Nate left the cops outside and went in the gas station store. Again. If he gripped his phone any tighter, he was going to break the thing.
The cashier’s eyes widened. “You’re Nate Mason.”
“Yup.” He gave a half-hearted attempt at a smile. “I know the cops watched your surveillance tapes, but—”
“Tapes are broken.”
Nate said, “They are?”
The cashier nodded, and Nate pressed his lips together. The cops hadn’t told him that, but they had asked if he could hook them up with season tickets.
“Did they ask you about the man who took her?”
“I didn’t see no kidnapping. But she looked freaked out, you know? I think she was being followed, like by some crazy ex or something. Did you know she’s Cyan Greene? That song, the one about broken wings? That was her.”
“Sure was.”
“Hey.” The kid’s eyes lit up. “Was she freaking out cause of you? Are you the crazy ex?”
“No. I’m the one who’s going to get her back from the crazy guy.”
“I don’t know where he took her or nothin’.” He waved a spindly finger to the back corner. “He came in after you guys pulled into the lot and waited right there for her. Watching. It was super creepy. Then when she headed for the bathroom, he started following. I was going to say something, but then I realized who she was. By the time the guy walked by me, I remembered he was there. I got ready to yell to her, but he flashed this huge gun. I work at a gas station and there’s a guy with a gun? This ain’t gonna go well for a guy like me. Never does.”
Nate stood silent for a moment, amazed by the sageness of the young man’s outlook. “So you just let him abduct her out of the back door?”
“Hey, I called the cops.”
“And I appreciate that.”
“Mr. Mason!” The cop who’d interviewed Nate stood in the door with his thumbs in his gun belt. Couldn’t he have gotten someone more like that detective on CSI Miami? Instead, he got the country-bumpkin sheriff’s deputy because they were outside city limits. “This is a police matter, and I suggest you go home.”
Yeah, right. Cyan had been gone two hours, and Nate had spent that entire time answering question after question about dead FBI agents and a former starlet who’d been missing for years.
Not a whole lot about the abduction that had taken place right here.
He sighed, glancing around the store as he exhaled. He wasn’t qualified to do this. If any of his brothers were here, they’d know what to do. Not only that, but Nate was currently useless as a football player for anything other than drawing attention to himself—which was happening as people stopped to get gas and saw him and the cops obviously having an intense discussion. A crowd had gathered around the forecourt and the store.
Ben never did anything that drew attention to himself. John was the sheriff of a town no one even knew existed—a town Nate would give up all his money to go live in if he could. Grant was well-known, but he had a way about him that was so understated. Everything Grant did was about protecting innocent people while trying to be the best husband and father he could be.
Now that Cyan was gone Nate didn’t have anything but a fat wallet and a giant empty house. Nothing but the ability to feel even more sorry for himself than he had when he’d found out his football career was basically over.
Nate kicked at the tile floor with his good foot. What would Ben do?
“Mr. Mason.”
He glanced at the cop. “I’m leaving.”
Nate strode out, past the flashing cameras on every cell phone of every person out there. Thank you modern technology for that gem of wonderment. And he prayed his supremely bad day didn’t go viral. Yeah, he prayed. What else was he supposed to do? John kept telling him it was the only thing that would get him out of this funk, but John didn’t know Nate was grieving the end of his career. Now it was a thousand times worse. Cyan’s life was on the line. If there was a possibility prayer could work, why wouldn’t he do it?
Nate strode along the sidewalk trying to push away the pain in his ankle. He’d have to ice and elevate it later. Right now all he needed was a dose of painkillers. He called a cab and got a ride back to his house. He needed to call his brothers, try and figure out where Cooper had taken her, and get his car.
The cabbie was shocked by his passenger’s identity to say the least. But Nate sent him a look that made the driver quit chattering and leave him to his thoughts. He tapped the cell phone on his leg, trying to figure out what he should do. Cooper had to have a house or something. A car. Not that he could track a car. He didn’t know the man’s phone number. Daire was who-knew-where, finding Mimi. Otherwise Daire would be here helping Nate figure this out.
Why had they all left him alone?
Just like he’d let Cyan go in the gas station alone.
Nate hung his head and swiped the moisture from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t do this by himself. Cooper had what he wanted, while Nate had lost everything good in his life, and there was little he could do about it.
Ben would rush off—with his gun—and return two days later, bloody but with Cyan perfectly fine. Grant would hold a meeting. John would…pray, probably. He talked about his faith all the time now, and Nate didn’t really get it. But Cyan did, because why else purposely listen to Christian music? If God was going to listen to Nate, it would be because he was talking to Him about people who already followed Him.
