Page 64 of Lion’s Den

“Teammate. I’m a medic.”

“Good to meet you, Spencer.” Levi freed the last cup, handed it to a surprised Eddie, and tossed the carrier into the trash. “Do you need a quick break, Spencer? I can stay long enough for that.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

After Spencer left, Levi focused on Sedona. “My wife is concerned about you. Are you okay?”

“Not really, but you can’t do anything about it.”

“Except to catch a potential kidnapper.”

“You’re already working on that. In a way, I feel sorry for the kidnappers. They don’t know the skills of the people tracking them. They won’t stay hidden long.”

Levi gave a slight nod. “Cam left word for you to call him if you need him.”

She frowned. “He needs to focus on finding Julio, not worry about me.”

“He’s good at compartmentalizing.”

Which meant what, exactly? That Cam could follow a kidnapper’s trail and still be concerned about her safety? Must be nice. She couldn’t compartmentalize that well when the stakes were high, and the victim was part of her inner circle of friends, even if he was five years old.

“Have you remembered anything more from your kidnapping?”

“I haven’t thought about it. The men who took me from the school were all captured and arrested.”

“You should think about it. Looks like your kidnapping incident isn’t completely over, so any piece of information might be the clue that breaks open this case and shines a spotlight on the person behind it all. I know they drugged you, Sedona. But anything will help if your memory starts to return.”

“What little I remembered, we told David.”

“Good. He passed along information to us as he learned it. If you remember more, call David and tell him. He’s the clearinghouse for information among the deputies.”

“Got it.”

He reached down and squeezed her shoulder gently. “I’ll be around if you need me. We all will.” He nodded at Maria. “We’ll find him, ma’am. Everyone is working double shifts until Julio is back home.”

Sedona noted that Levi didn’t promise Maria they would bring her son home safe and sound. The harsh reality was that Cam and his teammates might not fulfill Maria’s deepest longing. Instead of giving the desperate mother false hope, Levi gave her something more valuable. Truth.

Spencer returned. “Thanks.”

“Yep. Later.” And Levi was gone.

“Wish we knew what was taking them so long to find Julio.” Eddie glowered at the cop in front of the door. “He’s just a little kid.”

“They’re working hard, Eddie, and they’re good at the job. Cam and the others won’t leave your brother in the hands of kidnappers or alone on the streets.”

He stared at her. “Are you saying he might have run away?”

“They’re considering that option as well.”

“He’s five years old,” Eddie scoffed. “Julio wouldn’t run away. He’s got nowhere to run and nobody to help him get food and stuff.”

“If he ran away, why would he take off?”

“I’m telling you he wouldn’t!”

“Let’s say he did, just to consider another possibility. Why would he run?”

Eddie thought about that for a beat. “If he ran away, he did it to protect someone or because he was scared.” His hands fisted. “Somebody is going to pay for this.”