Should she fight him? Run? Would he really shoot her on the side of the highway with all those cars whizzing by?
He pushed her into the backseat of his SUV, quickly zip tying her wrists together as she shook. Tears streamed down her face, and she kicked at him as he pushed her down. He punched her in the ribs. “Don’t fucking fight me. I know you like to be tied up, bitch. We’ll have some fun after you get those cards for me. Maybe I’ll even give you back to your Navy SEAL boyfriend—eventually.”
She kicked at him again, before he hit her in the head with something. She began to feel dizzy, and then he hit her again. Everything went black.
Chapter 19
Troy cursed as he drove along the freeway toward Caitlyn’s apartment. Something was very, very wrong. He could see smoke in the air and a huge traffic jam in the opposite direction. Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles lined the side of the road, and he cursed as he saw a white SUV in flames. An SUV that looked exactly like Caitlyn’s.
He dialed her number again as he pulled to a stop. It rang and went to voicemail.
“Caitlyn, sweetheart, it’s me. Are you okay? Call me right away.”
Turning on his signal, he took the next exit and looped back around, getting back onto the freeway. Not caring about whatever laws he might be breaking, he drove along the shoulder until he reached the emergency vehicles. Troy jumped out of his SUV, jogging toward the police officers there.
“Sir, stop! You can’t come any closer!”
“I think that’s my girlfriend’s SUV! Is she okay? Is anyone inside?” he asked, craning his neck to see around the emergency personnel rushing toward the flames.
“There was no one in the vehicle,” the officer said.
“What? Where is she? Let me just see the license plate,” he said frantically. “I need to see if it’s her car.”
The officer clenched his jaw, nodding, and walked closer to the scene with him. Troy didn’t give a shit if this guy wanted to babysit him. If he spotted Caitlyn, no one would be able to stop him from going to her. Several firemen were spraying some type of fire retardant onto the flames, but the back of the SUV was still intact. His heart stopped as he looked at the plate. That was Caitlyn’s car. But if she wasn’t in it, where the hell was she?
“That’s my girlfriend’s car,” he said. “Caitlyn Thomas. She was supposed to be at my place an hour ago. What happened?”
“She wasn’t in the vehicle,” the officer repeated. “Multiple callers reported a smoking SUV on the side of the freeway. When we arrived, the car was engulfed, but no one was here. It’s possible she went for help or had someone take her to the hospital if she was hurt.”
Troy frowned. Although he had no doubt she’d get out of her car if she could, she wouldn’t just abandon it on the side of the freeway and leave with a stranger. Even if she was hurt, she’d wait for an ambulance. What if someone had taken her?
Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he called Raptor. “Caitlyn’s missing.”
“What?” Blake asked. “When did this happen?”
“Just now. She was supposed to be at my place an hour ago. She texted to say she was running late, but she never showed. Her car is on fire on the freeway.”
“Holy shit, that’s her? I just heard about that.”
“God damn it!” Troy said. A few of the police officers looked over at him, and he muttered a curse, talking in a low voice to Blake. “No one’s in the vehicle. The police don’t know where she is. I think it’s related to the yacht. Someone took her. She had multiple hang-ups a few days ago at work and noticed a couple casing her office.”
“Damn. You didn’t say anything about that.”
“I know,” he said, frustration growing within him. “She said that she was just being overly paranoid. I should’ve trusted my gut and looked into it.”
“Maybe she went for help,” Blake said. “Did she walk along the highway or get a ride?”
“I don’t know,” Troy said, running a hand through his hair. “Jesus. I’ll go check her apartment and make sure she’s not back there. Can you and Clarissa head to my place? I need to call the hospital, too.”
“We’re on it,” Blake said. “Jackson and Taryn are over here. I’ll have them contact the hospital while we check out your place. We’ll find her,” Blake assured him.
“Damn it. I hope so.”
