Devil in the Details

by Morgan James

  Blake moved in front of me just as I started to storm in their direction. “Don’t take it personally. She’s a mess right now.”

  I couldn’t deny that, but what about me? Alexia was my little girl, too, and though I hadn’t known her for more than a couple weeks, she was my flesh and blood. It was as if someone had ripped my heart out. My jaw ticked, but I refused to voice my fears. My baby was out there somewhere, alone and scared. I needed to find her—I would find her. I had to be strong for both of us. Especially Lydia. She’d already been through so much by herself. I refused to heap more stress on her already full plate. I’d overreacted earlier, and I needed to apologize. But now wasn’t the time. Blake was right.

  He held up one hand. “He’s taking her to my office to rest. The couch is a pullout, so she’ll be able to relax close by.”

  My shoulders relaxed at the news, and I dug the heels of my palms into my eyes. “Goddamn it.”

  Blake continued. “She refused to take any meds but at least agreed to lie down for a bit.”

  It had to kill her to agree to that. She’d probably been awake longer than I had. Since getting the news of Alexia’s disappearance, she hadn’t slept a wink. The circles beneath her eyes were dark, her face lined with worry and fear. I couldn’t believe she’d lasted as long as she had. I was trained for situations like this; Lydia was running on pure adrenaline and maternal instinct. She wouldn’t relax until our little girl was back in her arms. It was my job to make that happen.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Lydia

  My body felt heavy, my mind tired as I blinked my eyes open. Almost immediately, they slid closed again, exhaustion pulling at me. Slowly, my mind came alive and the events of the past few days rose to the surface. My eyes snapped open once again, landing on the plain white wall in front of me. My brows drew together as I realized I was lying down, and I pushed myself to a sitting position, looking around. The dark green couch had been folded flat into a bed, and a light blanket was draped over me. Light from a lamp on the corner of the desk spilled a soft glow over the room.

  I could feel a pair of eyes on me, and I turned my head, scanning for the source. A small, dark-haired woman sat in the chair along the left wall, and it didn’t take but a few seconds to place her. I recognized Victoria from the morning she had shown up at the salon after the break-in. She caught my movement and met my gaze with a soft smile. “Hey.”

  I cleared my throat to rid it of the sleepy rasp. “Hi.”

  “I brought your toothbrush and a change of clothes for you.”

  I shot her a grateful look. I was thankful she hadn’t immediately jumped in to ask me how I was feeling. She seemed to intuitively know that I would want to get back out and start scouring the streets again. “Thanks.”

  I slid from the makeshift bed and reached for the bag she held out. “Any news yet?” I couldn’t help the hopefulness in my voice.

  Unfortunately, Victoria shook her head. “Not yet, but the guys are still chasing every lead. Last I heard, Jason is still trying to figure out who is behind the auction.”

  Guilt stopped me in my tracks, and I shot a wary look at Victoria. “I’m so sorry about having to use you...”

  She waved away my concern. “I’m happy to do anything to help. These guys know what they’re doing, and I know they’ll bring her home safe.”

  Tears burned the back of my throat at the conviction I heard in her voice. I knew she’d been through something horrifically traumatic, though I wasn’t sure of the details. For her to speak so plainly both hurt my heart and gave me a surge of hope. I wanted to ask if she was okay, but I saw the haunted look in her eyes. I knew she wasn’t, and I extended her the same courtesy of not dredging up bad memories. Instead, I swallowed everything down and gave her a smile, as genuine as I could. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t worry about the bed,” Victoria said. “I’ll have Blake take care of it later. I’ll let you get changed, and I’ll be right outside.”

  I waited until she left, the soft click of the door announcing her exit, and I sank down on the edge of the bed. I dropped my head into my hands, shame and guilt welling up inside me at the memory of my recent altercation with Xander. My insides felt as if they’d been shredded. I was still hurting over Alexia, but I’d let my anger get the best of me and said so many terrible things to him that I would never be able to take back. I had no idea how to begin to bridge the gap between us.

