“What if he finds out? He’ll kill her . . . He’ll kill them!” I roared before I felt my throat close and I was forced to depend on my hands. I can’t risk it.
“I’m sorry, but I think you’re wrong about this. I’m calling it in.”
As Flint finished signing Leo’s words, I exploded and rushed across the room. “No! That’s not your fucking choice!” I batted the phone out of his hand, sending it flying across the room.
Slate wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind, and Flint stepped in front of me.
“That’s my wife. My daughter. Goddammit, I get to decide how this goes down.”
“Till, you’re making decisions with your heart based on fear right now. I’m trying to think logically.”
My eyes flashed from Flint back to Leo. “Fuck, your logic. I am not taking a gamble on calling in the cops when my entire life on the line. And if you even try to tell me you wouldn’t play it safe if it were Sarah and Liv, then you’re a goddamn liar.” I stopped fighting and pinched the bridge of my nose, barely clinging to the edge of sanity.
Slate released me and shoved me toward a chair in the corner. He tried to force me into it, but there was no possible way I could have relaxed. I wanted blood.
Slate signed for my benefit as he explained the situation to Leo. “If we call in the cops, the Boxing Association will cancel the fight if there is any suspicion that Till might throw it. This guy has made it more than clear he has money riding on this fight. But there has to be more to it. Till offered to pay him off, but he hasn’t gotten a response. Sounds like someone has a vested interest in the actual winner of the fight.”
“You think Matthews has something to do with this?” My murderous rage became palpable.
“I don’t know. Maybe. More than likely a big-time, dirty bookie is using a small-time, dirty bookie to make an ass-load of money. I bet this Dragon guy doesn’t even know how much money is actually on the line.”
“Someone, please just fucking find her. Jesus Christ, I don’t give a shit about this fight anymore. I just need someone to find her!” I pushed a hand into my hair. The anger was quickly subsiding as my anxiety took up root.
Flint moved to where we were all talking. “What if we do call the cops—”
My eyes grew wide, but he held up a hand to silence me.
“—but don’t tell them about throwing the fight. Just tell them that someone took Eliza. That way, if at fight time, they don’t have anything on Eliza, Till can still throw the fight. We have two outs instead of one.”
Slate turned to look at me. “Now that’s an idea.”
My eyes jumped to Leo.
He shrugged. “I’m okay with that.”
I toyed with my bottom lip as my mind ran over every possible scenario, but I came up empty. Losing her wasn’t an option. “No uniforms. No cop cars. Nothing.”
“I can do that,” Leo announced, walking forward and holding my gaze. “I’ll find her. I promise.”
I sucked in a deep breath as I read his lips. He could promise all day, but nothing would make me relax until she was in my arms again.
“Find her!” Till screamed at the top of his lungs. His words slurred from the force.
“We’re trying,” Leo explained, slapping the laptop closed.
Till had insisted on watching the video Leo had acquired of Eliza being dragged from the hotel. After over an hour of trying to talk him out of it, Leo had finally given in when Till went off and started demolishing he the entire conference room.
We’d all huddled around the computer and watched as Eliza walked willingly from the room with Frankie. Everything was fine until he tried to push her out of the hotel through a back exit. She planted her feet and tried to snatch her arm out of his grip, but it only caused him to slingshot her out the door. She stumbled and landed facedown. She immediately got back on her feet, but watching her fall on her pregnant belly had been more than enough to send us all into a fit of rage.
“Try fucking harder!” Till seethed.
“Look, we know she’s in the building. Or at least she was when those images were sent to you. We’re going through footage of every single entrance to see when and where they came back in. It just takes time,” Leo said as I translated. “You get in that ring and do what you have to do. I’ll do what I have to do out here.”