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It was the final voicemail message from CJ, left thirty minutes before, that chilled his blood.
“Lukus, I swear to you I did my best. Sean and I had the Lamberts’ staked out. We checked on the ladies through the windows a couple of times, and I know they were both in there. They surprised us. We didn’t expect them to leave tonight. I followed them, but… fuck. There was an accident next to the mall. They weren’t involved, but there was a roadblock. They got through but I got stopped. I know you’re gonna fire me but I lost them, boss. I’ll keep looking. Call me when you land. I hope I find them before then.”
Lukus didn’t contain his fury. “Fuck!”
Fellow passengers squashed in all around him gave him the evil eye. Markus got up and turned around.
“Brianna left me a bunch of texts. I guess you have some from Tiff, too?”
“That, and a voicemail from CJ telling me our women gave him the fucking slip. They defied us. They left the house, and they’re out there unprotected.” Lukus’s fury dissipated, quickly replaced with dread. A fear like he’d never felt before gripped him. What if Jake got his hands on Tiffany? The stories of what he was capable of, coupled with the pictures of his more recent victims—courtesy of Dylan’s investigation—had Lukus paralyzed with fear for what could be happening to his girl at this very minute.
I’ve failed her. I’m her Dom—her HoH. I own a fucking security firm, and I still can’t keep her safe. If anything happens to her I’ll never forgive myself.
He shook himself out of his self-loathing to phone CJ. The call almost went to voicemail before his employee answered.
“I’m so sorry, boss. I know I’ve let you down.”
Lukus forced down his anger, plastering on a calm façade. “Just the facts. We’ll deal with blame later. Where have you looked?” He could hear a commotion on the line.
“I’m at that stripper club you said they were supposed to go to. They aren’t here. I have photos of them; Sean and I have been asking around. No one we’ve talked to remembers seeing them here. Maybe they just went out for food?”
“It doesn’t matter. We told them not to leave the house. Have you seen any trace of Davenport, or anyone else that looks like they were watching Bri and Tiff?”
“No. We did foot patrols a couple of times, and don’t forget, they’re in a gated community, which should help. I didn’t see anything at all alarming,” CJ added.
“What were they wearing?” Lukus was trying to work out where they might have been going.
“I didn’t see. Tiffany’s car was in the driveway, but they left in Brianna’s SUV. They backed out of the garage. I did see both of them in the front seat though. And before you ask, no, I didn’t see anyone else in the car, but the back windows are tinted so I wouldn’t rule that out completely.”
“Fuck. All right, you keep looking around there. I’m calling Cameron to put a trace on their credit cards and cell phones to see if we get a hit. I’ll call you back as soon as I get a location lock on them. Markus and I have our cars at the airport. I’ll send him towards the suburbs. I’ll head into the city. That way we’re in position to move wherever Cam finds them.”
Lukus hung up and called Cam.
The kid answered after several rings. “This better be good. This isn’t a good time, if you know what I mean.” His voice sounded jovial; Lukus heard the tinkling laughter of a woman in the background.
“Tiffany and Brianna are in the wind, and we’ve lost Davenport. I need you to locate them ASAP. Track their credit cards and cell phones. We’re getting into place to move and pick them up as soon as you give us a location. Call me back the second you have something. Once we find the girls, I need you to do the same track for Davenport. Until he’s behind bars, we need to know where he is at all times.”
The kid may have been young, but Lukus appreciated that he obviously knew the difference between work and play. His voice was all business now. “You’ve got it. It shouldn’t take me too long. I’ll call you as soon as I have something.” Cam dropped the call to get started.
As the lights came on in the cabin, passengers rushed to disembark. Lukus waited his turn anxiously, bemoaning how much easier life had been before he met Tiffany O’Sullivan. He hated feeling like a vulnerable pussy, but right this minute all he could think of was getting her safely in his arms. He didn’t remember the last time he’d said a prayer, but he spent the last minutes waiting to exit the plane asking for help.
Please, God. Keep the girls safe. Don’t let them pay the price for me failing to get Jake Davenport off the streets.
Chapter Seven
Tiffany
The heavy bass of the dance music had pushed Tiffany’s heart rate to the edge. She was light on sleep, long on alcohol, and buried deep in guilt. Whereas a couple of hours ago she’d been buoyed by her anger, she was now drowning in regret.
“Bri, we need to go.Now,” she said. “We’ve already stayed an hour longer than you said we would. Please, let’s go.”
They were in the middle of the crowded dance floor of the trendy suburban nightclub. While the rest of the bachelorette partiers were dirty dancing with guys Tiffany had never seen before, she and Bri had danced with each other. Still, she knew they never should have left the house.
“Come on. Can’t we wait until this song is over? You know I love this one.” Brianna didn’t seem to carry the same guilt Tiffany had felt since they hit the dance floor. As mad as she was at Lukus, she just couldn’t have any fun knowing she went against his wishes by going out.
“Fine, but then we’re gonna go. You promised me. Not everyone likes to be punished, you know. I won’t sit down for a week if I don’t get home before Lukus calls me.”
Brianna leaned in to shout into Tiff’s ear over the pounding music. “You worry too much. I told you; they won’t be home until tomorrow.”
