Nautier and Wilder (25 page)

And now, so was Elena.

Mitzie turned her attention on Jed, scoping him out like one would ripe tomatoes in
the produce aisle. “So, Jed Templeton, tell me all about yourself. I need to decide
if you’re good enough for my friend Carla’s daughter.”

Elena looked at Jed, who cast a gorgeous smile at Mitzie, then made up a rather dazzling
bunch of lies about who he was.

Of course, he was really good at it, but this time she couldn’t fault him.

They finished their tea, visited with Mitzie for a while longer then left, with the
promise to her that if they heard from Carla, they’d be sure to have her get in touch
with Mitzie.

“Your mother has secrets,” Jed said.

“Yes, she does. I’d like to know what the hell was going on with her and what she
was planning to do to change her life.”

Jed pulled onto the highway. “First, we have to find her. And no one seems to have
seen her since she’s been missing. It appears you’re the last one to have had contact
with her.”

She wrinkled her nose. “That’s not good.”

The third person they went to see had a story much like the first two. Amanda was
a hippie like her mother. She created glass art and Elena bought some of Amanda’s
work for her shop. Elena saw Amanda rather regularly, so she had nothing much to offer,
and she was kind of an airhead.

“Oh, wow, you know, I haven’t seen your mom for a while. I can’t remember when. I
think it was the art fair in November. She helped me with my booth.”

Amanda, though in her fifties and her hair entirely gray, still wore pigtails, Birkenstocks
and skirts that dusted the floor of her one-bedroom apartment. Her three cats wound
around her ankles. And her voice was so soft Elena had to strain to hear her. Jed
stood stoically in Amanda’s colorful kitchen and let Elena ask all the questions.

“Are you sure it was all the way back in November? You haven’t seen her since?” Elena
had seen Amanda at least fifteen times since then. She would think Amanda might have
mentioned not seeing her mother since then.

Amanda looked up at the ceiling as if she were hard in thought. “Uh, I don’t know.
We did a Christmas show, too. She might have been there, but that could have been
Veronica with me. I can’t recall.”

How the woman was able to maintain a successful business, Elena didn’t know. After
spending a half hour grilling her, Elena knew they’d get nowhere with her. She thanked
Amanda and they were off.

“What a ditz,” Jed said as they left.

“She is, but she’s also a brilliant artist.”

“If you say so. Her stuff looked like flea market junk.”

Elena laughed. “Clearly you don’t have a discerning eye for art. There’s a big difference
in what she makes and your average crap.”

“Well, you know what they say. I might not know art, but I know what I like.”

They rendezvoused with Grange and Pete back at the restaurant.

“Anything?” Grange asked as they climbed back into the car.

“No solid leads on Carla’s whereabouts. Her friends haven’t seen her.”

“Do you think they were telling the truth?”

Elena noticed he asked the question of Jed, not her.

“Yes. They all know Elena, and seemed to have no reason to lie to her.”

“Hell. We’re back to square one.”

Elena folded her hands together on her lap and stared down at them.

Grange leaned forward in the seat and rubbed her shoulder. “We’ll find her. I promise.”

She nodded, but the more time that went by, the more she realized how she’d allowed
her mother to slip away. She’d gotten so wrapped up in her life, in distancing herself
from her mom, that she had no idea what her mother had been doing with her life. Her
mom had all these secret plans about changing her life that she knew nothing about,
because while her mother had been passing in and out of her life, Elena hadn’t taken
any time to sit down with her and just ask her what was going on. She couldn’t recall
when they’d last had lunch or dinner, or taken a few hours to sit down and talk with
each other.

That was her fault. She liked her mother to check in now and then so she could be
sure she was okay. Other than that, she really wanted nothing to do with her.

Had she subconsciously tried to push her mother out of her life?

Maybe that was why her mom was making all those changes . . . all those plans. She
had no idea. And now she might never have the chance to ask her what those plans were.
Even worse, her mom might not have the chance to act on them.

Grange’s phone rang. He picked it up.

“Okay, when? Where? Two locations? That’s not possible. Give me the intel on both.”

Elena turned in her seat to see Grange jotting down notes.

“Got it. Thanks.”

He hung up and instructed Jed to find a spot to pull over. He was on the beach highway,
so he pulled over at a lookout point.

