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“Yeah,” Lach said, his face pale. “He could be taking her there.”
“Let’s go.” Toth jerked his head in Lach’s direction and crossed the living room.
“We’ll keep a lookout and call if we spot them again,” Dare said.
Toth waved in acknowledgment, but his mind was already ten steps ahead. “Let’s take one car,” he instructed.
Toth got behind the wheel of his vehicle and Lach took shotgun. Seconds later they ripped out of the driveway in the direction of Coal Creek.
“They could be anywhere,” Lach said, as he buckled his seatbelt.
Toth’s vehicle chimed at him to do the same, and he scoffed with irritation as he complied. Fucking techy cars. He stomped his foot on the gas and took the next turn without stopping for the sign.
“If you get us pulled over it’ll slow us down even more.”
Toth grunted. He couldn’t worry about traffic violations when he couldn’t even fucking think straight. “I gotta call Rami. We’ll need backup.”
He called his partner and filled him in on the details. Rami promised to head in the same direction.
“What are the odds they’ll find another camera shot of his plate?” Lach asked, as Toth merged onto the interstate.
Toth didn’t want to acknowledge how few resources they had to go on. Didn’t want to think about what could have happened in the twenty-something minutes since the last photo was taken and what could happen in the fifteen minutes it’d take for them to reach that point. Getting to the road the picture had been snapped on would do dick-all if they didn’t get another clue really goddamn fast. “Don’t know.”
“So we’re just hoping at this point?”
Toth locked his jaw. “Maybe we need to think like him. I’ve gone to Coal Creek a few times and hiked in the area. But what else could be out that way?”
“You mean besides a place to dump a body?” Lach asked, his tone derisive, as if Toth were dumber than a rock.
His temper racked up a notch. “Look. Until we know who has her, we have to assume there’s a reason he didn’t shoot her alongside your dad, right? He could have put a bullet in Danny’s head, but he didn’t. He could’ve killed her right then and there but didn’t. So the question is why. What’s he want with her?”
Lach nodded. “You’re right. This isn’t about revenge—or at least that’s not the only angle. This guy wants something. Has to be money.”
A little bit of hope dissolved some of the agony in his chest. They were right. Had to be. Which meant they had time. “Call your dad. Make sure he keeps his phone on in case someone else calls.”
Lach pulled out his device. “Shit. I should’ve sent someone to the hospital to be with him. I hope he’s okay.” He tapped the screen then pressed speaker.
“Yeah,” a groggy voice answered.
“Dad? Are you alright?”
Danny coughed. “I was shot in the fucking chest.” Then he grunted. “I’ll be fine. Heading into surgery soon. Tell me you found your sister.”
A second clipped by. “We’ve got a possible location. I’ll keep you posted. Keep your phone close in case someone calls for ransom. And let me know when you get out of surgery.” Lach ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket.
Toth navigated the interstate with his foot damn near the floor. He weaved in and out of traffic, not giving a fuck about the people honking at him. This time, Lach didn’t comment on him getting pulled over. Less than ten minutes later, signs for Coal Creek came into view.
“There,” Toth said, pointing at the next exit.
“Good,” Lach said with a sigh. “I’ve been thinking about Mark and wondering if he was working with Red Eyez or another gang.”
“Yeah. Could be someone else in the organization, too. A disgruntled employee or business, maybe. If you can think of any other names, get ’em to Dare.”
Lach grunted. “Nothing yet.”
Anticipation beat through him. They didn’t have much, but they’d made some progress. Whoever had dared to fucking touch Savannah was going to die tonight.
CHAPTER 26