by Rebecca Deel
“Do you have a set of keys to her car?”
Her stomach knotted. “No.” So close to be stopped by a locked door. “I don’t suppose you can break the window in broad daylight without anyone noticing.”
“Nope, but I don’t have to break in. I’ve got something better.” He pulled out his cell and sent a text message she couldn’t read without twisting herself into a pretzel.
A small smile curved Brenna’s lips. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
“Not what, sugar. Who.”
“Jon?”
“You got it.”
“That man is a walking computer, isn’t he? I have a feeling many of his skills aren’t legal.”
“Let’s just say he’s well trained by street life and the military. Even I don’t know all that Jon can do and I don’t ask. Sometimes it’s safer not to know what he’s capable of.” Eli stiffened. “We’ve got company coming. Security. Turn around and kiss me like you mean it.”
Brenna’s heart sped into overdrive. “Will I ever get a chance to kiss you without an audience?” She turned, slid her hands up his arms and locked them behind his neck.
Eli grinned. “Any time you want, sugar. I’ll look forward to it.”
She raised her head the scant few inches that separated them and pressed her mouth to his. She tasted Coke, mint and Eli. Brenna eased closer and tightened her grip on his neck. Eli’s arms circled around her back as warmth that had nothing to do with the weather surged through her body. A soft sigh escaped as she changed the angle and deepened the kiss. Kissing Eli Wolfe could become very addicting, she decided. An addiction she wouldn’t mind exploring if the circumstances weren’t so dire.
Somewhere in the distance she registered the sound of a golf cart passing and growing fainter along with the rising whine of jet engines on one of the nearby runways. Long minutes later, Eli lifted his head. Brenna was gratified to note his rapid breathing mirrored her own.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “It’s good we had an audience. You almost knocked me off my feet. By the way, you owe me a piece of gum.”
Brenna’s face flamed as she realized the mint taste in her mouth came from Eli’s gum, now pressed against the inside of her cheek. “You want it back?”
Eli’s gaze darkened and dropped to her mouth. “A very tempting offer, but we need to stay focused.”
“Right, focused.” Brenna made herself unlock her arms and step back. “How much longer will we have to wait for Jon?”
His soft laughter told her the answer. She sighed. Great. She had been so entranced by the distraction staged for the security guard’s benefit she hadn’t paid attention to the goal. “I missed the main event, didn’t I? When did he unlock it?”
“Oh, about the time I lost my gum.”
“This is so embarrassing.”
Eli captured her hand and raised it to his mouth for a brief kiss. “I think it’s cute.” He urged her closer to the Mazda.
Cute? What about breathtaking or stupendous? Maybe the distraction had all been on her side. She scowled. “You didn’t miss Jon’s work.”
He drew her to a stop inches from the car and cupped her chin in his hand, raised her gaze to his. “I’m good at multitasking, Brenna. Had to be a multitasker in the SEALs. Make no mistake, though, sugar. I was in the moment every bit as much as you.”
Brenna smiled. “Right answer, another one that might appear in my next book.”
Eli tugged his polo shirt free from his jeans and opened the car door with his covered hand. “When you hit the New York Times bestseller list, I’ll expect appropriate compensation in return.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Keep your hands in your pockets, but look inside Dana’s car. Notice anything that shouldn’t be there or maybe something that’s missing?”
Brenna leaned closer and peered into the interior of the hot Mazda. Nothing seemed to be missing. Dana’s CDs were in the door. She frowned. They didn’t rattle when Eli opened the door. Had Dana bought a new one? The air freshener hung from the rearview mirror. No trash or loose bits of paper. Like always, even Dana’s car reflected her neatness fetish.
“Want to look in the back?” Eli asked.
She nodded, still thinking about the CDs. Dana bragged about any new music she bought. Another plane took off, the noise making any verbal comments to Eli impossible. Brenna eased closer to the now open back door. A scent caught her attention. She sniffed. What was that scent? It sort of smelled familiar. Not Dana’s perfume since she didn’t wear any. Her fragrance of choice was vanilla-scented body wash and shampoo, same scent as Brenna preferred.
