Page 92 of Shattered Secrets

Her eyes widened. They were at the ferry ticket window!

Taking another deep breath, she screamed with everything she had. But the second the sound left her lungs, blinding pain exploded at the base of her skull.

Everything went dark.

CHAPTER THIRTY

The door to the conference room crashed open, and Matt jumped to his feet.

“Bean, what the fuck?” Gavin shouted.

Ignoring them both, she parked herself at the end of the conference table and whipped open the lid of her laptop. Her fingers were already flying. “Tash apprehended a guy at the diner, but not before they took Scarlet.”

Matt’s blood turned to ice. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“Listen,” Bean barked, eyes focused solely on the screen in front of her. “Fifteen minutes ago, Scarlet sent me a 9-1-1 text. I called Tash immediately. She went to find her, but Scarlet was gone. And then there was this fucker with a wicked knife at the diner, and he grabbed Martha. Thankfully, Tash is a badass and was able to get Martha away from the guy unharmed. They fought, but she subdued him and—hang on.” Bean tapped her earpiece.

For the longest five seconds of Matt’s life, she remained silent.

“Copy,” she said at last, meeting his gaze. “Quinn’s crew arrived at the diner, and Tash reconfirmed that Scarlet’s gone.”

Gone.

Matt saw red. “What the fuck, Bean? She texted you fifteen minutes ago, and you’re?—”

“You’re wasting my fucking time, Alvarez, and every damn second counts. I run this fucking show, so sit down, shut the fuck up, and listen.”

Despite how angry and desperate he was, the look Bean sent him had his balls shriveling.

“Breathe, dude,” Gavin said, slapping Matt’s chest. “Trust Bean. This is her thing. She’s got this. She’ll get your girl.”

Still glaring at him, Bean tapped her earpiece. “Esme, you copy?” As she listened to whatever Esme was saying, she slid a small box across the table to them.

Gavin snatched it up.

Earpieces.

“Comms.” Gavin handed Matt one while he placed the other in his ear. “Once B switches us on, we’ll be able to hear everyone. But she controls access.”

“Boss, Esme says the chopper will be ready in five. Owen’s flying.” She glanced at Matt before returning her attention to her computer. “I’m tracking Scarlet’s phone. The last location was right outside the diner. Then it drops. Either it was turned off, or the vehicle she’s in is interfering with the signal, or she’s down by the ferry terminal. It’s shit coverage over there no matter what carrier you have. While we’re waiting for her phone to ping again, I have a number of surveillance programs set up and running.”

He opened his mouth but slammed it shut when Bean leaned back in her chair and held up a hand.

“If it makes you feel any better, your girl’s got skills. She’s smart.” She nodded to the Smartboard as a video popped up. “I tapped into the footage from the main dining area. It has the guy who took Scarlet and the guy Tash apprehended hiding their faces from the cameras.”

“Which means they’ve been scoping out the place,” Gavin said.

“Exactly. But aside from Tash and Scarlet, no one—not even Ray and Martha—knew that we installed a new camera in the hallway to the bathrooms.” Bean crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. “Your girl got him to turn around and face the camera.”

She played the video, pausing when the guy began stalking toward Scarlet. Two mug shots appeared onscreen, one belonging to the man and one belonging to a woman. “Randy Klien and Melissa Aber. Both from South Dakota.”

A second video appeared onscreen. It began playing, and Matt watched a man and woman—presumably, the people from the mug shots—sit at a table in the diner and talk with Scarlet.

“You can see when they point out the guy with the knife.” Bean’s cursor hovered over the guy Martha was serving. “Look at Scarlet’s expression here. Clearly, she’s worried.”

Matt’s stomach dropped.

“I assume those two threatened Martha,” Gavin said.

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