Page 110 of Lion’s Den

“Still, you’re right. I’m stuck in my head this time. I’ll do better. You have permission to nag me into better behavior until this op is finished.”

“Copy that, sir.”

“Then let’s get going. We’ve got a criminal to catch, a friend to save, and a surly teenager to rescue, whether or not he deserves it.”

The men started off again, jogging this time. Five minutes later, they reached the SUVs. After a quick search with Levi’s electronic signal detector and a visual inspection, they removed two GPS trackers from each vehicle and left them near where the vehicles were parked. Hopefully, the trackers remaining in the same location would fool Simpson and his cronies for a little while longer.

A heartbeat later, the silence of the night shattered with an ear-splitting explosion.

Cam stared at the glow of light from the burning building. His heart squeezed until he thought it would burst in his chest. He could think of only two explanations for the detonation, and neither one boded well for Sedona. Simpson could have planned to detonate the bombs and kill Cam and his team anyway, or he knew they had escaped and broken his demand for cooperation.

When his phone signaled an incoming message, Cam grabbed it and glanced at the screen.

I warned you, Sims. Now you’ll never see your woman again.

Ice water ran through Cam’s veins. What had he done?

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

TEARS TRICKLED DOWN Cam’s cheeks. He didn’t bother to brush them away or turn from his teammates. They knew how much he loved Sedona. The thought of losing her gutted him. Was she gone, or was The Collector planning to use her for his own purposes?

Cam fought to think through the storm of emotions battering his defenses. If Simpson didn’t kill Sedona, what would he use her for? Must be for something he needed, but what?

Frustrated, he turned to Levi, who gazed at him with sympathy in his eyes. “No. I refuse to believe she’s gone. Simpson wanted her. We need to find out why and stop him.”

“Why would he need Sedona? I’m sorry, Cam, but that doesn’t make sense.”

“Not yet, but it will when I have all the puzzle pieces. We’re missing something. I know it down deep in my bones.”

Spencer squeezed Cam’s shoulder. “Then we start from the beginning and figure it out together.”

“We’re all in,” Dario said. “Let’s get someplace where we can spread out and let Rhys do his thing.”

“I don’t need space,” Rhys insisted. “I only need an Internet connection, which I have, and some quiet, which I don’t.” He glared at Dario.

His teammate chuckled. “Got it. I’ll zip my mouth shut, and let you work.”

The computer tech snorted. “That’ll be the day,” he muttered.

Cam glared at both men. “Get in the vehicle. Now. We have a criminal to stop before he completes his agenda and disappears with Sedona.”

Levi unlocked his vehicle and pointed at Cam. “You and the boy are with me.”

“That means you have me as well,” Spencer said. “I’m not leaving my patient.”

Cam passed his key fob to Dario. Isaac and Rhys climbed into the remaining SUV. Soon, the vehicles headed toward Maple Valley’s hospital where Caleb had been transferred. Good thing their hometown hospital was also a Level One trauma center.

Since he wasn’t driving, Cam sent a message to David, asking about Caleb. His short-tempered response made him chuckle.

“What is it?” Levi glanced at him before refocusing his gaze on the road.

“Caleb is in surgery. When he learned Sedona came to his aid instead of saving herself, he scolded David, Elliot, and Owen for staying with him when they should have been helping me find Sedona.”

“That sounds like him,” Levi said, voice rough. “Did they listen?”

“They did. Elliot says he has something to say to Simpson about Caleb’s injury.”

The other deputy whistled softly. “Simpson made a huge mistake. Elliot is not the only Montgomery with a grudge against him for that.”