Dangerous Times (12 page)

Shrugging, he looked back at her. “I told you that they liked your stuff.”

“
Not this much,” she muttered.

“
Actually, I did, but you didn’t want to hear it so you waved me off.”

Huffing out a breath, Tamara glared at him as she drank more water. Then she rolled her eyes. “Crap, I need to go to the ladies room,” she said, handing him her glass. “Hold the fort gang, I’ll be back shortly.”

“
Five minutes, or I come to find you,” Shawn said. His smile told her that it wasn’t for security reasons either.

Pausing, she leaned up and, when he leaned closer, whispered in his ear. “Then it’s a good thing I left my panties at home tonight.”

Patting his chest, she walked off, thoroughly enjoying the fact that he was now standing there with his mouth hanging open and a glazed look on his face. It really was the little things in life that made living it so much fun.

And boy oh boy, was screwing with his head fun.

Chuckling to herself, Tamara went in and used the ladies room. Touching up her lipstick, she stepped back out into the hall, glancing at her phone to check the time. She was thinking that she might just see if he’d stand by his five minute time frame. Could be fun and just a little naughty to make love with him at a public function, in a public restroom.

Shivering lightly, she smiled when she heard footsteps. “Impatient, were you?” she asked. Just as she went to turn the world burst into absolute agony before going dark.

Chapter Fifteen

“
Just go already, Shawn,” Robyn said with a laugh.

Sighing, because she’d caught him checking his watch again, he shot her a look that, hopefully, portrayed just how annoying he found her. But he did cave and went off to find his woman.

At the ladies room door, he knocked. Waiting a moment, he frowned and knocked again.

Pushing the door open slightly, he called out. “Tamara, are you in here?” Nothing. “If anyone’s in here, this is security coming in,” he warned. Then he went inside, and checked everywhere. Not a sign of her.

Not ready to panic yet, he went back into the hall and called Robyn. “Is she with you?” he asked when she picked up.

“
Tamara?” she asked. “No. I thought you were meeting her in the hall?”

“
So did I,” he muttered pacing around. Stopping suddenly, he crouched and pulled out what had caught his eye. It was her clutch. “I want everyone to scour this place, top to bottom. I have her purse,” he said, his voice breaking.

“
Fuck!” Robyn said, before she obviously grabbed someone and started to shout out orders.

What he next saw had him grabbing for the wall. Swallowing hard, he pressed his fingers to the droplets and lifted his hand, rubbing the sticky liquid between his fingers. “She’s wounded,” he whispered. “I have blood.”

“
I’m coming to you, Shawn. Don’t do anything and don’t assume the worst. It could be anyone’s blood,” she said.

“
She’s not here, Robyn. It’s still wet without any sort of skin. It’s hers, I know it’s hers.”

Hanging up, he put his back to the wall and slid down to sit on the floor. Rubbing a hand through his hair, Shawn licked his lips. Dialing another number, he waited for the line to be picked up. “Rhonda, where the hell is that scumbag of an ex?” he growled.

“
Uh, we’re not entirely sure,” she said.

“
What?” he yelled. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

“
Wait, why are you asking?” she demanded.

“
Tamara’s been taken in the last five minutes. We’re sealing everything off, but I have a feeling she’s already gone. Where the fuck is Damien?”

“
We don’t know. He missed his last meeting with his parole officer, but the parole guy’s been sick, so it didn’t hit the radar until this morning when the next meeting was missed. We went by his house and the cuff is there, but no Damien. From the looks of things, he’s been gone for at least two weeks.”

“
Son of a bitch!” He looked up at Robyn as she and Vincent came running his way. “We need to find him. He’s got Tamara, I just know it. Anything?” he asked his friends.

“
Nothing,” Robyn said softly. “One of the gallery staff cars is gone, though.”

Taking the sheet of paper from Robyn, he passed it all along to Rhonda. “You find that car, Rhonda, and you call me. This is fucking going to end and now, we clear?”

There was a long silence on the other end. “I’ll keep you updated, and Shawn?”

“
Yeah?” he asked.

“
Do what you need to do to protect our girl.”

“
Damned straight.”

****

Tamara’s head was killing her, her face throbbed, and she couldn’t open her right eye. Her left was blurry, so she couldn’t even see where she was. All Tamara knew for sure was she was tied to a chair and it was damned cold in the room.

Brushing her tongue over dry lips, she tried not to move too much. One, it hurt, and two, she knew from Shawn that she needed to evaluate the situation first. Controlling her breathing was harder. Trying to keep it slow and relaxed was a serious issue given the pain in her head.

Running her tongue around her mouth, she swallowed a couple of times. Then she slid her tongue over her lips again with much better results.

Blinking her one good eye, Tamara got a little more of her vision back. It wasn’t great, and it kept going double on her. Peeking through her lashes, she took in what she could. It looked like a basement of some sort. One she didn’t recognize in the least.

There was no noise of any sort so, slowly, she lifted her head. It weighed a ton and a half. Biting her lip to hold in the whimper that wanted to escape, she looked around. Her poor battered skull was protesting even the small movements she was making.

It was definitely a basement. She could see stairs leading up. The floor was concrete and there wasn’t much down there except for a furnace, a water heater, and a washer and dryer. In one corner, it looked there might be a work table of some sort but she couldn’t focus enough to be sure.

Taking stock of herself, she could move her legs. They weren’t strapped down. But her wrists were bound to the chair by what felt like duct tape. Again, she could be wrong. She just couldn’t contort enough to see.

A creak overhead had her flinching. Dropping her head back into position, Tamara got her legs back into place and closed her eyes. Slowing her breathing, she listened to footsteps on the floorboards above. A door, she guessed the one at the top of the stairs, creaked open.

