Page 106 of Caught in the Crossfire

Gut churning, Mason scanned the crowd for Nicole again and still didn’t see her. Also absent were Fisher and Patton. Hopefully, those two left and took their lousy attitude elsewhere. He didn’t want either man near Nicole.

He headed for the rear of the building, stopping several times to accept handshakes and congratulations. After exchanging a few words with each person, he continued across the yard until he entered the building. Once inside, he picked up his pace as he walked to the company kitchen.

He rounded a corner and pushed open the kitchen door. Scanning the interior, Mason frowned. Empty. Where were Nicole and Dawn? Had he missed them in the press of the crowd?

Retracing his steps, he emerged from the building and strode toward Linc. The PSI instructor took one look at his face and broke away from the man he was speaking with. “What’s wrong?”

“Nicole and Dawn aren’t in the kitchen. Have you seen them?”

Linc’s jaw hardened as he searched the crowded yard. “The last time I saw them was ten minutes ago. I should have checked on them, but Simmons asked about the bodyguard training program. Take the right side of the yard. I’ll take the left. If you see Emily Elliott, ask her if she’s seen them.”

As Mason searched, he grabbed his cell phone and called Nicole. His call was dumped into voicemail immediately. “Nicole, where are you? Call me, baby.”

Growing more afraid for Nicole’s safety as each minute passed, he moved faster through the crowd until he spotted Emily with a group of women. He reached her a moment later and gently separated her from the group.

“Congratulations, Mason. I’m so happy for you.” Brian’s wife hugged him. “Brian is a lucky man to have you working for him.”

“Thanks. Have you seen Nicole?”

Emily released her hold on him and stepped back with a frown. “Not for a few minutes. She and Dawn left the building before I did, maybe ten minutes ago. Since the only thing I had left to do was load the dishwasher, I sent them back out here. A lot of people are milling around, Mason. Did you call her phone?”

“She’s not answering.”

“That’s strange.”

Linc hurried to Mason’s side. “Anything?”

He shook his head. “When I called Nicole’s cell, I got her voicemail.”

A grim expression settled on the instructor’s face. “Same response from Dawn. She wouldn’t turn off her phone. I asked her to keep her phone with her at all times.”

“I asked Nicole to do the same. Something’s wrong.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Emily asked Mason.

“Keep looking for Nicole and Dawn. If you spot them, have them call me.”

“Sure. Let me know when you find them, all right?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He and Linc moved away from the group of women. “Suggestions?” he asked Linc.

“Let’s scout around the front of the building first. If we don’t find them there, we call Fortress.”

“What good will it do if their cell phones are off?”

“The tech will be able to tell us the last known area before the cells were turned off. It’s not great, but it’s a start. Right now, we don’t know where to begin our search.”

They had almost reached the side of the building when Dean caught up with them. “Got a minute?” he asked. “I have the camera feed from inside the library.”

“Send it to my email.”

His coworker frowned. “I thought you’d be excited about the footage. What’s wrong?”

“We can’t find Nicole and Dawn, and they aren’t answering their phones.”

Dean tapped his screen a few times, then said, “I sent you the footage. I’ll help you look for the women.”

When they rounded the corner to the front of the building, Mason’s heart sank. “They’re not here.” Where was Nicole?

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