by Elle James
“Damn right, it is.”
“Do you own the costume?” Jacob asked.
“Why do you want to know?”
“It’s not rented or anything is it?”
“No. I bought it because I wanted the show to have a Navy theme.”
“Good. Keep it. I wouldn’t mind seeing you in it next time.”
Her brow furrowed, and she lifted her chin. “Who said there would be a next time?”
Jacob cupped her cheek. “After we get Hawk back and married, I’d like to take you out on a real date.”
Casey shook her head. “I told you before we…before we…well…before, that one of the conditions was no strings.”
Jacob’s gut knotted. He liked Casey. She was feisty and sexy. “I’m not asking for strings. Just a date.”
“And I’m not interested in a long-term relationship. Especially with a Navy SEAL.”
“What do you mean, especially with a Navy SEAL.”
Her nostrils flared. “I’ve lived in San Diego all my life. Many of my friends have dated, married and divorced Navy SEALs. They have a reputation for having a woman in every port. At the very least, they’re not known for staying married for long.”
“Have you ever considered that the women who married them might have been the ones who couldn’t handle the relationship?” He stepped up close to her, standing toe to toe. “We don’t have easy jobs. We’re not accountants who can go to work and come home every night of the week and be there on the weekends. Women who marry a Navy SEAL should understand what they’re getting into before they marry. It’s not easy watching your husband leave for weeks or months at a time and not know when he’ll be back. It’s not easy raising children on your own because your spouse has a duty to his country. Is that the real reason you don’t want to get involved with a Navy SEAL? You don’t have the stamina to deal with the separation and worry?”
She stared up into his face, her eyes glassy as if holding back tears. “I know what it’s like to be the one left behind. My father was a Navy SEAL. I never want to be a woman like my mother, always waiting for her man to come home. Dreading a visit from a uniformed chaplain, coming to tell her that her husband was killed in action. I watched her cry so many nights I lost count. So, no. I don’t want to get involved with a Navy SEAL.” She drew in a deep breath, her chest rising beneath the snug pink shirt she wore.
He could picture her pert breasts naked. Which didn’t help his cause. He wanted to go out with her again. But she had a point. They could never be more than just lovers. “I didn’t say I wanted a long-term relationship. What if all I want is someone to hang out with for a few dates?”
Her gaze held his for a long moment. She opened her mouth to say something, but before the words came out, the hotel clerk poked his head back into the office. “The police just arrived.”
Casey snapped her mouth shut. “We’d better go fill them in. Maybe there is something they can do to help find Hawk.” She started for the door.
Jacob stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I’m not finished with this conversation.”
She stared at the hand until he dropped it. “I’m not sure there’s a point to it. And now isn’t the time.”
“Agreed. Hawk is our priority. Until we find him, we’re on hold.”
“We’re not—” Casey shook her head. “Never mind. Let’s do this.” She hurried out the door and met the police as they exited their patrol unit.
As Jacob, Casey and the hotel clerk gave the police an account of what had happened the night before, an SUV pulled into the parking lot.
A tall, muscular man dropped down from the driver’s seat and headed toward them. His hair was longer, and he wore a button-down shirt and dress slacks, but Jacob would’ve known the man anywhere. He held out his hand. “Hank, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Rooster.” He took his hand and pulled him into a hard hug. “Good to see you, man.”
“And you.” Jacob turned to Casey. “Hank Patterson, this is Casey Wesson, the wedding planner.”
Casey shook Hank’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Hawk’s fiancée. You did a lot to help Kalea out when she was in a tight spot.”
“We were just glad we could. Hawk was the one who pulled it off. Between him and Kalea, they make a great team. I hope to get her to come to work for me at the Brotherhood Protectors.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “I thought you only hired former military.”
“I do, for the most part. But I’d make an exception for someone as talented and determined as Kalea. She’s sharp.”
