Page 87

“She lied to me. I can’t trust her.”
“Bullshit. Admiral Dane tasked her to spy before she ever met you. And when she found information that incriminated you, who did she bring it to? You. And you saw how she reacted when she found out you were alive.”
Nathan took his eyes off the road long enough to glare at him. “You think a classy woman like that would have let you practically fuck her in my living room if she wasn’t emotionally invested?”
Bollocks.
Nathan wasn’t going to let this go. Lachlan’s mobile vibrated, preempting his retort. A text from Sophia. Maybe she’d gotten home and decided to let him know what a prick he was for the way he’d treated her. He braced himself and opened the message.
Time stood still as he stared at the beautiful, treacherous face of his nightmares wrapped in Jared Landry’s arms.
“Bloody. Hell.” He pressed the call button and held a shaking hand to his ear.
“What’s wrong?” Nathan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“Come on,leannan, answer your phone.” Lachlan counted each unanswered ring. “Can you track Sophia’s phone on your mobile?”
Nathan made an abrupt turn into the strip mall on their right and parked. “Yeah. Tell me what the hell is happening.”
Lachlan held up his mobile. “This was sent from Sophia’s phone.” Jared had lied about knowing Nadia. One glance at the photo confirmed they’d not only known each other, they’d been lovers. The pieces of the puzzle came together.
“Son of a bitch.” Nathan’s lips flattened in a grim line. He opened his mobile and tapped on it. “She’s at her condo.”
“Head there.” Lachlan tried calling again and got no answer. “Do you have Emily’s number?”
Nathan handed Lachlan his phone. “Here, her number is listed under Princess.”
He’d ask Nathan later about the reason behind the nickname. Right now, all he cared about was making sure Sophia was safe.
“If you’re calling, Frogman, it had better be good news.” Emily’s voice came through on the speakers in Nathan’s truck.
Nathan snorted.
“Emily, it’s Lachlan Mackay. Is Sophia with you?”
“No, I’m at the State Department. I just got out of a meeting.” Her voice tightened. “What’s wrong?”
“Sophia’s not answering her phone. Nathan and I are headed to the condo.”
“Hold on, let me try her.” Emily returned to the line several seconds later. “She’s not responding to me either. I swear to God if anything happens to her—” The steady stream of highly creative, incredibly vulgar threats Emily lobbed at Lachlan singed his ears.
He deserved every one of them.
“You can tell she grew up around SEALs,” was all Nathan muttered after she had hung up.
“Park over there, in one of the visitor’s spots,” Lachlan directed once they reached Sophia’s condo. “We need to get to the elevators through the garage to avoid security in the lobby.” If the guard named Sal was on duty, no amount of charm or threats would get them past the man.
They slipped around the barrier arm and into the garage. Lachlan spotted Sophia’s Prius. “There’s her car.” They went over and peered inside.
“And here’s her phone.” Nathan held up a mobile enclosed in a sparkly pink case.
Cold sweat dampened Lachlan’s forehead. He should have trusted her. He should have tried harder to protect her. If Landry laid a finger on her, Lachlan would take him apart, piece by piece, until nothing was left.
“Come look at this.” Nathan had headed in the direction of the elevators. He’d stopped halfway and was crouched down, examining something. He pulled a small, white square of cloth from his mission pants, plucked the object of his curiosity off the concrete floor, and held it up for inspection. “Syringe cap. I think Jared drugged her.” He stood. “Question is, where did he take her?”
Ice formed in Lachlan’s lungs and spread to his chest. “Someplace easy for me to find, where he has the advantage. He knows I’ll come,” he ground out, his voice feral with suppressed violence.
So was Nathan’s answering grin. “Then let’s not keep the man waiting.”