by Morgan James
Her eyes widened dramatically. “You eloped?”
In my parents’ eyes it was practically a sin to not hold a huge, lavish wedding where all the prominent members of society could see and be seen. “We did. It was a... spur of the moment thing.”
“I see.” Her lips pressed into a thin line, and I spoke quickly to avoid her censure.
“It was a beautiful beach wedding on this little island in the middle of nowhere.” I chose my words carefully, specifically avoided telling her the name for Fox's sake. “It was... perfect.”
My mother made a little sound in her throat but forced a smile, that hard look still hovering around her eyes. “You've always been the headstrong one, determined to rebel and do things your own way. I suppose I should have expected it from you.”
The words stung, but I forced myself to focus on the result—I was Fox's wife, and I wouldn't change that for the world.
“Do I know this man?” she asked curiously.
“I'm not sure,” I replied honestly. “But he’s a friend of Daddy’s.” A slight blurring of the truth, but it directed the conversation where I'd intended. “Speaking of, he’s not here today?”
She waved one hand. “You know he avoids my teas at all costs.”
I smiled. “I think most men would. Has he been acting... different lately?”
My mother’s eyes bore into me. “I don't believe so. Why do you ask?”
I bit the inside of my lip, wondering how to ask the question I needed answered without giving too much away. “He just seemed stressed the last time we spoke,” I said vaguely. “Like he was worried about something.”
My mother’s gaze slid over my shoulder to the guard who stood in the doorway, and I watched curiously as they seemed to communicate silently for a moment before her eyes returned to me. “I couldn’t tell you,” she said breezily. “You know how absent-minded your father can be.”
For some reason, her answer didn’t sit well with me. “Mom.” I waited until I had her full attention. “I think he’s involved in something bad.”
Her gaze sharpened. “Such as?”
“I...” I threw a look at the tall guard before returning my gaze to my mother. “I know it sounds crazy, but... I think he and Spencer might be involved in human trafficking.”
My mother just stared at me. She didn’t laugh at the ridiculousness of the suggestion, didn’t recoil in horror. Her face never even changed. There wasn’t a flicker of emotion in her eyes—not surprise, not worry. Nothing.
My mother leaned back in her chair, seemingly lost in thought as she twisted her wedding band around her finger. She’d never been the most demonstrative person, and I could only imagine what was going through her head right now. Was she analyzing my father’s actions over the past few years, breaking down every situation that had seemed so normal at the time?
She regarded me for nearly a full minute before speaking. “When you told us you wanted to study criminal justice, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever. I mean...” She gave a half-laugh. “My daughter tracking down criminals. You were always so willful, too smart for your own good. You could have been such an asset to us,” she said softly as she rose from her chair.
A blur of motion from my right caught my eye, but surprise and confusion rendered me frozen, unable to react. The tall guard in the doorway drew his weapon and lifted it my direction. A scream caught in my throat, and I threw myself forward as the report of the pistol resounded in the room. A second discharge followed the first and I suddenly realized he wasn’t shooting at me, but at Rodrigo. Fox’s man reached for me with one hand, thrusting me behind him as he continued to fire at the guard. One round penetrated the guard’s chest and he staggered backward under the force of it but didn’t go down. He lifted his hand, and the long black pistol bucked as he pulled the trigger once more. Rodrigo’s grip on my arm loosened, and he pitched forward.
I did scream then, long and loud, as I threw myself at him. “Rodrigo!” My breath sawed in out and out of my lungs in rapid pants. “Oh God! No, no, no, no, no.”
I tried to roll him to his back, but he was too heavy. Suddenly, a pair of strong hands grabbed me from behind. I bucked and kicked and writhed, screaming at whoever had a hold on me.
“Mom!” I let out another shriek as the man forced me to the floor. “Help!”
The last thing I saw was my mother standing across the room, an impassive expression on her face as she watched me struggle with the guard holding my arms at my sides. A dark hood was pulled over my face, obscuring my view, and I cried out as something pinched my shoulder.
