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Isaac led the way across the street and up to the front door. When he knocked, it swung slowly open.
Panic flared to life and she rushed forward. Isaac's strong arm blocked her.
"Stay behind me and stay low," he whispered, pushing her behind his body.
"Essie." Her heart nearly beat out of her chest. "Albert."
"They're going to be fine," he said over his shoulder before making his way into the house, gun drawn and duffle bag abandoned on the porch.
Holding onto her sanity enough to heed the logic of his words took everything she had—but she did it, leaving her bag and following him through the dark house. It wasn't a fast or loud process. He was as silent as she’d ever seen him as he cleared each area on their march back to the sole room with a light on. It shined through the space between the swinging kitchen door and the hardwood floor.
Bile rose in her throat. Part of her didn't want to know what was beyond that door. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be good. Not for Essie. Not for Albert.
Issac held out a hand, palm facing her. He pointed at her, then the floor.
Stay. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. He narrowed his eyes. She shook her head. Just because she was scared at what they'd find behind door number one didn't mean she wasn't going in.
A low, pitiful moan sounded from behind the door. "They're gone. They left hours ago."
Albert!
Before Isaac could stop her, she burst through the door and into the bright kitchen. Albert sat duct taped to a chair in the middle of the room, a white piece of paper fastened to his blood-splattered shirt. His usually perfectly coiffed white hair was sticking up in places and a purple bruise covered half his face. Her gut clenched and tears pricked her eyes. She'd brought this here. She'd put one of the few people in the world who she counted as a friend in danger.
"Are you okay? Is anything broken," she asked as she sprinted to his side, kneeling so she could tear at the tape with her fingers. "Where's Essie?"
Isaac handed her a pair of scissors he’d unearthed from somewhere and she started snipping at the tape on one side while he went to work slicing with a knife on the other.
"Two men took her," Albert said, his words muffled by the swelling on his bottom lip. "I tried to stop them but I couldn't. I'm so sorry."
"No. I am." She ripped the tape free, glad Albert was such a firm believer in body waxing. "I never should have forced you into this position."
"Like anyone could make me do anything, Chippy." Albert gave her the imperious smirk he always wore when he used his pet name for her, but his obvious wince ruined the effect. "They left you a message."
Her mentor ripped off the white paper attached to his shirt and handed it to her. The warning was printed in big block letters in black marker. The paper shook in her hands, but not enough that she couldn't make out the message.
LET HER GO WHILE YOU'RE STILL BREATHING.
The bastard thought she'd give up. That she'd just let him have Essie to save her own skin. He was wrong. Jarrod Fane couldn't be more wrong if he'd declared the sun rose in the West—and he was going to pay for it.
"They've gotta be on their way back to Redfin for judgement and then her wedding, just like he planned all along.” Just saying the words out loud made her want to throw up.
Isaac took the note from her, read it and crumpled it in his fist. "I'll have Elisa and Marko reroute the jet to Idaho, with a stop here to get us."
That wouldn't be until morning.
It wasn't acceptable. God knew what Essie was going through right now. How scared she must be.
"They have a head start on us," she said. "We need to be on the road now."
"No." Isaac holstered his gun and took out his cell phone. "What we need is time to develop a plan—not a lot but until morning should do. Even if we were to take off now, by the time we caught up with them Essie would already be inside the Crest Society compound, where every resident is armed, loyal to Fane, and probably under orders to shoot you upon sight. We have to figure out a way to get inside, get her, and get out before Fane knows what the hell is going on. If we do this wrong, everyone will pay the price."
Waiting wasn't her thing, but he was right--and Jarrod was about to find out just what a mistake he'd made.
Chapter 16
Isaac
Because he worked mostly on his own, Isaac had never needed an encrypted phone before. Sitting in the trashed remains of Albert's kitchen, he offered up a grateful thank you to Bianca for insisting he take one with him before hitting the road. He hit the speaker button and dialed.
