Linda! Silence. He searched every aisle. The storage room, the office. Empty.
He stormed back outside. She's gone. Travis cursed under his breath. When? Must have slipped out the back.
For the first time all afternoon, something resembling panic crossed Travis Cole's face. Because witnesses could be intimidated, phones could be seized, but once evidence started moving beyond his reach, everything he had spent years hiding could collapse. He looked back at Nia. She remained standing quietly in handcuffs, almost as though she had expected Linda to escape. That was the moment Travis finally realized something that sent a chill through his spine.
He wasn't controlling the situation anymore. He just hadn't figured out who was. Ryan Mercer slammed the convenience store door shut hard enough to rattle every window. She disappeared. Sergeant Travis Cole's jaw tightened.
No. He looked toward the narrow alley behind the building. She ran. His eyes swept across the growing crowd. Fin here.
Without another word, three officers split off in different directions. Patrol cars pulled away with tires screeching, racing through the quiet streets of Red Creek in search of one middle-aged store owner carrying nothing more than a flash drive. Travis knew exactly what that flash drive could contain, and for the first time all afternoon, he wasn't hunting a suspect. He was hunting evidence. Nia Brooks watched every movement without saying a word.
The tiny vibration from the encrypted watch hidden beneath her sleeve came again. Evidence upload verified. Secondary source active. She allowed herself the smallest breath of relief. Linda had made it out.
Whatever happened next, the convenience store footage would survive. Unfortunately, Travis was nowhere near finished. He walked slowly toward Nia until they were standing face to face. You planned this. Nia remained silent.
You knew she'd run. Silence. You know her? No. You expect me to believe that?
I don't care what you believe. The answer struck harder than any insult. Travis had spent years intimidating people into begging for mercy. This woman refused to play the part. He suddenly grabbed the front of her sweatshirt.
You think you're better than us? Nia looked down at his hand, then calmly back into his eyes. I think you're making another mistake. Ryan burst into laughter. "Sarge, she still thinks she's giving warnings."
Eric Nolan joined in. "Maybe jail will humble her." Kevin Ross didn't laugh. He couldn't. Every minute that passed made the situation look less like policing and more like kidnapping under color of law.