No Place to Run (KGI #2)(53)

“You stay away from her. You leave here and you forget you ever knew she existed, you got me?”

“I can’t do that, Sam. You know that.”

“Do it for me.”

Resnick blew out his breath and sagged. “Goddamn it, Sam. What a time to call in a favor.”

Sam let go of his shirt. “We have to get moving. Sophie is out there. She probably thinks I’m set to turn her in.”

The peal of Sam’s cell phone stopped him as he strode down the hall. Seeing Rio’s number on the LCD, he jerked it to his ear.

“Sam here.”

“Sam, we need to talk. I have a situation.”

Shit. Fear slithered down his spine and his grip tightened on the phone.

“Can it wait? Sophie took off. Dolphin and Steele have gone after her. Garrett and I need to go as well.”

“No, it can’t wait.”

Sam glanced up at Garrett.

“I’ll go after her,” Garrett said.

“I can help,” Resnick offered.

Garrett shook his head. “You show your face, she’ll run hard in the other direction. You stay here with Sam until we can get you the hell out of here.”

“I feel so valued,” Resnick said dryly.

Garrett ignored him and hurried out the door.

Sam turned away and put the phone back to his ear. “Talk to me, Rio. Make it fast.”

“It’s bad, Sam. Your father had a heart attack.”

Sam stumbled and had to catch himself on the kitchen cabinets. “What?”

“He’s in ICU. They’re monitoring him closely.”

There was a pause.

“What else? Just say it,” Sam demanded.

God, don’t let him die. Don’t let his dad die.

“Your mom’s gone missing.”

“What? What the hell? What do you mean she’s gone missing? She’d never be anywhere but at Dad’s side.”

“I know. Goddamn it I know, Sam. I’m sorry. I’ve let you down. I still don’t know how the hell it happened. I wouldn’t even let her ride in the ambulance with him to the hospital. I told her that she and Rusty weren’t to go anywhere without me. Period. I took them myself. My men are here in the family room. I requested something private. We have tight security around the intensive care unit. I have someone at all possible entries. Your mom was allowed in to see him a couple of hours ago. She came out and Donovan went in. She seemed to be okay. She spoke to Rusty for a few minutes and then excused herself to go to the restroom. I sent a man with her. He stood outside the door. When they didn’t return, I found him dead inside one of the stalls and your mom was nowhere to be found. I’m going over hospital surveillance now, and I have the rest of my team turning the hospital inside out.”

“Jesus. Son of a bitch!”

He’d never felt more out of control in his life. Everything was crumbling around him and he felt helpless to stop it.

“I want this son of a bitch,” Rio seethed. “The bastard preys on helpless women. First Sophie and now Marlene. He killed one of my men.”

“I don’t know what he wants, but I expect we’ll find out shortly,” Sam said. “I just hope to hell he’ll want to negotiate.”

His gut knotted and he wanted to puke. His hand shook around the phone, and he mashed it against his ear to keep from dropping it.

“Make sure Rusty and my father are safe. Do whatever you have to do. I want you to keep me posted on his condition. And for God’s sake sit on Donovan and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I’ll guard them with my life,” Rio said softly. “I’m sorry I let you down, Sam.”

Sam closed his eyes and slowly pulled the phone away from his ear.

“Is everything okay, Sam?”

He turned to see Resnick standing a few feet away, his hands shoved into his pockets.

“He has her,” he said hoarsely. “That bastard has my mother. My father is in the hospital with a heart attack, and that son of a bitch took her when she went to the bathroom.”

Resnick ran a hand back and forth over his head. “Christ, Sam, I’m sorry.”

Sam’s fist curled into a tight fist and he rammed it into the cabinet. The wood splintered and pain shot through his hand.

“I have to go find Sophie. Then I have to go to my dad. Then I’m going after this son of a bitch.”

He stared Resnick down, letting the full force of his fury bleed into his expression.

“You stay the hell out of my way. Make damn sure no one makes a move on Mouton. Last thing I want is for you guys to finally decide to make a move and have my mother caught in the cross fire.”

Resnick pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of his breast pocket and hastily shoved one into his mouth. He lit it and sucked in a deep breath. Then he exhaled, blowing a steady stream of smoke from his lungs.

“I can only buy you so much time, Sam. We can’t allow whoever it is in charge—whether it’s Alex or Tomas—to sell a f**king nuclear weapon to some shithole third world country with a terrorist agenda.”

“I’ll bring him down. Or I’ll die trying.”

Resnick nodded and sucked on his cigarette again. He paced around the living room in agitation, taking jerky drags and spewing the smoke in noisy exhalations.