“I was hoping she’d move back to San Diego,” Casey said. “But with Hawk missing, I’m not sure she’ll want to put him at risk again, after we get him back.”
Hank nodded. “We’ll get him back. And, if I know Hawk, he’ll be fighting his way back. The man’s been chomping at the bit to marry that woman before she gets away.” Hank chuckled. “I have my guy, Swede, working on the license plate. Have you learned anything else?”
“As a matter of fact,” Jacob started, “there is something that happened at the bachelor party that might bear looking into.”
“Yeah?” Hank raised his eyebrows.
A policemen entered the building with the hotel clerk.
“Let’s go with them. You might want to see the room.” Jacob waved Hank ahead of him as he entered the building. The police and hotel clerk took the elevator. “We can take the stairs.” As they climbed to the fifth floor, Jacob told him about Camila’s drama at McP’s.
“Does she have a last name?” Hank asked.
“I don’t have it. Hawk only told us her first name,” Jacob said.
“I’ll get Swede on it,” Hank said. “Maybe he can access some criminal databases. She might have a record.”
“It might be worth heading to McP’s to see if Ray knows who she is,” Jacob said. “She might be a regular.”
“How is Kalea taking it?” Hank asked Casey.
Casey’s cheeks reddened. “I haven’t told her. I’d hoped we could find him and get him to the church on time without informing her. She called this morning freaked out when he didn’t answer his cellphone. I can’t imagine how she’ll react when she learns he’s missing.”
“She needs to know,” Hank said.
Casey inhaled and let go of the breath in a long sigh. “I know. But could we hold off a little longer? He might turn up.” She gave Hank a weak grin. “It could happen.”
Hank nodded. “Okay. I won’t tell her. If we don’t find him in the next couple of hours, you need to be the one to break it to her.” They emerged onto the fifth floor and hurried toward Hawk’s room where the police were investigating.
Hank stood outside the room, looking in at the mess, a frown denting his brow. “He didn’t leave of his own volition.”
“That was our guess,” Jacob said. “The two guys in the video were pretty big.”
“Still can’t imagine them getting the drop on Hawkins.”
Jacob exchanged a glance with Casey. “He was pretty drunk when we left him in bed. And why would they take his tuxedo?”
Casey crossed her arms over her chest. “Camila. Maybe she has some half-baked idea that he’ll marry her, if she gets him away from Kalea.”
“The woman is out of her mind. Hawk’s crazy about Kalea,” Hank said.
“And she’s crazy about him,” Casey said. “We have to find him.”
The police officers dusted for prints. The one in charge asked Casey and Jacob to drop by the station to give them their prints so they could rule theirs out when they were comparing with those they found.
“I’d better get there and on to McP’s,” Jacob said. “They don’t open until eleven, but Ray gets there early to prep for lunch.”
“I need to find a place to set up a command center,” Hank said.
“You can use my place,” Casey dug her keys out of her purse and slipped one off the ring, handing it to Hank. “My apartment isn’t big, but I ha
ve a large white board and high-speed internet. I’ll have Jacob text the address to you.”
“Great.” Hank took the key. “If Swede or I come up with any leads, I’ll check them out. And I’ll gather my contacts for a possible extraction team.”
Jacob had forgotten just how good Hank was. He was glad the man was on their team and working to get Hawk back. “Good. We might need a full team to make it happen.”
“Are you headed over to see Kalea?” Hank asked Casey.
She shook her head. “I’m going with Jacob. If Ray knows anything, I want to be on it immediately. I feel responsible for losing the groom.”
Hank’s brow furrowed. “Why? You couldn’t have known those men would show up to kidnap him.”
Casey’s cheeks flushed a bright red. “I’m the wedding planner…I should know where the wedding party is at all times.” She turned to Jacob. “Are we going? Your vehicle is parked at McP’s. We’ll have to take mine.”
Hank’s gaze went from Casey to Jacob and back to Casey, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Jacob almost laughed, but he held his humor in check. Casey would not be amused to know Hank had figured out there was something between the two of them. Why else would she be at the hotel still with Jacob’s vehicle parked at the pub?
