Restrained Under His Duty (Dirty Little Secrets 3)

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I’ll never give up on Hadley. I need her back in my arms and safe as much as I need to breathe. I’m not sure when I became so decided about her. When she stopped being the boundary I shouldn’t cross, but she’s mine now. Mine to protect. Mine to cherish. Mine to love. And that woman who’s never let me forget her needs me to stay sharp.

Refocused and energized to find what we’re missing, I turn to Alex. “Do you know where that video came from?” I ask.

She shakes her head, sympathy in her eyes. “Sadly, no. The location is bouncing off towers from here to Dubai. I can keep looking, but—”

“Don’t waste your time.” I wave her off. Done with standing still, I begin to pace in between their computer stations and the monitors on the walls. “We need to stick to leads that are going to get us somewhere.” Once I reach the wall, I turn and address the team. “Did anyone get anything from the video that could help us?”

Silence.

That silence tells me my next steps. As much as it pains me to do so, I wave Alex on. “Show the video again.”

Alex’s nose scrunches. “You sure, boss?”

“Yes, Alex. Play it.”

“All right, it’s your broken heart,” she murmurs, turning back to her monitor and clicking a few buttons.

I tell myself I’m prepared to watch the video again. Though when Hadley’s face pops back onto the screen, it takes every bit of my strength not to turn around and punch the wall next to me. The seconds drag on, slowly and painfully, and I force myself to look away from her. I pay attention to all the little details, looking for anything that could help us. Her captor has clearly done this before. His face, his hands, arms, legs, even neck are all covered. I cannot see anything that would distinguish him, and the thought of Hadley being in a room with a trained killer guts me.

It’s after the tenth time of the video playing on a loop that I can’t possibly watch it again. “Shut it off.” After the screen flickers, returning to the security footage of the senator’s hospital room, I state my frustrations aloud. “I got nothing that will help us here.” I spin on my heels, addressing my team. “Any of you?”

One by one, they all shake their heads.

Always the team member to keep things positive, Alex adds, “Leave it with me. I’ll see if I can pick up anything from the background noise to get us any hint of where she might be.”

“Good” is the only response I can give her. It’s not the best lead, but it’s all we’ve got. Something is better than nothing, because I’m not ready to admit that we have no way to get to Hadley. That I have no way to protect her. “What about the police, where are they at with the assassination attempt against the senator?”

“They’re interviewing members of the senator’s staff,” says Jeff, spinning around to his computer monitor. His fingers move rapidly over his keyboard. “Ah, but that’s all we’ve got on that lead so far. They haven’t updated their logs since the last time I looked.”

“Okay, keep with that, Jeff,” I tell him. “Let’s hope the PD comes up with a couple names that we can run with.” That’s why having hackers on my team is necessary and makes them worth every expensive dollar that I pay them. The cops could put in the legwork while we focus on the tech, and then we’d take their leads and work other angles of a case.

I move in front of the monitor, where the senator and Mrs. Winters are sleeping soundly. Before, I would’ve wanted to get to Hadley for that man lying there. For my duty to him. But now…I ache to find her, and even I can realize that means something. Things have changed. Maybe even I’ve changed, too.

First, find her, Blackwood rushes across my subconscious.

Right when I’m about to form a new plan, Jenny’s telephone rings. She answers the call. Then, after a short pause, her eyes meet mine. “Okay, I’ll let him know.” She hangs up the phone and says, “That was the night clerk. I guess the governor is here and requests a meeting with you.”

Even though Blackwood Security never closes, the call from him comes as a surprise. “The governor?” I repeat. Jenny nods and half shrugs. “Yeah, that’s what Louise said.”

I bristle. It’s rare anyone ever shows up at headquarters, especially during nighttime hours, as most of our work is out in the field. It’s even rarer that one of those people is Tobias Harrington, the governor of California. Mildly curious and a little suspicious of his arrival, I glance at Alex. “You’re with me.”

She nods and gathers up her bag, stuffing her laptop inside, then follows me out of the command center and into the offices at the front of the building. Which to any outsider would look like any other established business. Offices lined the hallways, as did meeting rooms, with a standard break room and receptionist area.

I see Harrington waiting in the first meeting room through the glass windows and I study the man on my approach. He’s staring out the window, looking into the parking lot, and there’s tension across his shoulders and his posture is stiff.

“What do you think this is about?” Alex asks me.

I glance sideways at her. “Your guess is as good as mine.” But I do have my suspicions. His image in the public eye being at the top of the list. Not keeping his politicians safe in his hometown won’t bode well for reelection next year.

When I enter the room, Tobias turns around and offers his hand. “Mr. Blackwood, thank you for seeing me.”

I return the handshake, unable to look away from his challenging stare. I’ve seen it before, and yet again I wait him out until he looks away. Which he also does every time. Tobias reeks of weakness. “What can I do for you, Governor?”

He moves to the meeting room table and takes a seat at the head of the table, resting his hands on top, palms flat. “I’d like to know where you’re at with the senator’s shooting.”

I motion for Alex to take a seat, and after she does, I sit next to her and beside the governor. “I’m afraid you would have better luck asking the police that question.”