Page 95 of The Black Trilogy

“Welcome back. You want coffee? Something to eat?”

The accent said New York, and the clothes said hooker.

“Should I know you?”

“Probably not. We met last night, but you were pretty much out of it. I’m Dan, and this is Nick.”

Luke sized Nick up and found himself wanting. Nick looked as if he’d just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine whereas Luke had only graced the inside pages.

“Why am I here?” he asked. “Thanks for the offer of coffee, but I need to get home.”

Every time Luke thought about Tia, a ripple of fear went through him. If his heart hammered any harder, he’d have a coronary.

“Ash brought you. She asked us to help with your problem.”

“My problem?” Luke played dumb. The kidnapper had said to keep his mouth shut. “What problem?”

“With your sister? How bad was that bang on the head?”

Luke’s knees buckled, and he collapsed onto a stool.

“You okay? Don’t worry—we’ve investigated kidnappings before.” She took a bite out of a pastry, calm as anything.

A groan escaped Luke’s lips. “Are you the police? The man who took Tia said he’d kill her if the police got involved.”

“Relax, we work for a private security firm.”

Before Dan could elaborate, Nick broke in. “Nice though this chat is, we have to get to work. We need all the information we can get to find your sister.”

“I’m not sure about this.”

“The way I see it, you don’t have a lot of choice. I don’t know how much you remember about last night, but you nearly got shot in the head. Trust me when I say you can’t do this alone.”

Ever swim out of your depth as a kid and panic when your feet couldn’t touch the bottom? Luke was just surprised he hadn’t drowned yet. He needed help, and he needed it badly.

Anyone who could afford this place had to be good at their job, right?

“What do we do now?”

A look passed between the pair. Relief? Suspicion?

“First, we need to work out why Tia was taken,” Dan said. “That’s the key to finding her.”

“But I don’t know why. Honestly, I don’t.”

Dan got up and poured another mug of coffee from a filter jug then slid it in Luke’s direction.

“Has anyone threatened you?” Nick asked. “Or Tia? Any problems at work?

“Nothing. This came out of the blue.” Luke sipped, hoping the caffeine would give him some much-needed energy.

“Have you noticed anybody following you? Seen any cars parked up in strange places?”

“No and no. Believe me, I’ve been thinking this through myself.”

“I thought as much. Ash would have noticed even if you didn’t.”

Ash again. “How is she involved in this?”

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