His to Take (Wicked Lovers #9)(126)
Author: Shayla Black

“So he’s probably driving,” Caleb mused aloud.

Joaquin nodded. “That explains why they tranqued Bailey.”

“Yeah, he wouldn’t want to drive all night with an uncooperative hostage,” Hunter added.

Joaquin was thankful to have something constructive to think about. “He’ll have to switch vehicles often, and if he’s smart, he has a stash of plates or steals some every time he swipes a new vehicle to keep any pesky highway patrol off his scent longer.”

“Absolutely,” Sean agreed.

“If he takes Interstate 80, it’s the straightest shot,” Stone pointed out. “It’s possible someone will spot him if they know which vehicle to look for at any given time, so I’ll try to keep up with reports of stolen cars. But some folks may not realize their car is missing until tomorrow morning when they try to head for work.”

“Aren’t parts of Interstate 80 a toll road?” Kata asked hopefully. “Maybe those cameras will catch something.”

“Which is another reason he’d be switching out the license plates,” Hunter informed her.

“You’re right.” Joaquin’s sister fell back into her seat again with a sigh.

“And cameras in toll booths don’t usually capture an image of the driver,” Stone added. “Besides, I’d have to hack into multiple states databases and watch hours of footage.”

Hours Bailey might not have.

“McKeevy is wearing a black T-shirt, if that helps.” Joaquin raked a hand through his hair. “But even if a camera snapped an image of his face, with night having fallen, the picture won’t show much.”

“True.” Stone twisted his lips in thought. “He’d be smart enough to hide his face. He also might take a few back roads for a little insurance.”

“In his shoes, if I could afford the extra time, I would.” Sean reached for his nearby water bottle.

“So chances are, we’re going to reach Iowa way before McKeevy.” Joaquin said what everyone had to be thinking. “We just have to wait for him to show up? Where?”

And Joaquin wondered how he would avoid going batshit crazy.

“We’ll get some sleep and food,” Sean said. “It will give us an advantage. McKeevy doesn’t dare stop for much of either with a hostage. Since you killed Vorhees, the driver he would have passed the wheel to won’t be with him. He’ll be limping in tired and hungry.”

“And probably with a horrific need to pee.” Stone snickered.

“He’ll have to stop to get gas,” Kata pointed out.

“The bureau is doing everything it can to watch public places along the expected route.”

“What about a roadblock or a checkpoint along the road, away from the LOSS compound?” She looked at Sean expectantly. “Call it a sobriety check.”

“The second the truckers encounter one, they’ll be chatting that up on their radios. I’m sure McKeevy will be listening in and will act accordingly.” Sean shrugged.

“So don’t try at all?” Kata asked, her tone hinting that suggestion sounded ridiculous.

“No, better to let him think he’s getting away with something and grab him at the expected destination, rather than spook him early. God knows what he’d do then.”

Kata sighed. “Too bad we can’t just trace her phone.”

Joaquin’s head popped up. He snatched up his backpack and rifled through it, but he already knew he didn’t have it. Bailey did. If McKeevy was smart, he would have ditched it long ago, but maybe he was too busy driving and laying low to search an unconscious woman. Maybe he was too panicked to think about the fact that the phone could be traced.

“It might still be on her,” he told the others, focusing on the hacker.

“Number?” Stone barked.

Joaquin flipped through his own phone, then rattled off the number. And he held his breath. Dear heaven, please let it be this easy. Please say he could have Bailey back with just a simple trace of an iPhone and a call to some authorities.

Stone’s fingers flew over his keyboard again. He waited. He looked puzzled. He frowned. After typing a bit more and swiping his thumb over the keypad at lightning speed, he sighed. “Looks like McKeevy dumped it off the interstate near Milton, Pennsylvania.”

Joaquin’s heart sank. Nausea turned his guts. Having his hope dashed was almost as cruel as having her taken in the first place.

“The good news is, McKeevy is definitely headed west, exactly like we thought.”

“Any idea how long ago he dumped it?”

Stone clicked around a bit more. “About three hours ago.”