“And why is that, sir?”
“Because her note hints at that fact.”
Lieutenant Medina looked down at the note he held in his hand and reread it. He didn’t find anything amiss. He glanced back up at Reverend Avery. “What are the hints, sir?”
“The part where she says for once she needed to think only of herself and no one else. I know my daughter, and there is one other person that she would think about right now, no matter what.”
The lieutenant’s brows rose. “And who is that?”
“The baby.”
“What baby?” Joshua demanded to know.
“The baby she and Trevor made together.”
Lieutenant Medina could have sworn he saw steam coming from the young senator’s ears with his father’s statement. The look he gave Trevor Grant was murderous.
“You got my sister pregnant?” Joshua screamed out the question. The lieutenant was certain the floor actually shook that time.
“Joshua, lower your voice,” Reverend Avery demanded harshly. “Corinthians got herself pregnant. By her own admission, Trevor did not hold a gun to her head and force her to do anything. She has a mind of her own and is accountable for her own actions and whatever decisions she makes.”
“And you accept this?” Joshua asked in disbelief.
“You and Corinthians both know my position on moral issues. And recently, Trevor and I had a long talk, and he also knows. He and Corinthians were counseled.”
Joshua was livid. “Counseled! They were counseled! What about me?” he stormed.
“What about you, Joshua?” Reverend Avery asked his son calmly. “Do you need counseling, as well?”
“No, I don’t need counseling,” an angry Joshua Avery replied, almost ready to lose it. “I want to know what about me and my political career once the media gets wind that my sister is pregnant and not married?”
“We’re getting married,” Trevor said in a firm voice with a definite edge to it. “Corinthians is missing and all you can think about is your political career?”
The lieutenant cleared his throat. He thought it was time to get his line of questioning back on track. “I can find nothing to indicate Miss Avery did not leave willingly. There is no sign of forced entry into this condo, and Mrs. Avery, you indicated her luggage is missing, as well as some items of clothing. From the looks of things, she did go away on a short trip.”
Maudlin Avery nodded. However, she agreed with her husband and Trevor that Corinthians would not have left without contacting someone first. “Yes, sir, that is correct, but I have a gut feeling she didn’t leave willingly.”
“Is there anything other than hints and gut feelings that can provide substantial evidence of any foul play?”
When the occupants in the room shook their heads negatively, Lieutenant Medina sighed. “I’ll question the other occupants of this building to see if they may have seen anyone or noticed anything unusual. This is a pretty ritzy area of town. Anyone who doesn’t fit in will probably stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Officer, since there is no sign of forced entry, do you think whoever took my daughter could have been someone she knew, and she let them in?” Maudlin Avery asked.
“That’s a good possibility. I’d appreciate it if you’ll write down the names and addresses of any friends she has who visit frequently, including any former boyfriends.”
“Corinthians didn’t date much, so there aren’t any former boyfriends,” Maudlin Avery said quietly. “She preferred keeping busy by working.”
Lieutenant Medina shrugged. He’d obtained a picture of Corinthians Avery from her parents earlier. She was a good-looking woman. He couldn’t imagine her not ever having a close male friend. “Mr. Grant, you and Miss Avery got engaged recently, is that correct?” he asked Trevor.
“Yes, just last week,” Trevor answered. In fact, he had her engagement ring in his pocket. He had planned to surprise her with it tonight.
“Any arguments since then?”
Trevor’s gaze narrowed at the officer. “No. Last weekend we spent some time together in Houston when she met my family. I put her back on the plane Sunday afternoon and had not planned to see her again until this coming weekend. I was able to shorten my work schedule and decided to come earlier.”
“Was she expecting you?”
Trevor wondered where the officer’s questions were leading. “Yes. I called her on my cellular phone when I was on my way to the airport and told her I was coming.”
Lieutenant Medina nodded. “And how did she feel about that?”
Trevor remembered his and Corinthians’s last conversation. It had been short, but packed with meaning. Pain settled deep within him at the thought that someone had taken her away from him.
“She was glad we would be together again,” he said softly. He turned and walked over to the window and looked out. The night was pitch-black, and the woman he loved was somewhere out there. Why? Why would anyone take Corinthians? It didn’t make sense. Did it have anything to do with what went down in South America?
Trevor shook his head. He didn’t have any answers. He turned back around to face the group of people. “Lieutenant, unless you have any other questions for me, I want to be alone for a while.”
“No, that’s all I have for now.”
