Stone was on the verge of grabbing his boss by the throat when Aiden spoke again.
“Ah, there. Sophie Collins hopped a plane for LA. About four hours after we lost her. Here’s the part you’rereallynot going to like.”
Stone had had enough. “Cut the BS and spit it out!” His temples throbbed and his jaw ached from grinding his back teeth.
He hated feeling useless and right now he felt downright impotent.
They needed to find Sophie Collinsnow.
“According to our perp’s email he boarded the same aircraft under the name Henry Whittaker.”
“He was on her fucking plane?” Stone exploded. The pounding in his head a moment ago nothing compared to the thunder roaring through him now. How could they have screwed this situation up so badly?
“Easy there.” Ford gripped Stone’s shoulder, dug his fingers in hard, no doubt to keep him in place. Satisfied Stone wasn’t going anywhere, Ford nodded at his brother. “What else, Aiden?”
Aiden eyed Stone for a moment, one eyebrow cocked, before returning his gaze to the information in front of him. “I’m still following the trail but Sophie hired a limo to take her to The Beverly Hilton. She’s booked in for a two-week stay. Can’t find Henry Whittaker on the guest register.”
“How does this non-existent Henry Whittaker get a passport?” Ford aimed the question at Chip. “I want everything you find on this guy and I don’t care how you get the information.”
Chip nodded and began furiously tapping at the keys on his ever-present laptop.
A gangly teenager—all of sixteen, judging by the fuzz on his chin—stumbled into the shed.
Jack calmly strolled in behind him. “Got the little shit. Had to drag his ass out of bed.”
The “little shit” glanced around, eyes widening with each man his gaze landed on. His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed up and down his skinny neck as he swallowed. When he spotted the photos covering the walls, his mouth dropped open and his eyes almost bugged right out of his head. “What the…?” He spun towards the door.
“Whoa.” Jack grabbed the kid’s shirt and turned him around again. “Stay right where you are. We’re not done.”
“But…” The kid’s terrified gaze pinged around the room, not making eye contact with any of the men surrounding him.
“What’s your name?” Ford asked in a mild tone, but Stone could hear the rage vibrating in each word.
“M-mike.” The kid licked his lips. “I d-don’t know anything about t-this. I j-just did what he p-paid me for.”
Not bothering to modulate his anger the way his brother had, Aiden stepped forward, got right in the kids face and demanded, “Who and what?”
“G-g-g-george.” The kid swung a thumb over his shoulder towards the house visible through the shed door behind him. “H-he lives here.”
Aiden arched an eyebrow. “George?”
“Y-yeah.” The kid nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing several times, sweat breaking out on his forehead and upper lip.
Stone couldn’t decide if the stammering was nerves or a genuine affliction.
Not that it mattered. He didn’t care about the kid beyond what he could tell them about Sophie’s mysterious stalker. It chapped Stone’s ass to think this kid probably knew more about the guy than they did. Including what he looked like. So far they had three descriptions of Whittaker.
“How many fucking names does this prick have?” Stone barked, the question aimed at no one in particular. He could hear his frustration leaching into his voice and tried to rein in his temper but feared he was fighting a losing battle.
“I’ve got a bead on at least five…” Chip murmured as he tapped away on his laptop.
“Five?” Stone asked in disbelief.
“It’s irrelevant.” Ford turned and faced Stone head-on. “Get on the first flight to LA. Find Sophie. Bring her home. Find Henry/George/whoever-the-fuck-he-is today. If he’s touched her, he doesn’t take another breath.”
Stone’s spine snapped straight, his whole body going rigid. He didn’t think Ford meant for him to actually terminate the guy. Not really. But he completely understood the seriousness of his boss’s words.
This guy would pay for anything and everything he’d done to Sophie Collins.
