Chapter 21 #2
Obi-Wan was a realist. Silas Graves was a big man.
He could’ve killed Zita and disposed of her body in a number of ways that would make finding her impossible.
He didn’t want to believe that was what happened, that the beautiful woman he loved was no longer alive, but he had to face the possibility. And that sucked.
The door to Anchor Point opened, and out of reflex, Obi-Wan looked over to see who’d entered.
To his shock, it was Carmen St. James.
There were two large men at her back, whom he assumed were bodyguards. She looked around, saw Obi-Wan, and headed straight for him.
The very last person he wanted to see or talk to was this woman—and he couldn’t shake the sudden epiphany that she was part of this.
Silas had been her bodyguard, they’d spent every moment together when she was on set, and rumor had it that she was sleeping with the man assigned to keep her safe. The same man Obi-Wan suspected had taken Zita.
“What is she doing here?” Buck growled under his breath.
Obi-Wan didn’t have a chance to respond before Carmen reached them and threw her arms around him.
“I’m so sorry! I got on the first plane out of LA as soon as I heard.”
Obi-Wan reacted instinctively. He shoved her away from him and took a giant step backward. “Don’t,” he spat.
Carmen looked shocked. But she recovered quickly. “I know this is stressful. What can I do to help?”
“Tell me where Zita is,” Obi-Wan barked.
“I wish I could,” Carmen replied, her pout sympathetic. “What I can do is donate money to the search effort. What do you need? Horses? Dogs? More man-power? SUVs? Whatever it is, I’ll make it happen.”
Her words seemed sincere, but there was something…calculating about her gaze that had Obi-Wan’s eyes narrowing.
“That would be great,” Buck said, taking Carmen’s arm and attempting to pull her away from Obi-Wan.
One of her bodyguards stepped between them. “Don’t touch her,” he said in a low tone.
“It’s okay, Joe,” Carmen said, patting the man’s chest affectionately.
Absently, Obi-Wan wondered if she was sleeping with these new men assigned to her as well. Probably.
“Obadiah is an old friend. It’s fine.”
The bodyguard nodded and stepped back, but kept his gaze locked on Buck.
Who was doing his own glaring in return.
Obi-Wan had a feeling it was taking all of his friend’s control not to take the man out.
And he had no doubt Buck could do it too.
They’d all been trained in hand-to-hand combat and could hold their own against the biggest, strongest Navy SEAL and Delta Force operatives. This guy was no match for their skills.
“How about we go somewhere quiet to talk about what’s needed. Poor Zita is out there somewhere. I just know it. She’s waiting to be found, and together, I know we can do that. You and me.”
The worthless platitudes were so fucking irritating. As was her assumption that he’d step one foot outside of Anchor Point. Wasn’t he just thinking how grateful he was to Buck for not saying they’d find Zita alive and well? For not making promises no one could keep?
She stepped closer and attempted to put her arms around him again.
Once more, Obi-Wan took a step back, his skin crawling even thinking about this woman touching him. Especially knowing that she’d been with Silas. The man Obi-Wan was certain had set this nightmare in motion.
Undeterred, she leaned forward and said quietly, “I’ve missed you.”
What the fuck?
Obi-Wan was done.
He abruptly turned his back on Carmen and walked toward the bar.
He heard a commotion behind him, Carmen calling his name, one of her bodyguards telling Buck to “fucking let go of Miss St. James,” but Obi-Wan didn’t give a damn.
A couple of police officers passed him on the way to deal with whatever was happening with Carmen. When he reached the bar, he put his elbows on the slick surface and lowered his head into his hands.
He wanted to be alone. No, that wasn’t true.
He wanted to be with Zita. Wanted to be sitting in his oversized chair, watching Star Wars, discussing the movies, the plots, and how the new movies and shows connected to the classic ones.
Instead, he was dealing with a woman utterly incapable of understanding the word no, who may or may not be involved in whatever had happened to Zita—and was hitting on him while she was missing!
Straightening, he looked around and gestured to the closest police officer.
He briefly explained his suspicions, then said, “She was involved with Silas Graves. Sleeping with him while she was in town filming. Someone needs to question her about why the fuck she just decided to show up out of the blue. Why did she come back? I didn’t ask her to.
How did she even hear about Zita’s disappearance?
Some fucked-up shit is going on, and she’s up to her eyeballs in it. I know she is.”
“I’ll talk to the detectives,” the officer assured him.
There wasn’t much else Obi-Wan could do. He needed to get out of there. Get some air. He wasn’t brave enough to join one of the search parties, because if he found Zita’s body—
He cut the thought off there. No. She wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be.
He sighed, because now he was doing it…giving himself platitudes.
What he really wanted was half an hour with Silas Graves. He and his teammates could get the details out of him about what he’d done and where he’d taken Zita, of that he was sure.
But the cops weren’t going to let him within ten feet of the man. They were currently holding him on some bullshit charge…Obi-Wan didn’t know what it was, nor did he care. All he cared about at the moment was fucking finding Zita.
It was time to call Tex back. He’d given him plenty of time to find something. Obi-Wan was done waiting.
As if thinking about the man had conjured him out of thin air, Obi-Wan’s phone rang. One look at the screen confirming it was Tex.
Wanting some privacy to talk to him, he walked down the hall that led to the bathrooms and kept going, right out into the bright sunshine.
