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Lukus was twitching with impatience as the airport shuttle stopped to drop off yet another traveler in the remote parking lot at Chicago's O'Hare airport. He was beginning to regret his decision not to have someone pick them up. The only reason he hadn't just had the three of them hop in a cab was because he wanted to get to the small arsenal of weapons he kept in his trunk.
He glanced over to see Hannah sitting on Dylan's lap as they rounded the last curve before their stop. Hannah looked pale. They probably should have left her back at the hospital, but she'd thrown a fit, demanding she be taken to Connor.
Five minutes later, they were on the Kennedy, speeding towards the loft. Dylan had been trying to reach Derek ever since they got in the car, with no success. When Markus didn't answer either, warning bells had started going off.
Lukus used his Bluetooth to call Cameron.
The kid answered ready to do business. "What next?"
"Look at the security feed at the loft. Everything in order?"
Cam answered immediately. "I've had it up for the last few hours since you called. It looks good. Markus, Bri and Tiff are still playing cards in your living room. You don't have cameras in the bedrooms, but I saw Derek, Rachel, the lady in the wheelchair and the kid go back to the bedrooms over an hour ago."
Lukus should have relaxed, but he knew he wouldn't until he got there and saw all was well with his own eyes.
"Thanks. Keep watching. Anything new while I was in the air?"
"Not really. I helped the crime lab in California understand the coding in the journal. They're rounding up more suspects now."
"Good job, kid."
"When are you gonna stop calling me kid? I'm twenty-two," Cam said.
"Fine. Good job, man."
"Better. Later."
Lukus didn't answer. He hugged the exit ramp, getting off the expressway to zigzag his way through side streets in order to get to the loft as quickly as possible. They were only ten minutes away when he made his next call to Aiden, who picked up on the first ring.
"I figured you'd call soon. I saw your flight landed."
"Yeah. We're ten minutes out. Everything quiet?" Lukus asked.
"Yeah. Josh and I just did another lap through the neighborhood, looking for any suspicious vehicles or pedestrians fitting Davenport's description. All's quiet outside."
"That's good, I guess." Lukus couldn't hide his anxiety.
"Hey, you don't spook easy. What's up?" Odd words of praise from his future brother-in-law.
"It's probably nothing. I just can't get through to either Markus or Derek. I got some texts from Tiffany when I landed, but even she isn't picking up."
Silence greeted him at the other end of the phone until he heard Aiden telling Josh to pull up to the back door. "I'm gonna head up and check in with them. I'll stay there until you get here."
"Thanks, man. I know I'm being a pussy, but do you mind if I hang out on the line until you get up there?"
Aiden's jovial laugh was a sound Lukus would have never thought he'd hear from the man who had sworn to beat his ass less than a month ago. "At least you recognize you're a pussy. That's the first step to recovery."
"Asshole."
Lukus could hear shuffling at the other end of the line and then a soft, "Fuck."
"What's wrong?"
"Does your elevator ever break? It's not coming, and the light isn't even lighting up… like it's on the fritz."
Alarm bells got louder in his ears. "It's never broken down.Ever. Take the stairs." He could hear Aiden running now. "And before you do, call in backup."
"I hit my distress alarm. Josh is calling in backup now."
