Deadly Lies (Deadly #3)(50)

Monica’s stare drifted to Samantha. “I understand.” And she actually sounded like she did. “Believe me, we are doing everything that we can. Stay here, okay? We might have some more photos for you to ID soon.” She rose, shoving her chair back.

Max jumped to his feet, too. “That’s it? That’s all I get to do? Look at some damn photos?”

Dante stepped forward. “Easy. We know this is a tense situation—”

“You don’t know what it’s like to have someone you care about in a killer’s hands! You don’t know what it’s like for time to trickle away while you know he’s going to die. You don’t know.”

Silence.

“I know.” Whispered from Samantha. His head whipped to the left, and Max found himself caught in her gaze. “And they know too. Believe me, they do.” Her hand lifted, and her fingertips pressed against his cheek. “We’re working 24–7. Don’t give up on us yet. You can’t give up.”

There was so much pain in her voice. “Samantha?”

“We’re getting out of here,” Samantha told him, and her voice was stronger, firmer. She fired a glance at Monica. “I read the files. I know that you talked to the bartender, Nic, at The Core. He said—he said he saw a woman with Quinlan right after Max and I left.”

“A blonde.” Monica’s gaze slid back and forth between them. “Maybe twenty-one or twenty-two. He said she had long legs and a small knife tattoo on her left shoulder.”

“He remembered her only because he remembered you.” Dante’s head was cocked as he watched them. “He said a redhead came up asking him questions, and some man with her got into a fight.”

“You all left quite an impression on him,” Monica murmured.

“After you left…” From Dante, “the bartender saw a blonde approach Quinlan.”

“We haven’t been able to find her yet, but we’ve got plainclothes officers at The Core looking for her.” Monica eased away from the table. “Thanks to Kim, we know a blonde matching her description was also seen with Adam Warrant right before he vanished.” One dark brow arched. “The same bartender remembered her.”

Too damn big of a coincidence. “She’s part of the ring?”

“We think she was the bait.” Monica curled her hands around her files. “We wondered how the men were lured out—we know roofies were used. The two men who were ransomed couldn’t remember anything about even being in the bars.”

“Memory loss is common after Rohypnol ingestion,” Dante explained. “But because of the drug, the guys couldn’t tell us who led them out.”

“Now we have a suspect, one we’re looking for and one we will find.” Ah, finally some heat in Monica’s voice.

“Yes, we will,” agreed Samantha. “Max and I are going to hit the bars tonight. You promised him that he’d be part of the investigation, and he will be.”

Well, damn.

“No more sitting on our asses. We’re in this thing.” Samantha gave the agents a curt nod. “If you need us, you can text me, but we’re not waiting anymore.” She grabbed Max’s arm and headed for the door.

“The waiting’s hard, isn’t it, Sam?” Monica questioned quietly. “It reminds you too much.”

Samantha flinched. “I don’t need reminding. Forgetting—that never happened. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t forget.”

And what the hell was she talking about?

“Let’s get out of here,” Samantha muttered. “Sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe here.”

Max knew the feeling. He pulled open the door.

“Wait!” Monica called out. “Sam… do you—do you trust him?”

Ah, shit, there it was. His past. Sure they had all the gory details in their nice, neat files, and they just needed to throw it in his face one more time.

“Doesn’t matter,” Samantha said. “I’m with him either way.”

Not the answer that he’d wanted, but one he’d take. He stepped forward and nearly slammed into another agent. A woman. Small, delicate, with fierce green eyes.

“Come on, Max,” Samantha said, grabbing his arm. “We don’t have time to waste.”

No, they sure as hell didn’t.

? ? ?

Monica took a shaky breath as she watched Sam and Ridgeway hurry away.

Sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe here.

She’d caught Sam’s words, and she’d understood. Once upon a time, Monica had felt like the world was closing in on her, too, and it had been a struggle to push back the fear.

But she’d pushed and she’d pushed and she’d walled herself off from everyone else until…

“You okay, baby?” Luke’s voice whispered from right behind her. She felt his fingers skim down her arm.

Monica turned her head, just a bit. They were in the hallway, and too many eyes were on them.

But screw the other agents. All that they would see was two agents discussing an active case. So if she wanted to spend a moment with the man she loved, then she would. “I was worried about you.” Her confession was stark.

Luke blinked, and his expression softened.