  Pushing the thought away for the moment, I moved behind the door and quickly stripped down, changing into the clothes that Victoria had brought. She’d even had the foresight to throw in some deodorant, for which I was incredibly grateful. Two minutes later, I felt cleaner, more awake, and I pulled the door open.

  Victoria hovered on just the other side like a sentinel. “Good?”

  As good as I could be. “Yep.”

  In silence, we trudged to the bathroom, where I quickly washed my face and brushed my teeth. I passed a window and noticed that it was pitch-black outside, the only light a faint yellow glow from a streetlamp. “What time is it?”

  Victoria checked her phone as I stifled a yawn. “A little after one in the morning.”

  So I’d slept for about six hours then. “And they still haven’t heard anything?”

  How damn long were they going to wait to announce the winner? My pulse doubled, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. I couldn’t live like this. I threw another look out the dark window. We’d checked the entire city over the past day and a half, it seemed, but I couldn’t tamp down the urge to run right back out there and search every crevice. I had to find her.

  “Come on.” Victoria set a gentle hand between my shoulder blades and propelled me forward. “Let’s check in with the guys.”

  I allowed myself to be herded along, down a short hallway toward the lobby. Victoria stopped beside the door to the bullpen area and knocked. Seconds later, it swung open, and a large blond man I’d never seen before filled the doorway. He stepped aside with a nod.

  “Thanks, Clay.”

  Victoria moved inside first, and I followed a few steps behind. A few sets of eyes darted to me, then immediately moved away again. I felt my cheeks heat under their scrutiny. I was sure they were all watching me like a hawk from behind their screens, waiting for me to break down again.

  Pulling my shoulders back and lifting my chin, I strode toward Con where he hovered next to Jason’s desk. I didn’t look around, though I knew Xander was close by; I could feel his presence as if he were an extension of me.

  Jason didn’t even look up as I approached, but Con nodded at me.

  “McDonald’s,” Jason said loudly, making me jump. Everyone looked in his direction.

  His fingers flew over the screen a few more times before he lifted his gaze. “I just sent you guys the info. I was able to trace the IP address from the auction back to a McDonald’s off Miner Street. It looks like this one”—he pointed to the screen—“was definitely done by a completely different person.”

  I stared at him. “What does that mean?”

  “It looks like someone piggybacked off the original auction website for ease. The perp knew he’d still have an audience, and it’s obviously time sensitive. He wants to—” He stopped himself midsentence. “I would guess he’s strapped for cash and needs this to happen quickly.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  Jason hesitated, and my heart sank. “It’s good that we have an approximate location, but we don’t have the time or resources to check all the cameras. By the time we get our hands on the footage, there’s a good chance the exchange will already be underway.”

  “So what now?” I fought to control the tremor in my voice.

  He rubbed his eyes. “I keep pulling threads. Eventually one of them will lead us to the right person.”

  Con spoke up. “We’ve got eyes everywhere. The PD has been in contact with border patrol to make sure nothing slips through.”

  “Good.” I couldn�
��t think of anything else to say.

  Con stood and gestured with his chin. “Come with me?”

  It was really more of an order than a request, and I fell into step behind him, intent on ignoring Xander’s piercing gaze as long as possible. My stomach twisted into a knot as we exited the bullpen area and turned left, then headed into the office at the end of the hallway.

  Con closed the door behind us partway, then took a seat in a chair in front of the desk. He motioned for me to take the other, and I reluctantly slid into it. I watched him uneasily as he stretched one hand across the desk and picked up a small rectangular piece of paper. He shielded the contents from my view as he set it in his lap, face down.

  “I need a favor from you.”

  “Okay?” I bit my lip at his serious tone.

  He stared at me, dark eyes assessing. “I wouldn’t ask this if I didn’t think you were strong enough to handle it.” I didn’t say a word—I couldn’t. My breath caught in my chest as I waited for him to continue.

