Page 104 of Smith

“Shut the fuck up.”

This time I saw the punch coming, but I was too slow to do anything about it.

After that I saw nothing.

KiraCain

“Holy hell,” Layla muttered. “Go back, and slow it down.”

I stopped the recording from Aria’s across-the-street-neighbor’s door camera and backed it up. A recording I hoped to God Smith never watched.

I replayed the video at half speed, and for the third time watched Billy Rice drag a limping, and beaten Aria out the front door, across her front lawn, then shove her into his car headfirst through the driver’s side door. The gun to her temple was likely the reason why she hadn’t yelled for help.

“She must’ve fought like hell,” Layla whispered.

I had no doubt, and the blood covering her face, neck, and arms was proof she’d put up one hell of a fight before Billy got the upper hand.

“What else do you have?”

“Nothing. He used a plastic tag cover again so I don’t have a plate number. So I’m running his neighbors and clients to see if anyone has a Rav4 registered. I have him on three traffic cams heading East but nothing after the 50 – 301 split. If he stayed on 301 I might’ve caught something near the outlets. The mall stays pretty lit. And I didn’t get anything on the Bloomingdale camera on 50 either. With no streetlights, it being a new moon, means he drove through the interchange in complete darkness. I’m totally blind. I’m running every system I’ve got, but I need light to find the car.”

My phone on my desk rang. Layla and I both looked down at it. I heard her blow out a long breath.

“Just tell him you’re working on it and don’t have time for a brief.”

“Um. Have you met Smith? That’ll never fly.”

“Right now, he doesn’t need to know what you have and especially what you don’t have. Do not call him Smith, he’s Five. Treat this like an op. All business, Seven.”

Right.

All business.

Except it wasn’t. This was Aria. The woman who I’d only known days but already adored. Not only because she was a kickass chick who had a great sense of humor, but I loved her for Smith. And now she was gone and I couldn’t find her. I couldn’t do a damn thing to ease the man who I considered a brother, the man who was undoubtedly beside himself.

“You got this, Kira,” Layla encouraged.

I wasn’t sure I did. I was the person the team went to for intel, I was the one with all the answers, and when it came to helping someone I loved, I had nothing.

Shit.

I answered right before the call went to voicemail.

“Five, go for Seven,” I answered the call like I had for the first ten years I knew Smith and he called in for intel.

“What do you have for me?”

A whole lot of nothing.

“Systems are running, Five. I’ll call with an update?—”

“I need something now,” he growled.

And I swear it hurt my ears to hear that pained growl.

“Working on it, Five, so let me go so I can concentrate on what I’m doing and standby for SITREP.”

“I need?—”

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