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A sharp ache pierced my chest. After the purge of emotions, I finally realized what I had to do. It might be the only way to find River. I just hoped like hell it wouldn’t destroy me in the process.
Chapter Twenty-One
Once I’d taken a much-needed shower, I dressed in clean jeans and a tan polo shirt that Brynn had bought me as I waited for Jace and Zayne to finish. I plopped down on the weight bench and riffled through my gym bag for my phone.
A missed call from Pierce flashed across my screen. “Dammit,” I mumbled. Glancing around to see if anyone else was in the gym, I decided to wait to call him back. I preferred to be tucked safely away from listening ears. At least I’d have privacy in the Mercedes. Whatever Pierce had to say, Zayne would learn as well, and I didn’t have any secrets from Jace.
Ten minutes later, Zayne pulled out of the parking lot and headed north to look at a few lake properties.
I tapped my phone screen and waited for Pierce to answer.
“Hey, Holden.” Papers shuffled in the background.
“Sorry I missed your call. I was in the gym.”
“A workout probably did you a world of good,” he responded.
“Do you have some good news?” My pulse pounded in my ears, and I held my breath.
“Sutton spent the last few days tracking Logan and digging up dirt on him. He’s not involved with River’s disappearance, Holden. He’s deep into the manufacturing of meth and weapons. Sex trafficking isn’t his gig.”
Dammit. We were running out of leads. “What about Laura?”
“The police had to release her. There wasn’t enough evidence for them to hold her.”
“Fuck, this means she’s probably running straight to her boss … wait, which is what we want, right?” I wasn’t a cop or an FBI agent, but it seemed like it might have been their plan all along. “She was bait?”
“Pretty much. Hopefully, she’ll be rattled enough to lead us to her superior,” Pierce added. “On the positive side, Tim is still using his car. He’s not using Bluetooth, so we’re still in the dark about who he’s talking to. Whoever has River called him an hour ago.”
I reminded myself that I had to remain calm until River was safe with me. It was imperative that I treated all leads with skepticism in order to stay sane.
“Even though Tim hasn’t spoken a name, it’s clear that he knows the person well. The conversation was a bit heated. He’s still pushing for them to release River. He’s set an ultimatum and time frame as well. They have forty-eight hours to comply,” Pierce explained.
“And if they don’t?”
“All Tim said was they’d regret it. I wouldn’t suspect he’d go to the authorities because of his own illegal activity. He might not have a plan either. There’s a possibility he’s bullshitting until he’s forced to make a move.”
My brows knitted together. “Are we waiting on him? I mean, the good news is that she’s still alive, but it’s been five days.” A horrible idea sucker punched me in the gut. Fuck. “Pierce, what if Tim is lying? What if he’s fucking with us and has realized his conversations are being recorded?” I attempted to still my bouncing leg, anxiety blossoming in my chest.
“Holden, I understand how hard this is. I’ve lived through it myself. But Tim hasn’t said anything to make us think he’s aware of the tracker. He’s threatening people. When he speaks, his pitch rises, and you can hear the stress in his voice. River is alive.”
Shit. I wanted to believe Pierce. I needed to. “I can’t keep waiting, man. I’m trying hard to let you and the FBI handle things, but … put me in. Let me work for my father and bring him and his shit-ass friends down. I have to find River.”
Zayne white-knuckled the steering wheel, and Jace scowled at me and shook his head no.
I didn’t need anyone else’s permission, though. It was my decision, and one way or another, I was going to bring the love of my life home where she belonged.
I blew out a heavy sigh, massaging my shoulder and breaking up the tension that was turning my muscles into vicious knots while I waited for a response.
“Give me a few hours, then we’ll put a plan in place. You can’t go in alone. I’ll reach out to the FBI and let them know that you’re offering to go undercover. And for the record, I don’t like it. You’re a civilian and untrained, but you’re probably the best bet to blowing everything wide open.”
Finally, I was getting somewhere. “Thanks. I’ll wait to hear from you before I call Tim and tell him I’m in.”
Jace punched me in the shoulder from the backseat, glaring at me.
“You need a solid excuse, Holden. If he suspects you’re in it to take him down, then it won’t work.”
“I understand, but I have years of experience bullshitting my father and getting away with it. Hopefully those skills will still work in my favor.”
