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He points to a screen showing the lobby from earlier. The security man I hired to man the front desk of the building is knocked out from behind. His attacker out of view. Lars switches to another camera angle to see if we can see more but the next frame shows Megan.
"Pause it," I instruct Lars sharply.
He pauses the footage and zooms in on her face. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, no doubt ones that I put there.
Ten minutes later there's screen footage of Megan, her body language tense, upset. Then the screen shows a large black Audi pulling up front, and a tall, imposing-looking man getting out. The man and Megan have a brief exchange, their conversation clearly upsetting her more than she already was, and then...
My breath catches as I watch the man grab Megan, the struggle, her being forced into the car. The screen is a silent witness to my worst fears coming true.
"She's been taken," Lars says, his voice barely above a whisper.
The love of my life.
My unborn child.
Both are at risk.
Anger and fear collide within me, an explosive mix. "Who the fuck are they?" I demand, my voice a roar.
"I don't know, but I'll find out.”
My years of experience searching for criminals click in. I rattle off a checklist of things we need to do to find my woman.
“Get the plate numbers off of that Audi. Take screenshots of the man arguing with her and run them through identification software. And then–”
“We'll get her back, Hunter," Lars tries reassuring me.
“Where is Parker!”
Parker should still be parked in front of the building, waiting for me. Protecting my fiance. Where was he when she was snatched from right under my nose?
“I don’t have the answers yet.”
“You don’t think that’s odd?”
“Boss, I know you’re worried, but Parker wouldn’t be a part of hurting Megan.”
I pace back and forth, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "How could they get to her so easily?"
"They must have been watching the building for some time," Lars says. "They knew our patterns, when and how to hit our security."
“What patterns? Megan and I fought. She wouldn't have been down here if we didn’t have one.”
“You can’t blame yourself for that. They just would have waited to grab her another time.”
"Dammit." I clench my fists at my sides. If only I had been more vigilant and more prepared.
"We'll find her,” Lars reassures me. “That’s my niece or nephew she’s carrying. Bringing her home safe is the only option.”
“Right,” I reply, but the knot of fear in my stomach remains.
We continue scouring the footage for any clues or leads until Lars' phone rings. He answers quickly and listens intently before hanging up and turning to me.
"That was one of our sources within the network,” he says gravely. "He confirmed who took Megan."
“Who?”
“The Fabres.”