“Then we have that in common my friend,” I growl. “I will die before she will be harmed again. I will gladly take that bullet. I let one woman I love die. It won't be two.”
“Then sit the fuck down and let me call my parents. They have a way to find her. Let’s use it to our advantage.”
“You have two minutes. Every minute that passes is one more minute she’s with him and one less we’re searching,” I tell him, and it will be without a doubt, the longest two minutes of my life.
He pulls out his phone and puts it to his ear, but that just won’t do. I need to hear and be involved in everything. “Speaker,” I tell him and he complies.
“Is she there?” Martin says when he answers the phone.
“He got her, Dad.”
There is what feels like an eternity of silence on the other end. “I will get with our contact and see what they know. Where are you now?”
I chime in immediately, “Martin, we’re on campus. I know this man. I didn’t know I did until now. Knowing what I know and what we’ve seen he’s capable of with her, waiting on the authorities is not an option.”
“Lucas, Tristan,” I hear Maria say from the background. “I know your instincts are to go in there yourselves and get her, but I just don’t think that’s a good idea. We all know what he’s capable of and it’s too dangerous.”
“With all due respect, Maria, I’m not waiting much longer and I am going to her. I’m waiting eight more minutes.”
I’m pacing the room. I can’t settle. I can’t think of anything other than what he could be doing to her.
“You won’t have to wait that long. Nora agreed to something with us when she came home after her ordeal in London. We thought it would be good if she carried a tracker separate from her cell phone. It looks like a credit card in her wallet. It’s always on,” Martin confesses.
Maria’s trembling voice follows, “We promised her we would only look if we knew she was in danger. We’re there.”
“What are you delaying for? Use the damn thing and tell me where she is. The longer she’s with him, the bigger the chance he’s going to hurt her, and if he does… I’m going to kill him with my bare hands.”
“I’m working on it, Tristan. We all need clear, level heads right now.”
Martin sounds calm, but I can hear the anxiety in his voice. He’s losing it just as I am.
Lucas is sitting on the small sofa that Nora likes to curl up and nap on, with his head in his hands, bouncing his knees up and down, unable to sit still for even a moment.
I hear the gentle clicking of fingers on a keyboard. I’m assuming he’s on either a computer or tapping with fervor on a tablet. “Okay. The app shows an address and a route. What the hell? It looks like she’s been all over the city.”
“Where is she now, Dad?”
“Looks like a building on Fourth and Gillette. What’s over there?”
I’m able to quickly answer. “There is a massive art gallery on one side and a couple of hotels on the other.” My blood boils and my stomach turns at the thought of her being in a hotel room with this man. “Does it indicate if or how long she’s been stationary in the report?”
“Hang on.” I hear more tapping until he finally says, “She’s been at the same location for the last fifteen minutes.”
“That’s all I need.” I open the office door. “Lucas, I’m going to need you to drive or I’m running there, but we need to go right now.”
“Mom, Dad, get the police on route. We are going after her.”
“Lucas!” I hear Maria yell before the call ends.
Lucas turns to me. “I couldn’t let her hear what I’m about to ask. If it comes to it, will you? Because I will.”
“That goes without saying. If it’s him or one of us, it won’t be us. Where is your car?”
“It’s behind the building.”
I take one scan of the office and see her everywhere. Places she’s sat, things she’s touched…pieces of her etched in the essence of this room. Since I can’t make the promise to her, I make it for her. “I will bring you back here, Petal. That is my solemn vow.”
***
It’s like my brain shifts into autopilot the moment we step out the door and head to his car. Adrenaline, anger, and anxiety have created a very potent cocktail inside of my body.
I want to rip this city to shreds to find her, but I’m being forced into a small, electric car to wind ourselves through the city until we can get to her.
I keep calling her phone, over and over, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, this time she’ll answer.
“I need you to go faster. Run lights, hit curbs, do whatever you have to.”
“So we can attract attention to us? I don’t think so. I know you want to be there ten minutes ago, so do I. Just navigate. Fuck all this traffic. Goddammit.”
We’re boxed in behind a fender bender with officers on the scene. We’re going to be held for what feels like forever, but in actuality a couple of minutes. During the drive, I was able to download and log in on the app controlling Nora’s tracking system using the code that Martin gave me. She still hasn’t moved. I’m both glad for and terrified of the proposition of it. I’m staring so hard at the screen I don’t hear Lucas talking until he raises his voice.
“Sloane, we’re going to get her back. I refuse any other option.”
I nod slowly then stare out the window ahead, willing the shit pile in front of us to break loose for us to beat the authorities I know are on the way. I need to do something, anything to keep focus. Before I know it, the one question I’ve had on my mind for a long time blurts out for Lucas to answer.
“What did she look like after? I want to know. I need to know. Tell me.”
“Tristan, I don’t know if I should .”
“I said tell me. I need to know.”
He sighs heavily and tightens his grip on the steering wheel. “She didn’t even look like herself. Her face was so swollen that I couldn’t even see her eyes. She was black and blue and purple and bloody,” he enunciates each word and it feels like a punch in the gut with every syllable. “They had to shave some of her hair off in order to repair and stitch up some wounds on her head. I’ve never seen someone look that way before. I hope I never have to again.”
If I wasn’t so hyperfocused on the task at hand, I would be punching my way through the dashboard or eliminating the stockpile of bile that’s churning inside me. I feel this presence wash through me nearly like a breeze. “Nora would be glad we’re working together. Thank you.”
Lucas gives me a quick glance as we finally pass out of the traffic jam and are able to cautiously speed toward Nora’s last known location. “Thank you?”
“If she hadn’t had you to turn to in her hour of need, she may not have survived the damage done. Because she did, I’ve been able to be in her presence. So yes, thank you.”
I don’t look at him when I’m speaking. I can’t.
I can feel him looking at me every once in a while. Then a question shines on me like a beacon in the night. “What did you mean about you let one woman die, it won’t be two?”