“Yes, and it records to the server too.”
“Show me the main entrance from about thirty minutes ago,” Nash instructs.
I nod and pull up the footage.
“There’s Ollie leaving,” I say, pointing.
I speed ahead to when the panic alarm was pressed, but no one else enters or exits.
“Okay, what about before Ollie left?” Nash asks.
We scan the footage, watching staff members filter out, but no one else comes or goes, not through the main entrance or the back. It’s a small school. There’s nowhere else someone could have slipped in.
“I can’t wait any longer, Nash. What if she pressed the button because she felt unwell? She could need EMTs. I have to get in there.”
Before Nash can respond, someone calls my name. I spin around to see Laney sprinting toward me, her phone raised high.
“Ash texted me,” she pants.
“What did she say?” I demand.
“One word: Eddie.” She holds up her phone for Nash and me to see. “Do you know who that is?”
A surge of anger rushes through me, and my fists clench at my side.
“He’s the janitor,” I bite out. “I’m going in.”
“No! We still don’t know if he’s armed.” Nash motions toward two nearby officers. “Wait here. I’ll go in with backup.”
“Nash–”
“Ben,” he cuts me off. “I can’t let you go in.”
“Do you even know where her classroom is?” I challenge.
Nash exhales sharply. “No, but we’ll find her. I promise.”
“You’ll find her faster if I come. I’ll stay behind you. I won’t get in the way, I swear. Please, Nash.”
Nash closes his eyes and blows out a breath. Then, finally, he nods. “Fine. But you stay behind us and you don’t say a word.When I give the all-clear, then and only then, you can go to her classroom. Got it?”
“Got it,” I say quickly. I’d agree to anything if it meant getting inside.
“Dad,” Laney murmurs, reaching for my hand. “Please be careful.”
I pull her into a hug, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I will, sweetheart.”
A young officer steps beside her, gently taking her hand.
“I’ll stay with her,” he assures me, offering Laney a small smile. She smiles back, and for a second, I wonder if this is the guy she went on a date with when she was with Ash. But I don’t have time to think about that now. Nash motions for me to move.
“I love you,” Laney calls after me, her voice laced with worry.
“I love you too.”
Taking a deep breath, I fall in step behind Nash and his team, my heart pounding. If that bastard has laid a hand on Ash, I swear to God, I’ll kill him.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