“Carla’s credit card is showing usage.”

Elena’s heart rate sped up. “That’s good, right? It’s a lead.”

“Could be. Problem is, it showed simultaneous usage at two different points of origin.”

“You mean the card was used at two different places at the same time?” Elena asked.

Grange nodded.

“Were they online purchases? She shops online sometimes if she borrows Mitzie’s computer.”

“No. They were in person.”

“It’s a trap,” Pete said.

Grange nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking.”

“We need to get Elena back to the island,” Pete said.

“No,” she said. “We need to follow those leads.”

“Jed and I will follow the leads,” Grange said. “We have to keep you safe.”

“I’ll get her back to the island,” Pete said. “You two track down those credit card
leads.”

She cast her gaze at Jed. He knew she wanted to go, wanted to be with him when they
found her mother.

“You should go with Pete. The island is the safest place for you right now.”

Her heart sank. “I want to go with you.”

“I know you do, but if either of these leads pans out and we head into danger, being
with us is the last place you need to be.”

“Agreed,” Grange said. “And it’s possible whoever has your mother thinks that’s exactly
what we’ll do—that we’ll bring you along with us. Which means it’s the last thing
we’re going to do. Go with Pete and we’ll report in as soon as we know something.”

Jed started the car and headed back to the helicopter.

Pete got out and the pilot fired up the engine.

Grange held her hands. “This is the best lead we’ve gotten. Even if it’s nothing more
than a game someone’s playing, it’s a start, a way to track them and find your mother.”

“Please be careful. I just found out I have an uncle. I’d hate to lose you.”

He hesitated for a second, then pulled Elena into his arms for a hug. “I’m always
careful.”

He stepped back, cleared his throat. “Go with Pete. I’ll worry less knowing you’re
with him.”

She nodded and he walked away, leaving her with Jed.

She should leave. Pete was waiting for her. But something held her there.

She didn’t want to go.

Jed moved next to her. “I know you want to come along, but it’s not safe for you.”

“I need to be there.”

“Your safety has to come first.”

The logical part of her knew that. She’d be in the way. She wasn’t feeling very logical
right now. She laid her hand on his chest. “You stay safe. If it’s a trap . . .”

He wrapped her hand in both of his. “I’m good at taking care of myself.”

She sighed. “Okay. Take double good care of yourself this time. I don’t want anything
to happen to you.”

Jed cast a look at Grange, who leaned against the car, his arms crossed, staring at
both of them.

“Ah, hell.” He pulled Elena into his arms and kissed her soundly.

When he broke the kiss, she smiled at him.

“I’ll be back soon. Stay close to Pete.”

She nodded and squeezed his hand. “I will.”

She climbed into the helicopter. As it rose, she watched Jed walk toward Grange.

THIRTEEN

T
he silence in the car was deafening. The one thing Jed knew about Grange was that
he didn’t have to say much—or anything—to speak volumes about how he felt about something.

And he hadn’t said a word since the helicopter lifted and they drove off.

Which meant Jed was going to have to speak first.

“I care about Elena.”

No comment.

“I care a lot about her.”

Still no comment.

“I realize that getting involved with her wasn’t part of the assignment. It just happened.”

Zero. Zip. Nada. Not even a glare in his direction.

“And frankly, sir, and with all due respect, my personal relationship with her is
none of your business.”

That got him a look. The death glare. The others had warned him about the death glare.
They were right. That was some scary shit.

“You can stay the hell away from my niece, Templeton.”

“Kind of hard to do, General, since my assignment consists of protecting her and working
this case with you.”

“You’re off the case. As of right now.”

“You’re in charge and you have the right to do that. But I won’t stay away from Elena.”

“I can fire you.”

“You can.”

The silence this time stretched into five minutes. Then ten. A muscle in the general’s
jaw twitched. “You hurt her and I’ll hunt you down like a rabid dog and shoot you.”

“Okay. But I might be falling in love with her.”

That got him another look. “Might?”

“Never been in love before, General. Not really sure if that’s what this is or not,
and circumstances haven’t exactly been ideal for the two of us, if you know what I
mean. But yes, I might be in love with her. I’d like to get this assignment over with,
get a real relationship going with her and see if maybe she feels the same way.”

“Hmph.”

