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“Now that Roth knows we want Theo, he’s going to make a move. We need to find out where these adoptive parents are. I’ll start searching new adoptions. It couldn’t have happened more than a few weeks ago. Scottie, make a list of what we have and send it to Cash.”
“So, basically tell him we need everything.” He nodded. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Fox, it looked like Duke was already injured. Did you see what happened?”
“Shot in the shoulder, I think. Also, one in the leg. He put a tourniquet on, so it must not be good.”
I swore under my breath and walked away to think. They would use that against him while they tortured him. We would need a medic on standby, but without FNG, that left Lock, and I wasn’t sure if he was on a job or not.
“Scottie, tell Cash we need Lock.”
“And if he’s not available?”
I grimaced at the thought. “Tell him Duke will need medical attention. We need someone that can take care of him.”
“Will do. Anything else?”
I shook my head. “That’s all for now. I’ll get started on the search. Let me know when Cash gives us an answer on who’s coming.”
He nodded and I turned to my computer to get started. I opened it up and brought up my screen. That’s when I noticed my hands were shaking. I clasped them together and took several deep breaths. This was what I was trained for. I wouldn’t fail.
Then I got to work.
31
DUKE
I was in the trunk of a car for the second time today. This time, unwillingly. Then again, I did want to be taken to give Rae a fighting chance, so maybe it was willingly. I’d blacked out for part of the drive, so I couldn’t give anyone any kind of information on my whereabouts. I had to hope that Rae would find me.
I had no doubt in my mind that she would. She was the most capable person I knew. Her skills and brilliant mind were just part of what attracted me to her. So, as fucking frustrated as I was to be in the trunk of this car, I knew it would all turn out the right way in the end.
I shifted uncomfortably, feeling my pants slide against my skin from the blood dripping down my leg. I was losing a lot of blood, even with the tourniquet. My shoulder wound hurt like hell from having my arms wrenched behind my back. But I was still thinking clearly, so that was a bonus.
The car jerked to a stop and I rolled forward, slamming into the back seat. I closed my eyes and did my best impression of an opossum. I needed to gather intel on these guys and what they planned. People tended to talk more when they thought the captive was unconscious. The door opened and light flooded behind my eyelids, but I stayed perfectly still.
“Get him out. Take him inside.”
“I’ll string him up—”
“No,” the other man cut him off. “Boss said to wait for him. Toss him on the ground. He’s not going anywhere.”
My body was jerked forward and my head hit the top of the trunk with a thud as the guy attempted to pull me out. I was going to have multiple concussions before this day was through. The guy finally managed to pull me out, but he let me fall to the ground instead of trying to carry me. It hurt like hell, but I didn’t make a noise. But when he grabbed my injured leg and started dragging me toward the warehouse, the pain was too intense. I could feel the skin gaping around my wound and the shattered bone was piercing other areas of my skin. Nausea rose in my throat, and before I could try to fight it, I was throwing up.
“Didn’t think you were out,” the guy muttered. “Now you can fucking deal with it.”
My eyes rolled back in my head as darkness took over again. I could still hear him talking for a few more seconds before I let myself float off into oblivion.
The next time I woke up, I was strapped to a chair. My hands were no longer behind my back, but strapped to a chair. My body was latched to the chair with chains, and a feeling of unease washed over me as I considered why I would need to be wrapped up in chains.
“Get the boss. He’s awake.”
I shook my head, trying to clear it enough to think properly. I took stock of my body, noting how sluggish my brain was moving as I tried to assess my injuries. Looking down at my leg, everything shifted in slow motion. As if looking at something on TV, my mind didn’t quite process that the bone sticking out of my leg was attached to my body. It was a bloody mess, and if I didn’t get to a hospital soon, it was likely I’d lose my leg.
I shifted my gaze to the wound under my collarbone. It was still leaking blood, but it had slowed substantially. Maybe that was because I didn’t have a whole hell of a lot of blood left to lose. Time seemed to be moving slowly around me. I kept looking around, trying to make sense of where I was, but everything blurred around me. I was so fucked.
“There he is. Duke Mason.”
That fucker knew my name. That didn’t bode well for me.
