MONDAY. SECONDARY AEGIS Group Safe House, Seattle, Washington.

Kyle picked up his coffee cup and took a fortifying drink.

Faith and Megan shuffled out of the bedroom. They were still in pajamas, their hair a mess and sleep lines on their cheeks from the pillows. The two women stopped next to the fridge and blinked at the people quietly working.

Rogers task force had taken over the house so they could maybe work together.

“What’s going on?” Megan asked.

“Where’s Bethany?” Faith rubbed at the side of her face.

Kyle glanced at Roger who must be finding the answers to life in the swirling black coffee filling his cup.

“Sit down?” Kyle gestured to the breakfast nook table that was still mostly unused. “Want coffee or something to eat?”

“What’s wrong?” Faith’s eyes widened.

“Sit.” Kyle crossed to the table and pulled out chairs for Megan then Faith before sitting across from them.

“Start talking,” Megan demanded.

“Bethany went out into the backyard for air last night before we got the cameras up and running. She didn’t come back.” He pushed the knot of worry down deep. His personal feelings had no place here. He was doing his job.

Faith and Megan stared at him with similar expressions. Wide eyes, parted lips, lifted brows.

“Where is she?” Megan asked, recovering first.

“We don’t know. Everyone’s looking for her,” Kyle said.

“He got her, didn’t he? The man who took Megan?” Faith’s voice quivered.

“We don’t know that.” Kyle swallowed.

“But that’s what makes sense, isn’t it?” Megan sat up straight, her glare aimed straight at him.

“Without evidence otherwise, we don’t know.” Kyle spread his hands.

“Oh, come on.” Megan slammed her fist on the table. “What else makes sense? It’s Bethany. She’s not going to go off and leave us alone. That’s not like her.”

“You’re all under a great deal of stress. Stress makes people—”

“Don’t give me that bullshit.” Megan stood. “My parents paid you to keep us safe and all you’ve done is made us a target. I’m getting the idea we’re safe anywhere but with you.”

“How could you let her go out there?” Faith stared at him as if he were the monster. And maybe he was? Her words hit home that was for sure.

“Come on.” Megan shoved her chair away from the table.

“Megan?” Kyle stood. They couldn’t fall apart now.

“Bethany trusted you. She believed in you.” Faith stopped in front of him, her chin thrust forward.

“We’re going to find her,” he said.

“Stop saying that.” Faith swung her arm back.

Kyle grit his teeth and stood his ground.

Faith’s hand slapped against his cheek. It wasn’t a hard blow, but the sound of it was enough to cause a moment of stunned silence through the house.

“You lie,” Faith said between gasping breaths.

“We’re leaving,” Megan said.

Kyle stood there, his words failing them. Maybe they were better off without them. He sure as hell hadn’t been able to keep Bethany safe.

“Ladies, please? We’re doing everything we can to find Bethany. Just give us a chance, okay?” Isaac crossed to the kitchen, his expression an easy smile.

“No, way. Fuck this.” Megan turned to Faith. “Where’s your phone?”

“On the nightstand.”

“Call us a taxi or something.”

Faith nodded and returned to the bedroom.

Kyle kept his mouth shut. To the two assets, he was the bad guy here. He’d made the call that put them all at risk not only once, but twice. He wasn’t going to be the one to convince them to change their minds.

“If you ladies really want to go somewhere, I can have a cruiser take you.” Roger sipped from his coffee.

“You think I’m going to trust you? You of all people?” Megan took two steps toward Roger. “You don’t give two fucks about anyone but yourself. If I die, you won’t care. I’m just another set of details to add to your fucking case you can’t solve. Stay away from me. You do not want to mess with me.”

Kyle could see the family resemblance now. When Megan got angry, she sounded like her dad, throwing her weight around.

Megan whirled and limped into the bedroom, slamming the door shut.

“That could have gone better,” Isaac muttered.

“Spoiled brats.” Roger set his cup down.

“I’m with them.” Kyle thumbed at the door. “You don’t really care about these victims. To you it’s all about proving yourself right. You’ve lost the big picture here.”

“You think you know anything?” Roger snorted. “You’ve been on this for all of a minute and you think you know more than I do?”

“I don’t lose site of the victims.” Kyle glared back.

“None of us like each other. We got it.” Isaac held up his hands. “Right now we need to figure out how to convince these two to stay put.”

