Infuriating - Onley James Page 0,74
right as he appeared to rack his brain. Jackson saw the moment the man recognized Day for who he was. “The kid whose paycheck is always getting screwed up in our system? What about him?”
Jackson shook his head. “Never mind.”
“Wait,” Delgado cried. “Did you tell security about this at my job? Is that why they wanted to see me?”
Jackson didn’t bother to answer the man. Let him sweat it out. He was halfway down the front steps of the building when he saw Linc’s SUV parked in the middle of the lot. Linc crouched beside Jackson’s open passenger door. His fingers swiping across something and rubbing it between his fingers before he wiped it on his jeans. Jackson’s gaze shot to Linc’s passenger seat, his heart skyrocketing when he saw it was empty. He started to run.
“Where is he?” Jackson shouted.
Linc stood. “I just got here,” Linc said. “He’s gone.”
Jackson shoved Linc hard, slamming him back against the car. “What the fuck do you mean he’s gone? He can’t be gone. I’ve been gone less than five fucking minutes. He’s got to be around here somewhere. Did you check to see if he tried to follow me? Maybe he’s walking around the complex. Or lost.”
It sounded ridiculous to Jackson’s own ears. Linc let Jackson grip his shirt and shake him like a rag doll before settling his hands on his shoulders. “Stop. I think somebody took him. Stop reacting and listen.”
Jackson slumped, trying to force his brain to stop with the endless loop of horrible outcomes hammering holes into his rapidly beating heart. Day was gone. Jackson had turned his back for five minutes and somebody had snatched Day right out from under his nose. No, not under his nose. If he’d just brought Day with him upstairs, or at least waited for Linc to get there, this wouldn’t have happened. Jackson gave a hoarse shout and slammed his fist through his back passenger window, pain knifing through his hand and forearm.
Linc gave him a hard stare. “You feel better now? You good? I need you to fucking focus.”
Jackson’s hand was throbbing, but he nodded. “What did you find?”
“Blood, but not enough to think he’s mortally wounded.”
Linc presented his hand to Jackson so he could see the slight remnants of Day’s blood on his fingers. Maybe it was Day’s blood. Maybe it was the stalker’s blood. Too bad that would be zero fucking help figuring out who had him. “His phone,” Jackson barked. “Is his phone in the car?”
Jackson didn’t wait for an answer, diving into the car and searching the passenger seat and underneath it before snatching his own phone and pulling up the app he’d installed on Day’s phone. His heart sank with relief when he saw the blinking green circle with Day’s smiling face inside.
“I’ve got him.”
“Where?”
“Skid row.”
Linc frowned. “What? Did he kidnap Day and take him back to his tent on the row? That doesn’t sound right. Wait, isn’t that old hotel there? The one The Night Stalker stayed at while he was killing people?” Jackson gave him a startled look. “Sorry. You know what I mean. It used to be fancy, but now, it’s like a rent by the hour or night kind of place.”
“The Cecil Hotel. It’s called something else now.”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
Jackson checked the map, zeroing in until he had an address. “Yeah, that’s where he is.”
“Why would he take Day there? How would he get him past the front desk? Even if he does, I don’t know how we’re going to find him. There’s got to be six hundred rooms in that hotel.”
“We’ll find him on the security footage. If that’s where he’s taken him, he can’t be that far ahead of us. Let’s go.”
Jackson started for the SUV, only to realize Linc wasn’t following. He closed the passenger door with his jacket over his hand. “There’s evidence here. Get your detective friend to send a forensic tech out here to collect it. We’ll need it if there’s a trial.”
“If that fucking scumbag has so much as smeared Day’s lipstick, he won’t live long enough to see the inside of a courthouse,” Jackson vowed.
“Noted. But, until then, call him.”
Jackson climbed into the passenger seat of Linc’s car, making his calls as Linc drove. The old hotel was only three blocks away, and Day’s face still blinked on top of it, which made Jackson’s stomach ache. Why would this psycho take Day to a hotel? To kill him? It wouldn’t be the