AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll live if that’s your question,” grumbled Levi. His words came slowly, and he felt he had to enunciate them carefully. His tongue felt thick and unwieldy. “In my logical head, I might believe it isn’t my fault, but I know I fucked up. I should have been more watchful of my environment. Finley counted on me to be her backup, and I didn’t do enough when they needed my help the most. Finley was going to protect Storm at all costs, and I know she is protecting him even as we speak. But we have to get out there and find them.”
“It was your day off of being hyper-focused,” said Monroe.
“I wasn’t as aware as I should have been.” He acted as though he had more to said, but closed his mouth.
“Shit, that isn’t true. Don’t do that to yourself or you’ll sabotage the good you can offer the team,” said Carter.
“Lock that up in a box to open when this is all over. Right now, there is no time or room for it,” said Garrett. “We found a syringe, so we know she was likely drugged.”
“You need nothing but downtime, man.” Cash’s voice was full of concern. “Sleep okay for you?”
Monroe shook his head. “Not really, but it’s okay if he falls asleep organically and we keep the lights down. We just want to make sure he is changing positions. If not, then we can go to waking him every hour.”
The dim glow of Sharlee and Kaden’s computer screens cast eerie shadows on the walls in the corner of the room where the lights were low for Levi. Everyone had tried to give them their space, but as they rotated closer to check on Levi, the same screen light highlighted the tension that hung heavy in the air.
Levi sat in the sofa lounge chair Monroe led him to before placing the dark sunglasses on his face to block the lights and helped him lean back on the pillows Mallory moved for him. Monroe came back with heat for the back of his neck and left the cold for the top of his head. The pain meds were workingenough to take the harsh edge off his headache. The anti-nausea meds were working, and a light blanket landed on his lower half, courtesy of Chase.
“Stop fussing,” Levi said, his voice thick and raspy.
“Take the nurture now, asshole, because when you are well, I am kicking your ass for not going to the hospital. You should be admitted with nurses watching over you right now.”
Levi answered with his middle finger before dozing off. When he woke up next, he saw Callie sitting next to him with Cash pacing the room.
“What’s happened?” He asked in his groggy, sleep raspy voice.
“Nothing new, man,” answered Cash.
“Levi, if you can, I need you to walk me through what happened, step by step,” Callie, a former operative from Homeland Security said firmly, her eyes scanning him with an intensity that left no doubt about her expertise. Part of her job had been to draw out information that victims might have forgotten. Her ability to connect and make that happen was impressive.
Mark was a great interrogator, but that wasn’t what they needed with Levi. He was an operative that had a sizeable head injury. Learning what wasn’t first remembered was something Callie often did without effort. Monroe, along with Mallory and Oakley, sat near, but not too close to Levi to monitor his response to his injury. Cash walked over and stood, overseeing the questioning.
“Alright.” He took a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking hands. “We were just walking, enjoying the morning. Then, we noticed this man watching us. He seemed... off, somehow. Then when I asked him if he was looking for something, he gave us some squirrelly answers that I know sounded off to me, butFinley began gathering her things. Something the guy said cued her to things being wrong.”
“What did he say?”
“Something about wanting to know if his brother lived at that address.”
“Roan doesn’t have a brother,” said Jac from the doorway.
“Must have been what cued Finley. She obviously knew that.”
“Can you describe him?” Garrett, a prior alphabet agency employee and military man, asked while jotting down details in a notepad.
“Uh, yeah. He was tall, wearing a black hoodie and jeans. His hood was partially up, but he was balding and heavy set. Unshaved. No beard, just maybe two days of hair growth. And sandy blonde hair, both facial and the bit I could see on his head. Had sunglasses on, but I caught a glimpse of a scar running across his cheek.” He ran a finger over his own cheek to demonstrate.
“Got it. It’s enough to work with. We’ll cross-reference that description against local video databases,” Garrett said, before turning to Callie. “Let’s help Kaden and Sharlee analyze the security camera footage from the Ganders’ place.”
“The guy who went after Finley was nearly as tall as Carter, but he didn’t move as confidently. Like he didn’t do this for a living. And shaggy. Hair, clothes. And he wore a surplus OD green coat. It looked like Army. Heavy. Too heavy for a kidnapping job and this weather.”
“It was to hide him, but not a smart move. Definitely amateur,” said Cash. “That good, real good. Unskilled, unpracticed, more likely to panic and ditch if things get rocky. My girl has skills and we can definitely make it rocky.” The room went uncomfortably quiet.
Levi spoke up, holding his head as if it would fall apart at any moment. “Yeah, man, she really does. She’ll take care of Storm and the assholes. Our girl is going to be fine.”
The pause continued for a few seconds before Mark spoke. “It’s important that we look at what evidence we have while Sharlee and Kaden find them. It could help get to them faster.”
They examined the ransom note Callie found attached to the stroller. They photographed it, preserving every detail, as they discussed possible handwriting matches and paper sources. For the time being, they agreed they had exhausted the notes issue.
“Any luck with the cameras?” Mallory asked Monroe as she approached, her hand resting protectively on her pregnant belly.
