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31
Theo
Rescue
The alarms are raised all over town. The cops, the fighters, Checkmate, and every man in between.
My heart aches, and my stomach cramps, because not only is Evie Kincaid missing, but so is Libby. It might not be as bad as my imagination is running, but I have never in my life felt this way except the one other time the most important woman in my life was hurt.
I knew then just as I know now; Libby is hurt, and it’s my job to fix it.
I stand in the Checkmate offices while call after call blasts the lines. Libby was on vacation, but now she’s not, and when the town’s sweetheart and a beloved cop goes missing, word spreads and tensions climb.
Every man I’ve ever met while in this town is called up to help, and though Spence’s girlfriend is literally still unconscious and resting in her hospital room post-surgery, Spence is here walking laps into the boardroom carpet.
“Sixteen years old.” Alex Turner stands at the head of the room right beside Aiden Kincaid and Kane Bishop. The three rulers of today’s empire. “Five feet, six inches tall. A hundred and thirty-two pounds. Her hair is wild and unmistakable. Sky blue eyes. No scars. No ink.”
“It is now seven o’clock, which means she’s been missing for three hours,” Kane says. “The girl was at the gym, which is basically her life on a daily basis. No one checks in every hour to make sure the kids are accounted for, so no one knew she was missing until an hour after she was gone. She didn’t show up for a sparring session with her cousin, which is when the alarms were raised.”
“Elizabeth Tate,” Alex continues. “Thirty-one years old. Five-feet, four inches tall. One-thirty-five. Green eyes, light brown hair. She’s one of us, she’s a highly trained police officer with a keenly honed sense of danger.” His eyes come to me. “Last seen at the Rollin On Gym. We have her on security footage going out the same door Evie did.”
“The girl was last seen giving a tour at the gym. We don’t know the guy. Kit Kincaid was the contact there, and she said she’s never seen him before.” Kane’s words cut into every person’s heart.
We already know he’s the connect. The man, the new guy at the gym is the connect.
“Six feet, two inches tall. Two hundred pounds neat. Gave his address as the hotel in town, but we’ve already been there. That room isn’t occupied, and the hotel staff says that man has never stayed there under that name before.”
My blood sizzles with a kind of awareness. A pulsing, burning knowledge that this is going to hurt.
Alex opens a manila folder and slaps a picture of the blonde teen onto the wall. Evie’s electric blue eyes haunt us all.Find me. Help me.
He reopens the file and slaps a picture of Libby up beside Evie with such savagery my stomach almost rebels.
Finally, with a tight jaw and rough movements, he grabs a third picture, turns, and slaps it onto the wall beside the women. “Oliver Dunne says he’s new to town, because his company,” he looks to me, “Griffin Industries,has transferred him out here for the next little while.”
Waves roar in my head as every set of eyes flip to me in accusation.
“Olly?” I look from Kane, to Alex, to Libby’s official department photograph, and then finally, to the girl’s dad. “Olly is my friend. It can’t… he’s not…”
“He’s our number one suspect,” Alex snaps. “Security footage and eyewitness statements show him and Evie walking out the back door. Two minutes later, Libby follows – she wasn’t out for a stroll. She was on the scent already – the doors close, and now all three are gone. We’re splitting into teams, and we’re going to find him.”
“We’re standing in the offices of Checkmate right now,” Kane declares. “We’re not at the cop shop. This isn’t a police investigation as far as I’m concerned.”
Aiden’s face remains stony as he nods and makes his way toward Kane. He’s going vigilante, and he’s taking a flamethrower with him.
“We apprehend, we disembowel, we get our family back,” Kane continues. “We get them backbeforethey’re hurt. I’m gonna start calling names. We’re splitting into teams that we think will work together the strongest.”
“Griffin!” Alex shouts over the rising noise. “You’re with me first. We need to know our target, and it seems kinda weird that you call this fucker your friend.”
“Cruz?” Kane shouts. “Your new leg?”
“It’s fine. I can do any terrain.”
“Good. I want you, Spence, Bobby Kincaid, and Jon Hart together. That’s team one. Team two is Oz, Romeo, Jimmy, and Blair. Team three is Eric, Macchio, the other Turner, and Mike.”
“Come with us.” Aiden and Alex stop in front of me. “We need to talk.”
“I need to stay here to find Libby. She’s mine.”
