“I’m good with that as long as you wait for me so you have backup before acting.”
“Roger that.” And he would as long as he didn’t find Kendall in imminent danger. If he did, all bets were off. Grayson knew that because he would go in without backup if Harlow’s life depended on it.
“I’m coming with you,” Frank said after Cooper disconnected.
“No, you aren’t.” He put his hand on the older man’s shoulder. “Grayson and I are highly trained operatives. You’re not. Not to offend you, but you’d be in the way, one more person to worry about. Besides, you need to stay here in case she manages to escape and make it back home. She’s brave and resourceful, and that’s a possibility.” He doubted that would happen, but Frank needed a purpose.
“You’ll find her?”
“I will, and, Frank, I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
Frank nodded, apparently satisfied. “I’m not sure what your intentions are toward my daughter, but I think you’re a good man.”
“Thank you for that. I try to be.” Now was not the time to talk about his intentions, but he fully expected to be asking her father for her hand in marriage one day. Soon. Was that still a thing, asking the father for permission to marry his daughter? If not, he’d still be doing it if for no other reason than the gratitude on Frank’s face.
He picked up his phone. “What’s your number?” As Frank gave it to him, he entered it into his contacts, then texted Frank. “There, you have mine now. If you hear from her, call me immediately.” He stood. “And whatever you have cooking on that stove smells good, so save some for me and Kendall, okay?”
“It’s chicken and dumplings, her favorite.”
“Been a long time since I’ve had that. I’ll call you as soon as I have her back and safe.”
“Cooper, thank you.”
“No thanks necessary. I’m doing this for me as much as I am for you.” He didn’t tell Frank he was in love with Kendall. She needed to be the first one to hear that from him. He picked up his laptop. “I’m expecting to find Schroder’s Sandy Springs house empty, which means he’s taken her to his cabin, so it’s going to be a few hours before you can expect to hear anything.”
“I won’t lie, son. Those are going to be a hard few hours.”
Son.It was said with affection, something he’d never gotten from his own father. He wasn’t going to let this man—his hopefully future father-in-law—down.
He’d checked them into the hotel before going to buy the locks, and he stopped there first to change into black pants and shirt. He had a gun in a secret compartment in his truck, but he took his Glock 19 from the safe in their hotel room, slipped the holster through his belt loop, then pulled the hem of his T-shirt over the Glock, hiding it. Grayson would bring additional weapons, coms and night goggles.
“Let’s go hunting,” he muttered as he closed his hotel room door, leaving the Do Not Disturb sign on the handle.
As he’d willed himself to do, he’d brought out his operative persona, the cold and calculating specialized soldier. So far, it had worked, but the thirty-minute drive to Schroder’s house gave the man in love with Kendall too much time to think.
When had he known he was in love with her? He’d been falling for her. That he knew. But in love? He’d known it the second he’d watched Schroder pull a gun on her and the possibility of never seeing her again had stared him in the face. He couldn’t lose her. Livie couldn’t lose her.
No emotions, soldier. You have a job to do.
Right. The most important job of his life. He banished that man who was too afraid of losing her. He couldn’t think like that. For the rest of the drive to Schroder’s house, he visualizedthe ways the mission could go down in the same way athletes visualized winning.
The sun was setting when he arrived at his destination, and he slowly drove by the house. It was a classic red-brick two-story home befitting a judge. Well-kept lawn with heavy landscaping. That was good, easy to hide if he could get close to the house. Getting close might be a problem. This was the kind of neighborhood where the residents would be suspicious of a man dressed in all black sneaking around. He’d just have to make sure he wasn’t seen. The good news, the homes here were on what he estimated to be one-acre lots, so no real close neighbors.
The house was completely dark except for a light over the front door. Cooper was positive Schroder wasn’t here, but he had to confirm that. The question was, where to leave his truck? He circled the block. There was a ballpark one street over and a game was going on. He pulled into the parking lot and stopped at the back between a van and an SUV.
He sat and studied the other cars, the area around him and the people watching the game. No one was paying attention to him. The sun had set and there were lights on the field and in the parking lot, but none back where he was. He took his lock-pick kit and a penlight from his middle console.
All he could do was hope that luck was with him as he exited the truck and quietly closed the door, locking it. It took him five minutes to reach Schroder’s house, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t seen as he slipped behind some bushes. To be certain, he took a minute to scan the houses across the street to make sure no one was watching from a window. Satisfied he was in the clear, he made his way to the back of the house. Although it surprised him, he was thankful there weren’t any motion lights.
There was a screened-in porch and the door to it wasn’t latched. French doors led to the inside, and it took him two minutes to pick the lock. He had another piece of luck whenthere wasn’t a deadbolt. And surprisingly, no alarm went off. If one had, he would have had to walk away. Inside, he shined his penlight, careful to keep it away from any windows. The man was a neat freak, the bed perfectly made, not a thing out of place. As much as he wanted to search for any evidence that would help in convicting Schroder, he didn’t have the time.
Five minutes was all he gave himself before leaving, locking the French doors again. He returned to his truck and headed to the airport to pick up Grayson.
Chapter 26
“If you open that door and try to jump out, I’ll shoot you. Then I’ll go back to your father’s house and shoot him.” The man tapped the barrel of the gun in his hand against his leg, reminding her that he had it.
Kendall dropped her hand down to her lap. They were coming up to a traffic light, and she’d hoped he wasn’t paying attention. Her hope was that the light would turn red. If it did, she planned to jump out. She’d escaped from him once. She could again. She had to believe that.