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“Yeah,” Julia answered as a chill snaked down her spine. She rose and took a few steps toward the door. “Come on. This is taking us to the exact location.”

Alicia hurried after her. “Maybe he just pulled in. Maybe he was running late for his shift.”

“Maybe,” Julia said as they hurried into the emergency room waiting room. The blinking red dot came from the parking lot. She let a glimmer of hope shimmer through as she stepped into the early evening air.

She pressed forward, the evening light casting long shadows across the parking lot that turned ordinary cars into lurking monsters. The distant sound of sirens and the metallic clink of a flagpole in the breeze filled the air, blending with her quickened breaths. The chill of the evening air bit at her skin, a stark contrast to the warmth of the day.

She toggled into her phonebook and called his phone as she continued to move toward the dot. Distant ringing reached her ears. She hurried forward in search of the phone, dialing again when it went to voicemail.

Her heart pounded, and her head swam as she reached the red dot on the map. The sound of ringing floated to her but therewas no Kyle. Alicia dropped to the pavement, glancing under a few cars before she reached under one.

Her eyes slowly rose to Julia’s as she held up what she’d found. Kyle’s phone, the display cracked, chirped with Julia’s call before it went to voicemail.

Tears blurred her vision. “Oh, no.”

She couldn’t shake the growing terror. Her worry, already a heavy cloak around her shoulders, morphed into a suffocating panic. The worry she’d felt up to this point melted into panic. Whatever had happened to Kyle, it couldn’t have been good.

CHAPTER 17

GRANT

Grant stared at the screen for a few more moments trying to parse through the vague threat. With a few clicks, he sent it to both Mike Donovan and his personal security team. It sounded like a nutcase’s rantings, but in case it played into Lydia’s sick game, he figured he’d have the team check it out.

With a tap of a button, he turned off the display and settled back in his chair, staring out over the twilight of the evening. It had been another long day of fielding issues created by Lydia.

From the potential hostile takeover to the debacle with the photographs, the attacks were coming from all sides. He was doing his best to put out all the fires, but it was exhausting.

His mind taunted him with Worthington’s statement earlier about keeping things from Julia. Was this more tiring because he didn’t share any of it with her?

She didn’t deserve that, though. He wanted her to be happy. And given her current state of health, he preferred to shield her as much as possible.

He missed her advice though, but he wouldn’t put this burden on her shoulders. The ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts and tensed his stomach as he wondered what fresh crisis awaited him.

He glanced at the display, noting Mike Donovan’s name. With a sigh, he swiped to answer and pressed the phone to his ear. “Yeah?”

“I received the email. I’ll see what I can track down. This could be nothing. It’s certainly vague enough to seem like a distraction attempt from what’s really going on.”

“Yeah, I thought the same thing. Probably part of Lydia’s games.”

“Unfortunately, your ex-wife has proven herself enough of a real threat that this could be a dangerous warning. I’ll see what I can dig up.”

“Thanks, Mike. How are things looking now that the market’s closed?”

“Not great, but we’re not sunk yet. We’re treading water, with DG not making much more ground. Let’s hope this dies off before it gets any worse. Is the other situation handled?”

“It is,” Grant said with a sigh as the reminder of the provocative photos of his son and wife raced across his mind. “Now, we can put that behind us and concentrate on squashing this attempted takeover.”

“We’re doing everything we can, sir. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get on this email.”

“Thanks, Mike.” Grant ended the call and slid the phone onto the desk before he rose and crossed to pour himself a bourbon.

A knock sounded at the door as he sipped it, staring out the large window. “Come in!”

“Excuse me, Mr. Harrington, do you have a moment?” Worthington clasped his hands in front of him as he stood in the doorway.

“Depends. What do you need me for?”

“Has there been some change to Mrs. Harrington’s recovery plan that I have not been informed of?”