Quicksilver Dreams(191)

                Before I thought about it, I ran to Paul’s SUV, which was parked a short distance away at the curb. Unlocking it through his key fob, I jumped in, threw his stuff on the passenger seat, revved the motor and took off, hoping to follow where they were going. Scanning ahead two and three blocks, I thought I saw a black luxury car driving erratically on Sunset and tried to dodge in and around cars to catch up. The moment of heartbreak was when I did finally catch up, only to find that it wasn’t the right Mercedes. A woman with fake blond hair, a fake tan, fake boobs and only one hand on the wheel as she chatted on the phone was simply driving negligently. Chances were, Paul’s kidnappers had turned down a side street before I could catch up.

                Why hadn’t I thought of that? I should have been looking...harder. I don’t know.

                Now I had no idea where Paul was being taken or what would happen to him. I decided to head for the condo. With Reggie gone from the office, potentially a missing person, no one was going to miss me. And if they did, I could always say that Reggie had asked me to handle some things for him. Besides, with all of these people turning up missing, it just seemed better to get back to Ryder. He’d know what to do.

                I pulled my phone out of my purse to call Ryder and let him know the change of plans, but when I tried to connect, the phone suddenly lost all bars and the message No Service Available was displayed.

                What. The. Hell. I shoved my phone into my bra and prayed that I wasn’t stepping into a trap.





Chapter Twenty

                “Are you Taylor?”

                I’d just pulled into the alley behind the condo when a beautiful brunette with long flowing hair and golden eyes stepped out of a low-slung sports car. She was wearing skinny jeans that clung to every curve, chunky sandals and a figure-hugging T-shirt with a smiling white cartoon kitty, which allowed me to feel somewhat superior for having on a chic pair of linen trousers paired with a well-tailored, fitted blouse. Her expression captured my attention. It was edgy and somewhat panicked, like she needed me to hurry.

                “Who are you?” I asked cautiously, pulling the long strap of my purse over my head diagonally and closing the driver’s side door.

                “My name’s Jory. I’m an old friend of Sy and Ryder’s.”

                Recognizing the name, I quickly said, “Yes, I know.” Geesh. He hadn’t told me she was beautiful. “You were his girlfriend?”

                “Years ago. He and Sy are just good friends of mine now. I hope you understand, though this might seem kind of weird. They’ve helped me out over the years, as you’ve probably heard.” She looked sincere, her eyes wide and her voice subdued. She seemed like a perfectly lovely girl. Damn.

                “Were you looking for them?”

                “No. I was looking for you.”

                That got my attention. “Me?”

                “Ryder can’t get through to you. He needs you. He just had an encounter with Ranik—”

                Damn my phone! Nervously, I asked, “Is he okay?”

                “I don’t know. I’m not sure. I think he had to take Sy to the hospital.”

                “Oh, my God! Sy was hurt?”

                “I think so.”

                “Which hospital?”

                Jory’s eyes were distracted by movement over my shoulder. I heard a car pull up and the protesting creak of a heavy door sliding open. Glancing back, I felt my heart drop. No... It couldn’t be...