by Cynthia Eden
Cole nodded. “Exactly. The kidnappings were lures. Everything was a big setup with the end game of having Blair on the island. The person pulling the strings was willing to bide his time in order to get her. He wanted her there. But…” He exhaled on a long sigh. “There’s just a few things I’m not understanding.”
“I think you don’t understand a lot.” Edward was still on his feet.
Cole ignored him and kept talking. “The mastermind—if we want to call him that—he knew that Blair worked for Wilde. Obviously. And if he knew that, then he would have been able to figure out where she lived. He would have been able to target her just as easily back home versus out on the island. So the setup—the abductions, the remote island—all had to be for a different reason.”
Edward had gone silent.
“What did the other kidnappings have in common?” Cole mused, thinking out loud and also trying to push Edward.
“I don’t know,” Edward snapped. “I wasn’t there for them! I had only gotten on the island a bit before Blair and her asshole partner arrived.” Cole stiffened.
Fuck. Oh, fucking hell.
“I read the reports,” James said, voice as cool as you please. “For the first kidnapping, the husband didn’t pay the money back.”
And why not? Because the husband had been a selfish bastard. When he’d questioned her before they’d left the island, Natasha had even told Cole that Helen Vorten’s husband had boasted he could ‘buy another wife’ for less than the ransom demand. The dude sounded like a real piece of trash.
With the second kidnapping, the wife had been returned because Jeremiah Patrick had been willing to move heaven and hell to get his wife back. When Cole had asked Natasha about Jeremiah, she’d replied, “He would do anything for her.”
And with Blair…
Linc had been desperate. Not an act, but the real deal. He’d been willing to do anything to get Blair back. He’d taken that small boat and gone out to find her. When Linc had discovered Blair’s boat in pieces, the man had gone wild. Cole and Natasha had both been there to see his reaction. Linc had been broken as he stared at the wreckage.
“It’s about hurting them,” Cole realized. He was staring at James, not Edward. “The husbands—one loved his wife, and one didn’t.”
James shook his head. “I’m not following your bread crumbs.”
He was barely following them, too. And maybe he was wrong with this train of thought, but for the moment, he was going to keep heading down the tracks to see where they went. “The kidnappers could see who really cared. When the wives were abducted, the husbands showed whether they loved them or not. It was like a test. A test to prove that they cared.”
“One passed the test.” James tapped his chin. “One failed?”
“Yes.” Cold, but, yes. “What if we look at the abductions as practice runs?” Shit, that was even colder. “The island was the perfect spot—so isolated. The two wives were taken so that the kidnappers could perfect their attacks.”
“Practice makes perfect,” James murmured.
It did.
“Yeah, this is fascinating and all, but I am about to go—” Edward announced.
Cole pointed at him. “You didn’t give a damn.”
“Excuse me?”
“You were like Helen Vorten’s husband. You failed the test.”
Edward blinked.
Cole spoke faster as he said, “Our perp—the freaking mastermind—found out about you and Blair. He knew about your past. Maybe he thought that you loved her. Maybe he thought she loved you. So he tested that idea. He brought you both out to the island and he took her, but you didn’t care.”
“Hey!” Edward stiffened. “I damn well did care. I mean, we all show our emotions differently and—”
“Linc,” James spit out. “Hell.”
Cole nodded. “Linc wears his emotions on his sleeve. At least where Blair is concerned.”
James winced. “So anyone watching would know that he loves her.”
Edward laughed. An uncomfortable, rough sound. He shifted from foot to foot. “Whatever. So the guy loves her. Doesn’t mean Blair loves him. She doesn’t love anyone. The woman is ice cold. I know. I thought she loved me once, but she didn’t—”
Cole and James were both ignoring him.
James’s face tightened. “The killer wanted to know who loved Blair.”
“And who she loved.” Because his gut told him this was the reason they’d all been pulled down there. The killer wanted to hurt Blair and the only way to do that…
It wasn’t death. Death was easy. Hell, the killer had probably known Blair would survive that bomb blast. With her past, Blair should have survived. No, this wasn’t about killing Blair.
It was about hurting her. Breaking her. The best way to do that?
Hurt the one person Blair loves.
But the perp hadn’t known who that man was…Not until now. Not until Turquoise Island. Okay, sure, this shit was all conjecture. They could be wrong.
But what if they weren’t? If they weren’t wrong, then the next target wouldn’t be Blair. It would be Linc.
There was a sharp knock at the door. A moment later, it swung open, and Harvey stood there with his chest heaving. “We have a problem,” he told them flatly.
Cole was already shaking his head. “Do not tell me—”
“Natasha Frank has vanished.”
“What?” Cole had interviewed her right after they made it to Miami, but then—
Hell. The local authorities had wanted their turn at her.
“Locals lost her.” Harvey’s disgust was plain. “She slipped away, and those jerks didn’t even tell me until now.”
“How long has she been gone?” Maybe it wasn’t as bad as—
“At least four hours.”
Hell. It was as bad as he feared.
Chapter Seventeen
Blair was asleep on his chest. Linc’s arms curled around her as he stared up at the ceiling. She was soft and warm and smelled so sweet. He’d fallen asleep with her. After the orgasm that had blown his mind, he’d drifted off with her in his arms. What better way was there to go?
