Chapter Five

Creed slammed into the Pegasus bunker and ignored the looks Link, Eagle, and Holden shot him. Instead of saying a word, Creed stalked down the hallway that would lead him to the communications room.

Both Jacob and Jordan turned from the computers when he entered the large area filled with high-tech computers and other electronic shit.

“What’s up?” Jacob spoke first.

Creed knew he looked like a fucking lunatic, wearing yesterday’s clothes with his hair all askew, but he didn’t care.

“I need you to pull the footage from the cameras in this area.” He slapped down the address he had opened on his phone.

“Ah…” Jordan looked startled, but Jacob took Creed’s briskness in stride.

“Sure, legal or illegal?”

“I don’t care,” Creed said, bracing a hip on the desk and crossing his arms.

Jacob’s brows lifted. “So…you’re waiting here, then?”

When Creed grunted, Jacob turned to the computer and let his fingers fly over the keys. Jordan scooted closer and watched as Jacob pulled up all the cameras in the area and even a video feed that shouldn’t have been accessible.

Jacob was just that good.

“Creed?” Jordan said.

“Hmm?”

“What are we looking for?”

“Kellum.”

“In this part of town?”

“Yeah, it’s the address on his documents.” Creed nodded.

“No shit?”

Creed gave Jordan an irritated look and glanced over Jacob’s shoulder at the dark wetness from the camera that filled the screen.

Goddamned rain.

There was no sound, and he couldn’t see shit. But he knew when and what to look for as he stared unblinking at the screen. When people started spilling from the building, Creed knew it was a result of the gunfire. A few moments later, his own form ran into the frame from across the street and into the building.

After Creed disappeared inside, Kellum emerged a few moments later with a child in his arms and another younger boy beside him.

They must have taken the elevator while he’d taken the stairs. Kellum clutched the child and wrapped an arm around the young boy as he hurried them off down the street in the driving rain.

“Shit,” Jacob whispered. Both his and Jordan’s eyes were glued to the screen.

“Get me every camera you can heading that way. I need to know where he went,” Creed said.

“I’m on it.” Jacob turned to glance up at him. “Are you going to fill in Ace?”

“Yeah, but I need to find Kellum first.”

Jacob frowned, but stayed silent and turned back to the keyboard.

Jordan, though, wasn’t shy about speaking up. “Why?”

“He’s in trouble and I have a gut feeling that he’ll disappear if I bring in the big guns,” Creed answered honestly.

“Right,” Jordan said with a decisive nod. “I’ll pick up at the end of the block on the north side,” Jordan offered. “Jacob, you take the south.”

“Got it.”

Creed wanted to crawl out of his skin or slink into the bunker’s showers and stand beneath the hot spray. Either would work at the moment, but he did nothing but wait. If Kellum and those kids were cold, wet, and hungry, then he’d stay the same.

A sharp whistle sounded from the door and all three men inside glanced over to find Owen.

“What?” Creed growled at his friend.

Instead of answering, Owen crooked his finger and gave him a piercing stare. With a sigh, Creed shoved from his lean on the desk and stalked across the tech room. Owen stepped outside and so did Creed, pulling the door partially closed behind him.

“Link and Eagle are concerned and when they are bothered by your behavior, I get worried.”

Creed raked a hand through his damp hair and slumped back against the hallway wall. “Look, I have something I need to take care of and investigate before I can bring you guys in.”

“Not good enough,” Owen said. “You need to, at the very least, fill me in.”

Creed glared at Owen, but his friend wasn’t fazed.

“That wasn’t a request.”

Well, fuck. Was Owen playing the officer card? Creed had reported to Owen in the Army and had become good friends during and remained that way after leaving.

“You’re not my major anymore,” he reminded the guy.

“No, but I am your friend. You need someone in your corner right now, Creed. Let that be me.”

“Okay, but this stays between us.”

“All right.”

Creed squinted at Owen, and he wasn’t sure if he believed the guy. After all, Owen was Ace’s brother and Ace ran Pegasus.

Creed sighed. “Kellum is in trouble.”

“And you have Jacob and Jordan doing what?”

“Searching for him. He ran out of his apartment earlier tonight after a…disturbance and I need to make sure he’s okay.” He gave the bare minimum of details.

Owen leaned against the wall opposite him and rubbed a hand over his mouth. “I’ll give you twenty-four hours to find him and then I’m advising Ace.”

“You suck.”

“Maybe, but if Kellum is missing, then Ace needs to activate the team immediately.”

As much as Creed hated to admit it, Owen was right. If Kellum was missing and he couldn’t find him, then the team was their best resource.

The tech room door opened all the way and Jacob appeared in the doorway. “I found him. I’ll text the address to your phone.”

Creed felt an overwhelming sense of relief so deep, he couldn’t speak and only nodded. He took several steps down the hallway, but then turned back to Jacob and found his voice.

“Thanks.”

Jacob gave a half smile. “No worries. I’m here if you need me.”

Creed nodded and walked back to the bullpen. Link and Eagle had left, so at least he didn’t need to face them and Holden was on the quiet side and never really asked questions.

Reaching Kellum’s desk, Creed opened drawers until he found the man’s cell phone and he tucked it into his pocket before striding out the door.

His phone dinged with the incoming text from Jacob.

Now, all he had to do was get Kellum to accept his help.