Page 28 of Axel (Reed Hawthorne Security #6)

Axel

We returned to retrieve Moose’s car so we could each cover more ground in the search. As Moose and I were about to split up, Reed called and told me Savvy left a voicemail with her location on the office phone.

I gave Moose the address and then took off. Now I can’t get there fast enough, but I need to be mindful not to get pulled over. The last thing I need is a delay in reaching her.

I pull into the church’s parking lot. It’s full. Must be an evening service.

Moose pulls in. He must have been speeding, too. I took a few turns pretty fast. I picture Marco getting tossed around in the trunk, and I have to say, I think Moose should find a few speed bumps to take fast as well.

“Hey,” Moose says as he joins me.

As we walk toward the main door, I spot a police car. Moose notices it, too. We step inside.

“Can I help you? ”

I turn to find a woman. She’s wearing a brown cardigan and a scowl.

“Yes, I’m looking for someone. She called and said she was here.” I pull up a photo of Savvy on my phone.

The woman stares at the photo for a moment. “Yes, I believe that’s her. There was a homeless woman here. She tried to get in, and I told her to leave.”

“You told her to leave a church?” Moose asks.

The woman crosses her arms. “We rented the church for a private event. Only employees and their plus ones were allowed to attend.”

I take a deep breath and control my anger. “Where is she now?” I ask.

The woman shrugs. “She left. I didn’t see where she went.”

I turn and run out of the building. Moose is right behind me. We need to find her.

“Help!” Marco screams from Moose’s trunk.

“I’m going to move my car and call Stevens to come get him. Then I’ll canvas the area.”

We split up. Moose will circle the park, and I’ll cut through the side streets.

“Savvy!” I yell out.

As I start out of the parking lot, a police cruiser pulls up.

“Something wrong?” the officer asks.

I quickly explain the situation to him.

“Wait,” the officer says. “I’ll call in some guys to help.”

“Thanks for the help, but we aren’t waiting,” I say .

I hope she’s hiding nearby. Because if she’s been walking since she left the church, she could be anywhere.

I run down to the road and turn left.

“Savvy!” I call out. “Savvy!” I yell out again.

And again, no response.

“Where are you?” I ask myself.

What if she’s bleeding out behind some shed? What if I’m already too late?

My phone buzzes in my pocket. It’s Reed calling.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Any luck?”

“Savvy wasn’t at the church. Apparently, a woman there thought she was homeless and kicked her out.”

“Any chance whoever kidnapped her found her again?”

“No. We found her kidnapper at the vacant house. Marco.”

“You sure it was Marco?” Reed asks.

“Yes. Now he’s in Moose’s trunk. Moose is calling Stevens to come get him.”

“Is he alive?” Reed asks.

“Yes. I want him to suffer for this, not die.”

“I’m going to contact the officer in charge of the town you’re in,” Reed says. “Somehow, I doubt Stevens will get there soon, and we don’t want to risk Marco escaping.”

“Sounds good.”

He ends the call, and I pocket my phone.

“Savvy!”

No answer. I walk until I come to a cross street. I turn and make my way down to the next block and turn again, heading back to the church, yelling every few feet .

I’ve saved lives before. Tracked suspect across continents. But this, this is different. This is her.

I meet Moose halfway down the road.

“Nothing,” he says.

Another police car pulls into the parking lot, and we follow it. I fill Moose in on what Reed told me. Hopefully, we can get Marco behind bars soon.

The officer I first spoke with waves us over. “I’m sorry I didn’t get your names,” he says.

“Axel. This is Moose.” I point to him.

The officer frowns. “All right. I’m Officer Pattison, and this is Officer O’Reilly. First, I understand you caught the man who kidnapped Ms. Williams. Is that correct?”

“Yes, he’s in the trunk of my car.” Moose points in its direction.

Pattison turns and looks, but the car can’t be seen from here. “We will take care of him first. Then O’Reilly and I will search this neighborhood, going door to door. You two can drive over here and go over these roads.” He holds up his phone with a map of the area.

It’s an area we haven’t been in yet, so I agree.

“Give me your number so we can communicate,” Pattison says. “And I will need a recent photo of her.”

We all exchange numbers, and I send him a photo. We head to Moose’s car to release Marco into their custody.

He drives while I shout for Savvy out of the window.

“If she is in someone’s house, maybe she was able to call your sister. You said they are best friends, right?” Moose says.

“It’s worth a check.” I send my sister a text .

A moment later, she replies. “No, she hasn’t heard from her.”

“Would she call anyone else?” Moose asks.

I think about that. “I really don’t know her friends. She called Reed at the main office number when she had a chance, instead of me. I doubt she has her phone. You think she might try someone else?”

He shrugs.

“Maybe her office,” I say.

Maggie gave me her number earlier today when I went to the showing location. I call Maggie.

“Did you find her?” Maggie asks.

I sigh. “No, I was wondering if she called you.”

“No. I haven’t heard a thing.”

“Okay, let me know if she calls you,” I say and end the call.

