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“We got a hit. A man fitting Hasnawi’s description landed in Oahu this morning.”
Wyatt’s blood ran cold.
“Why?” Sawyer asked, his voice razor sharp. “We’re not in Asia and we’re sure as shit not on the West Coast. We’re on a goddamn island. Did he leave the airport?”
“He did.” The CO’s jaw ticked, anger etched across his face. The other men were looking toward Wyatt, not vocalizing the truth they all knew. Hasnawi wasn’t after the SEAL team. He wouldn’t have been able to identify them anyway. There was only one person in Oahu he’d be coming for.
“She started another travel blog,” Wyatt said, his voice thin even to his own ears. “She’s focused on Hawaii, not traveling worldwide. Callie decided not to put her face on camera anymore but thought that audio was safe enough. I supported her. She made some reels for her new social media channels. Everything was new—her handle, the website, the blog name. She even said she’d tag her photos and videos differently so it wasn’t obvious she was behind it. She was starting from scratch.”
“They were looking for her,” Sawyer said, his voice low and deadly. “They’ve probably been searching for months, and when she posted new videos on social media, they tracked her here to Hawaii.”
“Fuck!” Wyatt spat out, anguish ripping through him. “There are countless travel blogs on the Internet and people on social media sharing their stories. I figured it was safe. Facial recognition software could have easily picked her up if she went back to posting videos or selfies, but who would be running any type of audio recognition software to listen for her voice?”
“Hasnawi,” their CO said, his eyes blazing. “He’s a wealthy man who’s worked hard to conceal his identity over the years. Callie Spencer saw his face. He doesn’t know she’s already tipped us off or that we’ve found photographs of him, running it through our facial recognition software. He believes she’s the only one who can identify him—the loose end that needs to be silenced.”
“He must’ve spent a small fortune to track her down,” Hudson said in disbelief.
Wyatt’s pulse began to race, his initial shock wearing off and adrenaline coursing through his veins. “I’ll call her and tell her not to go anywhere. She’ll be safe at her apartment until I can get over there. She’s subletting, so her name wouldn’t be tied to anything official at the rental office.” He swiped the screen on his phone, pushing the call button beside Callie’s smiling face, then cursed as her phone rang and rang. “She’s fine,” he said, mostly to reassure himself. “She’s not answering but that’s not too unusual.”
“What has she posted online?” Sawyer asked, his eyes narrowing.
Wyatt cleared his throat. “Give me the laptop. I’ll pull it up.” Their CO slid the laptop across the table to Wyatt, and he quickly typed in the website address for her blog, already pushing the call button on his phone a second time. “Come on and answer, Callie. Come on.” As the blog appeared on the laptop screen, he spun it around, showing the other guys and their commanding officer.
“I’ve got her social media channels saved on my phone,” he said, fumbling with it a moment. Wyatt felt uncharacteristically out of control and frazzled. He rushed into danger without thought on operations, always keeping a level head. Everything about this situation was different. He wasn’t an operator in a foreign country. Oahu was his home; the bad guys were after his girl.
His teammates didn’t even give him shit for having downloaded the social media apps. Wyatt pulled up Callie’s new account, swiping through beautiful pictures of the island. It looked picturesque and perfect, like something out of a photography book or glossy magazine. She’d known exactly what to photograph—a mix of closeups showcasing Oahu’s natural wonders, food, and must-see locations, along with stunning wider shots, showing the perfect beaches. He pushed a button at the top, narrowing it down to videos. There was one showing Diamond Head, but the most recent video she’d posted was of the snorkelers in Hanauma Bay. Callie’s voice came over the video, narrating. “Hanauma Bay may not be the best kept secret in Oahu, but my next location is. Next week I’ll be visiting a secret waterfall loved by the locals. Check out my stories for the location. But shhh! It’s our little secret!”
“Her stories?” Aaron asked, frowning in confusion.
Wyatt was already clicking on Callie’s profile picture—it wasn’t her, just a shot of a Hawaiian beach. “The stories stay up for twenty-four hours then disappear. I think there’s a way to save them? I’m not sure. It’s kind of a gimmick to make you want to click and watch right away so you don’t miss out. They’re time-sensitive, so to speak, because after the twenty-four hours is up, they’re gone.”
“Jesus,” their CO muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Who thinks up this shit?”
Wyatt clenched his jaw, watching as Callie’s story on shave ice began to play. Callie had driven up to the North Shore, showing off the famous treat to her viewers. The story jumped to this morning, and he saw the camera focusing on her sandaled feet and the backpack beside them. “Time to trade in my sandals for some hiking boots!” she declared, sounding excited. “This waterfall requires a little legwork, but it’s worth the steps you’ll get in.”
A scene of palm trees and the ocean in the background showed next. “Ahh, who doesn’t love Oahu?” she asked. “Time for our adventure!”
His eyes widened as he saw the street flash through her stories. Why the hell had she posted that? If anything, she should’ve shared it after she was back home. Now anyone looking for her would realize where she was going. “Don’t worry, I propped up my phone,” her voice said over the video. “Don’t text and drive, friends. Or film and drive in my case,” she added with a giggle.
“This was posted two hours ago,” Sawyer said, looking at the timestamp.
“She’s not there,” Austin said, trying to reassure him. “It’s just a tease, right? To get people excited? She wouldn’t have posted where she was going for anyone in the world to see. She knows better. Alexa told me how cautious Callie is. She probably uploaded it two hours ago. That’s all.”
The pictures she’d put in her stories continued, a shot of the trailhead appearing next. Wyatt’s chest clenched as he saw the sign naming the waterfall. “This is the way, guys! But shhh. I like the peace and quiet, so if you come, don’t tell anyone else. This will be our little secret.” She began walking on the trail, her camera tracking over the forest, and Wyatt felt like he was going to be sick. Part of the reason he loved the waterfall was for its seclusion and privacy. It was away from the crowds. If anyone was following her, she’d be the perfect target. Not many people would be around. No one would hear her screaming for help.
“I’ll try her again,” Wyatt said, his voice short. He’d suggested she photograph the waterfall and potentially blog about it when they’d visited weeks ago. If Callie got hurt because of him, he’d never forgive himself. He called her once more but knew she wouldn’t answer. Even if she was okay, the reception was bad there. He’d told her so himself. “She’s there,” Wyatt said. “I know it. That’s why she’s not picking up.”
“I’ll call Alexa,” Austin assured him. “She might’ve talked to Callie earlier.” Wyatt’s gaze swept to his friend, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Austin already had his phone to his ear. He spoke with her a moment, then put her on speaker.
“Go ahead,” Austin said. “Wyatt and the other guys are listening.”
“Callie’s not here right now,” Alexa told the men. “We had plans today, but I wasn’t feeling great again, so Callie headed off by herself. It’s kind of wild at our apartment complex right now anyway. Some creepy guy was in the parking lot, and one of the neighbors called the police.”
“What was he doing?” Wyatt asked sharply.
“Snooping around, according to the woman next door. She told me he looked really out of place, not like your typical Hawaiian tourist or local. I’m not sure what exactly is going on, but there are about five police cars outside.”
“Hell,” Wyatt said, his blood running cold. “What’s he look like?”
