Page 65 of Unstable

From outside, a car engine started, and he bolted toward the front door. “Irina!”

He flung it open and stumbled out just in time to see the red of the tail lights fading into the dark as it rounded the turn. He yanked the phone from his back pocket. Not bothering with 911, he called the chief of police. As soon as he answered, Roman launched in with no preamble. “My name is Roman Incardona, and someone just abducted Irina Sterling from the rental we’ve been staying in. We can’t let her off this island.”

He knew Knox had been in contact with the local police in case the worst happened, and he prayed that they would respond quickly.

Chief Rutland swore softly. “How long ago?”

“Just now.” Roman started to rake one hand through his hair, then grimaced at the pain and dropped it back to his side. “They were in a small sedan, maybe a Honda or Toyota.”

“Let me get the bridges shut down, and I’ll call you back. Is this a good number?”

“Yes,” he replied tersely.

The chief didn’t respond as he hung up, presumably to dispatch patrolmen to lock down the island. Roman tapped the first number on his speed dial, then waited for Knox to answer.

“What’s up, Ink?”

“He’s got her,” Roman said, his voice breaking as a strange emotion strangled his throat. “The bastard knocked me out and took her.”

Perpetually calm, Knox jumped right into protocol. “Have you been in contact with the police?”

“Just hung up with them.”

“Good.”

“I’ll reach out to Phelps over here and see what’s going on with Adam Sorenson.”

“Thanks—Wait! Her phone!” Roman didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to him before. Probably because his mind was still muddled from the blow to his head. “She had her phone on her tonight.”

“Is it still on?”

“I don’t know.” He couldn’t help the sudden spark of hope that filled his chest. “We went for a walk on the beach right before this all happened, and I know it was on then because she was taking pictures. If it’s still on her…”

“Might be a long shot, but I’ll see if Taylor can work some magic.”

Aiden Taylor was a tech wizard Knox had managed to snatch up when the man left the FBI field office in Chicago a few months ago. Roman prayed that the signal was active and that he would be able to trace her whereabouts—at least in the general vicinity. Anything was better than nothing.

He hung up feeling slightly more optimistic than he had a few minutes ago, and he stomped toward the kitchen. Grabbing a handful of paper towels from the holder, he slapped them against the back of his head. The flow of blood from the wound seemed to have slowed, but he was still feeling light-headed.

He strode through the house, trying to stay away from the scene of the struggle as much as possible while still taking in every detail. He couldn’t believe he’d let this happen. It was the second time Irina had been hurt on his watch, and he berated himself for not catching it sooner. Memories of that most recent letter came back to him, and his gut twisted with dread. If the man got her alone, made it past the police, he could take her anywhere secluded to carry out his awful plan.

He should’ve been paying attention out by the pool; he should’ve heard the guy coming. Instead, he’d been so wrapped up in thoughts of Irina that he hadn’t been able to focus on anything else.

He gave his head a rueful shake. He would never forgive himself if they didn’t bring her back safely. She’d come to mean so much to him in such a short period of time, but he still sometimes had difficulty reconciling his emotions. What he did know was that he couldn’t let her go. He had to find her. The alternative was not an option.

He didn’t know exactly what had transpired when she’d entered the house, but he assumed that the man had knocked him out, then gone after Irina. Would she have had time to change? He made for the bedroom and flipped on the light, his gaze sweeping over the room. The bed was still unmade, the covers flipped back and the pillows askew from their romp that afternoon.

His heart clenched, but he forced himself to focus. He didn’t see her phone anywhere—not on the bed, not on the nightstand or dresser. He found her purse on the floor and rooted through it but came up empty. He hoped that meant she’d still had it on her when she was abducted. If they could even get one triangulation, a hint of where they were headed…

His phone rang, tearing him from his thoughts, and he answered without looking at the screen. “Yeah?”

Chief Rutland’s voice came across the line. “I’ve got checkpoints at both bridges, and a third on the main road headed to Longboat Key. If they haven’t made it out yet, they’re not going to.”

Relief and dread mingled in his chest, making it hard to breathe. “What do we do now?” He had to do something. He couldn’t just sit around and wait.

“I’m almost to your place now,” Rutland replied. “We’ll talk in person.”

Almost as soon as he hung up, the sound of a car engine registered, and it slowed to a stop in front of the house, then cut off. Roman threw open the door just as Rutland was climbing out of the cruiser. He tipped his head toward the living room. “Come on in.”