Page 22 of Carlos: Trilogy: Part Two

Carlos’s head whipped around, but his hold on Zoe kept him in place. He needed to go see what Keys had but how could he leave his woman in such a distraught place? It tore at him, his need to be in two places at once.

Bulldog approached. “Zoe, honey, you need to let him go. I know I’m a poor substitute for your man, but I’m here for you all the same. Let me take you to Jenna. Let Carlos do his job and bring your son home.”

Zoe lifted her head. She’d worked herself into such a state that she was hiccupping between breaths. Carlos hated his brother’s words as much as he appreciated them.

He took her face between his hands. “I won’t return until I have him with me,” he vowed. “I will bring him home to you.”

It might be the stupidest promise he’d ever made in his career as a police officer. There were too many unknowns. Any doctor, first responder, even politicians, knew better than to promise that everything would be fine, that the patient would live, that the criminal would be found… He should have known better than to vow something so absolute to the woman he was falling for.

As Zoe stared into his eyes, though, he knew that there was no alternative. He had to bring Kyle home or he would lose Zoe. Maybe not physically, but emotionally. She needed her son and he needed her.

Carlos pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before passing her off to Bulldog. “Keep her safe,” he told his brother, a warning in his voice. Kyle’s abduction might have to do with his past—which meant it had to do with Zoe’s past.

Bulldog gave him a single nod. His own vow.

Without another look at her, Carlos turned and walked back over to Keys. “What do you have?”

CHAPTER 8

The monster seethed inside his soul. He’d not only failed Zoe, but he’d failed Kyle. Carlos was the fucking sheriff. He’d been in the goddamn store when Kyle had been taken right out from under his nose. He’d stepped away to help Mrs. Guthrie, an aging widow, get her groceries into her car. When he’d returned, he’d found Zoe in some sort of trance, just staring at the vitamins on the shelf before her.

He hadn’t even noticed the empty shopping cart at first.

The monster demanded retribution. He wanted blood and carnage and justice. How dare someone take Zoe’s son? Carlos knew he wasn’t the boy’s father but that didn’t mean he didn’t care for Kyle. Beyond that, he could be Kyle’s father in the future. He wanted to be. Along with any other children Zoe might one day give him.

Carlos had to get a grip on himself. He was shaking. He was the sheriff. He had to be professional…but how could he do that when this was Kyle? His heart thundered in his chest, making it hard to hear around him.

It was like an echo inside his soul. Thump… Thump… Thump… Kyle… Kyle… Kyle…

He had to concentrate if he had any hopes of keeping his vow to Zoe.

Keys picked up his laptop and handed it to Carlos. Carlos accepted it, holding it over his left hand and arm. On the screen was a picture. He’d seen enough of them to know it came from a traffic camera. The vehicle itself was a nondescript black sedan. The windows were tinted as dark as the law allowed and the top three inches of the windshield were completely dark.

The man driving was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. He had his left hand raised to the side of his face, elbow balanced on the door, as if he was blocking the sunlight from his eyes. Carlos could have bought that as the reason if the sun wasn’t setting in the opposite direction. Based on the timestamp, the picture was taken less than ten minutes ago.

He probably would have gone unnoticed, except Carlos had a clear view of the bottom of his face, chin, and torso.

“Owen?” Carlos looked up at Keys. “Where was this taken?”

“Just outside of town. He’s headed northeast.”

Towards Philadelphia. “You think Owen has Kyle?” Why? What was the endgame? Why would he come to Mount Grove, show his face, and then take Kyle? He could have just as easily snatched Kyle and remained anonymous. After all, who would suspect a dead man?

“It’s as good a guess as any,” Keys argued. “He came here to warn you—us about a bounty hunter. Maybe he was trying to throw us off his trail.”

“What’s the point? Why would he take Kyle?”

From what little Carlos knew about Owen, the theory didn’t fit. Zoe trusted Owen. Or, rather, she’d trusted Conner. Conner had been her friend and ally. Owen had only been doing his brother a favor by helping. Yet twice now Owen had made an appearance in Mount Grove where people would suspect him of being his twin’s ghost. Why?

“Maybe he’s returning Kyle to the grandparents?” Keys suggested.

Carlos shook his head. “Owen took Kyle from the grandparents. Or at least his organization did. It doesn’t fit that he would do all of that then, only to return Kyle to the grandparents now.”

Keys shrugged. “Money’s a big motivator. There’s still a hefty reward for Kyle’s safe return.”

“It doesn’t fit,” Carlos insisted. Still, he wouldn’t be doing his job correctly if he didn’t look into it. He wanted to stare Owen in the eyes and judge for himself the man’s innocence. “Let’s go get him.”

Keys, though, shook his head. “I sent Ranger and Ghost after him. They were already scouting out by the main drag. They’ll be faster and more discreet.”

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