But he’d had nightmares. He’d been on that damn boat again, looking for Blair in the wreckage. Only she hadn’t been there. He’d called and called to her, but Blair hadn’t appeared in the water.
She’d been gone.
He’d awoken, heart racing, to find her sprawled across him.
I haven’t lost her. And he wouldn’t.
Even though he was now wide awake, her breathing was easy. Deep. Was this the first time that she’d slept since the abduction? Maybe she’d caught a few hours of sleep on the plane rides home.
No. Blair didn’t like sleeping on planes. She was a nervous flyer, she—
His phone gave a quick peal of sound. From somewhere…maybe the floor? He recognized the tone as indicating that he’d just gotten a text.
Considering that only a select few had his number, Linc knew he had to check the text. Especially with the danger that currently surrounded Blair. Carefully, he slipped out of bed.
She whispered his name.
He loved it when she did that. Loved it when she called his name in her sleep. He sure hoped she was having some super dirty, X-rated dreams.
Linc swiped up his phone. Crept out of her bedroom and frowned down at the text from Cole.
Problem. Call me ASAP.
Great. What wasn’t a problem these days? Linc ran a hand over his jaw—okay, that felt like sandpaper and he needed to shave soon. Especially before he wound up hurting Blair’s tender skin. Marching away from Blair’s bedroom, he called Cole and put the phone to his ear.
Cole answered on the second ring. “Tell me that you’ve got eyes on Blair.”
A few moments ago, I had my hands on her. Then you interrupted. “She’s sleeping.”
“That explains why she didn’t answer my text.”
“She’s been through a lot. The woman ne
eds rest.”
There were voices in the background, then Cole snapped, “Dammit, James, I’m about to tell him!”
Linc’s hold tightened on the phone. “Tell me what?”
“Natasha Frank is gone.”
“She was released? She’s been cleared by the authorities already?”
“No, she’s gone. As in, the local authorities are idiots, and they lost her. Lost her. Some dumbass rookie took her to the restroom, and she slipped away while he was waiting outside. The woman vanished. We didn’t find out about that shit for over four hours. Four hours. An APB is out for her now, but every instinct I have is telling me that we won’t be finding her. She was playing us, man. All along. I think she was involved in this up to her neck.”
Dammit. “Martin isn’t rolling on her?”
“James is about to take a run at him again, and I’m going in with Edward one more time.” A rough exhale. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“Seriously, man, your news sucks.”
“Yeah, this isn’t gonna make your day any brighter. It’s a theory I’ve got going. No proof yet. Purely theory.”
Linc turned toward the blinds near him. Squinted. Hell, it was already daytime. How long had the sun been up?
“I think it was a test.”
“What was a test?” Linc didn’t follow.
“The kidnappings. All of them. I think Natasha wasn’t really interested in the women. She wanted to see how the men in their lives reacted.”
“I thought these kidnappings were just about the money.”
“Money is the diversion. There is more at play here. I just haven’t figured it all out. But…” Frustration boiled in Cole’s voice. “With you and Edward, I suspect Natasha was trying to see which one of you would react the strongest when Blair was taken.”
“What?”
“Maybe she was trying to see which one of you loved Blair.”
Linc stiffened. “Look, man, you’re out of line. Blair and I—”
“Cut the bullshit. You’ve been in love with her probably since the first moment you saw her.”
His gaze turned back to Blair’s closed bedroom door. Guilty.
“Natasha now knows you care about Blair. If I’m right with my suspicions, that means you’re the one she’ll target next.”
“Why? Why would she be doing all of this?” He wasn’t saying he bought what Cole was suggesting, but Linc wanted to hear more.
“Because I believe she wants to hurt Blair. Blair doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses. But loving you would be a weakness. Hurting you would hurt her.”
Linc’s temples throbbed. “No one ever said Blair loved me.”
“Sometimes, you don’t have to say a damn thing. Natasha was on the boat when you found Blair, remember? She saw you pull Blair out of the water. She saw the way Blair reacted to you. Every instinct I have is telling me that Natasha will be coming for you.”
“Coming for me.” He considered that. “Not Blair.”
“Yeah, but—wait, hold on! What dumbass idea are you hatching?”
A dumbass idea that would protect Blair. “If Natasha wants me, then she’ll get me.”
“Oh, fuck. You’re about to do something really stupid, aren’t you?”
“I like to think of it as brave, but…whatever. Semantics.”
“Do not. Whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it. I’m going to take a run at Edward again, then I’m getting on a plane and I’m coming to be your backup. Until then, Eric told me that he’s got undercover Wilde agents staked out around Blair’s place. Just talked to him and he said that the team had been on Blair since last night.”
Sure the team was there—because Linc had ordered them there. “I called him last night. Made sure they were in place when I arrived.” Because Blair’s safety came first. Eric hadn’t even realized Blair had come back home. Eric had thought Blair would vanish and stay in the shadows until the perp was caught.
Not her style. Eric doesn’t know her like I do.
“What are you planning?” Cole pushed.
“I need to get a few supplies in place. Then it will be game on.”
