Nate leaned against the wall on the edge of the Richmonds’ living room.

He felt sick. Exhaustion and hunger were tugging at him, but there was no way in hell he could rest.

Sally had been taken.

The vibration of anxiety and disbelief in the air was suffocating, but Nate couldn’t make himself leave the room.

He’d spent the afternoon questioning people in the small town by the lake house. One old guy had seen Oscar’s car drive through. He didn’t know which way it had headed after passing by, but he was pretty certain there was no woman with him. It had taken every ounce of self-control Nate possessed not to lose it on the spot.

If Sally hadn’t been seen in the car, it meant a few things—either she was lying down in the back seat, tied up in the trunk, or abandoned somewhere, most likely the surrounding forest.

All three options would’ve been against her will, which meant Oscar had physically forced her into one of those scenarios. It meant he’d hurt her, and Nate wanted to kill him.

He’d driven back to the lake house and searched the area until darkness got the better of him. He was satisfied that Sally hadn’t been left somewhere around the house, and then he’d gotten a call from Blaine, letting him know that the Richmonds had received a phone call.

The phone call.

Nate had actually cried with relief as Blaine relayed the details—Sally was alive and the kidnapper was demanding one million dollars for her return.

He’d balked at the number, but then Blaine had only enraged him more when he quietly mentioned, “The family thinks Oscar’s being held hostage too.”

“What?” Nate snapped.

“The kidnapper put him on the line. He was crying and wailing, begging them to pay the money.”

“But…he’s the kidnapper!”

Blaine had sighed. “The Richmonds don’t think so.”

Oscar the Fucking Fake had really twisted the knife blade with that one. Nate had charged to the Richmonds’ house and, within minutes of walking in, managed to start a full-blown shouting match with Michael and Yvonne. They wouldn’t believe Nate’s story, even after he showed them the bullet embedded in his Kevlar.

“Oscar would never do a thing like that!” Michael bellowed. “It must’ve been someone else who shot you, from the roof or something, and they’ve stolen Sally and him away.” His voice was raw and raspy. “I trust that man.”

“Well, you shouldn’t. He shot me in the chest and stole your daughter!” Nate raged.

“Why? Why would he do a thing like that? He loves her.”

“He’s a fake, Michael! Are you blind? He’s been playing you all. None of us saw it coming.” A lump formed in Nate’s throat, guilt swamping him. He’d let her go. He’d let Sally kick him out of her life. He hadn’t even put up a fight, and she’d fallen straight into the arms of a vulture.

Sweet, trusting Sally. She saw the best in everybody.

Nate wanted to double over and unleash a gut-wrenching moan, but he held himself together, eyeing Michael’s pointer finger as it stabbed through the air at him.

“Oscar’s just as much a victim here as she is. He has no family. No one else to look after him. We’ll pay the money and get them both back. And this will all be over.”

“You’re delusional,” Nate spat. “He’s been lying to you this whole time. Why won’t you believe me?”

“Why should I believe you!” he thundered. “You broke my daughter’s heart! You’re the criminal here!”

Nate stumbled back like he’d been slapped in the face. Breaths punched out of him as he fought to rein in his anger. Blaine snatched his arm when his fingers started to curl into fists, and Kellan stepped between them.

“This isn’t helping anyone.” Kellan doused the fight with his cool, calm voice. “We need to deal with the information we have and focus on getting Sally back.”

Blaine led Nate to the edge of the room.

“You need food,” Blaine murmured. “And how’s your head?”

Nate gave it an absent-minded rub. “It’s a little achy, but nothing I can’t handle.”

“I’m heading out to get you coffee. I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”

Nate nodded while Blaine turned and asked if anyone else needed anything. No one responded, so he slipped quietly out of the room. Kellan shifted into Blaine’s spot and gave Nate the silent support he needed.

“You believe me, right?” Nate whispered.

“Hell yeah, I do.” Kellan gave him a sideways glance. “I’ve got Jess and Higgs doing background work for me at the station. I found a picture of Oscar on the Richmond Construction website, and they’re running it through every facial recognition database they can get their hands on. That’s going to take some time, though.”

Nate gritted his teeth, hating time with a passion. He needed results now.

Kellan’s smile was pained. “I’ve been trying to get more out of Michael, but he’s unapproachable right now. He’s convinced his star employee is a victim here.”

Nate’s nostrils flared as he glared across the room at Sally’s father.

“Give him a little leeway. His daughter’s missing and he’s only just holding it together,” Kellan murmured. “Realistically, it doesn’t matter if Oscar’s yanking their chain. We’re the ones who need to know the truth. It would help if they weren’t delusional, but we can work around it. All that matters is getting Sally back.”

Bile surged up Nate’s throat. He closed his eyes and rubbed the sharp ache between his eyebrows.

Kellan squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll get her back, Nate.”

“In one piece?” he croaked.

Kellan blinked and looked away from him, his voice husky. “One way or another you’ll be getting her back. Just focus on that.”

People being taken was a touchy subject for Kellan. His daughter had disappeared years ago. There’d never been a ransom call or even a chance of her return. She’d disappeared without a trace, and it had haunted Kellan ever since.

Nate couldn’t think of anything to say to comfort him. How could he?

He had a chance of restoring his heart. Kellan’s had been ripped to shreds.

Leaning his head back against the wall, Nate stared up at the ceiling and kept playing the waiting game.

Another call would be coming soon. He wanted to be here for it. After that, he’d take off and get back to the station to help Higgs and Jessica.

The kidnapper had said he’d phone back with instructions for the drop. Michael had demanded proof of Sally’s well-being; a muffled cry in the background of the first call was insufficient. He wanted to talk to her, hear her voice.

Kellan coached them through what they should say when the guy called back.

Nate clenched his jaw while he listened, internally cursing Oscar and imagining what he’d do to him when he got his hands on the guy.

Minutes ticked by with aching slowness. The silence in the room was heavy and depressing. Annabelle sat in the corner of the couch, sniffling quietly while shredding a tissue. Xavier’s arm was around her. He was staring straight ahead, his expression switching between black rage and lost despair. Nate knew exactly how he felt.

Yvonne paced like a caged lioness, her long finger tapping against her elbow. It was a rhythmic movement that soon became an irritant.

Nate wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand around not doing something.

And then Michael’s phone dinged with a message.

Everyone jerked to attention, gaping at him as he read the screen.

“I have to check my email.”

“Can you do that on your laptop, please?” Kellan said. “It’s a bigger screen, and it’ll be easier for us all to read the message that way.

Michael robotically put down the phone and moved to his computer.

Kellan snatched the phone off the table and read the message, then moved behind the couch to gaze down at Michael’s laptop.

Nate joined him, his stomach pooling with dread when Michael clicked on a link that went straight to a live video feed.