Chase

by Sidney Bristol

  The gray-haired woman pressed her hand to her mouth, and Nikki cringed.

  “No. I keep asking, and no one knows where my son is.” Mrs. Swiss’s voice trembled.

  Gabriel glanced at Nikki, the smile gone.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Any idea where he might have gone?” Gabriel asked. “We haven’t seen him in a while and wanted to check on him. Worried is all. You know how it is.”

  Mrs. Swiss nodded, as if she knew exactly what Gabriel was talking about.

  The red-haired woman took David’s mother by the shoulders and steered her away from the door.

  “Come in. We can talk out back,” she called over her shoulder.

  Nikki stared after them a moment. They were complete strangers to these women. She would never just invite someone into her house like this. Gabriel didn’t appear to have any qualms about it. He stepped over the threshold and held the door for her.

  The inside of the house was lush with potted plants, cheerful yellow paint, and brown tiled floors. Pictures hung on the wall. Gabriel paused at one of a young man in uniform, staring straight ahead with the American flag behind him. Gabriel glanced pointedly at her before following the two women through the heart of the house, a large eat-in-kitchen, and out through sliding glass doors to the patio where the two appeared to have been drinking coffee.

  Mrs. Swiss sat staring into her cup while the other woman said something to her in hushed tones. The redheaded woman darted glances at Gabriel every few moments, with none of the same friendliness David’s mother had expressed. Gabriel seemed to pick up on the unfriendly vibe and chose a seat across from the two women, while Nikki decided to take the one next to Mrs. Swiss.

  “Have you made a missing persons report?” Nikki asked.

  Both women stared at her and for a moment neither spoke.

  “No, we haven’t,” the redhead replied.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?” Nikki asked.

  “I’m Lucy. I live next door.”

  “I’m Nicole. I work the desk at the VA.” She shook both women’s hands. “It’s how I met Gary and David.” First rule of ferreting out information was to never use her real name. “Can I ask why you haven’t reported him missing? It’s been, gosh, how long, Gary?”

  “Hard to say, I don’t run into him every time I’m up there.” Gabriel scrunched his face up and stared at the awning overhead.

  “He’s been gone for almost a month,” David’s mother said, her voice watery with unshed tears.

  A month. That would be the right time frame for some sort of scouting mission before shifting into gear and blowing up the sheriff station. They could have picked David up by chance or on purpose.

  “This isn’t the first time David’s gone off.” The way Lucy said his name, it was pretty clear the woman wasn’t mourning his absence.

  “No, but he always calls.” Mrs. Swiss reached for a tissue that was just a bit too far out of reach.

  “Where was the last place you saw him?” Nikki grabbed the box of tissues and pulled them closer. She hated crying, but after last night she’d done more than her fair share.

  “Here.” She gestured at the patio. “He said he was going fishing.”

  “What was he wearing?”

  “Jeans. A T-shirt.” David’s mother shrugged.

  “Why are you asking all this stuff?” Lucy directed her frown at Nikki. They needed to wrap this up and get out of there before Lucy got too suspicious.

  “I’ve seen a lot of veterans go missing, and I know what questions the cops will ask. Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. I just want David to be okay. I know his mother meant a lot to him.” Nikki smiled at Mrs. Swiss, hating the roll she had to play. When she could step onto a scene as Special Agent Gage, it was easier, more straightforward, but that didn’t work here. Not with the undercover operation.

  David’s mother reached for Nikki’s hand, squeezed it, and didn’t let go.

  “Did David talk about anyone you hadn’t met? Hang around anyone new?” Nikki held on to Mrs. Swiss’s hand, committing her words to memory. She hoped they could save David, and others like him, before it was too late.

  “No, he hardly hung out with anyone. He was so closed off and depressed after he got out of the hospital.”

  Which would make him an easy target to someone like Wilson. A man with training, skills, and no anchor in life fit their profile. David was as much a victim as the people Wilson might hurt in this crusade.