“You need to be serious about this shit. This isn’t a joke.”
He thought of Blair sleeping so peacefully in bed. He thought of the murky water, littered with debris after the boat exploded.
What if I hadn’t been able to find her? “No,” he agreed gruffly. “It damn well isn’t a joke.”
***
“He hung up on me.” Cole glared at the phone. “I was trying to help the SOB, and he hung up on me.” He looked up.
James smirked at him.
Did this shit look funny? “Don’t you have a perp to interrogate?”
A slow nod. “Yep, we both do. But I’m betting I’ll hit pay dirt, and you won’t.”
“Oh, really? Why the hell is that?”
James turned away. “Because you keep playing by the rules, man, and I don’t.”
***
“Hey there, buddy.” James inclined his head toward the cop. “Your chief is down the hall, and he wants to talk to you.”
The guy in the uniform blinked.
“Better not keep him waiting,” James added with a wiggle of his brows. “He seemed pissed. But don’t worry, I’ll watch the prisoner until you get back.” He smiled. “I’m one of the Wilde agents. You know you can count on us.”
Looking nervous, the uniform sidled toward the door.
James knew no cop in the history of cops ever wanted to piss off the chief.
He left.
James sized up his prey. “Hello, there.”
Martin Shay sat with his shoulders sagging and his cuffed hands in front of him. He looked up at James and blinked a few times. “I saw you on the island.”
“I saw you there, too.” James glanced at his watch. Calculated how long he’d have with his new friend before the cop came back. Not long because the chief wasn’t waiting anywhere nearby.
“I want my lawyer,” Martin mumbled.
“Yes, well, I want to be back home with my favorite doctor, but that shit isn’t happening right now.”
Martin frowned. “What?”
James stalked forward. He grabbed the back of Martin’s chair, and he tossed that chair down as hard as he could. Martin—and his chair—slammed into the floor.
Martin opened his mouth to scream, but James slapped his hand over Martin’s lips. “Don’t annoy me.”
Martin’s eyes doubled in size.
“I don’t have a lot of time to waste, so I’m going to cut right to the chase. Natasha Frank is missing.”
Martin blinked.
“She was working with you, wasn’t she?”
Another telling blink.
“I’m going to take my hand away, and you’re going to talk. You’re going to tell me everything you know about her, and guess what I’ll do?”
Martin stared up at him.
James put his mouth closer to Martin’s ear. “I’m going to let you keep living.” He lifted his hand.
“Y-you can’t threaten me! You can’t—”
James pressed a knife to Martin’s throat. “Do I look like a cop?”
“N-no.”
“Good. Because I’m not one. And guess what else? I’m not really a Wilde agent, either. In a few minutes, I will disappear from this room, and the cops who are slowing down this case—they won’t ever see me again. I’ll be in and out. Just a ghost.” He smiled at his prey. “If you don’t tell me everything I need to hear, I’ll make sure you’re a ghost before I leave, too.”
“Y-you can’t! You’re—you’re—” But Martin sputtered to a stop.
“If you call me a good guy, I will slit your throat for shits and giggles.”
Martin’s lips were trembling.
“Natasha left you, dumbass. She escaped, and she’s going to let you take the fall for everything. You get that, don’t you? God, I hope you’re smart enough to get that. Georgia is dead
. Natasha is in the wind, and you’re the one the cops will nail to the wall.”
“I-I didn’t hurt anyone.”
“Well, someone killed Helen Vorten.”
“Georgia! She gave her too many drugs! That was an accident!”
“Do you want me to accidentally cut your throat?” He pressed down harder with the blade.
“No! No, Jesus! Don’t!”
James glared at him. “Then don’t waste my time. I want to know about Natasha. Tell me everything. Now.”
“She—she got me the job on the island. I knew her—met back in Miami. She promised it would be easy money. That I just had to do what she said. And the money was good. Or, it would have been, once I got my cut.”
James laughed. “She kept all the money?”
“She sent it offshore somewhere. But she was going to give me my share—”
“No, she wasn’t.” Idiot. “Was she the boss? Or was she getting orders from someone else?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“Did you ever see her talking to someone else?” James pressed. “Did you ever hear her say anything that made you think she was taking orders?”
“No.”
Anger churned inside of James. “You need to tell me something useful because right now, I feel like you are a waste of my time.”
“I don’t know! I’m sorry! I just—she said we could make money! I needed money!”
He pushed the blade—
“Wait! Natasha—I remember she said men who loved could be manipulated. Controlled. That they were weak and we could use that!”
Only that didn’t make a whole lot of sense considering that… “Right out of the gate, she picked the wrong man. Vorten didn’t pay to get his wife back.”
Martin glanced away.
James felt his instincts scream at him. “Oh, the hell, no, you had better not even think of holding back on me.”
“Matthew Vorten was in love,” Martin muttered. “Just not with his wife. Natasha used to brag to me about how she had him wrapped around her little finger.”
That sure as hell changes things. James let that new tidbit sink in for a moment. Then he heard the murmur of voices outside.
“Accident, my ass,” James realized. “Helen Vorten’s death was deliberate, and you’re going down for that shit.”