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“Description?” Ash said.

“Caucasian. About five eleven, light brown hair and eyes, aquiline nose, super bright smile—too perfect not to be caps. Wiry build—weight about one sixty—in good shape but not muscle-bound. No accent.”

“And you think you can find the place again?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Okay, we’ll get—” At the buzzing of his phone, Ash stopped and answered, “What’ve you got, Quinn?”

Ash put the call on speaker, and Sean heard Xavier say, “We’ve turned over all the rocks, including the ones with Serena’s and Sean’s names. There’s nothing there.”

Despair almost crushed him. How had he gotten that wrong? He knew he wasn’t wrong about her favorite Scripture, but maybe she had just been trying to reassure him and had used that one. Many people had more than one favorite. Rubbing his aching head, he let his mind scratch and claw for clarity. Why had she emphasized my rock? Why those two words?

“Wait, wait, wait.” Jazz’s voice came through the speaker. “Serena has a fake rock on her desk at OZ. I remember being at her desk one day and asking her about it. She said she saw it in a gas station gift shop on her way back from Francine a few months ago and thought it was cute. It looks like a real rock, but it’s made of plaster and has a fake bottom.”

“Hold on,” Liam said. Punching a key on his phone, he said, “Hey, Eve, are you in the tech area at OZ?”

“Yes, just finishing up some questions with Serena’s team,” Eve answered.

“Good. Can you check to see if there’s a rock on Serena’s desk?”

“Sure can. I’m sitting right here. Just a…” There was a pause, then, “Yeah. There’s a rock. What about it?”

“See if there’s something beneath it.”

“Got it in my hand,” she said. “Looks like it has a hollow bottom.” A few seconds later, she added, “There’s a flash drive inside.”

Both Ash’s and Liam’s eyes went to Sean. Relief flooded him. This had to be what Serena had been trying to tell him.

“Okay,” Ash said. “Plug it in, and let’s see what she was trying to tell us.”

“Hold on,” Eve said. “I’ll get someone who knows how to…” There were some background whispers, and then Eve said, “Sending the files your way, Ash.”

“Thanks, Eve,” Ash said. “I’ll call you back in a few.”

His heart pounding, Sean watched Ash click a link and then sit back. Serena’s face appeared on the screen. The difference in her appearance from the last time he’d seen her was startlingly obvious. In the recording, she looked healthy and vibrant. A pink hue brightened her cheeks, and she had a slight tan, as if she’d been out in the sun.

“Hey, Ash,” Serena said, “if you’re watching this, it likely means that what we discussed before has become a reality, and I’ve been taken.”

He shot a glance at Ash and noted his grim look, as well as the almost imperceptible nod.

Of course this had been a possibility. She would have known that better than anyone. And Sean had abandoned her. Feeling lower than a slug, he turned his attention back to the screen.

“Just to be clear,” Serena was saying, “I didn’t set this up. When you told me not to even consider using myself as bait, I dropped the idea.”

She had proposed setting herself up to be kidnapped? While he was thankful Ash had apparently shut that idea down, it had still happened.

“But,” she continued, “we both knew it was a possibility, whether I tried to bait them or not. And as we discussed, I prepared for it. I wrote a program that I should be able to implement if my hacking and tech skills are the reasons I’m taken.

“There’s a file on this drive that you’ll need to download to our server. Belle is one of my newest employees, and she’s a whiz kid. She can figure it out in no time. She’s a bit shy and awkward, but don’t worry about that. Just tell her what you need and let her fly.

“Okay… Well, I guess that’s it. I know you guys are already working to find me, and I know you will. But just in case…” Her eyes darkened slightly, and her lips trembled as she continued, “Just in case, I want to tell you that it’s been an honor of a lifetime to work for you and my OZ family. I love you all. God bless.”

The screen went dark. And so did Sean’s world.

Serena was his light, his only light. If they didn’t get to her in time… He couldn’t finish the thought.

Closing the laptop, Ash turned to Sean, his expression one of stark grimness. “Okay, let’s get back to headquarters, find Belle, and go from there.”