Page 37 of Ethan's Command

Before Ethan could answer, a second vehicle pulled in, this one a rugged SUV. Cooper jumped out, his lean frame moving with practiced ease. Beside him, Whiskey and Mojo bounded out of the backseat. Mojo’s sharp eyes immediately scanned thearea. Ethan’s tension eased just a fraction at the sight of his dog. Mojo was more than a partner—he was a lifeline.

“Brought the cavalry,” Cooper said, his tone light but his expression serious. He handed Mojo’s lead to Ethan. “Thought he’d want to stretch his legs.”

Ethan crouched to rub behind Mojo’s ears, the dog’s tail wagging briefly before he settled into an alert stance. “Good boy. You ready to work?” Mojo’s ears perked up as if he understood every word.

“You working this, Nova?” Ethan asked. He knew this wouldn’t fall under her jurisdiction normally and he didn’t want to piss off the local cops. They were going to need all the help they could get.

“I wouldn’t normally but with the death of my two guys in prison and the van linking to them and the Yakuza, I have some leeway on this.”

“Alright, that’s good. We’ll take all the help we can get.” Ethan rose to his feet and faced the group. “Here’s what we know. Liam walked out of the school during recess and got into a black SUV parked outside the gate. He had his backpack and his phone with him. The SUV had no plates, and the windows were tinted so dark we couldn’t see who was inside.”

Nova nodded, pulling out a notepad. “Did he appear to be forced into the vehicle?”

Brooklyn’s voice was faint but steady as she answered. “No. He got in on his own. He must have known whoever was in that SUV. Liam would never just go with a stranger.”

“That narrows things down,” Nova said, jotting a note. “We need to figure out who he’d trust enough to follow. Family? Friends?”

Ethan shook his head. “It could be someone who knew just enough about him to fake familiarity. Liam’s smart, but he’salso a kid. A friendly face and the right words could have been enough.”

Cooper folded his arms. “What about the school guard? Isn’t there usually someone at the gate?”

Brooklyn looked up, her brow furrowing. “Harry’s been there for years. But he’s out sick today.”

“That’s worth checking out,” Ethan said, his voice hardening. “If Harry’s not here, we need to know why. Someone should go to his house and make sure he’s okay.” His gaze locked with Cooper. They were both thinking the same thing. Someone had to make sure Harry really was sick and not just hiding because he was paidnotto be here. “I’ll handle that,” he added, glancing at Mojo. “We’ll take the dog. If something’s wrong, Mojo can help.”

Nova nodded. “Brooklyn, Cooper has been keeping me up to date. You are absolutely sure Liam has no connection to the Yakuza?”

Brooklyn’s face hardened. “Yes,” she hissed. “He’s a twelve-year-old boy. What possible connection could he have?”

“You would be surprised,” was all Nova said but Ethan understood. There was so much in the world that all of them except Brooklyn had been exposed to. Nothing would surprise them anymore. Things that just made them sad.

“Nova, Brooklyn and I spoke to his best friends. These kids aren’t involved.” Ethan sent her a look and she gave him a nod back. He knew she would take him at his word which is what he wanted. No point in wasting time checking out something he had already covered.

“Is there anything else?” Nova asked. “Anything at all?”

Brooklyn shook her head but held a frosty silence.

Nova put her notebook away. “I’m going in to talk to the principal and the head of security. I’ll look at the video and check with the officers that responded.” She met Brooklyn’s gaze.“We’re going to do everything in our power to get your nephew back, Brooklyn. I promise.”

Brooklyn hesitated but appeared to thaw enough to nod. Ethan knew Nova was just doing her job, but it would help if Brooklyn understood that as well.

“Good call,” Cooper said. “Meanwhile, I’ll head back to the comms center and see what I can pull from the traffic cameras. We need to track that SUV before the trail goes cold.”

Nova glanced at her phone screen at an incoming message. “It looks like we’re having a few issues with the phone company, but I’ll follow up on Liam’s phone. If he had it with him, we might be able to trace it or at least get a sense of who he’s been talking to recently.”

Cooper commented, “What about Dave’s Café? We already know someone there tipped off the Yakuza before. It can’t be a coincidence that Liam ended up targeted after being there.”

Brooklyn let out a small yelp of surprise. “You think someone from Dave’s is involved?”

Ethan shrugged. “Let’s just say someone at the café knows more than they’re saying. But, that’s going to take some digging.” He glanced at Cooper. “We’ll hit there after we’re done with Harry but do me a favor and have Rusty and Bellamy standing by at the comms center. I might send a bunch of photos, and I’ll need a fast turnaround on any and all information. I’ll start with the regulars and see where it leads.”

“On it,” Cooper replied, his expression grim. “If someone’s connected to the Yakuza, we’ll find them.”

Nova cleared her throat. “I will pretend I didn’t hear any of what you guys are going to do because all of it should be done by a cop. I know you all won’t stand down and, quite frankly, since this involves a kid, I don’t want you to.”

A tense silence fell over the group, the weight of the situation pressing down on them. Brooklyn stared at the pavement, herhands balled into fists on her lap. Ethan moved closer, standing beside her.

“We’ll find him,” he said quietly. “I won’t stop until we do.”

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