Chances Are - By Christy Reece Page 0,61

asked, “What should I do, Mama?”

Her mother gave a gentle, teasing smile and opened her mouth. Angela tensed, ready for whatever assistance her mother could offer. What followed was a recitation of an old family recipe for corn chowder.

Not exactly helpful information when trying to escape from a serial killer.

Jake stood at the door of Angela’s apartment and stared down at the evidence of her abduction. A bag of groceries lay spilled on the floor. Her purse, cellphone and earbud were scattered around, close to the bag. McCall should be here any minute with additional operatives. As soon as they arrived, the trace would begin.

Only a couple of minutes after hearing Angela’s abduction, Jake had been able to maneuver his way around the semi-trucks and get off on the shoulder of the road. Driving like a madman, he had broken a half dozen traffic laws in the vain hope that he could reach Angela’s apartment complex before she disappeared with her abductor. The whole time he had known it was too late but he’d prayed for all he was worth that he was wrong. Unfortunately he had been right.

Did the bastard plan to travel back to London with her? Had he already disposed of Clarissa Eaton’s body? If so, Angela’s abduction would be for nothing.

He shoved his fingers through his hair. What the hell was he going to do if something happened to her? He shouldn’t have agreed to let her carry out the op. He should have demanded she take the monster down. What if he never saw her alive again? Was he, once again, going to be responsible for getting someone he cared about killed? Hell, did he have some kind of black cloud hanging over his head?

Jake jerked himself out of the useless blame game. Having played that game hundreds of times before, he knew it accomplished nothing. He needed to focus on the positives. Angela was stronger than she gave herself credit for. She could take this bastard out if need be. And they were going to trace her whereabouts. They would find her and everything would be okay. He had to believe that.

The cellphone in his hand rang and in an instant, Jake answered, “Mallory.”

“I’m three minutes from her flat,” McCall said. “Meet me out front.”

He grabbed Angela’s belongings and turned away. Running down the hallway, he was in the lobby and on the sidewalk in less than a minute. A black SUV pulled to the curb and McCall got out. “You drive…I’ll track her.”

Sliding in behind the steering wheel, Jake took off the second the other man got into the passenger side.

“Head to the A4,” McCall said. “She’s about twenty minutes ahead of us.”

As he weaved in and out of the heavy evening traffic, Jake did his best not to think about what Angela was going through. If he allowed himself to go down that path, he wouldn’t be able to function. She was counting on him and he’d damn well not let her down.

Grim and silent, McCall sat beside him and stared at the laptop screen. Three other operatives followed in another SUV. Between the five of them, no way was this bastard going to get away.

Was she drugged and unconscious or awake and aware? Having seen her fear up close and personal, he could only imagine how terrified she must be.

Dammit, he should have seen this coming. Just because they had quit the op didn’t mean the killer had.

Without looking up from the screen, McCall said gruffly, “Stop beating yourself up. The man’s acting completely against type. No one could have predicted he would follow her to Paris. How the hell did he even know her address?”

Jake’s mind searched for the oddity and then closed his eyes briefly. “The presents.”

“What presents?”

“The day before we returned to Paris, Angela and I went shopping. She found gifts for your kids and asked for them to be shipped to her apartment in Paris. He must’ve been in the store and overheard.”

“Shit,” McCall said softly.

Bile surged up his throat. Instead of watching for the killer, he’d been concentrating on Angela, wanting to make her feel better…see her laugh again. And now he didn’t know if he’d ever see her alive again. “Dammit, I should have been watching her back.”

“Before we were married, Mara was taken right before my eyes. I was there to protect her and ended up almost getting her killed.”

The expression on the man’s face kept Jake from asking for details. Whatever had happened,