Lost in Silence (The Lost Series Book 1)(32)

We both know what it’s like to be tortured. The training we faced as SEALs taught us how to endure through it. Imagining someone like Alice, with no training, being subjected to something this bad is heart wrenching. Taking someone’s ability to speak, without removing their physical ability to do, is some deep psychological shit.

“Tell me about it,” I sigh feeling a wave of relief wash over me. I know from the gleam in King’s eye, everything has changed. The urge to rally the guys and track down this rotten son of a bitch rages in me but I use it to focus on her and finding a way to reverse the ill-effects of his conditioning.

“Is this the information Sneak found on him?” His gaze is on the folder in my hand. I toss it onto the desk and watch it slide over to him. He quickly picks it up and scans the contents.

“It’s everything he’s managed to find. Fucker didn’t exist prior to eight years ago,“ I lean back in my chair, letting the information speak for itself.

“He’s a fucking ghost,” King sets the file down, his eyes are steel. “Anything on the girl?”

“Nothing concrete. There’s information about a girl who fits her description and a name on the lease of his last known address. I’m sure it’s her though.”

“No hits with the DMV and missing persons,” I shake my head, answering his question. “We need to find away to get her talking. What about contacting her parents, maybe have a photo faxed over to us to confirm identity?”

“Possibility but I have to question why she hasn’t gone home. Her family in is Chicago. I found a bus ticket stub in her bag from Tulsa,” this got Kingston’s attention. “Might not be the best course of action for us to contact her family, yet.”

He stares down at Erik’s photo, the beady eyed mother fucker.

“Where is he?”

“Last I heard he was being released. They had nothing to hold him on.”

Short of a miracle, Edwards couldn’t hold him any longer. Since I wasn’t willing to let him know I had the girl they were looking with me, we were caught between a rock and a hard place.

“He’s out,” King’s voice is firm as he focuses in on me. “Our boy here spent some time on the street asking around about you after his release. Have you heard from Devlin?”

“Not since he instructed me to head underground,” my brain shifts into overdrive, finally understanding why King waited so long to get behind me with this. I never thought about my cover in LA and whether this douche bag would be smart enough to stir up some trouble for me.

“You hear anything, I’m the first to know. Can’t risk losing this close to the end,” he nods and I know he’s right. Too much time has been invested, too much money, and if this wasn’t handled right my life could be on the line.

“What about Alice?”

“If they make contact, the boys and I will be around. She’ll be covered.”

“I’ll let you know if I hear anything,” I sag into my chair, knowing full well I could trust the guys to keep her safe. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The relief fills my body, pushing out the remaining tension. Opening my eyes I notice King staring at me, his head cocked to the side, confusion embedded into the lines of his forehead.

“No fucking way, you’re in love with her,” he says quiet-like, his confusion morphs into shock. His words hit me like a freight train.

What. The. Fuck.

“I have no idea where you got that idea from but you need to put it back.”

“It would explain everything,” he crosses his arms, a smirk on his face. “I’ve been racking my brain, trying to remember a time you ever care this much about a woman and I can’t think of a single one.”

I roll my eyes, believing his words are said only to rile me. There’s no way I’m in love with Alice. I don’t do love. I learned my lesson in love years ago. Women were just too much trouble.

“Fuck, I’m right aren’t I?” His eyes are alight. The urge to punch him in his smug face hits me hard. “Hudson, this isn’t a bad thing.”

“Shut it Kingston, I hardly know her,” I growl, at my limit for his bullshit. I stand up, snatch the file from his desk and storm out of the office. His laughter bellows through reception as I exit the building.

Terror seizes my body. He’s wrong. I’m not in love with her. No way in hell.





Chapter 10


Hudson

The ride home was a nightmare. Being trapped in a vehicle with sappy songs and my thoughts was not helping my peace of mind. The radio and I have spent many years in harmony but now has betrayed me to the fullest. Every station, every song only reminds me of King’s observant words.