Page 52 of Hidden Obsession

It took a couple of seconds for Malco’s voice to slice through her brain. When it did, she turned and fell into his arms, trying to relay what had happened at the same time. Malco’s usually calm demeanor and strength helped her regain control over herself and finally make sense.

Nodding, he pulled out his cell phone before grabbing her hand and walking in the opposite direction. “Shane. Found Cleo. Travis has Mason in an RV a few streets over. Probably driving off as we speak. Tell everyone to be on the lookout.”

One block over, Malco ushered her into his car and Cleo didn’t have time to put her seat belt on before he burned rubber getting on the road.

Immediately, he turned toward the area where she had last seen the RV. Cleo yelped when he made another sharp turn. “What are you doing?”

“If they’re not where you last saw them, it means they’re on the run. If I were Travis, I would try to get out of town as quickly as possible, and that means using the closest highway.”

His reasoning made sense. Malco touched his ear to relay the information, and she heard that Mercy and James would stay behind and comb the area to make sure, while Caitlin and Alex headed back to base to check out the cameras and satellites. The others would make their way toward Malco’s position.

The speed at which Malco was navigating the small streets made her tense at each turn, but she didn’t dare ask him to slow down. Mason was still in danger, and every second counted.

They reached Interstate-95 in record time, and just as they merged into the traffic, Malco got a call from Caitlin and put her on speakerphone. “Tell me you’re on the interstate.”

Malco swerved to pass two cars, and they got so close, Cleo thought she would hear the sound of metal scraping on metal. “I’m on the Interstate, but I don’t know if I’m going in the right direction. I’m heading north, but I could be wrong.”

“No, keep going. We just started scanning, and we can see at least five RVs heading north that are still within the city limits. Nothing headed south. Will keep you updated. Shane and Emme are five minutes behind you. The others are ten minutes away.”

Malco cut through all three lanes, never stepping off the gas pedal. “I see an RV in front of us.”

Cleo looked up and frowned as they closed in. “No. It’s too small. And there was a big window at the back where the bedroom is.”

Bypassing a big truck, Malco accelerated amidst a symphony of horns. Ignoring her queasy stomach, Cleo focused as far as she could on the road, scanning it for the RV.

“Shit!”

Cleo was about to ask Malco what was wrong when he braked suddenly to avoid something on the road, making her grip the dashboard. Then, the car surged forward again, making her whip back into her seat. “What happened?”

“There was stuff on the road, it looked like metal and glass.”

More honking brought her attention back to the road, and she saw an RV in the distance, riding the center lane. Malco pushed the car, and as they got closer, she could see a shadow moving inside. Mason must have tried to kick the window out as Travis drove, but there was still glass shards and sharp metal pieces all around the edges.

Mason appeared at the window. With his arms still bound behind his back, he struggled to cut the tape on the glass.

Cleo could see blood trickling over the back of the RV, and cried out. Just as he finally got free, Malco pressed hard on his horn. Mason looked up, and several expressions passed over his face before it settled into his warrior’s look.

He did a few signs with his hand, and Malco cursed under his breath, getting closer to the van and gave him a sign.

“What, what? What is he saying?”

“He wants to stay there and take care of Travis. Which is a bad idea. The middle of the interstate is too great a risk. Civilians could get hurt if things go wrong.”

A ringing came from the dashboard before Shane’s voice came through. “The cops have been alerted and a special squad is on its way, heading for the highway. Can you confirm the RV’s location?”

“We’re right behind it. I have a visual on Mason. He broke out the back window.” Malco added some other landscape indications so Shane could relay them to the police.

“The tactical team will take care of the RV, stay put. They are only a few minutes behind you.”

Cleo grabbed Malco’s arm. She spoke to Shane as much as Malco. “I saw Travis. He’s unstable. If he sees the police, and there’s a chance he might lose Mason, I don’t know how he’ll react.”

“I can’t pull the cops. The man is too dangerous. If there is a way to get Mason out, it’s now or never. That’s the only solution.”

Malco drove even closer to the back of the RV’s bumper. He signed something to Mason who didn’t seem happy but nodded.

“What are you going to do?”

Malco didn’t answer right away. Mason disappeared from view for a second. Then he draped the comforter over the window opening, and Cleo understood.