We continue to drive around, moving farther away from the church. It’s getting late, and I suspect we have woken a few people with my shouting.

Moose pulls over when both our phones buzz at the same time. My heart leaps into my throat, hoping this means they found her.

Pattison: We are calling off the search for the night. We know she got away. The man you detained is in custody. We will try again in the morning.

“Dammit!” I know she’s out here.

“Maybe she found a shed or something and fell asleep,” Moose says.

“Or someone else could have her. We don’t know if that man was working alone.” I check my phone and discover missed texts from Trip. I read through them quickly.

“Trip was able to grab a copy of Marco’s mugshot when they arrested him.”

Moose glances over. “Trip never ceases to amaze me. How the heck did he do that? Did he break into the police system?”

I laugh but continue to read. “Nothing that cool. He knows a guy there who owed him a favor.”

“Huh. Why did he do it?”

I continue to read. “He wanted to verify it really was Marco. Trip’s working on a case for some of the guys in Seattle at Morgan Thompson Security that Marco is wanted for.”

“The guy gets around.”

“And he confirmed it is him. Marco also had a passport on him with the name Tom Smith.”

“Huh,” Moose says.

“What?”

“He shouldn’t have gotten through customs, even with a fake passport.”

“You’re right. Facial recognition. Well, that’s the FBI’s problem now. We need to find Savvy.”

“Ready to hit the next block?” Moose asks.

I stare down the road. “No. We need to go back to the church.”

“You think she’s hiding around there?”

She called and left a message that she’d be at that church. Maybe she found another way in. “I do.”

We drive back. There are only a couple of cars in the lot. I pull on the door, but it’s locked. Of course, it’s late. But hopefully someone is in there. I bang on the door.

It opens, and a man pops his head out. “Can I help you?”

“We are looking for the missing woman.”

“Oh yes, terrible situation.”

“And I think she might have found a way inside the church and is hiding,” I say.

“I highly doubt that, but we can certainly look.” He opens the doors, and we step inside.

“In this direction is the chapel.” He points to our left. “And in this direction there are classrooms and downstairs are offices.” He points to our right.

“Thank you,” I say as Moose and I go right.

Moose goes into every classroom on the right, and I go in each one on the left. By the time we get to the stairwell at the end of the hallway, I’m discouraged. No sign of her.

“Downstairs makes more sense,” Moose says. “She’s trying not to be seen.”

I hope he’s right.

Down the stairs is a hallway with doors on each side. We try them, but most are locked. The few that weren’t were empty rooms.

“Savvy!” I call out, hoping she answers me. “Savvy! Where are you?”

“Hunter!”

A doorknob rattles, and then the door opens. Savvy runs out into the hallway. I go to her and hug her tightly.

She’s alive. Thank God, she’s alive.

She doesn’t wrap her arms around me, and I pull back, worried her arm is broken and I’ve hurt her further. That’s when I notice the handcuffs.

“I couldn’t get them off,” she says.

“It’s okay now. We will find a way. Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital? There was blood at the house.”

She shakes her head. “I’m fine. Just a cut. It’s not deep.” She shows me her arm. “I really want to go home and shower.”

My fingers trace her cheek where it’s bruised. “He hit you.”

She winces. “He did.”

I want to kill that man. “He’ll pay for that.”

She takes my hand in hers. “Can we please go?”

“Glad you’re okay,” Moose says.

Savvy glances from Moose to me.

“Moose, this is Savvy. Savvy, this is Moose. We work together at RHS.”

Moose sticks his hand out but then sees her handcuffs. “Oh, sorry.” He points to the cuffs. “We will have to get those off of you. I have some tools in my car that should work.”

I lead Savvy to Moose’s car. He grabs a cuff cutter from behind the driver’s seat and quickly gets her out.

“Will we need those for the police?” Savvy asks.

“No. The FBI will be dealing with Marco. Now, let’s go home,” I say.

Savvy sleeps on the drive back to my place. She wakes as I park .

“You said home, but until we know if you are safe, I’d like you to stay here,” I say.

She nods. “I’d like that, too.”

Once inside, I pick her up and carry her to the couch, setting her on my lap. I need to touch her constantly, to know she’s safe.

“I was so worried.” My voice breaks on the last word. I close my eyes as I can feel them grow watery. I’m not usually emotional, but this was too close a call. I can’t lose her.

I open my eyes and Savvy’s crying. “I was so scared when I woke up in that room and realized it was Marco.”

“He won’t get you again.”

We sit in silence, holding each other for a few minutes. Finally, I can’t hold it back any longer.

“This might not be the best timing, but I have to tell you this,” I say.

She lifts her head and meets my eyes.

“We haven’t really known each other for that long, and this might not be the right moment.

But when I thought you could be gone…” I swallow.

“Something inside me cracked. I’ve spent years telling myself I don’t need anyone.

But you snuck under all of that.” I lean my forehead to hers.

“I’ve already told you I want to see where this goes.

But know, I’m all in. I’m falling for you. ”