Page 155 of Missile Strike

He pulled into the visitor’s lot and got out of the Mustang, scanned his surroundings, then pivoted to glance across the street at the other business. Two buildings—a two-story and one with three floors.

No property fence. Easier to access.

Fuck me. It would have been too easy if each place only had one building for him to search.

Work the problem.

If Talia were still here, her car would be here.

He made his way into the open retail space in the first building. The lone employee, a man about his age with light brown hair, looked up from his computer.

“Good morning, sir, can I help you?”

Danny shoved his hands into his pockets and adopted a confused expression. “Yeah, man. I was supposed to help my girlfriend move some stuff into her storage unit. But she didn’t tell me there were two companies across the street from each other.” He shrugged. “She’s not answering her phone. Do you know if anyone’s here? I know it’s kind of early.”

The man checked his computer, then shook his head. “Last time someone accessed the facility was last night at seven-thirty.”

Too early.

Danny puffed out his cheeks. “Man, I wish she’d answer her phone.”

“You might want to try across the street, but their office doesn’t open up for another hour.”

“Mind if I just walk the fence line, make sure I don’t see her car anywhere?” He was pretty sure this wasn’t the place, but he’d be a fool if he didn’t do a basic perimeter check.

“Go ahead.” From the bored expression that had already settled across the man’s face, he really didn’t care what Danny did.

“Thanks.” Danny slipped out the door and abandoned all pretense of playing it cool, jogging along the fence as he peered down the alleys separating each building, looking for Talia’s car. He noted the location of security cameras in case he needed to jump the fence and break in.

Nothing.

The insistent prickle on his scalp told him he was running out of time.

He jogged back to Consuela and zoomed across the road into the parking lot of the other storage facility. The main office was dark, which was just as well, because he wasn’t going to ask for permission to access the storage units.

The only vehicle parked at the main building was a shuttle van with the storage company’s logo on it. When he rounded the second building, his heart stopped for a primal beat.

Talia’s car. Parked next to the emergency exit stairs on the back side of the building.

A vicious smile curved his lips. The mission calm he’d been desperately seeking settled on him like a familiar coat.

He texted Nathan.

Call the police.

Then he dropped a pin to his exact location before placing his phone on silent and pocketing it.

Opening his glove compartment, he retrieved his weapon, then popped the trunk and took out the handy compact pry bar he kept in his bag of tricks.

Messing with the electronic keypad was a waste of time. He stepped up to the double glass doors of the main entrance and drove the pry bar into the seam where the doors met, shoving his weight into it.

The frame flexed.

He shoved again, grimacing at the loud screech of metal giving way as the latch tore free.

Not that he gave a damn, unless it had alerted Talia.

He’d probably just triggered a silent alarm and would have the men in blue here in a matter of minutes. Hopefully, Nathan would get to them first, so they wouldn’t be coming in blind.