so I can show you some stuff.” She gestured to the manila envelope.
Caden raised a brow. “All right. Hang tight for a few minutes and let me see what I can arrange.” He disappeared back into the room, only to reemerge thirty seconds later. “Looks like they’ve got what they need and will be leaving shortly. Can you give us five minutes?”
“Of course,” Sarah said.
Gavin’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and frowned. And hung up on the caller.
“You need to get that?” Sarah asked.
“I’ll call him back in a few minutes.”
His phone buzzed again. Again, he disconnected the call.
“All of your workers are hanging out around us. How in the world can a business survive that?”
He smiled and glanced at Travis. “I’m just following orders.”
Travis nodded. “Don’t worry. It’s all under control. I promise.”
She studied him for a moment. “If you say so.”
Gavin’s phone vibrated for the third time. This time, a text. He glanced at the screen.
Call me ASAP.
From the general.
The door opened. “I’m just going to stay here and return the call while you talk to Caden,” Gavin said. “You don’t need me for that.”
Sarah nodded and slipped into the room, followed by Asher.
Travis held back. “Anything you need me to do?”
“Just keep an eye on her. No one gets close to her, got it?”
“Got it.”
Gavin pressed the button that would return the general’s call. Halfway through the first ring, the man answered. “Don’t—”
A scuffle? Something in the background.
“General Denning?”
“I should have known you wouldn’t cooperate.”
Gavin straightened, his heart picking up speed. “Hello?”
“Put it on FaceTime.” Gavin didn’t recognize the voice but obeyed.
The screen popped up and Gavin blew out a low breath. “Oh boy.”
The general sat tied to a wooden chair in front of a black tarp. The concrete floor looked new—or immaculately maintained—with no cracks. And that was it. No windows, no doors, no signs, no glass or mirrors to catch a reflection, nothing. “What do you want?”
“You.”
He blinked, expecting to hear Sarah’s name. Which, of course, he’d laugh in the man’s face. Or ear. “I’m sorry. What?”
“You. And you know the drill. You come alone. Any cops, yadda yadda, Lewis dies.”
“Where?”
He gave him an address.
“What do I need to bring?”
“Just you. Stay on the line. Keep the camera on your face until you’re in your car.”
“Gavin?”
He stilled at the sound of his name, then turned. Asher stood in the door of the conference room.
“Yeah?”
“Everything all right?”
“I might be a few minutes. I’ve got a client on the line who I need to deal with.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“No, Mr. Hahn and I have it covered.”
Asher paused. “All right, if you’re sure. Holler if I can help.”
“Will do.”
Asher stepped back into the room and shut the door.
“You handled that well,” the voice said. “Now go. The general’s life depends on your cooperation.”
“I’m going.” Gavin made his way back to the elevator, knowing the man on the phone was watching his every move. He walked outside the hospital and headed for his truck. Asher and Travis would be with Sarah, and that’s all that mattered at the moment. He’d find a way to leave some kind of trail.
He clicked the remote unlock. “Get in the passenger side.” Gavin paused and walked around the front of the truck, scanning the area, seeing nothing. He reached for the door just as the door of the car next to him opened. A spritz of liquid in his face sent him stumbling backward. A curse from a man in a ski mask.
Darkness closing in.
His thoughts went to Sarah. God, protect her.
And the lights winked out.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
Sarah let Caden examine the contents of the envelope in silence. He cleared his throat several times during the process, and her own had gone tight as she watched him. “What do you think?” she asked when he finally looked up.
He pressed thumb and forefinger to his eyes, then dropped his hand. “I think Dustin was onto something. We need to find every person named on this list and get them into protective custody immediately. I can start working on that.” He tapped a text to someone and then set his phone back on the table. “I also want to bring in Richard Kilgore and start questioning him. Find out who the other man was in the hallway that night.” Caden paused and sighed, reached out to cover Sarah’s hand with his. “I’m sorry I didn’t do more when you were asking. I’m sorry I didn’t put more effort into finding Brianne when you