Page 83 of Lion’s Den

Her man’s growl rumbled deep in his chest.

“Now who’s being stupid?” Sedona glared at the sheriff. “Of course I do. I love Cam Sims. He would never lay a hand on me in anger.”

“Then what did you mean by your statement?”

“Cam and his team have already found Julio once. They’re his best chance, David. Allow them to continue their work. They’re already running down leads as we speak.”

“Say I let him and The Thunderhawks search for Julio. Who will protect you when they go hunting?”

“If I’m not with them, then send Elliot and Levi to watch over me. Deal?”

His eyebrows rose. “You’re going with them to hunt for Julio?”

“I’ll do whatever is necessary to bring that boy back to his mother, even if it means tramping through the woods again.”

Respect filled his eyes. “You are one tough cookie, Sedona Hart. I hope your sisters are as feisty as you are.”

“We’ll find out soon. The first one will arrive in a few days. I’d rather not have a hired assassin after me when she arrives, if you don’t mind.”

He inclined his head in silent agreement, then turned to Cam. “Do you agree with Sedona? Should you and your team have another shot at finding Julio?”

“The military trained us to find people. Sedona is right. We’ve already found him once. We’ll find him again and free him from The Collector and his cronies. If you’re asking whether we want the chance to right a wrong, you bet we do. Julio is a good kid, and he’s ours. We’ll find him, David. You have my word.”

After a long minute of enduring David’s scrutiny, the sheriff gave a slight nod. “All right. We’ll try it your way for now. If I don’t like the progress you’re making or any tactic you try, I’m pulling the plug on this mission and sending you back to the original one of only guarding Sedona. We’re clear on that?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Dismissed. I want reports on my personal cell only. If I’m unavailable, report to Elliot on his phone.”

Cam frowned. “Should we have met somewhere besides the station?” He glanced at the camera attached to the ceiling. The indicator light on the camera was red.

“I checked this room myself, so I know there are no unauthorized bugs or small cameras in here. The only thing the traitor will know is that I met with you and your team to discuss the case.”

Cam’s lips curved slightly. “Mighty small team, sir.”

“Ha ha. Talk to the rest of your team. If The Thunderhawks are on board, get moving on this op. We just reset the mission clock, and we probably have twenty-four hours or less to get this done.”

“You said The Collector completes his missions no matter how long it takes.”

“He is not behaving in a manner that is reported to be normal for him.”

“Do you know why?” Sedona asked. This couldn’t be good news for Julio. Why was this man in such a hurry to complete the contract?

David shook his head and glanced at his brother. “What’s your take on it, Elliot?”

“The client is pressuring Simpson for results.”

“But he kidnapped Sedona.”

“Yeah, and lost her. Then he tried to take out Julio with a lion and failed, thanks to Sedona. He finally got his hands on Julio, but I don’t think he’s getting what he wanted.”

“Which is what?” Sedona asked. “A scared little boy? I can guarantee Simpson has accomplished that mission.”

“My assumption is the client wants information. If he’s not receiving what he wants from Julio, he’ll try again with the next most likely candidate.” Elliot stared hard at Sedona.

“Me?” She scoffed. “Got news for you, pal. They tried with me and utterly failed. I might have escaped, but I skipped out on their question-and-answer sessions before they got started. They don’t know that I know nothing. I have holes in my memory after they injected me with Ketamine.

“Keep trying to remember, Sedona.” David stood. “Stay alert, Cam. If your team needs people to trade off night watch, let me know. I’ll contact Personal Security International, Fortress Security’s training arm, and ask for a team almost ready for the field as a black ops unit to give us a hand.”