Page 15 of Ruined

“I told her I wouldn’t lie to you if you asked me out right.” He pauses, and I wait, perched on the edge of the chair, for his answer. “She did.”

“What did she want from you?”

“Her GPS disabled and a place to stay. I’m pulling up to the rental I put her up in right now. Give me a sec.”

After a moment, I hear him knocking, followed by cussing.

“What’s the matter?” I shoot to my feet and yell into the phone.

“The place is trashed. Feathers from the pillows and comforter are everywhere. There is blood too.”

“What?” I slam my fist into the desk.

“You must be the man she is trying to protect. Looks like her past found her before she could get away.”

His words make my knees buckle, and I almost fall to the floor. She left to protect me.

“She said he threatened all of you, including Mr. Lover there,” he says, and I turn to look at Riddler.

“We are on our way, Zero,” she says, her gaze holding mine.

“No, stay there. I’ll give you an update and then we’ll go from there. I can have Vortex, along with your hacker, start sweeping facial rec for her.”

“That won’t work,” Riddler says softly. “If Wilder does what he’s done in the past, she’s in a box, like a coffin.”

This time when my knees buckle, I fall to the floor. Thad and Reaper are trying to help me up as everything comes together. We might not ever find her.

“I used your location and hacked the security camera on the porch across the street. Plus, your security system on the place,” Titan says. “He grabbed her about twenty minutes ago.” He continues to click away on his laptop, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

“Wait. I passed a van heading toward the Parks on my way up here. I didn’t get a plate,” Zero says, and I finally plant my ass back in the chair. I need to hold it all together so I can save her.

“Got it,” Keys says. “He’s heading toward Anchorage.”

“We’ll head that way.”

“I’ll get us plane tickets so we can get there as soon as possible.”

“I’ll send a prospect to meet you at the airport.”

“Thanks.”

Riddler hangs up and then looks at me. “You going to be able to handle this? She’s going to be completely back at the beginning again. It could take some time.”

“I’ll do whatever needs to be done. Even walk away from her,” I say again, even though my heart is battling me not to.

Riddler nods, and we spring into motion.

I could fly us down, but my plane isn’t big enough. Then a thought hits me.

“What if I get a cargo plane that we can fly?”

“Go for it,” Riddler says, and I start making calls.

An hour later, the phone rings.

“Anything, Zero?” Riddler asks.

“He put her on a small plane and took off. I can’t get the flight manifest.”

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