Bullseye_SEAL

by Carol Ericson

  “Where?”

  Gina pointed to her mother, swathed in a hot-pink ensemble, her red hair permed and coiffed, and waved. “God, she probably wants all the details of our trip.”

  “Maybe she just wanted to bring RJ to meet you.”

  Gina scanned the area around her mother and her chest tightened. “Except RJ’s not with her.”

  “Playdate?”

  “You’re right.” Gina huffed out a breath. “I think that was scheduled for today, even though it’s a little late for that now.”

  The escalator deposited them onto the linoleum floor, and Gina’s mom rushed toward her, hands outstretched. “Gina, Gina.”

  Gina’s heart dropped, and the blood rushed to her head. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  Her mother looked over her shoulder. “Not here.”

  “Where’s RJ?”

  Mom practically dragged her toward some plastic chairs lined up against the wall across from the baggage service windows.

  “Mom, you’re scaring me. Just tell me RJ’s okay and we can get to the rest.”

  “That’s just it, Gina. RJ’s not okay.”

  Gina sank to a chair and would’ve missed it if Josh hadn’t guided her into it.

  “I-is he hurt? Mom?” She felt like screaming as a cold dread crept through her body.

  “No, or at least I don’t think so.”

  “Just tell me what happened.”

  “Oh, Gina, they took him. He’s gone.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Gina doubled over and the beige floor rushed toward her face. Once again, Josh caught her by wrapping his arm around her and pulling her against his side.

  “What happened, Joanna?” He reached out and pulled her mom into the chair next to him. “Start from the beginning.”

  “I’m so sorry, Gina. I—I don’t know what I could’ve done differently. You said it was okay.”

  Gina parted her dry lips but no sound came out.

  Josh’s low voice sounded very faraway. “What was okay? Try to focus, Joanna, and tell us what happened.”

  “It was the playdate. It was just a playdate, Gina. You told me it was all right, didn’t you? To arrange a playdate with that boy, Diego? He’d been to our house before.”

  “Is that where he is, Joanna? With Diego’s parents?”

  “I called the mother, Rita, very nice lady. I even dropped RJ off at their house. Diego was right there to meet him.”

  “Do you have the address of the house?”

  “Of course, I do, but it won’t do you any good. There’s nobody at that house now.”

  Gina took a few short breaths. “Did they contact you, Mom? Or did you just go back to the house to pick him up?”

  Her mother licked her frosted lips. “They contacted me before the playdate was even supposed to be over. They told me... I don’t know. Craziness. They wanted me to meet you at the airport and break the news right away, but they told me not to call the police or...”

  A sob bubbled up in Gina’s throat. “Or they’d kill him?”

  “They’re not going to do that.” Josh squeezed the back of Gina’s neck. “If they did that, they wouldn’t get what they wanted.”

  “Money?” Mom grabbed Josh’s wrist. “I have that. I have plenty of that. They can have it all. Jewelry, too.”

  “They don’t want money, Mom.” Gina pinned Josh with her gaze. “They want something Dad left behind.”

  “That bastard. He just won’t go away, will he?” Mom caught a tear on the end of her manicured nail before it ran a course through her makeup. “I’m sorry, sweetie. What can I do?”

  “You’re going to give us all the information you can about this couple or this woman and the house.” Josh pushed to his feet and offered his hands to both Gina and her mom. “You didn’t call the police, did you, Joanna?”

  “You think I’m stupid?” She brushed his hand aside and stood up, tottering on her five-inch heels. “Let’s go get RJ back.”

  They piled into Mom’s car, but she couldn’t drive and talk at the same time because she kept getting too excited and veering into other lanes.

  Josh, his skin a few shades paler than when they’d stepped off the plane, grabbed the steering wheel at one point. “Joanna, pull over. I’ll drive. You talk. Gina, are you doing okay back there?”

  “Just great. My son is missing and it’s my fault.” Her stomach lurched and she felt like she was going to be sick.

  Mom pulled over, and she and Josh switched places.

  At the wheel and in control, Josh started the interrogation. “What’s the address of the house where you dropped off RJ? We’re going there right now.”

  “Sh-shouldn’t we take my mother home first?”

  “No way. She’s our guide. She can tell us everything that went down. It might lead to something.”

  Joanna twisted in her seat. “I want to go back, Gina, and I don’t know why you’re blaming yourself. How could you possibly know that woman was with Los Santos? She had such nice shoes.”

  Gina rocked back and forth. “You don’t understand.”

  Josh interrupted them, “Joanna, the address.”

  Mom swiped a finger across her phone and read out an address.

  After Josh had Gina put the address in her phone’s GPS, which momentarily stopped her thoughts from sinking into the dark corners of her mind, he continued with Joanna, “What did Diego’s mom look like?”

  Gina nodded as her mother described the tall Latina with a short, dark chestnut bob.

  “That’s the same woman I met at Sunny Days.”

  “You tried her phone number again, Joanna?”

  “Out of service.”

  “Was there anyone at the house besides Rita and Diego?”

  “A maid.” Joanna described this woman, but Gina had never seen her before at the daycare.

