SATURDAY. CANDLELIGHT Theater, Seattle, Washington.

Kyle and Felix approached the south-eastern corner of the theater. The marquee had once boasted red, glossy paint and neon lights. Now, the façade was boarded up. Chains as thick as his wrist barred the doors. A pair of shoes hung off the overhang like a rotten cherry, topping off this dismal dish.

“This used to be the place to go, didn’t it?” Felix twisted to glance over his shoulder.

“Or something.” Kyle glanced down the cross street. “How you guys looking?”

“North west side is clear,” Shane replied through the comms. He and Isaac were approaching through the alley that ran behind the buildings.

“Any sign of our van?” Kyle asked.

“No, but someone’s driven back here recently,” Isaac said.

“Keep your eyes open.” That was Zain, their man behind the curtain.

“How are the cameras reading?” Kyle strode across the street to the front doors and cupped his hands around his eyes to peer into the foyer.

“Good. Picture is clear,” Zain replied. “Whatever you’re looking at I can’t make out.”

“The inside has been trashed. I’m seeing gang tags.” Kyle was rather surprised the glass wasn’t busted out. Maybe the chains were new?

“Then there must be a way inside. Look around and see if you can investigate.”

“Copy that.”

Kyle pulled on the first set of doors, but the chain secured it. Felix gave the other entrance a rattle. They weren’t getting in without some serious breaking and entering this way.

“Rear doors are padlocked,” Isaac said.

“Let’s try the ally.” Kyle backed away from the doors and peered up at the building.

It wasn’t huge. They were likely looking at three to four screening rooms depending on how the space had been utilized. Plenty of room to hide. He wasn’t looking forward to this search.

Kyle and Felix rounded the corner.

A door halfway down stood partially open.

Kyle yanked Felix back.

“Isaac? Shane?” Kyle whispered.

“Was that door open?” Zain’s voice was tense. “Isaac, Shane—when you passed the alley, was a door open?”

“No,” Isaac replied.

“Get out of sight. Clear out. Now. That might be our suspect leaving. Do not engage. Our priority is getting the asset.”

Kyle grit his teeth. The order went against everything Kyle knew they needed to do. But Zain was right. Megan was their focus. Catching the bad guys was not their job. And engaging with Megan’s kidnapper was a sure fire way to get someone hurt.

The metal door scraped shut. Someone was trying to be quiet.

“We’re clear,” Isaac said.

“Kyle, get out of there,” Zain ordered.

“Wait,” Kyle whispered when Felix turned.

Kyle closed his eyes and listened.

The footsteps were light. A smaller man. And getting fainter. Not closer.

He held his breath, one hand on his gun, and continued to wait.

“I think he’s gone,” he whispered.

“I told you to get out of there,” Zain growled.

Kyle peered around the corner.

The alley was empty. The only movement came from the breeze stirring the plastic garbage bags.

“Coast is clear.” Kyle drew his weapon and crept down the alley.

“I’ve got a visual on the guy,” Zain said. “Black rain coat. Build is right. Running gait recognition now.”

“We’re going in.” Kyle wasn’t waiting.

He picked his way down the alley. Everything they’d found out so far led him to believe they were looking at one guy. For all he knew they had the wrong place and were ten thugs inside.

“He just got in a dark colored sedan. The plates—fuck.” Zain blew out a breath. “The plates belong to that van. Find her. Quick. I’m calling Detective Blew in five minutes.”

They reached the door at the same moment Isaac and Shane rounded the corner at the end of the ally.

Kyle stepped to the right of the door and Felix grasped the handle.

This was it.

Kyle pulled his flashlight out of his pocket and nodded.

Felix yanked the door open.

Kyle rushed in, flashlight and gun up.

Something scurried in the dark. Nothing human sized, at least.

They were in some sort of hall that dead ended at the door. A wall on their left prevented them from going that way. It forced them to proceed toward the back of the building.

The hall let out onto an old stage. A hole in the ceiling let light and other things in. The smell of musty mould was worse here.

“Megan? Megan Hunt?” Kyle listened. “Zain, can you tell us anything about the building? These theaters are trashed. There’s no way he could hold someone here.”

“This building dates back to the twenties. There’s probably a basement. Look for employee areas,” Zain said.

“Okay.” Kyle turned, staring past the guys. “He comes and goes through this door. Why? It’s the only one hidden. Is it close to where he’s staying?”

“That rear entrance is going to be back here, right?” Felix walked to the back of the stage. “The old heating system at my cousin’s pub was close to the back door.”

Kyle followed Felix into the recesses of the back stage area. There was a path through the debris and even footprints in mud here and there. Some were damp.

The rooms that would have served actors and bands were trashed. Walls ripped out. This wasn’t a place someone would stay.

At the back corner a set of stairs was tucked up behind another door.

