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"I have no idea." But even as he said the words, an old memory flashed through his mind, the huge luxurious yacht that he'd seen on the island. "They might be headed to a bigger boat," he said. "You mentioned Valdez has luxury yachts at his disposal. See if you can find out where those boats are."
The helo whipped his hair as it began to descend.
"I'm going out now to look for her. I have to find her Max," he said, hearing the desperation in his own voice. "Valdez is going to kill them if I don't."
"I'll get everyone on it," Max said. "With Valdez as the prize, there should be a lot of interest in helping you track him down."
"Thanks." Drew jogged across the field and got into the helo. Along with Tim was another pilot, Erica Brent, and a flight mechanic, AJ Martin.
"What's going on?" Tim asked.
"We're looking for a speed boat." He swallowed hard. "And maybe a yacht. It's the woman from the island, Tim. It's Ria. She's alive, and she's been kidnapped by Enrique Valdez, along with her sixteen-year-old niece."
Tim stared at him in disbelief. "We're going after Valdez?"
"Yes. Let's get in the air, because if we don't find her fast…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the statement. He was not going to let Ria die. He was going to be there in time to save her. There was no other option.
Chapter Twenty
Ria woke up with a raging pain in her head just as the speedboat pulled up alongside a sixty-foot yacht. She'd seen the yacht before—in the harbor at the island.
Megan stared at her with fear in her eyes, but at least she didn't seem to be hurt.
As they anchored the boat to the yacht, the older man grabbed Megan by the arm and yanked her to her feet. In his other hand, he held a gun. He forced Megan up the stairs, and then the second man moved behind Ria.
She got to her feet, feeling dizzy and sick from the blow to her head, but there was no way she wasn't getting on the boat. As long as she stayed with Megan, she had a fighting chance of saving her.
They were led past two other men with guns, and her hope of fighting her way out of the situation dimmed, but she wasn't giving up yet. Was Valdez on board? Or had he just sent his men to get Megan back? She had a feeling she was about to find out.
They were ushered into a luxurious salon. One of the men left while the other stood guard at the door.
Ria put her arm around Megan as they sat down on the couch together. "It's going to be okay." She could feel Megan trembling, so she squeezed her tight.
"Is my uncle here?" Megan whispered.
"I don't know. He might be." She'd never met Valdez and had only seen him once on the island and that had been from a distance. But she had a feeling she was about to come face-to-face with her brother-in-law. It was strange to think of him like that.
"How did they find us?" Megan asked.
She had no idea. Had Drew's questions triggered something, or was it the inquiries of his friend, who had spoken to someone on the island about her? Maybe the homicide cop had talked to someone in law enforcement who was linked to Valdez. Or maybe Valdez had just finally tracked them down.
What had brought them to this moment didn't matter anymore. She had to be thinking ahead, figuring a way off the boat. They were somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. She had no idea how long she'd been unconscious, or in which direction they'd gone after leaving the bay.
She looked around the room for anything that might be a possible weapon. She might be able to take out the guard, but what about all the other men on the ship? A boat this big had to be staffed by at least a half dozen people, if not more.
"How long did it take to get here?" she whispered to Megan.
"I don't know," Megan said.
"Think."
"Half an hour maybe."
"Did you see anyone following us?"
"I couldn't see anything. He made me lie face-down on the deck." Her mouth trembled. "Are they going to kill us?"
"No," she said firmly.
Megan gave her a doubtful look. "How can you be sure?"
"He didn't kill you before," she said pragmatically. "You're his family. You're blood."
"But he hates when people betray the family. That's why he killed my parents. He said they were disloyal."