  “Did he have a specialty in the Army? Any specific interest?” Nikki asked.

  “Why do you want to know that?” Lucy demanded.

  Nikki glanced at Lucy, but kept her attention mostly on Mrs. Swiss. “Because if someone like David just got out of the Army or moved here, they might have hooked up and be hanging out together. If we know what he did, maybe we can track down who he might be with.”

  “He was just a telephone operator. How does someone stationed on phones get shot in the throat?” David’s mother stared at her, tears in her eyes, wanting answers.

  “We don’t want to bother you.” Gabriel leaned forward and offered the women a scrap of paper. “How about I leave my phone number, and if you hear from him, let us know?”

  “That’s a good idea.” Nikki nodded. “If I see him, I can pull your number from his file and give you an update. How’s that sound?” She dredged up a smile and squeezed Mrs. Swiss’s hand in return.

  “That would be lovely.” She smiled and pressed her tissue to her chest.

  They said their good-byes, keeping it as brief and noncommittal as possible.

  Lucy frowned the whole time, even when she saw them to the door. Nikki wasn’t sorry to put the woman behind them.

  “Phone operator?” she asked as they walked to the GTO. They really should be in a less obvious car than the purple wonder.

  “My guess? He was part of a six-man long-range surveillance team, and he was their communications guy. They can get dropped behind enemy lines, spend days or weeks even like that. Dangerous shit.” Gabriel opened the passenger door and held it for her.

  Nikki sank into the GTO, unease churning her stomach. She chewed her lip and studied the picture-perfect house while Gabriel circled the car and got in.

  “That might make him more appealing to Wilson.” She didn’t like admitting that. It was one thing to lump the whole group into the extremists column, but now that she’d met some of David’s family, she had to wonder what they were dealing with.

  “I think you’re right. David would have to be made of some strong shit for a gig like that.” He started the car and pulled it around.

  “To Homestead?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  She didn’t know if she should hope to find something there or not. One way or another, she was going to pay the price.

  Chapter Six

  Gabriel’s gaze strayed to the length of Nikki’s legs. She’d crossed one over the other and now, if he didn’t look too hard, the denim shorts were more like panties with the way they cut across her upper thigh. Because that was the visual he needed in his head.

  “How we playing it this time?” She tapped the damn tablet screen again.

  He wanted to throw it out the window, force her to pay attention to him, but what would that get him? Another carefully worded fuck off?

  “The same.” He leaned over the steering wheel and watched the street traffic in and out of the trailer park.

  They’d chosen to sit back and watch before approaching the second family. A militia would be hard-pressed to hide behind a gated community where everyone was up in their neighbor’s business. Lucy was proof of that. Gabriel doubted anything happened on that block without Lucy knowing about it. While there might be another version of Lucy in the trailer park, there were also a lot of transitory residents. The demographic was low-income, and not like one of the kitschy trailer parks with rows of flamingos and retirees. The trailers here were generally run down and would only last through one
or two more hurricanes before being demolished. Chicken wire held siding together on several of the homes, and tires weighed down patched roofs.

  He knew the types of people they’d find here. Back home, growing up, he’d played and lived in many parks just like this one. Like it or not, these were his roots. And he’d clawed his way up from the rough heritage to something hopefully better. It at least allowed him to ease his mother’s life these days.

  “Does Wilson have a type?” he asked, for lack of anything else to talk about.

  “Mm, young and male is the only one I’m seeing. There are some older members we’ve identified, but they fit either the military or activist angle.”

  “White?”

  “Nope.” Nikki didn’t even bother to look at him, and it rankled. “He’s hit on almost every major ethnic group. The militia is mostly white and Hispanic, if that’s what you mean.”

  “Just a guess.” He leaned on the driver’s side door, resolute to not look at her legs again.

  “Wilson doesn’t appear to have an ethnic motivation. At least not yet. I wouldn’t put it past him to go that way if he thought it might help his case. He’s got too many Latino and black supporters to make it about race.” She dragged her finger across the tablet screen.

