Page 113 of Savior

“Does she have her cell phone?” Jimmy asked.

“She left everything—phone, purse, keys—fuck, even the damn car was still sitting in the garage! We have to find her, she’s—” Nate mashed his fist to his mouth, suddenly looking a little green. “She’s pregnant.”

Kate was going to have a baby.

I lurched forward just as a pair of strong arms locked around mine. “It’s okay, babe,” Zane said, directing me up to the house. “Let’s sit for a minute.”

“But Kate,” I protested weakly as he led me over to the porch swing. “Who would take her?”

His boots came down against the wood, putting the swing into motion. “We’re gonna figure that out, but I need you to sit here and stay calm—”

“I’m not sitting here doing nothing when we don’t know where she is, Zane.”

“Dakota.” He sighed. “Just let me and Jimmy handle this—”

“No!” The vice around my chest seemed to be tightening, leaving me lightheaded. I forced myself to take several deep breaths before continuing. “You and I work as a team, Big Guy.”

Zane rocked forward suddenly, tilting the swing as he rested his forearms against his thighs. He ran a hand through his long hair and worked his jaw back and forth. “No.”

It was just above a whisper, in a tone that left no room for arguing. We sat in silence while I processed the pronouncement, and he worked to get his emotions under control.

“We haven’t talked about it, but the night of the fire put things in perspective for me, Cap,” he said quietly. “As your husband, my job is to keep you safe. It’s a job I take seriously. When I was trying to get you in the truck that night, you fought back. You would’ve willingly put yourself in the line of fire without a fucking weapon.”

“Zane,” I placed my hand across his massive thigh, remembering our first conversation after I stole the quadriceps machine right out from under him. “I didn’t think. I just saw Mike, and I knew I had to try to stop them.”

“You didn’t think. In my line of work, if you don’t think, you end up dead.” He dropped his hand down to cover mine. “I had to go thirty-one years without you. Don’t make me go a lifetime.”

The swing rocked back abruptly as he stood up, and I was forced to grip the chain to keep from falling off. “Hey, Big Guy,” I called as he reached the edge of the porch.

Zane’s shoulders stiffened, but he turned until I could see his profile. “Yeah?”

“I love you too.” He exhaled a soft laugh, and I added, “But I’m not sitting this one out. She needs me.”

He jerked his chin and moved down the steps, each stomp sending vibrations all along the porch.

The screen door flew open, slamming against the siding like a bullet leaving a gun, and I scrambled again to keep myself on the swing.

“What happened?” Lauren asked.

I watched Zane retreat toward the barn before giving her the rundown.

She curled her arms overhead and blew out a breath. “Why? Why take Kate? It makes no sense.”

That was what I’d been trying to piece together. I felt like the answer was staring me right in the face. I slipped off the swing and paced the length of the porch, turning Nate’s words over in my head. “The page—Jimmy!” I called across the yard. “Can we trace the page?”

He looked up. “Not if it’s a one-way pager. It’s a passive receiver only. No GPS, no location. It’s okay, Dakota. We’re going to find your sister.”

If Mike were here, he would’ve at least pretended to listen to what I had to say. He probably would’ve even jotted it down in his little notebook, just in case.

That was it.

I had to take what I knew and make a timeline. “Lauren, do you have some paper and a pen?”

While she got me what I needed, I focused on clearing my mind. So, maybe I couldn’t shoot a gun or join a biker gang.

Maybe my purpose was to lead the entire operation.

“Here you go.” Lauren handed me a pen and paper. “Making a grocery list? If so, can you put coffee on there?”

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