Page 102 of Playing With Temptation

“I knew it. Even warned her to stay alert.”

“Call your mother-in-law.”

“Should’ve asked Dylan⁠—”

“Do you really wanna do this right now, Jason? Call your fucking mother-in-law, get your head right, and let’s go find your woman!” Ethan growled.

I opened my car door, hopped down, put my hands on my knees and took a breath. The oxygen burned going down.

All these years I missed and I finally get her back and now there’s a fucking manhunt out for her.

Years wasted.

The burn got hotter.

“Fuck!” I yelled. “Fuck!”

I blew out a breath and straightened. Ethan was standing in front of me.

Solid.

Dependable.

“Feel better?”

I didn’t answer because he knew the only thing that was going to make me feel better was having Rainy in my arms.

I called Barb, explained what happened—what was happening—did my best to calm her down, then let her go when Wendy, Frank, and Lucas got there.

Ethan called his dad back and mobilized his family.

Triple Canopy was working the call.

A bullpen full of officers were working the case.

And I was walking back into the station with my thumb up my ass because I didn’t have the first fucking clue what to work on.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. My eyes went to the time in the right-hand corner.

Twenty minutes.

It had been twenty long fucking minutes since Lucas called me.

“Dylan,” I told Ethan, then answered the call. “You got anything?”

“Sorry it took me so long. The motherfucker is using Zoe’s credit cards. He rented an Airbnb. I’m gonna text you the address. Traffic cams show him driving in that direction, but I don’t have a visual.”

The back door to the station flew open. Captain Anderson had her tac vest on and service belt, and she was jogging my way.

“Hang on, Dylan.”

“Multiple nine-one-one calls came in. Woman screaming. Gunshots fired.”

“Where?”

“Westchester Road, Lexington Park neighborhood.”

“You hear that?” I asked Dylan. “This rental in Lexington Park?”