Chapter 27
T he motorcade traveling from the base to the airport wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. But traffic was slow, and the airport was…an airport, busy, crowded, noisy, with everything moving along as slow as molasses. As the last service he and the other members of the honor guard could provide, they removed the coffin from the hearse and placed it into a special transport that would take it out on the tarmac to the plane.
Even though Tucker’s duty was over, he lingered next to the transport, waiting for it to be moved. He wished he’d had time to talk to Jordan before he’d deployed. He didn’t know what difference it would have made… None, obviously. But there was still lingering regret.
What would he have said to him if he’d had that time? Probably nothing of consequence. Take care, kick ass, or call if you need me to do something while you’re gone would have covered it. They had said all of that a number of times before he or Jordan had gone wheels up.
Now, the only thing he could do was keep his eyes and ears open for any information that might come down the pike about the investigation. And let his parents know when the fucker was caught. They deserved justice. Jordan deserved justice.
His phone vibrated, signaling a text, and he reached for it.
She’s on the move. Looks like she’d going to her apartment.
He’d hoped Brynn would be content to hunker down at the house where she’d be safe. What had happened to make her leave?
The driver of the tractor climbed into the vehicle, started it, and pulled away. He looked after it a moment, then turned away. Once at his car, instead of turning for home, he drove toward Brynn’s apartment. He’d meet her there and make sure everything was okay.
He parked in front of the apartment complex, but Brynn hadn’t made it yet.
The phone vibrated again, and he looked at the text.
She’s stopping at a grocery store to talk to a blond in a Nissan. She has a flat. Brynn has the jack out, and the blonde’s getting the temp. I’m going to help them.
His phone rang. Denotti sounded out of breath. “Some guy approached them and pulled a gun. He forced them into Brynn’s car. He’s holding a gun on them from the back seat. I’m following them.”
Tucker’s heart rate skyrocketed, and he dragged in a breath. “Where are you?”
“We’re traveling northwest. They’re possibly going to one of the marinas close by.”
“What does the guy look like?”
“Tall, dark hair, in good shape.”
“It has to be Tim Garner. Ahmad thought he was the ring leader. Leave the line open, and let me know which marina when you get there.” He put the cell phone on speaker and set it in the cup holder. Fighting his way free of the airport traffic was beyond frustrating when every nerve and muscle in his body was tensed for action.
“They’re going to Safe Harbor.”
“I’ll be there ASAP. Keep an eye on them and make sure you know which slip is theirs.”
“We won’t be able to enter the docking area without a pass, Tucker.”
He had to calm down and compartmentalize. Work the problem. “We’ll swim in if we have to. If he gets them on board and sails out of the marina into open water, they won’t stand a chance.”
“Do you have your weapon on you?” Denotti asked.
“It’s in the trunk in my go bag. Even with a conceal and carry permit, I had to leave it in the trunk at the airport. Don’t let them out of your sight, Knotty.”
“Roger that.”
“Hang up and call the cops. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
*
Brynn concentrated on the road ahead of her. The idea of ramming one of the cars ahead to cause an accident played through her mind, but the barrel of the gun, only inches from her head, prevented her from doing it.
There had to be cameras in the parking area of the grocery store. Tim would be on the feed. They’d catch him. But not until he’d done whatever he meant to do to them.
“Is it drugs or something else?” she asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said.
“I’d rather not.”
Brynn glanced up into the rearview mirror and saw him smirk.
“You won’t have much choice.”
Yes, she would. Chad had caught her off guard. That wouldn’t happen again. She’d die fighting. No matter what it took.
Tim pressed the barrel of the gun against the nape of her neck. “Turn here, drive into the parking lot, and park.”
Brynn pulled into the first available parking slot, put the car in park, and turned off the engine. She’d been gripping the steering wheel so hard her fingers cramped, and she flexed them.
“How long have you been planning this?” she asked.
“Since the two of you came on board the Arora. I punctured Jess’s tire and waited for her to pull over. I knew she’d call you.”
“Why us?” Brynn asked.
“Because two beautiful blondes will bring in twice what the others do.”
Tim opened the screen on his cell phone one-handed. “I’m in the parking lot with our two beauties. Ten slots over, third row back.” He hung up.
They sat in the car in silence for several minutes.
A man appeared from the direction of the dock. He lumbered toward them as though each step might shake the earth. His rough features lit up with a grin when he caught sight of them.
