Thor took the picture and examined it closely. “Well, I’ll be damned. She’s right,” he said as he handed the photo to Cade.
Cade took it. “You know what this means? We’ve been looking for someone with a membership at both clubs but this may mean the photographer only has a membership at Club Mystique.”
“We need to get in touch with Clint McCabe and compare his membership list to the members at Club Mystique,” Thor mumbled as he looked through the other pictures in the file. Addison leaned toward him, looking at the photos, then reached out and stopped him when she saw another photo.
“This one looks like it was taken from the bar at Club Mystique,” she said. In the photo she was sitting alone, her chin propped up on her palm while she looked toward the bar.
Cade took the picture. “Who were you looking at, Addison?”
“Vincent Vitale,” she said.
“I knew there was something about that fucker I didn’t like.” Frowning he looked at the picture again. “We need to go to Dallas, Thor.”
“We’ll leave in the morning as soon as Stewart gets here. We’ll hunt Vitale down and beat the truth out of him if that’s what it takes.”
“I don’t think it’s him. He’s had plenty of opportunities to hurt me if that’s what he wanted to do.”
“Did you ever meet him alone? Or, go out with him alone?” Cade asked her.
“Well, no. We were always around other people.”
“Then it could be him, baby.”
Addison nodded. She just couldn’t believe Vincent was the kind of person who would be involved with people like Carlos Mendez. “I think something else is going on with him. Sometimes he seemed to be sort of uptight and worried about someone or something.”
“We’ll know more after we talk to him,” Thor told her.
“Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next,” Addison told him.
“Jonas Salk,” Thor told her, chuckling.
Cade groaned. Now he had two of them on his hands.
Thor settled back in his chair. “Cade, now that you and Addison are together, if you’re thinking about getting out of fieldwork, I have an offer for you. I want to expand the agency but I can’t handle it on my own. I’m looking for a full partner. A fifty-fifty split.”
Cade glanced at Addison. She smiled then shrugged, but her eyes were hopeful. “I’m in as long as we open a second office here on the ranch.”
“Agreed,” Thor said. “We’ll get together with our lawyers and work out the specifics as soon as Mendez is taken out.”
Cade nodded. “So, we go to Dallas in the morning and find Vitale?”
“Yes.” Thor rose and walked to the door. “I think I’ll go over to the club for the evening. Find some sweet sub to play with for a while.”
* * * *
The next morning, Addison kissed Cade good-bye then watched as he and Thor drove away from the ranch. Mac and the newly arrived Hank Stewart stood on either side of her, waiting for her to return to the house. Sighing, she turned and entered the house. “You know, I could just go work with Remington for a while. You could stand guard.”
“No,” Mac said. “You know the rules, Addison. You stay in the house, under guard, until Cade returns, which if all goes well will be sometime this afternoon.”
She sighed then perked up. “Who’s up for a game of poker?”
Mac gave a pretend groan. “I already owe you half-a-million dollars and you’re going to be the godmother to my firstborn child,” he teased her. “What’s left?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking I sure would like to fire your sniper rifle.”
“No. No way. Nobody touches Pretty Patty but me,” he said, shaking his head.
Addison giggled. “You named your rifle?”
“Of course! She’s a sweetheart and has never let me down. I stroke her sweet curves and she goes off every time,” he said, his face totally serious.
Addison broke into gales of laughter, tears running down her face. “OMG, Mac! We’ve got to find you a real live woman before it’s too late.”
“No matchmaking. I’ve heard about your meddling.” He frowned warningly at her as they went into the library. “I’ll deal.” He looked at Hank. “Grab a chair but be warned. Cade taught Addison to play poker and she’s damn good. Don’t fall for her innocent, helpless act.”
