by Tess Summers
Jacob dropped his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.
“I love you, Tink.”
“I love you, too, J.P.”
A corner of his mouth turned up.
“J.P.?”
Taren stood up and starting walking toward the door.
“Yeah, your initials? Jacob Preston?”
“I know what they stand for; you’ve just never called me that.”
“Well, for a while there, it stood for jerky prick. I’m happy they mean something else now.”
“What do they mean now?”
She winked at him. “You’ve got work to do,” then closed the door behind her.
He did have work to do, otherwise, he’d barge into her cabin and demand she answer him. He sat wracking his brain as he opened his computer back up; something he suspected was her plan.
The documents and photos grabbed his attention, and he ceased trying to figure out what J.P. meant until later. He’d get it out of her—one way or another.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Taren
She’d really meant she was just happy his initials stood for his name again and not jerky prick, but now Jacob thought she’d assigned new meaning to them. She’d have to come up with something clever, but not right now. Her brain was barely functioning after their most recent sexscapade.
Taren went to bed, fully expecting he’d show up sometime in the middle of the night and hold her, but at the moment, she was content knowing he was on the other side of the door.
Like she’d predicted, he came to bed around three a.m., but lasted less than ninety minutes. She only knew he left because he tripped over her suitcase she’d packed the night before in preparation of debarking in San Diego later that morning.
“Everything okay?” she said in the darkness.
“Yeah, I’m sorry to wake you, baby. Just stubbed my toe.”
She glanced at the time on the clock on the nightstand and sat up, switching on the lamp and pulling the covers to her chest.
“No, I mean is everything okay. You didn’t even sleep for two hours.”
He looked haggard when he sat down on the bed next to her.
“No. I’m going to have to get off the ship the second it docks and fly to Ensenada. Madison is missing.”
It felt like all the blood just rushed to her feet, and her heart was pounding in her ears. Surely, she misheard him.
“What do you mean, ‘Madison is missing?’ How can she be missing?”
“Two of Dante’s guards were found murdered, and she was not in her room or anywhere on the property after they turned it upside down looking for her.”
“Do they have any idea who took her?”
“Yeah. They’re just waiting for the ransom request, in addition to the entire city being on the lookout for her. If she’s still alive, they’ll find her. There’s no way they’re getting her out of the city. The Guzmans are loved by everyone in that town—cops, criminals, and common people.”
“If she’s still alive…” Taren felt like vomiting. She could only imagine the anguish Bella and Dante had to be going through.
He put his arm around her and hugged her tight, which triggered her tears.
“That sweet little girl—how could someone do such a thing?”
“She’s alive, baby. They’re not going to hurt her. Not yet, anyway. But we’re racing against the clock. And there’s only so much I can do on this goddamn boat.”
“You need to try to sleep a little more,” she suggested. “You’re going to want a clear head when we get to Ensenada.”
“We?” he said with a grin. “Nice try, little one. You’re going back to Houston and giving your notice. I’ve already upgraded your flight. I can’t have you in Mexico; I’d be distracted, worrying about you, too.”
She wanted to argue, but didn’t think her presence in Ensenada would have brought anything to the table. It wasn’t like Dante and Bella needed her to make them a casserole for dinner or pick up some groceries—things she’d normally do for a friend in crisis. She’d just be in the way.
“I get it. Let’s talk in an hour, okay? I’ll set my alarm for five-thirty. You really need some more rest. It’s not good for you to go on such little sleep.”
He must have been really tired, because he reluctantly returned to bed next to her. She switched off the lamp, and wrapped her arms around his middle, knowing she wasn’t going to fall asleep but hoping Jake at least dozed off. He needed it.
It was impossible not to wonder who these people were that took Madi. Would her and Jacob’s children be in danger someday, too?
She loved Jacob, but this… this was making her pause. Maybe being with him meant they shouldn’t have children. That thought made her heart heavy; she wanted children—and her clock was ticking. Her doctor had told her she should try to be done having her babies by thirty-six; it was one of the many catalysts to spur her to divorce David. She didn’t have time to waste.
The soft snoring of Jacob brought her back to the present, and she watched him sleep, fighting the urge to caress his face. He was a light sleeper—lighter than anyone she’d ever known. The slightest touch, and he’d be awake. Learning what he did for a living helped clear up why.
He was such a beautiful man, with his long eyelashes and high cheekbones... not to mention his incredible physique. Taren really had no idea what he was doing with her. She was cute—at best, certainly not model-worthy like he was. Yet, he somehow always managed to make her feel like the most beautiful girl in the room.
With a sigh, her thoughts returned to Bella and Dante and what they had to be feeling. She couldn’t even begin to imagine their torment, because when she tried, she was right back to wondering if being with Jacob was the right thing to do if she wanted to be a mother someday soon.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jacob
The Sinaloans seemed to think it was the Columbians who took Madison Guzman, and were focusing on locating them. He knew that was bullshit. Los Zetas were responsible; he was sure of it. The underground chatter of a group of them being in Ensenada couldn’t have been a coincidence; there’d been radio silence about any South American cartel in Sinaloa. Unfortunately, the Zetas had done a bang up job of framing the Columbians, and Dante was convinced his daughter was on a cargo ship headed to Cartagena, despite Jacob trying to convince him otherwise.
