Page 3

Naomi’s family.
Why didn’t I think of them before?
“Where is Naomi?”
“They have her too.”
"Did he say why they took Megan?” I demand to know. “It makes no sense. I thought his daughter was his only priority.”
“We aren’t sure of his intentions. He hasn’t attempted to make contact,” Lars responds. "But our informant did give us a location."
“Yeah? Let's go." I grab my coat and rush out of the security room with Lars close behind me.
“Boss, it’s a little more complicated than that,” he says, running behind me. “It's not an exact location. She’s on the move.”
“Where, Lars?”
“They’re on the highway, headed toward New Orleans, I think, and they’re at least an hour ahead of us.”
Fuck!!!
All I can see is the image of Megan being taken, playing over and over in my mind. This is my fault. The Fabres are dangerous.
So, I bargain with God.
Years ago, I asked him to spare my family from the house fire, and for years, I didn’t think he listened. I thought they were dead. Lost to me. But then a miracle happened — and my sister Lena walked right back into my life. If he did that once, he can help me again.
God, if you bring her back to me, I will be more careful. I will love her unconditionally. I will respect her. I will protect my family with my life. I won’t let her down again.
"I need to find her, Lars," I say, my voice barely recognizable even to my own ears. “And when I do, I'm going to bring that motherfucking family of gangsters to their knees."
Chapter 2
Is Something Off?
HUNTER
“Why are you driving like somebody’s ninety-year-old grandma?”
“I’m trying to get us to the airport in one piece, Hunter,” Lars grumbles as we bob and weave through traffic a bit too slowly for my taste.
The two of us are headed to LAX airport to catch the next flight to New Orleans or to catch Fabre taking the next flight to New Orleans. There’s a second security detail following us in another car as well, just in case we face any trouble when we get there. At this point, I don’t know anything for sure, totally relying on instinct and a single Red Bull for nourishment.
“Hey,” Vaughn answers my phone call.
“I’m not even sure if this is the right play,” I say to him when he picks up on the first ring, my doubts swirling around my brain, making me question every decision I’m making.
We don’t know what Fabre is planning or if he’s even headed to New Orleans, but it’s the only logical answer I’ve come upwith. He came here to get his daughter and return her home. So where else could he be headed?
“It’s the play that makes sense,” Vaughn replies.
“They could be at a smaller airport so they can fly out undetected. That would be the smarter way to go.”
“We’ve been over this, Hunt.”
“But you haven’t seen Naomi or Megan’s names come up in any flight list out of LAX, and I don’t give a shit who Fabre is, there’s no way he can get those girls on a major US flight without identification.”
“He’d have to pull a lot of strings to pull off a private flight without me knowing. I know it sounds counterintuitive but it’s easier for them to get out at LAX.”