“I can’t,” I gasp.
“Do not go there. We will get to them.” Her words are as stern as the look on her face.
I wish like hell I could believe her. I wish like hell we didn’t let up on Claire’s protection. I wish like hell that we didn’t act like anyone dealing with this case was safe.
“It’s my fault,” I mumble.
“It’s not.”
“It is. I should have done more.”
“Adam.” Lex’s pained voice joins us. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s me.”
“We’re done,” Woodcroft says, entering the hallway. “Blaming anyone right now is absurd. Our only focus should be on figuring out who took Claire and getting her back safely. Push all your bullshit guilt down, and let’s go. Stone thinks Starbuck has something.”
I scramble to my feet, wiping my face off and trying to steady my breathing. Lex claps me on the back as we all go back into the apartment.
“First, her cell phone isn’t here,” Stone starts.
“Track it,” Woodcroft tells Juliette.
“Next, Starbuck found this.” Stone holds up a gold chain on a pen.
It’s one I instantly recognize, but it doesn’t make sense. No one has said anything, and I realize they’re all looking at me.
“I, uh, know it. But it doesn’t make sense.” I shake my head, trying to piece it all together.
“Whose is it?” Woodcroft pushed.
“Nico Rojas.”
It’s like the entire room is frozen as soon as I say his name. Then all hell breaks loose.
“Sin, get me anything you have on property for him. Juliette, any progress on the phone?” Woodcroft barks as they usher me out of the apartment.
“Trying,” Juliette responds.
Someone jolts me on the stairs, making me focus and really think.Where would Nico take Claire?
I wrack my brain about where he hung out, any place he would go frequently, but nothing comes to mind.
We climb into Woodcroft’s SUV, Juliette pulling open a laptop from God knows where. Sin is on his phone, typing a million miles a minute.
Lex is next to me, fidgeting. “It’ll be okay,” he says almost to himself.
I nod, but I don’t quite believe it yet. There’s this knot in my stomach. It’s making me nauseous just thinking about what Nico could do her Claire and Teeny.
“Pull over!” I yell, opening the side door before the vehicle has even stopped yet, and puke up what little I’ve eaten today. The stomach acid coming up does very little to settle the dry heaves I now have.
My sleeve wipes across my face as I sit back up and tell Kellen to drive. I’m still extremely uneasy, but we don’t have time for my ass to freak the fuck out.
“Got her cell,” Juliette calls, completely ignoring me. She directs Woodcroft to an area just north of New York City, heading to New Rochelle. Woodcroft slams on his breaks, pulling over when Juliette tells him to, and we all jump out looking around.
“Got it,” Lex calls out with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
That’s when I see it’s smashed to hell and useless.
“Dammit,” I curse. It would have been lucky for this to lead to Claire, but I was still hopeful. And then a memory flashes in my mind. “The warehouse.”