“What the fuck did my million dollars buy, Jacob?” he’d accused in the early morning hours while Jake was still at sea. “It bought dick. It bought me being placated into thinking they’d agreed to a truce only to turn around and snatch my baby girl from her bed.”
“Dante, with all due respect, I think you need to refocus. Think about it. Los Zetas would have a lot to gain if you went to war with the Columbians. Intelligence is telling me—”
“I don’t give a goddamn about your intelligence!” the Mexican roared. “If your fucking intelligence is so great, why don’t they know where the fuck my daughter is?”
Jacob knew the man was distraught, and there was no point trying to reason with him when he was in this state of mind. Especially over the phone.
“I’m on a plane the second the ship docks in a few hours.”
“I’ll see you then,” Dante said in clipped tones, hanging up without another word.
He’d needed to sleep. Actually, what he’d needed was to hold Tink, so he crawled into bed with her. He hadn’t planned on telling her about Madison, but then realized the kidnapping had the potential to make international news. She’d never forgive him if she learned of Madi’s abduction from Channel 13 News. When she woke up after he kicked her suitcase, and she questioned how everything was going, it seemed to be the best opportunity. Telling her actually took some of the weight off his shoulders. He’d been trying to figure out how he was going to explain putting her in a first-class seat back to Houston alone, while he headed elsewhere. When she suggested he return to bed with her, he did it only to placate her worry about him getting
enough rest and fully expected to lie there with his wheels turning until she fell back asleep. Apparently, that wasn’t the case.
****
He knew he was dreaming. His subconscious was telling him that, as if to allow his brain to continue the process. He could see Madison but couldn’t seem to reach her—every time he took a step toward her, she seemed to get further away so he stopped trying and just watched. It was as though they were in a vast warehouse—there were no windows and the only light was from a single bulb above the little girl’s head. She was sitting on the concrete floor, surrounded by walls of colorful blankets, t-shirts, and purses, and she seemed completely oblivious, playing with piles of ceramic magnets in a jumble of colors like the selection Taren had purchased.
The toddler crashed two tortoise shaped ones together, causing them to crack. That’s when she looked around, realized she was alone, and started to cry. Madison reached out toward him, but this time he couldn’t even walk toward her—he was waist high in mud as faceless people came out from behind the piles of goods surrounding her, offering other toys as consolation. She refused everything until someone offered her what appeared to be a bomb that was beeping softly.
The beeping got louder. And louder. Until…
A familiar hand was on his shoulder, soft lips brushing against his ear.
“Baby, it’s time to wake up.”
The beeping stopped and his eyes flew open, and he looked around the room, trying to orient himself.
He must have looked confused—or terrified, because Taren sat down on the bed next to him and brushed his hair behind his ear.
“Are you okay?”
“No,” he said, scrubbing the stubble on his chin with his hand. “I had a terrible nightmare about Madison.”
“Oh, babe. You said so yourself, she’s still alive and in Ensenada. I know it doesn’t mean anything, but I think you’re right. I feel it in my heart that she’s still okay.”
Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking.
He didn’t say that—he didn’t want to be a dick and piss on her good feelings, and he also didn’t want to voice his fear, as if actually saying it out loud would somehow lend it credence. He wasn’t necessarily a believer in all the woo-woo stuff that Taren believed in; putting shit out into the universe, blah blah blah, but he wasn’t risking it right now either.
“I dreamed she was in an endless warehouse, filled with all that crap the street vendors in Ensenada sell—tchotchkes, t-shirts, purses, blankets.”
She took a deep breath as she contemplated that.
“Well, maybe that’s where you should start looking.”
“Where? Warehouses or street vendors?”
She made a pained face. “I don’t know? Both?”
“Because I had a dream?”
She shrugged. “It could also just mean you think she’s still in the city, and those things represent Ensenada to you.”
He stood and kissed her on the forehead.
“You’ve been a huge help, Tink.”
“For future reference—just in case you need it someday—sarcasm at six in the morning, or really any time before coffee, is grounds for divorce.”
“Noted.”
He walked into his cabin to start packing and stopped short, then slowly walked back through the door to hers.
“You packed my things?”
She scrunched up her nose and started talking faster than normal.
“I hope that’s okay? I wanted to let you sleep a little longer, so I thought if I packed your suitcase, all you would have to do is shower and get your work stuff together. I promise I didn’t touch your computer or anything that remotely looked like business. Just your clothes and stuff. I left your toiletries out.”
“That was… that was really thoughtful. Thanks, baby.”