“Lock them in there,” Roger said.

“We can’t do that.” Kyle grimaced. “We can’t force an asset to do what we think is best, otherwise we’re just another kidnapper.”

“They don’t know what’s good for them,” Roger said.

The bedroom door opened, and the two emerged with Faith’s bag and purse. They each wore a determined expression.

“Please, rethink this?” Isaac asked. “We can get you a security detail. Somewhere else to stay.”

“I don’t want you involved in anything we do,” Megan said.

Isaac glanced at Kyle. He shook his head. They weren’t going to win this one outright. They had to be careful about it.

A car horn honked outside.

“Don’t try to stop us,” Megan said.

The two women walked out with all eyes on them.

“Shit,” Roger spat as the front door shut.

Kyle pulled out his phone and opened the sliding glass door that let out onto the patio. He hit dial and pressed it to his ear.

“Yeah?” Ryan’s voice was raspy, as though he’d just woken up.

“I need you and Vito. You up?”

“I hear him in the living room.” Ryan shared an apartment with Vito. The two had become something like partners what with all the gigs they worked together.

“I’m going to get Zain to send you the permissions to tap into the location sharing service Bethany and her roommates use.”

“I just saw the text. Have you found her?”

“No. And her roommates have decided to go it alone.”

“Shit.”

“I need for you two to follow and sit on them. They aren’t going to take too kindly to us or the cops, so I’m hoping they’ll not realize you’re there.” Kyle was fairly certain the two girls hadn’t met either Ryan or Vito. At most they’d seen them from a distance.

“We’re on it. Leaving here in five.”

That was still too much time without eyes on the girls, but Kyle would have to deal.

He still had Bethany’s phone, though he didn’t want to waste time watching a dot move across the map. A taxi should be safe enough for the moment, and it wouldn’t take Ryan and Vito long to catch up to them.

Kyle ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket. He stared at the grass. It didn’t tell him anything. There wasn’t any indication there’d been an altercation while they weren’t looking. For all he knew Bethany simply walked out the door and kept going.

It’d been hard to give her space last night. She’d been so close to panic. He could see it in her eyes, the way she sucked down air. She, and her roommates, were justifiably terrified. If he’d known one of the biggest threats would come in the form of camera crews, they’d have made different plans. He would have never clued Roger in on what they’d found or done.

All this time Kyle was just trying to do the right thing for Bethany and her roommates. He kept failing them and that ate at him.

He’d grown to look forward to Bethany’s almost daily visits to the house. They’d rarely spoken more than a handful of words, but he’d appreciated her presence. She’d held his drowning ship together until the end. And now he might lose her entirely.

Kyle couldn’t picture a future without Bethany. It just didn’t click for him. Without realizing it she’d become a cornerstone for him. A comforting presence. A friend. And now they’d muddied the waters even more. He cared for her. He wanted to make things better for her. And she was gone. If he didn’t find her, he might never get the chance to tell her he was sorry or a bastard.

He drew a deep breath and stared up at the trees lining the yard.

His heart ached at the idea of losing her. He’d almost forgot that organ existed. Dad had tried his hardest to destroy any feeling in Kyle, but he hadn’t won that battle. Not with Bethany there. She’d healed Kyle with nothing more than a kind smile and her quiet presence.

He couldn’t lose that. If he did, it would crush his heart. At some point she’d taken it. He didn’t know when, how or why, but she had and if he didn’t get her back then this guy, this Triple Threat, might as well kill Kyle, too.

“Kyle?” Isaac beckoned him back inside.

The team did a quick update with the office and Zain confirmed Ryan and Vito were on the road. With that done, they were running out of tasks to focus on. Bethany had neatly vanished from under their noses, which meant someone had managed to follow them despite two hours of aimless driving.

Whoever this guy was, he was good. And that led to other questions.

What if they’d underestimated him? What if this guy had training? Where’d he get it? Who did he work for?

The profile had indicated they were looking at an average man, but what if that was wrong? They’d already agreed that his level of planning was proof of his experience, but they’d assumed it was gained making the kills.

Kyle’s phone rang. Ryan. He glanced at the clock. The girls had been gone for about an hour.

“How’s it going?” Kyle asked.

“Which dot am I supposed to be following? I think I’ve been after the wrong one.” Ryan asked.

Kyle’s whole body went still.

Bethany’s phone was turned off.

Faith’s was with the girls.

