Page 87 of Storm Warning
The guard straightened up, almost military sharp. “Sir. I didn’t realize you were on-island. I found this area. As you can see, the surface is churned up, but I don’t know what it means.”
Stay back.Nick watched as Zach prowled forward, studying the ground like a book to be read. He kneeled at one point, his fingers hovering over something Nick couldn’t see, before leaping up and prowling into the trees, following something only he could see.
Screw that. Nick’s patience snapped like a rotten rope. He followed, needing motion, action.
Drag marks on the trail. Zach paused about ten feet in, examining the area, although Nick saw nothing but disturbed leaves and soil. He strained his eyes, trying to see what Zach did.
Someone was lying here on the ground. Footprints. One set coming in, one going out. The one going out is deeper than the other. Carrying something.Zach’s mental voice was analytical, detached.Look around for anything that Kate might have dropped, assuming it was her. If someone took her, she would have put up a fight.
The image seared into Nick’s mind—Kate unconscious, being carried by some faceless bastard. His hands shook as rage and fear warred inside him, making his vision blur at the edges.
Nick moved in the opposite direction to David and began searching, his movements jerky and desperate, moving plants and leaves aside, looking for anything that might be a clue, even as his thoughts continued to churn.Where was she? Was shehurt? Was she conscious? Had she been—No. He couldn’t go there. The possibilities were too horrific. His breathing came harsh and ragged.
“Found something!” David called over.
Nick’s head snapped up, hope flaring painfully. David squatted by a bush, holding the leaves back. Underneath lay a silver earring, glinting in the dappled sunlight like a tiny beacon. He looked up at Nick when he ran over. “Do you recognize it?”
Nick studied it, his hand trembling as he reached for it, hope and fear twining through his stomach like serpents. The delicate silver felt cool against his fingertips. “I’m pretty sure it’s Kate’s. She wore a pair like it at the fire pit the other night.” He could picture her so vividly in his mind’s eye, the firelight catching on the earrings as she laughed at something David said. The memory hurt.
Zach stood, brushing dirt from his knees. “Let’s follow the trail.” He prowled off, every movement purposeful. Nick glanced at David, and they both fell in line behind Zach, a grim procession. They went about three hundred feet, pushing through increasingly dense undergrowth, before exiting the woods onto a side maintenance road.
Zach closed his eyes briefly—the only sign of his frustration—before meeting Nick’s. “Trail’s gone. He probably had a vehicle waiting. Let’s go to Security and see what our maintenance man has to say. They just notified me they’ve arrived.”
Nick followed without a word, his gut twisting tighter with every step, like someone was wringing out his internal organs. Despair coated Nick’s tongue like sawdust, dry and choking. The trail was cold. They had nothing. Kate was missing, and they hadnothing.
Zach's voice softened. “Nick, we’ll find her.”
Nick nodded mechanically, disconnected from the churning storm within him. His mind whirled with fear and doubt.Would they be on time?The question echoed endlessly.Had she been harmed? What were they doing with her? Why did they take her?Each question was a fresh cut, bleeding him out from the inside.
Chapter 46
Hunting
With his thoughts in turmoil,they arrived back at the resort before he knew it, the journey a blur of anxiety and rage, striding through the employee entrance heading for Security. The fluorescent lights glared, making everything look harsh and surreal.
Lena exited Human Resources as they approached, and her jaw dropped open at the sight of them. Her eyes widened, and she took a step back, pressing herself against the doorframe. She stepped back into the doorway, allowing them to pass. A flicker of grim humor flashed through Nick.
They must be a sight, the three of them in gray tactical clothing, bristling with weapons like some kind of private army. Not their usual corporate attire of bespoke suits. The flash of fear on Lena’s face would have bothered him in normal circumstances. Now, he couldn’t bring himself to care. They strode down the hall to Security, boots thudding on the linoleum floor, the sound harsh and aggressive in the quiet corridor.
Zach slammed open the door to Security, the crash echoing like a gunshot, startling the guard inside, before snarling at him. “The maintenance guy—he’s in room 1?”
“Yes, sir!” The guard’s voice cracked, his eyes darting between them.
Nick followed Zach to the room, his blood singing with the need for action, for answers, forsomethingto hit. But Zach stopped short of going in, turning to meet Nick’s eyes. His brother’s gaze was hard, uncompromising. “You do not say anything. You do not do anything. You are too emotionally involved. Stand and watch, or I’ll throw you out. Got it?”
Nick nodded, the muscles in his jaw jumping, hating the order, but knowing Zach was right. He was emotionally compromised. If he got his hands on this bastard, he might kill him before they got answers. The violence simmering in his veins scared even him.
Zach pulled open the door, and the three of them strode inside, Zach in the lead, moving with lethal grace. David and Nick stepped to the side and leaned against the wall as Zach prowled toward the guy slumped in a chair. Belatedly, Nick realized the guy was handcuffed to the chair, the metal glinting under the harsh overhead light.
“Where is Kate Danvers?” Zach’s growl promised pain if he didn’t hear the right answer. The threat hung in the air like smoke.
The maintenance man's eyes widened, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed. Good—he wasn't completely stupid.
“I don’t know, man. I got paid to mess with her a bit, scare her. That’s all.” His eyes darted from one to another of them, landing on their weapons and staying there. The stink of fear wafted off him—sharp and acrid, like sweat and urine. “Some guy hired me to mess with her, that’s all.”
Nick sucked in a breath at that revelation, his hands clenching into fists against the wall behind him. Hired. This was planned. Deliberate. The implications made his vision swim red at the edges.
“Describe him.” Zach’s tone cut ice cold, each word bitten out sharply.