“You’re quick-witted, Ms. Brooks.”
“Kennedy,” she insisted.
“Do I make you nervous?”
“Yes?”
“You aren’t certain?”
“I’m still taking your measure,” she admitted. “I can’t decide if it’s being here, your attempts to intimidate, or the fact that Sterling hinted there’d be news today that has me a little on edge.”
“Probably all of the above,” Sterling said. “Just remember that I told you Parrish was harmless.”
At that, Parrish made a rude sound. “You’re the only one who thinks so.”
Leaning forward to see around Kennedy, Sterling said, “Give it up already, or I’ll have to switch seats with Kennedy and your son won’t like that. Then he’ll be butting heads with you again, and we’ll never be able to enjoy Bernard’s wonderful meal.”
“It’s fine,” Kennedy said, shooting a desperate look at Reyes.
He shrugged, then lifted a lid off a covered plate. “You have a few choices here, Kennedy. Apple pancakes for starters, either with maple bacon or sausage links—”
“Or both,” Sterling said, taking up the platter of meats to serve herself.
“—fresh fruit, a couple types of eggs, croissants—”
As he spoke, Reyes uncovered the feast, setting the lids on the cart behind him. Kennedy could barely take it all in. The amount of food presented was extravagant and, in her mind, wasteful.
When Reyes wrapped it up, he glanced at her and smiled. “I guess Sterling has the right idea. I’ll get you some of everything.”
“Small portions,” she said quickly, watching as he loaded her plate. Her stomach was currently jumpy enough that she didn’t want to chance things by overeating.
Parrish stood to fill her glass with orange juice, and then her coffee cup with a rich, steaming brew. “Cream and sugar?” he asked.
“Please.”
Reyes passed her plate to her, now heaping with treats. She breathed deeply of all the combined scents, and decided she was hungry after all. “Oh, this is nirvana.” Just as she forked up a bite, Madison came hustling through the doors. “Sorry I’m late, but I just made the most astounding discovery.”
“Does it have anything to do with a certain cop?” Reyes asked. “’Cause I have it on good authority you were flirting with him.”
Madison shot a glance at Kennedy. “Maybe a little.” To her brother, she said, “So what? Detective Albertson fascinates me.”
That earned a severe frown from Parrish. “It goes without saying that you shouldn’t—”
“Yes, I know your preferences, Dad.” Pushing her plate away, she opened the laptop and turned it toward Kennedy.
The bite in her mouth turned to sawdust. Kennedy tried to swallow and couldn’t. She gulped down coffee, burning her mouth in the process, and then just stared.
She hadn’t been prepared. Hadn’t even suspected what Madison would show her.
There, enlarged on the screen, was the very man who’d fled the wrecked car on the day she’d finally been rescued.
Memories flooded back in on her, chilling her to the bone, then flushing her with heat. Only a photo, she reminded herself. He’s not here. He can’t touch you.
Reyes wouldn’t let him.
She couldn’t look away from his hated face. In a voice that didn’t sound like her own, she whispered, “That’s him.”
A second later, Reyes snapped the laptop shut and circled around the table to put his hands on her shoulders. “Jesus, Madison. A little warning would have been nice.”
Disconcerted, Madison rushed out an apology. “I’m so sorry. I was just excited with my find.”
Kennedy managed a nod. “It’s okay.” It really was. She wanted to be kept informed. She just... The casual way they dealt with everything surprised her. “I appreciate all the trouble you’re going to for me.”
Sterling squeezed Kennedy’s hand, and it felt like she understood. Really understood.
Possibly because she’d been through the same thing.
“I knew you were on his trail,” Sterling said, “and that you’d narrowed down his location. But now you’ve found him?”
“I believe so.” Madison nearly buzzed in her seat. “I’m sorry to throw more at you, Kennedy.”
“I needed to know.” With Reyes at her back, she felt better equipped to deal with the shock. “It’s just... I had hoped he was dead.”
“For sure, that’d be better,” Sterling agreed.
“Eventually,” Parrish said with quiet assurance.
Once she recovered from Parrish’s comment—had he just promised her that her abductor would die?—she reclaimed her backbone. Everyone was watching her. Somehow, in the midst of this amazing meal, she’d hogged all the attention...by being pathetic.
“Where is he?” she asked Madison, trying for a note of interest instead of dread.
Now that she’d dropped her bombshell, Madison began filling her plate. “He’s in Cedarville.”
“Hmm,” Sterling mused. “Close enough for us to come up with a plan.”
“Probably chose that location for being near where I-70 and I-25 interconnect,” Cade said.
“Giving him plenty of escape routes,” Reyes added.
They were all so knowledgeable about human trafficking that Kennedy felt like a dunce. She’d suffered it, she’d learned what she could, but she didn’t have their ease in discussing it, their quick assessment of the current situation.
“Given that he’s not that far from Jodi, I’ll set up surveillance around that entire area,” Madison said. “I’ll also get into any computers he has, see if I can find an agenda or financials or anything helpful.”
“How?” Kennedy asked, both fascinated and boggled.
Madison lifted her brows. “How will I set up surveillance, you mean?” With a shrug, she said, “I’m good. I think I told you that already. I’ll access any cameras in the area to see who’s coming and going. They’re staying at a Roadway Motel, in one of the separate cabins. Cheesy little dump, but surely they have some sort of security cameras, usually at the front and back doors, and sometimes in the lobby. Once I see what vehicle he’s using, one of the boys can tag it for me. Then I’ll be able to see them whenever they’re on the road.”