Page 40

Chapter Forty

God hadn’t answered Logan’s prayer. It was nearly two in the morning, and they still had nothing to go on. It was as if Miles and AJ had disappeared off the planet. They had no idea what he was driving or which direction he would have taken her.

Logan sat on the couch in Captain Baker’s office. He’d been trying to sleep, and probably had dozed off at some point, but he couldn’t sleep any longer. He needed AJ in his arms. How had he slept for five years without her? Why had he let that separation linger?

If he lost her for real, if she didn’t come home, he’d never recover. All that wasted time.

He dropped his head into his hands. All of the emotions swelled in him. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to sob uncontrollably or punch a hole in a brick wall.

His phone rang, and he jumped. Who was calling him? Everyone who would call him was still there. Could it be AJ?

He snatched his phone from the table. It was an unknown number.

He answered it and walked out to the bullpen.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Logan.”

Miles. Logan tapped, more like smacked, Adam on the shoulder and pointed at the phone.

Adam started the search.

“Where is she, Miles?”

“She’s still alive, if that’s what you want to know. But I’m not telling you where she is. Not yet. If you want her back, you’re going to have to play my game. You, by yourself, on your motorcycle—that way I can tell you’re by yourself—are to come to the address I send you. No cops. No backup. Just you and your bike. Otherwise, AJ will pay the price.”

Click. The line went dead.

“Tell me you were able to triangulate that.”

Adam shook his head. “Wasn’t long enough. I was getting close. He’s in the general area at least.”

Relief washed over Logan at the thought that Miles hadn’t taken her off to another state. She was still nearby.

“I have to go.” Logan took his keys from his pocket.

Adam grabbed the keys from Logan’s hand. “No. It’s a trap.”

“Of course it is, but I have to go. I can’t sit here and let her be hurt even worse than what he might have already done to her.”

“But you need a plan.”

“He said no backup. I have to go by myself.”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t be two minutes out instead of twenty. I can’t in good conscience let you face this alone.”

Logan nodded. He understood, but he had to save his wife if at all possible, even if it meant giving his own life. He was prepared for that.

A text came through on his phone. A clue from Miles. But it made no sense.

Frost. Elliot. Swift. Whithers. 38 14 57 2:58

“What on earth is that supposed to mean?” Logan turned his phone to Adam as well as Amelia, who had wandered in with fresh cups of coffee for them.

She said, “A riddle maybe?”

Logan groaned. He hated riddles.

Amelia pressed the cup of coffee into his hand. “You’re gonna need this. The last line looks like a time. Guessing you have until then to solve the riddle.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Logan stared at the other words. But he tried so hard to make sense of it that it seemed to make less sense.

Will and Zara came in the room. Will asked, “What’s going on? News?”

Logan nodded and told them about the call and the text.

Zara gripped his arm while reading at the riddle. She squeezed his arm. “The numbers. It’s like a lock combination. The one on my locker is really close.”

“Why a combination?” Logan ran his hand into his hair, willing his brain to unravel the mystery.

“Frost, Elliot, and Swift are all authors. But Whithers?”

Adam raised his finger in the air. “Mr. Whithers is the principle at Lincoln Elementary.”

Logan snapped his hand. “And was our English teacher in high school.”

Will said, “The bell rang at 2:58. I bet the next clue is at the high school.”

Logan glanced at his watch. It was 2:10. “I don’t have much time if it’s supposed to be a.m.” He moved to leave.

Adam glared at him. “You aren’t going without a wire. We need to know what’s going on, even if we do stay back. Which we will only do because we don’t want AJ hurt either.”

Logan agreed and didn’t leave until he had a mic and an earpiece along with Adam’s extra gun and ankle holster hidden under his pant leg. When all was set, he left on his bike and headed to their old high school.

AJ’s entire body ached. She was still taped to the dining room chair. Besides being hungry and needing to use the bathroom, she had a crick in her neck. She’d fallen asleep for a little while but woke to the sound of Miles talking on the phone. He had it on speaker, and it had only taken a second for her to realize he was talking to Logan. Hope stirred in her until she realized Miles was trying to lure Logan to his death. Then dread overwhelmed her heart.

Surely Logan knew it was a trap, but he wouldn’t let Miles’s challenge go unanswered, not when AJ’s well-being was on the line.

But what was Miles planning? Was there anything she could do or say to help? She couldn’t think of anything.

Her head pounded, and her cheek throbbed.

Miles walked into the room. “Everything is set in motion. It’s almost time for you to leave, my dear.”

“Me? Just me?”

“Yes. I have to meet Logan and dispose of him, and then I will come get you, and we will run away together for good.”

“But where am I going to be?”

“Somewhere that if things go poorly, no one will ever find you—alive anyway. But don’t worry. I’ll rescue you before it’s too late.”

His words were unnerving at best. He looked around as if he was making sure everything was still set.

“But before we leave, let’s watch and see if Logan figures out the first clue. The second will take a while, so we’ll have time to get you situated.”

He set his computer—which she hadn’t realized he’d been holding—down on the table and opened it.

She shouldn’t be surprised he would have set up cameras to watch whatever he had planned.

He opened several camera views. All in the same program as before, except one. The different one took him a few minutes of what she guessed was hacking before he pulled up the feed.

“Is that our old high school?”

“Yep, that’s were your husband will find his next clue. If he’s smart enough.”

Disdain filled Miles’s voice when he said the word “husband.”

Logan was plenty smart. AJ had heard Miles tell him he was to come alone, but that didn’t mean a team wasn’t close by or even in his ear helping him. She prayed Logan would be clever enough to not let Miles onto that fact. She wasn’t ready for another beating or anything else Miles might do.

He reached over and ran his hand down her arm. “Soon, my dear. Once he’s out of the picture, I’ll be at peace, and we can be together.” He kissed her cheek, brushing the swollen area.

She winced and tried to contain a painful moan, but it slipped out.

“Just a reminder I love you. And you shouldn’t cross me.” His voice had changed from sweet to creepy.

Every hair on her neck stood up. Lord, please help Logan. Protect us both.