Page 108 of Lion’s Den

“I want you to rest your head on my shoulder and close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“To get to you, we had to fight off a lot of men. You’ll have enough bad dreams without adding the sight of those men, too.”

“I know what injured men look like. Eddie comes in late at night sometimes, all bloody and stuff. I can close my eyes, I guess.” He leaned close so his mouth was against Cam’s ear. “Don’t tell anybody, but I’m tired.”

“It’s a side effect of the drug the men gave you. You will be back to normal soon.”

“Okay.” Julio rested his head against Cam’s shoulder and heaved an enormous sigh. In seconds, he was totally relaxed in Cam’s arms and breathing heavy against his ear.

He grinned. Exactly what he wanted to hear. Good thing that he’d met Julio before now. He didn’t know if the kid would put that much trust in a total stranger.

Spencer checked Julio’s blood pressure, heart rate, and airway. After a couple of minutes, Spencer looked at Cam and signaled that the kid was all right.

Thank God.

“Where to next, sir?” Dario asked.

“Back to the SUVs. We need to get Julio to the hospital.” Cam turned to Levi. “Find out where the chopper took Caleb, and we’ll take the boy there.”

Relief filled Levi’s eyes. “Thanks,” Levi murmured as he pulled out his phone and shot off a text message. When he finished, the deputy asked, “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Yeah. Contact your friend Zane and ask if he’s come up with anything. Also find out if he minds giving me his cell phone number for the duration of this mission. Afterward, I can delete the contact information or keep it, whichever he prefers.”

The men continued through the woods, following the same trail but in reverse. About a third of the way to their destination, Levi said, “Zane has something. Let me take the boy while you talk to him.”

Cam shook his head. “I don’t want him upset if he should wake up in someone else’s arms.”

Levi tapped his earpiece. “Z, join our loop.”

A moment later, Zane’s voice came through the earpiece. “Keep my number in your contact list, Sims. I found the vehicle you’re interested in.”

His heart zoomed into rocket speed. “Where?”

“Highway 20. The vehicle is moving at a fast clip.”

“Where are they now?”

“They just passed the exit that leads to Otter Creek. Do you want me to notify the authorities and have them pulled over?”

“No. The Collector will run and go to ground if law enforcement tries to stop him. I don’t want him to assume that I’m responsible for the cops on his tail. I’ll take care of the notification. I know just who to call.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Stay on the vehicle in which Sedona is riding. Did you get a license plate number?”

“Sure did.” Zane rattled it off. “Any special instructions?”

“Yeah. If you see Sedona, I want to know about it. If they change direction, I want to know about it.”

“Got it. When you find someone to follow that vehicle, let me know. I’ll send you and your friend real-time updates as I get them.”

“I owe you a ton of favors, Zane. Thank you, my friend.”

“No problem. Call me if you need anything else. Murphy out.”

The one thing he needed above all else was Sedona, and Zane couldn’t get her for him. That would be up to Cam and his friends.