My heart drops once Sebastian hangs up. Something tells me that Elijah’s right and Simone and my baby aren’t with Nathan. How did they pull that off? And why would he willingly be a decoy for her?

I can’t begin to understand either of their crazy, but I need to do what I can to figure out where she might go.

“You know her apartment is too obvious, right?” Cass sits down beside me on the bed and taps on the notepad in my hands. “I can tell you’re trying to figure out where she went by staring at those texts she sent.”

I lift the notepad. “She sent them for a reason. Who does that in a getaway car?”

Cass pushes her hair over her shoulder, then arches her back. “You’re attributing rational behavior to two people who are obviously unhinged from reality.”

“That’s not helping me.”

“Sorry,” she says, biting her lip. “What about your other notes? Is there anything in there that might help now that you know Simone is the person behind all of this?”

“Thermal scan is live!” Elijah says, his excitement drawing my attention. “Now to just hit the car with it once it passes and…got ‘em!” He shakes his head, his voice dropping. “There’s only a driver in the car. No one else.” He looks at Den. “Text Sebastian and let him know.”

I put my hands over my face to block out everything. Squeezing my eyes shut, I cling to the image of my baby’s face, her soft body and her smell. I soak them in, so I don’t completely freak out over the fact we have no idea where Simone is with our child. In the darkness, I can picture her tiny button nose and blue eyes. And all that sweet red hair. My heart aches and a sob rises up in my throat. Elijah’s voice intrudes with things I can’t control, ruining my peaceful moment. I move my hands to my ears, trying to shut him out. To shut it all the hell out.

Cass is trying. I feel her hands on mine, trying to pull me back. I don’t want reality to intrude. I don’t want to hear any of them. I want my baby back. Safe in my arms like she was before. I wish I could keep them all out, soundproof the hell out of my consciousness.

Soundproof.

My back suddenly goes ramrod straight and I jump up, rushing over to Elijah’s laptop. “Move, Elijah.”

He gives me a surprised look, then lifts his hands from the keyboard and takes a step back.

I type in one sentence in an Internet search: Can you use recycled cotton textiles for soundproofing?

The first five items that pop up are different companies that offer acoustic paneling to soundproof rooms. Examples given for uses of their panels: school classrooms, sound booths and music recording studios. I click on a few products, appreciating the laptop’s bigger screen as I scroll through the images.

I look at Den. “Cass is right. Simone won’t go to her apartment. She knows we’ll look for her there. If she hasn’t left town, I think I know where she might have taken our baby.”

Den starts to pull his phone out, but I hold my hand up. “Don’t call Sebastian. He’s in the opposite direction. We’re going right now. Let Sebastian stop Nathan. At least then if I’m wrong, Sebastian can get him to tell us what her plans were or where she might’ve gone.”

He puts his phone away. “Trevor and I will go. Elijah can stay here with you.”

I fold my arms and frown. “You work for me, Den. No one else is going but you and me. Extra men mean more chances to alert her that we’re there. Or worse, spook her.”

“You just had a baby,” Cass says, her expression filled with worry as she steps between the door and me. “You can’t go running around right now.”

“My child was taken.” I flick a determined look between the three of them. I can tell by their expressions they’re worried. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back. Move out of my way!”

As Cass steps aside and I start toward the doorway, Elijah says, “At least tell me where you’re going so I can inform Sebastian.”

I turn back and shake my head. “No, because once Sebastian knows, he’ll abandon Nathan. I’m not taking a chance with my child’s life. I’m doubling the odds one of us can get to her. The moment Sebastian catches Nathan, text us and we’ll send you the address.”

“Sebastian needs to know—”

“If you say anything to Sebastian before I say you can, you’re done at BLACK Security. I don’t give a damn how good you are. Is that clear?”

Elijah’s eyebrows shoot up. “Understood.”

“I’m coming with you,” Cass says.

“Fine, but don’t try to block me again,” I say, retrieving my coat from the closet near the door.

Swallowing, she nods, then jerks her own jacket from the back of a chair and follows Den and me out.