by Alexis Gold
Jenna wrote down the description. “Happen to catch a name, nickname, or any other conversation take place?”
The man shook his head. “No, just kept catching sight of him.”
Jenna nodded. “Thank you for your time today, Mr. Garcia. We’ll be in touch if we need any further information.”
He stuck out his hand, and Jenna shook it firmly. He met her eyes and looked into them. “Please, it’s Gavin. Pleasure to meet you, Detective. Please keep me posted. I’m very worried about Lia.”
With that, he sighed and turned around to return to work. Lance looked to Jenna with curiosity, but she held her finger to her lips to tell him to stay quiet for now. She’d have to fill him in on her hunch later.
Jenna began to walk around the market, her eyes watching carefully as each face passed. Each person who would usually blend with the crowd stuck out for just a moment as she studied face after face. She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for, but her instinct told her to just watch.
The two of them spent the next hour meandering around the marketplace, past the fish, the baskets, the trinkets, the meats, and the live animals. Jenna paused at each stand and observed. Lance had relaxed and seemed to naturally fall next to her. His own eyes watched carefully, and he didn't question her. He kept the conversation light, and both listened as people spoke jovially with one another, hoping to catch a name, or a mention of Lia.
Jenna sighed. She was just about to call it when she saw the short, stocky man from the bar the first morning they had been out. She grabbed Lance’s hand and squeezed it. He looked to her with surprise, but she gave a small nod in the man’s direction. Lance’s gaze traveled and saw what she had discovered; he looked back at her and she gave a nod that yes, they were going to follow him.
The two headed toward the man as he loaded up a box of goods and started toward the back of the market, to the tiny alley behind the stands where the marketers kept their products and supplies. Jenna glanced over and saw that the alley ran parallel to the back of another marina, and she watched as he made his way down and turned into the entrance of it.
Lance and Jenna followed cautiously, the flow of traffic so heavy they blended with the passing people as they made their way down the walkway, past the rows and rows of docks that were filled with rocking boats. The man whistled to himself as he walked with a slow saunter, the sun on his face. He gave a smile and a wave to other locals as he passed.
He turned down a row, and they paused to watch as he stepped onto a large boat, different from the other two they had seen. Unable to follow him, the two sidestepped behind another boat and watched as he made his way around the deck. A few other men came up from below; they smiled and welcomed him. Lance immediately recognized some of them from their bruised faces as the men he had beat up yesterday.
Jenna glanced around and saw the other man from the bar. The only two who weren’t here were the Garcias. She watched as they made their way around the boat, talking and laughing as they did so. With the sound of the waves, the seagulls, and the ocean wind, Jenna could only catch some of what they had to say.
The conversation was about the next load and the big payoff. Each man was going around saying what he was going to do with the money. Jenna knew at this point it wasn’t about fish. The men suddenly fell silent, and Jenna glanced to the end of the dock. The Garcia men were making their way down towards the boat. Jenna and Lance watched, hidden from the two as they climbed aboard the boat.
Franco gave the men a stern look, while his son stood eerily still with his hands clasped together in front of him and his eyes cast down. The mood went from lighthearted to tense in a flash, and Jenna wanted to know why. Franco spoke up, and she and Lance leaned in just a bit to listen.
“You boys want your pay out, you need to learn how to do you jobs first,” he sneered, and as his dark glance cast over each one, their eyes fell.
“You have all seen a detective recently, haven’t you? Or the lumbering idiot who’s been with her?”
Lance’s eyes shot wide in surprise, and he huffed. Jenna stifled a laugh but placed her hand on his chest to hold him back.
“Well, thanks to you boys, she’s now on our trail. And I can tell you right now, the boss isn’t happy about it.” He smirked at the men, his eyes glistening with something sinister.
The men exchanged hushed and worried mumbles in response. Franco then took his son by the shoulder and guided him down to the captain’s quarters. Jenna and Lance watched for a few more moments as the men hurriedly lifted the anchor and untied the boat. The machine suddenly roared to life, and they were on their way out to sea.
As the boat sped off into the ocean, the afternoon sun shimmered brightly on the water. Jenna held up a hand to block out the sun and watched it until it was only a tiny dot. Lance looked at her with a serious look she hadn’t witnessed before; he was both pissed and concerned.
“I’m guessing these guys have Lia?” Lance almost growled.
Jenna nodded. “That’s my hunch. Gavin was the only one who really tried to throw us off the trail, with the bogus story about another guy following them. She’s connected to this group somehow.” Jenna bit her lip nervously. While the pieces were slowly coming together, something didn’t feel quite right about this whole thing.
“What is it?” Lance asked, as he shifted in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He could sense her concern.
“I’m not sure, and I don’t think I’ll know until we find the missing piece.”
Lance nodded. He leaned into her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“Thank you.”
