Page 75 of Billion-Dollar Ransom

THE SANDBOX WAS still bustling with activity.

For most members of the task force, going home tonight was not an option—not with their best suspect, former cop Tim Dowd, and his possible captive still in the wind.

There were also unconfirmed reports of a fierce gun battle in Tijuana that might or might not be linked to the Tyler Schraeder kidnapping.

And finally, there were absolutely no leads on the Schraeder children, which was particularly heartbreaking to Nicky Gordon.

And there had been no word from her own child in a while. Kaitlin’s movie had ended half an hour ago, and she should have texted her mother to check in by now, even if it was only a sarcastic and annoyed Got your message, I’m home now and not dead, k thx bye.

Nicky kept her head in the evolving case, but she was hyperconscious of every minute that ticked by without word from Kaitlin.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. “Nick—can I borrow you for a sec?”

Nicky turned around to see Mike Hardy, although he didn’t look like himself. There was usually an amused quality to his resting expression, as if life were one big joke and he was the guy hired to police it. But now Hardy looked gravely serious.

“What is it?”

“Let’s duck into somewhere quiet.”

“Mike, come on. We don’t have time for somewhere quiet. Just spit it out.” Nicky saw everyone in the Sandbox looking at them and regretted her insistence on staying here. Zero chance of privacy now.

“You hear from Special K tonight?”

“No—why?”

Mike looked as if he’d tasted something sour. “A detective of mine just called—some kids at the Grove reported their friend missing. The last name rang a bell with her, which was why she called me right away. Now, I don’t know what this means, but…”

“Kaitlin is missing?”

“All we know for sure is that a couple of teenagers say their friend Kaitlin Gordon went missing from a movie theater at the Grove just a little while ago.”

The entire task force fell silent. All eyes were on Nicky.

“Look, I think I speak for everyone here,” Mike said. “If you need to go, we’ll understand.”

“No,” Nicky said. “I’m staying.”

Mike’s expression was a blend of empathy and confusion. Why doesn’t she want to leave? Yeah, there’s being strong in front of your team. But this is her kid .

Mike leaned in close and whispered, “You really don’t need to be here right now.”

But there was no way Nicky was leaving the Sandbox. Not now—not at the most crucial part of this investigation. Everything was in flux, and she believed the kidnappers had engineered it that way.

She turned to her assistant, Hope. “Has there been any communication from the kidnappers? Any suggestion that these same people have taken my daughter?”

Hope shook her head. “This is the first we’re all hearing of it.”

“Then maybe it’s nothing, and Kaitlin left the movie early for a good reason,” Nicky said. “Or if they did take her, it’s meant to be a distraction. And I’m not going to let it become one.”

What Nicky Gordon didn’t want to say out loud:

The very idea of her daughter in the hands of a well-financed, highly organized band of criminals terrified her to her core. As it would any mother.

But Nicky knew that that same band of criminals had a mole on her task force, and that individual was most likely sitting in the room right now. If she left or showed any kind of weakness, that person could effectively steer the investigation any way the kidnappers wished.

And that definitely was not going to happen.

“Hardy, keep me posted on what your detective learns,” Nicky said. “Everyone else, back to work. Let’s find these sons of bitches.”