AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Damn, that was fun. We sucked down a lot of fuel because of the wind, but at least we have an idea of how far we can go with passengers.”
Essex didn’t share Jen’s enthusiasm or confidence in the information they’d gained. The gear a team would pack would add serious weight and significantly change the distance. If the Wests wanted valid data, they would need several more test runs.
The minute Miami’s feet were on solid ground, the women who’d been waiting rushed forward. Giles and Essex quickly found themselves pushed aside as the group converged on Miami. Those who’d met her in Belize hugged her tightly before introducing her to new friends.
“I’m so relieved to see you’re okay. Knowing some asshat tossed you into the ocean makes me see red. There’s a special place in hell for people like that. Denali was tossed off a bridge into a freezing river. What the hell is wrong with people?” Tobi stomped her foot as though that would drive the point home. The action had little effect other than making her husbands roll their eyes.
“Tobi is one of the most loyal friends you’ll ever have, Miami. She regularly gets us into more trouble than we can talk our way out of, but she’ll always have your back.” Gracie’s observation was spoken quietly, but her words hadn’t escaped Miami’s attention.
Miami turned to the Latina and smiled.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had friends other than the few I made at the diving company. Loyalty and honesty are traits I admire, so I’m happy to return the favor.” The women all nodded in agreement as they ushered Miami toward the waiting side-by-sides. Before he could protest, Miami was sandwiched between Tobi and Gracie.
“Hang on. It’s more fun when we go fast.” Tobi’s words were the last thing he heard before the group roared off, the laughter and squeals of delight filling the night air.
“Don’t worry, we have people waiting at the club. The ladies planned a welcome party to make certain Miami knows how happy they are she’s back in Texas.” Kent West grinned at them before pointing to several waiting cars. “I wonder how long it will take Tobi to realize she left the food.”
“With the spread they’ve set out? Hell, you’ll be lucky if sheeverremembers.” Jax McDonald laughed as he climbed into the driver’s seat of a large black SUV.
Essex was anxious to get up to the house, and from the look on Giles’s face, he was as well. Miami needed to eat, and he should be grateful her friends were looking out for her, but damn it all to hell, he’d been looking forward to taking care of her. At the very least, he’d wanted to fix something special while Giles supervised a relaxing soak in the apartment’s enormous tub.
“Let’s roll. I don’t like Miami being out of sight on the other side of the compound. We need to keep an eye on her until we know Cruz is locked up, and the key has been tossed off a cliff.” The rough edge of Giles’s voice was the only hint he’d given he was frustrated, but Essex had known. The two of them had been friends too long for him to miss the subtle shift in body language as soon as Miami was out of their sight.
*
Victor Cruz staredat the man standing in front of him in utter disbelief. He’d asked the security specialist to use their updated facial recognition software to identify the woman his son had beaten, then dropped off a jet ski into Galveston Bay. The request seemed simple at the time. Find out her name so Victor could make certain she wasn’t anyone of consequence. He didn’t need one of his employees bragging about the celebrity they’d let drown like a stray animal.
“At first, we thought it was going to be okay since the woman has no close family.” The man was visibly uncomfortable, tugging the collar of his shirt and swallowing around a lump in his throat. “Both parents are dead, and she has no siblings. It didn’t seem as though anyone would miss her.” Twisting his hands together as beads of sweat dotted his wrinkled forehead, he took a deep breath before continuing. “As an added precaution, I hacked the cameras around her father’s house to see if there was any activity we needed to be aware of.”
“And?” Victor had a sinking feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer, but he was getting damned tired of waiting for it.
“The woman we thought was dead was seen leaving her father’s home last night. She was accompanied by the same group who rescued the woman who escaped.”
People didn’t surprise Victor very often, but for the first time in many years, he was speechless. His son had pulled some stupid stunts over the years, but this was next level in too many ways to count.
“We’ve run the men’s faces through our system, but…” The man was obviously hesitant to continue.
“But what? Tell me.” His patience was worn to a thin thread. If the man didn’t spit it out, Victor was going to shake the information out of him.
“They don’t exist.” He shrugged, but the casual gesture didn’t fool Victor. The man was scared shitless of his boss, and the fear was well-founded. “There are no profiles matching them, which means they are military or some kind of Special Forces team.”
Fucking hell.The last thing he needed going into the most important election of his career was a scandal. Tangling with a team of military operatives would guarantee his defeat. He needed more information. Taking a deep breath to expel some of his frustration, Victor tried to remember shooting the messenger would not get him what he wanted.
“I appreciate what you’ve done. Keep looking. Someone knows who they are and where they’ve taken the women.”
“Ummm… actually, we know they boarded a helicopter bound for Austin. The aircraft’s ownership is hidden in more layers than I’ve had time to peel back, but we’ll get there, eventually.”
Dismissing the man, Victor leaned back in his leather chair to steeple his fingers beneath his chin. Letting his mind wander, he began weighing the pros and cons of sending his son underground until after the election. His public relations team could spin a story about the younger man’s health being compromised by a recent worldwide pandemic. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but at the moment, it seemed as though his options were damned limited.