  “You know Alexia better than anyone.” I nodded at the rhetorical statement. “Would you be able to look at the photograph and tell me if anything looks familiar?”

  The image of her tear-stained face was seared into my mind, and I momentarily closed my eyes against the pain it wrought. Forcing the tears away, I met Con’s gaze and nodded. “I...” I cleared my throat and steeled myself. “Of course.”

  He lifted the photograph he’d had concealed at his side and swallowed hard at the sight of it. Those dark eyes cut into me. “You good?”

  I nodded, unable to speak, and took the photo from him with trembling hands. I cleared my throat. “What am I looking for?”

  “Anything.” He sat back in his seat, giving me space. “Tell me if anything seems familiar. The floors, the walls, any distinguishing characteristics.”

  Tears cutting tracks down her face, big gray eyes stared up at me imploringly. She was still wearing the same outfit I dressed her in on Thursday before I left for work. The sight brought tears to my eyes. Was she being cared for? Was she safe?

  I slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the sob that I couldn’t hold back. Grief was a crushing weight, and my body folded in on itself. Bending at the waist, I let the pain pour out, dimly aware of a heavy palm on my back.

  I hated whoever had done this. At that moment, I was ready to rip someone apart with my bare hands. Cold fury replaced the crippling hurt. Crying wouldn’t bring my baby girl back. I needed to focus for her sake. I swore on everything holy that I would make sure the person responsible suffered when we found him.

  Pulling myself together, I drew in a ragged breath and swiped the tears from my face with the sleeve of my sweater.

  Con’s hand dropped away. “If you don’t—”

  I held up a hand, cutting him off midsentence. It took me several moments to get my breathing under control and form words. Con waited patiently. “I’m... I’ll be fine. Just give me a second.”

  Forcing my gaze away from Alexia’s as she stared imploringly at the camera, I studied the background. My eyes skated over the generic tan carpet, shabby and worn with use. A plain white wall stood in the background, devoid of pictures or mementos.

  I focused on Alexia and the person holding her. Alexia sat on the ground, and a person’s hand clutched her shoulder—keeping her upright or in place, I wasn’t sure. I studied every line of that hand resting on Alexia’s shoulder, fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt.

  I shook my head helplessly. “I just don’t know.”

  “It’s okay. It was a long shot.”

  I nodded, my eyes still glued to the picture. I knew he’d been hoping for something, anything. There was nothing, literally nothing, of value in the photo. It could be anywhere in the world.

  “We’ll keep looking. We’ll—”

  A knock at the door cut him off. “Boss?” My head swiveled toward the huge man Victoria had called Clay. He glanced at me, then back to Con. “Confirmation came back.”

  “Good.” My gaze was drawn back to Con, who wore an expression of guarded optimism. “Get everyone assembled. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Clay nodded and disappeared, leaving me alone with Con again, who turned to me. “Sounds like the offer for Victoria’s bid was accepted.”

  My heart leaped with excitement. “So we’re going to get her back?”

  “We will.” He held up a staying hand when I started to grin like a fool. “But we need to be extremely cautious. I want to make sure everything goes smoothly so your daughter isn’t in any danger.”

  I nodded. “Absolutely. What do you need me to do?” My leg bounced restlessly, the idea of seeing her, holding her again ready to propel me out of my chair.

  Con eyed me critically. “My team needs to be wholly focused on this. Can you let them do that?”

  I blinked and went still. He was asking me to... what? Stay away? “But...”

  “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you,” he said gently. “But the last thing I want to do is jeopardize this. I want you to be strong for Alexia. I want you to be there for her when we bring her home.”

  My face fell as his words sank in. “But I can’t be there when you go get her.”

  “No. I’m sorry.”

  I understood—I did. But I hated it. I nodded, sniffing against the tears burning the bridge of my nose. It’d been too long since I’d held her, and I didn’t want to wait one more second.

  “Lydia?” Con’s voice was soft but firm, and I let out a little sigh.