That left Megan’s. They’d believed that one was disposed of, but what if the killer kept it?

“One second.” Kyle turned and walked into the master bedroom before Roger or one of the other cops could catch a whiff of what their conversation was about. “What do you mean, which dot?”

“We got in the car and zeroed in on a dot. It wasn’t moving much, then we got almost on top of it and it shot off in a hurry. Only thing is, we’re not in a residential area. Now we’ve zoomed out and I see there’s actually two dots.”

“That—that has to be Megan’s phone,” Kyle said.

“I thought these two were supposed to be together?” Ryan sighed.

“They are. I think you’re following the kidnapper.” Kyle glanced at the bedroom door. “I need you to try to get to the other dot before them, okay?”

“He’s way ahead of us.”

“Fuck. Okay. Where’s the other dot at? You aren’t driving and doing this, are you?”

“Vito’s driving. I’m navigating.” Ryan rattled off the address to Gramercy House. The girl’s rental.

“Fuck. They went home.” Kyle closed his eyes. What had Roger said? “There’s a chance the Hunts are there. If they are, the girls won’t stay long. Right now that works in our favor. As long as they’re moving, they aren’t easy targets. I’m going to round up the guys and leave here as quietly as we can and meet you there.”

There was no way Kyle would roll up with a police escort, not after the shit Roger had caused already.

MONDAY. SEATTLE STATE Fair, Seattle, Washington.

Jay wasn’t crazy about stashing Bethany in a vendor stall at the fair, but it would have to do. The theater had been perfect as both a place to stage and carry through with the whole endeavor. Now, he was going to have to hope no one made an extra security check at the fair, or else they’d find the dead guards and Bethany stowed safely away.

Satisfied she wasn’t going anywhere, he let himself out onto the street and secured the chain on the gate. If anyone came to check he hoped they assumed the guards were making the rounds.

Jay pulled the stocking cap down low on his brow and checked his phone again.

The birds were going home to roost.

This couldn’t be more perfect.

Jay climbed into the van and put his phone in the cradle.

He could make it to the girl’s house in ten minutes from here. He’d timed it when setting up his backup plan.

Very soon he was going to have all the major roles in this play filled and they could get on with it. Finally.

No sooner had he coasted through the first intersection than his phone rang. His good mood fizzled.

His phone only rang for one person. Why did she have to call him now?

Not answering wasn’t on the table.

He picked up the phone and put it on speaker.

“Mom, what are you doing?” He tried to sound pleasant and chatty, but he wanted this over with so he could focus on his plan.

“There’s someone in the house,” Mom whispered.

Jay glanced at the clock. “Is it the nurse? It’s about that time when she’d drop by, Mom.”

“It’s not a nurse. It’s an intruder, Jay. Where are you? Why did you leave me alone? You know I can’t be alone.” Her whining clawed at the last strands of his nerves.

“It’s the fucking nurse, Mom.”

“No, it’s not. I need you, Jay.”

“I’m not coming home until work is done.”

“But I need you now! You’re my son. It’s your job to take care of your mother, you ungrateful brat.”

The phone crashed into the cradle and rattled around before the line went dead.

Jay snarled and threw his phone into the seat next to him.

Some day it would be her turn.

MONDAY. GRAMERCY HOUSE, Seattle, Washington.

Faith followed Megan up the driveway to the house. She couldn’t help cringing already.

There was a van outside and a town car. If Faith had her way, they’d have kept going somewhere else, but Megan had her heels dug in.

They were going home.

Megan shoved the front door open so hard the door banged off the wall. Faith winced. They’d already put a plastic door stop on the wall to hide where the door handle had made a hole in the drywall.

Faith entered the house behind Megan and juggled her phone, bag and keys. She managed to get the door shut. That done she could only stand and stare at the transformation to their home.

Mr. and Mrs. Hunt stood in the middle of their living room. Umbrellas with lights were positioned in a halo around their sofa and an arm chair Faith had never seen in her life. A crew of five people filled the rest of the space with cameras and other equipment that was foreign to Faith.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Megan limped across their rearranged living room.

“Megan, sweetheart!” Mr. Hunt spread his arms.

“Don’t you fucking dare.” Megan slapped her father’s hand away.

“Darling, don’t make a scene.” Mrs. Hunt glanced pointedly at the cameras.

Megan turned to glare at the strangers.

