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“I told you, I’ll take anything I can get. That’s all I need.”
We turned around, heading back to the same parking lot, Ash on his cell phone. “Brian, send some guys back now to get the equipment, and tell Levi we need to set up a space for surveillance. And I need you to do a real estate search on this address.” He rattled off the street address for the condominium.
“You’re setting up a surveillance space based on a partial match?” I asked once he’d hung up.
“A partial match in the perfect neighborhood.” He turned to me. “This is it, and I know it.”
“A gut instinct isn’t good enough for me right now.”
“It’s not a gut instinct, asshole. It’s a partial plate in the perfect neighborhood where I lost these bastards once before.”
I shook my head. “You better be right.”
“I look forward to proving that I am. For the record, you don’t have to thank me now. I will thoroughly enjoy you thanking me later.”
Chapter 20
Lauren
I woke up with my stomach feeling like lead. I rolled over to find the bed empty; Gabe had never come home last night. I grabbed my phone and was greeted by a text from Li Na. It must’ve come while I slept.
The closing is officially scheduled for the end of the week, it read. Are you ready to go?
No, I thought. I pictured Gabe and winced. Never.
Yes, I wrote back immediately. But I want to see Hannah and talk to her this morning.
While waiting to hear back from Li Na, I called Gabe. It went straight to voice mail, so I fired off a text. Where are you? Is everything okay? My phone remained frustratingly silent for a few minutes, so I headed out to get some coffee and found Timmy in the living room.
“Is everything okay?”
Timmy nodded, but he looked haggard.
“I can read your face,” I croaked, fearing the worst. There were a lot of things on that list. “Just tell me.”
“It’s Wesley, ma’am. He had a minor heart attack last night.”
The world tilted underneath my feet. I grabbed on to the island so I didn’t fall over. “Oh Jesus. Is his brother on his way?”
“He got in late last night. He’s with Wesley now—I spoke to him this morning. He said the doctor was worried that Wesley…might have suffered some brain damage. His heart’s working too hard… He’s worried that the oxygen supply might’ve been cut off.”
I was still gripping the island when my phone buzzed. I lunged for it.
Your sister will be live in five minutes. My attorney will send the closing agenda later today. Please be prepared with everything we discussed—let’s finish this.
I opened my laptop while Timmy shot me a worried look. “Hannah’s going to Skype me,” I explained. My nerves were jittering, my stomach roiling. “Did you hear from Gabe? They never came back last night.”
Timmy nodded, his big, beefy neck straining underneath his button-down shirt. “Mr. Betts said they were doing some surveillance in Oakland. They might have a lead.”
My heart froze. “Really?”
“That’s what he said—but I don’t know anything more than that. I’ll be over here, out of sight.” Timmy went to the other end of the room just as the application opened.
The screen came to life with an image of Hannah sitting, staring at the floor listlessly. Another large bruise ran down her chin to the top of her neck—the size of a large palm.
“Oh my God, Hannah!” My voice cracked. “What did they do to you?”
She looked up at the computer, but her eyes didn’t seem to focus. “I told you they were assholes—and I told them that too. I guess they didn’t want to hear it.” Her voice came out funny and thick. She pointed to her face. “That’s how I got this.”
