Chapter Nine
Bella
For all the time I had to prepare for this moment, seeing Cole face to face after so long still comes as a shock.
I had given him the name of the resort, and though I offered to pick him up from the airport, he insisted that he ’ d come to me. He felt I should stay at the home base in case Harley or anyone else needed to reach me. Considering how unsettled I ’ m feeling, I appreciate that he let me off the hook.
I ’ m just trying to get through one hour to the next right now. I ’ m also very conflicted about how and when to let my mom and aunt know what ’ s going on. There ’ s a fine line between protecting them from extreme emotional duress when they can ’ t do anything from where they are anyway and being mindful of what they deserve to know as parents. I ’ m hoping Cole can give me some perspective on that.
Then I see him.
And for a singular, glorious moment, I forget everything except the man standing across the lobby from me. He made it to the resort before I managed to get there from the bungalow, but as soon as I walked in, I noticed him. He's certainly easy to spot.
Not to mention, easy on the eyes , I think to myself and realize I'm smiling.
He ’ s thirty-four now, and let ’ s just say he ’ s aged like a fine wine. All the boyishness is gone – something I should have noticed when I occasionally saw his photos online, but it must have escaped me. He ’ s rugged and solid. He ’ s a lot more muscular now and sports quite a collection of tattoos.
He never struck me as much of a tattoo guy, but then again, we were barely more than kids when we broke up twelve years ago. The tattoos on his arms - exposed below his short sleeves - carry an oceanic and patriotic theme, which suits him perfectly. Admittedly, my mind immediately wonders whether his unexposed areas are also tattooed, but I shut that right down.
Focus Bella!
It sounds strange, but he ’ s entirely different from the young college student I broke up with, yet he ’ s exactly the same, too. Older and wiser, I’m sure, but I could still easily pick him out of a lineup of men in seconds flat. He ’ s still the Cole Jensen that I knew and loved.
Maybe there ’ s a part of me that still loves him, even.
“ Poseidon.”
“ What?” he asks with a smile, and I feel my cheeks flush as I gulp, trying to get control over myself. I didn ’ t realize I said it out loud until that moment, and I ’ m sure my voice came out as little more than a squeak.
“ You look like I imagined Poseidon would have looked when we read about him in our literature books,” I say with a smile. I can ’ t stop myself from going in for a hug, which instantly sends a tiny electric jolt through me, and I notice how muscular he feels as he hugs me back.
He laughs. “ You look great, Bella. You really do. Must have kept up with the swimming?”
His eyes run over me, but there ’ s nothing creepy about it. In fact, my ogling him before he spotted me would probably be considered creepy, I admit to myself. The truth is, I immediately find myself yearning for him. If it weren’t so absurd, I ’ d fall into his arms and beg him to hold me tight, just like he used to do.
“ Yeah, you got me,” I say with a shy grin. “ A big part of my focus in my physical therapy work is on the benefits of water therapy. A large percentage of the patients I work with are veterans. I ’ m sure you ’ re pretty well aware of what I ’ m talking about.”
“ I am,” he says. “ Good stuff,” his gaze breaks away from mine as he picks up his backpack.
We leave the hotel and head back toward the bungalow where I ’ m staying. I feel awkward and unsure whether to bring up Harley right away and get right down to why he’s here or whether I ought to talk about some of the other things on my mind.
I pick the first thing that pops into my brain as I nod toward the backpack he has slung over his shoulder.
“ Is that all you brought?”
“ Yes ma ’ am… I travel light.”
“ Don ’ t judge,” I say as I unlock the bungalow door and then explain.
“ We were planning to be here for a full month, so, as you can see, it looks like we moved in. Well, I did anyway. Harley hasn ’ t even been here to the bungalow yet.”
“ We ’ ll find her,” he tells me as he follows me through the door.
“ Do you really believe that?” I challenge. He gives me a look, and I sigh. “ Look, I might not know how things work in this country, but I do know that the first two days are critical no matter what country you’re in. They didn ’ t let me do a damn thing for the first day, so I feel like a full 24 hours was wasted. I don ’ t want to think the worst, but I ’ m scared. ”
“ Understandable,” he tells me. “ But I have a plan.”
He puts his bag down on the couch, and I grab a couple of beers from the fridge.
“ I ’ m all ears,” I say, popping one, then the other. I can ’ t help but feel guilty, sitting around with my ex drinking a beer while Harley is in danger, but I ’ m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact Cole is even here in the first place.
I hand him one of the beers, noting that he didn ’ t say whether he truly believes we ’ ll find Harley. But there ’ s a reason I reached out to him, and I trust that he genuinely means it when he says he ’ s got a plan.
We sit on the couch together, and I fight the urge to broach the subject of the supposed plan he mentioned, but I also want to know how he ’ s been.
“ So – looks like you ’ ve managed to build quite the career,” I comment. I don ’ t want to make him feel like I ’ ve been stalking him, so I bring up his mother. “ Your mom lets me know now and then when something big happens with you. She ’ s really proud.”
“ Yeah, she is,” he says with a nod. “ And what about you? You did it! Graduated with your master ’ s and built up your career. You should be proud of yourself.”
“ I am,” I agree with a nod.
We fall into silence and sip on our beverages, and I wonder if he feels the same vibe between us that I feel. I didn ’ t anticipate still being so hopelessly attracted to him, nor did I realize just how much his presence would affect me.