His heart thudded in his chest as he looked around at the chaotic scene. The fire had finally been put out, and there was white foam on the road in addition to water from where they’d sprayed. Some of the investigators were already photographing the vehicle, and his gut churned. That was Caitlyn’s car. She was his. They were acting like this was a day-to-day accident, and his girlfriend was fucking missing.
Troy looked down at his phone, making sure he hadn’t missed any calls or texts. Was she hurt? Injured? Scared?
He knew she’d been running late, but damn. Her car was pretty new. It shouldn’t have just caught fire on the freeway. Had someone sabotaged it?
Turning away from the accident, he rushed back to his SUV. “I need to find my girlfriend,” he said to one of the officers. Without waiting for a reply, he jumped into his car and made an illegal U-turn on the freeway, heading to the closest exit so he could get off. There was no way he was sitting here until they cleared the road for driving. No damn way.
Fifteen minutes later, Troy pulled into her apartment complex. Something was wrong here as well. Multiple police cars were parked near her apartment building. Screeching to a stop, Troy jumped out and sprinted toward her apartment, taking the stairs two at a time. “Caitlyn!” he yelled.
A woman who lived next door looked nervously over at him. “Someone broke in. I don’t think she was there though—her car was gone. They trashed her apartment.”
His pulse pounding, Troy moved toward the doorway. Police tape blocked off the entrance, and he clenched his teeth. Her place had been totally trashed. The sofa cushions were cut, with stuffing spilling onto the floor. Her TV had been smashed. Entire drawers full of things had been dumped onto the carpet. The blanket she’d cuddled up in that first time he’d come over was carelessly thrown on the ground. Anger seethed within him. Those fucking monsters had ruined her apartment. Destroyed her car. Taken her.
“Sir, you can’t come in here,” a police officer said. “This is an active crime scene.”
“This is my girlfriend’s apartment,” Troy said, nausea roiling through him. “She’s missing. Her car was on fire on the freeway.”
“That’s your girlfriend’s vehicle?” the officer asked. He spoke into his radio, updating someone about the apartment and connection between it and the car fire. “It sounds like she’s been targeted,” he said grimly. “They were looking for something in here.”
“Clearly. Her car was almost new,” Troy said through clenched teeth. “It shouldn’t have caught fire like that. Someone did something to it.”
The officer nodded. “The same people could’ve tampered with it. Maybe they wanted to make sure she stayed away while they looked for something in here. Does she keep any jewelry or other valuables hidden?”
Troy blew out a breath. Caitlyn was very down-to-earth. She wasn’t always wearing flashy clothes or jewels. He knew without a doubt she’d been targeted by the same people who’d hijacked the yacht. They’d been outside her office. They’d called her. He should’ve driven over here and picked her up himself tonight, not let her drive alone on the freeway as it was getting late. Yes, she was a grown woman, but damn. One of the gunmen was still missing, and so were the military IDs.
“No, she didn’t have anything they’d steal like that of monetary value. I’d say the TV was the most expensive item here, and that’s destroyed. I need to call my CO. I’m a Navy SEAL, and Caitlyn was on the yacht that was hijacked a few weeks ago. This is all tied together, and she could be in extreme danger.”
***
Caitlyn sputtered as she woke up, exhaust fumes filling the air a
nd choking her. Where the hell was she? She moaned as she shifted, her head throbbing and hands and feet bound. Suddenly, her hellish night came rushing back. Her car smoking and then catching fire on the freeway. The tall man who’d exited his vehicle, first offering to help, and then dragging her back to his dark SUV. He’d bound her with zip ties and hit her, knocking her unconscious.
She blinked and coughed again as tears smarted her eyes.
Had he left her in the backseat of the SUV with the engine running? Was he trying to kill her? Nothing but darkness surrounded her, and she knew she couldn’t escape. Being tied up on the yacht had been one thing. She’d had Evelyn with her, and they’d been seated on the floor of a cabin with the lights on.
She couldn’t very well bite into the zip ties and free herself. The way they cut into her skin made her long for the ropes.
