Chapter 5 Ryan #2
He moved through the interface, trying to find Tessa’s location, then gritted his teeth in frustration. “It’s tracking Tessa’s phone.” He moved around the screen, trying different options. “Wrong app.” The one on Lori’s phone was only to track phones.
And that meant there was only one way he was going to get Tessa’s exact location.
He was going to have to tell Trent the truth.
“This is going to be a fun conversation,” Ryan muttered, scrolling through the contacts until he found the number he was looking for.
He hit dial and waited, his heart pounding.
“Hello, Ryan,” Trent answered on the first ring.
“How did you know it was me?” Ryan asked. “This is Lori’s phone.”
“I’m looking at you in your hospital bed right now,” Trent said calmly.
Ryan’s head snapped up, his eyes scanning the room wildly. “Well, that’s terrifying, and I’m sure illegal,” he said, still looking for wherever the camera might be hidden.
“Want to tell me what’s really going on?” Trent asked. “You can start with why my sister is somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean when we both know she hates sailing.”
There was a knock on Ryan’s door, and he looked up to see Jake walking in.
Great, Ryan thought with a sigh. Now even if he wanted to, he couldn’t lie. The person Tessa was supposed to be out at sea with had just walked into his room, which Trent was surveilling.
“Oh, look, there’s Jake,” Trent said, clearly watching through whatever camera he’d hacked into.
“And look at that, my sister’s still in the Atlantic.
Did a fish eat her watch? Maybe that’s why it’s moving like it’s drifting.
The watch made the fish sluggish, and my sister is back at Seabird Cottage. ”
“Very funny,” Ryan gritted his teeth. “Look, I don’t have time to explain right now. I need Tessa’s coordinates.”
“What’s going on?” Jake asked, and Ryan waved him into a seat.
“I’ll send them to you,” Trent told him. “But, keep Lori’s phone with you so I can see where you are at all times.” His voice softened, but somehow that made it more dangerous. “And when you find her, you’d better call me right away. Understood?”
“I will,” Ryan promised.
There was a pause, and then Trent asked, “Is Tessa being in a boat got anything to do with the family she asked me to look into?”
Ryan was already moving from the bed, but at those words, he stopped. “What family?”
“The Whittakers,” Trent told him. “You know, Judge Whittaker, the one my mother put away, the man who shot her. His family was the one Tessa was looking into.”
Ryan stopped dead, his hand gripping the bed rail. “Why did she ask for that information?”
“That’s what I’m asking you,” Trent said.
Ryan’s mind was racing. Judge Whittaker. “I’m not sure.” His brow furrowed. “Send the information she asked for through to Lori’s phone, and I’ll look at it,” Ryan told him. “Look, I have to go, Trent. I have to get Tessa. I’ll call you as soon as I have her.”
“I’ll be monitoring Lori’s phone,” Trent told him. “Is that what Jake’s doing there? To help you get there? You look like death.”
“Thank you,” Ryan sneered.
“Are you going to go out in Jake’s new, very fast fishing boat?” Trent asked.
“Yeah,” Ryan said. “Now I have to go.”
He hung up, and Jake was already standing. “I don’t suppose you’re going to give me those coordinates and let me go find Tessa?”
“Not on your life,” Ryan hissed, already pulling on the clothes he’d been brought earlier that day. “You’re going to help me get there, and then we’re going to get her together on your boat.”
“That’s what I figured,” Jake said with a sigh. “This is just great. I guess ending my relationship with Glory and having Mitch Brandon furious at me will be worth it if it means saving Tessa.”
“It will be,” Ryan said firmly. “Now help me get dressed before someone comes in here.”
A few minutes later, Jake had snuck Ryan out of his room, and they were heading for the harbor where Jake’s fishing boat was docked. Ryan moved slowly, each step sending sharp pains through his side, but he gritted his teeth and kept going. Tessa needed him. That was all that mattered.
When they reached the harbor, Ryan stopped and stared at the boat Jake led him to. “Wow,” he breathed.
It was beautiful. Sleek and modern, with a powerful engine that could probably get them to Tessa’s location in half the time a regular boat would take.
“It’s also fully stocked,” Jake told him, helping Ryan aboard carefully. “So we’ll be able to rehydrate Tessa when we find her, and there are medical supplies in the cabin below. First aid kit, emergency blankets, everything we might need.”
He guided Ryan to a seat and pointed firmly at it. “Now sit down and give me those coordinates.”
Ryan did as he was asked, pulling out Lori’s phone and reading off the numbers Trent had sent.
He was only too glad to sit. His side was throbbing, and he could feel the wetness of blood seeping through his shirt.
He’d definitely torn his stitches. His father was going to kill him when this was over.
But it would be worth it. Anything would be worth it if they got Tessa back safe.
Jake started the engine, and the boat roared to life. They pulled away from the dock, heading out toward open water. Toward Tessa.
Ryan leaned back in his seat, trying hard to keep his eyes open. The pain medication from earlier was completely worn off now, and the fresh pain from his torn stitches was making him dizzy. He closed his eyes for just a few seconds, just to stop the world from spinning.
His mind drifted to Tessa. Scared, alone, on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic. Did she know they were coming? Did she think they’d abandoned her? Was she even still conscious?
He had to get to her. Had to tell her he was sorry for how he’d acted in that basement. Had to tell her that he loved her and wanted to be with her and would spend the rest of his life proving that he was nothing like her ex-husband.
Just a few more miles. Just a little bit longer. Hold on, Tessa. I’m coming.
His mind stayed on Tessa as the darkness pulled at him, threatening to drag him under.