“Dakota found me before I bled out. Monty was caught, tried and convicted of attempted murder. While he was being transported from the courthouse back to jail, he overtook the sheriff’s deputy, shot him to death, and took off. Several months after that, he contacted me, vowing revenge. That was fourteen years ago.”
“That’s unbelievable,” she said, caressing his hand.
“Sad, really. He was a genius when it came to the market. That’s probably why he was so successful at scamming women in Florida.”
“Which begs the question, why impersonate a pastor who’s pushing for adoption?”OMG. No way. “Maybe he’s…could he be Uncle Charlie?”
“I’m convinced he burned down my club. We’ll know more as soon as we haul his ass in here and get some damn answers.” Sin shifted in bed and winced. “I fucking hate pain.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” She kissed his cheek. “What can I do to make you feel better?”
“I can think of a few things.” Seeing his playful expression made her smile.
I adore this man. “Glad your libido is still intact.” She dotted his face with tender kisses. “I will make all your sexy wishes come true as soon as we catch Joey, I mean, Thomas Monty. “Do you think he’s still in town?”
“Hard to say,” Sin replied. “Based on his obsession with you, I’m surprised you haven’t heard from him.”
She bolted off the bed. “That’s it. I’ll lure him out of hiding.”
Sin stared into her eyes. “No. Too dangerous.”
“I can do it.”
“She can,” Jacoby said, after walking into the room. “I’m having trouble hacking into the Caraway security system, but he hasn’t been on their street in the past seventy-two hours. He hasn’t been to the strip club, either. I checked his place again. He’s not there. Our best chance of catching him is with bait.”
Dakota stood in the doorway. “I agree.”
“Good, then it’s done.” Evangeline’s gaze flitted from one man to the other, resting on Sin. “Let’s craft a text and send it.”
Jacoby’s phone rang. “It’s Sanchez.” He put the call on speaker. “What’s the word?”
“There was a fatal crash on the beltway and I just got to Hannah’s. The front door was unlocked. Hannah and her baby aren’t here.”
Dread flooded Evangeline. “What?”
“They’re gone,” Sanchez replied. “No signs of a struggle.”
She wrung her hands. “Oh, God, he took the baby. He took the baby. I have to go.”
“I’ll drive you,” Jacoby said.
“Take one of my SUVs,” Dakota added.
“Evangeline.” The power in Sin’s voice stopped her. “You’ve got this.”
Inhaling a steadying breath, she kissed him goodbye. “I love you.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “I love you, too. Now, go get that motherfucker.”
She rode shotgun as Jacoby sped into Shirlington. As soon as he pulled up to Hannah’s, she ran inside.
“What happened?” she asked Sanchez.
“I knocked and identified myself, but she didn’t come to the door. I kept knocking, thinking she was asleep. I tried the doorknob. It was open. No mom, no baby. No signs of a struggle, but she did have company.”
A blast of heat pounded Evangeline. “Oh, no, she let him in. Show me.”
Two mugs sat in the sink. One was filled with half a cup of coffee, the other with tea. “I need these tested and the mugs fingerprinted. Can you help me?”
