Insatiable (Steel Brothers Saga #12) - Helen Hardt Page 0,72
again.”
“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Joe swerved, turning the car around in the middle of the country road.
“Damn, Joe!”
“Sorry. I guess we’re going back to the city.”
“I guess so. But we won’t make it in time. If Ted has something planned, we won’t have time to stop him.”
I frantically texted Marj back.
We’re on the way.
What’s the address?
Jade and I can handle this.
Address please.
A few seconds later, the address came through.
We’re on our way.
I turned to Joe. “If Booker just got loose a couple hours ago, he couldn’t have gotten to Colin yet. Morse says he hasn’t heard from Colin in a week, according to all these texts from Marj. But Marj says she’s heard from Colin and he’s in Glenwood Springs.”
“Maybe Booker’s been in touch with Colin,” Joe said.
“Colin would have told—”
But would he have told us? He’d just found out his father had taken money from my father as payment for him. If Booker had gotten to him and they’d exchanged information, they had something in common. Something to bond over.
Of course, Booker had also tried to frame Colin, along with Dominic and Alex, by leaving his cufflink at the playground where he was watching Dale.
What was the connection?
Maybe Booker never actually harmed any of the children. Maybe, as Dale had said, he just watched.
“I have no idea where to look,” Joe said.
“Then we get to Grand Junction and take care of Marj and Jade.”
“I can’t believe Talon let her go into the city without him.”
“She was with Marjorie,” I said. “Talon may think he controls his wife, but he doesn’t.”
“Talon doesn’t think that. He just worries about her. She’s pregnant, or have you forgotten?”
“Of course not. Jesus, Joe.”
“Sorry. I’m a fucked-up mess.”
“That makes two of us.” I sighed. “We need to get to Marj. I can’t lose her, Joe. I just can’t.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Marjorie
Ted Morse looked a lot like an older version of Colin.
Except, unlike Colin, his eyes were not kind. His eyes were… What were they, exactly? Just on the edge of menacing, but not quite. They were eyes that had something to hide, eyes that were well regulated to not give anything away.
They were not the eyes of a nice man.
“It’s nice to see you, Jade,” he said. “Come in. Take a seat.”
We walked in and he closed the door.
Morse wore a navy-blue suit. An expensive navy-blue suit with a black paisley silk tie. His shoes were Louboutins, I was certain, and he was impeccably groomed.
“You don’t look like a man who’s concerned about his son,” I said.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you look like a silver-haired mannequin at Saks,” I said. “Right down to your manicured fingernails. Did you have a two-hour massage this morning, too?”
“Marj…” Jade said.
“Come on. Look at him. Does he look like a worried father to you?”
“I’m sure you didn’t come here to insult me, Jade. I’m sure you’re concerned for Colin.”
“As much as she could be concerned for a man who left her at the altar. Or the man who convinced him to do so.”
Jade hedged a little. “She has a point.”
“You think I convinced him to cancel your wedding?”
“You’re not that good an actor, Mr. Morse,” I said. “And he didn’t cancel the wedding. He didn’t show up to the wedding because you told him Jade wasn’t good enough for him.”
“That’s preposterous.”
“Either you’re lying or Colin’s lying,” I said. “Hmm, I wonder which one would lie?”
“Look, Ted,” Jade said. “We’re concerned about Colin. We want to find him. If you haven’t seen him in a week, how do you even know he’s missing?”
“Because of this.” He thrust his phone at us, revealing a text.
I have your son.
“When did this text come in?” I asked.
“Right before I called Jade.”
“And I suppose you’ve considered that it’s a hoax?”
“Of course I’ve considered that it’s a hoax, but it was an Iowa area code. Not a lot of hoaxes come out of Iowa.”
An Iowa code. All the texts Joe and Bryce received had come from an Iowa area code.
“Okay, let’s assume it’s real,” I said. “Has he asked for anything?”
“Money.”
I laughed. “Poor guy. He has no idea you’d give up your son sooner than you’d give up money. In fact, you did give up your son once. For money.”
“You have no proof of that.”
“I have all the proof I need. You. Standing there looking like a fashion plate when your son is missing. If anyone ever accused my father of selling out one of his kids, he would not take it lying down.