by Rita Herron
She quickly threw on a pair of sweats and towel dried her hair. By the time she emerged, she heard the door opening and Brayden calling her name.
She met him in the kitchen, where he was ladling vegetable soup into two bowls.
“My mom sent this and some corn bread and pie. I hope you like soup.”
“It smells heavenly,” Mila said. She couldn’t remember when she’d last eaten. A breakfast bar the morning before she went to the clinic, then she’d skipped lunch while she was working on DiSanti. They’d offered her food in that cell, but she’d been too sick to her stomach to keep anything down.
They carried the bowls and corn bread to the farm table, and he returned with silverware and napkins.
“Would you like a drink? I have beer and bourbon, and I might have a bottle of wine left from Charlotte and Lucas’s wedding.”
“Water is good,” Mila said. She had to keep her wits about her.
He poured them both glasses of ice water and sat down across from her at the table.
She was so hungry that she practically inhaled the meal. He was quiet, too, as they ate.
Then he dished them slices of pumpkin pie that made her mouth water. “Your mother is a good cook.”
“She loves it. We used to grow our own vegetables when I was young, before we lost Chrissy.” He shrugged. “She’s talking about having a garden next summer since she’ll have the girls to help.”
“Giving those girls a home is admirable.”
“Yeah, my mom is something else. Strong...like you.”
Their gazes locked, tension simmering between them. She’d thought she was strong until she saw that gun at Izzy’s head. Then she’d wanted to crumble.
“Charlotte and Lucas are on their way,” Brayden said as he brewed a pot of coffee.
Fatigue knotted her shoulders, but she knew she had to face them.
If she could help find DiSanti, it would lead to Izzy.
A knock sounded on the door and Brayden rushed to get it. Lucas entered, then Charlotte.
Although Mila hadn’t seen her friend in years, the connection they shared was still there. Charlotte raced over to her, and they hugged.
“God, Mila, I’m glad you’re okay, but I know you’re worried sick about your daughter.”
Mila leaned into her friend and accepted her comfort, although the sincere worry in Charlotte’s tone brought fresh tears to her eyes.
When they finally pulled apart, Charlotte cradled Mila’s hands in hers. “I understand you’re scared, but Lucas and the Hawk men are the best there is. They’ll find your little girl.”
Mila offered Charlotte a sympathetic smile. “I heard about what happened to you and your students. I’m so sorry for what you went through.”
Charlotte squeezed her hands. “It was difficult, but I survived. The girls are happy now that they have a home at Hawk’s Landing. Ava has given them love and emotional support.” She glanced at Lucas with a smile. “I also met my husband from the ordeal. He’s been amazing.”
“I’m so glad you found happiness,” Mila said sincerely. Charlotte had suffered ridicule as a child because of her port-wine birthmark. Mila’s adopted mother had removed the birthmark, the first step in helping Charlotte recover her self-esteem.
“So,” Charlotte said. “I understand that we need to sketch what that horrible DiSanti looks like now.”
“Yes, we might as well get started.”
Brayden offered coffee, but Charlotte declined, and so did Mila. She was already shaky. Caffeine would only make it worse.
Charlotte removed a large sketch pad and arranged her supplies on the coffee table between the two wing chairs facing the fireplace.
Lucas gave her a phone. “You have the same number as before, so if DiSanti calls, he won’t realize the difference. We placed a trace on the phone. Keep him on the line as long as possible so we can get a location.”
She nodded that she understood, then joined Charlotte.
Charlotte gestured toward a photo of DiSanti. “I thought the picture would be a good starting point. Then you can tell me how you altered features and I can draw them in for a composite.”
* * *
WHILE MILA AND Charlotte collaborated on the sketch of DiSanti, Brayden and Lucas convened at the kitchen table.
Lucas spread out a map, then removed three photographs of different men from a folder and laid them in a row.
“Right now we have made connections from DiSanti to each of these men, although we don’t have enough evidence to make arrests.”
He tapped the first picture, a dark-haired, dark-skinned man in a slick suit with a mole beside his upper lip. “This is Juan Andres. We believe he’s the major connection in Colombia and is also part of the drug cartel. So far though, no one has or will speak out against him. The two people who tried are dead. Tortured and butchered and left hanging in their village to make a statement to anyone else who contemplated turning to the authorities. Another problem is corrupt law officials who turn a blind eye for money.”
Disgusting.
Lucas continued, all business. “Next is a man named Lem Corley. He owns a ranch between here and Austin. Corley’s operation has grown by leaps and bounds the past five years.”
“Have you questioned him?”
“Not yet, I’m working on obtaining enough information for warrants. Corley also owns a second property near Juarez. We suspect he’s taking payoffs for smuggling the girls through an underground tunnel across the border from the US to Mexico. From there, it’s easier to send them wherever they want.”
Brayden silently cursed.
“The third is a shocker because it’s close to home.”
Brayden’s pulse jumped. “Isn’t that Jameson Beck, the candidate for mayor?”
“Exactly. We’ve suspected he was corrupt as a councilman, but he has money and charm and has fooled people into voting for him. If he wins this bid as mayor, there’s no telling how much damage he’ll do.”