  He could remember how that felt on his skin, the slow glide as she teased him. It took some work to bring out her playful side, but it was there. Many times, he’d woken slowly to her drawing on his arms or chest with nothing but her finger.

  Damn. Now he was jealous of a stupid tablet getting more action than he was.

  Gabriel shifted in his seat and focused on one trailer door in particular. A woman stepped out, carrying a disposable baking dish laden with food.

  “What’s their story?” He nodded at a cluster of people between the woman’s trailer and the one next to it. There was a grill going and people hanging out in a redneck pool made from an old fiberglass boat covered with a tarp and filled with water.

  “Hm.” Nikki stroked the glass screen. “Jedidiah Williams, goes by Jed. He was military police. Was in for eight years, and—”

  “Let me guess. Medically discharged?” It was the same story over and over again. Gabriel didn’t like the theme he was seeing.

  “Yeah. Someone lobbed a grenade over the fence. Jed didn’t suffer much external trauma, but his PTSD made him unfit for service.”

  “The VA seems to be our link.” It turned his stomach. He wasn’t looking forward to pointing out this link to Julian or Aiden. Both men had served and seen some serious shit they carried with them to this day.

  “Except Jed wasn’t going to the VA.” Nikki glanced up from the tablet and at him. Her gray eyes were so bright they seemed to shine. It hurt to look at her and not be able to touch her. “From what I can tell, he came home and has been in and out of trouble, with no job, for the last couple of years.”

  “Shit.” Gabriel scrubbed his hand over his head. He needed to focus. To stop thinking about her. Them. Because there wasn’t anything there. Just the job. “Let’s do this.”

  He met Nikki at the front of the car. He barely resisted reaching for her hand. Some part of him had never stopped being hers. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and together they crossed the street, entering the park. A couple of kids kicked a ball in an empty lot. Some twentysomethings had their stereo systems competing with equally obnoxious music in another driveway. The neighborhood was busy, active.

  At first Gabriel had wondered if Wilson’s militia might be hiding out here. In an area like this, no one would think anything of half a dozen men living in a trailer together and keeping to themselves. Chances were, people would assume they were cooking meth or some other nefarious activity and give them a wide berth. He’d seen those types often enough as a teen to know them on sight. But Gabriel wasn’t so certain now. From watching the Williamses’ trailers, he could see a community routine. The area might not be wealthy, but he’d seen almost every other vehicle slow or pause to speak to someone at the Williamses’ get-together. But could someone have seen something?

  The Williams clan occupied several lots. The trailers were connected by shared yards, sheds, and the party central in the middle of it all. Kids played in the water while the men tended the grill and the women went to and fro, seeing to everyone’s needs. It might not be the nicest of digs, but these were people who banded together to help each other and didn’t turn their back on family. So what happened to Jed? How had he fallen through the cracks?

  The trio of wingmen for the grill eyed them as they approached. Or more accurately, Gabriel. If they noticed Nikki, it was only that she was there. No one displayed the easy welcome they’d given others going by.

  “Help you?” one man called out to them. He had a handlebar mustache, the sleeves were cut out of his T-shirt, and he held a can of beer in his hand.

  “Lookin’ for Jed. Is he around?” Gabriel put a twang in his voice, not quite mimicking the speaker’s speech pattern, but enough that they might read him as familiar. Someone who belonged.

  “Nope.” The man shook his head and directed his attention back to the grill.

  So much for getting asked to hang around. There was a distinct go away vibe.

  “Will he be back soon?” Nikki held her hand up to shield her eyes and smiled.

  Gabriel knew he was frowning, but he’d seen her smile at strangers while he got her cold professional front.

  “He owe you something?” Handlebar asked Nikki, ignoring Gabriel’s presence.

  He got the message loud and clear. They weren’t interested in answering anything he wanted to ask them. The problem there was that Nikki wasn’t experienced in the field. Maybe she’d gotten her feet wet after him, but she belonged in an office—safe. Not out here doing the grunt work. That was his contribution.