He got in the shower, unsure how he really felt about her getting his suitcase ready. He knew the gesture came from a good place, but he’d been fiercely independent for a long time. He hadn’t had anyone take care of him like that since… well, Taren. Seven years ago. She’d never packed his bags then, but she had been known to pack a lunch, grab his hand, and tell him she was taking him on a picnic. Or how she’d buy him a shirt when she was out shopping because she thought the color would look good with his eyes, or some shit, and have it waiting for him the next time he came into town. Not to mention all the times he’d find a sentimental card in his bag when he got home or a love note tucked in a pocket.
He’d forgotten what that was like—how good it made him feel to have her little acts of love in his life.
He never wanted to lose that again. He didn’t know what he’d do if something ever happened to her. With Madi’s disappearance, he was genuinely worried about Taren’s safety, yet he couldn’t be in two places at once. Exactly the feelings he’d had seven years ago when he ended things with her. Time and distance had made him forget, but here he was again.
****
Taren
Jacob wanted to drop her off at the airport on his way to the private runway.
“I’m sorry I can’t fly you to Houston like I’d originally planned,” he said as their Uber driver pulled up to the area marked departures. “But I upgraded your ticket to first class. It’s important that you call me with this phone”—he handed her a new phone—“when you land and when you get home.”
“Okay, I will,” she said softly.
She pecked him on the cheek and turned to get out of the vehicle when he hauled her back against him, kissing her thoroughly as the driver got out to retrieve her luggage from the trunk. She clung to him as the realization this would be their last kiss for a while washed over her, and when he finally broke the kiss, she wasn’t ready.
“Come on,” he said with a sad smile and opened his car door to get out with her.
They stood on the sidewalk, neither seeming to want to say goodbye, even though the driver was back in the car waiting for him now, having deposited her suitcase on the sidewalk.
“How long before you come to Houston?”
“I’m not sure, baby. Given the circumstance...”
She knew he couldn’t say anything more in front of other passengers walking by.
“I understand. I’ll talk to you in a couple of hours. Give Bella and Dante a hug for me.” Taren stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek again, whispering in his ear, “Find her, Jake,” before dropping to the balls of her feet and pulling up the telescopic luggage handle.
“I will, I promise,” he said, then grabbed her elbow, looking into her eyes. “You need to be extra vigilant—do you understand me? If anything feels off, you need to trust your gut and go somewhere where there’s a lot of people, then call me. I mean it, Taren.”
“You’re scaring me, Jake.”
“Good. This is important.”
She nodded as her mind raced. She didn’t like this one bit.
He leaned down and kissed her below her ear, whispering. “I love you, Tinkerbell. Don’t forget to call me. I’ll wait until you’re inside.”
She smiled meekly then turned to walk through the automatic sliding glass doors; her stomach in knots. This wasn’t at all how she’d envisioned flying back to Houston was going to be like.
****
Pulling her luggage through her tiny apartment door, it felt like the last ten days had been a dream, and she was finally waking up again as the familiarity of her life in Houston came rushing back.
She had been in her new place only a few months, but it was long enough that she’d acclimated.
Crap. If she moved to New Orleans, she was going to have to break her lease.
What an odd thing to consider at a time like this.
But it had been actually been in the ‘cons’ column when she made out her list of pros and cons after getting the job offer and couldn’t decide what to do. Obviously, now at the top of the ‘pros’ list was Jacob Preston Smith. But her safety could be on the cons side.
Taren called the nu
mber programmed in the phone he’d given her, as he’d requested, and it went straight to a generic voicemail, just like it had when she’d called him after landing at George Bush Intercontinental.
“Hey, it’s me. Just calling again—like you asked me to. I made it home okay. Hope you made it to Ensenada safely and Madi is already home. I love you. Call me when you can—don’t worry about what time it is. I want to talk to you; I don’t care if that means waking me up. I love you. I already said that. Okay, well… hope to talk to you soon.”
She needed to keep busy and decided to unpack and do laundry, and get her clothes ready for work tomorrow. It didn’t take much, she wore scrubs, but it was always a good idea to make sure she had a clean set for the next day rather than getting up in the morning and discovering she had none. That was how she’d acquired so many—more than once she’d stopped to buy a new pair on her way to work because she didn’t have a clean set.
With a sigh, she realized she was also going to have to put in her notice soon. Not tomorrow, the day she returned from a ten-day vacation after being on the job less than six months, that would be the ultimate in bad form. But soon. Besides, she needed to confirm everything with East Jefferson first and make sure the job offer still stood.
It was going to be a busy day tomorrow, and thankfully a long one. Hopefully the twelve-hour shift would keep her mind off Jacob and Madi.
She flipped on the ten o’clock news while skimming the headlines on her tablet. No mention of little Madison Guzman being kidnapped—anywhere. She even clicked on the Ensenada newspaper on her tablet. Her Spanish wasn’t that great, but she knew enough to know what their news stories were about and none were of a three-year-old little girl being abducted.
Taren didn’t know if the lack of news coverage was a good or bad thing. Jacob hadn’t called her back, so all she could was wait. And hopefully not go crazy with worry in the meantime.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jacob