“Three minutes,” Zain said.

“We’re going down.” Kyle stepped past Felix. “Shane, stay here.”

If anyone was going first, it was Kyle. The others were just back off medical leave. He wasn’t about to put them in the line of fire if he could help it.

Kyle crept down the stairs. The hair on his arms raised. The sound of water dripping and the dank air made the basement feel like a cave.

Ahead of him, a lonely lantern cast a sphere of light.

His throat tightened and his gaze focused on the hall.

They were headed back toward the front of the building now.

Kyle lengthened his stride.

Someone had cleared a path.

The air grew dryer.

They passed the lantern.

Boiler Room was printed on a solid, metal door that looked like something out of a post apocalyptic movie.

“Stand back,” he said.

Kyle pocketed his flashlight, freeing a hand. He grasped the lever door handle and pulled. It scraped open without too much trouble and swung open.

More lanterns were set up around the perimeter of the room. An old, brass bed frame was set up on the right and a cot on the left.

“Hello?” Kyle edged into the room.

A head popped up from the other side of the bed. Wide, frightened eyes stared at him. The woman whined, the unmistakable sound of a gag muting her speech.

“Megan Hunt?” Kyle dashed across the room and around the bed.

“I’m calling Detective Blew,” Zain said.

Kyle shoved his gun into the holster and went to a knee beside her. One eye was swollen. She had scratches on her face and arms. Dark bruises colored her skin.

“I’m going to take the gag off.” He pulled the material knotted around her face down.

“Get me out of here. Get me out of here. Get me out of here,” she chanted. She squeezed her eyes shut.

“We are. I promise. Bethany and Faith are worried about you. We’re going to take care of you.” He sat back on his heels to take in the situation.

Megan’s arms were bound behind her back. Chains bound her at the wrists and ankles to the bed.

“Felix, do you have those bolt cutters?” Kyle asked.

“The small ones. They might not cut chain that thick.” Felix went to a knee and pulled the yellow and black tool from his backpack.

“Thank you.” Megan sniffled.

“I’m not going to cut the chains.” Kyle took the tool. “Megan? I need you to sit up and lean forward for me, okay? Felix, help her.”

There was no need to cut the chains when he could cut her out of the cuffs.

Kyle crouched behind her and carefully cut through the cuff on one wrist.

“You’re doing a great job, Megan. Hang in there, okay? We are going to get you out of here.” He repositioned on the other cuff.

“Blew is on his way and he’s pissed,” Zain said.

“There we go, Megan. Felix? Set her on the bed. Shane, how we looking up there?”

“He isn’t coming back, is he?” Megan clutched the side of the mattress.

“Coast is clear,” Shane said.

“The cops are on their way. That’s it. You’re safe.” Kyle cut through the cuffs on either ankle. He thrust the tool at Felix. “I’m going to carry you out of here, okay?”

“Get me out of here, please?” She clutched at his shirt. “He wanted to kill us.”

“I’ve got you.” Kyle slid his arm under her legs and his other around her back, lifting her up off the bed.

He strode out into the hall, Isaac leading the way and Felix watching his back.

They’d come here on a hunch—a good hunch, but still a hunch—and they were going to bring Megan home safe. There was time to set a trap for the kidnapper. They knew what he was driving. Megan could help them identify him. The noose was tightening.

The team climbed back to the first floor. Isaac, Shane and Felix kept a tight formation around Kyle.

“I’m waiting for you in the alley,” Zain said. “Not to alarm you or the asset, but the police scanner makes it sound like they’re coming with a media escort.”

“Shit,” Kyle muttered.

“What? What is it?” Megan held tight to Kyle’s shoulders.

“Nothing. Cops are almost here. This nightmare is over,” he said.

“Do my parents know?” she asked.

“Yes.” He couldn’t lie to her.

“I am not going with them. You can’t make me. This is all their fault.” She sobbed into his shirt.

“No one is going to make you go with them. I’m taking you to Bethany and Faith.”

“Are they safe? Did he get to them?”

“They’re safe.” Kyle’s stomach knotted up.

The stale smell of piss and garbage was a welcome change. Sirens wailed in the distance, getting closer with every second.

Zain stood outside of the van idling at the end of the alley. He had a gun in hand and stared back the way he’d come. Was that the way Megan’s abductor had gone?

They reached the van and Kyle helped Megan inside. Zain pulled out a thermal blanket and thrust it at Kyle.

“What’s our move?” he asked.

“We have to stay on scene and report to Detective Blew,” Zain said.

“I am not talking to that fucker. He can burn in hell,” Megan snarled.

Well, this was going to be fun.

“Stay here. I’m going to go handle Blew. Keep listening.” Zain tapped his ear. Their comms would allow them to coordinate and block Megan from any kind of unwanted media attention.