“Well, really, Mac. Don’t be telling all my secrets,” she said, her brogue heavy. “By the way, it was my father who taught me to play poker.” Addison thought about the only time her father Cooper Matthews had spent any significant time with her as she pulled up a chair. The summer after her graduation from high school Cooper had shown up out of the blue. He had stayed for three months. Every day they had played poker. During their games he had also taught her how to protect herself from what he called people like me, darling.
Two hours later Addison was winning and Hank owed her his beloved Corvette. “I’m going to get us something to drink,” she said as she rose and left the room.
A couple minutes later she walked back into the library carrying a tray with a pitcher of sweet tea and three glasses of ice on it. The doors of the library slammed closed behind her. Startled, she screamed and spun around, dropping the tray. Before she could scream again, Hank yanked her against him and put his hand over her mouth, his gun poked into her side.
“Don’t make a sound, Addison. Mendez doesn’t care if I deliver you to him dead or alive. Do you understand?”
She nodded and he uncovered her mouth. “Why are you doing this? Where’s Mac?”
“I knocked him out. I’m afraid I hit him pretty hard. He may be dying.”
“Cade is going to find you and kill you.”
“He’ll have to catch me first. We’re going to my car. If you try anything I’ll shoot you then I’ll come back into the house and finish off Mac. Then I’ll go after Jackson. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
He moved her to his side, pressing the gun into her. “Open the door then close it behind us.”
She did as he told her stepping through the mess on the floor then closing the library door before walking out of the house to his car. She hoped one of the ranch hands would see them, but glancing around she didn’t see anyone. Hank pushed her into the car then she saw him raise his gun and swing it at her head.
When she woke her head was pounding and she couldn’t tell how much time had gone by but, from the feel of the seat and the armrest her hand was tied to, she was on a plane. She heard voices near her and recognized Hank’s voice but not the raspy voice with the foreign accent. Hank was pleading with the other man.
“Senorita Matthews, I can see you are awake.”
Giving it up, Addison opened her eyes and glanced around. The jet was completely over the top and as vulgar as the man in front of her. He had probably been attractive at one time, but now he appeared overindulged with a pot belly and thinning hair. His face glistened with sweat and he continuously wiped it with a hankie. His evil lifestyle showed in the cruelty of his eyes as he looked at her, making her feel unclean. Next to him Hank stood between two rough-looking men who held guns on him.
“I’m afraid Senior Stewart has put too much faith in me,” Mendez said. “You see, Senorita, I took his sister a few months ago. I promised to return her to him if he helped me destroy Ramsey.” He tut-tutted. “So very foolish. You see, the poor thing didn’t survive my men’s initiation.” He and his men broke into evil chuckles as Hank yelled, jerking away from the guards and rushing toward Mendez. A shot rang out and Hank fell to the floor, bleeding from a wound in his belly.
Addison screamed and fought her restraints. Mendez slapped her and tears of pain filled her eyes. The taste of blood filled her mouth where her teeth had cut into her cheek. “Cade is going to find you and he’s going to kill you.” She spit the blood on the floor by his feet and he slapped her again.
“Time to go! Senorita Matthews has an appointment with the auctioneer.” H
e examined her. “You will bring much money. Red hair, blue eyes, and light creamy flesh. So very rare. So very valuable.” He looked at his men as he nudged Hank with the toe of his shoe. “Dump his body outside and get this mess cleaned up.”
* * * *
An hour later Hank turned his car onto the driveway to the ranch house. He let it roll to a stop against the curb surrounding the circular driveway. Cade and Thor rushed out of the house and Cade jerked the driver’s side door open.
“Where is she you son of a bitch?” he yelled as he grabbed Stewart and jerked him back away from the steering wheel he had been slumped over.
He grabbed Cade’s shirt with a bloody hand. “He took…my sister…she’s dead…flying…Addison…Rendezvous…” He choked on the blood coating his lips. “Marina…Houston…auction…sorry, forg—” He choked again.
Cade tightened his hand, knowing from the amount of blood on and around Hank he was dying. “I’ll make sure Mendez dies. I promise you.”
