Page 126 of You Make Me Feel
He lifts a brow. “We can’t see anybody else with him. But it’s a van, she could be in the back.”
He doesn’t say it but we all think it. She could be tied up. A prisoner. Panic rips through my chest like a live wire.
I stand again, too fast. The room pitches and rolls but I don’t care. My legs are shaking, and I have to fight to stay upright. “We need to find her.Now.”
“They can’t get far. There’s no way off the island that we don’t have eyes on,” Asher says, trying to reassure me.
“So he’ll be cornered,” I grunt. “And he’ll do something stupid.”
Like hurt the woman I love.
Brad’s phone buzzes. He taps the screen, then looks up. “We’ve got eyes on the van. It’s abandoned on Main Street. Engine’s still warm. My team is looking for them now.”
A sharp breath punches out of me. “Main Street? Then they’re on foot. He could have taken her anywhere.” But deep in my heart I know where he is. “Her shop. That’s where she is. I think he might be looking for a painting.”
“What painting?” Asher asks.
“She stole a painting from him. Some piece of art shefound at a yard sale.” I give them the run down of what she told me.
“The one she had on her bedroom wall?” Romy asks, frowning. “Why the hell would he want that? Is it worth something?”
I shake my head. “No. That’s the weird thing. I got my assistant to look into it and it’s worth nothing. She put it away the other day. I helped her stash it at the back of the store room. She said she didn’t want it anymore.”
“Maybe it has sentimental value. You think she’ll let him have it?” Wyatt asks.
God, I hope she does. I don’t give a shit about the painting. I just need her to be okay.
“We need to go to Main Street,” I tell Asher. “Now.”
“You’re not going anywhere except to the damn hospital,” Hudson says to me. “You can barely walk.”
But I don’t give a damn. “I’m feeling better,” I lie. Though it’s amazing what adrenaline can do for a painful head. “Either somebody drives me or I’ll…” Fuck, I can’t drive myself. “I’ll call a cab.”
Skyler tries to hide her snort. “Good luck with that.”
Brad murmurs something in his earpiece. “Okay, we have footage of him taking her into the shop.” He clears his throat. “At gunpoint.”
The word smashes me in the ribs. Everybody in the room freezes.
My hand curls into a fist so tight my knuckles ache. “You’re sure?” My voice is hoarse. “They saw the gun on the footage?”
Brad nods, grim. “Handgun, right side. He’s holding it low, against her back. She looks… calm. But she knows it’s there.”
A cold sweat breaks across my skin. My vision tunnels.
I need to get to her. Before she does something stupid. Like fight him because she doesn’t think he’s dangerous.
But Asher’s already moving. “We’re going.Now. Brad, keep eyes on every exit. I want two teams, front and back.”
“I’m coming with,” I say again, standing before anybody can stop me.
“This is a really bad idea,” Hudson snaps at me. “Look at you. You’ve got a head injury, you’ve already thrown up twice, and if you pass out in the middle of Main Street it’s going to cause more problems than it solves.”
“I don’t care,” I growl. “She’s in that shop with a man who’s desperate enough to put his probation in jeopardy. I’m not sitting here while you all go without me.” I look at Asher. “You’d do the same.”
His jaw tightens. “Yeah. I would.” He looks at Brad, who nods once.
“Let’s move,” he says.
