by Elle James
Casey shook her head. “No, really. You see…” She glanced toward Jacob. “The thing is…”
“Hawk’s missing,” Jacob said, cutting to the chase.
Kalea’s eyes rounded. “He’s what?”
“Missing,” Casey said, her tone flat. She gripped Kalea’s arms. “We’re working on finding him now.”
“Wait.” Kalea held up a hand. “Let me get this straight. When I called him this morning, he didn’t answer because he’s missing?”
Casey nodded. She opened her mouth.
Jacob jumped in before Casey could speak. “We thought we’d find him before we alarmed you.”
“Did he cut out because he doesn’t want to marry me?” Kalea asked. “If that’s the case, he could have just told me.”
“No,” Jacob said. “He was very much looking forward to marrying you. So much so, he didn’t want a lap dance from the stripper.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I should hope not. But if he didn’t skip out, I don’t understand.”
“We checked his room after your call this morning.” Casey brought her hands together and looked down where she clasped them in front of her. “He wasn’t there.”
“Not only was he missing, it appeared that he’d put up a fight.”
Kalea frowned. “And you’re just now telling me?”
Casey nodded. “I’m sorry. That was my fault. I didn’t want to worry you on your spa day.”
“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about spa day. If Hawk’s in trouble, I needed to know about it.” She started for the door. “We have to find him.”
“We’re working on it.” Casey hurried after her. “We have the police searching, and Hawk’s boss has his computer guru searching his sources.”
Kalea stopped. “Hank’s here?”
Jacob nodded. “He’s here, and he’s connected online with his computer guy back in Montana.”
“Swede?” Kalea pressed a hand to her chest. “Thank God. If anyone can find Hawk, Hank and Swede can. When was the last time you saw him?” Kalea asked, all business, again.
“Last night we took him to his room and got him to bed,” Casey said.
Jacob reached the door before the ladies and held it open. “He’d had a few drinks. But he seemed fine.”
“Apparently not fine enough to defend himself.” Once outside, Kalea looked right then left. “Damn. I took a taxi to get here.”
“We’ll take my car.” Casey hooked her arm and led her toward her SUV.
“Where?” Kalea threw up her hand. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
“We’re going to my place,” Casey said. “I offered it as command center to Hank, since I have high-speed internet.”
“Okay. We’ll go there.” Kalea slid into the passenger seat and glanced up at Jacob preparing to close her door. “Wait. Aren’t you coming with us?”
“I’m driving my truck,” he said. “We’re all going to the same place. It’s okay. We’re going to find Hawk. Casey will fill you in on what we’ve done so far.”
He would rather have had Casey with him, but he needed to keep his truck close at hand, and Casey had to drive her vehicle back to her apartment. For the first time since they’d made love, they would be separated. Jacob hadn’t realized just how much he liked having Casey around. She was sexy, smart and…well…she smelled good.
He hurried to his truck. The sooner they got to her apartment, the sooner he could be with her again. His need to be with Casey was worrisome and intriguing. Once they found Hawk and got the lovebirds through their wedding, Jacob could focus on whatever it was he was feeling for the pretty little brunette.
Kalea waited until Casey got into the driver’s seat. “I’m still mad at you for not telling me earlier.”
“I understand,” Casey said. “And what would that have accomplished?”
Kalea shrugged. “I could have helped.”
“You would have been breathing down our necks. Instead, you enjoyed a massage, a facial and you got a fabulous set of nails.” Casey gave her a crooked grin. “That has to count for something. And I’m confident you’ll both be there at the church on time tomorrow.”
“I don’t care about the wedding.” Kalea pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m just worried about Hawk. Who would have done this?”
“We have some ideas, but we wanted to hear from you.” Casey shifted into drive and pulled out of the parking lot of the spa. “Were there any loose ends in the case he helped you solve at your home in Hawaii? Is there anyone who might still have a bone to pick with him or you?”
Kalea shook her head. “We got the woman who tried to kill me, and the hired assassins she employed. There weren’t any others. What did you two come up with? What are the police doing?”
“I’m not sure what the police are doing,” Casey said. “We told them everything we knew. Apparently, Hawk had a stalker when he lived here at Coronado. He dated her twice. She took that as a commitment. He didn’t. She showed up at McP’s last night and made a scene. The off-duty cop I hired had to escort her out.”
“That bitch,” Kalea said through clenched teeth. She turned to Casey. “You think she had something to do with Hawk’s disappearance?”
Casey chewed on her bottom lip. “Maybe.” She explained about the getaway van and the connection to the Cartel Tijuana Nueva Generación. “Hawk’s stalker, Camila Torres, is related to members of the cartel.”
“By the gods,” Kalea murmured. “Sounds like Camila could be responsible.”
Casey nodded. “We went by Camila’s place here in San Diego. She wasn’t at home, and there was no sign of Hawk there.”
“Any idea where they might have taken him?” Kalea asked.
“No,” Casey said. “I’m hoping Hank Patterson and his computer guy have come up with some ideas. I’m fresh out.”
Minutes later, Casey pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building and parked.
Jacob slid his truck in beside her vehicle and got out.