Brynn recognized him immediately. He was the same man in the photo she’d enhanced. The same man who’d beat the woman. She caught the bobbing movement of Jessica’s knee out of the corner of her eye and reached out to touch her arm. Jess gripped her hand so tightly she thought her fingers might break. Jess’s skin was pale, and she was trembling visibly.
Brynn looked away. She was afraid, too. But she’d lived with fear and fought it too long to give in to it. Up until now, she’d managed to remain calm. She couldn’t allow Jess’s fear to infect her and keep her from acting if she could.
The man reached them and strode around the car to Jess’s side.
“Unlock the door,” Tim said.
“No,” Brynn said.
He tapped the back of her head with the gun. “Unlock the door.”
“No.”
He remained silent for a moment. “Why not?”
“Because she’s afraid, and if he touches her, she’ll start screaming, and he’ll hurt her. You don’t want him damaging the merchandise, do you?”
Jess’s grip loosened and then tightened again. Tim motioned to the man, and he went around the other side of the car.
“Unlock the door.”
Fear dried Brynn’s mouth, and she tried to swallow. She palmed the key fob that opened the door from outside and slipped it into the pocket of her cotton pants. Her hand shook as she touched the button on the door to unlock it.
The man jerked it open and reached in to grab her arm.
“Don’t touch me. I can get out on my own.” Surprisingly, he stood back. She turned in her seat, lowered her legs, and gripped the door to get out. With her legs unsteady, she turned to slide along the door frame without touching him and closed the door. When he gripped her arm, she tensed and braced herself to fight. His hand looked big enough to palm her head like a basketball. He could easily break her arm like a toothpick.
“Don’t fight me, and I won’t hurt you,” he said, his voice a deep rumble.
Her face felt stiff with the effort to keep calm. “We both know that’s a lie.” She wished she’d told Tucker how she felt about him. How just being with him made her feel whole again.
The man’s grip tightened just enough to hurt.
“Careful, Meeks. They’re cooperating, aren’t they?” Tim said. He looked at her, and there was a taunt in his voice. “We don’t want the merchandise damaged until we’ve had a chance to try it out.”
Jess’s gaze met hers. She looked sick.
Meeks and she fell in behind Tim and Jess as they walked toward the entrance to the marina. The big man leaned down to speak to her. “You try anything, and I’ll make you regret it.”
*
Tucker whipped into a parking spot just one car over from Denotti’s. He shoved the vehicle in park and leaped out of the car just in time to see Brynn and a huge guy walking toward the entrance to the marina.
Denotti caught his arm when he started toward them. “You strut down the dock in that white sailor suit with all that fruit salad on your chest, and everyone in the place will be watching. You need to shuck the dress whites and tone it down, Gilly.”
Tucker took several deep breaths, reaching for control. He hit the auto hatch button and went to the back of the jeep. He dragged the neckerchief and jumper off and threw it over the back seat. He fished through his go bag and found heavy black exercise shorts. Denotti stepped in front of him and turned his back to provide some cover as he shucked his pants and quickly redressed. He replaced his dress shoes and socks with stained tennis shoes he wore when going fishing.
“Where the fuck are the police?” Tucker demanded.
“I called them ten minutes ago and gave them the rundown. They’re checking me out, probably to see how credible I might be.”
Denotti raised the binoculars and talked over his shoulder. “If body language tells the story, Brynn is standing her ground. The blonde is terrified and could lose it and cause an issue.”
Tucker grabbed his SIG P226, removed it from its holster, checked the magazine, and then shoved it home again. He tucked it down the back of his shorts, then jerked on a faded gray T-shirt that had seen better days to hide the weapon.
A car alarm went off, and he and Denotti looked down the lot. The lights flashed, and the horn blared.
Tucker grinned without humor. “She’s smart. Security will be out here any minute to check the car and will call it in. They’ll search for her in the marina.” He opened the back door, removed two scuba tanks, and handed one to Denotti. “For cover and other purposes if we need them.”
Denotti grinned. “Sounds good.” He handed Tucker a pair of sunglasses. “They might recognize you before we reach them.”
Tucker nodded and shoved the glasses on. “There may be another guy on board the boat. There were two on board in some of the photos. What berth are they in?” he asked as they started walking toward the marina. Two security people passed them going to the car.
“They’re on the outside row, so all they have to do is back out of the slip and head out to open water.”
“They’re not getting out of the marina with them. Let’s go.”