25. Chapter 25
Chapter 25
“Holy shit,” Chance murmured, as he took the exit Berlin motioned to.
“What? Are we being tailed?” She didn’t turn around in her seat, but he watched as she glanced in the sideview mirror.
“No. I don’t think so anyway. But I think I know where Enzo is.” They’d been driving north for a few hours to the last known destination of Enzo’s phone.
Berlin had worked her magic and narrowed it down within a mile. She said under other circumstances it would have been closer, but Enzo’s phone call had pinged off one of the few towers in the area. “According to this, he called from outside this small diner.” She pointed to it on the map without touching her screen.
“I know. But he won’t still be there, if he ever was.” They’d just been driving in this direction in the hopes they’d figure out something once they got closer. “Growing up, we had a very distant cousin through marriage who had a cabin out here. But not in Louisiana. Across the state border in Natchez.”
“You think there’s a chance he’s in Natchez, then?”
“My brother is really stupid sometimes but he’s also really smart. He kept that call with me short, likely thinking it couldn’t be traced.”
“Which is just movie crap, not reality.” Berlin sniffed indignantly.
Chance cleared his throat. “If I had to bet, I’d say he drove over into Louisiana to make the call. We went to that cabin outside Natchez proper a few times. It’s in a rural area and isolated on a lake. If he was going to hide out somewhere, it might be in that area.” Something Chance wouldn’t have ever thought of, but seeing where Enzo had called from…it made sense.
“Well, it’s literally only a six-minute drive into Natchez. And you know your brother. That diner closed at three anyway so it’s not like it’s open and I can’t imagine him calling you then sitting there the last few hours. Do you remember the address?”
“No, but my cousin’s name was Danny Marceaux. His parents were Uncle Danny and Aunt Alice. Ah, same last name.”
She was mostly quiet as she worked, pulling up property records from what he glanced at. “You still talk to your cousin?”
“No, but Enzo might. When…Ivy, my sister, died, my mom went off the deep end. Looking back, I don’t blame her. The grief was too much for her to bear.” His throat grew tight, but he pushed the words out. “She lashed out at that side of the family, blaming everyone for not giving us enough money to save her. But it wasn’t their fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Other than corporate greed,” he muttered. They’d been too poor to pay for her treatment, so his mom had asked everyone she knew for money. Everyone had pitched in, but it hadn’t been enough. After Ivy had died, their mom might as well have died too. “In her anger, she pushed everyone away until she literally ran away.”
“I’m really sorry,” Berlin murmured. “And I found the property. They sold the cabin to your cousin about a decade ago, and from what I can tell, he’s turned it into a rental. Place is nice too.” She twisted the screen so he could look.
“That’s not like the cabin I remember.”
“According to these very helpful reviews and all these pictures from rental sites, we’ve got a pretty decent layout of this place and property.” She jumped slightly as thunder rumbled overhead.
They’d been driving right into a storm for the last hour and he knew that soon it would break wide open on them.
She plugged the address in and he realized they were only twenty minutes away. As they headed down the two-lane highway, her phone rang into the relative quiet.
“Hey, Adalyn, you’re on speaker,” Berlin said as her phone connected to the SUV’s Bluetooth.
“Any progress?” Adalyn jumped right into it.
“Yeah, I think we’ve found the location. We’re not far out. I’ve just sent you the possible coordinates and I’ll let you know if he’s there once we get there. Where are you guys?”
“In the air, headed your way.”
Chance knew that Adalyn had her pilot’s license and the four of them had taken a short trip over to Fairhope, Alabama for reasons they hadn’t seen fit to tell him.
“There’s a storm rolling in,” Berlin said even as the first few raindrops splashed on the SUV’s windshield.
“We’re flying right into it,” Adalyn muttered. “We’re not there yet, but we might have to land before we make it to you guys.”
“It’s fine, we’re just going to touch base with his brother and figure out what’s going on.”
“Chance,” Adalyn said, apparently ignoring Berlin, “can you keep her out of trouble?”
Berlin snarled. “I swear to god—”
“Yep,” Chance said. “I’ll make sure she hangs back until I scope things out.”
“All right. I would tell you guys to wait for us, but I know that’s not going to happen. So just be smart and stay safe until we catch up with you.” Then she disconnected before Berlin could respond.
“I’m not leaving you behind,” Chance said when it was clear that Berlin had worked up a head of steam at Adalyn’s words.
She blinked. “Oh. You lied to her?”
“She’s not my boss. And you’re my friend.” He shrugged.
“But? Because I know there’s a but just hanging out, waiting for you to drop it.”
He snorted softly. “Fine. With all your skills, can you hack into that security system I saw in some of the pictures?” He nodded at her laptop. “Or the cameras?”
She grinned, her expression practically feral. “Oh yeah. But only once we’re closer.”
“Good. I’ll need you to act as my eyes as I infiltrate. And before you argue, it makes more sense for you to hang back only so you can guide me. I need your help and I don’t want to go in blind.” Because there was no way in hell he was letting her go into an unknown situation with him, especially with a clear threat hanging in the air. For all they knew, the Acton brothers could have figured out where Enzo was.
“I’m well aware that you’re handling me right now,” she muttered.
“Is it working?”
“Only because you’re right and it makes more sense for me to be your eyes. Won’t do any good for both of us to get caught. Or worse.” She bit her bottom lip for a long moment. “I’ll do what I do best. I’ll be your backup.”
“Thank you.” That was one thing he didn’t have to worry about now. Because he couldn’t go in after his brother if he was worried about Berlin’s safety. He cared more for her than he’d ever cared for anyone. So much so, it was something he couldn’t dwell on, or he’d pull a U-turn and put miles between Berlin and any upcoming danger.