“The General left the compound. The tracking on that ankle monitor is useless.”
There was a pause, the sound of typing. “What do you mean? I still show him at the compound. He hasn’t moved.”
“I’m telling you he’s not there. He jumped a technician from the monitoring service and placed the ankle monitor on the fucking tech. And now he has Tazzy.”
“Son of a bitch!” Sawyer yelled. “The bracelet just went dead. The tech must have disarmed it. I’m bringing Reid in.”
Jaxon pulled over his bike and parked so he could hear better. Besides, he didn’t know where to go. The General could have taken Tazzy anywhere. It would be better to stop moving until they had a plan.
“Okay, Jaxon, Reid’s here now.”
“The General’s in the wind. I’m headed back. I need a plan to find my girl by the time I get there.”
“Stay where you are, Jaxon. I went over the video footage from the parking lot cameras. The SUV that took Tazzy is a black Tahoe with tinted windows and no plates. They came in hot, grabbed her in under ten seconds, and peeled out. I’m running the make and model through every traffic camera in the county right now.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah. The driver was wearing a mask, but the passenger side window rolled down for half a second when they turned out of the lot. I got a partial profile. You’re right, brother. It’s the General. I’ll let Sawyer tell you the rest. I’m going to finish mobilizing the team.”
Jaxon’s vision narrowed to a red haze. The steady thumping of the bike was like a heartbeat that was counting down to Tazzy’s death.
“Jaxon, what’s your location?”
“I’m on the main road to Graceview about two miles out, headed back to town.”
“Keep your eyes open on the road from Graceview. It’s unlikely, but he may have headed back that way or pulled off a side road. I’ll send Ravage and Brick that direction. I’ll be reviewing the cameras in town to see if I spot him on the CCTV. The Littles will help by reviewing the camera history for the ones we can access. Everyone else is out canvassing the town for any sign. Reid thinks he’s still around, and he’s probably right. The General wouldn’t take a chance on moving Tazzy too far. Not when the one he’s really trying to get to is you.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” Sawyer said.
“We’ll find her, Jaxon. We will. I swear, we’ll get her back.”
Jaxon didn’t answer right away. His mind was already ten steps ahead, calculating routes, possible hideouts, and exactly how he was going to kill the General when he caught up with him.
“She’s scared,” he said finally, voice rough. “She’s alone with that fucking monster, and she’s scared. I can feel it.”
Sawyer was quiet for a beat. “We’re moving as fast as we can. Hutch has been talking to Ezra, and the DPD’s cooperating fully. He’s put out a BOLO on that Tahoe. One way or another, we’ll find her.”
Jaxon twisted the throttle hard, tires squealing as he hit the road.
Jaxon was still roaring toward Graceview when his phone buzzed again. This time it was an unknown number. Could it be the General? He answered on his helmet headset.
“What?”
The last person on earth he expected to hear spoke. “Jaxon. Phillip Thorne, here. I have some information.”
Jaxon’s teeth ground together. “Where’s Tazzy, you bastard? Talk now, or so help me God, I’ll find you and cut your fucking throat out.”
Silence met his threat. For a minute, Jaxon wondered if Thorne was going to hang up.
“I’m calling to help, but if this is a bad time…”
Jaxon took a deep breath. He had to get it under control, for Tazzy’s sake.
“Just say what you have to say, Thorne.”
“Very well. As I am no longer representing Alexander Boucher, Iam under no obligation to cover for the man. I’ve been living and working out of his house. He demanded I leave immediately, but before I did, I couldn’t help but notice something interesting. The General arrived with a driver in a black SUV. I couldn’t see clearly through the tinted windows, but I did see a small, dark-haired woman in the back seat.”
Jaxon’s blood turned to ice. His grip on the handlebars tightened until his knuckles went white. “She’d better be okay, Thorne. What do you and the General want?”