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A car service picked them up at Parker’s house and took them to the airport. The flight to California was a little under five hours. Cadence surprised herself by falling asleep in her window seat. Parker and Jason talked in low voices as she drifted off to sleep. Jason nudged her awake when the plane landed. A car was waiting for them at the rental agency—a sleek, dark-colored SUV with plenty of room inside.
Parker got behind the wheel as the GPS directed them past palm trees and large expanses of green land. Everything outside her window was incredibly picturesque. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, Cadence would have enjoyed the lovely vistas of Sonoma. It was one of the most breathtaking places she’d ever seen.
After about fifteen minutes, Parker pulled up to a salmon colored condominium complex guarded by a closed gate. Parker rolled down his window and punched some numbers into the pad, Cadence could see a glistening pool in the background surrounded by palm trees.
“We’re going to stay here until we locate Mason and Logan,” Parker explained. “A buddy of mine owns it and he said we can use it as long as we need to.” He quirked his mouth. “Hopefully, just for a couple of days.”
Cadence nodded. She knew Parker was trying to make her feel reassured about the situation. As soon as the plane landed at the airport, Cadence had felt a strong sense that her son was nearby. Call it a hunch or a mother’s intuition, but she’d felt it deep down in her bones. She just needed to get to him so she could hold her son in her arms and never let him go.
Once they entered the building, Parker reached under the welcome mat and picked up a gold key. He let them in to the condo, which was fully furnished and as clean as a whistle. Cadence had the impression it had been unoccupied for some time. She felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Parker’s friend. It was one less thing they had to worry about in this stressful situation. Although it was difficult at the moment, Cadence always tried to count her blessings. In a situation like this, they were hard to find.
Suddenly, Parker’s cell phone began to buzz insistently. He grabbed his phone and answered in a curt voice. “Parker here. Talk to me, Rizz.”
Parker began to pace the length of the room. His long legs looked powerful encased in the dark jeans he was wearing. She couldn’t help but notice how buff he looked. His physique was muscled and rugged. The sight of him walking side by side with Jason at the airport had made quite a few heads turn. Both of them were gorgeous, but the two of them together was a double whammy. She tried not to feel jealous thinking about other women admiring Parker, but she was failing miserably.
Cadence could only hear a few words of Parker’s conversation. His expression was tense. After a few minutes, he hung up. Cadence could see the focused expression etched on his face.
“What’s going on?” Jason asked.
“He’s at the house here in Sonoma,” Parker announced.
“How do you know that?” Cadence asked.
“We have contacts in the area,” Jason explained. “PI friends who live in California. They’ve been staking out the family property.”
Parker ran a hand over his face. “We coordinate our efforts whenever we can help one another out. Jason and I called in a few favors.”
“That’s smart,” Cadence said. “What’s next? Did they see Logan?”
Parker grimaced. “No Logan sighting as of yet. But that doesn’t mean we should wait to go after Mason.”
“You can’t antagonize him,” Cadence cautioned, biting her finger nail. “He can be very volatile. We have to tread carefully so the situation doesn’t escalate.”
“We’re going to tread carefully, Cadence.” Parker locked gazes with her. “I promise you, we’re not going to do anything to jeopardize Logan.”
Cadence bit her lip. She trusted both Parker and Jason to handle things professionally, but her stomach was a bundle of nerves.
Jason and Parker exchanged a loaded glance.
“What is it? What aren’t you saying?” she pressed.
“Do you know if he owns any weapons?” Parker asked.
Cadence felt her heart thump wildly in her chest. “I-I think he does. I’ve never seen any, but I know he has a permit to carry a weapon.”
“Thanks. It’s best we know that information before we head over to the compound,” Parker explained.
“Oh, dear Lord,” Cadence said. “Please be careful, Parker. I hate to think you and Jason will be in danger.”
“We’ve got this,” Parker said, his voice sounding sure and strong. “This isn’t our first encounter with someone like Mason.”
For some reason, Cadence didn’t feel reassured. Now she had to worry about Parker and Jason’s safety in addition to Logan’s well-being. She prayed this nightmare would soon be coming to an end. Truthfully, she didn’t know how much longer she could go on without being reunited with her son.
A buzzing sound coming from her phone drew her attention away from Parker. Cadence frowned at the display. She had no idea who was calling her because the number wasn’t showing up. Although she was tempted to ignore it, instinct told her to pick up the call.
“Hello.”
The line crackled. “I see you’ve made your way to Sonoma.”
