Page 79 of Jessica's Hero
“I am.” While I fight to get my phone out of my pocket, I remind myself of all the reasons I shouldn’t worry. Jess is at work. She wouldn’t leave without telling me. The guards are on high alert. Nothing bad could happen?—
But it could.
Fear rising, I pull up my recent calls and dial her number. But there’s no answer.
It’s fine. She’s in a meeting. She’s in the lounge, having coffee with Marie. She’s in another room, caught up in her work, while her phone rings uselessly in her office.
Except she always carries her phone. It’s something we agreed on when she went back to work.Just to be safe, I told her.Not that anything’s going to go wrong, but at least you can call if you need me.
I call again as panic expands in my chest. And again.
Then I shoot off a series of texts, each one more urgent than the last.
Still no answer.
Yes, there could be a rational explanation for this. But my gut is saying—-no, shouting—that something’s terribly wrong.
“I have to go there,” I say in a low tone, so the witnesscan’t hear me. “She’s not answering my calls or texts. Maybe she’s fine, but… I need to know. And I need to get her to safety.”
My partner doesn’t hesitate. “Go,” he says. “Mike and the others will be here in a few minutes. I can hold things down until then.”
Shit. I know it’s not how we’re supposed to do things. I should stay with Oliver no matter the circumstances. But if Jess is in danger…
“I’m calling Blade and Arrow,” I announce. “Have them check her tracker. Make sure she’s still at the lab. Then I’ll run over there, bring Jess to B and A until we’re done here.”
He raises his chin at me. “Do whatever you have to do. You know I’ll cover for you.”
After he tosses me the car keys, I set off for the patrol car at a swift jog. As soon as I get into the car and hit the ignition, I call Cole, barking out as soon as he answers, “Is Jess at the lab? Can you check her tracker?”
All business, he replies crisply, “Of course. I’ll pull up the app now. What’s wrong?”
I switch the call over to speaker as I pull back onto the narrow road that winds through Rockefeller Park. “You can’t tell anyone. But we found Eliza Morgan’s body. It’s definitely homicide. And Jess isn’t answering her phone. I don’t know who did this, but if they’re involved in Jess’s case…”
“Got it.” The sound of keys tapping replaces his voice for a few seconds. “Fuck.”
“Fuck?” My voice rises. “What does that mean?”
I flip on the sirens and slam my foot down on the gas, edging the car nearly twenty miles over the speed limit.Fear is a living monster inside me, tearing bleeding wounds inside my chest.
“Her tracker isn’t at the lab. It’s… Shit. Forty miles north of here. Heading north on I-87.”
“What?”
“When did you talk to her last?”
“Shit. I don’t know.” I glance at the clock. “Maybe an hour ago. She was just about to head into a meeting. She said everything was fine.”
“Okay. Nora’s in town right now. I’ll ask her to check the lab. See if maybe Jess is there and she somehow lost her necklace.”
But from his tone, I can tell he doesn’t believe it any more than I do.
“I need to get to her.” I’m on the verge of outright panic. “There’s no reason she’d be forty minutes north of here. Not without telling me. She wouldn’t.”
“I know,” Cole soothes. “Listen. Leo’s here. I’m going to get him on it. Check the surveillance cameras at the lab. Nearby traffic cameras.”
“That’s not enough,” I snap. “She’s in trouble. I know it. I can’t wait?—”
“Come here. I’ll get the SUV ready. Zane’s here, too, so he and Leo can come along for backup. Then we’ll track her. It’s going to be okay.”
