“Yes. Yes, you do.” His brown eyes were solemn.
She thought her face might split in half she was grinning so wide. She threw her arms around his neck. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. You matter the world to me too.”
He twirled her around. Even when he set her back down on the ground, it didn’t feel like it, she thought she was walking on a cloud. This couldn’t be happening to her. He cupped her face. “I love you, Poppy.”
“I love you too, Dexter Anthony Evans.”
The world faded away as they kissed.
The world came crashing back as she heard her name being called, “Mom!”
“She’s in here,” Dex called out.
Kenna looked at him in horror. He chuckled.
Dex’s door opened. “Oh, there you are,” Austin said. “Who is today’s babysitter?” he asked Dex.
“Let’s see if we can arrange Wyatt again, and maybe you guys can hit the waves. What do you think?”
Austin turned to Kenna. “For real?”
“If Dex says yes, then it’s for real,” she answered.
Austin’s eyes lit up, and he let out a Whoop.
“Quiet, you’ll wake up your grandmother,” Kenna admonished.
“Let me give Wyatt a call. He should be able to trade his day off with Aiden.” Dex went to grab his cell phone.
Austin came over and put his arm around her neck. “So, do you think it’s time you quit sneaking around the halls in the middle of the night, or what?”
Kenna felt the blush starting at her toes and quickly rising to her scalp. Austin laughed.
“Seriously, Mom, this is cool.”
“Okay, it’s done. Austin, Wyatt’s going to call you on that new cell phone you have. He has a wet suit that he says will fit you. He’ll get you outfitted.”
“This is great, we’ll finally get the hell out of the house,” Kenna said enthusiastically. “I can’t wait to tell Mom.” She turned to leave, and Dex grasped her hand.
“What?” she asked.
“If you’re going too, we need to arrange a couple of more people.”
Her shoulders sagged. “It’s okay, I don’t need to go.”
He kissed her forehead. “Yes, you do. You need out of the house as much as Austin.”
“She sure does. She’s been getting pretty testy. Did you know that she complained that the macaroni and cheese didn’t have enough cheese in it last night? Grandma was pissed.”
Dex laughed. “I think all three of you need out of the house, like yesterday.”
***
“Is it going to be a big deal that I really don’t have much experience swimming in the ocean?” Austin asked. “I was on the swim team for three years in grade school.”
“That’ll help a lot,” Wyatt said. “This is about being smart and listening to what I say. The swells are easy today here at Moonlight, I checked before coming, so that’s why we’re here. I just want to get you up on your knees on the board. That’ll be a win.”
“Just on my knees?”
“Dude, it’d be a miracle if you can make it on your feet today.”
Holy shit, did Wyatt know what he was doing by daring her boy? Austin looked out at the waves with determination, and Wyatt looked at her and winked. Well, apparently, he did know what he was doing.
“You got my stuff? Remember Denny might call or text.”
“I remember. I have your phone,” she said with just a hint of exasperation. But mostly she was excited for her son. It was too bad her mom had a headache, she would have gotten a kick out of this.
Kenna sat with Hunter Diaz on top of one of the picnic tables so she could have a good view of the swelling surf of Moonlight Beach. There were plenty of surfers, young and old, in the water. There was also a concession stand that was closed and three volleyball courts, one that had a lively game going on.
Hunter pulled out a ball cap from his duffel. “Put this on.”
“I put on sunscreen,” she said.
“You need more than just sunscreen, you’re awfully fair, and we’re going to be here awhile.” He leaned back on his elbows, and she watched him as he watched everything.
“Do all of you guys do that?”
“Do what?”
“Observe. Take in your whole environment. I’ve seen Dex do the same thing.”
“It’s our training.”
She thought about it. “It’s a chicken and an egg kind of thing. Do you think that you were kind of like that before hand, and that’s the reason you took to the training?”
Hunter burst out laughing. God, he was gorgeous when he laughed.
“You’ve met Wyatt, haven’t you?” he asked.
