“No, why?” Nick asked.
“Because we’re in the condo, and she’s not here. She’s missing, and I’m afraid she’s in danger.”
“I’m still in my lab,” Nick said. “I’ll be right up, and we’ll find her together.”
Colin hoped Nick was right, but for some reason, he didn’t have a lot of confidence in the guy. Not that Nick wasn’t a superhuman when it came to computers, but if Brooklyn had left the building, it wasn’t likely a computer issue, and Colin had no idea how they might find her.
No idea at all.
Brooklyn had tried to get Luka to tell her where he was taking her, but he just kept smirking at her and saying, “Wouldn’t you like to know.” She expected a higher maturity level for a man in his fifties who gave out life and death orders every day.
They’d driven for about an hour, heading over the Oregon Coast Range toward the ocean. They were just nearing the Tillamook State Forest when he suddenly turned off the highway into a narrow driveway that led to a home overlooking the river. Completely secluded. At least, from what she could see with the truck headlights, which he killed when he killed the engine.
“Kind of a funky house, but Tarver rented it to meet his special needs.” He used his fingers to show air quotes over special needs.
“He has special needs?” she asked.
“He does, and you’ll find out all about them soon enough. But for now, get out and let’s go into the house.” He glared at her. “And before you think about running, you should remember I’ve taken control of Tarver’s program and can end your family’s life with a tap of my phone.”
She didn’t need him to remind her. She knew full well what Kane had planned for her family if she didn’t cooperate with him. She opened the door and slid down to the running board and then to the ground, covered with a thick layer of gravel.
She slammed the truck door in hopes it might be heard somewhere by someone, and they would come to her rescue. But what were the odds? Not good at four in the morning that someone in the area would hear a truck door slam and think someone was in need of help. Minuscule odds, that was what it was.
No, she was on her own, meaning she had to take in every single detail she could.
She swept her gaze over the property, slightly illuminated by the partial moon peeking out behind heavy clouds. A large man, arms crossed over his barrel chest, guarded the front door of a single-story ranch house. To the right, she spotted some sort of structure. Not big enough to be a barn, but larger than what she would expect from a storage shed. To the left, a boat sat on a trailer. From the sound of the river rushing behind the house, this home sat directly on the riverfront. Would that in any way help someone find her?
Someone like Colin. If he’d even woken up to discover she was gone.
“Quit wasting time and get in the house.” Luka fired an angry look in her direction. “You better believe I’m not bluffing when it comes to the water treatment plant.”
“Don’t worry.” She headed for the door. “I don’t think you’re bluffing.”
“Keep alert, Rocco,” Luka said to the guard, then opened the door.
The man with inky black hair nodded and widened his stance. Not a man to fool with.
She slipped past Rocco and followed Luka into a home that hadn’t been updated since the sixties. Orange shag carpeting covered the living room floor, and a light glowed over the stove, giving her a glimpse of green-and-orange-flowered wallpaper in the kitchen, along with avocado green appliances.
“I’d never rent a place like this that requires so much work.” Luka shook his head. “But Tarver? Guy said he didn’t care as long as it suited his needs.”
“Needs you haven’t yet mentioned.”
“First thing he said was privacy. Which also suits me quite well too. Secluded. No one will see you here or ask any questions, so don’t bother calling out. It’s a waste of your breath.” He flicked on a brass light hanging over a small dining table outside the kitchen. A half wall with wooden spindles on the top divided the small dining area from the living room.
The light flooded the space, and she blinked to adapt, then looked at him. He was studying her as if the change from dark to lightness didn’t bother his eyes. Which it should, as he was the kind of guy who lived a lot of his life in the dark, and the bright light should impact him.
“It’ll be dawn soon. I want to grab some sleep before we start. But before you settle in for the night, I’d like you to meet Tarver’s best friend and his special need, so you can think about tomorrow.” He laughed, the deep, almost otherworldly tone cutting into her.
“Follow me.” He headed through the kitchen to a side door and pushed it open to a garage.
A low growling noise that sounded more like a deep male snore than anything filled the space. But she knew it wasn’t a man snoring. The growl came from an animal. A large one, by the sound of things.
Luka flipped up the light switch, illuminating a large cage sitting on a trailer. A majestic jaguar paced inside the metal bars.His golden brown coat was covered with black rosettes, and he had a white snout. He snapped at them, revealing large teeth that could cut through a human like taking a bite of soft butter.
“This guy’s tired of being in this little cage. He had to hang out at my compound for a week. When I gave him back to Tarver, he took off from his other house, trailer in tow. But there’s a nice enclosure for the kitty cat here. Tomorrow you and Tarver can move him. Oh, and did I forget to mention, we’ll offer you as his plaything to get Tarver to talk? I know the cat will want to keep you, but we won’t let him until we have the answers we need from Tarver. Then you’re all his.”
Her knees lost all feeling, and she thought she might sink to the floor.No. Get control. Keep him talking.“And if Kane doesn’t talk?”
