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CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

PRESENT DAY

The jangling of his phone pulled Logan out of a surprisingly deep sleep.

He blinked quickly before his body instantly went on alert.

It was 7:30. He hadn’t intended to sleep this late. But if someone was calling at this hour, it was most likely important.

Without looking at the name, he answered.

“Hey, Gibson,” a familiar voice said on the other line. “Hope I didn’t wake you. I knew you’d want to hear this update as soon as possible.”

It was Vincent.

Logan pushed himself upright, instantly lucid. “Of course. What did you find out?”

“You’re not going to believe this. But I did some digging like you asked. It turns out Knox got out of prison early for good behavior.”

His breath caught. “What? He was supposed to serve twenty years. When was he released? And why didn’t anyone tell me about it?”

“I’m still trying to put all of that together,” Vincent said. “But he was released four weeks ago.”

Tension thrummed inside him. “Does anybody know where he is?”

“As soon as he was released, he disappeared—which I have no doubt is exactly what he planned.”

Anyone with half a brain could have seen that coming. How had this happened? And why hadn’t Logan been informed?

“I did more digging, made a few more phone calls, and eventually talked to one of his old prison buddies. It turns out Knox borrowed some money from him.”

Logan didn’t like the sound of that. “For what?”

“He wanted to take a trip but couldn’t afford the airfare.”

“Let me guess—he wanted to go to Alaska.”

“That’s correct. Knox claimed he had a big life change in prison and that he’s not the same person anymore. But you know how those things go.”

Logan’s jaw hardened. He definitely knew how these things went.

And he didn’t trust a word Knox said.

What if he was the one who’d taken Morgan?

He shuddered to think what someone like Knox would do to her. He’d want to teach her a lesson.

Would that lesson involve recreating her photos into deadly designs?

Logan needed to pinpoint Knox’s current location. Now.

After grabbing some coffee, Logan hurried to Duke’s place. As he drove, his mind raced over those journal entries he’d re-read last night.

Someone had been watching Morgan. Possibly Knox—although, when she started feeling that way, Knox would have still been in prison. Still, the man had wanted to get close to her. Why else would he go along on one of her photo shoots pretending he was a crew member?

And what about this guilt she was living with? The secret she’d been keeping? The fact she thought she deserved something bad to happen to her?

What was that about?

He hated to think about her carrying those burdens alone.

A lump lodged in his throat.

His protectiveness toward Morgan had ultimately worked against him. That very quality had pushed her away, had made her stay silent with her concerns.

The lump grew as his guilt compounded.

If only Logan could go back and do things differently. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that opportunity.

He arrived at Duke’s, where Andi waited, and he gave them an update.

As he finished, his phone buzzed.

“I’ve got a phone number for Knox,” Logan announced. “I need to trace its last known location.”

“Can your friend do that for you?” Andi asked.

“He can. But it will take too much time to jump through hoops.”

She grabbed her cell phone from the table. “Then I’ll ask Matthew to do it. He always has a work-around.”

Matthew could find things online and do things with technology that were a true marvel.

Logan knew the means Matthew used weren’t always legal. But right now, he didn’t care. He just wanted answers.

He waited while Andi explained the situation to Matthew and then as Matthew did something on his computer.

The minutes ticked by so slowly Logan wanted to pull out his hair.

Finally, Andi thanked Matthew and ended the call.

Her gaze locked on Logan’s. “He was able to get a hit on the number. He’s sending you the location.”

Relief swept through him.

This could be the lead they were looking for.

Finally, his phone dinged.

He glanced at the screen. “I’ve got the address.”

Duke rose. “Perfect. Let’s go.”

Logan wasn’t going to argue.