“We don’t have to.” Gunn nods at the window, and I turn in time to see another squad car pulling into the driveway. Despite what he said, this new development rattles me. Gunn’s probably right. Avery’s kidnappers must not be surveilling the house, but seeing this second cruiser feels like setting off a smoke signal and screaming for them to take notice. I’m so lost in the thought it takes me a moment to realize Gunn is still talking about radioing in for more support. More cops.
I spin to face him. “No! This is my wife we’re talking about here. They might be amateurs, but you didn’t see the guy who took Avery. If we roll up to this place in a bunch of squad cars, they’ll kill her for sure!”
I blow past him and this time he doesn’t try to stop me. The second cop is climbing out of his car when I walk outside.
“Grant,” Gunn says, hurrying to catch up. “This is Officer Holston.”
He’s young, early twenties if I were to guess, with close-cropped blond hair and muscular arms. I nod at him, but the kid doesn’t returnthe gesture. He just glares. And something about his eyes makes me shiver. They’re flat and empty.
“What’s the situation?” he asks, turning to Gunn.
“I’ll explain on the way,” Gunn says. “Leave your car. We’ll take mine. Come on.”
“Where we going?” Holston asks.
“Did I not just say I’ll explain on the way? Now move your ass.”
Holston grumbles something about Gunn being the boss and follows us toward Gunn’s cruiser. We get in. Gunn and Holston take the front while I slip into the back. I search for the clock the second Gunn cranks the engine. It glows to life on the dash: 2:03 p.m. We have twenty-seven minutes, and I already feel the weight of every single one. We need togo.
Gunn reaches for the radio instead.
I lean forward in alarm. “Don’t! They could have a police scanner.”
“They would have heard me before if they did,” Gunn replies.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say, noting the silver band on Gunn’s ring finger. “I don’t want to put Avery in any more danger than she’s already in. I can see you’re married. What would you do if it were your wife in this situation? Would you be willing to risk her life on an assumption, too?”
Gunn hesitates.
“My wife is pregnant,” I add. “It’s too dangerous.”
He returns the radio to the dash. The clock reads 2:05 p.m.
“Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?” Holston asks.
“We have a hostage situation,” Gunn replies. “This man’s wife was abducted earlier today.”
“Wow, seriously?”
I can’t help but note the excitement in the kid’s voice, like Gunn just told him today was Christmas morning instead of the worst day of my life.
“Yes, we need to get to Mason’s Quarry by two-thirty for anexchange.” He hits the gas, and we tear down the street. “Who else is on shift today besides us?”
“Only John. Craig’s off.”
“Shit,” Gunn mutters. “What about Mark?”
“Mark’s on PTO this week. Disneyland with the family.”
Gunn shakes his head. “Call dispatch. Have Cathy get ahold of John and tell him to get his ass up to the quarry. Same with Craig. I don’t care what he’s doing.”
I tense. “You just said you wouldn’t call it in.”
“I didn’t say shit,” Gunn replies, his eyes catching mine in the rearview mirror. “Look, I won’t use the radio, but there’s no way I’m not alerting the station. We aren’t trained for this kind of thing. We’re a small department. We’re going to need as much support as we can get.” His gaze shifts to Holston. “Make the call. Tell Cathy to keep it off the air. Have her use her phone. Tell her John and Craig need to bring their personal vehicles. No squad cars. And tell her they need to call your mobile as soon as they’re on their way.”
Holston pulls out his cellphone and dials, and I sit there hyperventilating as he relays what Gunn said. By the time he hangs up, he’s wearing a frown. “Bad news. Craig’s up at Alta Lake fishing. He’s completely out of pocket. Cathy said she can probably get John to the quarry, but he’s right in the middle of a nasty domestic at the moment. She said it’s going to be a bit.”
The back of Gunn’s neck reddens. “Fuck.”
