Page 83 of Into the Shadows

“At the station. What’s wrong?”

“I think Lottie’s in trouble. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” I don’t give him time to respond. I jump into my car and head straight to the police station. It’s right in the middle of town. There’s no missing the big building. I park in front and am greeted by three scowling men. Cooper, Todd, and Michael stand in the lobby of the station with their hands on their hips.

“What do you know?” Cooper asks.

I give him the rundown, explaining what Lottie was up to today and our countermeasures to attempt to keep her safe.

“She’d never have gone off somewhere random without telling us. She knows how much we’d worry,” Michael says while Cooper curses at the stupidity of Lottie’s choices. I don’t exactly disagree with Coop, but there was no stopping her, which I’m sure he’s fully aware of. “She was either knocked out or threatened enough to comply.”

“What do we know about this Candace woman?” Todd asks.

“I had Jackson run all four of the former students when she first met with them. They’re squeaky clean,” I tell him.

“Doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous,” Cooper points out.

I tilt my head to the side. “True. What are we going to do?”

“All three of us can’t race to Greensboro. Not only are we on shift, but I don’t think the GPD would care for us moving in without any warning,” Michael points out.

“Why do you have to be so logical? Your dad has the same annoying trait,” Cooper grumbles. “But you’re right. Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. I’ve got a contact at the GPD. I’ll call her while you and Teddy drive to Greensboro. We’ll bring in an off-duty officer to cover your shift, Michael.”

We both nod. “Call us when you’ve got a plan with your contact. I’ll send you the address Lottie’s tracker is pinging at.”

“Good luck, you two. Bring our girl home.” Cooper gives me a serious look.

“I intend to.”

Chapter 46

Lottie

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper when Candace whimpers. The wound on her arm is bleeding too much. I tie the fabric from my shirt sleeve a second time, and she grimaces. That should suffice until I can make a plan to get us out of this. She’ll need stitches soon.

The dirty warehouse we were marched through is the perfect backdrop for nefarious dealings. The huge space is filled with junk. Candace cut her arm on a piece of metal she tripped over. I hope she’s up-to-date on her tetanus shots.

Not helpful, brain.

Despite the threats, we’ve both remained relatively unharmed. I have no idea what he wants from us. He’s got us locked in this dingy office with no furniture and a worrying case of mold growing on the walls.

Okay, think, Lottie.How do we get out of this without putting ourselves in even more danger? First, I need to figure out what he wants. I might be able to negotiate with him. Except…he’s gone to extreme measures to get me here. The likely scenario is he’ll kill us for interfering with his plans. Granted, I’m not entirely sure what those plans are.

“What are we going to do, Charlie?”

My pseudonym throws me for a second before I realize Candace is talking to me. “My name is Lottie. Well, Charlotte, but my friends and family call me Lottie.”

Candace’s lips twitch. “That fits you so much better than Charlie. Nice to officially meet you, Lottie. Now, what are we going to do?”

“I’m working on that.” A strategy is forming, but it’s insane. I doubt Candace will like it, and I know my dad would be screaming at me to do something different. The problem with his voice in my head is that it’s also the one creating the plan. It’s exactly what he’d do in this situation as well.

I don’t tell Candace what I’m planning. I have no idea if he’s got listening devices in here. I also don’t mention that I shoved my phone into my underwear before he got us into his car. He took my bag, which had all my electronics in it. I’m guessing he assumed my cell was in there too, when he didn’t find it in my pockets.

The door bursts open, and Candace and I flinch at the sound. She holds her hands in the air in surrender, while I keep my stance loose, ready for anything.

“Glad you can follow at least one of my instructions.” His smile is patronizing. He told us to stay in here andbe good. The asshole.

“What do you want, Chris?” I’m still trying to reconcile the fact that the investigative journalist I interviewed a couple of months ago kidnapped me.

His smile drops. Anger and bitterness pour out of him as he stares at me. “You know I worked on Crystal’s case for almost five years?”

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