Page 43

Lex remained quiet, almost contemplative, on the elevator ride down. He’d pulled on his jacket, covering his holstered gun, and when the door glided open, they stepped out together. A unified front, a team. She liked it, the feeling of having not only a partner, but also an equal. A man who respected and included her.

She scanned the busy lobby, searching for Scott. Guests were checking in and checking out, including a large number of tourists, straight off a bus. In addition, the normal crowd was strolling in off the boulevard to explore the massive hotel, going to the casino, restaurants and shops, or merely to admire its beautifully luxurious bronze and black aesthetics.

“Do you see him?” Lex asked, and she realized he had no idea what Scott looked like.

There was such a difference between the two men. While Lex was tall and lanky with muscles in all the right places, Scott never worked out, so his body was much softer. He barely reached five foot ten inches, but he claimed he was six foot tall. And while Lex had light brown hair with silver at his temples, a little shaggy and perfectly-mussed, Scott had always kept his blond hair closely-cropped, usually covered by a ratty Yankees baseball cap that had to be thirty years old. It looked like it, anyway.

“No,” she murmured, searching the crowd. “He’s shorter than you, and stockier. Usually wears a Yankees ball cap.” With a sigh, she let go of Lex’s hand. “Let me text him.”

While she started typing a “where the hell are you” message, Lex took a couple of steps forward. Head down and focused on her phone, she didn’t realize anyone had moved up behind her until a pair of firm hands tugged her backward. Spinning around, she came face to face with Scott. Before she could say a word, he lifted a finger to his lips.

“Shhh,” he hissed then motioned for her to come with him. “Hurry!”

“Not without Lex.” She turned to search for him, and that’s when a man in a suit grabbed her upper arm in a vise-like grip and began dragging her away.

Lex had a bad feeling. He’d moved a few feet forward, hunting for a bum in a Yankees cap—because let’s face it, the Red Sox ruled—and dread nipped at him. Something felt off, and his inner alarms began clanging. Maybe they should go back up to the room. Wait for his team to arrive and move forward from there. Fuck Scott and his supposed intel.

As Lex turned back around, a man in a suit brushed by him and a jolt of electricity shot through his body. His muscles screamed and twitched, his limbs stiffening before becoming completely useless. Dropping to his knees, dazed and disoriented, he fought to stay upright as the electrical current ran through his body.

His desperate gaze searched for Summer, and the last thing he saw was two men—one wearing a Yankees ball cap— ushering her away in the opposite direction.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He tried to stand, tried to yell and reach for her, but his body refused to cooperate. Precious seconds ticked by, and someone stopped beside him. “Hey, are you alright?”

Luckily, the asshole who stunned him did it fast. Full muscle immobilization from a stun gun typically lasted for as long as the current did. In this case, five seconds. But it was the longest fucking five seconds of Lex’s entire life. He’d never felt so helpless as he did in those moments.

As his coordination slowly returned, he heaved up to his feet and stumbled forward. Ignoring the good Samaritan who’d stopped to check on him, Lex pushed through the throng of people, determined to catch up to Summer and the bastards who’d snuck her out from under him.

They didn’t have a big headstart, so they couldn’t have gone far. But he didn’t see them and—

His gaze zeroed in on a man in a black Yankees cap. A little stocky, with a face that paled when he saw Lex. Fucking Scott. It had to be him.

Lurching in his direction, fighting off the aftereffects from the stun, Lex broke into a jog. Darting around tourists, hands clenched, he yelled, “Holt!” between gritted teeth.

The other man took off as if the hounds of hell were after him, and that confirmed everything Lex needed to know. Fucking Scott had set them up. Lex didn’t know why yet, but he’d find out. Somehow the men in the suits had found Scott, and then he’d lured Summer and Lex down, promising them intel. Fucking liar. He was going to wring Holt’s neck with his bare hands and then snap it.

Charging after him, Lex saw him race out a side door. Not far behind, Lex shoved through the door just in time to see Holt leap into the back of a black sedan. The car began to peel away, but before Scott could shut the door, Lex caught a glimpse of Summer inside. And she screamed his name.

Running after the fleeing vehicle, boots pounding down the pavement, his chest locked as the car pulled onto the boulevard and drove away.

“Goddammit!” Lex stumbled to a stop and yanked his phone out, immediately calling Brand.

“Battle, what’s up?”

“They took Summer,” Lex announced without preamble. “Fucker got me with a stun gun and they took her in a black sedan. Her ex was with them and helped orchestrate the whole fucking thing.”

“Shit. Okay, we’re on our way. I’ll text the crew, and we’ll be there in less than two hours.”

“Anything can happen in two hours,” Lex growled, fear nipping at him. “I need to find her now.”

“Do you have any idea where they went?”

“No.” His shoulders slumped. “Jesus. If anything happens to her, Brand, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“Lock it down. Meet us at the airport and we’ll figure this out.”

“Yeah, okay.” The call disconnected, and Lex looked around the crowded boulevard, feeling utterly out of control and powerless.