Locked.

He crouched, pulling his kit out of his back jeans pocket, he picked the lock.

The owners needed a new lock. It took him less than thirty seconds.

He put the kit back in his jeans and pulled his gun out of the holster at his belt.

The flashback hit him and it hit him hard.

Ambush.

When he got shot, he’d infiltrated one of Rutledge’s crime scenes. He was looking for evidence Rutledge missed in his report. Merry said the work had been shoddy, every cop in that Department knew it, but none of them could go back to the scene to follow up on Rutledge’s work without Rutledge knowing he’d been made.

Rutledge set him up. Fucked up the case because he knew someone would feed it to Layne and Layne would be looking.

This could be the same thing with Giselle Speakmon caught in the crossfire.

Fuck.

He flipped off the safety, sucked in breath, slowly turned the handle and opened the door just enough for him to get through.

Nothing. No alarm, no sound, no movement.

He slid in, swiftly and silently closed the door and crouched low.

Still nothing.

Quietly, he moved through the family room into the living room seeing they were clear, through to the front, across the foyer into the dining room. Clear. Back into the kitchen. Clear.

No noise. No movement.

Back through the family room, living room and into the foyer, putting his back against the wall, gun up, eyes up, he crept up the stairs.

He made it to the top, doors all around, all of them closed. Sitting duck.

Fuck.

A door opened slightly, Layne’s gut squeezed and he pointed his gun to it, crouched low and moved to the opposite side of the landing, shoulder to wall.

He waited.

Nothing.

Then it flew open and Giselle Speakmon darted out of it. She ran straight to him then tried to get around him. His arm went out, he caught her at the waist, she screamed and he straightened, picking her up, clean off her feet, he strode to the door closest to him, opened it, entered, gun up, then he slammed the door, went down to the ground, Giselle in front of him, still screaming, he rolled over her and came up, scanned the room, eyes and gun pointed at each corner.

Empty.

Giselle was on the move behind him he turned and grabbed her, pulling her to him.

“No!” she shrieked.

“Giselle, honey, it’s me. Mr. Layne. You here alone?”

She was struggling against his grip and he was having trouble controlling her because he didn’t want to drop his gun.

She got free, planted a foot to run but he caught her forearm, pulled her to him and got in her face. “Giselle, calm down. Are you here alone?”

“I won’t do it again!” she cried, shaking her head, twisting her arm against his grip.

Shit.

“Honey, calm down, you’re safe. Your Dad sent me.”

“I won’t do it again! I won’t! I won’t!”

Layne yanked her close, wrapped an arm around her and backed up, keeping her close and pulling her away from the door.

“You don’t have to do it again, honey, you never have to do it again. I promise. It’s over. Never again,” he whispered.

He heard movement in the hall and so did Giselle. Her head whipped toward the door and Layne pushed her behind him and trained his gun on the door.

Slowly the door opened, Layne aimed, the door opened further then he saw Merry’s head jump in view as he cased the room then it disappeared.

Then it came back and Merry slid into the room, closing the door.

Giselle pressed into his back.

Layne dropped his gun and whispered, “Got Giselle. We need to check the upstairs is clear.”

Merry nodded.

“I’m alone,” Giselle whispered from behind him and Layne turned, dropped into a crouch and got close to her face.

“You’re alone?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Why are you here alone, Giselle?” Layne asked.

She shook her head, stepped back and ran into the bed. Her body got still and she stared at him.

“Rocky,” she whispered.

“I’ll call Roc,” Merry murmured and Layne stood.

“No, Merry, we gotta check the house. I want to make sure it’s clear before Rocky gets here.”

Merry nodded.

“I’m alone,” Giselle repeated and Layne looked down at her.

“We’re just going to check,” Layne said as he heard Merry moving through the room, opening the closet doors. “You stay here, keep that door closed, don’t go anywhere, stay quiet, yeah?”

She nodded.

Layne’s eyes moved to Merry then they moved out.

“I want eyes on this door, Merry,” Layne whispered after they closed it. “She could make a break for it.”

“Why?”

“Don’t know. Somethin’ tweaked her.”

Merry nodded. “I already checked down.”

“I did too.”

“You in or out?”

“In, you’re on the door.”

Merry nodded again and Layne nodded back.

Layne opened doors and Merry didn’t leave the landing. He entered the rooms, checked closets and bathrooms and came back out.

“Clear,” he said after the last one. “Call Roc. Then call Colt.”

Merry nodded, holstered his weapon and reached for his phone.

Layne went to Giselle.

* * * * *

“He’s in your office,” Devin said into Layne’s ear.

Devin and Ryker picked up TJ Gaines.

“Good,” Layne replied, his eyes on Rocky who was crouched in front of Giselle and Giselle was sitting on the bed in the room he’d taken her to. He was standing with Merry and Vera out on the landing, his mother slightly removed. She was talking to Wade and Adele Speakmon, telling them their girl was safe.

Layne couldn’t hear anything from the room. All he could see was Giselle whispering and Rocky nodding.

“You get her?” Layne asked Devin.

“Not her. He was with another her. He was gettin’ a blowjob from some woman Ryker says is named Tina Blackstone. You know her?”

Tina Blackstone. Shit. Everyone knew her and everyone knew to avoid her.

But Tina Blackstone wasn’t Giselle’s age. Tina was older than Rocky.

“You sure it was Tina Blackstone?” Layne asked.

“Don’t know her, boy, but Ryker does. He called her that, she answered to it so, yeah, sure enough.”

“Tina Blackstone’s got a big f**kin’ mouth, Dev,” Layne told him.

“And your boy Ryker has a persuasive way about him, Tanner. Trust me, the bitch won’t talk.”