AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How the hell did you get this number?” I turned in time to see the screen turn into a map. It zoomed in and continued to do so until we were watching a moving dot. Slade waved his hand and I put it on speakerphone.
“Hello, Blake. This is Zain. Tell me what you have on Lily.”
A large exhale rushed over the phone. “Zain. I should have guessed. I knew you weren’t to be trusted.”
I did purse my lips then. “Wrong. I’m one of the few people you can trust. Now, tell me about Lily.”
Silence.
I looked down at the map, brushing Brace’s hand aside as I punched in numbers to get his exact address.
“You’re just outside of Portland, Oregon. What the fuck are you doing up there?”
“You’re tracking me?”
The threat was there, but so was the surprise.
“You’re not the only tracker, Blake. Now, I’m not going to ask you again. Please.”
The one word that would have been like acid in my mouth concerning another man came easily. He was searching for Lily. That made him more than okay in my book.
“The cabin she was at before was empty, minus three dead bodies. I was under the impression from the recording that she only killed two. That means whoever took her killed off the man attacking her at the end of the tape. Unless it was the other way around, which wouldn’t be very good in Lily’s case.”
I processed the information, letting it sink in. The anger swirled and I clenched my fist to stay in control. “So, one of them has her alone. Fuck,” I said, beginning to pace. “What else have you learned? Do you have any suspects? Theories?”
A sigh came over the speaker. “I don’t usually give a play by play on my investigations, Zain. I like to have evidence before I start saying anything.”
My jaw tightened as reality carried in his tone. “You know nothing more on Lily’s location and we both know it. At least, not yet. Instead of wasting time getting further away, come back and let all of us lay out your evidence and work together. We might have better luck that way.”
“I like that idea,” Slade said, interrupting.
Blake made an aggravated sound. “I work alone, dammit.”
“Not all the time,” I rushed in. “I know who you are. I mean, I’ve heard of you before. Everyone in the trafficking world has, Blake. You’re a killer. And not in the sense of having to protect yourself. You enjoy killing. Look for reasons to do it, even. You’re a serial killer, but you hide it well by what you do.”
“You’re walking on very, very thin ice, Mr. Cook.”
“Collins,” I corrected. “Zain Cook has been dead since he was a child. Listen, you have to come back. We’ll go over the evidence and…I’ll give you what you need. Help me kill my father and his men. They have a deal going down with a transaction of slaves either tonight or tomorrow. I’ve heard two different accounts of how they’ll meet. My father probably regrets me hearing that now, but it’s worth a try. And we have to act fast if we want to be ready. They know I killed two of my uncles and they had every intention of getting rid of me. I want to take them out first. Before those girls end up gone for good. I have locations of other traffickers, Mr. Morgan. I can feed your deepest cravings for months to come. I’m a wealth of information. You help me and I will supply you with more names that you’ll know what to do with. But after that,” I looked over to Slade, “after we kill them tonight, you’re taking me with you to find Lily.”
The line disconnected and I closed my eyes, gripping the phone hard. He had to take me with him. I couldn’t just sit here and wait for any information she might feed us. Lily belonged to me. I needed to be there to find and protect her. Not to mention, make whoever did this pay for what they’ve done.
“If he doesn’t have any leads, he’ll come back.” Slade walked over, pouring himself another Scotch.
Brace was still watching the map when I moved in to sit down.
“Yep, he’s turning around. Guess your deal was too good to pass up. Don’t you think your information would be better with someone like Gaige? The FBI might be able to bring the girls home.”
The thought was dismissed almost instantly. “No. The FBI won’t save them before the word gets out. They’ll move those girls so fast, they’ll never be found again. Blake is the only one who can save them. Besides, those bastards deserve what’s coming to them.”
“I’m with you.” Slade handed me a glass. “How are those pills working? You still hurting?”
My first instinct was to play the tough guy, but I shook my head. “I’m a lot better now, thank you. The pain is—”
Ring.
I glanced down, my eyes narrowing at the blocked call. “Does Blake’s number show up when he calls?”
Slade slammed his glass on the counter. “We’re not chancing it. Brace.”