Isaac, Felix and Shane each turned a different way. At a glance they were three guys standing around, but in reality they were a defensive wall between the world and their asset.

“Megan?” Kyle leaned into the van. “Our team was hired to get you home safe. We aren’t going to make you go to your parents or do anything you don’t want to do. I’m Bethany’s friend. My name is Kyle. We want what’s best for you. You are going to have to answer some questions though. We’ve got to help find the man who took you.”

Megan hunched down in the seat.

“You’re pretty banged up. Do you need to see a doctor?” The bruising was worse in daylight. “Are you thirsty? Anything hurt?”

“I want to talk to Faith. And Bethany.” Megan wiped her face with a trembling hand.

“I can do that.” Kyle pulled out his phone and hit dial. He’d called Bethany just before they arrived.

“Kyle?” Bethany’s voice was laced with worry.

“Did he find her?” That was Faith.

Megan covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes squeezed shut.

“Megan’s right here.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “She’s okay. She’s worried about the two of you. Can you tell her you’re okay?”

“Oh, my God. Megan?” Faith’s voice went up several octaves.

“We’re okay, Megan. We’re fine. We’ve been so worried about you.” Bethany’s voice stuttered out too full of emotion.

“See? They’re okay.” Kyle stroked Megan’s shoulder.

She reached for his phone and cradled it in both her hands.

“I’m never going to the movies alone. And—I’m getting a car.” Megan sputtered a laugh.

“That’s not my Megan,” Bethany said with a pitiful chuckle. “She’d never drive.”

“Megan’s turning over a new leaf.”

The sirens echoed off the walls and several cruisers skidded past the opening to the alley.

“Hey, ladies?” Kyle took the phone back. “We’ve got to go. Cops are here. I’ll have Megan back safe, but it’s going to be awhile. Okay? Have Merida order us a big dinner and I’ll see you soon.”

JAY CLUTCHED THE STEERING wheel of his car. The red lights of the police cars blurred into spots.

They were at his theater. The one he’d waited to come available. He’d spent years waiting for this perfect moment and they were ruining it.

He needed this. It had to be perfect. And now that bitch, Megan, had ruined it all.

He should have started with Bethany. Sweet, docile Bethany wouldn’t have given him problems like fucking Megan.

The light changed colors.

Jay cranked the wheel and accelerated. He had to get out of here.

Megan knew his face. He’d had a close brush with Faith.

This just wasn’t his day.

His phone rang, the chime shrill to the point he wanted to claw his eardrums out.

He picked up the phone.

Mother.

Jay shuddered. He couldn’t put this off. If he did, she’d keep calling until she’d wound herself up and he would be forced to cut this trip short. He couldn’t leave now. He needed this. How else was he supposed to put up with her unless he got his release?

“Hello, Mother,” Jay said in an even, measured tone.

“Jay, sweetheart, where are you?” She was talking like her old self. Before she got confused and paranoid.

“I’m out of town on business, Mom. I wrote you the note to remind you?”

“Did you? I didn’t see it.” She hummed a little. “It’s so hard to find anything in this dump.”

Jay bit his lip to keep from pointing out she made the messes.

“When are we going to get a nicer place, darling? You know I can’t have my friends coming here.” And by friends she meant the male ones.

He remembered a parade of men in and out of their old apartment in L.A. Mom was a bit part wonder woman. She’d done small roles on just about every movie, TV show and play, but she could never land a leading role. It didn’t keep her from trying to sleep her way to the front of the line.

By the time Jay graduated from high school they were living out of one room hotels. Mom had turned to booze and pills then to ease the death of her dreams. He’d vowed to leave her, but every time he tried she convinced him to come back. She was the reason he’d become an accountant. Number crunchers had steady jobs, nice salaries. It was the stability she’d never been able to give him. And now he got to give it to her. And all she did was turn her nose up at it.

“Jay? Jay—pay attention to me.”

“Sorry, Mom. It’s a bad time. I’ll call you later.”

Jay hung up. He’d pay the price for that later.

Right now he had to lose this car and get some distance between him and that theater. He needed to think. To make a plan. He couldn’t lose his dream now not after he’d sacrificed so much.

SATURDAY. AEGIS GROUP, Seattle, Washington.

Bethany stood at the windows looking out over the parking lot. At best she’d get a momentary glimpse of the van before it turned into the underground parking lot. She’d be okay with that.

Faith snored softly from where she’d passed out on the sofa in the waiting room. After a long shift, the attack and everything they’d gone through today, it was no wonder she was dead on her feet. Bethany hoped she got the recharge she needed because she had a bad feeling this wasn’t over.

Bethany watched Merida’s reflection in the window. She wasn’t at all like her cartoon namesake. This Merida had dark hair, tanned skin and an intense vibe. It made sense she’d be a strong personality what with working here and all. Merida crossed to where Faith lay and spread a blanket out over her. That done, Merida crossed to the windows to stand next to Bethany.

