When they’d been hiding out in the jungle together, Olivia had told Jake how, while being held captive by Cetro, she’d been forced to try to save his brother. The kid was wounded during a gun battle between Cetro’s crew and the people they’d gone after that time. Despite Olivia’s efforts, the young man had died.
“Right. So, Cetro’s brother dies, and with you and your team’s help, Olivia escapes. Fast forward a few days, and your team goes after him and the others. He’s caught and taken to jail. The guy loses it. Uses his time in custody to plan his revenge against your girl. The wreck provided him with the perfect opportunity, and with the help of his new buddy, he tracks her down. Not hard to do for a man with his connections. He starts watching her, waiting for the perfect time.”
Another thought occurred to him. “Jason, Olivia was being stalked. She was attacked a few days ago while I was in the city taking care of some business.” Something he still couldn’t forgive himself for. “Trevor was with her. He was hit in the chest, but had on a vest. Olivia was banged up and almost taken, but Trevor woke up in time to take the guy out. Man’s name was Carlos Hernandez. Derek didn’t find anything, but therehasto be a connection there.”
“I’ll have my guy look into it.”
Jake’s head spun as he continued to drive. He’d just stood there and watched as she walked out his door with Mac three days ago...alone.
His ears filled with the sound of his blood rushing through them. The phone calls, the fucking snake...he slammed the palm of his free hand against his steering wheel.
“Goddammit!”How had he not seen it?
Jake wanted to pull over to the side of the road and throw up, but he couldn’t waste a single minute getting to Liv.
To Ryker, he barked, “We’ll keep trying to get ahold of her. You hear anything new, I don’t care how fucking small it is, you call me.Immediately.”
“I will. And I’m sorry, Jake. I’d have called sooner had I known.”
Without another word, Jake ended the call and immediately tried Olivia again. He didn’t need Ryker’s damn apology. He needed to know his woman was okay.
She didn’t answer his call. He tried again and again, but always got the same result. The sick feeling that had started in his gut the second Coop entered his barn worsened with every second he didn’t hear her voice.
Not giving up hope, he started to dial the hospital, but Coop’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“Already called the hospital, boss. She’s not there. She, uh...she never showed for her shift.”
Oh, God.Was he too late? Jake hit number two on his call list. Trevor answered immediately.
“Tell me you’re there.”
“Ten minutes out. You?”
Fuck. “I’m half an hour behind you.”
Jake looked at his speedometer and pushed down his accelerator. The distance he still had to cover should have normally taken him another forty-five minutes at least, but Jake had been breaking land speed records since his tires hit the highway.
“I was there less than twenty minutes ago, Jake. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“The hospital said she didn’t show for her shift, Trev.”
Trevor waited a beat and then said, “Doesn’t necessarily mean anything. She was pretty emotional when I left. Maybe she’s taking some time to pull herself together.
Jake wanted to believe that. “Call the second you get to her place.”
“Roger that.”
Jake ended the call, and for what felt like the millionth time in the last ten minutes, he tried calling Liv again.
