Page 68 of Lion’s Den

He pressed a hard kiss on her mouth. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I don’t want to scare you, but you need honest facts, not platitudes that could get you killed.”

“You’re right. I’m an adult. I can take it.”

She sounded like a petrified child, and that was on him. “We’ll find Julio and figure out who’s behind this.”

“And then?”

“Then I focus on something more important to me.”

“Is that right?” Her lips curved slightly.

“Oh, yeah. I’m already planning our first official date without chaperones.”

She laughed, her eyes sparkling.

“Got something, Cam,” Dario said. “Come look at this.”

They crossed the room. “What is it?” Cam asked.

Rhys turned his computer so Cam and Sedona could see the screen. “Watch.” He tapped a key, and the screen showed people at the main hospital entrance walking in and out of the hospital lobby.

Seconds later, The Collector strolled into the lobby as though he owned the place. At his side was a muscular man, similar to the three they’d already arrested. “The Collector has a new sidekick.”

When Sedona shivered, Cam wrapped his arm around her shoulders and settled her against his side. More than cold chills were affecting her. Stress, anxiety, total fear, and more were wreaking havoc on her body.

The screen showed a new view, and seconds later The Collector and his companion walked down the corridor. Cam scowled, recognizing the hallway to Julio’s room. Soon, the assassin and the second man walked to the boy’s room. Although stopped by an officer, he wasn’t deterrent to the two men.

The second man distracted the guard by asking something, allowing Dominic Simpson to slip behind the guard. Simpson reached into his pocket, pulled out a hypodermic, uncapped it, and shoved the needle into the man’s neck. The officer slumped and would have fallen if Simpson and his buddy hadn’t caught him and hauled him into Julio’s room.

A split-second later, Julio raced from the room and headed straight toward the staircase. Simpson and the second man were after him in a heartbeat.

Cam mentally rooted for the kid, even though he knew they had captured Julio and the boy was still in The Collector’s hands. Too many signs pointing in that direction to ignore the evidence.

When the figures on the screen froze, Rhys tapped a key on the keyboard again, and the scene changed again. This time, the shot was outside the hospital waiting room at the entrance doors.

As they watched, Julio sprinted from the hospital and across the grass toward the forest with Simpson and his buddy hot on his heels. In Simpson’s hand was a Sig with a silencer screwed into the barrel. “That’s how he fired at Julio with no one hearing it.”

Sedona looked at Rhys. “Please tell me you picked up Julio when he left the forest.”

Forest. A big word for a shallow two acres of trees. If Julio had a good sense of direction, he would have been through the woods in five minutes, tops. Cam scowled. If one man snagged him and tossed the kid over his shoulder, he’d be through the woods faster than the allotted five minutes.

If the men had to track the kid down because he was sharp and fast, it might take a few extra minutes.

They all watched the screen as the action froze. Again, Rhys tapped the screen and set the action moving forward again. This time the screenshot was of a dark SUV sitting to the side of the road. Nothing happened for several seconds, then two men jogged out of the woods. Simpson had a struggling Julio draped over his shoulder.

When they reached the SUV, Sidekick unlocked the vehicle and opened the back door for Simpson and Julio. The boy, however, was wild in his efforts to escape the hitman’s hold.

Suddenly, Sidekick reached out and grabbed the boy in such a way that he was forced to remain still. Simpson grabbed another hypodermic needle from his pocket and shoved the needle into Julio’s neck. Seconds later, the boy went limp. Simpson scooped him up, put him in the SUV, and climbed in after him. Sidekick sat behind the wheel, and they drove off.

Maria sobbed. “Oh, please tell me you picked them up again somewhere.”

Rhys glanced up. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, thank God. Show us.”

He looked at Cam, one eyebrow raised.

“Go ahead. Show us as far as you have.”