by Barb Han
This situation?
He could make a difference here and there was no way he was going to let this man stand in the way of Ashlyn being found. No matter her condition, he was bringing her home.
The drumbeat in Daniel’s head was nothing more than an echo now. Distant. He couldn’t bring his daughter back. Tears threatened but he held them in. He couldn’t save Naomi. He let anger and frustration circulate through his veins until he white knuckled the KA-BAR and made a fist with his free hand.
“You don’t have to talk. Whether you live or die is up to you. I’m going to stick around and keep digging in your life until I hit pay dirt. Along the way if I find out a worker at Royale is in any way connected to stealing pretty blond American girls I will personally ensure that the government brings an army of federal agents to your doorstep and this place, hell, this entire island will be out of work following the amount of media attention that will rain down on your doorstep. There’ll be no more tourists. Not one family will ever bring their child here again and I’ll make damn sure of it. There’ll be more media coverage than when the girl disappeared in Aruba years ago. This island won’t survive the barrage of reporters hungry for a front-page story and eager to warn travelers of the dangers of this country.”
Isiah squinted like he was in physical pain hearing Daniel’s threat. The man cared about his country and he had a conscious. Daniel could work with both.
“So yeah, you may think your life is a good trade for keeping the girl’s whereabouts hidden but here’s the thing, I kill you and I stick around. No one will search for you. No one will care. Your people will believe you talked to me. I’ll make sure of that. They’ll spit on your grave,” Daniel continued. His patience ran thin—thin enough to break.
Isiah was already shaking his head, shutting his eyes like he could block out the reality that was Daniel.
The man couldn’t. Daniel was there. He was close to finding Ashlyn. He would be relentless.
“She’s thirteen-years-old. Still a child. She probably made a mistake and trusted the wrong person. I know she met someone that night. And I know the person she talked to was on this island using the computer in the lobby. You know what that tells me?”
Isiah shook his head. His face scrunched up in pain like it physically hurt to hear about the girl.
Good.
There was no end to which Daniel wouldn’t go in order to bring peace to the girl’s family.
It was about time this man realized it. Daniel was a problem that wasn’t going away until he got the answers Clara deserved.
“You know where she is. You can help a child. Is money worth more than that to you?”
Isiah’s breath was coming out in rasps and tears leaked from his eyes.
“I don’t know what you believe but there has to be a special place in Hell for a man who takes away a child’s innocence,” Daniel continued, feeling relentless. He squeezed his thighs together until he was close to crushing Isiah’s ribs.
Isiah shook his head violently.
“You want that on your head? You want to rip away a child’s innocence?” Daniel pressed on.
Isiah blew out a couple of breaths and squinted.
“Okay. I’ll tell you what I know. But it isn’t much. I fear it isn’t enough,” he finally confessed.
Daniel leaned back on his heels, giving Isiah enough room to breathe.
“What happened to Ashlyn?”
“You want to talk to Rhashan Gray’s family.” Isiah’s face was awash with guilt. His dark eyes looked tired.
“What will they tell me?” Daniel asked.
“It’s their story to tell. Not mine.” On that note, Isiah seemed ready to hold his ground.
“Where can I find him?” Daniel wasn’t amused. The last thing he wanted to do was go on a wild goose chase or start this conversation all over again with someone else and lose all the progress he’d made so far.
“He works here at Royale.” Isiah’s eyes were steadfast now, determined. “I will take you to meet his wife. She will talk to you because she’s my sister.”
Daniel could be getting himself walked into a trap.
There was nothing about Isiah’s demeanor that lead Daniel to believe the man had a dark bone in his body. He did not walk with the assured confidence of a man in charge, of a warrior.
And yet Daniel had learned things weren’t always as they seemed when it came to deviant minds or desperate people.
There’d been more times than he could count that he’d encountered a woman strapped with explosives walking toward the military compound where he’d been stationed. Children were sometimes used to lure soldiers close enough to blow everyone up.
Daniel had a decision to make. Trust Isiah and take the risk of walking into a trap. Or walk away and start with someone else. Now it was Daniel’s turn to issue a sharp breath.
“Where can we find her?”
Chapter 15
Daniel wanted to bring Clara with him to meet Rhashan Gray’s wife, but he couldn’t risk her life if this didn’t pan out. She could also become a liability that could be used against him at a critical moment.
It was still early enough for most tourists to be sleeping off their Pina Colada indulgences from last night, so there was little activity on the resort. No one would notice Daniel coming and going.
In one hop, Daniel was on his feet and offering a hand-up to Isiah. He sleeved his KA-BAR. “Let’s go.”
Isiah led the way, winding through the pathways. Daniel noticed there was a subsystem of pedestrian highways at the resort not nearly as glamorous as the ones guests traversed. He hoped Clara was still sleeping. She hadn’t gone more than three or four hour stretches since he met her days ago. Days? He felt like he’d known her years, not days. The connection they shared ran deep. It was a rare thing to find. He’d heard tales of his buddies being struck by instant love.
