Page 94 of Protecting Bianca

Jake nodded, but Jeremy’s eyes were still on me.

When I reached Towers’ office, my blood went cold. The room was empty. Towers wasn’t here. But Jeremy knew where he was. I was sure of it.

Fuck!

I was done playing games. Tagert and Walsh were either working together from the beginning or paired up later, but they knew more than either was saying, and it was time I used the skills I learned in service.

My fingers felt as cold as the blood in my veins while I marched back toward Tagert’s cubicle. His eyes widened when he took one look at me.

He stepped back, but Jake was there behind him. Pulling a steel chair from another desk, I threw it in front of Tagert. “Sit.”

“I’d rather stand.”

I grabbed him by the shoulder and pressed my fingers into his shoulder until his knees buckled. “I said sit.”

“Jager,” Jake warned, sensing the rising hostility in me, but I ignored him.

“I haven’t figured it out yet, but I know you and Walsh are working together. I don’t know the whys either, but at this point I don’t give a fuck. All I care about is finding Bianca and Towers.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He stood from his chair, but before he could take a step forward, I kicked him hard in the shin with the heel of my boot. He fell back into his seat, gripping his leg. “Ow, man. Shit. That hurt,” he cried.

“I know. And it’s only going to get worse if you don’t start talking.”

“I told you I don’t know anything.” His voice pleaded with me, but my cold heart didn’t care.

“Are they together?” I asked, moving behind him.

“I don’t kn–”

I grabbed his head between my arms and tilted it until I could feel the tendons. I knew with one small movement I could break it. My muscles tightened, ready to squeeze.

“Jager, don’t.” Jake put his hand on my bicep, but I didn’t loosen my grip.

“You are not getting out of here alive unless I find her.”

“You can’t threaten me like that. I’ll call the police.”

“Not before I break your neck.”

Tagert tried to inhale sharply, but my forearm restricted his airway. He coughed against the restraint.

“Jager, you have cameras set up all over the building, don’t you?” asked Jake.

“Yes,” I answered, not taking my eyes off Tagert. My fingers found the pressure point where I knew I could turn the lights off in his head and they twitched as they hovered over his flesh. But I needed him alive. “But not inside individual offices. The legal department said it went against some sort of office privacy policy.”

“Then let’s wait to see what Christian and Will find on the tapes. If someone abducted Towers, you would have footage of it. Let go of him until Will gets back.”

There was no way I was letting go of this asshole. I didn’t trust him to be an inch away from me. “Call Will. I need to know now.”

Jake reached for his phone and dialed Will’s number. Tagert’s pulse beat rapidly beneath my fingers. He was nervous now.

“Have you found anything on the tapes?” asked Jake. He nodded as he listened to Will’s response. Then he looked at Tagert.

“What did he say?” I asked.

Jake hung up the phone and stared at the man whose life I held in my hands. “He said that Towers was seen walking into his office at 4 p.m. but never came out. Which would make sense since I called him at 6 p.m. and he was still here. But then Will said the cameras caught Tagert walking into Towers’ office at 6:15 p.m. and leaving twenty minutes later. Alone.”

My arms tensed.