Page 47 of Fully Loaded

Dread inched up his stomach as he passed lonely tree after lonely tree. Staying out of the field of bodies and the open sightline of the cops, he kept his stare ahead and weaved through the columns of bark, desperately seeking a glittering red dress. He couldn’t go to the hotel until he was certain she’d gotten out. He slowed to a jog and searched the darkness for a witness who could point him in the right direction, but the area was deserted. He let his gaze skip over the dead bodies just long enough to be sure Dani’s wasn’t one of them. Clusters of panicking people hovered over their loved ones, phones pressed to their ears. Ringtones split the night like drunken crickets. EMTs rushed around with flashlights in search of those in need of help the most.

In all the chaos . . . not one red dress.

He stopped and turned toward the break in the trees and the road that led to the Eiffel Tower. Scanning the darkness one last time, he stalked toward the people milling along the street. Some had blankets over their shoulders, others were hugging friends and family.

Almost everyone was crying.

As he moved down the sidewalk, bits and pieces of conversations floated to his ears.

“I can’t find Alec!”

“Il y a eu une fusillade!”

“Mommy!” A little girl threw her chubby arms around a woman. Brown curls bounced on top of her head. Relief burst open in his chest. He’d seen the little girl racing toward the police, but he’d already been in the trees searching for Dani and hadn’t been able to stop and make sure she made it to them.

“Oh, darling!” the woman said with a sob. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Brock stopped. He wouldn’t interrupt the woman and her daughter, but someone nearby had to have seen something.

“Mommy, I was so scared. A lady in a nice dress carried me, but the bad man with the gun took her away. She told me to run.”

Brock’s blood turned to steel. He darted for the mother and daughter. “What did she say?”

The mother’s wide brown eyes flew to his, and she clutched her child to her chest and backed away. “Who are you?”

“The woman she just mentioned . . . please.” He scrubbed his hand over his face and took a step back. He was probably scaring the shit out of them. He cleared his throat. “Please. She’s missing.”

Understanding softened the woman’s eyes, and she turned her attention to the little girl dangling in her arms. “Anna Bella, can you repeat what you said about the lady?”

She shook her head and buried her face in the crook of her mom’s neck. The woman firmed her lips together and shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

Fuck. He had to know if she saw something. “May I?” he asked, extending his hand.

The woman hesitated but then turned so he could see the girl’s face.

“Hi, Anna Bella. It sounds like you saw my friend. I bet she’s as scared as you are right now. Can you tell me where she went?”

Her eyes lowered and Brock’s stomach twisted. Christ, if this girl was the only one who knew what had happened to Dani he was sunk.

Then she straightened a few inches and met his eyes. “She found me and carried me. She was nice and said she’d help me find my mommy.” She shifted her gaze to her mother and tightened her hold around her neck. “A bad man came and she tried to hide me from him. He grabbed her like this,” she said, and lifted her hand to the tendrils of her hair. “She told me to run and I did.”

Brock’s heart thumped in his chest, rocking his stomach against his ribs.

They had her.

But who?

He forced his body not to react, but rage built inside him so quickly he had to take a breath before he spoke. “Did they get into a car?”

She lowered her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Was it just one man or were there more?”

“One. I think.”

“Did he?—”

“That’s enough.” The mother’s soft voice stopped his words. “Please. She’s traumatized and I need to take her to the paramedics.”

He backed away. “Of course. Thank you.” The ground fell away beneath his feet and he turned in a circle. His breath wheezed from his lungs and he dragged his hand through his hair. Leaning forward, he positioned his palms on his knees and sucked in one breath after another. Pain burst in his chest with every inhale, but he pushed past it. He had to pull it together. He had to clear his head and keep the beast of panic from dragging him to its depths.