Daniel had never confused chemistry with love. He was becoming a believer now that he’d met Clara. Or maybe he was old enough to know what he wanted in another person now. He’d met Naomi in his early twenties, still a young buck full of pride.
Walking behind Isiah toward an unknown destination brought back other memories. How many times had he done the same thing on an assignment? His adrenaline coursed through him in palpable waves. He missed the excitement of a mission, the way his blood pumped and the feeling that he was alive.
It had been this thrill that had kept him from his family. Daniel, an orphan, had grown up alone and had no experience with letting people in. He’d been bounced around foster homes to anyone who wanted the extra income from social services. He’d kept his nose clean enough to sign up in the military while he was supposed to be walking across the stage at high school graduation.
What the hell did he care about picking up his diploma? There wasn’t going to be anyone waiting in the audience, watching, clapping. And he’d gotten pretty damn good at shutting down his feelings. Hell, he’d never be the kind of guy who lit candles and cooked a fancy French dinner for someone.
But he was loyal. And he’d realized how undervalued a quality that was in other people.
Maybe it was because he realized that losing everyone in his life hurt like hell, no matter how much at arm’s length he’d kept them. There was no escaping the pain. He’d loved Naomi as much as he could love anyone at the time. Even then, he knew she wasn’t the one. He’d never experienced the same thunderclap as the one he’d experienced with Clara.
Losing Naomi had hurt as much as if he’d given his whole self to her. And that bit even worse because he never had a chance to experience the upside. He’d never been able to let himself go enough to truly love her. Had she betrayed him in the end? Yes. Did he wish things hadn’t gone down like they had? Hell, yes.
That was on him. Not learning from his mistakes would doom him to keep making the same ones over and over again. Daniel wasn’t a masochist. If he was going to feel the pain of loss he planned to go all in and reap th
e benefits of letting himself love Clara.
Granted, there was something different about his relationship with her, something about Clara that made him want to give more.
With every step away from the resort he thought about the dangers he might be confronting. Not because he was afraid but because evaluating potential threat and being prepared would keep him alive.
Focusing on returning to Clara would keep him sharp mentally. The sleepy image of her with her blond locks spilling across the pillow tugged at a place deep inside him, calling up a reservoir of purpose. And an emotion that felt a lot like hope, which was something he hadn’t had in a long time. Too long.
Daniel surveyed his surroundings as Isiah led him off the resort and onto the concrete street. Another ten minutes of walking and they stood at a bus stop.
After catching a bus and then walking another few minutes, Isiah stopped in front of a shack. Sheets used as makeshift curtains blew in and out of the row of small concrete structures with thatched roofs.
Isiah knocked on the partially opened teal blue door.
“Come in,” a female voice instructed.
This was the kind of place where no one was a stranger. It was a small village. Daniel had come across these more times than he could count in his work. Most of the time small villages were filled with decent people—people who kept their spirits high by connecting with each other.
This time, Daniel trusted his instincts. He enjoyed the freedom that came with being able to make his own decisions and not have to account to a supervisor or government. The thrill of danger didn’t hold the same lure over him as it once had. Adrenaline was already fading and instead of energizing him, he just felt tired. So tired. And so ready to breathe again.
He thought of Ruthie. How much he missed his little bug.
The people on this island were no different than him. They wanted to protect their own.
Daniel had been feeling change come over him for the past few years, longer than that if he was being totally honest. He no longer felt the youthful pride that had him wanting to go out and conquer the world. He wanted to go home to the States and build a new life—one that had meaning beyond his selfishness. And he had been selfish. That selfishness had cost him a wife and a daughter, both of whom he’d loved as much as he was capable.
It was easier to go all-in with a child than with a spouse, he’d noticed.
Of course, those were two very different types of love. His child’s innocence and unconditional love had made it so much easier to give his heart over. The love between adults was far more complicated. There was too much risk, too much at stake for a young and immature guy who’d only known living on his own, depending on himself in order to survive.
Daniel almost laughed out loud. He’d never been one to shy away from hazards. Putting himself in physical danger was something he could control. He was the best at what he did. There was no doubt about it. Putting his heart on the line was new territory.
The question that had kept him awake countless nights in the last two years was: if Naomi had walked out on him when she wanted to would she and Ruthie still be alive?
He’d deserved it, deserved her leaving him. He hadn’t cheated. Loyalty had never been his issue. But he hadn’t given her what she needed, either. He hadn’t given her one reason to stay. Naomi had been alone in their marriage. He could see that now.
Damn that hindsight brought so much clarity.
Forcing his thoughts back to the present, he stepped inside the shack. It wasn’t much more than a room with a full-size mattress on the floor in one corner, a small wooden table with four chairs and a kitchenette. He’d stayed in hotel rooms back in the States that were bigger.
A thought struck. Had he spent his time in the jungle, in remote areas trying to figure out how to appreciate what he had back home?
