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He’d uttered something along similar lines about every thirty seconds for the past twenty minutes as several MVPD team members worked around him. It was Callum, though, whom Spencer had called in to help. The former Navy SEAL turned bodyguard knew basically everything about everything and he’d diagnosed the bomb situation—and what was needed to defuse it—faster than anyone else on the MVPD team. Not that they weren’t good, but Callum was better.
And Nikolas was beyond grateful for the help.
“Can you defuse it? And in the meantime, can you get Spencer out and after Nova.”
“Already on it, Slater!” Spencer hollered as he came back into the office, also clad in the heavy protective gear. “Every officer I have is canvassing the block for any footage. Your cameras lose them as he drags her to the parking lot across the street.”
“Figured.” Nikolas gritted his teeth at the helplessness of it all. Each minute they sat there was wasted time.
Nikolas leaned as far forward as he could, his gaze steady on Spencer Colton. “He’s not going to let her go.”
The no-nonsense cop he’d seen all day faded away. In its place was a compassionate man who understood the stakes. “I know. It also helps that we already had the perimeter set for the APB.”
There wasn’t any more that could be done and Nikolas knew it. Damn it, he knew it.
And still he struggled to sit still and let Callum do his work.
“I’ve got the area cleared and we’ve got everyone here in gear,” Ace and Ainsley’s brother, first responder Grayson Colton, called out as he came into the office to stand beside Spencer. He spent most of his time working with local law enforcement in and around Mustang Valley.
“Everyone out of range?” Spencer asked.
“Yep.” Grayson nodded. “And I’ve got first responders on scene.”
“Good.” Spencer nodded before turning his attention to Callum. “How much more time do you need?”
“You tell me when you’re ready. This bitch is mine.”
Spencer refocused on Nikolas. “You know what to do.”
“Yeah. Callum walked me through it.”
“Step-by-step. You take it one step at a time and let him deal with the bomb.”
Nikolas nodded. “I understand.”
“We found them!” The words echoed through Spencer’s body transmitter and Nikolas nearly moved before Callum slammed a hard hand around his ankle to hold him still.
“Not so fast, Slater.”
Spencer took the call and Nikolas’s heart broke at the words spilling through the body speaker. The woods on the edge of town. A hiker spotted them from a distance and called it in remotely but did not approach.
Spencer barked out the order that the hiker not engage and moved his team into action.
“Let us do our job, Slater,” Spencer shot back at him before aiming a glance toward Callum’s prone form on the ground. “You do as he says. We’re going to go bring her back.”
Nikolas prayed Spencer was right.
He had no idea what he’d do—or who he’d be—if Nova and the baby didn’t come back all right.
* * *
Nova caught the flash of something high in the mountain but kept her gaze firmly on Ferdy as she moved toward him. She put some extra pregnancy moves into the motion, bowing her legs so she waddled more heavily and keeping a hand on her lower back.
What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
And if it gave her the slightest opportunity to run down an ounce of compassion in the man, she’d take it.
“What is all this?” Ferdy waved at her with the gun, the business end tracing her body from head to toe and back again. Nova felt herself flinch and fought to keep her movements steady and even.
