At eleven o’clock Sunday morning, Grayson pulled into the parking lot of a rundown motel Gibson’s text had specified, wired for sound and driving one of the beaters his team used for undercover work. Rex Gibson was standing next to his vehicle, a silver Corvette ZR1 with racing stripes, talking on his phone.

“Sound good?” Grayson muttered as he parked, pulling down the slouchy knit hat he wore to cover his earbud. A faded long-sleeved T-shirt, ripped jeans, and short boots completed his undercover attire.

Eli’s voice rang out in his ear. “Loud and clear.”

When Grayson unfolded his lanky body from his car and approached, Gibson ended his call and slipped the phone in his pocket.

“Are we on?” Grayson asked. “Do you have a picture of the girl?”

“About that.” Gibson rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Just got a text from my client. He wants someone else for the job.”

Grayson froze. “What do you mean?”

“When I told him you hadn’t actually nabbed anyone before, he wasn’t very happy.”

Who could have predicted he’d need a résumé stacked with kidnapping experience? Biting back a curse, Grayson said, “Let me talk to the guy. I’ll convince him.”

“Can’t do that.”

“Why? Has he already gotten someone else?” When Gibson didn’t answer, Grayson tried again. “Let me talk to him.”

Gibson’s face turned red. “What’re you, deaf? I told you the answer’s no.”

“I just don’t get what the big deal is.”

“I don’t get it either,” Gibson admitted, then narrowed his eyes. “Why do you keep asking about this job?”

Grayson thought fast. “I was counting on that money. Now I have no idea what the hell I’m supposed to do.”

“Forget about it.” Gibson waved a hand, dismissing the protests. “I’ll cut you in on something else instead.”

Grayson ground his teeth as he looked toward his car. He needed to talk to Eli to figure out what to do next. More than ready to wrap up the conversation, he turned back to Gibson. “What’ll you cut me in on?”

“The clubs, just like you wanted in the first place. Gimme a call next week.”

“Fine. I have to go pick up my kid now, anyway.”

Grayson stalked toward his car, grumbling under his breath when the old Civic’s gears slipped as he pulled out. A few blocks away from the motel, he pulled into a convenience store parking lot. When the surveillance van pulled in next to him a few seconds later, he jumped out of his car and ducked inside the van’s side door as it slid open for him.

Eli turned from the surveillance technician as Grayson growled, “We’ve got a big problem.”

“I heard,” Eli said. “But the wiretap is paying off. We’re lucky Gibson’s not too paranoid and hasn’t swapped out his phone yet. A flurry of texts went back and forth just before your meeting regarding the kidnapping. We know who it is they’re planning to take.”

Grayson’s hope rose, along with gratitude that they’d been able to secure a warrant to tap Gibson’s cell phone. “Who?”

“Senator Thomas Parker’s daughter. Her name is Claire.”

“You’re positive?”

“Without a doubt. Her name, address, and photo were texted to Gibson this morning.”

Grayson closed his eyes in relief. Now that they knew who the target was, they could get the girl into protective custody. “Any idea who it was Gibson texted?”

“The texts were made from a burner phone that pinged off a tower in DC. We’re working on identifying who it belongs to. Get this, though. Claire Parker has a boyfriend, Gabe Rogers, who’s being investigated by the SEC. He’s been running a Ponzi scheme that’s about to implode.”

“So he’s desperate.”

“Exactly,” Eli said. “His clients have given him millions over the past few years to invest. But instead of investing it all as promised, he’s been using most of the money to fund a lavish lifestyle. Mansions, expensive cars, you name it. But now clients are starting to demand results, and a few have asked for their investment back. He’s scrambling to recruit more clients so that he can make payments to the original investors.”

“What’s his background?”

“Graduated from Wharton six years ago and moved to DC to start his investment business. A real whiz kid. Built his company from nothing, and supposedly had an investment portfolio in the nine figures.”

Grayson mulled over the new info. “Any chance of a connection between the boyfriend’s money problems and the kidnapping? He could probably get a nice ransom for her from the senator.”

“Possibly. The Parkers are old money. Either way, we’ve got to get the girl into protective custody.”

“Agreed,” Grayson said, then surprised himself by adding, “I’ll take this one.”

“You sure about that?” Eli scoffed. “Protection detail isn’t exactly your favorite assignment.”

The protective instincts that had surged when Gibson first mentioned the kidnapping rolled through Grayson again, solidifying his decision. “I’d like to take care of it.”

Eli cursed under his breath. “We have a problem. Zara is undercover on a case, so we can’t pull her to have a female agent on the protective detail. It’s not mandatory, but it does help to put a female protectee at ease to have another woman there.”

Grayson snorted. “My new partner’s about as touchy-feely as they come. He’ll put any woman at ease in no time.

“All right.” Eli chuckled and then gave him Claire Parker’s address. “You and Jeremy can handle this one together. But I’m going to have to recruit another female agent. Just having one on the team isn’t cutting it.”