“I swear to God,” I screamed, “when he finds you...”
My voice trailed off as the drug coursed through my system and took over, dimming my world to black.
Chapter Thirty-One
Fox
Raking one hand through my hair, I fished my phone from my back pocket and dialed Eva to let her know I would be running late. Even on nights like this, she tended to wait up for me. The phone rang nearly a dozen times before rolling over to her voicemail. I glanced at the clock, wondering if she was busy, maybe getting a shower, or if she just hadn't heard her phone. I waited a minute, then tried again. After another dozen rings, the automated message of her voice mailbox filled the line.
Already aggravated, I stabbed the end button on the screen and pulled up Rodrigo's number instead. My anxiety increased with each ring that went on answered. His voicemail picked up, and I lurched to my feet as I frantically dialed him again, with the same result. Concern replaced my initial anger, and I called one of the other men stationed at the house.
He picked up mid-ring. “Boss?”
“I need to speak with my wife.”
“She's not here, sir.”
“Where the hell is she?”
“Rodrigo took her into town for something.”
Without responding, I ended the call and was already out of my office searching for Xavier and Callum. I found Callum first loitering right outside the door. “We need to run GPS on Rodrigo. He and Eva both seem to be MIA. Get Xavier and meet me at the car.”
As I made my way to the back of the building and into the parking lot, I pulled up the tracking app on my phone, my heart beating anxiously in my chest as I waited for it to pinpoint Rodrigo’s current location. When the pulsing red dot finally appeared, I zoomed in, and dread settled low in my stomach. If this was correct, then Eva had somehow managed to convince Rodrigo to take her to her parents’ house. To meet with William? The thought made my blood boil in my veins. What other explanation could there possibly be?
I swore to God, that woman would be the death of me. It wasn’t even a surprise that she’d gone to see him. After what I’d told her the other night, I was sure she went to confront him. Damn it, didn’t she realize how dangerous this was? Regardless that she was his daughter, he was the foulest sort of human. He’d sold her to me settle a loan, and I guaranteed he would do far worse if she jeopardized his organization.
Why the hell hadn’t she said anything this afternoon? And what the hell was Rodrigo thinking, taking her there? I was going to murder the son of a bitch the second I saw him for putting her in harm’s way—again.
Xavier and Callum met me at the car less than ten seconds later, and we all piled in. “Head toward the Jennings’ residence,” I instructed.
My knee jumped restlessly, and my hand clenched and unclenched, seemingly of its own volition, as the next seventeen minutes passed like molasses in wintertime. By the time we pulled up to the gated entrance of the housing allotment where the Jenningses lived, I was ready to throw myself from the vehicle and track her down on foot.
Callum rolled down the window to speak with the guard. “We’re here to see Mr. Jennings.”
“Name?” Callum rattled off my name and the heavyset guard shook his head as he scanned the computer, checking for approved visitors. “Name’s not on the list,” he said apologetically.
I rolled down my own wind
ow and pulled several hundreds from my wallet, then thrust it out the window. “My wife—Eva Jennings—is here, and I think she’s in trouble. I need to find her. Call the Chief of Police—he’ll vouch for me.”
I hoped. After the raid earlier tonight, I wasn’t one hundred percent certain, but I would use every weapon in my arsenal to make sure my girl was okay.
The guard studied me for a long minute before his gaze dropped to the cash in his hands. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he nodded. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
The gate lifted, and my pulse kicked up as we drove underneath, then headed deeper into the community. Unlike a typical subdivision, the lawns here were vast, at least an acre each, perfectly manicured and bright green. My heart raced as Callum pulled up to the curb in front of a stately brick home.
“This is it,” he said unnecessarily.
My stomach clenched into a tight knot as my gaze swept over every feature. The driveway was empty—not a good sign. This was the last place Eva and Rodrigo’s phone had pinged off the local towers. They’d certainly driven here—but where was the car?
