Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(68)

Putting her head back on the arm of the couch, Sarah tried not to cry. She was scared to death. So far, Owen hadn’t done anything violent toward her. Yes, he’d essentially kidnapped her from her house, but he hadn’t hurt her. No, she’d done that to herself by falling off the ladder. She’d hit her head hard enough for it to bleed, and she thought she had a slight concussion, but in the scope of everything else wrong at the moment, that wasn’t even a concern.

Sarah felt stupid for not realizing the extent of Owen’s disability when she’d cared for his mother in the hospital.

She’d always prided herself on being nice, on being able to figure out what people needed even before they needed it. But she’d completely missed the boat when it came to the Montrones. She thought Aubrey was just being a normal mom when she’d said that her son was special. She’d nodded her head in agreement when she’d talked about needing to find someone responsible and giving to help look after him when she was gone. Sarah hadn’t meant to imply that she would be that person, but maybe Aubrey had taken it that way? She wondered if she’d told Owen that Sarah would look after him after she died. If she’d planted the seed inside her son’s head in the first place.

When she began to feel like she was floating, Sarah realized the potent painkiller was kicking in. The feeling was nice. For the first time since waking up in the cabin, she didn’t hurt. Well . . . not as badly as she had been.

But she couldn’t fall asleep, not until she did what needed to be done.

Sitting up, ignoring the way the room spun, Sarah stared down at her foot. She leaned over and carefully pressed on the lump she saw on the side of her ankle . . . and almost screamed out in pain.

Damn.

That was a bone. And it wasn’t supposed to be sticking out the way it was. This wasn’t going to be fun.

Looking over at Owen, she saw that he was still engrossed in the puzzle. It was now or never.

She took a deep breath, pressed her lips together, and did what she had to do.





Chapter Fifteen

“Dammit! It’s been three days!” Cole yelled in frustration and anger as he ran a hand through his hair. “Where is she?” He was standing in the back of Ace Security, along with Logan, Blake, Nathan, and Ryder. Even Grace, Alexis, Bailey, and Felicity were there. Little Nate and Ace were in a playpen off to the side, happily babbling to each other and ignoring the tension in the air.

“We’re getting close,” Logan reassured him.

“Not close enough!” Cole shouted.

Felicity came over to him and put a hand on his back.

Cole knew he should calm down, be more rational, but he couldn’t. “He’s had her for three days,” he told Felicity, his voice breaking. “She has to be scared to death and wondering why I haven’t come for her.”

“Everyone’s doing everything they can,” his best friend replied.

“What if it’s not enough?” Cole asked in anguish. “What if he kills her, and she dies thinking I didn’t love her enough to find her?”

“She knows you’re looking for her,” Felicity admonished.

Cole turned around and stared at his friend. “How? How does she know that? We’re no closer to finding her today than we were three days ago. The bastard was living in her attic, and we had no idea! There’s no telling how long he was up there, and now he’s taken her!”

Felicity reached up and took Cole’s face in her hands. “I’m positive she knows you’re looking as hard as you can for her because I was in her shoes. When Joseph had me, I knew without a doubt that Ryder was doing everything in his power to get to me. And you. And Logan, Blake, and Nathan. She knows, Cole, and you have to hold it together so you can think straight and find her.”

Cole closed his eyes, squeezing them even tighter when he felt Felicity’s arms go around him. Then he felt another pair of arms go around him from behind. Then another from his left and, finally, a pair from his right. He was surrounded by his friends’ women. It was appreciated, but the only feminine arms he really wanted around him right now were Sarah’s.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The women all stood back. “Thanks, guys,” he said softly. “I’m okay now.”

“She’s smart. She won’t antagonize him,” Grace said softly.

“Sarah’s the nicest person I’ve ever met,” Bailey chimed in. “I swear to God, no one can resist her. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep him calm.”

“If she gets the chance, she’ll escape,” Alexis added. “I have no doubt of that.”

Cole knew the women were trying to reassure him, but everything out of their mouths just made him more anxious, thinking about what she might be going through.

“You ready to look at everything again?” Felicity asked.

Cole couldn’t help a small, begrudging smile. Leave it to his BFF to pull his head out of his ass. “Yes,” he told her. “From the beginning. We’re missing something. I know it.”

Felicity nodded and reached for his hand. She towed him back to the table he’d pushed away from to have his little temper tantrum.

“Give me the file on Owen,” Cole said. “The man has the mental capacity of a ten-year-old. It shouldn’t be this hard to find him.”