Page 77 of Unveiled

Mason nodded and disappeared, leaving Adalyn alone with Knox again, who turned to her. “Sounds like the offer for Hannah’s bid was accepted.”

Adalyn's heart leaped with excitement. “So we’re going to get her back?”

“We will.” He held up a staying hand when Adalyn started to grin like a fool. “But we need to be extremely cautious. I want to make sure everything goes smoothly so your daughter isn’t in any danger.”

Adalyn nodded. “Absolutely. What do you need me to do?” Her leg bounced restlessly, the idea of seeing Jaclyn, holding her again ready to propel her out of her chair.

Knox eyed her critically. “My team needs to be wholly focused on this. Can you let them do that?”

Adalyn blinked and went still. He was asking her to… what? Stay away? “But…”

“I can’t imagine how hard this is for you,” he said gently. “But the last thing I want to do is jeopardize this. I want you to be strong for Jaclyn. I want you to be there for her when we bring her home.”

Adalyn's face fell as his words sank in. “But I can’t be there when you go get her.”

“No. I’m sorry.”

Adalyn understood—she did. But she hated it. She nodded, sniffing against the tears burning the bridge of her nose. It’d been too long since she’d held Jaclyn, and she didn’t want to wait one more second.

“Adalyn?” Knox’s voice was soft but firm, and she let out a little sigh.

“I understand. I won’t interfere.”

“Not interfering,” he corrected. “But you’re her mother. If the kidnapper sees you, all bets could be off. I’m not gonna lose this guy just when we have him where we want him.”

It was the first time he’d sworn in her presence, and his tone was fierce. Adalyn looked into the hard planes of his face and saw the commanding military man he must have once been. His eyes bespoke a power and assuredness she’d only seen rivaled by one other man—Jaxon. In that moment, she put her whole trust into them.

“Bring her back to me.”

“We will.” Knox’s expression softened just the tiniest bit as he stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta go get my guys prepped.”

He was halfway to the door before Adalyn could formulate anything else. “Knox?”

He paused and turned back to her. “Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

He tipped his chin. “Thank me tomorrow.”

With that, he was gone.

CHAPTER

FORTY-THREE

The book in Jaxon's hands trembled as he gazed surreptitiously around the park. Everyone looked suspicious to him, and he sought out every person with a small child. So far, they hadn’t seen anything. A handful of kids played on the jungle gym a hundred yards away, but none of them were the little blonde-haired girl he was looking for.

He had been there for an hour already, and his nerves were shot. There were a dozen of them scattered throughout the park and the surrounding area, waiting for the perpetrator to show. Hannah shifted again on the bench diagonal from him, crossing then re-crossing her legs as she checked her phone.

He could read the anxiety in her features, and he knew it was genuine. She was just as worried about this as the rest of them—maybe more so. It hadn’t been fair to pull her in, but she was holding up well under the circumstances. He prayed to God the suspect wouldn’t find it suspicious at all.

Head down, he glanced around the park again, memorizing every face he saw. It would’ve been a lot easier if he knew exactly what—or who—they were looking for. He just had to hope that the suspect would be true to his word and show up for the meet.

Phillips, one of the undercover officers, was dressed as a maintenance worker, and he made his way around the park picking up litter and other debris. Three other officers were also undercover as civilians. A patrolman waited in an unmarked car a block over, ready for their call.

Jaxon’s knee jumped anxiously as time ticked away. He was ready to get this over with, and he fought to control his emotions. He couldn’t afford to get worked up and blow this before the suspect showed up. Really, he was lucky they let him in at all. Only Knox’s connections and personal assurances had gotten him a place there.

His thoughts momentarily drifted to Adalyn, the despair on her face permanently burned into his brain. They would get her back. They had to. There was no other alternative. He refused to go back to his wife without their little girl. No matter what it took, he would find her and bring her home.