Cologne, maybe? But whose cologne? Dana wasn’t dating anyone, at least no one Brenna knew about. Were Eli and Jon right? Had her sister changed enough not to feel compelled to tell her everything?
She sniffed again. Something about that scent bothered her enough to make her stomach twist.
“What is it, Brenna? Did you find something?”
“Not really. A scent I can’t identify.” She turned her head to look deeper into the car’s interior. The sun’s reflection glittered off a bottle in the side pocket of the passenger door. Brenna bent closer, drawing in a deep breath. The smell grew stronger as she neared the door. “There’s a bottle of cologne back here and it doesn’t belong to Dana.”
Eli knelt beside the door. “You sure?”
“Positive.”
Once again using his shirt-covered hand, Eli eased the bottle high enough to read the label. Obsession.
Brenna gasped. “No way. Dana would never carry this in her car.”
“Why? Talk to me, Brenna.”
“I knew that scent was familiar. That’s the cologne our stepfather always used. Dana hates that cologne.” She stood. “Could we be on the wrong track with Sartelli? Maybe Ross is involved in Dana’s disappearance. What if he took Dana?” The possibility horrified her. Dana had seen a therapist for a couple years after Ross’s arrest. She’d spent many nights holding Dana when she woke from nightmares screaming for Ross to get away from her.
Eli frowned. “But why send Hoodie after a digital recording?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense.” Brenna bit her lower lip, considered the implications of a connection with Ross. “You think I’m grasping at straws, don’t you?”
He slid the bottle back into position and closed the door. “We need to call Cal and let the crime techs work on Dana’s car.”
“Go ahead.” Brenna moved back to the still open front door. “I want to check these CDs. Dana must have bought something new. It’s probably nothing, but the CDs didn’t rattle in the door like normal.” She followed Eli’s example and used her shirt to cover her hand and removed the one cover she didn’t recognize. “Eli, look at this.”
She showed him the white CD with the clear cover. The CD was hand labeled with the letters SC. Sartelli Construction? “This is for pictures, not music.”
“Is your laptop still in the trunk?” Eli asked.
“I never leave home without it.” She smiled. “The computer is fully charged. I think we can find a use for it, don’t you?”
“I love a woman who’s beautiful and smart.”
Brenna darted a look at Eli. He thought she was beautiful? Butterflies danced in her stomach. Wouldn’t that be nice? Complicated, but good. Yeah, she wasn’t big on long distance romances either. If he meant what he said. She reminded herself about the courteous southern gentleman part of Eli’s personality.
Eli unlocked his trunk with the remote and raised the lid. “I won’t sabotage Cal’s case by taking the CD, but I don’t mind copying the thing before he gets here. We’ll put it back as soon as we have what we need.” He unzipped the carrier case. “You do the honors.”
Brenna turned on her laptop and copied the CD onto her computer’s desktop. “Got it. What’s next?”
“Now we call in Metro’s finest.”
Thirty minutes later, Cal Taylor eyed Eli with suspic
ion over the roof of Dana’s car. “You better not have messed with anything, Wolfe.”
“Would I do that?”
Cal snorted. “If I find so much as a hair from your head in this car, you might find yourself wearing a pair of handcuffs.”
“You’re breaking my heart here, Cal.” Eli shook his head in mock disgust, his arm draped around Brenna’s shoulders. “I’m smarter than that.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Do you need us for anything else?”
The police detective scowled. “Your usual pattern is to hang over my shoulder and dog me for information. What gives, Wolfe?”
Eli turned Brenna toward the car. “You’ll let me know what you find?”
“Works both ways, Eli.”
Cal’s soft response brought Eli’s gaze back to his friend. Cal Taylor was a smart man. Eli fought back a smile. Taylor suspected the car had already been searched. “Check the pockets of the doors.”
“Was the car locked?”
