Chapter 22
Hudson willed the ocean to douse the anger blazing deep in his bones. Tessa’s hand on his shoulder did the trick instead.
“Here.” The General poured a shot of bourbon into his coffee and another into Tessa’s. “I thought we could all use a drink.”
“Thanks.” Hudson took a long pull. The spiked java scalded a path to his gut. He welcomed the burning calm. “You’ve never talked about your mother before.”
Something stirred in her eyes. Surprise, maybe? Realization? She shuttered the reaction as quickly as it had flashed.
The General groaned as he took a sip from his mug and looked at Tessa.
“I meet a lot of people with tricky situations. You’ve taken a lot of smart precautions.
I didn’t want to bombard you with information, but intel reports that Frank’s been working for a company called Passage International.
On paper they’re a travel agency that caters to the wealthy elite. ”
Tessa snorted. “But in reality, they are a bunch of lowlife criminals, right? Those are Frank’s kind of people.”
“Criminals, yes. But the only thing low about the life they lead are their morals. The travel agency is a front for transporting illegal and stolen goods. Drugs. Guns. Art. Jewels. They’ll transport anything for a price. And that price has made the agency’s operators obscenely wealthy.”
“Why the hell are they working with Frank? His only skills are conniving and stealing. Yes, he can be charming and not half-bad looking when he takes a shower and puts on a clean shirt, but he’s nowhere in the league of what you just described.”
“He doesn’t need to be. Conmen are masters in the art of distraction. They have him on the streets, using his skills to help distract the new products, and by that, I mean the people they’re smuggling.”
“Fuck.” Hudson’s wrath threatened to go critical.
“Human trafficking?” Tessa’s hands shook.
The General tapped on the file. “We have surveillance of him using distraction tactics to lure women, and even men, into traps.”
“No. Your intel is wrong. Frank doesn’t have many morals but…” She placed her hands over her heart. “He’s a father even if I don’t think of him as one any longer. He wouldn’t do that to someone else’s daughter. Unless he doesn’t care about anyone’s kid. Even his own.”
“Tessa.” Hudson touched her arm.
She pulled away. “No. He cares.” She downed a gulp of coffee and swallowed it so fast her eyes teared. “He has to care, right?”
And there was the defense he respected, but it sickened him to see the last shred of respect for her father crack along with her heart.
Hudson looked at the General. “Have you found him?”
“No, but we took another look at the photo Tessa lifted from her assailant on the boardwalk to be sure we didn’t miss anything. We didn’t. Frank is here definitely in the area.”
Hudson tracked Tessa’s reaction to the news. It didn’t change.
The General picked up the file. “Intel agencies have been tracking leads for months in hopes of tying Passage International to recent human trafficking. This situation is the first solid lead we have. The man who tried to take Tessa is a known Passage enforcer. Others in the organization, including the leaders, have been spotted in the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. areas. We think they’re meeting with a client. ”
Hudson shifted closer to Tessa, protective instinct drawing him to her even after she’d pulled away. “Do you know who they’re meeting with?”
“I can’t divulge that information.”
Hudson’s blood froze cell by cell. “What would Passage want with Tessa? An organization of that magnitude wouldn’t care about twenty million or a mansion they couldn’t liquidate.”
“To traffic her is the most reasonable explanation.”
“Fuck, no.” Hudson slid in front of her.
The General held up a hand. “It’s just a theory. One of many we need to explore.”
Tessa cut around Hudson. “Where does the explosion at my house figure into your theory?”
“We don’t have anything solid yet. Just that the bomb appears to be a sophisticated type readily available on the black market and that it was remotely triggered. You’ll get that info in the report tomorrow too.”
“That doesn’t make sense. If someone remotely triggered it, they would have been watching the house. If the goal was to kill me, why detonate when I wasn’t there?”
“Maybe to send a message.”
“Why me?” She held her palms up. “And what message?”
“We don’t know yet. We do know that there are three players here. Frank. You. And Passage International. We need more intel to determine how the three fit together.”
Panic flared in Tessa’s eyes. “I don’t know how I fit into all of this besides being Frank’s daughter. I’ve told you everything I can think of.”
She darted her gaze down the beach.
Placing his hand on her back, Hudson turned her toward the house. “This conversation is rattling you so hard you’re scoping out an exit strategy.”
She crossed her arms under her breasts and cupped her elbows. “I’m not rattled.”
“Good. But you are exhausted. Why don’t you go to bed where you’re safe from falling over sideways.”
But was he safe? Every second he spent with the pretty little thief upped the risk of falling for her.
Tessa shot him a glare sharp enough to cut through sea glass. “I’m going inside to find something for the headache you’re giving me, not because you told me to.”
“Whatever works, little thief.”
Her hips swayed with each stomp to the door. Was she pissed he’d called out her urge to run? Uncomfortable with being protected and cared for? Maybe she plain didn’t like being told what to do.
Too bad.
The General whistled through his teeth as the door slammed behind Tessa. “She’s skittish.”
“Can you blame her?”
“You believe she’s telling the truth about everything.”
“Yes.” Hudson didn’t hesitate. “Pop left her the ring. And any doubts I had were put to rest in a letter he left us. You’re welcome to read it if you want, but don’t tell Vivian I let you see it before her. She’ll go ballistic.”
“No doubt. The last time I saw Vivian at Sam’s eightieth birthday party she was ranting about her cheating husband and swore she’d never marry again.”
Hudson gathered the file on Frank along with Pop’s letter.
He motioned the General inside. “Nathaniel’s family goes way back with ours.
Vivian’s had a thing for him since they were kids.
Pop said she was pretty pleased to snag him when he came back to town.
” Hudson closed the door to the terrace and locked it.
Dropping onto the couch, he braced his elbows on his knees.
“Did you set up my meeting with the Pentagon?”
“We’re targeting the end of the week. I’ll be staying here until then to help you get Sam’s affairs in order.”
“Thank you.” Pop had an army of professionals to help Hudson take care of that, but he appreciated the support.
“What made you change your mind about sitting down with Project V?”
“Pop’s not here to fish with.”
The General eyed him over the rim of his mug. “What about your new friend?”
Jesus Christ. Did the man’s scary smart intel buddies equip him with technology to read minds? “What about her?”
“It’s been a long time since I had kids at home to interrupt, but I remember the signs. If I hadn’t walked around that corner, there’s a good chance I’d be Grandpa General in nine months.” He puffed on his cigar. “Or General Grandpa? Not sure which has a better ring to it.”
“Very funny.”
“Well, the timing for the two of you to get to know each other better works out. Project V won’t be fully funded for at least a year, and that’s contingent on a fuck ton of hoops to jump through. And you’ll have to train.”
“What kind of training would I need that I didn’t already receive in the last twenty years? Unless, of course, Project V was created to fight aliens and I’ll have to learn battlefield medicine for outer space.”
The General didn’t laugh at his joke.
A chill crept up Hudson’s spine. “Why do I think my sci-fi scenario isn’t too far off the mark?”
“The outer space aspect is far-fetched, but you’re on the right track with the sci-fi part.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“You’ve saved lives all over the world in every dangerous situation imaginable, but Project V is a different playing field.” The General pulled another cigar from his pocket. “These are nice and smooth. Want one?”
“No.” He wanted answers, but he knew better than to press for more information. When the General changed the subject, the conversation was done. Hudson wasn’t done with questions though. “Did you find out any information about the location of Lieutenant Commander Chris Daviani?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me where he is?”
The General raised both silver eyebrows.
Hudson cursed under his breath. “At least tell me if he’s alive.”
“He’s better than alive. He’s being reborn.”