Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I knew they had been instrumental in finding Una and Anna when they were taken. I prayed they could do the same and find my Autumn.
I stared out the window into the darkness surrounding us. “I’m coming mo fhiadh beag. Hang on.”
I dropped my head into my hands, tired, anxious, and angry. “And this time, I’m not leaving you alone,” I added.
I was out the door and down the steps as soon as the attendant unlocked it. Niall was waiting with a car, and I got in. He’d already let me know I had precleared customs. I didn’t bother asking how—I didn’t care.
“Any word? How did this happen?”
He rubbed his eyes, looking as stressed as I felt.
“Evan hacked into the security system at the home. There was a flower delivery earlier that afternoon to a neighbor down the hall from Lynn’s place that Autumn is clearing out. A van was parked out front with the flower shop logo on it. The guy signed in as usual. Went upstairs. Then it got interesting. The security guard was called away for a fire alarm, which turned out to be false. When he got back a short time later, the van was gone, but the delivery guy wasn’t on any footage leaving the building. We assumed Blane paid someone to drive the van away and maybe even set off the alarm. We checked, and the van was reported stolen that morning. Found dumped and clean later. The apartment the flowers were for was searched. The resident was actually out of the building for the day on a bus trip and had no idea someone had been in her place.” Niall grunted. “Lucky for her, I’d say. He’s unstable, so God only knows…” He trailed off.
“He knew where she was. He’s been planning this.”
“Afraid so. He changed his appearance. No longer the clean-shaven, light-haired guy that Autumn knew.” He handed me a picture. The man in the photo had longer, dark hair. A beard and mustache. Glasses. His skin looked tanned, and the jacket he wore made him look bulkier.
“Jesus, he could have walked past us a dozen times.”
“I think he did. Dressed as an orderly in the hospital. A regular visitor. He could have overheard conversations. Plotted. We think he waited until he knew she was alone. Evan did some digging, and the girl’s Facebook account was real but hacked. We’ve confirmed she never communicated with Autumn. He set it all up. He’s been biding his time.”
“Jesus Christ, Niall.”
He leaned forward, gripping my shoulder. “We’ll find her. I swear it. We’ve called in favors. We’ve got the power and reach of the syndicate behind this.”
“Finn said there was blood.”
“I think she fought. There was broken glass. Blood on the counter and her phone on the floor. We assume she was trying to grab it.” He reached into his pocket, handing me Autumn’s necklace. The chain was snapped, the links torn apart as if it had been ripped off her neck.
I shut my eyes. “I want him buried so deep, Satan is already there waiting for him.”
“Done.”
We reached the hotel and went straight upstairs. Finn bear-hugged me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. “We’ll find her,” he vowed.
I gripped his arm. “I need everything you’ve got, Finn.”
“It’s yours.”
Finn took me to the control room. It was frenetic with men and women bent over keyboards, talking, one person at a whiteboard writing information down. Evan looked up as we walked in.
“We’ve patched into the street camera from around the time we think she went missing. There is a car we can’t account for leaving from behind the building just after the time Davey went upstairs. We checked the security feed, and the camera at the back was repositioned away, but we caught a corner. I think he took her down the back stairs, out the rear door, and left in a hurry. We followed the car until it disappeared off the cameras. We’re tracing the plate.” He brought up an image. “Only one person in the car.”
We peered at the grainy image. The person had dark hair and a beard, but you couldn’t say for sure it was him, although we were certain.
“Only one person? Where is Autumn?” I muttered, then clutched the edge of the table as realization sank in.
No one spoke, but we all knew. He was driving. She was in the trunk.
I shut my eyes.
Was she unconscious? Hurt? Awake and terrified? Crying for me?
Niall stepped beside me. “Calm, Sully. We need you calm.”
I looked down, seeing I had torn the trim from the desk, crushing it in my hand.
I tried to take a deep breath, the oxygen struggling to fill my lungs.
“What can I do?”
There was a shout and a curse behind me. “The car was stolen and found ditched. He must have switched vehicles.”