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“I’VE GOT A HIT!” WEST barked out over the phone.
“Where?” Nick had raced to the coffee shop, arriving to find Gray, the police, and a crowd of onlookers already gathered out front. One woman was crying, saying she’d let the two men in the back door. Nick brushed past her, moving straight to his teammate, his phone gripped tightly in his hand as he spoke with West.
“Black SUV leaving the premises not more than thirty minutes ago,” West said. “I got a plate from the cameras outside.”
“Thank God,” Nick breathed. “Can you track them?”
“Affirmative. I’ll look through the traffic cams now to see which direction they headed. One of my guys is already trying to get the VIN number for the vehicle. I might be able to get a GPS off that and find out exactly where they’re located now.”
“Call me as soon as that happens.” And then he and Gray were rushing to the back of the coffee shop, Gray rapidly telling him what had happened.
“This was on the ground,” Gray said, showing him the bracelet as they stood near the back door.
Nick’s stomach dropped. Kaylee had told him she hated not having any of her own jewelry or accessories, and he’d gotten the bracelet for her the other week. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a simple gold bangle. She’d teared up anyway though, thanking him, and had worn it every day since. It had once again driven home how brave she’d been during the ordeal. Kaylee had left her apartment with barely any of her belongings. She’d been living in fear all this time, with the rest of her life put on hold. To get teary over such a simple gesture made him realize how much she’d been holding in and how much she’d been doing without.
When this was over, he’d go with her to Omaha and get things straightened out. Sort through her damaged belongings, help her purchase whatever she needed to replace. He hoped like hell she’d seriously consider moving to New York, but he’d do the long-distance thing for a while if that was what she needed. The fear inside him right now nearly slayed him, and it was all he could do to push those thoughts down and focus on finding his girl.
“I’m sorry,” Gray told him as Nick looked around for any signs of a struggle. “I fucked up. I was literally right outside, and I knew she’d accidentally paid using the app on her phone. I knew she could be tracked. I never should’ve let her out of my sight.”
“What’s done is done. We’ll find them,” Nick promised.
The police were questioning witnesses around them, and Nick moved through the clusters of people, agitated. He wanted to push them all aside, comb every inch of the ground for more clues. He didn’t have time to wait around for the police to question witnesses. Kaylee’s life could be in danger. Nick stalked out the back door of the coffee shop, looking around. Sure enough, there was a security camera pointed right in his direction. Thank God that West had already hacked into it.
Jett and Sam pulled up into the back alley just then, both men jumping out so quickly, they left the doors open.
“Lena’s with Kaylee?” Jett asked, the worry evident on his face.
“They were together,” Gray confirmed. “They went back inside to get a coffee for Anna. Neither of them came back out the front door.”
“We’re going to find them,” Jett assured both men, his face intense. “They haven’t been gone too long, so time is on our side.” He strode across the back ally toward the coffee shop like he owned the place, walking right up to one of the officers in charge.
“What do you need?” Sam asked.
“West is tracking the plate of the SUV they were in, but let’s talk to the witnesses. Lots of people were around here. Maybe someone can give us further details until West can locate the vehicle.”
“On it,” Sam said, already striding away.
Nick’s phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. “Nick here.”
“We’re still trying to access the GPS coordinates from the SUV. From reviewing nearby traffic cameras, the SUV took off heading west. It followed the highway about two miles and then exited north on Shaw Blvd. We lost sight of it then.”
“Got it,” Nick said, making a circling motion with his hand to round up his teammates. “We’ll head that way now.” The men rushed over, and after Nick gave them the brief update, he climbed into Gray’s pickup truck. Kaylee’s vanilla scent slammed into him, and his gut churned. She’d been minutes from getting back into Gray’s truck and heading home to safety.
“We’ll find them,” Gray said, his voice low and intense.
Sam and Jett were already peeling out of the parking lot, and then Gray gunned it, gravel spewing into the air as he raced away. “Hope the cops don’t follow us,” Nick muttered.
“I don’t give a shit.”
“Me either, but we don’t want those assholes holding our women to know we’re coming. We won’t exactly be moving in stealthily if we’ve got sirens blaring behind us.”
Gray didn’t comment. Nick watched the shops and stores race by, Gray speeding up at yellow lights so they didn’t have to sit at a red. He could see Sam and Jett up ahead. Gray’s tires squealed as he took a right, finally turning onto Shaw Blvd. There were several industrial buildings here, but the road also led out of the busier area of town. The missing SUV could’ve headed anywhere—to a warehouse, a neighborhood off in the distance, a highway headed out of town.
Nick glanced down at his phone, almost expecting it to ring. “Where’s West with the goddamn GPS?” he asked aloud.
“He’s got our backs,” Gray assured him, slowing down near the warehouses so they could scan the parking lots. Just then the coordinates from West came through. Nick called out the address to Gray, pulling up Google Maps on his phone to get directions. His phone buzzed with a text, and his hands shook as he read the message.
West: There’s a third man with them. License and registration belong to a guy named Ivan Rogers. He heads a large North American sex-trafficking ring.
***
NICK JUMPED OUT OF the truck fifteen minutes later, Jett and Sam already convening by their vehicles, weapons in hand. A large house surrounded by a perimeter fence loomed in the distance down the tree-lined road. “Fuck,” Nick spat out as he walked closer. “We need eyes inside that home.”
“Already on it,” Jett said. “See that surveillance system outside? West said there are cameras throughout the interior as well.”
“Can he get in?” Sam asked, his gaze swiveling back toward Jett.
“He’s working on it. His team is trying to hack into the feed now.”
