Page 21 of Cassidy

There was a slight pause, before Rhy said, “I’m glad you’re both not hurt. I’ll take care of getting the Jeep towed. I’m more concerned with how you were found in the first place. The Jeep isn’t registered in either of your names.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Cassidy admitted. “I have to assume that whoever is running this operation may have had someone stationed near Gabe’s house on the chance we’d return. Either that or we were followed from the precinct. I didn’t notice a tail but could have missed one.”

“I doubt you’d have missed a tail,” Rhy said. Gabe was glad their boss didn’t seem too upset over the damaged Jeep. “Care to fill me in on what made you head out to Gabe’s house in the first place?”

“Gabe remembered hiding something in his freezer,” Cassidy explained. “You were on the phone, or I would have let you know where we were going. Sorry about that. But the good news is that we found a USB drive stored in Styrofoam in Gabe’s freezer.”

“A USB drive?” Rhy sounded surprised. “What’s on it?”

“We don’t know yet.” Cassidy turned her head slightly to glance at him. “I’m hoping someone can drive out to pick us up so that we can get back to the precinct to find out.”

“Okay, I’ll see if Steele or Raelyn can swing by,” Rhy said. “I’m texting them both now. That was only one reason I called. There’s been a recent development I thought you should be aware of.”

Gabe’s heart thudded as a strange sense of apprehension washed over him.

“What?” Cassidy asked.

“Gabe’s seventeen-year-old half brother, Travis McCord, went missing yesterday,” Rhy said. “His mother just called asking for Gabe. She was hoping Gabe may have heard from him or could track him down using his phone. Apparently, she tried the find my phone app but without success.”

Half brother? Shocked by the news, he tried to remember a half brother named Travis. But the gray mist in his mind remained unyielding.

Were he and Travis close? He had no idea.

Yet he knew with sick certainty that whatever had happened to Travis must be linked to the attack on him. And he desperately needed to remember what had transpired to begin this horrifying cascade of events.

Before something terrible happened to Travis.

“I didn’t realizeGabe had a half brother,” Cassidy said, feeling Gabe stiffen beside her. She had a bad feeling Gabe didn’t remember him either. She thought it was odd because she had told him a few things about her stepsiblings who were about her same age, twenty-seven and twenty-nine, respectively. They were gamers like Gabe, which was why she’d mentioned them. She didn’t see Ben and Brian as often as she probably should, but from what she gathered, Gabe was estranged from his half brother. “As soon as we get back to the precinct, Gabe can get to work on tracking him.”

“We have to hurry,” Gabe hissed. “Tell Rhy to send someone to get us ASAP.”

Cassidy understood his concern. “Glad you heard back from Steele. Have him meet us out front. Thanks, Rhy.” She lowered the phone, scooting over to put some room between herself and Gabe. “I’m sorry about your half brother, but I’m sure you’ll find him.”

“I can’t remember him.” Gabe thrust his fingers through his brown hair. “How is it possible I don’t remember my own half brother?”

“Gabe.” She put a hand on his arm. “You told me your mother traded up. Left your father for a hot-shot lawyer. I didn’t get the sense that you and your mother remained close. Which means you may not have spent much time with Travis. Plus, there is a significant age gap between you.”

A mixture of relief and frustration played across his features. “Even if we’re not close, I feel responsible for his disappearance. Like maybe I had something to do with it.”

Cass nodded as that possibility had occurred to her too. “Do you think it’s possible you were heading out to meet with Travis last night?”

Gabe’s eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t know, maybe. Although I doubt Travis would have hit me over the head and left me at the side of the road.”

“It’s best to keep an open mind,” she said gently. Then she sat back as their server returned with their hot chocolates.

“Are you ready to order?” she asked.

“No, sorry. Change in plans,” Cassidy said. “Please bring our bill.”

The server looked disappointed, shrugged, and left. Two minutes later, she set their bill on the table. “Have a nice day,” she said, without meaning it.

“I can pay,” Gabe offered.

“Let me. We may need your funds later.” Cassidy glanced at the total and pulled cash from her pocket. She added a substantial tip to smooth things over, then reached for her hot chocolate. “We have at least ten minutes before Steele will get here.”

Gabe cradled the mug without drinking. “I can’t stand it,” he whispered. “All along I’ve felt this strange sense of urgency, as if there’s something very important that I need to do.” He shook his head and lifted his gaze to hers. “Maybe that important task is to find Travis. What if he’s in trouble? Maybe he called and asked for help. I could have gone to the meeting place because he asked me to, but the attackers got there first. They attacked me, leaving me there and took off with Travis as their hostage.”

She preferred cold, hard facts over speculation, but obviously theories were all they had. His proposal was possible, among dozens of others. “Try not to think the worst.” She forced a reassuring smile. “I’m sure the USB drive will provide answers.”

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