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“The partial plate came back. It’s a rental that was picked up in Billings, Montana on Thursday morning and returned early Sunday morning. We’re still tracking the name on the booking. Looks like it might be the ex. Though, if the information we got is right, he met with his parole officer then. That would have given him a very short time frame to locate the house, because the car was returned to the rental agency in Billings nine hours after he broke into Linsey’s house.”

“If it’s her ex, he knew exactly where to find her,” I say.

Zen continues, “So, here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m pullin’ camera footage from every gas station near her street. It’s gonna take some time. But it’s a thread, brother, and threads unravel.”

Chapter 12

Linsey

Igive up trying to sleep around four in the morning and slide out of bed. Sabre is sprawled out on his stomach, his Savage Legion tattoo gleaming in the moonlight. The man’s a mountain of muscle, gorgeous, and sleeps like a log.

I pull on jeans and a warm sweater before heading down to the kitchen to make coffee. The first taste is like heaven. I sip a cup while I browse my email and try to relax. After my cup is empty, I put in a pan of cinnamon rolls, which I made from scratch. It takes a bit because the dough has to rise. I enjoy cooking. It’s a great distraction when you’ve got a lot on your mind.

Sabre comes down the hall just as I’m pulling the cinnamon rolls out of the oven because the man’s got the nose of a bloodhound. We’ve been here for a couple of weeks, and I’ve never had to call him for breakfast or dinner. He just follows his nose.

“You didn’t sleep?” he asks, giving me a kiss and a bear hug.

“I slept until around three thirty. Then I started ruminating about every detail of this situation with my ex. Since I couldn’t stop dwelling on it, I decided to get up and have coffee, which led to wanting something sweet to go with my coffee.”

He stands with one arm still wrapped around me. One hand comes up to smooth back my hair and tuck it behind my ear. “So, this was a chain reaction that started with thinkin’ too much and ended with delicious baked goods. I’m really gonna try not to take advantage of this secret knowledge, darlin’.”

Then he kisses me, and his breath is minty fresh. I don’t know exactly how long we stand there, but it’s a while. When we eventually pull apart, he pours himself a cup of coffee while I drizzle glaze over the cinnamon rolls. We sit on stools at his counter and nibble from the same roll with two forks without bothering to remove it from the pan. It feels almost romantic in a way, rather than just greedy for sweets.

He asks, “Did you know Noah left his light on all night?”

“Are you sure about that? He normally likes it dark.”

“I saw light comin’ from under his door when I went to bed last night. It was still on when I went to the restroom at around two. It was still on when I came down just now.”

“Maybe he fell asleep and forgot to turn it off. That happens sometimes.”

“Maybe one of us ought to go check on him. You know, just to be sure.”

I’m about to slide off my stool when we hear a small sound from the kitchen doorway. We both spin around in our chairs and see Noah standing there in his pajamas. His hair is standing up the way it does when he’s tossed and turned all night. His eyes are red and bloodshot. They’re also a little puffy, like he’s been crying.

I come to my feet and begin moving towards him.

He clutches his cell phone to his chest and takes a step back.

That makes me stop. “What’s wrong, bug? Tell me, and I’ll help you figure out how to make it better.”

Suddenly, Sabre is standing beside me. “Did you have a nightmare? Are you sick?”

“Am I a kidnapped kid?”

The question makes my brain blank out for a second. I recover quickly, though. “What?”

“Mom, just be honest about it,” he says hoarsely. “Am I like those kids on missing-person flyers you see taped to telephone poles?”

“I don’t understand. Where did all this come from, Noah?”

“Just answer the question. Am I one of those kidnapped kids and too stupid to realize it?”

I finally get my ass in gear and walk over to him. Getting down on his level, I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “No, of course not.”

I pull him in. He freezes up for a second before pulling away. I’m shocked because my son has never acted this way before.

“You stole me from my family, and that’s why I don’t have a dad.”