Page 55 of Rescued Faith

Seriously. Where could they have gone? There were too many people blocking the way. There. Penny finally cut through the crowd enough to see.

Olivia must’ve been knocked down, because she was lying on the ground with Emma sitting on top of her with a fistful of hair in one hand and the other poised to punch. Tony stood over them both, trying to yank Emma off. Dancers didn’t even seem to care, though a few crowded around the spectacle cheering or laughing.

“Where’s Sosa?” Penny didn’t even know who was listening. She and Jude reached Olivia at the same time. Jude helped Tony contain Emma, who continued to thrash and scream.

“Get off me!”

Penny set down her radio and helped Olivia up. “Are you okay?”

She grunted. “She caught me by surprise, shoved me so hard I lost my balance and fell backward. Stupid high heels. I knocked Anthony over. The next thing I knew, Sosa was gone.” She sounded mad. Probably mad at herself more than anything.

“We have to find him.” Penny ground her molars together as she studied the darkest edges of the room. No Sosa. Jude and Tony had Emma secured. Finally.

“We need to move her.” Tony cinched the cuffs around Emma’s wrists while Jude held her. They had their hands full. She wasn’t going anywhere willingly.

“Use your mic,” Penny told Olivia. “See if Izan and Bryce saw anything on the monitors.”

Olivia did as she asked. Paused. “Izan says they can’t see anything but black screens right now. She must’ve broken the camera.”

“Does he know the layout?”

Olivia relayed the question and waited. “He said there’s a back exit by the restrooms. He didn’t see Sosa out front.”

“We split up. I’ll go this way to the back exit. You take the front.”

With a quick nod, Olivia was off. Penny studied the crowd as she quickly moved back toward the bar and the restrooms. The long dark hallway had a few women leaning against the wall, waiting in line.

“Have you seen a man come through here?” Penny asked the group.

“Honey, all the guys are out there on the dance floor. Nice try but you’re not cutting in this line.” A woman in a blue dress rolled her eyes and went back to picking at her nails.

Penny ran past the line and shoved open the men’s restroom. Empty. Figured. She ignored the gasps and comments from the ladies as she turned the corner to a back storage area. The exit. She reached for the crash bar when her training kicked in.

Where had she put her radio? Sosa could be waiting outside to take out anyone who walked through this door. It’s what she would do. She needed backup.

For the first time in a long time she could admit it might be nice to have someone watching her back. Maybe not do this alone. But she was losing time. He could be getting away. Still, better to be alive than stupid. She called Jude. As soon as he answered, she spoke over him. “Anyone have eyes on the boyfriend?”

“Negative.”

“Where are you?”

“Inside still. Emma is putting up quite the scene. Screaming for an ambulance. Where are you?”

“Back exit.”

“Don’t go out there alone. I’ll be there in twenty seconds.” He ended the call.

It had to be the longest twenty seconds ever, but eventually Jude ran toward her, gun out and pointed low. Why did she wish it were Bryce instead?

She shook herself.Buck up, Pen.Pulled her own weapon out of the holster hidden under her jacket.

“On the count of three?” she asked him. They’d practiced this numerous times. She went low and to the right. He would sweep to the left.

At his quick nod, she counted. “One, two, three!”

She pushed the door open and swung to the right. A rush of air as Jude brushed past her. The back parking lot was still. Quiet. A handful of parked cars and a couple of streetlights were the only things in sight.

“I’ll go around this way to the front,” Jude said. Penny turned in the opposite direction.

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