Page 102 of Searching for Bristol
“Lance.”
Son of a fucking bitch.
Rocky started to stand. He needed to go. To hunt down the animal who’d done this.
But Simon grabbed his arm with a hold that was surprisingly strong. “Keep your damn hands where they are,” he snapped. “You let go, he could die.”
Rocky wasn’t sure about that. Art’s wound wasn’t really bleeding all that much anymore. But he took a deep breath in through his nose anyway. Everything in him was screaming to go find Lance Zaun. To beat him to a bloody pulp. To force him to confess where Bristol was. But if he saw him right now, he’d kill him. And if he was in jail, he couldn’t help Bristol.
“I’m gonna get him,” Rocky told Art, whose gaze was fixed on his now. “He’s going to pay for doing this to you…and for whatever he’s done with Bristol.”
“Packages,” Art wheezed again.
Rocky nodded. “Finley called me last night, told me she saw new reviews on Bristol’s website. I was at the post office this morning to check on it. Looks like you beat us all to this lead. I’m not surprised. You and your cronies always seem to know everything going on in this town.”
Art’s eyes closed.
“You arenotgoing to die,” Rocky said fiercely, not knowing if his words were true or not. “You’re too tough to let some asshole like Lance Zaun take you out. Besides, Otto was telling me all about how far ahead he was in your chess game wins.”
With that, Art’s eyes opened again and he said, “Lie…”
“I’m gonna call your granddaughter. Is there anyone else you want me to contact?” Simon asked as they heard people enter the house.
Art shook his head slightly and his eyes closed once again.
Rocky was never as glad to see anyone as he was the two paramedics who burst into the room at that moment. He listened with half an ear as Simon gave them a rundown of what he knew. Then Rocky stood back and let the professionals do their job. He heard one calling for a chopper, and knew Art was in good hands. He backed out of the room before turning and heading for the door.
Simon had a hold of his arm before he got too far.
“Stay with me, son.”
“That son-of-a-bitch has Bristol!” Rocky growled.
“Yeah, he does. And if you go off half-cocked, there’s no telling what he’ll do to her. She’s stayed alive for this long, don’t make him panic and kill her.”
Simon’s words stopped Rocky in his tracks. The police chief was right. Lance hadn’t hesitated to try to kill a harmless old man. If Rocky screwed up in his desperation to find her, Lance would do the same to Bristol. Even though he hated thinking of her under that asshole’s thumb for even one second longer than necessary, the thought of the guy stabbing her, like he’d done to Art…
“What’s the plan?” he asked.
“We need to find Lance. Watch him. When we’re sure he’s alone, we’ll take him down and get him to tell us where he’s got Bristol.”
Rocky nodded and pulled out his phone. Some of the deadliest men he knew were right here in Fallport. If there was ever a moment to use what they’d learned in the Armed Forces,nowwas that time.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
An hour later, the Eagle Point Search and Rescue team had fanned out all over Fallport, looking for Lance Zaun. And they weren’t the only ones. The entire town was on the lookout, especially after hearing what had happened to Art. No one took kindly to one of their own being attacked. And because it was Art, everyone was twice as fired up.
Then, five minutes ago, Davis had walked into Grinders and asked to use the phone. He called the police station and asked to speak to Simon. He’d been patched through to the chief’s cell phone—and told him he’d seen Lance at his apartment a few minutes ago. He’d been carrying a large box to his car…and it looked as if he was packing to leave.
Rocky had stuck close to Simon, knowing the police chief would be at the forefront of the investigation. How the man could’ve gotten out of his apartment and to his car without being seen by the officer Simon had assigned to watch for him, Rocky didn’t know. Didn’t care either. He was just relieved they finally had a sighting.
Simon had thanked Davis, then immediately called his officers and told them to come in without sirens and meet at the apartment complex. To park down the street to avoid tipping off Lance that they were on to him.
Rocky called his team and told them the same thing. All the while, nausea rolled in his belly.
This was it. They’d grab Lance and make him tell them where Bristol was.
As soon as he’d found out Lance Zaun was the one who’d stabbed Art, Rocky had the sickening and incredulous thought that maybe he’d kept Bristol right under his nose the entire time. He tried to dismiss the idea. There was no way Bristol had been three doors down from him for the last two weeks. He’d have known if she was that close.