That was better than the death glare, at least. And the general hadn’t shot him, so
Jed would call that progress.

Now they had to find Elena’s mother.

And he couldn’t believe he’d just blurted out he was in love with Elena.

Was he? They barely knew each other. But what he felt was strong, something he’d never
felt for any other woman before. When he wasn’t with her, he wanted to be. That meant
something.

And how did Elena feel about him?

They needed time together. Time that didn’t involve danger and assignments, where
they could just be two people hanging out together.

The general’s niece. He was in love with the general’s niece.

Christ, he sure could fuck up his life, couldn’t he?

Grange drove them to the garage where Elena’s car was housed. He tossed Jed the keys
and gave him the address where one of the credit cards had been used.

“We’re going to have to split up to save time. Follow this up. Keep in constant contact.
I want to know as soon as you find something.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And knock off that ‘sir’ shit. I thought we went through that already.”

“Okay, General.” He headed toward the Chevy.

“Jed.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not planning to kill you yet. And obviously my niece sees something in you, so
try not to die.”

Jed grinned and flipped the keys around in his hand. “Will do, General.”

* * *

Elena paced the path in the living room, her eyes on Pete’s cell phone, which sat
near him on the table.

It had been two hours. Nothing. It hadn’t rung once.

She hated standing around here doing nothing.

Pete had offered to play cards with her, but that would require sitting and she couldn’t
sit. Pacing was much better.

He was reading a magazine. Reading! Calmly sitting there flipping pages when who knew
what was going on with Jed and Grange.

“How can you sit there so calmly and just read?”

He lifted his gaze and peered at her over the top of the magazine. “What?”

“You. Reading. It’s driving me crazy.”

“My reading is driving you crazy?”

“Yes. No.” She dragged her fingers through her hair. “I’m sorry. I’m the one who’s
crazy. It’s the not knowing anything. Shouldn’t they have called by now?”

His lips curved in a half smile. He laid the magazine on the table and put his phone
in his pocket. “You wouldn’t enjoy surveillance duty.”

“What?”

“Patience. Missions take patience.”

She crossed her arms. “This isn’t a mission. It’s my mother.”

His smile died and he stood. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive. These things
take time. They’ll call as soon as they have something to call about. Come on.”

She followed him outside. “Where are we going?”

“If standing around doing nothing is making you restless, I have something you can
do to help me around here.”

“Anything to keep from watching the clock and your phone.”

He led her down the path past the pool and the main house. She hadn’t explored this
area yet. It went through the woods and beyond the back of the house. There was another
building back here.

“What’s this?”

“Storage. We’ll replenish supplies.”

“Okay, great.” Something physical would help to allay some of her stress.

It was a two-story stone building. He pulled keys out of his pocket and unlocked the
heavy door, holding it open for her.

“Just step inside. I’ll hit the light when I follow you in.”

She moved in and waited for him. It was cold in there. She shivered, and didn’t much
like how pitch dark it was in here. She hoped he hurried up with the—

He turned the light on and she saw racks of supplies, mostly nonperishable food and
paper items, piled as high as the ceiling.

“Wow. Planning for world domination from your island here?”

He laughed. “No, but sometimes I don’t have access to the helicopter, so I have to
make do with what I have on hand. I just make sure to have a lot on hand.”

“Probably a smart move.” She put her hands on her hips and turned to him. “So what
do we need to take back with us, and do you have a shopping cart?”

He was scanning the racks, but dragged his attention away. “Actually, I do have a
cart. It’s in the other room. That way I don’t have to make as many trips. Through
that door on your left. Down the hall, second room on the right. If you wouldn’t mind.
I’ll get the ladder and start pulling what we need from the racks.”

“Okay, sure.”

“Light switch is just inside on your right.”

She opened the wide door and flipped the light switch on a long hallway with multiple
doors. It was even colder back here. She rubbed her arms and headed down to the room
where Pete had indicated the cart would be.

She turned the knob and pushed the door open, then fumbled around for a light switch.
It wasn’t on the right side of the wall, so she stepped farther in, propping the door
open with her foot.

She was shoved in the back and went flying to the hard floor, the door slamming shut
behind her.

Her knees screamed with pain where she’d scraped them, her heart jamming double time
from the fear and shock.

What the hell just happened?

