Noah went numb. His mouth went dry. His pulse pounded painfully in his head.
He’d failed her. He and Liam both had failed her in a huge way.
They’d planned in detail. They’d taken into account so much. They’d made a plan of action. None of it did a damn bit of good, because those bastards had gotten to Lauren faster than Noah could have ever imagined.
How?
He put a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed, trying to alleviate the knotted tension coiled in his muscles.
“How in the hell could they have put this kind of plan into motion that damn fast?” Noah demanded. “We only called the D.A. yesterday.”
“Can you make it on your own or do we need to carry you out?” Seth asked. “We can talk on our way back up. Liam is with my brothers and volunteers and first responders. They were combing the area where the body was found to make sure we weren’t missing anything.”
“I can make it,” Noah said in a determined voice.
He took a step forward, falling into stride with Seth as Seth’s fathers followed behind. Seth’s deputies went ahead of the men, one of them talking into the radio.
“How did they manage this, Seth?” Noah asked again.
“I think Joel Knight had already made her,” Seth said grimly. “He may not even know about the meeting with the D.A. If he’s had people looking for her all these months, it’s possible they were finally able to locate her and were just waiting for an opportunity to make their move.”
Noah swore long and hard. “And the very thing we thought we were doing right—taking her to a more isolated area—proved to be their golden opportunity. They couldn’t make this kind of attack in town, even one as small as Clyde. But on a lonely mountain road that’s only traveled by the people who live on the mountain? Son of a bitch. We may as well have just gift wrapped her and delivered her to the bastard, complete with a bow.”
Seth put a hand to Noah’s shoulder as they completed the climb back to the road, where a string of police cars and SUVs were parked.
“Beating yourself up over the what-ifs and maybes doesn’t do you or Lauren any good right now,” he said quietly. “What we have to focus on is getting her back.”
Noah nodded, his jaw tight, and determination so fierce that he wouldn’t entertain any other option took firm grip of his insides.
“I heard them talking,” Noah said as they continued to walk toward Seth’s SUV. “They came looking for her and thought Liam and I were dead. They didn’t waste any time going after her, but they didn’t say a word about killing her. They specifically talked about dumping her on Knight and getting paid. Knight wants her alive, and so if we find Knight, we’ll find Lauren.”
CHAPTER 34
THE entire Colter family along with Max, Noah and Liam, plus most of Seth’s police force and assorted first responders, were crowded into Clyde’s small police station.
Holly was fussing over Liam and attempting to bandage the wound on his head. She was exasperated because every time something was said, Liam raised his head, upsetting her hold on the dressing.
Max was pacing back and forth, agony in his eyes and lines of worry etched deep in his forehead. Callie and Lily’s faces were blotchy and tear-stained and they were huddled together on one of the benches, arms wrapped around one another.
Noah had just put a call into the New York City D.A. and was waiting impatiently to be put into contact with the other man. Seth was standing next to him, murmuring in a low voice for Noah to remain calm and not to accuse the district attorney of anything until they could be sure of what was going on.
Noah figured they’d know soon enough if the D.A. was involved. It would be evident by how much help he was willing to give them now that Lauren had been abducted.
“Mr. Sullivan, my secretary said it was urgent. What can I do for you?” Richard Castanetti said, his voice tense.
“Joel Knight got to Lauren,” Noah said bluntly.
Noah’s eyebrows rose at the string of curses that blew through the phone.
“How? When?” Castanetti demanded.
“When is a short time ago. The how is what we’re wanting to know.”
There was a long pause. “You think I had something to do with it? You think I’m dirty?”
There was more incredulity than anger in the other man’s voice.
“I don’t know what to think,” Noah said quietly. “We have reason to believe that he’s been searching for her ever since she left him. If that’s the case then the timing could have just been a huge coincidence. It’s possible they’ve been watching her, waiting for the right opportunity to present itself and today was that day.”
“What do you know? Do you have any leads? What about the local law enforcement? I have a few contacts in Raleigh. I can make some phone calls for you.”
“We aren’t in Raleigh,” Noah bit out. “We’re in Colorado. But if you want to help, you can help us and Lauren and your eventual case by turning over whatever information you have on Knight. His residences, the places he frequents. Any hidey-holes he has. We need to run a fine-tooth comb over his entire life and we need it done yesterday.”
“You think he has her? Alive?” Castanetti asked skeptically.
“We think it’s likely that Knight doesn’t yet know about the deal she struck with you. He’s an obsessed, controlling bastard whose ego took a blow when Lauren walked out on him and didn’t return. I overheard the assholes who took her talking about delivering her to Knight, so if we can find him, there’s a good chance we’ll find her, and then you can add kidnapping and attempted murder to his charges when you file.”
“There’s nothing I’d like more,” Castanetti said in a tone that made Noah believe the man was sincere. “Give me an hour and I’ll pull every piece of information I have on Knight plus put in a few calls to contacts I have with the state attorney general and the FBI. They’re all going to want Miss Wilder to make it out alive. Right now she’s the one person who can take him down. I will tell you this. He rarely leaves the Northeast. It might save you and yours a hell of a lot of time if you get on a plane and start this way while I work out things on my end.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Noah said. “In the meantime, let me give you a couple of numbers so that one of us can be reached at all times.”
He gave the D.A. his own cell number, Liam’s and Seth’s before ringing off.
As he lowered the phone, he met the expectant stares of everyone gathered in the room.
“I don’t think he did it,” Noah said honestly. “Aside from the fact that it just wasn’t feasible for Knight to act on information that Castanetti just received less than twenty-four hours ago, he seems as anxious as we are to nail Knight’s ass to the wall.”
“I hope to hell you’re right,” Liam said grimly. “Once Knight discovers that Lauren copied information from his computer and planned to turn it over to the district attorney, her life isn’t going to be worth two cents. The only thing working in our favor right now is that he desperately wants to save face with the people who surround him, and he wants Lauren back under his control. That may buy us enough time to go in and take him down.”
“So who’s going and who’s staying?” Dillon Colter asked. “It’s one thing when we’re talking about something local. We tend to do things our own way here on the mountain. New York City is a whole different story, and we could all end up getting our asses hauled to jail if we don’t handle this just right.”
Seth nodded, his lips tight and turned down into a frown. He glanced over at Max. “Have you ever had any face-to-face dealings with Knight?”