Trevor nodded. He then met Reverend and Mrs. Avery’s troubled gazes. “I’m going to get her back,” he said with deadly calm and absolute determination. “And whoever had the nerve to take her away is going to pay dearly.” He then turned and walked out of the room, going into Corinthians’s bedroom and closing the door behind him.
A chill swept through Lieutenant Medina’s body. For some reason, he believed every word Trevor Grant had spoken. If Corinthians Avery had been taken against her will, he felt sorry for the person who’d been stupid enough to do it.
Corinthians willed her body to stay calm. She refused to be afraid. She had to believe Trevor would find her. She had to believe that somehow and some way he would know that she had not left on her own and would come for her. She had to believe it. She had to have hope.
She wondered who the men were who had brought her to this place awaiting further orders. She had been placed on a bed. Her hand were tied behind her back, and a blindfold covered her eyes. She strained her ears when she heard two male voices. They had boasted of how one of them had easily slipped into her home past Lenora, her cleaning lady, and had waited for her to come home. From their clipped English, she knew they weren’t from this country, but she didn’t have a clue where they were from or what they wanted with her. One of them had said something to the other about leaving for the airstrip shortly. She wondered if they had plans to fly her out of Austin. She hoped not. Trevor would never find her if they did. He would spend his time searching Austin for her.
A feeling of fear resurfaced again. She took a deep breath to calm her ragged nerves, willing her body to believe the man she loved would find her.
She bowed her head and softly spoke to the one person she knew she could depend on. She prayed. “Father, please let him come.”
Trevor felt like he was ready to explode. While the detective was wasting time gathering information to determine if Corinthians had been taken against her will, the people who had taken her were gaining an advantage in time. He wished there was something he could do. He felt so helpless. He balled his hands into fists at his side as both fear and anger roiled within him. If anything happened to her, he didn’t know what he would do. He closed his eyes and silently prayed…for help, for direction and for strength.
Kicking off his shoes, he lay down on her bed. The faintest wisp of her scent clung to the bedcovers. He closed his eyes, wishing he had mental telepathy and she could tell him where she was. He tried to think of any reason why someone would force Corinthians from her home and make it seem like she’d left willingly. The only reason he could think of was that the person didn’t want anyone looking for her, at least not for a while. That woul
d give them time…but time to do what?
Trevor sat up when he heard a knock on the door. “Come in.”
Moments later, Maudlin Avery walked in. Concern was etched on her face. “Are you okay, Trevor?”
He stood and slipped back into his shoes. No, he wanted desperately to say. He wasn’t okay and he wouldn’t be okay until he got Corinthians back. Instead, he said, “Yes, I’m fine. Is Lieutenant Medina still here?”
“No, he left, but indicated he would be back later. He wanted to check out a few things.”
Another knock sounded on the door and Reverend Avery stuck his head in. “Trevor, there’re two gentlemen here to see you.”
Trevor nodded, thinking it was probably two of the Madaris brothers. He had called Dex who said he would call Justin and Clayton to tell them what had happened. When trouble hit, he could always depend on his friends being there for him. “Thanks, I’m coming.”
He walked out of the room and stopped short. Drake Warren and Ashton Sinclair were standing in the doorway.
Trevor released a long, deep sigh. His prayers had been answered. He’d been sent the help and direction he’d asked for. The strength would come in knowing he wasn’t alone. He shook his head and tried to swallow the golf-ball-size lump forming in his throat. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you guys,” he said honestly, easily and sincerely.
Rasheed stood at the window of his apartment building, looking out. His mind was heavy, deep in thought. Returning home to Mowaiti for a short visit had been what he’d needed. His people had been glad to see him and had rejoiced in his return with celebrations of feasts and dancing. It had reminded him of just how much his people meant to him, and just how much he was concerned for their welfare.
He was troubled by the way his father had been acting lately. He had spoken with his mother and had been surprised to learn his father had only contacted her once since he had been in America. Rasheed found that strange. Something was going on and he didn’t know what. What had changed his father so drastically over the past months?
Rasheed folded his thoughts when he heard Swalar enter the room. He turned around. “Yes, Swalar, what is it?”
“Mr. Santini is here to see you.”
Rasheed inwardly smiled at the slight grunt he heard in Swalar’s voice. He knew his trusted valet did not approve of his friendship with Raul. Years ago as teenagers, when Raul had come home with him during one of their school breaks, the two of them had kept Swalar busy keeping them out of trouble. Of course, Swalar blamed Raul for all their mischief, since in Swalar’s eyes his young prince could do no wrong.
“Send him in, Swalar.”
Rasheed knew something was wrong the moment Santini walked through the door. The back of his neck prickled. “What is it, my friend? What’s wrong?”
