Page 112 of Duty Unbound

“Everywhere, apparently.” Jace pulled up property records. “Large estate outside Baton Rouge, mountain house in Vail, apartment in NYC. He’s got multiple vehicles registered in his name, a custom Airstream trailer, and—” he paused, looking at me significantly “—a boat docked in a marina near New Orleans.”

New Orleans. Where I’d seen him with Mel. The pieces were aligning with sickening clarity.

“That’s a lot of places he could have taken her,” Ty said, voicing what we were all thinking.

“There’s more,” Jace continued, a note of disgust entering his voice. “Two different restraining orders from ex-romantic partners. Charges were filed but mysteriously disappeared. Looks like family money or connections got him out of legal trouble.”

“Pattern of behavior?” Logan asked.

“Yeah. Both women claimed he became violent when they tried to end the relationship.” Jace looked up at me, his expression grim. “Seems like Tommy doesn’t handle rejection well.”

The implication hung in the air. Mel had rejected Tommy, multiple times. And now she was in his hands.

I paced the small room, energy surging through my exhausted body. “We need everything on this guy. Homeaddress, workplace, credit card transactions, phone records. I want to know where he eats breakfast and what brand of toothpaste he uses.”

“Already on it,” Jace said. “Running his information through every database I can access.”

“And notify all law enforcement agencies,” I added. “Send them Tommy’s photo and information. Every cop in Texas needs to be looking for this guy.”

“What about Nova?” Ty asked. “Should we tell her?”

I considered the question. Nova had been devastated by Mel’s disappearance, retreating into herself in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible for someone so naturally dramatic.

“Yes,” I decided. “She deserves to know. And she might remember something about Tommy that could help us find Mel.”

As the team mobilized around me, I found myself staring at Tommy’s unremarkable face on the screen. How many times had he been right in front of us without our noticing? How many opportunities had we missed to stop this before it reached this point?

“Jace,” I said suddenly, “I’ll bet he’s been around us the whole time and we haven’t even noticed. Look for him at or around shows.”

I nodded, turning back to the evidence board where Mel’s photo hung at the center, surrounded by timelines and connections. It had been nearly forty hours since she’d disappeared. Forty hours in the hands of a man whose obsession had driven him to elaborate schemes, threats, and now kidnapping.

But we had a name now. A face. A target for the fear and rage that had been consuming me since the moment I realized she was gone.

“We’re going to find you,” I promised her silent image. “Just hold on.”

Behind me, the team continued working, the quiet intensityof their focus the only sound in the room. Outside, darkness was falling across Nova’s estate. Another night without Mel. Another night of not knowing where she was or what was happening to her.

But this night was different. Tonight, we had a lead.

And I wouldn’t stop until I followed it to Mel.

Chapter 36

Mel

I woke to the gentle rocking beneath me, my mind swimming through layers of fog. Something soft brushed against my skin—unfamiliar fabric that wasn’t mine. I forced my heavy eyelids open, blinking against the disorientation.

Where was I?

The room around me came into focus slowly—wood paneling, a small window, and a double bed that I was currently lying on. A cabin. I was in some kind of cabin.

I pushed myself up on my elbows, my head spinning with the movement. Looking down, I gasped. I was wearing a white bikini with a sheer cover-up draped over it. Terror shot through me as I realized someone had changed my clothes while I was unconscious.

Not someone. Tommy. The nightmare wasn’t over.

“Oh God.” My voice sounded strange to my own ears—raspy, dry.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my bare feettouching cool wooden floorboards. The room tilted slightly, or maybe that was just the effects of whatever drug Tommy kept injecting me with that made my limbs feel heavy, disconnected.

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