Forgotten Sins (Sin Brothers, #1)(98)

Madison clicked her high heels into the room, a frown marring her flawless skin. “We have a problem.”

Tom straightened up. “What’s the problem?”

Madison glanced at Josie. “Shane hasn’t shown up. Not even a hint of him.” She bit her lip. “Maybe we overestimated his feelings for her.”

Josie allowed a small smile to lift the corners of her lips. Adrenaline ripped through her blood. “Maybe you underestimated Shane.” Oh, yeah. Hope filled her. Her husband was coming.





Chapter 31

Shane shot an elbow into Nathan’s gut, halting their progress. “Go back to the f*cking truck and wait for me.”

Nathan dipped a shoulder and rammed solid muscle into Shane’s arm. “No.” With smooth movements, Nathan yanked open the door to the police station. He’d discarded the bulletproof vest, but in his dark shirt and cargo pants, he still looked more like a soldier than a lawyer. “Detective Malloy has already met me, and there’s no reason to do this by yourself. Alone.”

A flashback to the military barracks smacked Shane between the eyes. “Never alone.”

“Never alone.” Nathan repeated the mantra they’d coined as scared kids.

Shane followed his brother into the station, their boots clomping in unison on the sparkling wood floors. They should’ve changed into more casual clothing, but there hadn’t been time. “Asking the cop for help might seriously backfire.”

“Yep.” Nathan plastered on a charming smile for a young blonde behind the bulletproof glass. “Hi, darlin’. We’re here to see Detective Malloy.”

The woman flushed, her pretty eyes sparkling as she grabbed a phone. Even through the glass, the sound of her breath speeding up forced Shane to bite back a smile.

Seconds later Malloy shoved open the door. He appraised Nathan and then Shane with shrewd, albeit tired eyes. His heartbeat remained steady and calm. “What the hell’s going on, gentlemen?”

Shane pivoted, half shielding his brother. “We need to talk. Alone.”

Malloy tilted his head. “Are either you or your… lawyer… armed?”

“No.” A knife in his boot didn’t count. Both Shane and Nathan had left all guns in the truck.

Malloy nodded, stepping back and holding the door open. He led them to the conference room where Shane had first been interviewed. Sitting down, the detective eyed Nathan. “If you’re an attorney, I’m a f*cking ballet dancer.”

Shane leaned over the table, both hands flat. “He’s my brother. My wife has been taken by a military group you’ve never heard of, and if we don’t save her, she’s dead.”

Malloy lifted an eyebrow. “Is that so? She’s probably safe without you.”

“No. They’ll kill her.”

“Then why the hell are you here and not going after her?” Malloy’s expression gave nothing away.

Shane shoved panic down. “We need you to pull up the new traffic cams all over town so we can see where she is.”

Malloy frowned. “Excuse me?”

“We identified her location a short time ago. It’s a trap, of course. We need to see where they’ve taken her after allowing us to trace a cell phone call.” Shane tried to keep from grabbing the detective around the neck and shaking him. Time was running out for Josie. Who knew what the commander would do to her? Shane yanked his cell phone from his pocket and played the recorded conversation with the commander.

Malloy paled. “I watched her go with Marsh. Didn’t even think to stop her.”

“Then this is your fault, too.” Shane had no problem using guilt with Malloy. It beat shooting the cop.

The detective hitched out a breath. “Why the hell should I trust you? You’ve done nothing but lie to me since day one.”

“Instincts.” Nathan spoke low, calm. A hint of desperation broke through his charm. “You’ve got them. I can tell. While you might not like what’s going on here, you believe us. Now please help us.”

Shane stood to his full height. If Malloy refused, he’d go for the traffic cams himself.

*

Shane twisted the earpiece into his ear, his heartbeat slowing while his mind focused. He lay prone on the pebbled asphalt, his dark clothes blending with the night. Pain echoed through his gut from his surgery. The scent of sage mixed with the wild huckleberries skirting the forest and filled the air. “Do you think Malloy will be safe with Nate?”

“Sure. Stop worrying about Malloy. Cops get kidnapped at gunpoint all the time.”

“Funny.” Matt was such an *.

“I know.” Lying next to him, Matt lifted night-scope goggles to his eyes, focusing across the tarmac. The wind lifted his hair. “Besides, I checked out the cop. Combat experience. He might come in handy.”

Malloy had surprised the hell out of Shane, leading him right to the cams.

Using the traffic cam recordings, Malloy had zeroed in on Josie’s last known location, winding the recording back until two SUVs were seen leaving the area. Heading right for the airport. Once found, Shane had pressed his gun against Malloy’s side until they all quietly and serenely walked outside to the truck. Malloy had even chatted with two uniforms on the way. If Shane didn’t know better, he’d think the cop had wanted to come on the mission.