Page 58 of Gabe

I nodded but didn’t say anything more in front of the kid or the kid’s parents. They probably weren’t spies, but I didn’t want to involve any more civilians if I didn’t have to.

Three was already too many, and Sebastian almost counted as a civilian as well.

The first-aid station had a computer, but I didn’t trust it. Instead, I’d brought my own laptop, which I propped up on the first-aid station’s desk and used to look through the information I’d just copied. It all looked fairly standard. A lot of money needed to change hands in order to coordinate an event of this size, and it was no surprise that Senator McLeod was heavily involved in the exchange. The numbers added up, and I couldn’t see any funds being used somewhere they shouldn’t.

If I presented this to the FBI, any case against the Senator would be dismissed immediately. I was sure there was a metaphorical smoking gun somewhere that implicated his crimes, but it wasn’t in these files.

As I scrolled through the information again, an unexpected name caught my eye. I hadn’t noticed it at first because it wasn’t suspicious or dangerous in any way, but it was odd.

Why would the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries be involved in this event?

Even if Love Without Limits was a legitimate charity with no shady purposes, it should have nothing to do with a government department that handled wildlife conservation.

Before I could contemplate the odd discovery anymore, I was distracted by the sound of my phone ringing. The only people who had this number were Sebastian, Newt, and Frankie.

I picked it up immediately.

“Is something wrong?”

Sebastian immediately started shouting at me from the other end of the line. I could barely make out what he was saying, but the sound of Newt and Frankie’s names were unmistakable.

“Did something happen to them? Where are they?”

Silence echoed down the line for a moment as Sebastian struggled to compose himself and speak properly.

“They’re gone.”

I stood up from the desk, knocking over my chair, which crashed to the ground in a noisy clatter. “What do you mean they’re gone?”

“I mean, they’re gone. Someone took them. I couldn’t tell on the cameras, but I think they were drugged. Someone was shouting to get the event staff for help, and then the cameras cut out. I tried to track the GPS signal, but it’s gone.”

The laptop and the information I’d just copied were forgotten as I ran for the door.

“How long ago? Where were they last?”

Maybe if I ran fast enough, I could catch their kidnappers before they disappeared.

Sebastian directed me toward the candy-themed funhouse in the back corner of the carnival, almost as far from the first-aid station as it was possible to be.

When I got there, I found a group of people standing around talking excitedly, but no sign of Frankie or Newt.

“Excuse me. What happened here?”

Although my words were polite, there was no mistaking the demanding tone of my voice. The nearest man took one look at my staff shirt and glared at me.

“Some boys got sick. The staff already took them to the first-aid station. Shouldn’t you be taking care of them there or do you people not talk to each other.”

Ordinarily, I would never tolerate such an attitude, but I had more important things to worry about.

Newt and Frankie obviously weren’t brought to the first-aid station. I would have seen them. So whatever staff members took them away must have been working for our enemies.

I followed the path I thought kidnappers might take. First, they probably would have gone in the direction of the first-aid station to avoid suspicion. However, they would have needed to get Newt and Frankie out of sight as soon as possible. The funhouse itself would have provided the perfect cover. It was large and bulky, with many flashing lights and colors to act as a distraction. Even carrying two unconscious bodies, it wouldn’t have taken much effort to slip behind the funhouse and out of sight.

From there, the path the kidnappers would have taken may as well have been marked in neon paint for how obvious it was. A door hidden at the very back of the event space led to a cargo bay, where the building would usually receive supply trucks. It was empty at the moment, but the open cargo door and the smell of gasoline indicated that a vehicle had just left.

I was too late.

As I stood in the open doorway, something hard and cold pressed against the back of my skull. I lifted my hands slowly in a show of surrender.

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