Would Troy wonder why she never showed up at his place? He’d come looking for her. That much she was certain of. If he took the freeway, it was possible he’d even see her car on fire. Would he recognize it? Would traffic be so bad that he’d take back roads to get to her apartment?
Unable to hold back a sob, she shifted on the backseat. They must be in a garage or something. If the car was outside, she wouldn’t be choking on the exhaust. What had happened to the man who’d put her here? Had he found those damn IDs he claimed that she had?
They must have stuffed them into her purse on the yacht—assuming what he said was in fact true. She hadn’t noticed them, but she’d also switched her wallet and small cosmetic bag out to a smaller purse. She certainly hadn’t unzipped every pocket.
Maybe they’d go looking in her apartment for her other purse and Troy would find them. He’d know what to do. He’d find her.
She began to grow dizzy from the fumes, choking. How long could someone survive like this? Did she have minutes left? An hour?
Slowly, her world faded to total blackness once more.
Chapter 20
Troy paced back and forth in Caitlyn’s parking lot talking to his teammates on his cell phone. More police cars had convened around her apartment building, and they were asking for pictures of Caitlyn. Too bad he didn’t have any—not a single damn one. They’d been dating for more than a month but neither were the type to stand around snapping silly selfies. They’d been intimate with one another, making love and kissing and caressing each other all night long, but taking a damn photograph? It hadn’t happened.
“They need a photo of Caitlyn,” Troy muttered into the phone.
“Okay. I’ll get one,” Raptor said, talking to someone in the background. Troy didn’t even wonder how it would happen. They could go on her social media accounts or something. One of the guys could track down her friend Harper. At the moment, he was too stressed to think clearly. For a man used to charging into dangerous situations, being prepared for anything, right now he just felt utterly helpless.
“Clarissa and I just left your place,” Raptor said. “There’s no sign of her. Ghost went over to her office.”
“Good idea.”
“It’s locked up though and looks fine.”
“Shit,” Troy muttered. “What about the hospitals?”
“Jackson and Taryn called several. They wouldn’t tell them much, citing patient privacy laws, but they did say no one from the fire on the freeway had come in.”
“Damn it. Did we ever get the name of the missing gunman? I know the PD was reviewing footage from the pier. They had to ID some of those guys. She said a couple had been outside her office, a man and a woman. I’ve got a gut feeling the missing gunman is the one we want.”
“I don’t know if they ID’d him, but I pulled Ace in on this. The investigators who are at the scene of the vehicle fire found her purse and some other personal belongings on the ground. Whoever took her was going through her things, looking for something.”
“I’ll say. They trashed her entire apartment.”
“They pulled some prints from her cell phone and purse,” Raptor continued.
“Those could be Caitlyn’s fingerprints,” Troy said. “God damn it.”
“Nope. There are two distinct sets. Don’t ask me how they know this shit, but Ace is running them through AFIS. If this guy was picked up for anything or in trouble with the law, we’ll have his identification.”
“Why the hell didn’t they do that on the yacht?” Troy asked.
“Dunno. I’m sure they dusted some things for prints, but there were fifty guests and at least twenty catering staff and crew. Plus the gunmen. That’s a hell of a lot to go through. Most of the gunmen were killed.”
“Jesus,” Troy muttered, walking back and forth again. The team of investigators going in and out of Caitlyn’s apartment was making him sick. Someone had been in there touching her things—destroying them. When they found her—because they would—she’d likely never feel safe there again. Never mind that the two of them had just begun dating. Troy would bring her back to his place. Hell, his townhouse was more than big enough. If she thought it was too soon to move in together, she could stay in the guest room. Not that he didn’t want her in his bed. He’d do things at her pace though. Knowing she was safe and secure would be enough.
“Shouldn’t the police be running the prints?” he asked.
“Yep. I’m sure they are, but I figured you wouldn’t want to sit around after we ID the guy.”
“Damn right I don’t. If we get a name, we’re hunting him down. What were they looking for anyway? The missing military IDs?”
