With Every Breath (Slow Burn #4) - Maya Banks Page 0,112
have had your men lock me down and you would have gone instead of me. And when I didn’t show, he would have killed her. I had no other option. And I couldn’t live with myself if another woman dies because of me. I just can’t. Please understand that I can’t sit back and do nothing. I don’t want to die. I have too much to live for now. I will do everything I can to survive, to take him down. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it back to you. I love you. You taught me the true beauty of love and the difference between love and obsession. For the first time in my life, I was loved, truly loved, and I felt loved. You gave me the most precious gift anyone has ever given me. I have to try to save her, Wade, and I hope you’ll forgive me if I live to beg for your forgiveness. Always and forever. Eliza.
Tears burned like acid, blurring his vision. His chest ached. His heart hurt so damn much and he was sick to his soul. His beautiful, courageous, brave, compassionate Eliza. A woman who had no idea of her worth or how very loved she was, how very deserving of love she was. Dear God. He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t survive it. He had to find her fast.
He glanced up to see that Dane fared no better, the letter Eliza had written him shaking like a leaf in his trembling grasp. Sorrow and grief were so evident on his face that it was as if she’d already died, as though the letters were notifying them of her death.
Fuck that. He would not lose her. Not now. Not ever.
“If everyone doesn’t get that fucking look off their faces right the fuck now, swear to God, I’ll kill every damn one of you,” Wade said furiously. “We have not lost her. I have not lost her. Now snap the fuck out of it and give me anything you’ve got and you better have something, Elliot.”
Dane’s expression lost the despair and fiery determination ignited in his eyes.
“I have a list of houses, a few businesses and property he owns in a fifty-mile radius. Given the short amount of time between when he entered the house we had under surveillance and when Eliza disappeared, they have to be somewhere close. We divide up, divvy out the locations and hit them as quickly as possible.”
Zack Covington stepped forward, his expression grim, anger billowing from him in waves.
“Beau and I will partner up. Give us some locations and we’re out of here.”
Dane nodded then looked to the rest of his assembled men. “Isaac, you take Shadow and Knight. Eric, you take Dex and Zeke. Capshaw and Brent, you two work together, and I want all of you to be on your toes at all goddamn times. There has never been a more important mission than this one. One of our own is on the line. You make damn sure she’s not caught in the line of fire and that you protect her with your lives. Take Harrington out any way you can, as soon as you can, but make damn sure Eliza doesn’t end up as collateral damage or I’ll have your balls.”
Dane took out his phone and then looked to Wade. “You want north end of town or south?”
“I’ll take north. My men and I will spread out and cover as many locations as possible so give us an entire sector. You and your men see to the rest.”
“I’m forwarding the locations Quinn texted me so check your phones for your assignments. Now get moving so we can take Eliza home where she belongs.”
“Something’s not right. It’s too easy, too obvious,” Wade growled into the phone as soon as the call connected to Dane. “We’re missing something here. He’s not stupid and he’s had a long time to plan this. He wouldn’t bring a victim or lure Eliza to a place that a public record links him to.”
Dane’s voice was urgent and tense when he broke in.
“I was in the process of calling you when you buzzed me. Quinn found something and I think it’s the only logical answer.”
“Spit it out then. We’ve wasted enough goddamn time,” Wade said, his body rigid as he waited, hoping, praying that Quinn had come through in a big way.
“Quinn accessed Harrington’s prison records. Visitor logs, correspondence. His every move or anyone he had any contact with.