“Was it at his apartment?”
Autumn stepped closer to study the picture. “Yeah, that’s his apartment.”
“She was headed in that direction when her phone turned off.” She started working again, from the sound of it. “Ian is like one of us, El.”
Kap looked up at El.
“I didn’t think about that. I was thinking US agents.”
“What?”
“The idea that it was people with familial connections who were targeted. Ian’s father was MI-6. Sam, we need to see if Ian has a contract on his head.”
Damn, they hadn’t even thought of that. And someone had used her connection with Ian to lure her out. Of course, she went. Eden would never leave a partner behind to deal with a monster.
“He has several, or did, but most of them expired.” She hadn’t looked that up. She had already known. “You know agents are always in danger of that, especially someone like Ian.”
“Let’s go,” Kap said, handing El the phone and striding out of the office. Eden’s brother was hot on his heels.
“We need a plan,” Seth said.
“We save Eden and Ian and arrest the bad guy if he’s still alive.”
“Hanson,” Seth said, grabbing him by the arm. “You need to keep your head cool. Don’t go in with your guns blazing.”
As much as he would want to do that, he wouldn’t put Eden at risk. He nodded, and Seth let go.
“Sirens off when we get close, folks,” Seth said, as both teams of TFH strode out of the office. Eden and Ian were considered family in a way, and one thing TFH understood was taking care of their Ohana.
Twelve
Eden walked down the hallway to Ian’s apartment. The area was quiet as most of the people in the condo were probably at work. She knew there was only one other person who lived on this floor because Ian liked his privacy.
As she neared the door, it struck her how odd it was that this had happened during the day, but, then again, it made sense in a way. She was at a safe house at night. There would be no way to get her away from there without her protection detail. If this were David Scott, it made a lot of sense. He had been a talented spy, according to her mother and father. He would make sure that no detail was overlooked.
At this moment, she wasn’t even sure Ian was still alive. Eden knew it was a little reckless not to get proof of life, but she couldn’t have done that without looking suspicious. She had made sure to look into the camera when she left. She’d left her phone on for as long as he had let her. The oversight was intentional, but Eden didn’t know what it was about. More mind games. David Scott had always been a man who thrived on them.
She just hoped that she would be able to deal with whatever happened and that she could hold off the kidnapper until Kap and TFH arrived.
Her fear climbed with each step, leaving her almost breathless. She couldn’t give in to that because she knew what she had to do. Maybe it would be like when El had been taken. Then, the kidnappers had been inept. She knew she had surprised them thanks to Sam’s help.
She hesitated at the door, regret holding her still for a moment. Why hadn’t she told Kap she loved him? She knew with every fiber of her being that she would probably love him until the day she died. He might never find out if she fucked this up.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she tried the doorknob and wasn’t surprised when it turned easily. With a deep breath, Eden opened the door and stepped inside Ian’s apartment.
As they neared the apartment building, the sirens went silent. Kap’s gut was tight with anxiety. He had done more than his fair share of rescues from kidnappers. He had worked with a K&R firm after leaving NCIS. This was different. Eden’s life was at stake, and Kap wasn’t ready for her to die. He couldn’t lose her when he had just gotten her back. And definitely not before he could tell her he loved her.
He pulled up to the building, the tires of his SUV and the other TFH SUVs screeching. All of them slipped out of the vehicles, their battle mentality in place. Seth walked up to him.
“Your head still in the game?”
He nodded as he turned to El. “You’ve been here before?”
“Yeah. Ian’s on the top floor, of course.”
Yeah, of course. He could just imagine how much that would have gone for, but it wasn’t the best choice for security. Being at the top of the condo building also meant that you would have fewer escape routes.
But it also meant they had a way to trap the bastard, causing so much pain.