“’Nuff said.” Wyatt was not the quiet and observant type, he ran on all cylinders at breakneck speed. “Some of the training must have been nails on the chalkboard for that poor kid,” Kenna said.
“It sure as hell wasn’t his nature,” Hunter agreed.
Kenna shifted on the picnic table so she would be more comfortable.
“Look, Hunter!” She pointed. “Austin is on his knees!” It had been over an hour, she had seen him in the water more often than on the surfboard, but there he was balancing on his knees.
“He’s going to get his legs under him in no time.”
“Do you think?” she asked excitedly.
“Definitely.” She rummaged through the backpack she’d brought, and then realized she’d left the peanut butter cookies in the truck. Dammit.
“Do you want a water?” she asked Hunter.
“Thanks,” he said as he took a bottle. Austin’s phone beeped with an incoming text. “That must be Denny. Hopefully, his mom can come by. Austin hasn’t seen him since all of this shit started.” She dug through Austin’s backpack. God, the kid didn’t keep anything organized. She found the phone at the bottom and pressed the display as she pulled it out of the sack. It was a text message, but not from Denny, she opened it.
Mary Poppins, if you talk to your bodyguard, Austin dies.
She looked at Hunter who was drinking his water and watching the surf, then she swiped her thumb over the attachment in the text and a picture of Austin came up. He was on the surfboard. In the middle of a rifle’s cross-hairs.
Hunter looked over at her. “Everything all right? Is Denny coming?”
“Yep,” she said brightly. “I have to text him back.” Her thumbs were flying.
What do you want?
She waited for the answer.
There’s an empty green Monte Carlo with a white top behind the concession stand. Get in it. Answer the phone in the car when it rings.
She sat there, unable to move. Unable to think.
“Kenna, are you all right?”
She nodded.
“What did Denny say?”
The phone beeped.
Get rid of the SEAL and go.
Hunter sat up. He was looking at her suspiciously. Oh God. She had to get it together. The phone beeped.
“Is that Denny?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. Her palms were slick with sweat. “He’s in the car with his mom. They’ll be here any minute. I need to go to the truck and get the peanut butter cookies I made for you.” She started to get up.
He put his hand on her arm. “I’ll get them.”
“No, I will.” She was loud and harsh.
“Kenna, what’s wrong?”
She took a deep breath and thought fast. “I think you were right, the sun is getting to me. I’m getting kind of a headache. I’m probably dehydrated.” She took out a bottle of water for herself and took a swallow. “I’ll go get the cookies.”
“I’d prefer it if you’d stay where you are, especially if you’re not feeling well.” He smiled at her. “I’ll go to the truck. Just sit back, watch Austin and Wyatt. This way I can eat a couple of cookies on the way back.” He got up smoothly and left for the truck.
The phone beeped.
Go!
She took one last look
in Hunter’s direction, then picked up her backpack so that she had her phone and kept Austin’s phone in her left hand and walked quickly toward the concession stand. Both new phones had tracking, she just needed to keep them with her.
As soon as she got past it, she saw the piece of shit Monte Carlo. She got in the passenger side door. There was a phone on the bench seat, and it was ringing; she answered it. As soon as she heard the raspy voice, she had to choke back bile and tears.
“Don’t hurt Austin, you―”
“Don’t anger me, Kenna. I might do something you won’t like. I’ve got a rifle trained on him at this very moment.”
She looked around. Where was he? How could he see her? Then she saw the little camera up above the rearview mirror.
“Kenna, what’s in your hands?”
She looked down at her backpack and Austin’s phone.
“Throw the phone and the backpack out the window now. They probably have trackers in them. We don’t need your bodyguard finding you.”
Kenna rolled down the window and threw them onto the cement of the parking lot, wincing when she heard Austin’s cell phone shatter.
She swallowed a sob. “Good girl. Slide on over to the driver’s seat and start the car. We’re going for a drive.”