Brayden’s mind raced. Even when they found Izzy, Lucas still had his work cut out to make DiSanti’s empire fall apart.
Charlotte and Mila stood and walked outside on the back deck.
Lucas poured himself more coffee and Brayden followed.
As usual, Lucas’s eyes assessed him. His brother had an intimidating air, which worked well with felons and the evil dregs that he hunted down.
But he hated it when Lucas aimed those suspicious eyes toward him.
“Do you think Mila has told you everything?” Lucas asked.
Did he?
Brayden grabbed his coffee mug from the counter and blew into the steaming brew. “Yes.”
Was Lucas going to remind him of the time when he fell for a client’s innocent act?
“She’s never married?” Lucas asked.
Irritation knifed through him. “It’s not uncommon for women to have children without marriage, Lucas.”
His brother sighed. “I know that. But what about the little girl’s father? Did she tell you who he is?”
Brayden shook his head no. “He’s dead.”
A tense silence stretched between them. “And you believe her?”
“I have no reason not to. Now let’s look at the facts. A dead man has nothing to do with Izzy now.”
“What if she’s lying?” Lucas said.
Brayden didn’t want to believe that Mila would lie to him. But he’d been fooled before by another woman.
“Hell, Brayden,” Lucas said. “Use your charms—do whatever it takes to find out his name. For all we know, he could be working with DiSanti.”
* * *
MILA FROZE AT the sound of Lucas’s question. Brayden told Lucas exactly what she’d said.
But Lucas wanted more.
He would probably keep digging away unt
il he discovered the truth.
She couldn’t let that happen.
“Mila, are you all right?” Charlotte asked.
She jerked her attention back to Charlotte and nodded. “Just thinking about Izzy. Wondering if she’s hungry or if she slept last night. If she thinks I’ve forgotten her or knows that I’m looking.”
Charlotte stroked Mila’s shoulder. “Izzy knows you love her. She’ll hang on to that.” Charlotte glanced at the Hawk men, a tenderness in her eyes that Mila envied.
The Hawks had a close-knit, loving family here. They’d endured hard times and pulled through them together. And this ranch—it was spectacular. It offered a child a great place to grow up and a safe haven from the dangers of the world.
Not that her childhood had been bad. Her parents had helped save the world. But they’d moved and traveled so much that she’d never called a place home.
She wanted that for Izzy.
Even if she had to forgo her trips abroad, she’d give Izzy that sense of stability and home.
Charlotte took the sketch to Lucas. Both men studied it as if memorizing every detail.
“Basically, I removed his scar, then gave him cheek implants, lip fillers, a nose job and eyelid lifts,” Mila said. “It’ll take time for the swelling to go down and the redness to fade, but he’ll be handsome and charming, and no one will know there’s a monster lurking beneath that slick face.”
The fact that she’d helped him achieve that made bile rise to her throat.
“Thank you for the description,” Lucas said.
Mila folded her arms. “Are you going to keep your promise about airing it?”
Lucas gave a clipped nod, then flipped on the TV. “I gave an interview before I came here. It should be airing any minute.”
They grew quiet as a young brunette anchorwoman spoke into the mike. “Last night the FBI and local police arrested Austin plastic surgeon Dr. Mila Manchester for allegedly helping a wanted felon Arman DiSanti escape. Authorities have been searching for DiSanti for months in relation to a sex trafficking ring called the Shetland operation.” She gestured toward a screen. “I spoke with Special Agent Lucas Hawk earlier today regarding the arrest. Here’s what he had to say.”
The camera focused on Lucas. “While it is true, we arrested Dr. Manchester for allegedly conspiring to help DiSanti escape authorities, Dr. Manchester has refused to cooperate with us or reveal anything about DiSanti and his operation. Nor did she divulge the man’s whereabouts, his plans or his new face.”
Mila clenched her hands by her side. Lucas had kept his promise, at least regarding the media.
She just hoped DiSanti bought the story. And that his men took the bait and gave her a call.
Chapter Twelve
Mila had to keep her secrets safe. If Brayden and Lucas knew the truth about Izzy being DiSanti’s daughter, Lucas might lock her up. They might even accuse her of kidnapping, and then she might go to prison.
Lucas approached her, his look suspicious. “Dr. Manchester—”
“Please call me Mila.”
Charlotte’s presence comforted her in the face of Lucas’s distrust.
“All right, Mila,” Lucas said. “Tell me why DiSanti came to you for help.”
She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Because I’m a plastic surgeon,” she said, stating the obvious.
Irritation lined Lucas’s face. “But why you? There are other plastic surgeons who could have performed the surgery.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he, or one of his people, read about me in an article featuring my work with needy children.”
Lucas arched a brow. “Had you met DiSanti before? Or done work on him prior to this?”
“No, we’d never met.” That part was true.
“DiSanti is from Colombia,” Lucas pointed out. “You’ve traveled there to perform surgeries?”
Mila couldn’t lie when he could easily check her schedule. “Twice. My mother also worked at a free clinic in Colombia at one time.”
Maybe that would distract him from thinking about her, and Izzy’s father.