In the front seat, both men were silent as I worked through my raging emotions. I swallowed hard over the impotence clogging my throat. “Let’s sweep the grounds, just in case.”
I knew we wouldn’t find anything, but that fact held little reassurance fifteen minutes later as we piled back into the car and turned around to head back into town. There was no trace of the car ever being here. It, like Eva and Rodrigo’s cell phones, seemed to have vanished into thin air. An old feeling crept in, one I hadn’t felt in years. Fear. If something had happened to Eva, if William had hurt her...
Callum steered the car onto the main drag as I dialed the man in question, my patience dwindling with each second that passed. Five rings later, Eva’s father answered warily. “Hello?”
Just the sound of his voice made me want to reach through the phone and rip him to shreds. “Where the hell are you?”
There was a brief hesitation, then—“Who is this?”
“Don’t play stupid.” I let out a low growl. “You know who this is.”
“Fox?”
“You’re not at home.” I figured I would give him one last chance to come clean before I killed him.
He hesitated for a second, probably wondering how I knew. “N-no,” he stammered. “I haven’t been home all day.”
Of course he wouldn’t have been home; he would need an alibi. Cold settled over me and my tone dropped. “Where the fuck are you?”
“H-Houlihan’s, why?”
I knew exactly where the upscale restaurant was. “Meet me at your office building. You have five minutes.”
I hung up without another word, a hundred different scenarios—all of them bad—flitting through my mind. I checked the GPS locator again, and my stomach dropped sickeningly when nothing showed up. It was as if they’d just... disappeared. Either they’d turned their phones off for some reason, or... I didn’t want to contemplate the alternative. By the time we pulled up in front of the elegant, soaring office building, I was ready to tear something—or someone—apart.
Callum pulled into a parking space, and I glanced around at the empty lot. Less than two minutes later, a white Mercedes turned in and parked in the next space over. I was out of the backseat and approaching William before I even thought about what I was doing. His eyes were wide as he climbed out, watching warily as I approached.
“Where the hell is she?” I demanded.
His eyes widened dramatically under the glow of the street lamps. “Who?”
The hold I had on my temper was rapidly fraying, and my body vibrated with tension. “Eva!”
“Eva?” He looked absolutely bewildered. “How would I know—”
I was running short on time, and I needed answers. I took another step toward him, pinning him between myself and the car. “Where the fuck is my wife?”
His mouth dropped open like a fish. “Your... Your wife?”
He practically choked on the word, and his reaction would have been gratifying except for the severity of the situation. “So help me God,” I said with a low growl, “I will gut you right here if anything happened to her.”
“I—” He shook his head. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
I was done playing his games. I grabbed William around his neck and slammed him against the car, already bracing myself for the volley of images assaulting my brain. I saw snippets of conversation between William and Spencer as well as the deal he’d made with me when he approached me for a loan. The images came rapidly, but none of them were what I was looking for. I forced my hand to relax and stumbled away from him. He wasn't Araña. And if he wasn't, then who was?
“Where the fuck were you an hour ago?”
He grasped at his throat, gasping for breath. “Pine Shadows,” he said referencing his golf club. “Then I went to Houlihan’s.” He coughed raggedly.
Fuck. “I can't get a hold of Eva. GPS last shows her and my man at your house, but there's not a single trace of them there. I need to know where she is.”
He shook his head, brows drawn together. “My wife has her friends over on Sundays, so I make sure to stay the hell away.”
I arched a brow, a thousand thoughts flitting through my brain. “Your wife’s not home.”
It took a second for the implication to sink in, and his face paled. “You’re not saying... No.” He shook his head. “Maybe they went somewhere together. I—I’ll call Lillian.”
