His phone rang. Seth caught “Unknown caller” on the screen as he swiped. “Hello.”
“Seth, it’s Lincoln.”
Shit. He didn’t have time for this. “Lincoln, I can’t talk right now.”
Zach, Heath and Adam turned to face him.
Lincoln ignored Seth’s brush off. “At the risk of alienating you further, hear me out. I was parked across from Harper’s café around noon. I just wanted to make sure she was okay after yesterday. Dillon pulled up out front. I saw him put some powder in his coffee, and make a phone call. Thought nothing of it. Then Harper got into Dillon’s car. I got curious and followed. Saw her start to drink the coffee. Something seemed off, but I wasn’t sure.”
Seth switched the phone to speaker. “Lincoln, are you still following him?”
“Followed. He’s at an old warehouse near the cargo terminal. Drove straight in via an automatic shutter.” Lincoln gave an address that Adam typed into his laptop. “I’m scouting for entry points as we speak.”
Seth ran out of his office, his brothers behind him, and the agents calling out as they followed. “Dillon’s the hacker. We found out less than an hour ago. He tricked Harper into getting in his car.”
“Then you’ll need me to speed up my recon.”
No time to wait for the elevator. He ripped open the door to the fire escape and took the stairs two at a time as the sounds of many feet thumped on the concrete behind him. “We’re just about to our cars now. Keep your line open. Expect a call from Heath.”
“Done.” Lincoln hung up.
Seth climbed into Heath’s SUV. No way was he fighting traffic when his brother had a flashing light and police siren on hand. Zach jumped into Adam’s SUV. The two FBI agents had exited via the lobby and would follow with orders from Heath to cut their siren a few blocks from the warehouse.
As Heath weaved around cars and cursed at drivers who were either deaf, blind, or had their car radios up so damn loud they couldn’t hear the siren, Seth remembered he hadn’t thanked Lincoln.
If it wasn’t for the man’s determination to hang around and get to know him, Seth would still be in his office with no leads or hope of locating Dillon.
Maybe he and his younger brother had more in common than DNA. If pig-headed stubbornness counted for anything, Seth was ahead of the crowd, and it seemed Lincoln was of the same design.
Right now, Seth would take any advantage he could grab.
Keep strong, coffee girl. I’m coming to get you.
* * *
“Time to wake up, Harper. It’s no fun waiting.”
A hand smacked her cheek hard enough to sting.
She blinked as her gaze slowly focused on her surroundings.
Gray cement block walls and dirty brown metal doors. Gradually, more details emerged. Chains and pulleys hung from rafters high above. Windows. Along the top, way up high.
From somewhere behind her, in another room from the partially muffled sound, loud music, heavy metal, played.
Her body felt…sluggish. She was sitting in a chair. Hard. Wooden. Her hands were cuffed in front of her. A wide leather strap across her chest kept her from falling forward.
Back about six feet and directly in front of her stood a tripod, on top of which rested a laptop.
“You’re a lightweight when it comes to sedatives. Been out for forty minutes. I should have used a smaller dose.” Dillon appeared in front of her. “Maybe this will help you wake up.” He threw a bucket of water at her face.
She spluttered, water going in her mouth and eyes, but most of it landing in her lap, soaking the front of her apron. Shaking her head, she blinked as tiny rivers of moisture ran down her throat into her bra. Her black cotton shirt stuck to her shoulders.
“Wide awake now?” Dillon threw the metal bucket to the side. It crashed into a stack of discarded wooden pallets. Cold, emotionless eyes studied her. She tried to hide her shiver, but his wide grin showed her lack of success. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to be alone with you, Harper.” He looked to the side and gave an overly dramatic sigh. “Of course, initially I’d planned a more romantic scenario, but then you met Seth, and he decided you were his.”
A more romantic scenario? She’d never even guessed. “I liked you, Dillon.”
He lunged forward. “Liked me?” His thunderous voice echoed around the warehouse. “That’s all. And Seth gets the love, the attraction.”