  “No.” Nikki’s brow wrinkled and she appeared genuinely confused by the question. She glanced at Gabriel, then back to Handlebar. “He said he could help . . .”

  The way her voice fell at the end, it tugged at even Gabriel’s instinct to protect. Damn, where had she pulled that from?

  Handlebar set his beer down by the grill and strode toward them. He glanced at Gabriel, but there wasn’t anything friendly about it. When he looked at Nikki, there was concern. Interesting. Just what had Jed gotten himself into before he’d disappeared? Gabriel wondered if he dug into the trouble Jed had been in, would he find a history of white knight syndrome? Not all damsels wanted to be rescued.

  “He do something?” Handlebar asked Nikki.

  “No, it’s not that. I just . . . Jed was very nice when I met him and said if I ever needed help to give him a call, but I haven’t been able to get ahold of him.”

  Handlebar sighed. “Jed does this sometimes. Sorry. It’s best not to count on him.” The man spoke like one often let down. “Chances are he went camping and will be back in a couple of weeks.”

  “Weeks?” Nikki’s jaw dropped. Damn. She was a much better actress than Gabriel had given her credit for. That, or she’d had a lot more field experience than he realized since they worked together.

  “Yeah, that’s Jed. If I thought it would do him any good, I’d go haul his ass back myself, but it’s best to leave him to it. Anything I can help you with?” Handlebar scuffed his boot in the dirt and offered Nikki a smile that had probably endeared him to many a woman.

  Nikki glanced at Gabriel. “No, I don’t think so. Thank you, though.”

  “Come on.” Gabriel placed his hand on Nikki’s back and Handlebar glared at him, as if it were he Nikki needed help with. As if.

  He and Nikki might not be together, but if she ever needed help, he hoped she would call him. He’d move mountains if that was what it took.

  “Thanks,” she said over her shoulder as she turned with him.

  Gabriel ran his fingers over the ribbed fabric hugging her waist, then dropped his hand. He could appreciate the ways she’d filled out without touching her. In fact, not knowing how she
felt would probably go a long way in helping keep his sanity in check. Back when they’d been together he’d fussed at her for missing meals, eating a piece of fruit when she didn’t have time to go out for anything else. She’d been so thin a hard breeze might have knocked her over.

  Okay, so he was exaggerating. Even pushing paper, she’d had to measure up to tough FBI standards, and Nikki wasn’t one to just scrape by.

  He didn’t know if it was maturity, a better schedule, or having someone in her life who prepared her lunches and took care of her, but she was even more attractive to him now. Granted, he’d always been an ass man, and hers was fantastic. Especially in those shorts.

  They strode back the way they’d come, Gabriel conscious of the eyes on their six.

  “Jed must have a history of rescuing women,” Nikki said under her breath.

  “That’s what I’m thinking. You see the way he bowed up when I was trying to talk to him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good move with the asking for help line.”

  She glanced up at him and for a moment he thought he saw surprise there.

  “Thanks.” She looked up and down the street as they jaywalked back to the GTO.

  Gabriel refocused his thoughts on the case, and not Nikki’s bubble butt. Their connection between the missing men might not be the VA, but there was a pattern developing he was willing to bet they’d hear at the half dozen different families across the greater Miami area.

  “Wilson recruits these guys and cuts them off from their families. Sounds a bit like a cult,” he said.

  “Lots of groups use separation tactics. Wilson isn’t about religion. It’s a one-man show with him calling the shots. Cults operate in a different way.” The act was gone and the all-business agent was back.

  Gabriel unlocked the passenger door and held it for Nikki. He mulled her words over as he circled the car and got in.

  Nikki turned toward him the moment he closed the door. “We should see if any of Jed’s family own land out in the country. Something rural where he could go camping.”

  “I’ll text Emery.” He grabbed his phone and tapped out a quick info request. He was willing to bet they’d have an answer in minutes. “When did you get so good in the field?”