A woman who looked to be in her early thirties stood in front of a small sink. She wore a blue dress and an apron. A child not much older than what Ruthie would have been this year was curled up on the makeshift bed with a book.
Isiah and the woman greeted each other before Daniel was introduced.
“My name is Tasiya.” She motioned toward the table. “Please, sit.”
Daniel thanked the woman who had dark skin and sad eyes.
“Would you like coffee?” she asked.
Daniel didn’t want to insult her hospitality so he said he would appreciate a cup.
A few minutes later the woman joined them at the table after serving coffees.
“Daniel came a long way,” Isiah started with an apologetic look toward his sister. “He’s looking for the girl.”
Tasiya looked as though she’d taken a physical blow. A deep sadness settled in her eyes when she looked at Daniel. “They say we are not supposed to speak about it. But my son is lost, too. If he was alive, he would come home.”
Tears streaked her cheeks, fast and hard like racehorses being held at a starting gate too long.
“My husband works at Royale. He takes care of the gardens. It’s a good job.” She glanced toward the young girl reading on the bed in the corner. “One he can’t afford to lose. But we want our son brought home.”
His theories of Ashlyn being exploited by a human trafficking ring crashed down around him. Another picture replaced it. One of two kids who’d made a costly mistake.
“How did your son meet Ashlyn?” Daniel asked as the new reality tried to sink in.
“He liked to go to work with his father. If he went in early enough he could use the computer. My son loved to play on the computer,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
So many pieces clicked into place and Daniel realized that he’d misread the situation from the get-go. He’d never once thought about a kid making a mistake in judgment.
“What do you think happened to him?” he asked.
She shrugged. “What happens to all teenage boys?”
Daniel knew the answer to that question. Girls.
“Your son asked my friend’s niece to meet him,” he informed.
Her eyes widened and he assumed this was the first time she’d heard it.
“My people won’t speak of the girl,” she admitted. A mix of sadness and fear flitted across her features. “They only call her the runaway.”
“What if I can show you proof that your son convinced her to meet him and then she disappeared?” he asked.
The woman shook her head as though she didn’t want to consider the possibility the two were together, connected.
“I found it on the computer. He was talking to her on the computer in order to stay out of sight,” Daniel said.
Recognition dawned in Isiah’s eyes as he rocked his head, realizing it made perfect sense.
“There’s no news of your son’s disappearance,” Daniel said. “Why not?”
She glanced at Isiah. “It is not safe to talk.”
Daniel pieced the rest together. The locals couldn’t afford word to get out, which is why they lied to cover the trail. If any one of them were seen as involved in the disappearance of Ashlyn they’d lose their livelihood and, potentially in this case, their lives. Threats would be made against their families to keep something this big under wraps.
It all made sense to him now. He couldn’t resent them for trying to survive. Isn’t that what everyone was trying to do on some level?
This woman, this family lived in their own hell. It was clear that she loved her child.
“What’s your son’s name?” he asked.
“Javel.” More water welled in her eyes before she looked away from him.
“I’m sorry for your situation. I’m looking for the girl,” he finally said after a long brimming silence. “But if I find your son I’ll bring him home to you.”
Her second round of tears burst through the surface as she looked at Daniel. “You would help us?”
“Yes,” Daniel said. “I’m here for the truth. I don’t want to cause any more suffering.�
�
“Thank you,” she said, repeating it a few times almost in a chant. “Please bring my boy home.”
Daniel gave her a few minutes to collect herself. It was clear that talking about her son was taking a toll on her.
“Do you have a picture of him?” he asked. There weren’t any photos hanging on the walls or situated around the hut, but then there wasn’t much of anything around the place.
The woman, heavy with burden, reached under the sink counter and produced a tablet. He knew immediately what she held in her hand. Ashlyn’s sketchpad.
“Where did you find this?” he asked.
“My brother brought it to me,” she motioned toward Isiah.
“Near the water. It had been carefully tucked in a bush close to the beach,” Isiah said.
Daniel took the offering, examining the page it was open to.
Ashlyn was a fine artist. And the boy in the sketch would be considered handsome by most standards. Two teenagers pushing boundaries.
“How old is your son?” Daniel asked.
“Fifteen-years-old,” she supplied.
Tasiya stared at the sketchpad like it was the last tether to her child. The price of silence scored deep worry lines across her forehead.
“Where’s your husband now? Daniel asked. The boy’s father might be silent but he’d be looking for his son. Daniel would put money on the fact.
“He’s working,” she said and her defenses seemed to erect again.
“I’m not looking to get anyone in trouble here.” She needed to know that. “I won’t go to the authorities or your husband’s boss. I work alone and get the job done. Whatever happened to these two, I’ll find out and bring them home.”
He couldn’t bring himself to tell her that might include body bags.
“I would give my life to have him returned.” Her set jaw and determined expression said she meant those words.
“Was Javel happy?” he asked.
Her eyes lit up with fire when she realized what he was asking.
