Page 80 of In The Trenches (Owens Protective Services)

“Hey, he shot me first. It’s not my fault he went down easier than me.”

Slamming the door, I slammed my foot down on the gas, burning rubber as I took off after the car. Taking a hard right, I searched for the car, but it was nearly impossible when every fucking car in the area was black.

“Tell me you have something for me,” I snapped. Fuck, I was angry with myself for not going in with her.

“Dash is trying to pull up the feed now, but there aren’t a lot of cameras in the area. Head back here so we can put a plan together.”

“Fuck that. I’ll find them on my own.”

“Fox, you’re not going in alone. We don’t even know who has her.”

“Then I’ll just keep driving around until I find them,” I argued, knowing it was a stupid point. Still, she was my responsibility and I let her get taken.

“Fox, get your ass back here. That’s an order.”

“Yeah, I’ve never been too good at following those,” I grinned right before I hung up.

27

CASH

“It’s been two fucking hours,”I growled at Dash. “Tell me you have something.”

I was pacing the IT room, trying to keep my cool, but Betty was burning a hole in my pocket. I wasn’t sure who was responsible for snatching her, but it could be literally anyone. That asshole she worked for was practically going out of his mind when I met him. Then there were the five men she walked out of the building with. God only knows who they worked for and what they wanted. And then there was the fact that she was on the run from someone. I should have dug into that further, but I put it off because I was too focused on the disaster I was currently working. Now Beth was in the wind, and I only had myself to blame.

“The last known location of the vehicle is fifty miles south of here. But that’s taking us into the country, and there are literally a million different ways they could have taken her. Without knowing who took her and cross-referencing properties they own, I don’t know how the fuck to find her.”

“What about lo-jack?”

“Boss,” he turned to me like I was stupid. “Trust me, I’ve thought of everything I possibly could. She’s in the wind, and unless we find out who’s behind it, we’re fucked.”

I started pacing the room again, trying to figure out a way around this. “Let’s eliminate those we know about then. Have you had any luck identifying the men she walked out of the facility with?”

“A few possible hits, but not a positive identification yet.”

“Any of them matching the name Seth?”

“Nope.”

Sighing, there was only one choice. “Alright, what about the boss…Hayes?”

“Why would he take her?”

“I have no fucking clue, but he’s the only other person connected to her that we know of. Either we eliminate him or connect him to her in some way. I want you staying here digging into all property he’s connected to in any way. I’ll grab a team and head out,” I said as I rushed to the door.

“To where?”

I turned back to him as I pulled the door open. “To pay Hayes a visit.”

I walked out and shouted at Eli, who was at the end of the hall. “Round everyone up. We’re going hunting.”

A sadistic grin twisted his lips as he nodded. “On it, boss.”

I walked to my office and thought of putting Betty on the pedestal, but I always carried her with me on a mission. Instead, I walked to my personal gun safe and pulled out my rifle bag, grabbing extra ammo as I slung my case over my back. Checking the magazine on my pistol, I slammed it back into place and holstered it.

Walking back out, Eli’s team followed by Thumper’s walked with me out the front doors to the parking lot. I watched the shadows as we moved to our vehicles, but I didn’t notice anything out of place. Eli slid into the front seat beside me, handing me a comm as he slammed the door.

“Who are we hunting, boss?”

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