***
Dex listened carefully to Hunter. His friend was clear and concise. As soon as the words, “Kenna is missing,” were uttered, Dex was in an altered state. He was now a SEAL in the middle of a mission. Fear, panic, and guilt had no place for what needed to get done. Hunter was in the same mode.
“Somehow, he must have convinced her that he’d take out her mom or Austin,” Dex said grimly.
“That’s my take. But Wyatt called Penny, she’s fine. She’s also armed. Aiden’s on his way there now.”
“What do you know about Kenna’s abduction?” Dex asked.
“We found her backpack and Austin’s broken cell phone on the ground of the East parking lot, near the only empty parking space. I was parked in the West.”
“Where is Austin?”
“We just got into my truck, and we’re hauling ass to the base, he’ll be safe there.”
“As soon as you’re done doing that. Meet back up at Jack’s,” Dex commanded. “I’m calling the two cops working the case. Gray is out with Captain Hale, but Griff and Dalton will be there too.”
“Got it.”
“Can I talk to Dex?” He heard Austin ask Hunter.
Hunter must have handed the phone over. “Dex.” Austin’s voice was shaky.
“I’m going to get her back.”
He could hear the kid swallow. “You’ve got to do it fast,” his words trembled.
“I’m going to.”
There was a long pause. Dex needed to shut it down.
At last, Austin spoke again.
“I’m trusting you with my mother’s life.”
Ahh, fuck.
“I’m going to bring her home.”
There was nothing but a dial tone.
***
He was past ninety miles an hour on the Five freeway. He’d be going faster if he could get past other drivers and he didn’t think he’d get pulled over and cause a delay. Clint was talking on the speaker in his jeep.
“He texted Austin’s phone.”
Sanchez and Warren were conferenced in on the call. “How in the hell―” Clive started.
“Now we know how he got to her. Do you have transcripts of the text?” he asked Clint.
“Fuck Man, he was at Moonlight Beach, he sent a picture of Austin in a rifle’s crosshairs.” The killer said he’d kill the boy if she didn’t leave with him. But I’ve got some good news. We’re looking for a green Monte Carlo with a white vinyl top. That’s the car he told her to go to in the parking lot.”
“We’ll get an APB immediately. We’ll see what community and freeway cameras we can pull to grab a plate number. Is there anything else?” Sanchez asked.
“All five of those profiles started on the same date. I’ve been doing research on the founder of the company, to see if that got me anywhere. This was Lyle Gale’s baby. He started it and sold it for a pretty profit thirteen months ago. Two days after new ownership took over, the five profiles showed up. New ownership was Kenna’s friend, Buddy Finch.”
“It’s slim,” Warren said.
“We can’t get a search warrant on something like that. We need someone to take Buddy’s picture and compare it to the tapes we pulled from the La Jolla Starbuck’s, then we have enough for a warrant,” Sanchez said.
Dex hit his steering wheel.
“Are you taking care of that?” Clint asked.
“We’re on it,” Warren said.
Dex ended the call. He couldn’t stomach any more. They didn’t have time for that kind of bullshit. His phone rang, he pressed the answer button on his steering wheel as he sped towards his exit.
“It’s me,” Clint said. “It’s got to be Finch.”
“Sounds like.”
“I’ll have his whole life’s story waiting for you by the time you get to Jack’s.”
Dex prayed that Jack’s house was a smart place to be and that he wasn’t heading in the absolute wrong fucking direction! He slammed the wheel of his car again. Again.
“Dude? You with me?”
“Yeah,” Dex said breathing through his nose.
“I’m going to hang up now. Drive safe. You getting in a wreck isn’t going to help things.”
“I don’t need a mother or a fucking grandmother.” He pressed end on the call but made sure he was on track enough to drive.
Chapter Thirteen
She slammed her hand against the steering wheel.
“Tsk Tsk, Kenna. Don’t hurt yourself. That’s for me to do.”
