They’d landed in Dallas an hour ago. Almost eight hours had gone by since Hayes knocked his ass out and took Riley.
Eight. Fucking. Hours.
Eric’s unit, along with Homeland Security Agent Jason Ryker, had met them at the private airstrip owned by the government agency. From there, they’d gone straight to the police station, which was where they were, now.
“Shut the fuck up with that shit.” Derek scowled from his seat across the room. “We’re gonna find Riley. And when we do, you’ll finally be able to take down the son of a bitch, once and for all.”
“How?” He shot up from his chair, ignoring the effects of the concussion. “We have nothing to go on. No starting point. No witnesses. We don’t have shit!”
He smacked his palm against the top of his desk, the stinging in his palm a welcome sensation.
Eric’s outburst rendered the entire room quiet. His captain, his unit...his brother and the members of R.I.S.C... They all looked at him with the same, gut-churning pity because they knew.
They knew their chances of finding Riley alive were low. They knew that, if by some miracle they did find her in time, she’d most likely have already been hurt in ways he couldn’t bring himself to imagine.
Not that he’d look at her any differently. His love for Riley ran deep and true.
No matter what that bastard did to her, no matter what sort of hell she was going through right now, he’d be right by her side. Helping her heal in every way he could.
Derek’s laptop dinged, and he leaned in to read something on the screen. His eyes rose to meet Eric’s, a hint of excitement entering his voice. “We may have something.”
“What?” Eric’s spine stiffened and he rushed to his brother’s side.
“I’ve been running a program to cross-reference the name Ty Buendd to properties in the area. Since he came back here, I thought maybe he’d rented a house or apartment in town. Someplace he could take Riley to...” He blanched at the unfinished thought. “Other than the car, which we already knew about, nothing was popping up. So I—”
“Christ, man.” Eric lost his cool. “Just spit it the fuck out, already!”
Trepidation swirled behind the set of eyes that matched his own. “Hayes rented a storage unit. It’s located in Rockwell, across Lake Ray Hubbard. Right off Highway 276.”
“Let’s go!” Eric was already grabbing his vest and other gear before his brother had even finished.
The others followed suit, speeding through the space designated for the Special Crimes Unit. They raced down a flight of stairs and out the precinct doors, spreading themselves out between four different vehicles.
What should’ve been a forty-minute drive took twenty, which was still nineteen minutes too long.
The fear he felt for Riley was like a giant weight pushing him further and further toward the ground as he and the team approached the storage facility.
It was one of those indoor ones, where the lockers were secured inside the structure. This actually made their job easier, allowing for a greater element of surprise.
Minus Derek, Jake and his team were positioned around the building’s exterior to prevent Hayes from making an escape. Like Cap and the rest of his unit, Derek was by his side, ready to rain hell down on the man who had taken their girl.
Aaron, Brooke, and Parker were spread out around the unit’s door. Their guns were at the ready as they waited.
Luke was crouched down in front of the sliding metal door. His gloved fingers wrapped around the steel handle, ready to pull it up when the time came.
Standing off to the side with a pair of bolt cutters in his hands, Cap carefully slid the steel jaws around the padlock’s shackle. He waited for Eric—who was positioned in a shooting stance directly in front of the door—to give the signal.
Eric held his breath. Fear gnawed at his insides as he tipped his chin down, bracing himself for what they’d find on the other side of the door.
Cap pushed the long hands together. The sharp blades cut through the lock as if it were butter.
The second the lock was off, Luke pulled the handle, throwing the door open. At the same time, he stood upright, his gun already pointing at the locker’s interior.
Eric was about to shout for Hayes to freeze, but the order caught in his throat. Hayes wasn’t inside the locker. Neither was Riley. In fact, nothing was in there.
Nothing except a small piece of paper lying dead center on the concrete floor.
“She’s not here.” Eric dropped his weapon and stared. For the first several seconds it’s all hecoulddo.
