Chapter Twenty Two
They loaded the truck, and Julio watched as Matthew pulled Rachel into his arms and kissed her.
Not a quick peck on the lips, but a long, slow kiss, letting her know he missed her before he even left the driveway.
Julio glanced away, wishing Rebecca stood on the farmhouse steps.
Instead, she preferred to stay in one of the cabins and refused to let him get close to her.
The anticipation of the mission kicked him into overdrive, making him anxious to leave.
On the other hand, he felt eager to return, hopefully with Megan and Rebecca’s friend.
Doubt plagued him, but he still felt hopeful about rescuing the seven people Jameson mentioned, and hopefully, they’d discover a few more.
Matthew’s hand lingered on his fiancée’s hip as he backed away. His gaze didn’t leave hers until the last possible moment. The simple action hurt like a bitch to watch.
He imagined Rebecca running into his arms when he found her, not running away.
“Let’s go,” Matthew said, staring back at his woman.
“Gladly,” Julio muttered. “When did you turn this freaking mushy?”
Matthew tipped his hat down and lay back in the seat. “Sorry. It’s the first time we’ve separated since the team and I went after her father and rescued her. The trial will be here before we know it. She’s determined to take him down.”
“It sounds like she’s turned into one helluva woman, “Julio said, swallowing the lump in his throat.
“You got one, too. It may take her some time, but she’ll remember,” Matthew assured him.
“I won’t give up. Until then, we’ll take as many of these bastards down as we can,” Julio vowed as he focused on the drive to the airport. A private plane waited for them and when they returned, he hoped it was filled with as many victims as possible. They deserved to get their lives back.
“Ivan’s men have eyes on them. They won’t go anywhere without our knowing,” Matthew reported as he glanced at his phone.
“I keep asking myself why they didn’t leave Georgia? It’s too risky to stay there after we raided the place, not to mention a dead body,” Julio said, piecing together the facts.
“Jameson said they’re hellbent on finding Rebecca. Why do they want her this badly? Don’t get me wrong, she’s beautiful, but it seems like they took special care to keep her hidden.”
“No. They let men touch her,” Julio ground out. “They didn’t sell her.”
“Maybe the ring felt she knew too much,” Matthew suggested.
“Then, why not kill her? This must connect with Avie and Deni’s location. Rebecca insisted on keeping her whereabouts secret,” Julio questioned as he turned toward the private airfield.
They parked the truck and loaded their bags, not trusting anyone who didn’t belong on the team to do it. Matthew greeted the pilot as Julio cleared the plane. The two men buckled up, and within moments, the plane took off.
Matthew removed the map as they retraced the routes they suspected the ring used. Julio’s phone rang, and he motioned to Matthew as he noticed it came from an unknown number.
“Julio Garcia,” he answered under his assumed name.
“Hello, Mr. Garcia, I’m Henry Baskins. Mr. Garfield has asked me to extend an invitation to you. We have some new merchandise, never seen before. He thought you might enjoy it and asked me to extend his apologies for the recent affair.”
“When will it take place? I’m a busy man, Mr. Baskins. This last-minute crap doesn’t endear me to Mr. Garfield’s business. Where’s Gerard?”
“I’m afraid he bowed out of this one. We’ll be holding it in Raleigh, North Carolina, the day after tomorrow,” the man informed him.
Julio glanced at Matthew, who took out his phone, frantically typing.
“I’ll see if I can arrange it. What time does the party start?” he asked, feeling completely out of control. Jameson never gave him incorrect information. Did they discover his identity?
“It will begin at ten in the evening. Mr. Garfield requires a half-million-dollar deposit into his account by noon tomorrow. Of course, he will waive your fee for getting an early viewing.”
“Will I get first choice?” he asked, shaking his head.
“Yes. Your fee includes the first viewing and first choice. You’ll have one option to outbid the highest bidder before the evening concludes,” Mr. Baskins said, waiting for Julio’s response.
His gut told him to abort the mission, but there was too much at stake.
“Tell Mr. Garfield I’ll be there,” he said. “What hotel do I need to book?”
“I’ll text you the details after your deposit,” the man assured him, as if selling humans seemed no different from buying a pair of shoes.
“Fine. I look forward to the evening’s entertainment,” he said before disconnecting the call.
“Shit, why didn’t Jameson call?” Matthew said, while scrambling to notify Ivan’s team and reach their partner. “He’s not answering.”