“Let us know if you find anything,” Jacob said.
Hank nodded. “You do the same.”
Jacob followed Casey out of the hotel and climbed into the passenger seat of her SUV.
Casey gave him her address.
Jacob keyed it into his smartphone and texted it to Hank. A moment later, he looked up. “He got it.”
For a moment, Casey sat still with her hands on the steering wheel, her lips pressed into a tight line. “How could we not hear someone abducting Hawk right across the hallway from us last night?” She smacked her palm on the steering wheel. “How?”
“Uh, sweetheart, we were making our own noise most of the night. By the time we fell asleep, we were pretty wiped out.”
She closed her eyes, started the engine and opened her eyes again. “We shouldn’t have.”
Jacob reached across and covered her hand with his. “I can’t regret it. Even if I’d been alone, I doubt I would’ve heard the commotion. Those rooms and doors are fairly well insulated. They had to have used a key, since the door wasn’t damaged. Hawk was out before we dropped him in his bed. He never saw them coming.”
“Still…we shouldn’t have.” She shifted into reverse and backed out of the parking space, shifted into drive and pulled out of the lot onto the main road.
“Well, I for one am glad we did. And I’m all for doing it again.” He grinned and stared at the road ahead. “I know. The focus is on Hawk. I’m all about getting him back and to his bride before the wedding march plays. So, step on it. We have a wedding to save.”
Casey hit the accelerator hard, sending the SUV leaping forward. The drive that should have taken twenty minutes only took fifteen. They arrived at McP’s and drove around to the rear, since it wasn’t eleven yet.
An older man wearing a white apron came out of the back of the building carrying a bag of trash.
“That’s Ray,” Jacob said.
Casey parked the vehicle and jumped down at the same time as Jacob.
“Ray,” Jacob called out.
The bartender looked around but continued moving toward the large trash bin, tossed the bag inside and then turned. “Can I help you?”
“We were here last night with the bachelor party.”
“Hawk’s party.” Ray nodded. “Did you lose something?” He came to a stop in front of Jacob.
“Actually, we did,” Jacob said. “The groom.”
The old Navy man’s brows rose. “You sure he didn’t decide to skip out on the wedding? You know…cold feet?”
“No,” Casey said. “We think he might have been kidnapped.”
Ray’s brow dipped. “From McP’s?”
“No,” Jacob said. “From the hotel he was staying at.”
Ray crossed his arms over his chest. “What does that have to do with McP’s?”
“The woman the off-duty policeman escorted out last night,” Jacob said. “Do you remember her?”
“Camila?” Ray asked.
“That’s her,” Casey said.
“It’s a long shot, but we think she might be involved.” Jacob waited for Ray to respond.
The man’s eyes narrowed, and he stared at the corner of the building. “I’m almost sure she mentioned her name at one time. She used to be a regular in here. Always hanging out when the frogmen came to visit. She liked those Navy SEALs.”
“Think,” Jacob urged. “It’s important that we find her.”
“The sooner the better,” Casey added. “Or a bride will be left standing at the altar, while her groom could be in real trouble.”
Ray pinched the bridge of his nose. “Heard a rumor one time that she was related to some pretty bad characters in Tijuana.” He dropped his hand. “Some drug cartel that’s pretty big down there.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t remember her last name. But the drug cartel is pretty well known. You might start there and see if they have relatives this side of the border.”
Jacob stuck out his hand. “Thanks, Ray. We appreciate your help.”
Ray held up his hands. “I’ll spare you the shake. My hands are pretty dirty. But if I remember anything, leave a number for me to call.”
Casey pulled a business card out of her purse and tucked it into the pocket of his white apron. “Call the number on the card. It’s my cellphone.”
“Will do.” Ray gave a mock salute. “Good luck finding your guy. I hope he makes it to his wedding on time.”
