Page 61 of Reaper & the Lioness
Chapter Twenty-Six
Idrummed my fingers on the table, waiting for Eva to return. Something about the situation unsettled me. I grew uneasy as each second passed. I glanced at Matt. He fidgeted in his seat under my stare. His eyes darted between the hallway to the bathroom and his phone.
I turned to Maisie as she walked past with a handful of coffee-soaked towels. “Is the new girl nervous about working here or something?”
“New girl? Oh, you mean Lenora? She’s worked here for two years.”
My instincts kicked into overdrive. I strode toward the bathroom. My gut churned as my hand instinctively moved to the Glock holstered at my hip.
I flung open the door to the women’s restroom. “Eva?”
The empty bathroom seemed clear, except for a few damp paper towels in the trashcan. Steps sounded behind me, and I whirled as I drew my Glock on Maisie, holding a crying Lenora.
“She says the man who was reading his paper and drinking coffee when you arrived took Eva,” Maisie explained. “He threatened Lenora and told her all she needed to do was spill something on your girl and get her to the bathroom.”
The woman sobbed her apologies, but I didn’t have time to listen. Panic clawed at my chest at the nightmare unfolding before me.
“Merrick, Hatchet,” I shouted. “Someone took Eva. Get the rest of the guys in here. We have five minutes to coordinate.”
Archer, Jay, and Bones arrived in the building within a minute, standing in a circle at the center of the bakery with Hatchet, Merrick, and I, with Linc on speaker.
“The cameras flickered out at 3:12 p.m. and came back on as I checked the settings. They had someone jam the signal,” Linc explained.
As I turned back to the main area, Matt began to stand. His eyes darted around the room.
I stood before him in three quick strides and shoved my Glock hard into his ribs.
“Who else knew we’d be here today?” I growled.
Matt’s eyes widened in fear. “I … I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Wrong answer,” I snarled. I gripped my pistol tighter and brought the butt down against the top of Matt’s head. The sharp thud of metal meeting bone echoed through the bakery. Matt’s knees buckled and blood blossomed along his hairline.
“Hatchet, detain this piece of shit. We’re taking him with us.”
I turned to Maisie. “Keep an eye on Ruth. She might’ve been used as a pawn, but I don’t want her leaving yet. Get your husband to come in for a bit. I need the guys with me.”
My mind raced as I pulled out my phone. I toggled to the Find My app to check the AirTag I’d slipped into Eva’s back pocket this morning. She didn’t know about it. She would’veaccused me of being paranoid if I’d told her, but now I kicked myself for not being even more cautious.
“I can track her location,” I said, my voice tight with fury. “They’re heading east on the highway.”
“Let’s move,” Merrick said, already heading for the door.
“Merrick, Hatchet, you ride with me. The rest of you can follow with Bones. Bring this fuckhead, too.” I shoved my gun into Matt’s ribs before spinning to the door.
Cold determination settled over me as we piled into our vehicles. The panic and fury bubbled beneath the surface, but my training began to kick in. Eva needed me to be focused, to be the strategist and fighter I’d trained to be.
“Linc, get me everything you can on Matt’s recent communications. I want to know who he’s been talking to,” I said into the phone as we peeled out of the parking lot. “He texted someone right after I walked in with Eva. I want to know who and what he said.”
As we sped down the highway, my knuckles white on the steering wheel, I offered a silent promise to Eva.
I would find her.
And God help anyone who stood in my way.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Darkness enveloped me as I came to with my hands bound behind my back. The rough rope cut into my wrists as I struggled. My cell phone remained in my purse at the table, leaving me no way to reach Reaper. I tried to steady my breathing, fighting against the rising panic. My body slammed into the cold metal of the car as it jolted to a stop. Light flooded in as the trunk opened. I squinted as my eyes adjusted.