“Probably so. They didn’t turn up on the yacht, and I have a feeling they stashed them on someone. Or in someone’s personal belongings. You took Caitlyn’s purse with you that night. Wasn’t it separate from the others on the deck of the yacht?”
Fear washed over him. It had been found separately. Most of the other guests’ belongings had been tossed into bins and shoved off to the side. He thought he’d been doing her a big favor—plus, he’d wanted to see her. If everything in it had been catalogued, maybe this would’ve never happened.
“You’re right,” Troy said. “I took it that night and gave it back to her. The question is, how’d the gunmen know the IDs were still missing? Even if they stashed them in someone’s purse, you think they’d assume they were returned to base. They must have someone on the inside.”
“Yep,” Raptor muttered. “And that’s how they knew the admiral’s address and the names of his kids.”
“So it’s someone active duty who has insider access to this. Or possibly a reservist. It can’t be someone already discharged, because they wouldn’t know about the missing identification cards. Holy shit. What do they have a beef with the admiral over?”
“It’s a good question. I’ll go talk to the CO. You okay over there at Caitlyn’s? I can send someone over. Logan’s at our place and is trying to get a hold of her friend Harper. Or Clarissa and I can come.”
“I’m fine. Not fine,” he hastily amended. “Caitlyn is missing. I’m just waiting here to see if the police have any updates for me. Hell, maybe she’ll turn up and this was all some big misunderstanding.”
Raptor didn’t answer, and Troy knew how absurd that sounded. He hoped like hell she was okay, but all the evidence was pointing to foul play. The car fire. The trashed apartment. The fact that she was missing.
“Damn it! Call me the second Ace finds something.”
“Will do,” Raptor assured him.
An hour later, several of his teammates showed up at Caitlyn’s apartment complex. Troy was relieved as hell to see them, but the fact of the matter was, he wanted Caitlyn. He needed to go to her, to rescue her. Just imagining what she was going through was gut-wrenching. It was dark out now, and she’d presumably been missing for several hours. The last contact he’d had with her had been the text saying she’d be late.
“Yo, T-Rex,” Raptor called out as several of the guys walked toward him.
Logan shoved a coffee in his hand, and Troy took it without a word. The
adrenaline coursing through his body had kept him alert, but it was already twenty-one hundred. Nine o’clock. The car fire had been more than an hour ago, and they were no closer to finding Caitlyn.
The police were still combing through Caitlyn’s things, carting away bags of evidence with bright lights shining around the entrance to her apartment. An investigator was dusting the doorframe for prints, but the entire thing was taking too damn long. She was out there, alone and helpless. Possibly hurt.
He took a sip of the coffee, not even tasting it.
Jackson tugged him away from the scene before them as his stomach roiled. He shouldn’t watch that shit, but hell. His girl was missing. Her belongings were ruined.
“We’ll find her,” Jackson assured him in a low voice. “Caitlyn is smart and strong. She survived that damn hijacking on the yacht. She’ll survive this, too.”
“Yeah, but at what cost? What if they hurt her or rape her? What if she’s tied up and can’t escape? She’s probably terrified out of her mind, and we’re all standing around her apartment complex, helpless to do anything.” He took another swig of the coffee, the black liquid burning down his throat. His stomach was empty since he’d never gotten around to eating dinner. He and Caitlyn should’ve been relaxing outside by his firepit right now. Or in his bed, slowly making love. They should’ve had a nice dinner of steak and wine with plenty of kisses snuck in between bites.
Now she could be dead in a ditch somewhere or petrified as she was held by some monster.
To think of his innocent woman being held against her will—hurt. Troy closed his eyes, trying to stop the onslaught of images his mind was conjuring up.
Raptor’s phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. The team all looked toward him, only hearing his end of the call. “Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. Fucking fantastic. Text me the info. We’re on our way.”
SEAL's Promise (Alpha SEALs Coronado Book 5) Page 15