Kingston Kidnappings (What Happens In Vegas Book 3) by Matt Lincoln (great book club books .txt) 📗

“Hampton. In a red building on Front Street.” I raised my eyebrows in surprise. That was a well-populated and touristy area. It was extremely out in the open for a group that was doing something so illegal.

“It’s easier to hide in plain sight,” Davis smirked, likely sensing what I was thinking from the look on my face.

That wasn’t good. I’d done a good job thus far of keeping my emotions hidden. I was beginning to slip, so this was definitely my cue to wrap this up.

I stood abruptly before stalking away from the table and to the door.

“He needs to be kept in solitary confinement,” I insisted to the blue-eyed police officer who was still waiting on the other side of the glass. “Until I or another United States federal agent comes to fetch him, he needs to be kept under constant supervision. There’s a chance a member of his organization might attempt to come to his assistance.”

“I’ll relay that message to my superiors,” the young officer replied.

“Hey!” Davis barked from his seat at the table. I turned around reflexively. “I’m not done talking to you!”

I couldn’t help but snicker at him. It was pathetic watching a washed-up career criminal trying to maintain some semblance of power by getting the last word in.

“I have nothing else to say to you,” I sneered before turning away and walking briskly down the hallway. I could hear him yelling behind me, but I ignored him. I had more important things to focus on. Namely, calling Wallace and organizing a plan to attack the base tomorrow.

32

Junior

Eliza fell asleep at around midnight. It seemed like speaking with Nelson actually had helped to calm her down, as I’d even heard her laughing a few times before she finally fell into a fitful sleep on one of the break room couches. It was clear that she wasn’t actually getting much rest since she kept jolting awake and glancing around frantically, as if she thought she might suddenly spot Amber.

It was awful to watch, especially knowing that there wasn’t much we could do without a ransom note or anything else to go on.

After she’d fallen asleep, Miranda and I had decided to head to the hospital to visit Harry. We might be able to get more useful information out of him, and even if we didn’t, I still wanted to check up on him. Harry had been incredibly kind to me ever since he’d met me. When he’d heard that I was planning on spending the previous Thanksgiving alone, he’d insisted that I join him and his family. My own father had been abusive, and my mother had cut contact with me when she’d learned I was following in his footsteps to become a police officer.

I’d made peace with losing my parents, and I’d gotten used to spending holidays alone, but Harry’s gesture still touched me.

I grew more nervous the closer we got to the hospital. We really had no idea what we were heading into. Eliza had been so frantic about not being able to find Amber that she hadn’t been able to focus on Harry. She hadn’t said much at the office, so we didn’t know how bad the damage was.

“We’re here,” Miranda gently nudged my shoulder. I snapped my head up at her voice. The harsh white lights on the hospital’s exterior were casting garish shadows across her face. I hadn’t even noticed when we’d pulled into the parking lot. I was too lost in thought, worrying about Harry and Amber and Eliza.

“Sorry, I was distracted,” I muttered as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

“I get it,” she responded quietly. “Everything’s such a mess. And it’s almost one in the morning now. My eyes are stinging so badly.”

“Maybe you should take a nap when we get back to the office,” I suggested as we climbed out of the car and headed toward the entrance of the hospital.

“Yeah, right,” Miranda snorted. “Like I could sleep with this going on. Could you?”

“No,” I smiled bitterly.

The electronic sliding doors slid open with a mechanical whoosh that seemed too loud against the quiet stillness of the night. The brightly lit lobby was completely empty save for a single woman behind a massive desk, which gave the entire place a creepy atmosphere.

“Can I help you?” The cheery receptionist at the front desk asked as we approached her.

“Agent Chapman, with MBLIS,” I said flatly as I presented my credentials to her. I didn’t have the energy to be polite right now. “We need to see a patient, Harry Monroe. He was found in his home earlier this evening by his daughter.”

“Of course,” the woman nodded, quickly turning to type something into her computer. There was no doubt that visiting hours were over, but being federal agents granted us access and privileges we otherwise wouldn’t have. The receptionist’s cheery smile had fallen, and I felt a little guilty about that. “He’s in room six-seventeen. He’s on the third floor. Take this first hallway on the right. The elevators will be on the left. It should be easy to find, but if you have any trouble, just head to the nurse’s station at the end of the floor.”

“Thank you,” I smiled at her before heading off in the direction she’d indicated.

“You okay?” Miranda asked as we stepped into the elevator. “Sorry, dumb question. I just feel useless right now, you know?”

“I know,” I agreed. We walked in silence the rest of the way. It wasn’t until we were standing outside his door that it occurred to me that he might be sleeping. It was the middle of the night, after all, and it probably wouldn’t be right to wake him up if he was resting.

Miranda, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have any qualms about it. Or maybe she was just so tired now that she wasn’t thinking clearly. Either way, she barrelled into the room without hesitation. I followed her in and was dismayed to see that Harry was sleeping. The