Page 61 of Love on the Run

Quinn walked up to them, snapping off his sunglasses once he reached the shade of the porch, revealing eyes of a strange, pale blue. His gaze was sharp, taking in virtually everything of his surroundings, including the bullet holes in the building and in the people. He handed a business card to Jake, but looked past him to where Ty stood.

“And who are you?”

“Tyler Holt, LAPD. Narcotics.”

“A little far from your jurisdiction, isn’t it?”

“Personal favor,” Ty said smoothly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“To who?”

“Me,” Jake interjected shortly.

“You’re Brand?”

“’Fraid so.”

“And where’s Miss Reed?” Quinn pressed, his pale eyes boring into Jake.

“That’s a very good question,” Jake said quietly, his hand tightening around the post he was leaning on. He pocketed Quinn’s card.

“You lost my witness?”

“She was taken.”

“When did you last see her?”

“When one of Foster’s men shot me a few hours ago,” Ty said flatly. “They took her, presumably to Foster.”

“Back to LA?” Quinn frowned. Jake could practically see him working out logistics in his head.

“Probably not. Ty overheard them mention a place nearby. We think we know which one they’re talking about.”

“Then we might have a chance to find her before he kills her,” Quinn noted, with clinical detachment. “Okay, give me a rundown on this place.”

Jake told him the details of the layout as best he could remember it. The hotel itself, the property, even the lay of the land.

“Big place, hostage situation, and they have a head start.” Quinn shook his head. “I think we’ll need to call for back up.”

“We already did. And it’s not a hostage situation. It’s a kidnapping. He won’t trade her; he wants her dead.”

“You have a point there. Still, we need more men. How many does Foster have with him?”

“At least three we saw, and probably one or two more, plus Foster himself.”

“At worst, a two to one disadvantage,” said Quinn. “I don’t like it.”

“I don’t care if you don’t like it. We still don’t have the time to wait for you to bring in more Feds,” Jake insisted.

“Hey, we got people close by,” Ty reminded them. “Jake’s officers are already on their way. They can help by containing the perimeter, and they’ll be able to radio back to us if they see anyone.”

“Good idea,” Jake nodded, reaching for his phone.

“Hold up, even with some of your small town cops, that still leaves only the three of us to do the dirty work.” It was clear Quinn thought he was the only real professional in the area.

“Army Rangers,” Ty nodded his head toward Jake. “Rangers,” he repeated, indicating himself, “and you.” He nodded skeptically to Quinn. “We can handle this.”

“But you’ve already been hurt,” the other man objected.

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