It feels good having him here. Despite all the years between us, we seem to be picking up right where we left off, much like lifelong friends do when there ’ s been a long absence. I find it comforting. Everything about him being here is comforting. I just wish I could find a way to say it that doesn ’ t make me sound like some desperate high schooler.
After letting the small talk linger for almost an hour, I can ’ t take it anymore. I want to know what he ’ s planning and why he thinks we ’ ll be able to find Harley.
“ Right now, it feels like looking for a needle in a haystack,” I confess after turning the topic of conversation to Harley. “ I was pretty na ? ve in thinking we would be immune to danger traveling in a foreign country just because we ’ re of a mature and responsible age.”
“ Bella , don ’ t be so hard on yourself… or her, ” he says. “ The men who did this know what they ’ re doing, and they are pros at the grooming process. They pour on the charm, treat you like queens, and get you to trust them so that neither of you suspects you could be in danger, and then it ’ s easier for them to work.”
“ She was so taken with one of them, it was annoying,” I say. “ I had my reservations, but you know Harley. She ’ s just the same as she’s always been. She would rather jump in with both feet than take the time to dip her toes in to see if it ’ s safe. This time, it wasn ’ t safe.”
“ Again, that ’ s how these dirtbags work,” he tells me. “ They smother you with compliments and drop the big bucks to impress. They ’ ve got all the right answers, the charm, the shiny toys to play with. Often, they ’ re good-looking, which only aids in their scheme.”
“ She didn ’ t stand a chance,” I say, shaking my head sadly, “ These guys checked all the boxes you just described.”
“ They ’ re pros at grooming,Bella, so you can ’ t beat yourself up for not recognizing the signs,” he says gently, trying to reassure me. “ The average person doesn ’ t even know what 'grooming' is, much less what the signs are. We ’ re all human, and these ruthless criminals prey on vulnerable people.”
“ That ’ s really sick,” I say, disgusted with what I ’ m learning.
“ But even the tightest organizations have their weaknesses,” Cole says.
“ What do you mean?”
“ I mean, we ’ re going to beat them at their own game,” he says. I ’ m not sure I follow, and evidently, the look on my face makes that clear.
“ You two were right here when it happened,” he says. “ Which tells me those men are most likely locals, and there are others like them. I don ’ t want to scare you, but there seems to be no end to the places people working in the human trafficking business turn up.”
“ Well, that does scare me,” I say with a nervous laugh. “ How do you know who to trust at that point?”
“ Largely, you just have to be really careful when you ’ re in this sort of situation,” he says. “ Two young, attractive American women are prime candidates for any number of things the cartel and similar organized crime groups are looking for. Whether it ’ s for sex trafficking, running drugs, even black market organ harvesting… you name it.”
“ Sex trafficking?” I gasp. It ’ s not like I’ve not heard of it, but hearing him link that possibility to my best friend makes my blood run cold. “ Oh my God… Harley! We ’ ve got to find her!” I cry as I put my face in my hands.
He takes hold of my hands and pulls them away from my face. “ Bella, we ’ re going to find her. You have to believe that.”
“ But to be clear, those are just a few of the possibilities these people are hunting for,” he clarifies. “ Victims can be forced into running drugs for them or any kind of forced slave labor.”
“ She ’ d never.”
“ She wouldn ’ t have a choice,” he says. “ That ’ s how they get their victims to behave.”
“ They haven ’ t met Harley, ” I insist, but the look on his face shuts me up.
“ Even if she ’ d not waver under the threats of bodily harm, they would take new angles,” he explains. “ For all we know, they might have told her that she has to do what they say, or they ’ re going to target you.”
“ Me? ”
“ It ’ s psychological warfare, Bella. They do what works for them. There are no rules, and it ’ s no-holds-barred, ” he says with a look that sends a shiver up my spine. His words linger as I replay them in my mind. The thought of anyone threatening Harley is enough to make me livid, but to think that they might be telling her that she has to do all this stuff out of fear they ’ re going to hurt me or her other loved ones is just too much.
Harley would stand up to them if they threatened her, but she ’ d never put anyone else in harm ’ s way. I don ’ t realize I ’ m gripping my beer bottle so tightly that Cole reaches over and takes it from me.
“ I don ’ t know if you ’ re strong enough to break that, but you ’ re going to wind up with quite the cut if you do,” he jokes.
“ So what ’ re we going to do then, Cole?” I demand.
“ The first thing we need to do is figure out where they ’ ve taken her,” he tells me. “ And that ’ s where my plan comes in.”
“ Okay,” I say, certain that my doubt shines through in my tone.
“ But, there’s a catch,” he tells me, looking down at his beer.
“ Oh? ”
“ We ’ re going to need you to be the bait.”
“ The bait?” I ask, shocked by the reality. “ Cole, are you out of your mind?”
“ You ’ re going to have to trust me,” he says. “ You won ’ t be leaving the resort, and you ’ ll be safe under the watchful eyes of me and my team. If we get a hit and they try to take you, we ’ ll be behind the scenes to stop them and ensure no one will hurt you.”
I relax, surprised by how much I feel willing to trust him even after all this time. At face value, I still don ’ t like what I ’ m hearing, but if there is one person on the planet that I trust would never put me in harm ’ s way, it ’ s Cole.
And if this is what we need to do to get Harley back, I ’ ll do it.
I ’ ll do whatever it takes.