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“I know exactly where it is,” Jessica said over her shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah,” Kelsey grumbled. “Better hope Samuel hasn’t checked out yet.”
They jogged down the hall.
Jessica skidded to a stop and frowned at the partially ajar door.
“Samuel?” she called out.
Kelsey shoved Jessica aside, putting herself between Jessica and the door.
“Samuel?” Kelsey called out in a firm voice while patting her hip.
Was she reaching for a gun she didn’t have?
Jessica pressed herself against the opposite wall while Kelsey kicked the door open, fists up.
The door swung inward. A lamp was overturned. Things were knocked off the bed. It didn’t look anything like the room she’d left not fifteen minutes ago.
What the hell?
“Oh, my God. Samuel? Samuel!” Jessica took a step forward but Kelsey pushed her back.
“Stay. There,” Kelsey said in a hard tone.
It took all of Jessica’s control to keep her back against the wall while Kelsey edged into the room then disappeared.
“It’s clear,” she called out.
Jessica didn’t know what that meant but she headed inside, anyway.
Blood smeared the cheap painting hanging on the wall.
“W-what happened?” Jessica whispered.
“Where was the laptop?” Kelsey asked.
Jessica stared at Kelsey for a moment. She cared about that right now? When Samuel might be hurt or worse?
“The laptop has everything you know about Edward. If we have to barter for Samuel, we need to know we have something,” Kelsey said with barely leashed calm.
Jessica crossed to the bed she’d shared with Samuel and pulled the blankets back, but the device was gone. And so was Samuel.
“Shit,” Kelsey muttered and grabbed her arm. “We’re getting out of here.”
“What about Samuel?”
“One thing at a time.”
They hustled downstairs and into the waiting car.
Baruti turned to smile at them. “You get it?”
“Drive, please,” Kelsey said over them.
Jessica couldn’t speak. She was frozen to the spot.
Samuel was gone.