Page 80 of Her Devoted HERO

“Got it.”

“Can I talk to Dex?” He heard Austin ask Hunter.

Hunter must have handed the phone over. “Dex.” Austin’s voice was shaky.

“I’m going to get her back.”

He could hear the kid swallow. “You’ve got to do it fast,” his words trembled.

“I’m going to.”

There was a long pause. Dex needed to shut it down.

At last, Austin spoke again.

“I’m trusting you with my mother’s life.”

Ahh, fuck.

“I’m going to bring her home.”

There was nothing but a dial tone.

***

He was past ninety miles an hour on the Five freeway. He’d be going faster if he could get past other drivers and he didn’t think he’d get pulled over and cause a delay. Clint was talking on the speaker in his jeep.

“He texted Austin’s phone.”

Sanchez and Warren were conferenced in on the call. “How in the hell―” Clive started.

“Now we know how he got to her. Do you have transcripts of the text?” he asked Clint.

“Fuck Man, he was at Moonlight Beach, he sent a picture of Austin in a rifle’s crosshairs.” The killer said he’d kill the boy if she didn’t leave with him. But I’ve got some good news. We’re looking for a green Monte Carlo with a white vinyl top. That’s the car he told her to go to in the parking lot.”

“We’ll get an APB immediately. We’ll see what community and freeway cameras we can pull to grab a plate number. Is there anything else?” Sanchez asked.

“All five of those profiles started on the same date. I’ve been doing research on the founder of the company, to see if that got me anywhere. This was Lyle Gale’s baby. He started it and sold it for a pretty profit thirteen months ago. Two days after new ownership took over, the five profiles showed up. New ownership was Kenna’s friend, Buddy Finch.”

“It’s slim,” Warren said.

“We can’t get a search warrant on something like that. We need someone to take Buddy’s picture and compare it to the tapes we pulled from the La Jolla Starbuck’s, then we have enough for a warrant,” Sanchez said.

Dex hit his steering wheel.

“Are you taking care of that?” Clint asked.

“We’re on it,” Warren said.

Dex ended the call. He couldn’t stomach any more. They didn’t have time for that kind of bullshit. His phone rang, he pressed the answer button on his steering wheel as he sped towards his exit.

“It’s me,” Clint said. “It’s got to be Finch.”

“Sounds like.”

“I’ll have his whole life’s story waiting for you by the time you get to Jack’s.”

Dex prayed that Jack’s house was a smart place to be and that he wasn’t heading in the absolute wrong fucking direction! He slammed the wheel of his car again. Again.