Together, the three of them entered the building and climbed the stairs to Casey’s apartment on the second floor.
She hoped Hank had something for them to go on. The longer Hawk was missing, the more likely he would be hurt or even…
Casey refused to go down that route.
Hawk would be all right. He had to be.
Jacob held the door for the women to enter the apartment.
As Casey walked past Jacob, she could smell the tantalizing scent of him. She could still smell his cologne on her skin after the night they’d spent together. Finding Hawk was a goal, not only to get his friend back safely, but so that Casey could then focus on what she was feeling toward the handsome SEAL. Not that she would take it any further. The man was on active duty. As a Navy brat herself, she knew the kind of life a girlfriend or spouse would be subject to.
No way. That life wasn’t for her.
Inside, Hank sat at Casey’s dining table, his laptop in front of him, a cellphone on the table near his hand. He looked up as they entered. “Good. I’m glad to see you brought Kalea.” He stood and held open his arms.
Kalea walked into them. “Hey, Hank. Thanks for being here.”
“After everything that happened in Hawaii, wild horses couldn’t have kept me away.” He hugged her tightly then set her at arm’s length. “Sadie sends her love. She’s in LA with her agent and Emma. She plans on being here tomorrow by noon.”
Kalea smiled. “That’s sweet of her. She’s a busy lady with her career. I didn’t expect her to come.”
“She insisted. After you and your father had us out to the ranch, she feels like you and Hawk are family.”
“We feel the same.” Kalea smiled. “And Emma is such a little doll. If you need a babysitter while you two go on vacation, you can count on me.”
Hank chuckled. “You and a dozen other people we know. Emma has a fan base that rivals her mother’s.”
Kalea’s brows rose. “You better watch her. If she’s h
alf as beautiful as Sadie, she’ll be as famous as your wife.”
Casey still couldn’t believe Hawk’s boss, Hank “Montana” Patterson, was married to the megastar Sadie McClain. As it was, Hank was every bit as gorgeous as Sadie, in a masculine, sexy way.
Hank’s brow descended. “I know. I’ll be waiting at the door with my shotgun loaded when the boys start coming around.” He nodded toward his laptop. “In the meantime, we have a groom to locate.”
Kalea drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Casey told me what’s happened so far. Do you have any more news?”
Hank glanced toward Casey and Jacob. “Swede has been going through the data he can find online. We learned two things that might help.”
Jacob moved in closer. “Swede’s amazing,” he said. “What’s he got?”
By clicking the mouse, Hank woke the monitor. “Swede tapped into the monitoring system the border patrol uses for vehicles crossing into and out of the US. Specifically, the crossings into Tijuana. He spent some time going through the images between the time the delivery van left the hotel and sunrise, to start with. He found the van matching the description and the license plate crossing the border at four o’clock this morning, heading into Tijuana.” He brought up a blurry image of the van going through the border checkpoint.
Kalea pressed a hand to her chest, tears welling in her eyes. “If he was in that van, the drug cartel could have him as we speak.”
Hank nodded. “As soon as Swede found that, he started searching for the location of the cartel’s compound. So far, he’s got nothing. He’s even working with the DEA and ATF folks who specialize in following cartels and drug traffickers. They had some leads, but the cartel has been targeted, not only by the drug enforcement agencies, they’re being targeted by rival cartels. They move their compounds on a regular basis to avoid being ambushed.”
“In other words, you’re telling me we have no idea where they would’ve taken Hawk.” Kalea sank into the chair beside Hank. “Won’t that make it impossible to find him?”
“Don’t give up on Hawk,” Casey said.
“That’s right,” Hank said. “We’re still working on it. That brings me to the next bit of information we dug up. Actually, I found this because of my lovely wife. Since Emma was born, Sadie’s been all into our heritage and wanting to know where we came from so that we can pass that information down to our children. She joined one of those ancestor sites that lets you enter your information and find relatives you never knew existed.” Hank gave Kalea a twisted grin. “I entered Camila’s name, hoping I’d find something.” His grin broadened. “I hit pay dirt.”
“Yeah?” Casey frowned. “What did you learn?”
Hank clicked the keyboard and brought up the ancestor website. “I entered Camila Torres and her address.” He demonstrated what he was saying, and the monitor blinked and brought up a huge tree of names and how they were related. “Apparently, one of Camila’s relatives is an active member of this application and has documented aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters and grandparents. Camila has several cousins this side of the border. The cousin who entered the data is here in San Diego. Her name is Mina Perez. I was able to get her home phone number. Her grandmother answered, and said Mina was at work. She’s a licensed cosmetologist. She has a beauty salon a couple miles away from here.”
Jacob frowned. “And you think she might know where the compound is?”
Hank’s brow twisted. “I don’t know about that, but she might know who does.”
Jacob pulled out his cellphone and brought up his map app. “Address,” he demanded.
Hank gave him the address.
Jacob keyed it into his phone. “I’m going.”
“I’m going with you,” Kalea said.
“It might be better if you stayed with me,” Hank said. “I’m waiting for Swede to get back to me with whatever information he’s able to get from the DEA and ATF. They have a better chance of giving us the information we’re looking for.”