  “Only Rita ever picked up Diego. How did Diego seem? Scared? Weird in any way?”

  “How would I know? That’s the first time I ever saw the kid since I wasn’t home when he came over. Seemed like a normal kid to me, happy to see RJ. I wasn’t there long enough to observe his interactions with the two women, but he did seem to hover around the so-called maid more, so maybe that’s his real mother. That Rita didn’t seem like much of a mother to me.”

  “You just said she was nice, Mom.”

  “That was before the bitch took my grandson.”

  “Josh, Diego started just a few days after RJ at that daycare. They must’ve been planning something like this as a backup.”

  “A backup to what?” Mom drummed her long fingernails on the dashboard. “What’s going on here, and who are you, Josh?”

  “I’m... Let’s just say I’m working for the government. I’m trying to help Gina.”

  “Haven’t done a very good job of that so far, have you? But then if you’re with some government agency, that doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Mom.” Gina rolled her eyes at Josh in the rearview mirror. “Josh has done more than enough to help me. You have no idea. And now he’s going to help us get RJ back. Isn’t that right, Josh?”

  “We’ll find him, and whoever took him is going to pay.”

  Gina pressed her forehead against the window. It had remained unspoken between them, but there was no way right now that they could turn over her father’s map and plans to the tunnel to Josh’s superiors. How RJ’s kidnappers would even know whether or not they found the information and turned it over, she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t willing to take any chances with RJ’s life. She hoped Josh wouldn’t either.

  Following the GPS directions, Josh pulled to a stop in front of a white Mediterranean with a manicured lawn and landscaped gardens.

  “Looks like Rita an
d her pals spared no expense.” Gina tapped on the window.

  Josh cut the engine. “Did they come out to greet you?”

  “Yes. Rita came out first, and then the maid holding the little boy’s hand. He broke right away from her when he saw RJ. I said goodbye to him, and then the maid ushered them into the house.” Joanna sniffed.

  “Mom, what made you think this other woman was the maid? Was she wearing some kind of uniform?”

  “No. I don’t know why I thought that. She didn’t look anything like Rita and we weren’t introduced, so I didn’t think she was a relative and she was too young to be Diego’s grandmother.”

  “Let’s see if we can get inside the house.” Josh opened his car door.

  Gina shot out of the back seat and ran to the front door. She banged on the double doors and laid on the doorbell.

  Joanna put one foot on the bottom step, tapping the toe of her sandal. “Do you think I didn’t try that?”

  Josh cupped a hand over his eyes and tried to peer through the frosted glass next to the door. “Did you ever get inside the house, Joanna?”

  “No.” She twisted the rings on her fingers. “I suppose I should’ve. I should’ve demanded to see where they were going to play and who was going to be there.”

  “That’s just hindsight, Mom.” Gina sat heavily on the top step. “I don’t think I would’ve done that at a playdate where I’d already seen the mom and some nanny or housekeeper with the kids. Don’t blame yourself.”

  “That’s the first time you’ve ever told me not to take the blame for everything that went wrong in your life. You even blamed me for liking Ricky Rojas. I’m not the one who married that pretty boy.”

  “No, you just married a drug dealer.”

  “So did you.”

  “Ladies.” Josh held up his hands as if he were refereeing a prizefight. “We don’t have time to open old wounds right now. I’m going around to the back of the house. You can join me or sit here and argue on the front porch.”

  Joanna jabbed her finger at Josh’s back. “Listen to this one. He’s no pretty boy.”

  Gina rose to her feet with a flounce, mad at herself for taking her mother’s bait and appearing immature in front of Josh.

  He was right. They had no time for this. RJ was gone and she knew exactly what would be asked of them to get him back. She was more than willing to hand over the plans, the map and even the diamonds if Robbie didn’t have them.

  But was Josh?

  She knew the people pulling Josh’s strings didn’t give a hoot about RJ or her...but Josh did.

  As she followed Josh along the side of the big house, she paused each time he checked the windows or studied the moist ground.

  He opened an unlocked gate to the backyard and held it open for her and her mother, who’d slipped out of her high-heeled sandals.

  Gina shivered when she caught sight of the shimmering pool, no safety gate surrounding it. Even if this playdate hadn’t been totally fake, this would not have been a good environment for RJ. She’d been so vigilant about RJ ever since his birth, it had felt so normal and natural to slack off a bit and give the kid some breathing room—but she’d been too negligent.

  “Here we go.” Josh had crouched down in front of the sliding doors to the patio.

  Gina hovered over him, his fingers tracing a neat square of cut-out glass. “They broke into this house? Isn’t that taking a huge risk?”

  “They probably knew it was vacant.” He reached his arm inside the space and flicked the inside lock on the door. He slid it open and gestured to Gina to stay back.

  He crept into the house while she and Mom waited outside.

  Her mother put her hands on her hips. “Are you gonna tell me who he is now?”

  “He told you.”

  “Is he DEA? Are you working with them now?” Her mother narrowed her eyes. “Where did the two of you go? I know it wasn’t some romantic getaway in the Bahamas.”

