The Heart That's Meant to Love You [COMPLETED]

Chapter 94: Deal

"She never made it past security," Donovan informed Kieran. "I've got a connection in the monitor room if you want the tapes."

If he wanted the tapes? Of course he wanted the tapes. Kieran needed to know exactly what had happened to force Naomi to miss her flight. 

"Tell him to send what he has. And get someone to track her phone's location, just in case."

Kieran stopped a red light, not because he wanted to, but because driving into oncoming traffic seemed like a hazardous idea. If he had things his way, he would have already made it to the airport by now. Not that he could find Naomi there, but it was a start.

Donovan—whose driving was always worse than Kieran's—remained unfazed by the roar of the engine or squeal of the tires. His focus remained on the phone in his hands, his fingers occasionally flying over the keyboard.

"Her phone's offline," Donovan announced.

As fast as he had been speeding, Kieran pulled the car to the side of the road and flipped on the blinkers. "Last available location?"

Donovan's fingers went flying again.

Kieran hated to wait, but his gut told him continuing to the airport would put him even farther in the wrong direction. If she didn't board her flight, didn't that mean that she was no longer in the building? Someone needed to feed him useful information, fast, or his head might explode.

"It's narrowing down," Donovan continued, "but it looks like the last location is somewhere on the other side of the city."

With his jaw settling so tightly that Kieran felt pain in every tooth, he pulled away from the curb, spun the car around, and headed back the way they had come.

"Get the location on GPS as soon as you have it."

"Yes, sir."

Even if Donovan had the gall to argue, he wouldn't have. Kieran rarely displayed such rage. Donovan didn't like the feeling he got from all of this, either.

The highway made speed easier, but even there Kieran blew past the posted speed limit, knowing it could get him arrested if a trooper saw him. Naomi's safety was more important than his own.

Donovan pulled up the location on GPS without a word. Talking wouldn't help either of their tempers, nor would it find Naomi any sooner. Besides, at the speed that Kieran was driving, it was definitely better to let him focus on the road.

Their trip took them past corporations, a hospital, and onto an off-ramp filled with potholes.

Kieran slowed down, then, but only because dying wouldn't do anyone any good.

"Which direction was she traveling?" Kieran asked, trying to get a better feel for what had happened.

Donovan clicked through the messages on his phone. "She came the same way we did. From the airport, looks like."

"Did you get that surveillance video yet?" The farther they traveled, the less Kieran liked the assumptions popping up in his head.

"Just a few more minutes," Donovan assured.

Kieran glanced at the GPS and, because they were so close to the last known location of Naomi's phone, he went slower than the speed limit. Anything could have happened, and they needed to be able to see their surroundings. Kieran had learned that from his dysfunctional family.

"You have arrived at your destination," a canned female voice stated.

Kieran pulled the car to a stop and unfastened his seat-belt. He was out of the vehicle before Donovan had a chance to stop him.

This portion of road was less traveled than most, probably because the road itself wasn't in great shape. The buildings around them housed failing stores or empty spaces, with signs foretelling a nearby redevelopment. Run-down. Broken. Both were excellent words to describe the neighborhood.

Naomi never would have come to such a place of her own volition.

Something shiny and shattered in the middle of the street caught Kieran's attention. He barely remembered to check both ways down the street before he darted over to check it out.

Please let me be wrong. Please, God, let me be wrong. But he wasn't.

Kieran retrieved the phone from the road knowing full well why they could no longer get its location. Its pieces were scattered over the yellow lines, waiting for a street sweeper to make them disappear. And Naomi was nowhere to be seen.

That could only mean...

"Kieran!" Donovan shot out of the car, waving his phone angrily. "You're not gonna be happy."

Not going to be happy? Kieran scoffed. He was already outraged. How could it get any worse?

Then Donovan held out his phone, with the airport security video cued.

Kieran watched for less than ten seconds. 

Oliver had taken Naomi, according to the video. Kieran wasn't about to let that slide. Donovan was right. He wanted to punch something. Specifically, the nose that belonged to a very slippery, mentally unstable man.

"Guesstimate which way they went from here," Kieran demanded, already retrieving his phone to make a call of his own.

Donovan spun a slow circle, then pointed toward the redevelopment area in front of them. "I'd guess there. No working cameras."

"I'd wager that her abductor knows that, too."

"It's a nightmare for search and rescue." Donovan wrinkled his nose in as much disdain as Kieran felt for Oliver.

"You're right. It is a nightmare. That's why he picked it." Kieran couldn't believe he was stooping so low, but he found the number he sought and pressed call. "But he chose the wrong side of town."

His mother answered on the second ring. "Kieran? Is everything alright?"

"I'll do it."

"You'll... do what?" His mother's Irish lilt faltered in her question.

"Whatever it is you want me to do. I'll give you the two years you asked for. You can have me at your disposal. But I need a favor."

"Tell me. No matter how large, it's yours."

"Give me access to every eye you have in the city. I want full control over everyone that's beneath you in the organization."

A long pause spoke of his mother's calculated decision. "Something happened."

"Will you do it or not?" Kieran couldn't hash out a detailed plan. They had precious little time.

His mother didn't press the matter. "I'll send down the order now. If they refuse to cooperate, call me. My phone will be beside me continuously."

"Thank you, ma." It was the best reward that Kieran could offer her for her tremendous help. He hung up before either of them could get sentimental. Kieran turned back for his car. "Donovan, get the boss of this territory on the phone or in front of my eyes."

And, like always, Donovan didn't hesitate to do what Kieran asked of him. For the same reason that Kieran hadn't hesitated to sacrifice himself for a way to find Naomi.

They were both loyal. Even to a fault.