“Hank’s right,” Jacob said to Kalea. “It would be better if you stayed here. The shop is close. I won’t be gone long. And if I learn something, I’m not going to go off half-cocked. I’ll need a team to extract him. I’ll be back shortly.” He headed toward the apartment entrance.
Casey followed, her heart in her throat. She didn’t want him going without her. “I’m going with you.”
“Last time you went with me to question someone, you were almost accosted. I don’t need that kind of excitement again. I can defend myself against four men but having you in the mix makes me lose focus. Which, in turn, could put you in danger.” Jacob tipped his head toward Kalea. “You should stay with your friend.”
Anger bubbled up inside Casey. “I can take care of myself. And if you can’t focus because I’m there…well, that’s your problem, not mine. Besides, Kalea has Hank to look after her.” Casey tipped up her chin. “And you’re headed into a salon. That’s my territory. I deal with salons on a daily basis, getting my brides ready for their big day. If Mina is working in her salon, she’s more likely to talk to a female than a male.”
Jacob studied Casey. “She might cater to both sexes. In fact, she might prefer talking to a man than a woman, since she has to do that every day.”
“To make sure she talks to someone, we both need to go.” Casey walked to the door, her head held high. She opened it and turned to Jacob. “My SUV or your truck?” she challenged, refusing to back down.
His lips pressed into a thin line. “My truck.”
She nodded and headed for the parking lot and Jacob’s truck. Hawk’s disappearance was partially her fault. She’d be damned if Jacob left her behind.
As they hurried toward the truck, Jacob hit the key fob to unlock the doors.
Casey rounded to the passenger side.
Jacob beat her there and opened her door.
As she stepped up on the running board, he leaned close. “We might be in a hurry, and you might have invited yourself along, but I can still be a gentleman.”
“Thank you. But it’s not necessary,” Casey said as she climbed in, her shoulder brushing Jacob’s chest, sending shivers of awareness throughout her body.
“Maybe not to you,” he said, his breath warming the back of her neck. “But in my book, it is to me.” He closed the door and jogged around the front of the truck to jump into the driver’s seat. In seconds, he was out of the parking lot and into the street.
Jacob handed Casey his cellphone where he’d entered the address for Mina Perez’s salon, the Clips Ahoy.
Casey had managed to go along with him this time. Jacob wouldn’t let her bulldoze her way into the next. They were dealing with a beauty salon in this situation. When it came to storming a drug cartel’s compound, Casey might have to leave it to the trained professional combatants.
Chapter 8
They arrived at the Clips Ahoy hair salon a few short minutes later.
Casey touched Jacob’s arm before he got out of the truck. “Let me start with the questions.”
“Okay.” He opened his door and got out.
Before he could get around to the other side, Casey was standing on the ground, closing her own door.
“You make it really hard to be a gentleman.” He held up his hand. “I know. You don’t need anyone to hold doors for you. You’re perfectly capable of holding your own.”
“It’s really a matter of patience,” she said with a smile. “I lack that virtue.” She led the way to the shop.
Jacob chuckled. “In that case, shouldn’t I be the one to ask the questions?”
“You know what I mean.” She frowned at him, her brow dipping low over her pretty brown eyes. “I can be patient when I need to be.”
“Uh huh,” he murmured as he reached for the salon door.
Inside, the shop smelled of shampoo, conditioner and chemicals Casey was familiar with, having been to beauty shops to get her hair cut and on occasion to have her dark hair highlighted. She�
��d given up the highlights when her budget got tight, but she still visited when her hair needed to be trimmed.
A dark-haired woman, wearing a white shirt, white skirt, white heels and matching apron, swept strands of clipped hair into a dustpan and dumped it into a trash bin before she looked up with a smile. “Can I help you?”
“Are you Mina Perez?” Casey asked.
Her brow furrowed, and she answered with a wary, “Yes.”
“I’m Casey Wesson.” Casey stepped forward, holding out her hand. “I understand you’re big into tracing your ancestry.”
The woman nodded again, her frown deepening. She took Casey’s hand in a brief but firm grip and released it. “I’m Mina. Are you with the DEA, ATF, FBI, CIA or some other government agency?” She set her broom aside and crossed her arms over her chest.
“No, we’re not,” Casey said. Before she could explain why they’d come, Mina advanced on her, pointing a finger at her chest.
“If you’re a reporter or something, you can leave now. I don’t have time to answer questions about the Cartel Tijuana Nueva Generación. Yes, we’re related. No, I’m not involved. No, I don’t kill people and leave their bodies in unmarked graves. You two can leave now.” She waved toward the door. “If you stay, you have to make an appointment to have your hair or nails done. Time is money.”
Casey shot a desperate glance toward Jacob. “We’re not any of those things.”
“If your time is money…here.” Jacob pulled a couple of twenties out of his wallet. “Please, take this. We’re here because a good friend of ours is in trouble. We’re just looking for any information that can help us find him.”
Mina looked at the money Jacob held out and propped her hands on her hips. “I won’t take your money unless I’m working for it.” She jerked her head toward a chair. “One of you sit. If one of my less reputable relatives sees me talking to someone without doing hair, they might drag me back to Mexico and make an example out of me.”