  Gina’s cheeks prickled with heat when she recalled making love with Josh on the balcony. It had been the most romantic and passionate thing she’d done in years... And while she’d been throwing all caution to the wind, someone was planning RJ’s kidnapping.

  “I can’t tell you anything, Mom.”

  Josh poked his head outside. “It’s all clear, but it doesn’t look like they left anything behind.”

  Gina followed him inside with her mother trailing after her. Her gaze darted around the sparsely furnished room. Even if Mom had come inside, she might not have noticed anything amiss.

  “It looks like show furniture. When Realtors are selling a house that’s vacant, they furnish it just for show.”

  “I should’ve demanded they let me in.” Joanna dropped her shoes to the tile floor and kicked one. “I would’ve smelled a rat.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.” Josh stepped into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, the empty shelves glaring back at them. “Did you notice a car out front?”

  “Black Mercedes, but don’t ask me the model or license number.”

  “Gina, did you ever see the car at daycare?”

  “Never noticed.”

  Mom flapped her arms, looking like a giant, exotic bird. “Are you going to call...whoever?”

  Gina’s eyes darted toward Josh, her tongue sweeping her lower lip. Josh hadn’t had a chance to tell anyone about the tunnel plans yet. If he did so now, it would be game over...for RJ and for her.

  “We’re going to wait.” Josh leaned against the fridge. “RJ’s abductors want something from us in exchange for RJ, and we’re going to give it to them—on our terms.”

  Gina folded her arms across her queasy stomach. She didn’t like the sound of that. Terrorists had RJ in their clutches. As far as she was concerned, they could dictate any terms they wanted and she’d follow through with every one of them.

  “D-do you think they’ll call?”

  “They have your phone number. They’ve made that clear already. They’ll be in touch.”

  Joanna stamped one bare foot. “Who is they? Are you talking about Los Santos? Did Hector leave you something they want?”

  “Something like that, Mom, but it’s best you don’t know anything. Can you stay with your boyfriend for a while until we get this sorted out?”

  “You’re kicking me out of my own home?”

  “Since when did I have to twist your arm to spend time with Tom?”

  As they walked back to the car, Joanna grabbed Gina’s arm. “Tell me you don’t blame me for this.”

  Gina squeezed her mom’s hand. “Not at all.”

  She knew where the blame lay, squarely on her own shoulders.

  * * *

  JOSH LET OUT a breath when he loaded the last of Joanna’s many suitcases into the trunk of her car, and Joanna pulled away with a wiggle of her manicured fingers.

  Massaging his temples, he walked Gina back into the pastel-colored building.

  “I’m sorry you had to witness all that between us.” Gina stabbed the elevator call button until it arrived and they got in. “We get at each other’s throats sometimes.”

  “It’s totally understandable. You’re both under a tremendous amount of stress.”

  “That’s a nice way to put it.” She rested her forehead against the mirror inside the elevator. “I should’ve known they’d come after RJ. I should’ve never left him.”

  “They had other opportunities to get him, and never made an attempt. They decided to make a move once they figured you’d gotten your hands on the information they wanted. How were you supposed to know that?”

  When the elevator doors opened, Gina walked silently to the door of her mother’s place and then turned to him, grabbing handfuls of his shirt. “We’re going to give it to them, aren’t we, Josh?
”

  “I’m going to get RJ back for you. Count on it. They told your mother to meet us at the airport and break the news to you immediately, didn’t they?”

  “Yeah, that’s what she said.” She unlocked the door, and they entered the empty condo.

  “They wanted to make sure we knew they had RJ before we turned over the information to the CIA. They don’t want to hurt him. They wanted to give you that chance.”

  “What if they’ve already hurt him?” She swept up one of RJ’s trucks from the floor and collapsed onto the sofa, hugging it to her chest.

  “Of course, they’re going to have to show some proof that he’s okay before we even deal with them.” He leaned over the back of the sofa and massaged her shoulders.

  “When is that going to be? What are they waiting for?”

  “The right time. I know it’s hard, but try to be patient.”

  She spun one of the wheels of the truck. “You’re not just going to hand over the plans, are you? They’re too important. They’re what you came for, why the government sent you here in the first place.”

  “I’ll work something out. RJ’s safety is the most important thing right now.”

  “It’s the only thing to me.”

  “I know that.” He twisted his head around. “Where’s your phone? Keep an eye on it since you could be contacted at any time.”

  She patted the pocket of the sweater she’d hugged around her body since they’d returned, like she was trying to warm up. “Right here. Believe me, I’m not going anywhere without it.”

  “I suppose it won’t do much good for you to get information about Diego’s family from the daycare. It’ll all be lies anyway, and we don’t want to alert his kidnappers that we’re probing.”

  “Josh.” She placed the truck on the floor and wandered to the window, twisting her fingers in front of her. “How would the terrorists know that we gave the info to the CIA? They don’t even know what they’re looking for. They don’t know the weapons are in a tunnel. They don’t even know about the tunnel. What if we just turned over the plans to your superiors and pretended to give Los Santos’s and Vlad’s people vital information that was actually worthless?”