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“Go back twenty minutes from when the men entered from the stairwell. I want to see what was happening on the governor’s floor.”
“Nothing unusual,” said the guard, reaching down to press a different button that retraced the footage.
“There,” Jake pointed to the screen. “Who’s that?”
“That’s our room service. We have a few residents we cater to. The governor orders coffee and a bagel for herself and her bodyguard every morning at the same time before heading to work. There’s nothing unusual about that.”
Jake stood back with his arms crossed, staring at the screen. “Every day?”
“Yes,” replied the security guard. “It’s in our notes.”
“Who else knows about this?”
“Only me and the kitchen staff.”
“I need to see a list of those on staff. And can you zoom in on the delivery man’s face?”
The guard moved the mouse around and clicked on the man’s face. The screen was a bit blurry, but there was something that seemed familiar about the older gentleman.
Jake leaned closer, his head just above mine. “That’s the guy who answered Chapman’s door,” he whispered.
Fear shot through my heart. It stood frozen in my chest, turning my blood cold.
I shook my hands when they started to tremble, and Jake held me from behind. “Shh, don’t panic. Don’t panic. We’ve got time.”
“Time for what?”
“The first forty-eight hours are the most crucial in a kidnapping. We’ve got time.”
“Regarding the other bodyguard, I just had an idea.” The security guard went to the filing cabinet and pulled out a legal-size paper. “All the rooms on this floor have safe rooms inside the walk-in closets. They’re not very big. They’re meant to store larger items like suitcases, but I believe you could fit a person inside there if you had to.”
Jake grabbed the paper from the man’s hands and examined it. “Show us how to get inside.”
We hurried out of the office and back into the elevator. Jake put his arm over my shoulder and pulled me against his chest. My body trembled from fear and overwhelming worry.
These men were dangerous. They weren’t afraid to shoot or had any fear of the law. I’d seen that firsthand.
We walked back to my mother’s room and both Will and Jager looked up when they saw us with the guard.
“What’s going on?” asked Will.
“Just pray that Christian isn’t as big as we think he is.”
Will’s face scrunched up, but both he and Jager followed us into my mother’s bedroom.
Inside there was a large walk-in closet. The guard moved the hanging robes and ironing table to the side and exposed a paneled door. It was camouflaged by the same color paneled walls along the closet. He used his key, and the door opened.
Inside, a man sat tied up in the fetal position, his mouth, legs, and arms bound. His eyes rolled when the door opened. He groaned when the light hit his face and turned his body to look away.
“Thank god,” whispered Jake beside me. “He’s all right.”
Christian looked pale, but otherwise had no visible bruises or cuts. The man was at least six feet tall and weighed more than 200 pounds. His expensive suit stretched across his muscled arms. Drugging the man was the only way anyone would have taken him down.
Jake removed the gag from Christian’s mouth and began untying his arms. “They took the governor,” he said, his words a bit slurred.
“We know,” Jake replied, throwing the rope aside and starting on his legs. “Did they say anything about where they were taking her?”
Christian shook his head, then grabbed it with both hands. “Fuck, that hurts.”
