“Go home to your girl,”Moretti says after my second fight this week. Luckily, this was an easy fight, and I was left unscathed.
I salute him. “Will do. Have a good night, brother.”
Moretti looks worse for wear. The dark circles under his eyes and the permanent scowl on his face are telling. I don’t ask what’s going on, but whatever it is put him through the wringer. He’ll tell me if he wants help.
I forgo showering here. Maisie would freak if I came home covered in blood, but I’m clean today. I’m also in a rush to get back to her.
I throw my stuff in my bag, reaching around for my keys. Usually, my phone would be right next to them, but I don’t see it anywhere. I was running late today, so I stormed in here like a tornado. Now, I’m thinking I might have dropped it in the parking lot. I retrace my steps but don’t find it. Maybe I just left it at home.
I pull out of the parking lot, Brooks and Dunn blasting through the radio. My hand taps anxiously outside my truck window as I make my way home. I have a nagging feeling ofsomething being off, and I just want to be home with my girl in my arms.
The second I pull down the drive, I know something’s wrong. I bring the truck to a halt, grabbing my handgun from the glovebox before I’m running towards my very open and very broken front door. The house is pure chaos—the security alarm blares on repeat, but not a soul can be found.
“No,” I beg. “Please, honey, be okay. Maisie?” I scream, tearing through the house. I follow the blood trail to my bedroom, following a scratching noise coming from my closet.
“Fuck!” Evie jumps out, howling and rubbing against my legs. I snatch her up, cradling her to my chest. “Shhh, it’s okay. We’re gonna find our girl, I promise.”
This explains the missing phone. They planned this. I pushed too fucking hard, just like Moretti warned.
“Motherfuckers!” I scream, slamming my fist through the drywall.
I scramble to my laptop and search the junk drawer for my backup phone. I speed dial Moretti, punching the speaker button before logging onto my computer. I pull up my security cameras. What plays on the screen is straight from a horror film.
“Moretti,” he calls through the phone when he picks up.
I don’t waste time. “They have her.” Three simple words, and he’s on it.
“How can I help?”
I sigh, trying to calm down so I can think this through logically. “I’m watching the security cameras right now. Looks like we are dealing with two men. I’ve seen them around the Underground, two of Matteo's goons.”
“Names?” Moretti demands, typing in the background.
“I’m not sure. My surveillance only has video and no sound. I can’t get a clear look at them. They followed her out to the forest. There’s blood…” My voice cracks.
“She’s a fighter. That’s good, Gray. We’ll find her,” he promises.
“They took my phone while I was fighting. I never knew the alarms went off. I fucked up and fell right into their plan. I’m such a fucking idiot!” I scream, kicking over a chair.
“Losing your temper won’t fix anything. You couldn’t have known. Let’s think this through and get your girl back, alright?” I hear more typing.
“I need blood,” I seethe.
“And you’ll get it. I’m searching through our database right now for any hits out on Maisie. Is there anything I can go by to speed this up? Did she leave anything behind? Check the video again. There has to be something.”
“There’s nothing,” I scream, restarting it for the fourth time. “They break in, Maisie hears immediately and hides in my closet. They find her, and she puts up a good fight, even stabs one of them in the neck before running out the front door. They follow her out, and, ten minutes later, their car drives away. They wouldn’t leave without her, Moretti,” I warn, my voice trembling.
“Break it down to the basics. One little thing you see could help.”
I close my eyes, shaking away every bad thought of Maisie’s fate right now. I slow the video down, zooming in on Maisie. That’s when I see it: Maisie’s phone in her back pocket open to a phone call.
“I think I have something,” I shout.
“Good. That’s good,” he sighs.
“She called someone and left it open. I have all my calls and messages forward to my backup phone. I'm checking it now. I also track her phone if she kept it on her in the forest.” I swipe through the notifications.
“We can work with that,” he says.