“Yep.”
“Does Brenna have keys?”
“Nope.”
“Do I want to know how the doors are now unlocked?”
“Nope.”
Cal sighed. “Figured you would say that. Tell Jon he owes me for ignoring his skills again.”
Eli grinned and opened the car door for Brenna.
Twenty minutes later, he and Brenna walked into Jon’s office, computer in hand. The computer wizard glanced up from his screen, coffee mug halfway to his mouth.
“What did you find?” Jon asked. He sipped the steaming brew in his cup.
“A couple of things. A bottle of Obsession cologne for men in the backseat.”
Jon’s eyes narrowed and the muscles in his jaw flexed. “What else?”
Hmm. Eli eyed his friend and partner, wondered if he had missed something over the last few weeks. Did Jon have more than a soft spot for Dana? Guess the real question was if he did, were Dana’s feelings involved? Her heart would have to be seriously tangled up with his teammate to take the risk of being vulnerable with a man again. Someone needed to address this thing with Ross Harrison. He’d like to be the man to do it. Had a feeling his partner would be the one to handle it. “A CD. Might have pictures burned on it. We copied it to Brenna’s computer before we called the cops.” He unzipped the case, flipped up the screen and awakened the computer from sleep mode. “Cal said you owe him one.”
Jon’s lip curled at one corner. “Maybe. Send a copy of the CD to our email. We might need our equipment to enhance picture or audio quality.”
A few taps of the computer keys and Eli sent the file to the office email. He noticed Brenna chewing on her lower lip again and her hands trembled. Lack of sleep and stress making their presence felt? “Brenna, it will take a couple of minutes to transfer the file. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and grab some bottled water for all of us? First door on your left. If you need a chocolate fix, there’s a vending machine on the floor below. My sisters say chocolate fixes all manner of ailments.”
“Oh, man, the chocolate sounds good. I’ll be back.”
He waited until he heard Brenna’s footsteps on the tiled kitchen floor. “Jon, do you know about Dana’s stepfather?”
His partner froze, hands hovering over the keyboard. “No.” He lowered his hands to the sides of the keyboard. “Tell me.”
In succinct sentences, Eli explained Dana’s nightmarish past. When he finished, Jon’s hands were clenched, knuckles white. “The stepfather wore Obsession. Brenna says Dana despises that cologne and would never have the bottle in her possession, let alone her car.”
“Where is he?” Jon asked, his tone devoid of any emotion.
Eli flinched. He recognized the signs of bone-deep fury coursing through his friend. Ross Harrison didn’t know it, but he had a painful appointment soon with Jon’s fists. Nothing less than the creep deserved. Eli wouldn’t lose one minute of sleep over Harrison’s fate. “Haven’t had time to chase that down yet. There’s no indication that he’s involved in Dana’s disappearance.”
“I’ll find him.” Jon’s eyes narrowed. “He’ll talk.”
Oh, yeah. Harrison would talk and regret laying a finger on Dana. Jon’s methods always worked which was why he’d been tagged repeatedly as interrogator when they captured terrorists on ops. In Harrison’s case, Jon would choose the most painful methods at his disposal. Effective and brutal. Yeah, he’d get answers from Dana’s slimy stepfather.
Brenna’s footsteps echoed in the hall outside Jon’s door. She entered the office carrying three bottles of water and three bags of Peanut M & Ms.
Eli’s brows rose. “Are you that hungry, Brenna?”
She flushed. “I hate eating junk food alone. Dana shares with me when I buy these. They are her favorite.” Brenna’s eyes glistened. “I thought since you are her friends, you might join me.”
“Thanks.” Eli took one bag for himself and tossed the other to Jon. He said nothing when his partner dropped the candy on his desk and returned to the keyboard. Jon needed time to process the information he’d had dumped on him before he felt controlled enough for a verbal response.
