No matter how many times we called Celine, her phone went straight to voice mail. Briggs sent a local field agent to her dorm to check on her, but she wasn’t there.
No one had seen or talked to Celine Delacroix since we’d sent her the photos hours earlier.
“First they went after your sister, Colorado,” Michael said dully, his eyes empty of emotion. “And now they’ve taken mine.”
Lia crossed the room to stand in front of him. For no apparent reason, her hand snaked out to slap him across the face, and a moment later, she pressed her lips to his, kissing him hard. As far as distractions went, that was a one- two punch.
“Celine is fine,” Lia said when she pulled back. “She’s going to be fine, Michael.” Lia could make anything sound true. Her breath was ragged as she continued. “I promise.”
Lia didn’t make promises.
“She’s only been missing a few hours,” Sloane added. “And given that she has a history of kidnapping herself, statistically speaking…” Our numbers expert paused, her blond hair falling into her face. “She’s going to be okay.” Sloane didn’t offer up a single number or percentage. Whatever numbers were flying through her head, she fought back against them for Michael and echoed Lia’s words. “I promise.”
Dean clapped a hand onto Michael’s shoulder. Michael’s eyes found their way to mine.
“She’s going to be okay,” I said softly. After everything we’d been through, everything we’d lost, I had to believe that. But I didn’t promise. I couldn’t.
Michael, taking one look at my face, would have known why.
A knock at the hotel room door broke the silence that had fallen over us. Judd stepped forward to prevent me from answering it. Looking through the peephole, he let his hand drop from the gun at his side and opened the door.
“You have a bad habit of disappearing, young lady.”
I processed Judd’s words before I registered the identity of the girl on the
other side of the door. “Celine?”
Celine Delacroix stood, designer suitcase in hand, her hair swept gently back from her face. “Two-dimensional skull photos blow,” she declared in lieu of a greeting. “Take me to the bodies.”
