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I missed my days in the SEALs. Although there were definite perks to living life on my own terms and not getting midnight calls to ship halfway around the world on one life threatening mission after another—it was tough to walk away cold turkey from the thrill of it all.
“She can pay,” Matt added, a creeping note of desperation to his tone.
“I’ll do it,” I said, pushing off my chair. I gathered my drink, paperback, and towel and started back toward my hotel room. I’d been renting a beachside suite for the last week, coming down from a gig with a crooked politician that had gotten himself tangled up with the wrong kind of people.
“Great! Chase, I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You don’t have to, man. I was getting bored watching all these bikinis anyway,” I replied, a smile tugging up one corner of my mouth.
Matt laughed. “Yeah, right, glad to hear it. I’ll send you the address and a picture of her so you know who you’re looking for. Pick her up and get her somewhere safe. I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I know more about what’s going on.”
“Got it.”
We said goodbye and I clicked off the call as I made my way back to my hotel room. The maid had been by while I was out at the pool and a fresh clean smell lingered. I tossed the contents of my drink in the sink and set the dirty glass off to the side. My phone buzzed as I was stripping down to take a quick shower and I stopped cold at the striking woman staring back at me from the photo and text Matt had just sent.
This is Melissa O’Keefe. Husband is Henry O’Keefe, the big shot real estate tycoon. Son’s name is Jackson. They’ll be waiting for you at the airport.
I tore my eyes off the photo of the dark-haired beauty and tapped out a quick reply.
No airport. If he’s after her, that’s the first place he’ll look. No train stations, bus depots, airports. Have her wait for me at the McDonald’s by the airport instead. Much safer.
Satisfied that my orders would be followed, I dropped my phone onto the table and went to the bathroom to rinse off the chlorine smell from my laps in the pool earlier that morning. When I stepped out, I had a message back from Matt and nodded at his agreement to my change of plans.
I dressed quickly and packed up the few items that weren’t already in my duffel bag and hurried to check out of the hotel, three days before I was set to leave. I didn’t know how long I’d be taking care of Melissa and her son, but if it turned out the way I was imagining—it would be longer than three days—a lot longer.
My vacation was officially over.
As promised, Melissa and her son were waiting inside the McDonald’s a few blocks off the exit to the airport. I spotted them before they saw me through the windows as I approached the front doors of the fast-food joint, but as soon as I pushed through the doors, Melissa’s eyes darted to mine and went wide with recognition. She kept her arm draped around the shoulders of her son but stood from where she’d been perched at the edge of a booth on the opposite end of the restaurant.
Smart woman, I noted to myself, assessing how she’d positioned her back to the wall and close to a side emergency exit. I appreciated her quick wit but couldn’t hold back a grimace at the thought of whatever she’d been through to make her so paranoid and alert to danger.
I joined them and extended my hand. “Chase Hart,” I said.
Melissa took my hand and gave it a firm shake. “Melissa O’Keefe and this is Jackson.”
“Hi,” the boy said, shifting his eyes up at me, a sad look on his face.
I squatted down to get eye to eye with the towheaded boy. “Hey, Jackson. I’m your new buddy, okay? I’m here to help you out.”
He nodded but glanced at his mom for confirmation. She gave him a small smile and bobbed her head. “That’s right. We’re going to spend some time with Chase for a couple of days, okay?”
Jackson didn’t look convinced. “But I wanted to go to school and play with my friends today, Mom.”
Melissa’s eyes fluttered closed and I could tell this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation since leaving the house earlier that morning.
“We’re going to go on an adventure,” I interjected, drawing his attention away from his mother for a moment. “It’s gonna be fun. I promise.”
Jackson eyed me suspiciously and I clapped him on the shoulder before rising to my feet.
“Thank you,” Melissa said, sweeping a tawny strand of hair away from Jackson’s forehead. “Uhm, what do we do now? I have a car outside.”
