Page 116 of Gambler's Fallacy

We’d been dealing with an unruly guest, one who was rich enough that he had to be handled delicately.

“Well, standing there isn’t going to fix it,” Havoc hisses. “Whatever.” He keeps running down the hall toward the parking garage. We’re on the third floor, though, and I have no clue which parking floor they’d all been on.

I pick up the pace. Once we’re in the garage, Havoc looks at the door to the stairwell. “Caleb parks on the first floor, right?”

“Yeah,” I say, grabbing the door to the stairwell instead of heading for the elevators. “Let’s go.”

Our steps echo loudly as we descend the stairs, and the sound is weirdly unnerving. All the while, my thoughts run in a loop. IsConnie okay? Is Seven? What will I do if something’s happened to either one of them?

I burst into the garage at the first floor, already taking off at a solid run as I head for Caleb’s personal parking space. A man I recognize as Caleb’s driver is standing over a fallen figure on the ground, and my heart races even faster as I get a good look at her.

“Connie!” My relief at seeing her fades quickly, though, as I realize no one else is here. “Where are they?” I demand.

The guy startles upright. “Shit. Vortex. I don’t know. I was on a call with my wife, and then I heard a scream. Some guy knocked this girl to the ground, and Mr. Spade and… uh, his boyfriend got into a van?—”

Havoc grabs the driver. “And you fucking let them?”

The driver lets out a startled sound and raises his arms to defend his face. “I’m sorry!”

I let Havoc deal with him, focusing instead on Connie as she groans. “Connie. Are you okay? What happened?” I help her sit up.

“Sebby?” she mumbles. “Sebby, they took your boyfriend.”

“Is your head okay?” I ask, ignoring the other — major — problem for the moment. “Shit. I need to call an ambulance for you.”

There’s no one I can call to find Seven or Caleb, though. That’s all on me and Havoc.

Even though Connie tries to tell me she’s fine, I can feel a lump on her head. There’s blood, too, and even though I know head wounds bleed profusely, I’m not taking any risks. I dial 911, quickly walking the dispatcher through the situation.

For all that my instincts are screaming at me to go after Seven, I’m not going to lose Connie, too. No matter how stubborn she is, I’m not going to let her skip seeing a doctor.

I wrap my arms around her and squeeze tightly. “Fuck, Connie. Don’t scare me like that again.”

“I wasn’t trying to,” Connie mumbles, but she hugs me back. “I kept thinking about the fight. About how I didn’t want to die without talking to you again, or…” She trails off, sobbing.

I relax the grip I have on her, but I don’t let go of her. “You’re not going to die. Everything is going to be okay.”

Except Seven isn’t okay. Seven is gone, and the fact that Caleb is with him doesn’t help.

“I know,” she sniffles. “You’re the one acting dumb.”

I huff out a laugh. “The ambulance will be here soon, okay?” I glance at the driver, realizing I have no idea what he and Havoc have been saying. “We need to find him.”

Havoc curses. “A fucking catering van. Not that it matters. We’ve got the tracker.” He pulls his phone out and taps over to the app.

“Bet you’re glad we did that now,” I mutter.

Havoc glares at me. “It’s still fucking creepy and invasive. I don’t see Caleb with one.”

“Yeah, well, people don’t have a hard-on for kidnapping him,” I snap. “Just be glad we have it. Where are they?”

“They’re heading out of the city, I think,” Havoc says.

“Let’s go,” I say, fighting back my guilt. “Connie, we have to go.” I glance at Caleb’s driver. “Stay with her until the ambulance arrives.”

The driver nods. “Of course, Vortex.”

“Sebby!” Connie says as I turn to jog toward my car.

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