“Usually when they come home the worst is over,” Merida said, keeping her voice low.

“You don’t think they got him? The man who took her?” Bethany could hope...

“The police issued a BOLO for the suspect, but we don’t have a lot to go off of. Except for the hospital, he’s managed to avoid getting caught on camera.” Merida crossed her arms over her chest.

Then Megan’s kidnapper was still out there. He’d already tried—and failed—to grab Faith. What if he came for Bethany next? She went back to work on Monday. If this man had been following them, listening to them, then he could know her schedule. Her patients. What if he went to one of their houses to wait for her? What then?

“What does that mean for us?” Bethany swallowed and looked at Merida’s profile.

“I’ve arranged a safe house for you three through the week. We’ll take it one day at a time.”

“But...how will we pay for that?”

“It’s part of the package Mr. Hunt purchased. Standard jobs take around five to seven days so that’s what we bill for as a down payment.” Merida glanced at Bethany. “What matters is you don’t have to worry about anything. I know what you did for Kyle. So does Zain.  We aren’t going to let anything happen to you.”

“God, I wish I had your confidence.” Bethany sucked down another breath.

“My secret?” Merida’s lips quirked up in a smile.

“What?”

“Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. My dad taught me poker as a little girl. He wanted sons, but he got me instead. So, I played poker. When I went into the Navy in a support role I was terrified, but as long as I didn’t let people know that, everything was fine.”

Bethany chuckled.

“How bad was he? Kyle’s dad, I mean?” Merida asked.

“I can’t discuss a patient,” Bethany said slowly. Even if the person she was speaking with knew the hell Kyle lived through.

“I almost feel guilty to be glad Kyle’s dad is gone.”

Deep down, Bethany was, too. If the Mr. Martin she’d experienced was merely a watered-down version of what it was like to grow up with him, she could hardly imagine what it must be like for Kyle. Shouldering the burden of caring for the man who’d abused and resented him must have worn on Kyle. No wonder he’d always been reserved and distant before now.

“I don’t know how to respond to that,” Bethany finally said.

“There they are.” Merida nodded at the window.

A dark van pulled into the parking lot, then turned into the underground parking garage.

“Time to prepare for the circus,” she muttered.

“The circus?” Bethany blinked at the other woman.

“The cops are going to want statements. Then there’s the Hunts. Media. My back-up should be here any minute. We’re going to handle most of it through the office and keep you three off site.”

The doors to the suite opened.

Bethany whirled, her heart in her throat.

Two men she didn’t recognize strolled in. One was tall, with wide shoulders and red hair. His arms were covered in tattoos. His counterpart was a bit shorter with shaggy brown hair and he carried a familiar bag.

“Ian. Kade. Thanks for coming on such short notice.” Merida strode across the office and extended her hand to the brunette. She glanced at Bethany. “Ian is one of our PIs. He’s the one who was out yesterday talking to your neighbors. Kade is a paramedic, and sometimes he helps us out.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kade waved at Bethany.

She mustered a smile.

Faith groaned in her sleep and rolled over.

“What’s going on?” she muttered.

“Megan should be here in a minute,” Bethany said. How long did it take people to go up an elevator?

“Really?” Faith sat up and frowned at Kade. “What...?”

“That Faith? Hey.” His smile faltered. “Is...”

“Megan.” Faith stood and smoothed a hand over her hair. “Yeah.”

“You know each other?” Merida asked.

“Kade, Megan and I all work at the same hospital,” Faith said.

“Small world.”

“I’m goin’ to my office. Ladies, glad everyone’s okay.” Ian waved and made a B-line for the hall.

Kade crossed to stand with them. Faith muttered something but Bethany couldn’t take her eyes off the doors.

Any minute Megan and Kyle were going to walk through there.

Weren’t they?

Had something happened?

What if this was all a nightmare?

What then?

The silver elevator doors slid open and the two people she most wanted to see hobbled out.

Megan had her arm around Kyle’s shoulders. She limped forward into the hall.

“Oh my God.” Bethany rushed forward and pulled the door to the suite open.

“Megan!” Faith rushed their third roommate and wrapped her arms around Megan the moment she was through the door.

Bethany covered her mouth.

Megan’s hair was clumped together. Scratches and bruises covered her face and arms. Her clothes were ripped and dirty. Her shoes were gone.

But she was alive.

And there.

Faith reached out and grabbed Bethany by the wrist, reeling her in. She wrapped her arms around both women and held on tight.

This was her family, and they’d almost lost one if it weren’t for Kyle and the others.

Bethany peered around Megan’s head at Kyle standing patiently by.

“Thank you,” she mouthed.

Without him they’d still be looking for Megan. Faith might have been kidnapped. And who knew where Bethany would be?