Hank nodded, his mission complete as he took his last breath. Cade let go of his hand and stood. Thor shook his head. “He should have come to us. We would have helped him.”
“Would you take that chance if Mendez had taken Cassie?”
Thor thought about the girl he had raised after her father, his best friend, had died on a mission. He shook his head. “No.”
“Let’s go. We have to get to Houston. Mendez has at least a two-hour lead on us. We have to find out which airport he flew into and the closest marinas to it, and which yacht he’s on.”
Thor had his phone out and he was calling Mrs. Harley. Cade heard him telling her to contact the marinas in the Houston area and the harbormasters. “If Harley can’t find him nobody can,” Thor said. “She doesn’t look like it but Harley was one of the best information analysts the CIA ever had.”
“I always wondered how you met her,” Cade told him, then let the subject drop when Thor sent him an I’m-not-talking look. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed the Rendezvous airport. When they answered he asked about any flight plans that had been filed to the Houston area. It was a long shot, but in his experience anyone could and would slip up when you least expected it. When the manager came back on the line and told him a private jet had filed a flight plan for an airport outside of Houston, Cade thanked him and hung up. “A private landing strip attached to a private community with a marina. Folly’s Landing.”
Thor called Harley back and gave her the information. Cade called the airstrip at the club and told the pilot to fuel the jet for a flight to Houston. Twenty minutes later, Cade, Thor, Mac, and Jackson were on their way to Houston.
“Rodriquez and Harris are meeting us in Houston,” Thor said. “They’re bringing the things we’ll need to board the yacht and get Addison back.”
* * * *
Six hours later they had located the yacht. From his location on the roof of a nearby building, Mac could see into the main salon of the yacht through a crack in the drapes. “I can’t see the entire room, but so far I’ve seen about ten men walk by the window. All of them were carrying drinks. It looks like they’re waiting for something to begin. I can see two armed guards at the door inside the salon and two more on the stern.”
Rodriguez spoke next. “I’m in place. Two more guards on the bow, both heavily armed. I have a clear shot into the room.” He had the flash-bang grenades and the gas grenade launcher.
Mac came back on. “Looks like it’s beginning. The door just opened and four women just entered. They appear to be drugged. Fuckers are having an auction. The youngest female is young, maybe sixteen or so.” His voice was full of contempt for the men in the room.
“Is Addison with them?” Cade asked, dreading the answer if she wasn’t present.
Mac’s sigh came over the line. “No. Not in this bunch. Maybe there are more below.”
Cade’s gut clenched at the news. He had to find her. The longer she was missing the more he felt she was lost to him. He didn’t know what he would do without her now, and the thought of what may be happening to her made him want to howl with pain and destroy every man on that yacht.
“Don’t lose it now, Ramsey,” Thor’s voice came over the connection. “We’ll find her.” He paused. “Harris, Jackson, can you get to the two guys in the bow?”
“Affirmative,” Harris’ voice came back.
“On my mark,” Thor told them. “Cade, we’re taking out the two guys on the stern.”
A few seconds later Thor gave the signal and they moved in. A few seconds after that, four bodies were on the deck, hidden in the shadows. The four men met on the stern by the entrance that led to the salon.
Cade had grabbed the guards’ radio and was listening to their chatter. He told Thor the auction was beginning then he led the way down the short flight of stairs. Using a small camera, he took a look around the corner. The hall was clear. Mendez’ arrogance was going to get him and his associates killed, he thought with a pleased grin. He signaled the others and they separated to search the ship while Thor covered the salon door. A few minutes later they gathered again.
“I found several workers in the galley. I locked them in the pantry,” Cade said.
Thor thumped his shoulder. “We’ll find her. We won’t stop until we do.”