He had the fleeting thought that it was weird how beautiful it was outside, when it felt dark and dangerous inside his head.
It should be raining, gloomy, a fucking piss-poor day.
Instead, the birds were chirping and singing… and it felt like an afront.
Not to mention, remembering the last time he was out here, with Zita, felt like a dagger to his heart. He could almost feel her arms around him, as they’d been when they stood in this very spot and talked. When she’d calmed him down after Carmen had shown up at the bar unexpectantly the first time.
“Did you find her?” Obi-Wan asked, the second he opened the connection on his phone.
“No, but I’m finding out some interesting info. Did you know that Silas and Carmen still communicate?”
Obi-Wan didn’t, but he wasn’t surprised.
Tex didn’t give him time to respond, just kept talking.
“They’ve been texting nonstop since she left.
I don’t have the transcripts of what they’ve talked about yet, but I’m working on it.
They’ve also spoken on the phone at least once a day.
Except in the last twenty-four hours, when all communication seems to have stopped.
As if the idiots think that not speaking to each other for a day will somehow indicate they’re both innocent.
Also, Silas’s phone was turned off for about eight hours yesterday.
Starting at four in the morning until almost noon. ”
“Zita was taken around five-fifteen or so.”
“Yeah. So I can’t track him using cell towers, but Carmen St. James isn’t the only person Silas has been talking to recently.
He’s got quite an extensive list of buddies who have questionable morals.
I tracked the numbers he’s texted in just the last two weeks, and they include three men who were arrested for armed robbery, one for conspiracy to commit murder, two for soliciting underage girls, and another who’s currently in jail.
Was picked up just last night for fraud. ”
Obi-Wan grunted. Again, he wasn’t surprised.
“Silas was hired by the studio because he doesn’t have a record.
So when they did a background check, he came back clean.
He’s had quite a plethora of past jobs as well, mostly security guard gigs.
Department stores, a scrapyard, and his latest gig, before being hired as Carmen’s bodyguard, was a bouncer for a nightclub downtown. ”
Obi-Wan was having a hard time keeping his cool. Why was Tex telling him all this shit? The only thing he was interested in was any information on Zita.
“My point being, this guy is shady as shit. He could’ve used any one of his criminal friends to help him. I’m sending you a picture. Check your texts.”
Obi-Wan was two seconds away from hanging up. He needed answers, and Tex wasn’t giving him any. Still…he took his phone from his ear and clicked on his text messages.
The picture that filled his screen made him gasp in shock.
It was Silas Graves. A booking photo. Dated yesterday. And the man had obviously been in one hell of a scuffle. He had scratch marks all over his face. As if someone had raked their fingernails down his cheeks. Not only that, but his eye was swollen and bloodshot. He looked like shit.
Zita had done that. He knew it down to his bones. Zita had fought like the devil. He was prouder of her than he could put into words, but the picture didn’t lessen his worry one iota. His woman was tiny compared to Silas. If she’d done this kind of damage to him…what had he done to her in return?
He heard Tex saying his name through the speaker, and Obi-Wan slowly brought the phone back to his ear. “I’m here.”
“That’s his booking photo. The cops aren’t letting him go anytime soon, not with the evidence clear as day on his face that he’s been in one hell of a fight.
I have no doubt whatsoever that he took Zita.
I’m working as fast as I can to try to get transcripts of his texts and to track down the assholes he spoke to right before his phone was turned off.
Oh, and one more thing…Carmen St. James is on her way to Norfolk. She landed not too long ago.”
“She’s here. Or was. Don’t know if she is anymore.”
“What’d she want?”
“Me,” Obi-Wan said with no conceit. “Said she left as soon as she heard Zita was missing. Offered to help in any way she could. Basically saying she’d throw money at the problem.”
“Hmmm. How’d she know she was missing?”
“That was my question too. Rumors fly fast and hard on movie sets, but shooting in Virginia is done, and she’s been back in LA for two weeks. And it’s not as if the producer who’s still in town would call to let her know the set medic has gone missing.”
“Unless Silas called to let her know the job was done.”
Obi-Wan clenched his teeth. He didn’t like the finality of those words.
“Right, sorry,” Tex added at Obi-Wan’s silence. “And also sorry my warning about her arrival is too little, too late. But I’m on her too, by the way. If she had anything to do with this, she’s going down. Don’t care how rich or famous she is.
“I’ll be in touch again within a couple of hours.
In the meantime, have faith, Obi-Wan. Anyone who could fuck up a bodyguard like that is tough as shit.
She knew what she was doing. Knew he wouldn’t be able to hide his face or explain away those fingernail marks.
If the cops can’t get him to break, I’ll find out his secrets another way…
by harassing his so-called friends. Guarantee they won’t be so loyal by the time I get done with them. I’ll call soon.”
That second-to-last sentence was the only thing keeping Obi-Wan from completely losing his shit.
Tex was right. Silas might keep his mouth shut, and he doubted Carmen would admit to knowing anything about Zita’s disappearance.
But the assholes Silas ran with? They’d probably throw their mothers under the bus if it meant getting themselves out of a tight spot.
“Hold on, Zita. We’re coming for you. Just keep breathing,” he whispered, hoping like hell she was still alive, waiting for him to find her.