Speaking of masks…
Lucky waited on pins and needles for the elevator to reach their floor. When it did, he couldn’t exit the damn thing fast enough.
“So…what’s the plan?” Chase rushed to catch up.
“I’m going to find Ellie,” he growled. “That’s the fucking plan.”
It was the only plan. His one and only goal. First, find Ellie and then…
The ‘then’ doesn’t matter. All you have is right here. Right now.
The voice in his head was right. He needed to stay focused on the most important thing, which was finding Ellie before it was too late.
Everything else could wait.
“No shit.” Chase shot him a scowl. “I meanthoware we going to find her? We don’t even know who took her, for crying out loud.”
No, they fucking didn’t. But they would. If it was the very last thing Lucky did, he would find the son of a bitch who’d dared touch what wasn’t his. And when he did…
I’m going to fucking kill him.
From that very first touch, he’d been hers. And though she might not realize it, she was his.
I’ll find you, baby. I swear to Christ, I will.
Lucky entered his code into the electronic keypad mounted next to the office’s main door. The locks disengaged, and a tiny green light appeared, letting him know the alarm had been successfully disarmed, and it was safe to walk inside.
He marched straight through the reception area and down the hall, not stopping until he got to the last door on the right. Entering another code, Lucky went through the same process to re-enter their so-called Conference Room…A.K.A., their war room.
“I’m guessing you have a plan?” Van rumbled as the three men entered the secured space.
Almost as one, they passed the conference table, through a couple of paired desks, and up the few steps onto a platform designed specifically for Lucky.
“I’m going to access the CCTV footage from the street where the bridal shop’s located. I’m also going to get security footage from the garage where the abduction took place. With any luck, I can get a plate or something to go on that will give us a lead as to who this bastard is.” And where he’d taken sweet Ellie.
“What can we do?” Chase asked.
Lucky pulled out his rolling chair and plopped his ass down so he could get to work. “For now? See if you can get ahold of Knox. I know Arch said he would, but he needs to focus on Cassie.”
The poor woman had already survived a near-fatal shooting once before. He could only imagine the trauma this latest incident had created.
“Done.” Chase retrieved his own cell and began making calls.
“What can I do?” Van offered his services, as well.
“Honestly?” Lucky met the man’s black stare and shook his head. “I don’t know. Hell, I thought the threat to her was over, so…” He shook his head in disgust. “The cops were convinced Harvey was the one terrorizing Ellie, and…this hasn’t been released to the public yet, but…that cabin they found him in? It was like a fucking shrine to Ellie. One of the walls was covered in pictures of her, Van.” Thinking about it still made him feel sick. “I saw the crime scene photos, myself. Between the pics of her—all clearly taken without her knowledge—and the accelerant they found there, I thought—”
“We all did,” Van was quick to point out. “As soon as you got word to Hayes that Harvey had offed himself, and Hayes spread the good news to the rest of us, we all considered it case closed. So if you’re going to sit there and blame yourself for what’s happened to Ellie, then you’d better damn well be prepared to blame the rest of us, too.”
“You don’t understand.” His fists balled tightly in his lap. “You weren’t the one who was supposed to be protecting her.”
A dark shadow crossed over the man’s black stare, and his expression turned hard as stone. “I understand better than you think, brother.”
Something about the way he’d said it made Lucky think maybe, just maybe he actually did.
There’s a story there. Probably a damn good one. But it’s one that’s going to have to wait until later.
“Sorry, man. I’m just…”