Cade nodded then heard Thor order Rodriquez to launch the flash-bang grenade. A moment later they heard a crash of glass and a loud bang then screaming from the women in the room. They rushed the door, their guns firing, and the two guards in the room went down. Three of the men in the room who had pulled out their weapons were dead on the floor. Mendez held up his hands, a smirk on his face.
Cade walked over to him and grabbed him, hauling him off his feet. “Where is she?”
“Gone, Senor, you’ll never find her. But do not worry. She will suffer much but not long.” He laughed and Cade swung his fist into his face, smashing his nose with a satisfying crunch.
“You fucker.” Cade growled. “You’re not walking away from this.”
“My lawyer will have me out of jail by midnight, Senor.”
“What makes you think I’m going to let you or any of these bastards contact your attorneys?” Cade asked him and felt Mendez’ quiver of fear and heard the protests of the other men in the room.
“This is America. I have rights,” Mendez said.
“Wrong, fucker, you have no rights. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re moving. We’ll be out of American waters in a few minutes. I’m going to feed you and your friends to the sharks, one bite at a time.” Cade looked at the other men in the room. “The first one who tells me where this woman is gets his freedom.” He held out a photo of Addison. When none of them spoke, he felt another wave of fear go through him. By now she could be anywhere in the world.
One of the women cowering in the corner stood up. “I know where he sent her.”
“Shut up, puta,” Mendez told her and Cade hit him again, knocking him off his feet.
“Where?” Cade asked.
“A man came to the yacht. I heard him say he was taking her to that bastard’s house in Cartagena.”
Cade nodded his head. Thor ordered Harris to head back to the marina then pulled out his phone and called the local law enforcement agencies and began explaining the situation to them.
Mendez moved to a side table, eased open the drawer, and grabbed the gun he kept there. Before he could pull the trigger, Cade shot him, the bullet striking him in the chest. The ladies in the room screamed as they huddled together. Jackson, Rodriquez, and Mac searched the other men in the room then secured them with zip ties.
“I’ve already got the jet on standby,” Thor said. “Rodriguez and Harris are going to hand these scumbags over to the police. You and Jackson are flying with me to Columbia.”
Cade nodded. Jackson walked up and stood next to him. “We’ll find her, big brother. No matter how long it takes.”
He nodded. “I’ve got to find her. I can’t live without her. Not now.”
* * * *
Three weeks later they returned to Texas without Addison. Cade had destroyed Mendez’ estate looking for her. He and Thor had contacted everyone they knew. He had even tried to call Juan Rios to see if he might know anything about this part of Mendez’ business but the number had been disconnected. Now he sat in Thor’s office, determined to return to Colombia and continue to search for her.
Thor’s worried gaze landed on Cade, seeing the hell of the last three weeks etched on his face. “We’ll get a new team together and go back to search for her.”
Cade nodded but in his heart he was finding it harder and harder to hope he would find her. Late at night, when he was alone, thoughts of what may be happening to her haunted him. He would never stop looking for her until he knew what had happened to her. He looked away, hiding the tears glazing his eyes. Some tough Dom he was, he thought.
Thor’s phone rang and he answered it, listened for a moment then handed it to Cade.
Cade gave him a questioning look and saw him shrug before he lifted the phone to his ear.
“Senor Ramsey, this is Juan Rios. I am sending you a package, Senor. My debt to you is paid in full.” Then the line went dead.
“What did Rios want?” Thor asked him.
“He said he’s sending me a package.” Cade shrugged. “I’m going home to get some rest then I’m leaving for Columbia tonight.”
“Wait and let me put a team together for you.”
“No. This time I go alone. I don’t know when, or if, I’ll ever be back.”
Thor could see that Cade had made up his mind. “Anything you need, you call. Anything. Money, weapons, backup. Anything.”
“I’ll do that.”
As Cade stepped out of the office with Thor behind him, Mrs. Harley hung up her phone. “Reception just called. They said there’s a Ms. Rios and her friend here to see you.”
To Love and Obey [The Doms of Club Mystique] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 24
