I let out a deep breath, and Hunter walks in, angry as fuck. Not good.
“I can’t. He’s already threatened her life if any report is made, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s tracking those things or has a police scanner. Hell, he probably knows I’m talking to you. Fuck, Jerad. I think he’ll do it. I think he’ll kill her the second there’s a missing person report or anything involving Sophie being taken.”
“I’ll call some guys and see what we can do without an official public alert. The police need to be looking for his car to make sure he’s not crossing state lines,” Jerad explains. “If I find out something, I’ll call you.”
I shove my phone into my pocket, and just like that, we’re back to where we started.
“Sorry,” Hunter says, shrugging. “I couldn’t lie to her. Lennon knows when I am anyway. But she said if we don’t find her in an hour, she’s calling the cops. She doesn’t give a shit what any of us say or think,” he tells me before looking at Liam.
“Fan-fuckin’-tastic.” Liam deadpans. “That’s the last thing we need.”
Hunter releases a breath. “When it comes to her sister, she doesn’t care. I asked her not to call Maddie because we don’t need two hysterical Corrigan sisters.”
I nod, agreeing. Thankfully, Maddie is safe at home and doesn’t suspect a thing. It needs to stay that way.
“What do we really know about this guy?” Liam asks. “Do we know where he works? Where he’s actually from? Would he have taken her out of the city? Jesus fuck. She could be anywhere.”
Liam’s panicking is making me even more edgy because he’s right. He took her somewhere between them dropping off Maddie before their meeting to when he first texted two hours later. He could’ve driven her out to the middle of nowhere for all we know. “Everything I know is probably lies anyway, so all we have confirmed is what Jerad’s told us. He was living in LA before Weston died,” I explain, clamping my hands behind my head as I try to think of more. “It’s a five-hour drive, so he didn’t take her there.”
“And what do we know about Weston? Besides the obvious.” Hunter interrupts my frantic thoughts.
I rack my brain for the small pieces Sophie’s shared. “Late twenties. Had a record. Born and raised in Sacramento. They have a sister who lives in Tulsa.” I’m growing more frustrated. “This is doing us no good. We’re wasting time.”
“Do you want me to put a hit out on him?” Liam asks.
Hunter and I both turn and look at him, and I’m not sure if he’s being serious or not. When I narrow my eyes, he eventually cracks a smile, but considering his job, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows the people to do just that. He probably has friends in low places with some shady contacts, so I don’t ask any questions. He rolls his eyes, then finally tells us he’s joking, but I’m not convinced.
I’m at a loss, so much so that I’m almost tempted to call my father and get him involved. As much as it fucking pains me to need his help, maybe he can do something. Maybe he can call out a search without it being put into the system. He is friends with the chief of police after all. If we can’t find her in the next hour, I’m going to do what I have to do, as much as I don’t want to. But I have no options left.
“What are you thinking?” Liam is so observant and notices even the slightest change in my moods.
“I’m gonna call my dad.”
Hunter immediately shakes his head. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Considering his father’s in politics as well, he knows how critical the situation will get if I do this.
“What other choices do we have? He has connections that Jerad doesn’t, and I’m out of ideas,” I nervously admit. I’m more desperate than I’ve ever been in my entire life. I’ll do whatever it takes to save her. If all I have to do is take my father’s berating and swallow my pride to find Sophie, then it’s more than worth it.
“He won’t be quiet. Searching for her won’t be swept under the rug. Your father will try to act like the hero and save your ass and the day, like he typically does. It’s a bad fucking idea,” Hunter disagrees. “And you know it.”
I let out a frustrated huff and run my fingers through my hair. Time’s running out. Every minute she’s with him is one fucking minute too long. At this point, maybe we should just drive around town and search every neighborhood, back alley, and warehouse until we find his car. I pace around the living room, trying to figure out where the hell he could’ve taken her. There’s no way they left Sacramento, not considering the amount of time it took for him to send me the first pictures of Sophie. They have to be in the city.