somebody in his office. “Get Patel and the squad on the plane. Fire up the tank in Boston and send it to meet them when they land.”
“You own a tank?” I ask stupidly. As far as I’m concerned, he can send a full-fledged military fleet to Eliza’s rescue. I’ll pay whatever it takes to find her.
“Yes, butThe Tankis our surveillance and forensic armed vehicle. You still have the tracker on you?”
“Yes.” My thumb instinctively rubs over the small bump near my wrist. I thought it was excessive at the time, but Logan’s paranoia proves to be well-founded.
“Pinned you. They’ll be there in forty minutes. Give me access to your satellites.”
“Thank you,” I breathe out in a short-lived sense of relief.
“Save it for when we find her.” He hangs up just as the police car skids to a stop. A man built like a bear climbs out. His face is familiar, but I don’t have time to dwell on it.
