Rescuing Harlow by Aubree Valentine
Chapter 21
Six hours, thirty-six minutes, eighteen seconds.
That’s how long it had been since Zane’s heart felt like it stopped beating.
What felt like the entire FBI and all of the San Antonio police department had invaded his home and his life. The background check they did on Zane before they hired him had nothing on the investigation they were doing now to try and find Harlow.
The worst part was that the FBI completely sidelined him claiming that they needed to keep him in protective custody until they knew more.
He couldn’t even have his personal ‘man’s best friend’ because Bailey was at the emergency vet with a broken leg that had been operated on all from trying to protect Harlow.
“Baby, you should eat something,” his mom brought over a sandwich and sat it on the table in front of him.
“Not hungry,” he grunted.
He did have his parents by his side.
“I just got off the phone with Shelby. There’s been no update,” his dad sat down across from him.
“I shouldn’t be holed up in this room. I should be out there, looking for her.”
“Lynn, let us have a moment?” Gene looked to his wife and waited until she left the room. “There’s been a lot of times over the years where I thought, this is it. This is the hardest moment of my life. Times when I’ve been torn between being the Chief of Police, or a father. Or a husband. But, if I’m being honest, this tops them all. The father in me? The father in me wants to tell you to sit tight. Let the authorities do their job. The husband in me? Well, there’s no fucking way I’d be sitting her right now if that was my woman missing. I know it. You know it. And then there’s the officer in me that knows how dangerous it can be to be out there with your judgement clouded and your sights set on only one mission.”
“Appreciate the lecture. Not really interested.”
“That’s because as usual, you aren’t listening.”
Zane grunted. “Got a lot on my mind. In case you haven’t noticed.”
Gene stretched out and kicked his son’s foot. “Look at me, you stubborn ass.”
He looked up. “What?”
“That Fed that’s been standing outside this door for the last hour? Just went to take a smoke. Go out the door and to the left. There’s an exit that’s unmanned. Cruz is waiting out there for you.”
“Cruz?”
“Go. You’ve got about five minutes to get your ass out of here. Go get our girl Goddamnit.”
Zane jumped up from the chair and followed his instructions. As promised Cruz was waiting outside the door in a car.
“Your dad is something else,” Cruz commented as he sped out of the parking lot. “And I’m risking my ass helping you escape protective custody.”
“You telling me that you’d be locked in some damn room waiting on everyone else to find Mickie?”
Cruz grunted. “Fuck no. Why the hell do you think I’m here?”
“Any updates? My dad said Shelby didn’t have any news.”
“Yeah. I’ve got an update and figured you should hear it from me.”
“Out with it, Livingston.”
“Harlow and Mickie, they had lunch together earlier. Not long before all this went down.”
“No shit. That’s not news.”
“Shut up and let me finish. There was a guy in the restaurant. At the booth behind them. He followed them out of there and we picked him up again on security footage from the bakery. He kept his distance and knew to keep his face hidden too. We checked all the traffic cameras, and it looks like someone followed Harlow back home.”
“Fuck.” Zane cursed. “There was nothing on our home security. I don’t understand how this asshole found my house and bypassed my security system.”
“That’s not everything.”
“What else?”
Cruz took a deep breath. “We have reason to believe the real target may have been Mickie.”
“The fuck? Why would anyone be after Mickie?”
Cruz looked over at Zane. “My last undercover assignment.”
“That one with the MC gang?” Zane heard all about it. Mickie lost her sister and Cruz’s cover was almost blown to smithereens.
“Agency thinks someone close to one of the members may have started a new gang and they’re looking for revenge. We questioned Mickie and she said she told Harlow about what happened with her sister and my involvement, mentioned the MC by name and everything. I’m sorry man. Mickie feels awful and we both feel like this is our fault.”
“The hell it is. Shit like this though? This is part of what the fuck I was worried about when I took this job. My fiancé and my unborn child are currently out there with some psycho who is doing God knows what to them.”
“We’re going to find them. That’s why we’re here,” Cruz put the car in park just outside of a rundown neighborhood.
“Where are we exactly?”
“A cousin of one of the Hermanos Rojas lives down this street. We’re going to check it out,” Cruz reached behind his seat and handed Zane a vest. “Get this on. Your badge and your gun are in the glove box.”