A few clicks of the mouse later, a thumbnail series of pictures appeared on the screen. Jon enlarged the first, a picture of a construction site. The name Sartelli Construction appeared on the sign in the foreground. More pictures emerged of the same site, different angles in each shot of the guts of a strip mall. Eli frowned. “That may be the Mt. Juliet site. Are they all of the same place?”
Jon shook his head. Under his hand, the mouse skimmed down to the next row of thumbnail pictures and he enlarged the first photo. “Cinder block building. Several of them.”
“Probably the school Sartelli is building.”
Brenna leaned closer. “Who’s that in the background?”
Jon clicked a couple of buttons and enlarged the picture again. A blond appeared. The picture was so blurred Eli couldn’t see her features. “Can you clean it up?”
His partner fiddled with the picture more, but the result was marginally better. “I can send it to Fortress.”
“Do it. Let’s check the rest of them.”
More shots of the various Sartelli construction sites appeared in dizzying succession under Jon’s direction. On the last shot, Jon frowned. “Eli, this is a video clip.”
“Let’s see what Dana shot.”
“Wait a minute. Dana didn’t have a video camera.” Brenna set her bottled water aside. “How could she shoot this?”
“Probably with her phone,” Jon said.
“She only had a pre-paid phone, one without a camera.”
“I upgraded her phone,” Jon said.
“Why?” Eli asked.
“She needed it. Her phone was over a year old and kept dropping calls. Sartelli barely paid her enough to keep solvent.”
Not even that much pay according to Brenna. “I didn’t know she was struggling that hard, Jon, or we would have found a way to pay her for the help.” Eli studied his friend and thought about what Jon didn’t say. The only way he would have known about the cell phone problem was if his calls were the ones being dropped. Eli hadn’t noticed a problem when she called his cell. “Why didn’t you say something?”
Jon swung around, his expression hard. “I tried to pay her through Wolfe Investigations. She said she wouldn’t take money from friends, especially when it required almost no effort on her part.”
“You asked her to keep tabs on Sartelli’s schedule,” Brenna said. “Why did she take these pictures?”
Eli scanned the prints Jon handed him. “These are shots taken with a digital camera. Sartelli probably asked her to take them. It’s common to take pictures of construction projects in progress.”
“Ready for the video?” Jon asked.
“Play it.”
Eli sat on the edge of the desk and eased Brenna closer to the computer. Grainy images of a couple of men carrying something moved across the screen. T
he video had been shot at dusk, so the lighting was poor on top of the distance. Something about the movement of one of the men caught Eli’s attention. “That could be Mendoza. He’s the right size. Beefy.”
“Sartelli’s thug?” Brenna asked.
“That’s right, sugar. Wonder where Dana recorded this? Do you recognize the building, Jon?”
“It’s not at the Sartelli place. Wrong shape.”
“Huh. That leaves the rest of Nashville and the surrounding counties. Guess we’re narrowing down the possible places to check out.”
Jon ignored him.
The video clip showed the two men disappearing into a building and then stopped.
“Can you do anything with the video?” Eli asked.
“Maybe.” Jon enlarged the image and clicked through a series of dialog boxes faster than Eli could read them. The clip started again, this time the background image was lighter and the figures larger.
Brenna gasped. “Eli, they’re carrying a woman.”
CHAPTER NINE
Brenna leaned closer to Jon’s computer, studying the woman the two men carried. “She’s blond, like the woman on the picture that Dana took.” She turned to Eli. “Do you think this is what Hoodie was talking about? Could this be the recording he wanted?”
“Maybe. Wonder what Mendoza’s involved in? If Sartelli knows, then his yard ape isn’t straying into side work. He’s carrying out the orders of his boss.”
“I don’t recognize the other guy,” Jon said. “He’s not one of Sartelli’s foot soldiers.”
“How do you know?” Brenna asked. “Have you been watching him?”
“For three weeks.”
“Why?”
Jon glanced at Eli who shrugged. Brenna stiffened. “Okay, what gives? That’s the second time in as many days you shared a meaningful look. I want to know what the big secret is.”