She looked up with a small smile, her eyes warm.
“For what?”
Lance shrugged and gave her a smirk back. “Being the badass you are.”
Jenna felt herself blush, but reached up and pecked him on the cheek.
“No problem, handsome. Now, we have a warehouse to go investigate, but there’s one thing you need to do for us. We need a boat to get there.” Jenna began walking down the pier toward the market.
“Why’s that?”
It’s on a tiny speck on land right off the coast, only accessible by air or water.” Jenna pulled up her phone to check the coordinates Danielle had sent.
She looked to Lance, and he gave her a grin, “Air, you say?”
*
Jenna discovered the beach house had an entire garage attached and, within it, was just one of the many custom-built cars Lance had worked on. This one was a deep blue ‘68 Mustang that Jenna couldn’t help but stare at; she never cared that much about cars, but this thing was a piece of art.
“Hop in, beautiful, and let’s get going.” Lance flashed her a big grin as he slid in and roared the beast to life.
Jenna buckled up, and Lance began the journey out of town to the family’s private airport, equipped with a private jet and helicopter.
“So, if you guys have private jets, why didn’t Lia take one of those?” Jenna asked as she realized that with their lifestyle, Lia had made a deliberate choice to take a commercial flight.
“We have two. I was using one and dad was using the other when she wanted to leave. Lia has always done things on her own time, so she wasn’t about to wait for us to get back.”
Jenna nodded as she gently touched the soft white leather of the car. “Got it. So when did you bring this bad boy here?”
“It’s actually been here since I rebuilt it a few years ago. This is my first time driving it here, though.”
Jenna shot him a surprised look. “You’re just driving it here now?”
Lance shrugged. “I rebuild cars and either sell them or send them to places we have established so I can drive them there. I have quite a few world-wide I haven’t driven yet.”
Jenna whistled and turned to watch the scenery go by as they drove. They fell into a relaxed silence as the whirl of the engine soothed their nerves. The tight city roads gave way to freeway, and the city dissipated to rur
al farms and coastal towns. Jenna watched as the smog seemed to lift and the tropical paradise began to shine. Lance took a small road off the highway; it was a bit bumpy and cut through a pasture of grazing cattle.
Black iron gates rose in the distance, a giant “P” welded onto the top of them. The gates expanded on both sides, the entire place surrounded by looming, black metal bars to keep intruders out. Lance pulled up next to a keypad, punched in a code, and the gates creaked open as he pulled in.
There were two giant, gleaming white buildings on the grounds. One housed the jet, which was in the hanger, as Lance had taken it down for his trip. The other sported two helicopters. One was already parked outside for them. Jenna stared at the vast airport. There wasn’t another soul around for miles. The whole experience seemed surreal to her, and she looked over to Lance, who seemed incredibly excited to be here.
He looked to her and gave her a nudge. “My favorite thing in the world right here, flying. I’ve been piloting since I was a teenager. It’s what I do to really feel alive.”
Jenna looked at him, then back at the helicopter. “Well, then I trust you’ll take good care of me?”
Lance laughed and placed his hand on her shoulder. “You have nothing to worry about, beautiful.”
Lance had a skip in his step as they got out of his car. He hurried toward the chopper, and Jenna quickened her pace to keep up.
“I’m now realizing we haven’t had any time to really talk about you and your…” Jenna trailed off. She didn’t want to sound rude, but she kept forgetting he was a billionaire.
“My lifestyle?” Lance asked with a grin, as his quick steps carried him toward the chopper pad where the bright red and white helicopter awaited.
“Yeah, I guess I would call it that.” Jenna stared at the giant gleaming machine. It was a contrast to the forest green and blue sky of the afternoon.
“Jenna, I will admit that I have taken full advantage of the opportunities, fun toys, and adventures I’ve had access to both growing up and now. I’m sure there is a lot about this world I have no idea about, simply because I haven’t experienced another lifestyle. But, I’ve worked really hard to try and understand. I know this…”
He waved at the surroundings of the pristine private airport.
“This can be intimidating, but you’ve had the chance to get to know me a bit. Do I seem so far away and out of touch with the common people?” He gave her a playful nudge with his elbow, and she nudged back.
“No, it’s just a lot to take in sometimes. The beach house is one thing, but I forget you have places like that literally all over the world. And places like this, and probably so much else! It’s overwhelming. I mean, not that I may have to worry about this after the trip…” She began stumbling on her words, suddenly anxious as she realized she had known this man less than a few days and was talking like they might be heading into a relationship.
Lance chuckled as he climbed into the cockpit, reaching out a hand to help her.
“Jenna, relax. I like you, and after we get all this shit sorted out, we can talk dates.” He kissed her gently as she stepped in, and she felt her heart flutter.
“Ok.” She was left somewhat speechless by his actions.