He dug through his pockets to find his cell phone, and his hands trembled visibly as he dialed and held the phone to his ear. The seconds ticked by, and William looked ready to puke by the time he hung up. His green gaze, so much like Eva’s, lifted to mine. “She’s not answering.”
“She has to know where Eva is.” I tried to push down my fear, but I couldn’t help the waver in my voice. “We need to find her.”
“Why would anyone want to hurt Eva?” His eyes widened slightly. “Oh, God. You did this. They took her to get back at you!”
I growled but couldn’t stem the guilt I felt at the truth of his words. “You’re right,” I snapped. “It’s my fault. Which is why I have to find her. I’d rather die than have her hurt.”
William glared at me. “What have you done now?”
I quickly summed up my search for Araña and how they targeted first me, then Eva. “Do you know anyone who would do something like this?”
William looked ready to throw up all over the sidewalk. “S-Spencer,” he managed to stammer out. “He was supposed to meet me at Houlihan's, but he called to say something came up and he couldn’t make it. If he...”
William didn't have to finish. I knew exactly what he was capable of. “Where would he go?”
“I... I don't know.”
The private airfield Spencer had used several months ago came to mind. “What's in North Dakota?”
William blinked once as he processed the question, then slowly nodded. “There—There’s a cabin. Somebody has a cabin up there off the books that they use once in a while.”
“You been there?”
“Once.” He nodded furiously.
“Good. Get in the fucking car. You're gonna give me directions. And I swear on her life...” I fisted my hand in the front of his shirt. “If anything happens to her, I'm going to kill you for putting her in harm’s way and bringing that miserable piece of shit into our lives.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Eva
I came awake slowly, a strange buzzing sensation filling my ears. I felt cold all over, and my eyes felt heavy, my mind foggy. My entire body felt exhausted, and my eyes didn’t want to stay open. I tried to rub the sleep away, but my arms wouldn’t cooperate. I sat up a little straighter in my seat and tried to move my arms again. I felt a resistance tugging at my skin, and the sensation sent a chill skittering down my spine. My breath came faster, and my heart raced as I realized my hands were bound
behind me.
Frantically, I took in my surroundings, praying that I was wrong—that this was just a bad dream. My gaze focused on the tan leather seats in front of me and to my right. To my left was a small oval window and, beyond that, pitch blackness. I studied the white walls that curved slightly over my head, the thick bolts that ran up the panels. My stomach pitched as I realized the sound filling the air was coming from the plane’s engines.
Oh, God. Where was I? And with who? Everything came flooding back in rapid succession. Going to my parents’ house. Telling my mother my suspicions. Bile rose up my throat when I recalled her blank expression and cold words. I remembered being frozen in place at the sight of the pistol swinging my way, then—
Oh, God. Rodrigo. My stomach plunged at the memory of him trying to pull me out of harm’s way, shoving me behind him for protection. In my mind’s eye I watched as he let loose with a volley of rounds, the loud reports filling the air before he jerked and fell forward.
I threw a quick look around but no one was with me. Anxiety raced through me. Where was he? Was he okay, or was he...?
God, I couldn’t bear to think of it. My brain skipped forward to a pair of strong arms pulling me away from Rodrigo’s still form, yanking a dark cloth over my head. And the way my mother looked at me, so cold and unfeeling, right before darkness closed over my head and I was dragged away. She’d chosen greed and money over her own daughter. I shouldn’t be surprised after what happened to Elle, but the betrayal stung.
I wanted to cry at the injustice of it all. I’d gone to her with the intention of telling her I thought my father was involved in trafficking. Instead, I’d discovered that she was involved, too. Why hadn’t I seen it sooner? She’d coerced Elle into marrying Spencer and solidifying the bond between them.
What the hell was I going to do? There wasn’t much I could do with the plane in the air. I couldn’t even appeal to the pilot or flight crew. Chances were, if they’d seen me brought aboard in restraints, they’d probably been paid off by my mother’s people. I would have to wait until we could deplane and try to escape.