So Nate prayed some more. Not for himself, but for Cyan.
Nate’s phone beeped twice. He paid the cab driver and hobbled to his open front door. He needed ice but there was no time. Instead, he kept going so he didn’t stop permanently and pulled out his phone.
The first text was from his brother. Grant was getting on a plane, and he’d be there in a matter of hours to take custody of Mimi. He also had marshals from the local office mobilizing to help contain the situation.
Text number two: Daire was hot on Mimi’s trail, though he didn’t phrase it like that. Nate’s gut clenched. Neither his brother nor his friend were in a position to help. He was going to have to find Cyan by himself.
Nate got ice on his ankle and switched on his laptop. He found her website, but that didn’t help him figure out where Cooper might have taken her. Should he search for Cooper? He didn’t even know the man’s full name.
Maybe he should go by her apartment. But why would Cooper take her there?
Nate clicked the link for Cyan’s Facebook page. Probably it was just promotional stuff, dates she would be performing, and fan chatter. That’s what was on his page. His PR people took care of it, so he didn’t have to. He had a personal page as well, but was only friends with people he knew.
The page loaded, and he started to read the first post without processing it. A friend of Cyan’s, Vanessa Rae, was freaking out. Her profile picture was that of an older but vibrant woman who claimed to be Cyan’s neighbor. Cyan had been at her apartment with a strange man, scared and obviously hurt. The police had been there since and investigated, but Cyan and the man left before they got there. Vanessa Rae thought the man was going to kill her. She wanted everyone to look out for Cyan so the police could find her.
Nate kept reading, a word-for-word transcription of what Cyan had said to her. He soaked up the sudden knowledge of where she’d been. The fact she was still alive. Still hurt, but hopefully not more than she had been before.
He needed to—
A slender woman twisted the handle of his patio door and stepped in from outside. Nate sat back in the chair like he had all the time in the world. He’d clicked the post, ready to send the neighbor a note. “Hello, Mimi.”
He quickly typed, or at least as fast as he could hen-peck through what he wanted to tell Vanessa Rae. Mimi wasn’t going to stop him from getting the info he needed about Cyan.
“Hello, Nate.” She sauntered across the room.
He told the neighbor who he was and asked her more about where Cyan had said Cooper was taking her.
Mimi looked…less. Less full of life than she normally did. She looked defeated as she walked to him. Had she looked like this before and he simply hadn’t noticed?
He sent the message. “What do you want?”
Daire was supposed to be on her tail, so where was he? Nate didn’t look around, but as soon as he got a reply from Cyan’s neighbor he was out of here. Regardless of what Mimi wanted from him.
She gracefully strode to him on her heels. Skinny jeans showed him the contours of her legs, and her shirt left more open than it covered. Compared to her, Cyan was a demure lady. Something he seriously appreciated. He’d had enough of scantily clad women throwing themselves at him with no respect for the gift they were.
“I asked what you wanted.” While Nate really wanted to get up and back away from her, he didn’t. She’d think he was retreating, and she’d keep moving toward him, assuming she’d won. Plus his foot hurt, and he didn’t want to stand on it.
She propped her hip on the edge of his table. “I guess it comes down to what you want.”
“I don’t want anything but for you to get out of my house.”
“Oh, don’t be like that, darling. I’m sure we can come to some agreement. Your little girlfriend won’t ever have to know.” She tipped her head to the side. “Although from what I hear, she isn’t in a place to care.”
“You’re still not getting the SD card. The contents were already sent to my brother and will be forwarded to the FBI. It’s too late to contain that can of worms.”
“Disappointing.” She sighed, but he saw the twitch in her cheek. “What will be, will be. Regardless of what Turneau wants.”
“I don’t really believe that.”
“Right. You’re probably one of those Jesus people like your brother.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you won’t let it get in the way of what we can achieve together.”
“And what is that?”
“I have needs. You have needs.”
Please tell him she wasn’t going to—
“I’m sure we can figure out something…mutually beneficial.” She touched his arm.
Yep. She was saying that. “And why would I do that?”
“Because I could make it worth your while.”
“You’re confident.” While Nate was just trying not to throw up. “What would you get out of this deal?”
“So crass. You cheapen the beauty of what could be.”
Nate just stared at her. She certainly thought a lot of her…assets. Too bad he was two hundred miles south of so not interested. “Just tell me what you want.”
“You could put in a good word with your brother. Get the other one off my back. Couldn’t you do me that tiny favor, darling?”
The message window pinged. Nate scanned the neighbor’s reply and stood up, kicking the ice pack on the floor.
He looked down at her. “No way, no how, not ever.”
She reached back and pulled out a gun. “Wrong answer.”