  “I understand. I won’t interfere.”

  “Not interfering,” he corrected. “But you’re her mother. If the kidnapper sees you, all bets could be off. I’m not gonna lose this asshole just when we have him where we want him.”

  It was the first time he’d sworn in my presence, and his tone was fierce. I looked into the hard planes of his face and saw the commanding military man he must have once been. His eyes bespoke a power and assuredness I’d only seen rivaled by one other man—Xander. In that moment, I put my whole trust into them.

  “Bring her back to me.”

  “We will.” Con’s expression softened just the tiniest bit as he stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve gotta go get my guys prepped.”

  He was halfway to the door before I could formulate anything else. “Con?”

  He paused and turned back to me. “Yeah?”

  “Thank you.”

  He tipped his chin. “Thank me tomorrow.”

  With that, he was gone.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Xander

  The book in my hands trembled as I gazed surreptitiously around the park. Everyone looked suspicious to me, and I sought out every person with a small child. So far, we hadn’t seen anything. A handful of kids played on the jungle gym a hundred yards away, but none of them were the little blonde-haired girl I was looking for.

  I’d been here for an hour already, and my nerves were shot. There were a dozen of us scattered throughout the park and the surrounding area, waiting on the perp to show. Victoria shifted again on the bench diagonal from me, crossing then re-crossing her legs as she checked her phone. I could read the anxiety in her features, and I knew it was genuine. She was just as worried about this as the rest of us—maybe more so. It hadn’t been fair to pull her in, but she was holding up well under the circumstances. I prayed to God the suspect wouldn’t find it suspicious at all.

  Head down, I glanced around the park again, memorizing every face I saw. It would’ve been a hell of a lot easier if I knew exactly what—or who—we were looking for. I just had to hope that he would be true to his word and show up for the meet.

  Phillips, one of the undercover officers, was dressed as a maintenance worker, and he made his way around the park picking up litter and other debris. Three other officers were also undercover as civilians. A patrolman waited in an unmarked car a block over, ready for our call. My knee jumped anxiously as time ticked away. I was ready to get
this over with, and I fought to control my emotions. I couldn’t afford to get worked up and blow this before he showed up. Really, I was lucky they let me in at all. Only Con’s connections and personal assurances had gotten me a place here.

  My thoughts momentarily drifted to Lydia, the despair on her face permanently burned into my brain. We would get her back. We had to. There was no other alternative. I refused to go back to my wife without our little girl. Come hell or high water, I would find her and bring her home.

  I glanced over the edge of the book again, my attention drawn to a young male pushing a stroller down the sidewalk.

  Phillips’s voice cut through my calm in my ear. “Suspect, three o’clock.” From his current position, Phillips had a good view of the child inside the stroller. My heart stuttered to a stop before kicking into high gear.

  The man approached Victoria from the rear, so she didn’t see him coming until he rounded the slight bend in the walkway. As soon as she saw him, her spine snapped straight, and a hopeful look entered her eyes. As if she’d caught herself, Victoria immediately redirected her attention to the phone in her hand in an attempt to play cool.

  I forced my eyes back to the book as the man surveyed his surroundings. I could feel his gaze sweep over me, and I fought the urge to squirm. I wanted to face him head on, fist-to-fist, and settle this my way. With Alexia caught in the middle as potential collateral damage, I could do none of those things. It infuriated me, and the white-hot burn of rage took over. He was going to pay for this; I would make sure of it.

  It took another agonizing ten seconds for him to reach her, each agonizing moment causing my pulse to ratchet anxiously. He sat on the bench, leaving several feet between himself and Victoria. They were at a forty-five degree angle from me, and I watched out the corner of my eyes. I watched as the man retrieved something from his pocket then nonchalantly placed his hand on the bench. Leaning forward as if to check inside the stroller, he slid his hand toward Victoria. She threw him a questioning glance before picking up the paper he passed her. Her eyes flicked around the park before returning to the note in her hands, and she cautiously unfolded it.