Free Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2) by K.S. Ruff Page A

threshold and locked the door.
    “Kadyn?”
    Kadyn
turned just as Mickey reached out to touch his arm. “Hi, Mickey. How are you?”
    Mickey
shrugged. “I’m okay. Any news on Kri?”
    Kadyn
shook his head. “Sadly, no.”
    Her
eyes pooled with tears. “I’m so sorry, Kadyn. I never should have let him inside
Kri’s apartment.”
    Kadyn
shoved his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the side of the building.
He felt conflicted about Mickey’s decision to let Michael into Kri’s apartment,
but no good could come of telling Mickey that. “Your life was being threatened.
It’s not like you had a choice, Mickey.”
    “Thanks,”
she whispered. “If there’s anything I can do to help or if you just want to
talk, please know that I’m here for you.” As Mickey began to walk away, she turned
back around to look at Kadyn. His strong physique looked broken as he stood staring
down at his shoes. “I hope you find her, Kadyn.”
    “Me
too,” he responded softly. He pushed away from the wall and quietly walked
away.  
    When
Kadyn entered his apartment, his roommate, Mason, was pulling a frozen pizza
out of the oven. He looked up from the oven in surprise. “I haven’t seen you
for days. I thought maybe you decided to move in with Kri.”
    Kadyn
didn’t answer. He just kept walking straight to his room.
    Mason’s
jaw dropped as he watched Kadyn walk dejectedly across the room. He set the
pizza on top of the stove and followed Kadyn to his room. He stood in the
doorway and studied his friend.
    Kadyn
was sitting on the edge of his bed with his head buried in his hands. His
elbows were braced against his thighs. His shoulders shook softly, but he
didn’t look up, and he didn’t make a sound.
    Mason
was reluctant to enter the room. “Talk to me, Kadyn. What’s wrong? Did somebody
die?”
    Kadyn
looked up. His eyes were vacant, his face streaked with tears. “She’s gone,” he
whispered. “Kri’s gone.”
    Mason
crossed the room and kneeled in front of his friend. “Kadyn, what do you mean
by gone? Where did she go?”
    Kadyn’s
eyes met Mason’s. “Michael Garcia took her when we were on lockdown at the
Pentagon. I can’t find her. I’ll never find her. She’s gone.”
    Mason
shot to his feet. “You mean she’s been kidnapped? Again? What is it with
this woman? Why does every fucking man on the planet want to kidnap her?” Mason
began pacing across Kadyn’s room. “Garcia is the guy you thought took her last
November, the guy from Portugal who’s suspected of having some terrorist
connections?”
    “Yes,”
Kadyn responded as he watched his friend pace across the room. Like Kadyn,
Mason was an Air Force Captain. Both worked at the Pentagon but in different
departments. Mason was one of six friends who had gone to Trout Lake to help
Kadyn rescue Kri. They were a tight circle of friends, and the experience of
nearly losing one of their own had bonded them even more.
    Mason
stopped pacing. He looked like he’d just been hit by a wrecking ball. “Shit.
She could be in the hands of terrorists for all we know. I assume the explosive
devices found at the Pentagon are connected?”
    “I
believe the two crimes are connected,” Kadyn confirmed.
    Mason’s
eyes narrowed. “You pulled DHS in?”
    Kadyn
sighed. “Yes. I had to.”
    Mason
raked his hand through his hair. “Okay. DHS will approach the Portuguese
government for more information on Garcia. The Portuguese government will
cooperate if they think this is connected to some terrorist plot. Stay friendly
with the investigating officers. See if you can get one of them to share
information with you. We should start with Portugal too. We need to dig up everything
we can on this guy… where he worked, where he lived, names of family members, coworkers,
other women he’s dated, anyone who might know where he lives.”
    Kadyn
nodded. “Phil’s searching Interpol’s criminal databases. I’m going to see if I
can track down the name of the