Black Harvest

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

They hadn't come up with anything. Harker wondered out loud where Stephanie had got to when her phone rang. She listened for a moment. She tensed. She put the phone down.

"Someone's grabbed Steph. They found her keys and her purse by her car. In the garage of her building."

"Lodge." Nick's ear itched. "It has to be Lodge."

She nodded. "If Lodge took her, she's in one of his safe houses. We need to find it."

"How?"

Elizabeth clasped her hands together. "Hood would know where they all are."

"But will he tell us?"

"You know him, ask him. Call him now. Lodge will do anything to find out what Steph knows. Do I need to paint a picture?"

"Don't call Hood." It was Selena. "Call Lucas. Steph says he's in love with her."

Harker raised her eyebrows.

Selena said, "Lucas has a personal investment, Hood doesn't. He doesn't know Stephanie or have any reason to care about her. Lucas might know where the safe house is, or get Hood to cooperate."

He punched in Lucas' number. Monroe picked up on the second ring.

"Monroe."

"Lucas, Nick Carter."

"Hey, Nick, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We on a secure line?"

"I'll call you back." He hung up.

Nick waited. The phone rang.

"What's up?"

"Lucas, Steph's in trouble. Someone grabbed her."

Nick heard Monroe suck in his breath. "What do you mean, someone grabbed her?"

"In her parking garage. Her keys and purse were found by her car. We think it was Lodge."

"Lodge? Why?"

"It's complicated. I need you to trust me and I need your help."

"What do you need?"

"We think Lodge took her somewhere to interrogate her. He'd have to get rough to get anything. We need the location of CIA safe houses in the immediate area."

"Are you saying she's going to be tortured? That Lodge is behind it?"

"That's what we think."

"Christ, Nick."

"Yeah."

"Those locations are classified."

"Yeah, that's why I called you."

"You couldn't get in without ID."

"You can come with us."

"Christ, Nick, let me think for a minute."

Carter waited.

"There are three possibilities. Two are in D.C., an apartment and a town house. There are neighbors. There's a house and grounds by itself near Alexandria. If I wanted to interrogate someone, that's where I'd take them. We've used it in the past."

"Where is it?"

"Give me fifteen minutes. Meet me in your parking lot. I'll pick you up." Lucas hung up.

"He's on his way." Nick repeated what Lucas had told him.

Harker picked up her pen. "Nick. You, Korov and Selena." She paused. "This could go bad. Try not to kill anyone. I don't think Lodge will be there, but if he is, for God's sake don't shoot him."

"If he hurt Steph, you might want to tell that to Lucas," Nick said.