Footsteps coming down the wooden staircase gave testament to that. They hit the concrete and moved to her. Peeking she could see the high polished black shoes.

“
Seriously? I didn’t think I hit you that hard,” a man’s voice muttered. He heaved a sigh and then cursed. “Well, I guess you’re on your own for a while. I need to get going.” His shoes moved away and up the stairs. She could hear him making a call as he eased the door shut, but she didn’t get any of the words.

Only when she heard another door close did she lift her head again. The faint sound of a car starting, and then pulling away, had her letting out a breath. She was alone. For all the good that was doing her.

She hadn’t recognized the voice, but that didn’t mean much with her head throbbing. It could have been someone she knew and she likely didn’t recognize it.

Licking her lips again, Tamara let out a breath. Now what?

****

“
The car was found three blocks away from the gallery,” Rhonda said. “Traffic camera’s in the area show that the driver was male and that he took a female passenger with him into a secondary car. Tech’s are working on cleaning up the license plate from the video feed now, but its slow going, the camera’s in that area are the older stationary ones.”

“
I sent a couple of our guys over to lend a hand. Hopefully they can help narrow it down faster,” Robyn said softly.

“
Yeah, I got word about them being there,” Rhonda said. “The Captain was a little bitchy, but since you guys do so much for us all the time, he’s letting this slightly unorthodox turnaround go.”

Shawn was only listening with half an ear. Pacing around his house wasn’t doing anyone any good, but he couldn’t sit still and wait for news. That wasn’t him. He needed action, fast and hard.

Besides that, this was Tamara, the woman he loved and hadn’t even told yet about his feelings. He was going to tell her, as soon as he saw her, no delays and no interruptions. There was no fucking way he was letting her go another day without knowing.

“
He’s getting agitated again,” Grant said quietly.

“
Wouldn’t you be as well, if this was Robyn?” Rhonda asked.

“
Of course,” he agreed. “Though I’d likely be more worried about the idiots that took her than about her personally. She’s damned scary when you mess with her. Trust me. I learned that the hard way early on.”

“
What did you do to him?” Rhonda asked with a smile in her voice.

“
He got between her and her morning coffee,” Shawn said. “Even the newbies at the office are warned about that shit. If she’s aimed at the coffee pot, you dive for cover and stay there until she’s had at least two cups.”

“
I made him terminally afraid of me before coffee,” Robyn said with a sigh. “It was just a bad morning. I’m not normally that bad.”

Shawn and Grant both snorted at that.

“
I’m not,” Robyn said, sounding mighty defensive.

“
It’s okay, Robyn, I still love you,” Grant said. There were some kissing noises and then a phone rang.

Stopping, Shawn spun to face Rhonda as she answered the call. “Delacour,” she snapped. She frowned and got up to pace. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh. When? Where? How long? Okay, shit, no, that’s not fucking good, you idiot. Fuck me,” she muttered. “What about the plates?” she asked.

Shooting a look to Robyn, Shawn cocked a brow.

“
Okay, good, good. Do we have an address?” she asked. She spun to look at him and gave him a thumbs up. “Got it. Get SWAT there ASAP. Yes, damn it! Now!” she yelled. Hanging up the phone, she looked at him. “We know where the guy lives.”

“
Let’s go,” he said.

Rhonda slid in front of him and put a hand to his chest.

Glaring down at her, he barely held onto his temper. “What?” he asked.

“
No busting in there. We do this by the books and SWAT clears the place first. Who the fuck knows what will be waiting for us. We are going to get her back, but we’re going to do this safely so no one, you or her, are hurt. We clear? Or should I just handcuff you here while we go and get her?”

“
Try it,” he dared her.

“
I will, Shawn. Don’t test me,” Rhonda snapped at him.

“
I’ll keep an eye on him,” Robyn said. “He’s testy right now, but he’ll listen to me. Let’s just go before he snaps his last wheel. And, given some of the training he has, its best we don’t add assaulting a police officer to his sheet.”

Rhonda finally dropped her hand and nodded. “Let’s go. You will follow me, because I’m not fucking giving you the address.”

“
Fine,” he snarled. Anything to just fucking get out of this house and to Tamara.

Nodding again, Rhonda spun on her heel and headed for the front door.

Grabbing up his jacket, Shawn followed after her with Robyn and Grant on his heels.
Hold on, baby. I’m coming to get you.

Chapter Sixteen

“
Neighbors report that the sole occupant of the house left at his regular time today,” one of the SWAT officers was telling Rhonda. Stepping up next to her, Shawn fought the urge to fire off questions.

“
Any sign of Ms. Phillips?” Rhonda asked.

“
Negative, detective. We’re doing our inspection of the front entrance now and project we’ll be entering the premises shortly.”

“
Go to it,” Rhonda said. Folding her arms, she cocked a hip and watched the SWAT guys do their thing.

Turning his attention to the SWAT crew, Shawn stuck his hands in his pockets and waited. He so fucking sucked at waiting. He hated surprises, hated to wait around for anything, and just generally had been in a rush his entire life. Unless he was with Tamara.

It was the only time he truly wished that time would slow down. Or that he could stop time and just enjoy everything in slow motion.

“
Nothing on the door. We’re entering the premises,” SWAT reported.

Straightening, Shawn shifted his weight. He felt Rhonda shoot him a look, but his focus was on the house and the SWAT teams voices coming from the radio in her hand.

“
Kitchen, clear.”

“
Living room, clear.”

“
Bathroom, clear.”

“
Bedroom one, clear.”

“
Bedroom two, clear.”

“
Proceeding to basement entry.”

The radio fell silent for a few minutes. “We have a female,” a voice reported.

Rhonda’s hand landed on his chest. “Wait,” she said.

Grinding his teeth, Shawn stepped back and clenched his hands into fists in his pockets. It was taking too long, way too long.