She scrambled to her feet and ran back to the door, pulled on the knob, but it wouldn’t
turn.

It was locked.

She banged on the door.

“Pete? Pete! I’m locked in. Pete! Can you hear me?”

Her heart pounded. Someone had pushed her down and locked her in the room. Was Pete
okay? Had he been knocked out, or even worse?

“Pete!” She banged on the door. “Pete, answer me!”

“He can’t hear you.”

She whirled around at the voice behind her.

“Who’s there?”

“I’m over here.”

Her stomach fell, hope and terror mixing as she realized who had spoken to her.

“Mom? Is that you?”

“Elena?”

“Keep talking. I’ll find you. Or a light.”

“He never turns on the light in here, so I can’t see him. Only at the end of the hall
out there. So I only see him in shadow.”

“There has to be a light in this room.”

She fumbled from the door to the wall, using small steps to make her way around the
room. The walls were icy cold, made of stone. She wasn’t sure if the building was
artificially air-conditioned or if the source of the cold air came from somewhere
else, but it was frigid in here. She’d made it halfway around the room when she wrapped
her fingers around the metal bars.

“You’re in a cell?”

Her mother’s cool fingers found hers. “Elena.”

Tears sprang to Elena’s eyes. She slipped her hands through the bars to reach out
and touch her mother. “Mom. Mom. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. What are you doing here?”

Relief warred with worry. Her mother was alive. That’s all she had to concentrate
on right now. “We came to rescue you. Only we didn’t know you were here. How did you
get here?”

“I don’t know. And who is ‘we’?”

“Me and your brother. And one of his employees.”

“Grange is here? Grange told you who he was?”

“Yes. How did you end up on this island?”

“I’m on an island? I don’t even know how I got here.”

Pete. It had to be Pete who brought her mother here, who shoved her into this room.
This was his island. But why would he do this? Why her mother? Why betray Grange?
“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I had an appointment with a realtor to buy a house. I had seen the house a few times
before and really liked it, so I was ready to close the deal on the property. I was
going to settle down, get a job, go back to school.”

All those things she had heard about, but her mother hadn’t told her about.

“We met at the house. He offered me some tea. That’s all I remember until I woke up
here.”

“It must have been Pete.”

“Who’s Pete?”

“A friend of Grange’s, or at least we thought he was a friend. He owns this island
we’re on.”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry you’re involved in this, Elena. We’ve tried so hard to keep you
safe. Grange has always been worried that his job would harm you or me. I told him
not to be concerned. I guess he was right. I never took him seriously.”

Elena squeezed her mother’s hand. “It’s so cold in here. Are you warm?”

“There’s a blanket. And I have a sweater and some socks.”

“Are you fed? Do you have water?”

“Yes, to both. It’s just so dark in here. I miss the light, the warmth of the sun.”

“How long have you been here? Do you know?”

“Without the sun or the night, I have no idea. Weeks, maybe?”

“Oh, Mom. I’m so sorry.”

Her mother reached through the bars and caressed her cheek. “I’m the one who’s sorry.
I haven’t taken care of you like I should. I guess I waited too long to grow up and
become responsible.”

Elena laughed. “I’m responsible enough for both of us. I’ll get us out of here.”

“This is all so touching,” a voice said in the darkness. “Listening to the two of
you get reacquainted. It’s too bad Grange isn’t around to hear it. It would only add
to his guilt. But don’t worry. I recorded it all and I’ll make sure to play it for
him.”

Pete. Elena’s blood boiled at the thought of the torment he’d put her mother through.
“Pete, let my mother go. You can keep me as a hostage. Grange will do whatever you
want.”

Pete laughed. “Why would I let either of you go? I have both of you now, and you mean
everything to him. And now that you’ve got that new boyfriend, the two of them will
go crazy trying to save you. And they’ll both fail.”

“Let my daughter go,” her mother said. “You can do whatever you want to me. Let Elena
go.”

“How sweet that you’re both willing to sacrifice yourselves to save the other. Too
bad Grange wasn’t so noble. He’ll likely let you both die before he puts his own ass
on the line.”

He went silent.

“Pete?” Elena asked. “Pete!”

She would not let her mother die. She didn’t plan on dying, either. Whatever plan
Pete had, she wasn’t going to go along willingly. No matter what it took, she was
going to fight.