Lucas narrowed his eyes. “Did you go with her?”
She nodded. “She was the reason I chose plastic surgery and work with Doctors Without Borders.”
Charlotte rubbed Mila’s arm. “She was a hero to me, that’s for sure.”
Lucas hesitated, his gaze softening as he looked at his wife.
Then he turned back to Mila. “Was it possible that DiSanti knew your mother?”
“She never mentioned his name to me. And if she’d known what kind of man he was, she certainly wouldn’t have helped him. Her work focused on children and teenagers.” Although it was possible that DiSanti had heard of her mother, and that he linked her to Mila.
“Let me ask you something else,” Lucas said. “When you and your mother were in Colombia, did you hear about DiSanti and what he was doing? Was there talk or rumors about sex trafficking?”
Mila strained to remember. “I suppose, but I was only twelve at the time and didn’t fully comprehend the details. I do recall that guards watched the clinic, and I was warned to stay close.” A shudder coursed up her spine. “A couple of times, rape victims were brought in. Those frightened me because the girls were so young and traumatized.”
Lucas studied her for a long moment, then seemed to accept what she said. At least for the moment. “Let me see the sketch again,” Lucas said.
Charlotte handed the drawing to him, and Lucas scrutinized the features. “Did DiSanti or his men say anything while they were in your clinic?”
“Other than threatening my daughter?” Mila asked with a hint of sarcasm to her voice.
“I know that was harrowing,” Lucas said. “But think about it? Maybe you overheard them discuss where they were going to take DiSanti to recover.”
“If I knew where he was, I’d tell you.” Mila rubbed her temple in thought. “All I remember is being so terrified that they’d hurt Izzy that I just did what they said. I cautioned them that I usually performed extensive plastic surgery in steps, but they insisted everything had to be completed that day.”
Lucas removed a manila envelope from inside his jacket, and then took out a picture. “We took this from your house. Is this one of the latest pictures of your daughter?”
Mila traced a shaky finger over Izzy’s innocent face. Her heart squeezed at the picture of Izzy sitting atop that pony. She’d been so excited about her first horseback riding lesson. “That was in the summer. I took Izzy camping, and we made s’mores over the campfire, and slept under the stars.” She bit her lip. “She was so happy that day.”
“I’d like to issue an Amber Alert for her,” Lucas said. “That is, if you agree.”
Mila looked at Charlotte for advice. Yet the threat to her daughter rang in her ears. If they released a photograph, DiSanti and his men would know that she’d talked.
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
Lucas sighed. “But if we don’t hear from DiSanti’s men by tomorrow, we should release it to the public. I probably don’t have to tell you that with every hour and every day that a child is missing, the chances of recovering them grow slimmer.”
Mila swallowed hard.
Charlotte tugged at Lucas’s arm. “Why don’t we let Mila get some sleep? Maybe she’ll remember more once she’s rested.”
“If anything comes to mind, call me.” He squeezed her arm. “Hang in there, Mila. We’ll find your daughter.”
His tender encouragement made emotions well in her throat.
Lucas and Charlotte left, and Mila went to look out the window. It was dark again. Nighttime.
No word about her daughter or where she was. Or even if she was safe.
She gripped the phone Lucas had left for her, walked outside onto the porch, sank into one o
f the porch rockers and willed it to ring.
* * *
BRAYDEN CLEANED UP the kitchen, tension lingering. Mila pushed the porch swing back and forth, her hand clutching that cell phone.
She’d spent last night in jail without Izzy. Tonight, she’d spend it alone again.
Something about his brother’s conversation with Mila troubled him. He sensed she was holding something back.
But what? Everything she’d told them about her mother was inspiring. And easy to check.
DiSanti was a good fifteen years older than Mila. He could have easily met her mother when she traveled to Colombia. He could also have seen Mila and read about her in the news. It made sense.
Lucas wanted him to find out about Izzy’s father.
Frustrated, he settled in front of his laptop and sent Dexter an email giving him the names of the three men the FBI suspected to be involved with DiSanti’s operation.
He asked Dex to send him everything he had on all three men.
He’d crossed paths with Jameson Beck before on the job. He’d heard rumors that the man was corrupt. That he had huge financial support from an unknown source.
Beck was slick, charming and made promises left and right to the public to win their votes.
Brayden didn’t know the rancher Corley personally, but he and Dex could check him out together.
Beck was all his though.
Brayden accessed his personal number from his contact list, so he called it. The phone rang four times then went to voice mail. He left a message saying it was urgent, and that he needed to speak to him right away.
He hung up, hoping Beck would return his call tonight.
The next two hours crawled by. He researched everything he could find on persons of interest in the sex trafficking trade. Two arrests caught his attention, and he texted Harrison and asked him to go to the prison and question the inmates. They might be able to offer a lead as to where DiSanti and his men were hiding out.
Or if DiSanti had another connection in the States.
Antsy that he couldn’t take action tonight, he walked outside to join Mila. He was frustrated—she must be going out of her mind.
She gave him a brief glance, then returned to staring out at the ranch. Normally he’d be bragging about their operation and how far they’d come this past year in updating the ranching side of the business.