“Crap, call Leo, we may need backup,” Julio said, as his mind raced with concern for Jameson and the newest victims.
“They’re already enroute. Ivan noticed they split up and contacted him. He doesn’t have enough men to cover both groups. Ivan hasn’t seen Jameson in the last two hours,” Matthew reported.
When the plane landed, the two men grabbed their bags and loaded everything into the awaiting car. Matthew drove this time while Julio checked the routes again.
He dialed Leo’s phone. “Reroute the plane. They’re staying in Georgia and trying to throw us off the scent.
Let Ivan’s men continue on the path headed to Boston.
Raleigh’s a stopover. If I’m guessing correctly, they plan to pick up another shipment and notify me of the sudden change at the last possible moment.
No one will think to keep an eye on them there. ”
“Where are you and Matthew?” Leo asked.
“We landed in Georgia. I’ll set up at the safe house and Matthew will set up my fake flight to Raleigh. Then, we wait,” Julio responded, hoping he guessed correctly. Running his hands through his hair, he glanced over at Matthew.
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re right,” Matthew supported him. “It’s the only thing to make sense.”
Parking at their secure location, Matthew entered first and they cleared each room.
No one visited the house in months, but standard protocol called for a complete sweep and Matthew always checked for bugs and hidden cameras.
When they finished, Matthew set up the flight plan for Julio’s supposed flight to North Carolina.
He made reservations under Julio’s alias at the most expensive hotel in the city. The rest boiled down to a waiting game.
Matthew called Mac to check in and then excused himself to speak with Rachel.
Julio stared at his phone, wanting desperately to call Rebecca and go over his thoughts.
They worked great as a team, and he missed bouncing ideas off her.
Julio promised himself when they finished this, he’d figure out a way to reach Rebecca.
Rebecca knocked on Kara’s door and waited for her to grant her permission to open it. It took a minute before the young woman called out, “Come in.”
Turning the handle, Rebecca sucked in her breath. Kara used the makeup Rachel gave her. The eye shadow appeared way too old for her age, and she overdid the blush.
“You hate it,” Kara said, hanging her head down.
Rebecca smiled and entered the room. “Honey, women wear makeup to accentuate their beauty, not to call attention to themselves. Did Rachel teach you how to do this?”
“We played around with it, and she showed me different techniques. I wanted to do it exactly like her, but I don’t remember all the steps,” she explained.
“I see,” Rebecca said, sitting on the bed. “What do you think about it?”
Kara shrugged.
“Come on, grab your coat. I’m not a big makeup person myself. We might as well ask the expert to show both of us,” Rebecca said as she plucked a tissue from the box on the bed and rubbed off some of the blush.
“I thought you wanted me to stay away from her,” Kara said as she lifted her face.
“It occurred to me, I’m preaching to you about calling your mom and giving her a chance and yet, I didn’t give Rachel one.
After all, your blanket’s super cute and she handmade all of them with Delaney.
It must’ve taken them hours or months, and she sent me meals after I acted rudely.
I owe her an apology,” Rebecca explained, as she tilted Kara’s chin.
“Delaney sent a golf cart down in case we wanted to join them for another dinner.”
“Will Julio be there? He has the coolest horse,” Kara said, stuffing the new makeup into the plastic bag.
“I don’t know,” Rebecca answered honestly. “I haven’t spoken with him.”
“Why not? Don’t you like him anymore?” Kara asked, gazing at her.
“It’s complicated,” she said, rising from the bed to fetch her coat.
“Adults say that when they don’t want to talk about things because they think you’re too young,” Kara groused. “Julio’s worried about you. You told me to trust him if he came and you weren’t with us. Why don’t you believe in him now?”
Rebecca smiled sadly. “I will always believe in him.”
“Then stop avoiding him,” Kara bossed. “He’s nice and he cares about you. Every time I see him, he asks about you.”
“I’ll do my best. Maybe he’ll be at the farmhouse for dinner, and I’ll talk to him then,” she said, grabbing her boots.
“Will you get mad if Rachel shows me how to do my makeup?” Kara said, debating on whether to leave the bag.
“No. She’s an expert and can advise you better than I can. Always play to your strengths and learn more about your weaknesses,” she advised as they got into the golf cart.
“Can I drive?” Kara asked.
“Do you have a license? Have you driven one before?” Rebecca teased.
“You know, I thought you acted like a safety pup because of where we were. I didn’t realize you always stay protective,” Kara groused as she set her bag on the seat between them.