Page 105 of Maddox

“I don’t know all the details. She’d been in DC testifying at a grand jury hearing.”

“And you didn’t fucking protect her?” I was furious. I knew where the grand jury hearings were held and the area was highly protected. How in the hell had unauthorized assassins entered the building without alarm buzzers going off? Not possible.

Unless someone forgot to do their job.

“It’s not my place or my job, Maddox. You know that. The US Marshals had her transported safely, her travel itinerary unknown to all but a few people. She made it to the courtroom, which was locked down. She went to the restroom and that’s when she disappeared.”

“My God. What is it, amateur hour? There must be videos of where she went and who took her. For fuck’s sake. There are cameras every goddamn place. Every courthouse. Every public location. Where the fuck is she?”

I was yelling into the phone, pacing the floor as my fury only increased.

“Calm down, Maddox. The authorities are doing everything in their power to find out what happened.”

“Yeah? Well, just like my gut told me not to trust the bastards before, I’m telling you right now they had something to do with this. And if I find out they did, no one will be able to stop me.”

“Don’t fucking go off halfcocked. Just don’t do it. There are other things being done to find out what happened.”

“Why don’t you start with Alfaro? Huh? What about him?”

“I don’t know, Maddox. I swear to God. I’m not privy to certain information.”

“You expect me to believe that bullshit? You and whatever this secret thinktank is, you and the participants know a hell of a lot more.”

He sighed. “I wanted you to be aware.”

Now I laughed. “I’m glad you did. I’m going to fucking take care of this myself. “

“Maddox. No. That’s not why I?—”

I ended the call, tossing my phone onto the kitchen table. I slammed my hands on the table and leaned over. Catching my breath might be necessary, but right now, all I wanted to do was to beat the shit out of someone.

Yeah. Let one of those motherfuckers come to the door. He certainly wouldn’t like the condition he’d be in when he left.

Rearing back, I knew one thing I wouldn’t do was hang around and wait for news. Time was of the essence, although she could already be on a plane for El Salvador or worse. At this point, there were too many people on the list to know for certain who might be the person behind her kidnapping.

How could the fuckers be so stupid?

I turned around and immediately my anger got the best of me. I raked my arm across the counter, tossing the shit to the floor. What the hell did I care? I didn’t have anyone to clean up the mess for.

I’d leave tonight. Randy could take care of the ranch just like he’d done before. He knew what the hell he was doing.

I took long strides into my office, yanking out two duffle bags. In the months since I’d returned from the extraction, I’d added to my collection of weapons. I threw open the closet and unlocked the specialized gun cabinet I’d had made. As soon as I opened both doors, a light turned on over my preferred rifles and handguns.

After selecting several, I moved to the explosives, adding to the collection in the bags. All I needed were a few items of clothing and I’d hit the road.

If all went well, I’d arrive in DC in less than two hours.

I headed to the stairs, dropping the bags at the bottom.

The knock on the door was as unexpected as the goddamn phone call had been. I stared at the door for almost ten seconds before heading toward where I’d left my Glock. With it in one hand, I carefully moved toward the door. I didn’t bother looking out the window. Whoever was on my doorstep was unwanted.

I threw it open, immediately pulling the weapon into both hands.

“Maddox.”

The sound of the soft voice pushed me into a slight haze. I turned on the light while holding my breath. “Charmaine.” Her hair was entirely different, both in cut and color. Yet there was no mistaking her beautiful face or the plump lips that I’d enjoyed ravaging. With her wearing jeans and a heavy sweater, at first glance across the room, I might not have recognized her, but the electricity we shared would have given her away.

She was clinging to a computer bag, her purse slung over her shoulder. And she looked completely lost.

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