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"Who's Eleanor?" Megan asked as she looked at the sailboat.
"Drew's grandmother. It's his grandfather's boat."
"It's big," Megan said.
"Yes, it is."
As Ria looked at the deck of the boat, she couldn't help remembering the night she and Drew had made love under the stars. Drew had planned the perfect evening for her, giving her everything she loved. He knew her pretty well, which was both wonderful and terrifying.
"Are you okay?" Megan asked, giving her a thoughtful look.
"We should get home," she said briskly.
"You're thinking about Drew."
"No, I'm thinking that you're driving me crazy."
"That's because I speak the truth. But we can go home. I have homework to do."
As Megan started walking down the dock, Ria's phone rang. She paused, wondering if it was Drew, but it her mother's number. "Mom?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"
"I wonder if we'll ever be able to have a conversation without starting with that question," her mother said with a sigh.
"Then I'm guessing nothing is wrong."
"No. I just wanted to let you know that the car I saw in the neighborhood belonged to a realtor. There was nothing going on, no one was spying on us."
"I'm extremely relieved."
"How was Megan's prom?"
"It was good."
"That's all?"
"I can't talk right now."
"I wish we could have a real conversation," her mother complained.
"We will—someday. But I do have to go."
"Take care of yourself then and Megan, too. I love you," her mother said.
It was the first time in a very long time that her mother had ever said the words, and Ria was a bit taken aback. Before she could reply, the dial tone sounded in her ear. It was just as well. She'd forgiven her mother for a lot, but telling her she loved her wasn't going to come that easily.
As she closed her phone, she heard a scream. Her head jerked up.
Shocked, she looked down the dock and saw a man forcing Megan into a speedboat. She broke into a run as the boat started to back out of the slip.
"No," she screamed. She glanced around, but they were completely alone in the marina. There was no one to call for help. And in a few minutes, Megan would be out to sea.
She did the only thing she could think of. She took a running leap and jumped into the boat.
She landed on her knees. As she raised her head, she saw a gun pointed at her face, and Megan's terrified expression.
She tried to scramble to her feet, but something hard hit the back of her head, and everything went black.
* * *
Drew couldn't believe his eyes. He'd just gotten out of his car when he heard a scream. He'd run to the dock just in time to see Ria jump into the back of the boat. Megan was in the grip of a large man. Another man hit Ria over the back of the head, and she crumpled to the ground. Then the man gunned the motor and headed for open water.
His heart pounded with fear. He needed to go after them. He could take out his boat, but it was not going to be a match for a speedboat. He needed help.
Pulling out his phone, he called his friends at the Coast Guard Station on Yerba Buena Island. His friend, Cameron Holt, was working dispatch. He told him that he'd just witnessed a kidnapping at the San Francisco Marina. He gave dispatch what little details he had. They told him they'd send the nearest boat out to look for them.
His next call was to Tim, who had come on duty just as he'd gone off for the day. Tim was up in the air now, and Drew needed to be up there, too. He could cover more ground in the helo. He called the commander and explained the situation as quickly as he could. The commander agreed to send Tim and the helo to Crissy Field, where he could make an emergency boarding.
With the helo on the way, he drove to the nearby wide-open space just below the Golden Gate Bridge known as Crissy Field. While he was waiting, he called Max.
"Valdez's men have Ria and Megan," he said shortly, his jaw so tight it was difficult to get the words out. "They're in a speedboat. I've called the Coast Guard. But I need you to alert every law enforcement agency looking for Valdez. This is their chance to catch him. I'm going to get up in a helo in a few minutes."
"I'll make some calls," Max said. "Where do you think he's headed?"
