Chapter Twenty-Five
Grant fought against the haze, trying to claw his way back to consciousness. It was crucial he woke up, he was sure of it. His lids finally cooperated and popped open, but he encountered lights so bright he slammed them shut again. Was he back in SEAL training, undergoing torture survival training? His body sure as hell felt like it. If he wasn’t mistaken, he’d been pushed in front of a M1 Abrams Battle Tank and it rolled right over him. Every part of him ached.
“Grant? Can you hear me?”
The voice was soft and definitely feminine, but it wasn’t Melody. Melody! He snapped his eyes open, only to encounter the bright light again. He squinted until he could figure out where he was. Beeping sounds, blue mask-covered faces. He was in an operating room. He tried to talk but something covered his mouth. His eyes darted around until he spotted Dr. Amelia Howell. He jerked and gestured, and she understood, moving the oxygen mask aside.
“Melody?” he croaked around a mouth as dry as the Sahara.
“I don’t know, Grant. I’m sorry.”
He needed to get out of here right now and look for her.
“You aren’t going anywhere.” Damn, had he said that out loud? “You were poisoned and shot and tased. A trifecta, as we call it. We were able to counteract the poison and the bullet didn’t do major damage. But you are staying here for a few days to recoup.”
Like hell.
“We’re moving you to a room right now, so we’ll give you a sedative so you can rest.”
“No! I need to stay awake.” He didn’t care what Amelia said, he wasn’t staying. He had to find out about Melody.
Apparently, she didn’t listen to him because the next time he woke, he was in a darkened room, attached to several monitors. He jerked upright and hissed when his battered body protested.
“Hey, Grant, take it easy.”
“Luke?” His older brother shot out of his chair to calm him down.
“How’s Melody? I need to see her.”
Luke looked down before meeting his eyes. “She’s gone.”
Fear slithered down his spine. “What do you mean gone?”
“Her cousin took her after he drugged and shot you. At least we think it was Richard Franklin. He shot Melody’s friend, Raine, too. She’s in critical condition.”
He remembered the tracking device and huffed out a relieved sigh. “We can track her—”
Luke held up a blue band. Melody’s watch.
He ripped the IV out of his arm, ignoring the spurting blood.
“Grant, what the hell? You need to relax—”
“No, what I need to do is find Melody.”
“You were shot, dammit.”
“I don’t care. I have to find her.” When Luke tried to hold him down, he met his brother’s gaze. He wasn’t even embarrassed at the moisture gathering in his eyes. “What if it was Layla? What would you do?”
Luke studied him for a moment and then nodded. “I’ll get your clothes.”
#
Grant ignored his throbbing head and the random twitches in his muscles. Luke had spirited him out of the hospital with none of the nurses any wiser. He’d catch hell from Amelia later, but he could deal with her. His first and only priority was finding Melody.
He refused to allow his mind to think of what she could be going through right now. Her cousin was a serial killer. He’d murdered at least a dozen women that they knew of. There might be more skeletons buried beneath the ground of Melody’s family land.
He hoped family ties counted for something, but Rich Franklin was twisted. Melody had disrupted his ritual, uncovered his nefarious deeds. He’d want to make her pay.
He glanced at the clock. He’d been out for several hours. It’d been just after noon when they arrived at Raine’s apartment and now it was close to five in the morning a day and a half later. Melody had been in the hands of a killer for forty-one hours. His stomach threatened to revolt.
“Logan and a team have been working on this, Grant,” Luke said in an attempt to appease him. “They’re tracking down every lead possible.” Luke’s cell rang and he winced at the readout on the computer inside the Escalade. Dr. Amelia Howell. “Be quiet,” he warned Grant. He hit a button on the steering wheel. “Hey, Doc.”
“Where is your brother?”
“Ben? He’s probably home with—”
“Your other brother,” she interrupted. “I didn’t release him.”
“I’m here, Doc, and I’m fine. Luke’s not to blame. It was all me.”
“Grant, you need to get back here now. I want to make sure the drugs are out of your system. It’s not safe for you to be running around.”
“I promise I’ll return if I start to feel bad. I have things I need to take care of that can’t wait.”
Amelia grumbled something that wasn’t very flattering or ladylike. “Fine. Call if you need me.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Luke said before ending the call. He pulled into the compound and headed for the offices. Grant was out of the SUV before Luke killed the engine.
Several agents were gathered around the table in the largest conference room. It looked to be everyone not on assignment. Even Dante was here, and he didn’t actively work cases. “What do you have?”
Everyone looked surprised to see him. He had to look fairly disturbing with a thick bandage wrapped around his neck, his hair sticking up at all angles and his muscles twitching occasionally. His brother Ben jumped to his feet.
“You should be in the hospital, Grant. Luke?” His tone was accusing.
Luke shrugged. “I couldn’t stop him.”
“I’m fine, Ben and we’re wasting time. What do you have?”
“Not much,” Dan Bradley admitted. “We were able to pull security footage from the apartment complex and they showed Richard Franklin carrying an unconscious Melody to a vehicle and driving away. Traffic cams caught him entering a parking garage downtown but not leaving. The police blocked off the garage and searched. They found the vehicle abandoned but no sign of either one.”
“We’ve been digging through Richard’s background,” Kayla said. “The only property he owns is his house, and it’s been thoroughly searched.”
“The guy’s a serial killer,” Dante pointed out. “He’d have to have a place to take the women to kill them. Someplace remote, where neighbors wouldn’t notice women coming but never leaving.”
“Gals and guys,” Tyler Redmond, resident computer genius piped up. “I think I found something.”