“Alright, let's get this show on the road.”
Jenna watched as his experienced hands navigated the controls. He quickly flicked switches, turned knobs, and pressed buttons. Jenna had no idea what each did, but the way he fluently handled the controls and brought the machine to life fascinated her.
“Man, I am lucky enough if I can parallel park,” she shouted over the roar of the engine.
He handed her a headset, and she strapped it on quickly. He put on his sunglasses, gave her a smirk, and then grabbed the joystick. With a soft lurch, they were suddenly hovering above the ground. Jenna felt her gut twist in excitement, the same feeling she got when she peeked over the top of a tall roller coaster.
“Damn, this is going to be a hell of a time,” she said into the headset, and Lance just laughed.
Jenna watched as the ground suddenly rushed away. The black asphalt pad with bright yellow caution lines began to shrink and turn into a small speck amongst the rolling green grass and tropical tree line. Her eyes were wide as she watched the mountains appear in the distance and saw the city bedded against the coast and wood. The cityscape reached for the deep blue sky, and the shining ocean was now just a gleaming blue. Jenna couldn’t help but smile as the scenery rushed by in a surreal way.
Lance glanced over at her, and she heard him crackle over the headset, “Pretty spectacular, huh?”
Jenna could only nod, her eyes shining at the bright tropical colors as she suddenly realized the paradise she hadn’t had the time to see from the concrete streets. Her heart pumped loudly in her chest, as the exhilaration of the ride and the all-encompassing landscape had adrenaline pumping through her veins.
Jenna wished for a moment that the two of them could stop and enjoy all of this but felt a twinge of guilt at the thought. She squared her shoulders and looked back at Lance. They would find his sister, and then they would explore this spark between them; she knew that much.
He turned the chopper toward the ocean, and they began their journey toward the private warehouse. Jenna watched as Lance looked to the screen with the coordinates, his hands steadily guiding the giant over the foamy, rolling waves below. The helicopter seemed to wave to and fro, over land and sea, until she saw a small spit of land with a large building appear in the distance.
Lance nodded. “That’s the place.”
He carefully eased the chopper toward the giant building that loomed in the distance. The roof was white with rusted sheet metal; a few skylights opened up and let in light. The cement structure was a blend of black and chalky white from the salty wind and air of the ocean. Jenna could feel the cold radiating from the place, even in the warmth of the afternoon sun.
“Looks cozy, doesn't it?” she asked.
Lance nodded and threw his thumb back. “Grab the binoculars and take a look. I don’t want to get too close and spook ‘em.”
They were still too far to see much, but Jenna could make out that the boat they had seen Franco and his men load into this afternoon was at the dock, along with two other smaller boats. Jenna reached into the bag that Lance had brought and grabbed the binoculars, raising them to her eyes and scanning the building.
A few people were leaving the building, each one with different shaped packages or boxes in their arms. Her eyes scanned up to the skylights, but they were still too far away for her to see inside.
“We need to get closer. I can’t see inside the place.”
Lance nodded and nudged the helicopter closer. Jenna felt the sway of the hovering machine and gripped her seat. This would still take some getting used to, she thought. Lance chuckled and with his free hand reached over and squeezed her knee.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
If she weren’t in the air staking out a warehouse via chopper, she would have felt herself blush and leaned over to kiss him. But just handling the flight was enough for now.
She watched the building grow larger as they approached. The ominous feeling only grew stronger as she noticed there wasn’t much vegetation on the land, mainly just dark rocks and sand. The wind rushed as the updraft off the ocean pushed against the chopper, and she felt the anxious twist in her gut that something wasn’t right.
She held the binoculars with white knuckles and kept them fixed on the skylights as Lance took a chance and went over them. Jenna looked down below and saw a large group of people gathered in the center. The place was packed with pallet upon pallet of packages, and the small aisles that were left were just enough for people to walk to and from the loading and unloading docks. She looked at the group of people and tried to pinpoint where their attention was turned; none of them moved and all appeared to be fixed on… a blonde woman in the center?
Jenna squinted and zoomed the binoculars in clos
er. It was a blonde woman, but before she could look up, Lance had passed the chopper over.
“Did they see us?” he asked nervously.
Jenna shook her head, “No, nobody looked up. But I think we should make another pass over. I think I have an eye on our main suspect.”
Lance nodded and swooped the helicopter back around. Jenna clutched the binoculars again and fixed her sights where the group had been inside the giant building. Her eyes scanned the skylights and down to the sea of bodies and faces. There she was again, the woman in the center with blonde hair. Franco appeared to be standing next to her. Maybe it was his wife?
Suddenly the woman looked up, and Jenna gasped as she saw the familiar face through the binoculars, almost as clear as day: those piercing green eyes, the familiar-shaped features, and soft, blonde waves of hair. It was Lia, Lance’s sister.