Page 30 of Special Agent Jennie

Chapter Twenty-three

Driving like he was in the Indy 500, Kane arrived in time to see Lance pacing in front of his house. Opening the window, he yelled for the younger officer and waited until he’d gotten into the truck beside him.

“What the fuck is going on, Lance? You wrote that Lisa has been kidnapped…?”

“Yeah, from the bar we were at. I’m pretty sure two of your friends are involved. Do you know where they might have taken her?”

“Yeah, hold on. There’s a clubhouse they often hang out at. What the hell happened?”

“She’d gone to the washroom and must have left out the back door. I’m thinking she was headed back to your house to get her phone. She’d been really upset that she’d lost it when she came out the window.”

“I found it on the floor. I figured she’d been hiding in there, listening to the boys, probably making another video. But when I followed Ham who’d gotten turned around from the bathroom, she’d disappeared. I saw the curtains were torn and hanging so I figured she’d gotten out quickly. But I had to steer the fool away from the room and possibly seeing her. By the time I could return to check, she’d left.”

“Yeah, well, her stomach got torn up a bit from the wooden sill, so I talked her into going to the Mini Mart for bandages and then having a drink at the bar. I figured you wouldn’t want her to go back to your place with those losers still there.”

“Yeah, except I got rid of them as soon as I realized she was around, and they headed to the closest bar… most likely the same one you took Lisa to.”

“Jesus! Then my suspicions were right. Those really were the dudes that had been to your place. I wasn’t sure. From my car, I couldn’t make out their faces clearly. But now I’m positive. Two of them grabbed Lisa. Again, I couldn’t see much from the front window of the joint. All I saw was the first creep with the longer hair and beard, the skinny asshole, talking to a person in shadow… I figured it was one from the same group who’d gone out back and passed out. Then the other guy came out, the dark-haired, nerdy-looking fellow with the beige cap to match his pants, and he got involved. Next thing I saw was them forcing a body into their car. That’s when I saw her face. By the time I realized it was Lisa, they’d driven away. We’ve gotta find them.”

“Hang on. It’ll take a few minutes to get to the clubhouse. Let’s hope the drunken bastards don’t kill her and themselves on the way. Hamster was already pissed when he left my place and Gordie, the nerdy one, had a shitload of drinks too. He just holds his liquor better.”

“How far is this place?”

“I know a shortcut. Hopefully, they won’t have arrived much before we do.”

Lance glanced at Kane and saw the man’s fierce expression. Suddenly, he understood that Kane might have just found out he had a daughter, but he looked very much like a man stressed and at the end of his rope. If he were to be asked for one word to describe his cool-headed boss at this moment, it would be… terrified.

***

Kane felt like he was sitting on shards of glass. No way would he be able to relax or take a whole breath until he saw the car and knew he’d made the right choice for where he figured Gordie would take a hostage they meant to hurt. It had to be a place away from others and the clubhouse fit the bill.

As strong as he always was in tough times – others had called him Rocky because he never gave up and never showed fear – right now he felt like a child who’d broken his only toy. How could he survive if Lisa was hurt by the very men he’d been handling, playing them as if he belonged with the insane pack?

How could Jennie ever forgive him if her daughter were ruined or worse, killed? Funny how he thought of Lisa as her daughter… not his. As if he had any right to think of her as anyone who belonged to him in any way… and yet he did. She mattered more than his own life. His daughter needed him, and he didn’t care what he had to do to be there for her for the first time in her life. Blood running cold, his muscles felt like they would break through the tightening skin.

Please God…

Screeching around the last corner in the road, his headlights caught the empty-looking front of the building, and his heart skidded to a stop.

No car.

Oh Lord, no!

Fuck!!

Saliva built in his mouth and tears spurted to his eyes.

Then he heard Lance’s words.

“Look, they parked behind those trees.”

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