Pope’s grip tightened on the phone.
Denver continued. “Lex thinks he fixates on people who’ve built the kind of life he thinks he got cheated out of. He doesn’t just want victims. He wants people he thinks owe him something.”
Jesus. Pope knew somebody who fit that profile.
A memory hit—Gary Crowe standing in the yard of the Black Heart, bitterness seeping into his voice. Gary talking about what had been taken from him.
Should’ve been mine.
Gary watching Summer too closely from his barstool.
Pope shoved away from the truck hard enough it rocked on the suspension. “I know who took her.”
Carson’s sharp voice filled his ear. “Who?”
“The truck driver.” He was already yanking open his door. “Gary Crowe.”
“Stand by.”
“Carson—”
“Those trucks are tagged,” Carson broke across him. “I’m getting his location from the trucking company now. Do not move until we have it.”
Pope barely heard the second half.
Every instinct inside him screamed to go, act, drive.
Summer was out there with a man who’d hauled her away in broad daylight.
He leaped behind the wheel and jammed the key into the ignition.
Suddenly, the passenger door whipped open. Colt climbed in carrying enough weapons to start a small war. “I’ve got your six, brother.”
Pope sent him one grim nod before throwing the truck into gear.
“Then let’s bring her home.”
* * * * *
Summer woke to the vibration of an engine beneath her body and the sickening sway of motion.
For several seconds, nothing made sense. Her cheek pressed against a thin mattress that smelled. The space around her was dim and cramped, and her body felt every bump of the vehicle moving too fast over uneven road.
Her mouth tasted bitter and sweet at the same time, coated with a flavor she couldn’t identify.
She lay there, blinking into the darkness, and the memory formed in her mind.
Lemonade. Gary Crowe.
Vander.
Fear tore through the cobwebs still clinging to her brain. She tried to push herself up, but her arms wouldn’t move right. A tight band bit into her wrists behind her back, the tough material burning into her skin.
The sound that broke from her throat came out raw and panicked.
“Oh good,” Gary called from the front of the cab. “You’re awake.”
Summer froze.
