Page 40 of Crossing Lines

Fuck. I was an idiot.

“Your fiancée is missing. You’re a dumbass. Anything else you want to know?” my sister snarled at me.

I raised a hand and shook my head. “How do we know she’s missing? Did she not go…” Wayne was staring daggers at me. Okay, so she hadn’t gone to her dad’s, then she would have gone?

Everyone was looking at me as if I had painted my face red and had balloons coming out of my ass. I shifted, my leg protesting. Stel was really missing. No, there had to be something else, another explanation.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and I pulled it out. Another call from an unknown number. I’d been getting them for...son of a bitch. I hit accept and brought the phone to my ear. “What?” I snarled.

“Ah, finally. I was beginning to think you were dead.” I stayed quiet, my eyes narrowing at the familiar voice in my ear. “Not much of a talker? Well, fine. I have something you want. You have something I want.” That brought me up short.

What did I have that he wanted? Rage boiled up through me as I took a step back from the others. The noise in here was making it hard to concentrate on what he was saying. What was he up to? My knuckles turned white as I hobbled toward Derek’s desk. He watched me, brows raised. I pointed to my cell then to his laptop. In a flash he was in his seat, his fingers slamming down against the keys. I looked down at the map in my hand. The county was spread out before my eyes. He had to be close. He’d been quiet since he attacked Stel on the street.

“What do you want?” My words came out low, menacing. If I got my hands on him again, he wouldn’t be walking away.

“The same thing I told that sniveling bitch. Her.”

“What?” He’d talked to Stel? Did he have her now? Was he just playing with me?

“I will use her until she is used up. Then I’ll skin her alive and filet her into tiny pieces.” My breath whooshed out of me when I heard skin on skin contact. Someone grunted. My eyes scanned the room. Everyone was here. Who would he have that Stella would want? What was his game?

“Why don’t you just come and face me now? I’ll put you out of your misery.”

He chuckled. Another grunt was followed by the sound of skin against skin. “Maybe you need a little incentive.” His words were followed by another grunt. “Say something.”

“Fuck. You!” The air left my lungs at the sound of that pain filled voice.

Carter.

He had Carter.

How? How did he get him? Fuck! There was no way in hell Stel wouldn’t go after him. I had to get to them fast. Stel would destroy the world to save her brother, and I would do the same for her.

Chapter 17

Stella

I lookedat myself in the mirror. I’d been in this hotel room since leaving the house. I was in a mood; a very bad mood. So much so that I’d taken Ethan to the center and asked Mama Jay to keep him for a bit.

I had to take a breather for my own sanity. The longer I was away, trying to get my shit together, the more I started to unwind and calm down. I understood Trace’s point last night. He was helpless, his leg holding him back from doing what he saw ashisjob. He wasn’t able to stop me from running off head first into danger.

It had taken a phone call with my daddy earlier to sort out my emotions. He chewed me out for not telling anyone where I was or what I was doing. He had a point, I agreed with him, but that still did nothing to bank the hurt and anger in his voice. The man hardly ever raised his voice; he didn’t need to. The tone told you all you needed to know. If you were smart enough to catch it. Though, let’s be real, no one could listen to Wayne Malone and not understand that tone.

For him to do so, now, toward me, told me just how worried they’d been. I’d promised to get my shit together and come to the station.

They were setting up a plan to track down Kurt. There had been a few new sightings of him. Time to break him in half and get this out of the way. We had better things to do.

My head hurt. My heart ached. I just needed to tuck my tail and go apologize to Trace. Daddy said AJ was bringing him to the station; no time like the present, I guessed.

My phone chimed, and I turned to the bed, flopping down and picking it up. An unknown number. I sighed and ignored it. A minute later it rang again. Ugh, why couldn’t they dial numbers right? I wasn’t in the mood to buy anything, either. I rubbed my face, scrubbing at the annoyance. The phone pinged, and I looked down. It was a picture of Carter, tied to a pole, his face bloody.

“NO!” A wash of pure, fire hot rage rolled up through me. My blood was boiling when the phone rang again. “I’m going to find you, tear you?—”

“If you want to see him alive, you’ll do what I say.”

“I will kill you—” A grunt had me gritting my teeth.

“Come to the old barn on—where are we again?” I heard a muffled noise, then Carter cursed.

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