“I want you all out of here. Now. Fuck off. You’re in my home without my permission.”

The TV personality was easy to pick out from the guys wearing jeans and flannel. She wore a bright yellow dress and a fake smile. The woman took a step forward and held out her hand to Megan.

“Ms. Hunt, I am—”

“I don’t give two shits who you are. Get out,” Megan said without missing a beat.

Faith shrank down. How long until these same people were asking Jeremy about her? What if they brought him here?

She swallowed and peered out the glass at the street, checking for his beat to hell hatchback.

“Now that you’re here, maybe we could ask you a few questions?” the TV personality asked.

“What the fuck did I just say to you lady?” Megan bellowed. “Get the fuck out of my house. All of you.”

Faith couldn’t take this. The noise. The yelling. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it wasn’t Megan’s voice she heard. It was Jeremy’s. She could almost smell the booze and weed that seemed to soak into everything.

She ducked down the hall and went straight to her room, closing and locking it behind her.

There had to be an end to it all. She’d fooled herself into believing she was free, but as long as Jeremy was out there she’d never truly get her life back.

JAY EASED THE VAN to a stop along the curb.

There were too many vehicles outside the girl’s house.

The news van was surprising. Then again, considering who else was here, maybe not.

He knew that town car. He’d watched Elijah Hunt enough times to recognize his car.

What the hell was he doing here?

The front door opened and five people marched out, carrying cases and bags with them.

That was more like it.

Jay grabbed his things and killed the van’s engine. What with the girls reportedly being elsewhere, the street was back to its sleepy, quiet routine of normalcy.

He strode down the sidewalk with the clipboard in hand.

When he’d first come up with this plan, he’d thought it was a bit of brilliance. After all, the regular facets of the street faded into the background. No one paid any attention to the lawn company coming, especially if he wore all the right things and his van had the right logo on it. The clipboard was just a finishing touch.

Jay crossed through the lawn and let himself into the back yard. He paused once he was out of sight and listened.

He could just make out the raised voices inside.

This was all turning out better than expected.

He circled around to Megan’s bedroom window. The window slid up easy as ever.

Once more he paused to listen to the voices, clearer and more distinct.

They must be in the living room, which meant he’d be able to get inside unobserved.

Good.

Jay lifted his bag inside and set it on the floor. That done he climbed into the bedroom, careful to avoid that wet patch of ground where water liked to pool.

He crouched on the carpet and listened to Mrs. Hunt’s shrill voice calling her daughter to task. It brought back memories of Mother. How she’d get pissed at him when he didn’t keep the apartment perfectly neat or wash the dishes.

He’d been seven at the time.

Jay grit his teeth and reached into his bag.

It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. But neither was cutting off family. That was the true crime.

If Mother had never cut ties for the sake of her career, they wouldn’t be stuck in this situation. They’d have help. Family to ease the burden. But because Mom had been selfish, she’d ruined not only her life, but his.

Jay gripped the knife and stepped into the kitchen.

The three Hunts were squared off in the living room screaming at each other to the point that they were blind to all other things.

Jay strode across the house.

This was for no other reason than making Elijah Hunt shut up for once.

“Oh, my God!” Megan saw him first. She stumbled backward, her mouth open.

It was too late.

Jay grabbed Elijah by the arm and yanked, thrusting his knife into the man’s side. The high pitched sound of air leaving the man’s lungs was almost pleasant.

“Do what I say or I’ll cut his throat.” Jay held tight to Elijah and pressed the knife to the side of his neck.

Deep down, Megan might not like her family, but she wasn’t going to chose to cause them harm.

“W-Whatever you want us to do, just tell us, okay?” Megan slowly held up her hands. She knew how angry Jay could get. He’d showed her.

“Put these on each other. Hands in back.” Jay grabbed the thick railroad zip ties and threw them at Mega and her mother. “Where’s Faith?”

“Is Bethany okay?” Megan asked.

“Where’s Faith?” Jay snapped.

“In her room,” Megan replied. “Look, we’re cooperating. Don’t hurt him?”

“Hurry up.” Jay knew he’d only have a short amount of time to work.

The two women secured their wrists.

“In the garage. Move.” Jay shoved Elijah toward the door leading to the garage.

He got the trio into the garage and locked the door then turned toward Faith’s bedroom.

Jay couldn’t help but grin as he crept down the hall and opened the door.

Everything was going according to plan...