“What do you mean, your hands are tied?” Beverly asked, her arms folded across her chest. “Did you not hear what he just told you? Some megalomaniac just called him and told him that he’d kidnapped his kid and his girlfriend, and you’ll do nothing?”

“Ma’am,” the officer said, facing my sister with his pen and notepad in hand. “Please, stay calm. We received no emergency call from this house, only an alarm. Quite frankly, this looks like a normal break-in. The wife and child could be grocery shopping at this moment, for all we know, and until it’s been more than—”

“Say twenty-four hours, I dare you.” Beverly rolled up her sleeves, and glared at the shorter officer, who was balding and sweaty around the collar.

“Are you threatening me, ma’am? Because that’s illegal.”

“Beverly,” I said, clearing my throat. “It’s no use talking to him about this.”

“What? You’re kidding me. You’re just going to let this happen?” she asked.

“You know I’m not going to do that. But talking to the cops is pointless. This shithead and all the other shitheads are in the pay of Marcus. They’re not going to help us.”

“Sir,” the officer started, but I raised a hand.

“You can leave,” I said. “I don’t know why you even came in the first place.”

The officer hesitated, eyeing first me then my sister. Finally, he turned on his heel and walked off, back toward his cruiser and the other assholes who’d come just to stall us.

“This can’t be happening. They’re not really just going to leave.”

“They will,” I said. “It’s up to us, now. Me, actually. Bev, you should go home.”

“You’re absolutely out of your damn mind if you think that’s going to happen,” she replied. “Riley was my friend first, before you even met her, and Carly’s my niece. I’m going to find Marcus and rip his head off then shit down his throat.” She patted down her jean pockets. “Christ, where are my cigarettes.”

“You should really stop smoking.”

“Yeah,” she said and found them, extracted one and lit it up. “Because now’s the time to do that.” She inhaled deeply and flipped off each of the cruisers as they left. “So, what do we do? Where do we go? How do we find them?”

“They’re in the desert somewhere,” I replied and lifted my phone to stare at it. “That’s our only choice. Head out and find them.”

“In the desert? What desert?”

“Chihuahuan.”

“Dude, that barely counts as a desert. And how do you know they’re out there?”

“Christ, Bev, I don’t have time to explain this shit to you. You’re either in or you’re out. Got it?” I walked to my SUV and unlocked it. “You wanna ride along, fine, but it isn’t going to be easy.”

“Hold up,” she said, and lifted a palm. “We’re just going to go out there, like this?”

This was a waste of time. “What, you’d prefer to grab dinner first? Maybe a movie?”

“Oh my god, there’s no need to be such an asshat,” she snapped. “I’m talking about weapons, bro. We need to arm ourselves.”

She had a point, even if time was short. And Marcus had yet to call me for whatever show he’d planned, thank fuck. What did that mean? Nothing or something, I couldn’t tell.

“Come on,” I said then led her back up the stairs and into the house. The door was still open—what did any of my possessions matter if Riley and Carly weren’t there? I led her up to the study, then to the safe, and unlocked it. Inside was a shotgun and a Glock G19. I took them both, placing the pistol in the back of my pants, and handing the shotgun to my sister.

“You expect me to fire this thing?” she asked. “I’d rather have the pistol.”

“No, I expect you to hold it for me. When last did you visit the damn firing range?”

“Try never.”

“Exactly.” I turned away from the safe, slapping it closed with one hand, and froze at the sight of the PC screen. It was on screensaver, but I had no doubt what I’d see if I switched it on and entered my security code.

The video footage of earlier. Of how it had gone down.

Watching it now would only serve to piss me off more and waste time. And the fact was, I had it, and the cops still hadn’t gone after Marcus. The proof that they were on his side was there. It was us against the goddamn world.

Or at least half of the police force in San Antonio. Fuck, he couldn’t have gotten to them all.

“Bro?”

“Yeah, let’s roll,” I said and walked out the door with a purpose. It paid to be confident, even though I was on fire inside. I couldn’t focus on the thought of losing them, of what it might mean if I didn’t get to them in time.

If my phone rang, and it was Marcus on the other end, laughing, telling me that it was time to watch the show.

My palms broke out in a sweat, but I forced myself to keep walking down the stairs, my mind on the future. On finding them. My daughter, whom I’d given everything for, everything I could, and Riley, whom I’d lied to.

Christ, if I’d just told her the truth about the meeting, if I’d trusted her with that information from the start, I would never have been in this position. She’d probably have stopped me, and she’d have been safe.

We reached the SUV, and I climbed in. Bev did the same laying the shotgun across her lap, then buckling herself into the seat. “So,” she said, “how do I use one of these things?”

I threw back my head and laughed, bitterly.

“Hey, what?!” Bev yelled.

“Leave the guns to me, OK?”

“Is that some kind of sexist shit?”

“No, it’s me not wanting you to blow your head off,” I replied, and started the SUV.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I cut it again, my breath catching in my chest.

“Who is it?” Bev asked quietly.

I squirmed my phone out of my pocket, stared at the screen. Relief shuddered through me so fast and hard I broke out in a goddamn sweat. Clint’s name flashed on the screen. I didn’t have time for it. My finger hovered over the red phone icon, but a scratching in the back of my mind halted me.

Answer it.

I hit the green icon instead. “Clint, where the hell were you?” I asked.

“Sorry, Rome, I couldn’t do it,” he said, and his voice was breathy and low. “Listen, I can’t talk long, man, you need to get out here and fast. Marcus has got your daughter and Riley.”

“I know that. How the hell do you know that?”

“Undercover,” he hissed. “I set them free, gave them a chance, they’re out in the desert now, and if he finds them…”

“Where?”

“Redton. Town named Redton, to the east of San Antonio. Three hours’ drive. Hurry.”

“Three hours?!” Fuck!

“I’ll do what I can to stall things here, man, but you gotta get out here now.”

“Clint, how—?”

“Someone’s coming. I’ve got to go.” He hung up, and the only sound that remained was the thudding of my heart in my own ears.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, and handed the phone to Bev. “You hold that.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Three hours’ drive to where they are, and it seems like my contact in the cops is working undercover to bring them down from the inside.” Which explained why he hadn’t turned up. No doubt they’d be watching him. No way Marcus didn’t know that Clint was a cop.

Which had to mean that there were more cops part of the club, actively.

“Are we going to, uh, go?”

“Yeah,” I said and started the engine. “Open up the GPS on my phone and plot a course for Redton, Bev. Quick.”

She followed the command, muttering under her breath and tapping on the screen frantically.

“What’s taking so long?”

“I’m not good with technology, OK?”

“Bev.” The warning tone was in my voice. I had a hint of hope now, a sniff of it. If Riley and Carly could get out in that desert and stay there, stay hidden, I’d be able to get to them in time. Come on, Riley, you can do this. Run. Run and keep my daughter safe. For god’s sake.

“There, got it!” Bev flashed the screen at me.

“Proceed straight ahead. At the end of the road, turn right,” the automated voice said.

I followed the instruction, grinding my teeth, now, and praying to god that she was safe. That they were both safe.

I’m coming. Just hold on.