Running on Empty by Christy Reece

The other kids are being identified as we speak.”
    “McCall, what about Pierce?” Justin asked. “We going after him?”
    “He’ll go to ground. Take comfort in the fact that we’ve greatly impeded his ability to do business. No point in going after him until he resurfaces. We’ll be ready for him when he does.”
    “So what’s next?” Riley asked.
    “You and Kelly report back here tomorrow afternoon for a new assignment. Thorne, I’ve got you cleared for a couple of days off.”
    “What about me?” Sabrina asked.
    “Fox, you didn’t ask for it, but you’ve got at least a week of downtime coming. Just because you said everyone’s okay doesn’t mean I don’t know about the slug you took to your face.”
    “Not to mention the sleeping powder she ingested with Pierce,” Aidan added.
    “I won’t even ask you how you stayed upright,” Noah said. “Grab that sleep you’ve been putting off for too long.”
    She knew better than to argue. Stupid to have ordered a beer. She’d only taken a half dozen sips, but that small amount, along with the drug, was pulling at her like nobody’s business. If she didn’t get horizontal soon, she’d keel over.
    “Will do,” Sabrina agreed.
    “And I mean it, Fox, do not even think about going after Pierce yourself. Understand?”
    Since she was about five minutes from losing consciousness, she had no problems making a promise…at least for now. “Not a problem,” she assured him.
    The call ended. As if her body had been waiting for that signal, she swayed in her chair.
    Aidan grabbed her upper arm and righted her. “Whoa, you okay?”
    Shaking herself from her stupor, Sabrina pushed up from the table and stood. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m wiped.” She nodded vaguely at the table. “G’night. See you in a few days.”
    Standing, Aidan threw some money on the table for their drinks. “I’ll walk you to the hotel.”
    “Don’t be silly. I’m fine.”
    “You’re sure?”
    “Absolutely. It’s a two-minute walk, tops. I can stay awake that long.”
    She headed toward the door. The instant she was outside, she drew in a deep breath, sure that the fresh air would rejuvenate her. A wave of dizziness followed. Crap. Maybe it would be a good idea if Aidan walked her back to the hotel. She wanted a soft pillow beneath her head, not Javier’s graveled parking lot. 
    She made a half turn to go back inside. Something covered her head, and her vision went dark. She felt the prick of a needle at her neck. Comprehension came quick. She managed to connect with what felt like a hard jaw before her mind blanked into unconsciousness.

Chapter Four
     
    “What do you mean you can’t find her?” Jordan Montgomery’s sharp voice came through the phone like a whip. 
    “Just what I said.” Phone to his ear, Aidan stomped around Javier’s parking lot, looking for a clue, anything, that would tell him what had happened to his partner. “Her bed wasn’t slept in last night. I let her sleep in because I figured she’d be out for at least eight hours. When she didn’t answer the door, I had management let me in her room. Her luggage is still there, but there’s no evidence that she made it back to her room last night.”
    “Shit.”
    That was just one of the many curses Aidan had uttered over the last half hour. He’d been about to sound the alarm to McCall when Jordan had phoned from LCR’s Paris office to congratulate them on a successful mission. The words “Sabrina is missing” had been Aidan’s first words to Montgomery.
    Dammit, why the hell hadn’t he walked her back to her room? She had been groggy, almost asleep on her feet. Any other time, if anyone had accosted her, he had no doubt who would’ve won. Sabrina was the most capable person he knew, male or female. Having that drug in her system had made her vulnerable. Aidan cursed himself for not watching her back.
    The voice of Eden St. Claire, Jordan’s partner and wife, broke into