She wasn’t going to cry. It was useless. She needed to think. There wasn’t a fucking chance in hell she was going to leave Austin without a mother. Her hands were slick with sweat. She was on Highway Fifty-Six, headed towards Poway. She’d been driving for what seemed like forever.
“Take the upcoming exit,” the raspy voice said.
“Use your own voice. You don’t have to hide any longer!” she shouted.
“I like this voice. Jean especially liked it. She said it was sexy.”
Kenna heard herself whimper.
“Ooooh. I like that sound. Do it again.”
Kenna blinked rapidly.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry. There’s no crying in baseball. Don’t let the whackjob see you cry.
“Whimper!”
“Go fuck yourself!”
“I’m going to fuck you.”
God, she didn’t even know if the women were raped or not. Had they been?
“Why are you doing this? Why me?”
“Because everybody wants you. Because you’re the focus, and your death is going to matter.”
“You’re not making any sense.”
“Go left at the bottom of the ramp.”
“No. I’m going to pull over.”
“I’m still here at the beach. I’ll shoot Austin.”
It was like a Rubik’s cube. He had to have a GPS on the phone, plus he had a camera trained on her. Was he really at the beach? Wasn’t he going to meet her at wherever she was headed? The fucker couldn’t be at two places at once. Wait a minute, there wasn’t a chance in hell Austin was still at the beach. Not if she had disappeared. Nope, Hunter would have been on the search for her in a heartbeat.
She saw a gas station to her right. Her fingers were clammy. Could she take the chance? She had to. She couldn’t leave Austin without a mother. She couldn’t. She veered over to the right, the car hopped up over the lip of the gas station entrance because she was going so fast. All of the pump stations were full.
Shit!
She pulled over to the side in front of the air station.
“What are you doing?” he yelled. “Get back on the road and turn around.” The man’s voice came in clearer. Did she recognize it
?
“I want to see another photograph of Austin.” What was the term? “I want proof that he’s alive.” That wasn’t the term. “I want proof of life. That’s it. I want proof of life!” she shouted into the phone.
“Show me my son!” she said stalling. “Send a picture of him to this phone.”
The passenger door opened. She was facing a gun.
***
“He has a cabin at Big Bear, and his house in La Jolla,” Clint said over the speaker on the Dex’s cell phone. “Sanchez called, and they got a hit on the Monte Carlo heading east on the Fifty-Six, so both of those are out.”
Ever since hearing that both of the phones with trackers had ended up on the Moonlight Beach parking lot and not with Kenna, Dex’s mind had been going rapid fire, considering and discarding possible ways to find her or Buddy Finch. The man wasn’t at his office at Genesee Executive Plaza, his secretary hadn’t seen him since yesterday morning.
“Clint, does his company have any holdings? Any places he might have taken her?” Dex asked.
“For fuck’s sake, of course, I looked. He has two small office buildings, both occupied. Nothing that could work. Right now, I’m checking all of Rosalie’s properties. That’s more complicated.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Dex demanded.
“She had seven husbands. I have to go through seven different names. Do you know that she has thirteen step-kids? Buddy is her only living blood relative. Her son died, hence there’s Buddy.”
“I don’t give a shit. Find me a place that is east of La Jolla that Buddy is using as a killing ground! Meanwhile, I’m going to check out his house and see if there are any clues there.”
“Got it.” Clint hung up.
Hunter was already at the door, and Dex was halfway to him when Penny called out to him from the other room. She had been staying in the living room, but it was obvious she had been listening in.
“Penny, I’ve got to go,” he said distractedly.
“Wait. It’s important.” She rushed up beside him and grabbed his arm. She looked like she had aged twenty years. “I think somebody needs to talk to Rosalie and just ask her about the properties. She’d have the best idea where to look.”
“Penny,” Dex started.
“Rosalie’s a big girl. If her grandson is involved, she’ll want him caught. She’ll want to help Kenna.”
Her Devoted HERO (Black Dawn Book 2) Page 16