Nick was staring at the large home, eyeing the massive glass windows on the front. If anyone stood looking out of them, he could easily get a clear shot. There were large trees in the side and backyard, but the front of the house was wide open. “I should’ve brought a better weapon,” he said, his gaze narrowing. The sidearm he had holstered was nothing like a sniper’s rifle. He could easily take a man out from here with the proper firepower.
“I’ll have Luke bring additional weapons and gear,” Jett said. He lifted his phone to his ear, speaking rapidly to someone on the other end of the line.
“We could get in there,” Sam said. “Scale the fence, move in through the back and side yard. They’ll see us coming, but if we approach from multiple angles, they likely can’t stop all of us. There aren’t many vehicles around. We could go right through the windows on the ground level.”
“I don’t like it,” Gray said. “They could kill Lena and Kaylee before we’re even inside.”
“We need those camera feeds,” Nick agreed, his pulse pounding. “I don’t want to risk their lives breaching the home.”
“But what if they’re being hurt right now?” Sam questioned, and the men exchanged worried looks. He wasn’t wrong. Kaylee and Lena could be assaulted while the team stood around waiting. They could be going through the worst moments of their lives at this very instant. Bile rose up in the back of Nick’s throat. He took a step toward the house, and Jett’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“They’re on their way,” he assured Nick.
A large SUV pulled up behind them, and Ford jumped out, rage crossing his features. “I was already on my way over to help. Luke is coming with additional firepower. Shit,” he added, looking at the home in the distance. “That’s a hell of a house.”
“And the man who owns it is a hell of an evil fucker,” Jett said. “West sent over a dossier on him. Ivan Rogers. Head of a notorious sex-trafficking ring. The Feds want him behind bars, but no charges have ever stuck. While he’s not exactly flying under their radar, he’s got other men doing his evil deeds and thinks he’s untouchable.”
“He knows Cornwell?” Nick asked.
Jett shook his head. “Cornwell knew Cronin and Levins from their military days. He hired them to keep Kaylee at the safehouse, but they mostly work for Ivan Rogers now. He owns multiple homes, both stateside and abroad. It was only the promise of a big payment from Cornwell that kept the men from assaulting her while she was under the same roof.”
Nick saw red, his fists clenching. Nothing would hold them back now. They would hurt her. Force her to do unspeakable things. He thought he was going to vomit simply thinking about what she was enduring.
The men all looked up in surprise as another car suddenly came speeding down the road. Within moments, Anna was stepping out of the vehicle, rushing toward her husband, the engine still running.
“What are you doing here?” Jett asked, sounding both alarmed and relieved that his wife was at his side.
“Lena texted me earlier,” Anna said. She pulled her phone from her purse, showing Jett. Nick moved closer, and as he looked at the screen, stared at the messages in horror.
Lena: We’re dropping off a coffee for you. Be there soon!
Anna: Sounds fab. xoxo
Anna: Did you get lost on the way over? No worries, but I have to feed Brody. Let yourself in.
Lena: 911
Lena: HELP US
“Why didn’t you call me?” Jett asked, looking astounded.
“I did! I got your voicemail when you didn’t pick up. I had to leave a message,” Anna said in a rush. “I tried to call you again on my way over, but my cell reception was bad.”
“Shit,” he muttered, swiping the screen on his phone to see the voicemail icon, then shaking his head. “That doesn’t explain how you knew we were here.”
“Lena gave me the login info to your ‘find my phone’ app months ago,” Anna explained. “She said she had it because your whole life is on there, and you gave her access to track it in an emergency. She gave the info to me, too.”
“Jesus,” Jett muttered. “She’s right, but I’d forgotten about that. She hasn’t had to use it before.”
“I raced over here as soon as the nanny came to watch Brody. Are they in that home?” Anna asked, looking toward the house in the distance.
“Yes. You could get hurt by being here,” Jett said sternly, and Nick watched as tears filled Anna’s eyes. “What were you thinking?”
“I know! Of course I know that, but they were in trouble because of me. They should’ve already been long gone, but they decided to bring me a coffee because I had to leave early.” Tears slid down her cheeks, and then Jett was collecting her in his arms.
“You can’t stay here,” he murmured. “It’s too dangerous. You’re pregnant with our child, and I won’t let anything happen to you. When Luke comes with the additional weapons, I’m having him take you home.”
“My car—”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Anna pulled back slightly, looking from her husband to the home in the distance. “Are they okay?” she asked, her voice stricken.
“I don’t know.”
Anna looked over to Gray, and he muttered a curse. “I shouldn’t have let them out of my sight. But the boss is right. You shouldn’t be here.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, causing Jett to smirk.
“Of course, she apologizes to you and not her own husband,” he grumbled. Anna didn’t answer, just snuggled closer to him. Jett lifted his phone to his ear as someone from headquarters called, and it was all Nick could do to stand there and wait.
Fifteen long minutes later, Luke pulled up behind them. Nick rushed toward his vehicle, grabbing his gear from the trunk. Luke had brought Nick’s rifle along with additional body armor, gear, and other weapons. Sam was already slipping on a bulletproof vest, readying to storm the house when it was time. “Thanks man,” Nick said, sliding on his headset and slinging the rifle over his shoulder.
Luke met his gaze and nodded. They all realized the situation was growing more dire by the minute. West had finally hacked into the feed, but the women had been hustled upstairs, out of sight from the cameras. The surveillance system was on the main level, and unless someone appeared in the window, in Nick’s sights, he couldn’t exactly shoot through the walls hoping to hit them. Not when there were innocent women inside.
“We need a distraction,” Ford said, scanning the area. “We need something to happen so they come to the window and look outside.”
“Wouldn’t they just check the security feed?” Gray asked.
“Yes, so it’s gotta be big. It can’t be anything they’ll go check on the monitors. It needs to shock the hell out of them so they rush straight to the windows. We need an explosion.”