“So do we,” Casey murmured. “So do we.”
If Hawk had been taken across the border, they’d be hard pressed to get him back in time for the wedding. It would take an act of God or mission-ready SEALs to pull it off.
Jacob prayed Hank was more successful gathering a team and the necessary equipment they’d need if a raid into Tijuana became necessary.
Chapter 6
Casey climbed into her SUV. “Do you want to get your vehicle, or will mine do for now?”
“Yours will do.” Jacob pulled out his cellphone and punched in Hank’s number.
“Where to?” Casey asked as Jacob made his call.
Jacob raised his hand. “Hold steady. I need to talk to Hank.”
She waited with her hand on the shift, her foot on the brake.
Ray had gone into McP’s, leaving them alone in the back parking lot.
“Fowler, here,” Jacob answered. “Yeah, Hank. I just talked to Ray at McP’s.”
Casey leaned close to Jacob, straining to hear what Hank had to say.
Jacob took the cellphone away from his ear and put it on speaker so they both could hear. “You’re on speaker,” Jacob said.
“Good. I have a little information.”
“We do, too. Not much, but anything could be better than nothing,” Jacob said. “Ray didn’t know Camila’s last name, but rumor has it she’s related to a big drug cartel across the border in Tijuana.”
“Perfect,” Hank said.
“What do you mean, perfect?” Casey asked. She could think of lots of adjectives to describe the situation and perfect wasn’t one of them. “I can’t imagine drug cartel relatives being a good thing.”
“No, but it helps narrow down the search. Did you know there are over three thousand Camilas in the San Diego area? Fortunately, Swede hacked into the Mexican DMV and managed to track down the license plate of the van that left the hotel. It’s registered in the Mexican state of Baja California to a delivery service that provides cross border transfers. The service is thought to have connections with the Cartel Tijuana Nueva Generación. Hold on, I’m getting a text from Swede.” Hank paused.
Casey held her breath.
“He’s found members of the extended cartel family this side of the border, on
e of whom is a U.S. citizen by the name of Camila Torres. I’ll forward the address he found on the California DMV.”
A pinging bell sounded on Jacob’s cellphone. He brought up the text and the address of Camila Torres. He entered it in his GPS map application.
Casey glanced at the directions, shifted into drive and headed for Camila’s residence.
“Anything else?” Jacob asked.
“If Camila is who the web says she is, her closest relatives are her brothers, and they’re some nasty hombres,” Hank said. “I’ve got calls out to a number of Navy SEALs I’ve worked with in the past. I hope to hear back within the hour. I take it you’re headed to Camila’s?”
“We are,” Jacob confirmed.
“You might want to wait until I can send backup,” Hank warned. “If those bruisers brought Hawk to Camila’s place, they might still be there.”
“We’ll recon the place and report back without moving in. I doubt they would’ve taken him there, but if Camila is home, she might shed some light. For all we know, we could be way off on our assessment of the situation.”
“I doubt it,” Hank said. “It’s too much of a coincidence that the delivery van is connected to a cartel that Camila’s family does business with.”
“And I don’t believe in coincidence,” Jacob said.
“Neither do I,” Casey agreed. “This has to be the right wild goose to chase.”
“We’ll let you know what we find.” Jacob ended the call and looked at the road ahead.
“You don’t happen to have a gun on you, do you?” Casey asked softly.
“No. It’s in my truck back at McP’s.”
“Should we go back?” Casey asked, slowing her SUV.
“No.” Jacob nodded toward the road ahead. “We’re just looking. If we need to, we’ll call in reinforcements. I won’t put you in danger by taking you into a hostile situation.”
Casey nodded. “Those cartels play for keeps. I hope they haven’t hurt Hawk. Kalea will be devastated.”
“If Camila wants him, I don’t think they’ll hurt him.”
“We can hope so. But why else would she have them take the tuxedo, unless she plans to force him to marry her?”