Santini hesitated a moment, as if regretting the words he was about to say. “I love my country as much as you do yours, Monty. I couldn’t have the North Americans thinking that South Americans are evil and villainous. What happened with the terrorists has put my country in a negative light. I organized a special team of men to dig up anything they could find out on the terrorist attack at the hotel in Rio. And I ordered them to search the entire countryside for Araque and to bring him back to me alive.”
Rasheed nodded, but didn’t say anything. He decided to let Raul finish what he was saying.
“They found him hiding out in the mountains near Argentina. He was in a bad way. He’d been shot, probably from when the Navy SEALs raided his camp to rescue the American hostages. In exchange for a promise that we would not harm his young teenage son, who was found with him, before Araque died he gave us the name of the man who masterminded everything.”
“And?”
Santini took a deep breath. “It’s all here in the report, Rasheed,” he said, handing a folder to his friend. “This is the report I’ll be giving to the State Department to clear my country of any wrongdoings. I think you need to read it.”
Rasheed nodded and, taking the chair behind his desk, he began reading.
Corinthians came awake, wondering how she had managed to sleep for the little while that she had. Her position on the bed wasn’t a comfortable one. A blindfold still covered her eyes and her hands were still tied. At least they had not gagged her. They had warned her not to make a sound or they would give her something to knock her out. In the distance, she could still hear the men’s voices. She wished there was something she could do to try to escape, but the blindfold and her tied hands limited her capabilities. She forced herself to roll her body to the side when she felt a bout of nausea forming in her stomach. Now was not the time for her to get sick.
She closed her eyes, pretending sleep when she heard the room door open.
“Wake up,” a male voice demanded, calling out to her. “The plane is here and we’re ready to go.”
Rasheed closed the folder. His entire body was consumed in anger. A part of him didn’t want to believe any of the things he had read, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. His father had been acting strange lately—now he knew why.
He looked up and met Santini’s gaze. “Will you trust me to take care of it and to make things right for both of our countries?” he asked his friend. He knew he was asking a lot. He had read the report in its entirety. He knew how damaging it would be if the truth were known. The lives of six Americans had been put in danger because of a man’s lust for one woman.
“It may be too late, Monty. I’ve had your father’s residence watched for the past couple of weeks, even more closely after you left to return to Mowaiti. I didn’t want to say anything to you until I was sure of the facts.”
Santini leaned forward in his chair. In a controlled voice he said, “He’s desperate, Monty. He wants Miss Avery in a bad way. He’s arranged for her to be abducted from her home in Austin and to be brought here. His plans are to hide her away somewhere until he can get her out of the country. And according to my contacts, he’s already set his plans in motion.”
Rasheed rose quickly to his feet. “I have to stop him, Santini, but I’m going to need your help. Please say that you will help me.”
Santini nodded. He knew if their positions were reversed, Rasheed would help him. “What do you want me to do?”
“Post some of your men at the private airfield that’s been designated for international dignitaries to use. If anyone is bringing Corinthians Avery into this city, they will have to arrive there. Tell your men not to intercept them. I just want to know where they take her. I’ll handle it from there,” Rasheed said, putting on his jacket.
“Where are you going?”
“To see my father.”
“Be careful, Monty.”
“I will.”
Chapter 28
“They’re friends of yours, I hope,” Joshua Avery muttered under his breath to Trevor as he gazed at the two men. He felt a chill pass through his body that began at the top of his head and quickly went down to his toes.
One of the men Joshua thought he recognized as the Marine colonel who had accompanied the military aircraft that had brought Corinthians to Key West. However, tonight, without the military garb, he wasn’t too sure. For some reason, he looked rough and rugged, and nothing like a schooled, disciplined, high-ranking military officer. Dressed in jeans and a pullover shirt, he looked primed and ready for trouble of any kind, even that of his own making.
Joshua thought the other man had a look about him that was lethal, deadly, almost barbaric. He gave the appearance of a man who could possibly end another’s life without thinking twice about it.
“They are friends of yours, aren’t they?” Joshua asked Trevor again. The slight tremble in his voice was apparent.
Trevor found a reason to smile for the first time since he had arrived at Corinthians’s home and found her missing. As usual, Sir Drake had put the fear of God into someone. Trevor took great pleasure in knowing that person was Joshua Avery.
“
Yes, they’re friends of mine. Drake Warren and Ashton Sinclair.” He introduced his friends to the others in the room. He then gazed at Ashton and Drake thoughtfully. For them to have come, they had to know something. “How did you know Corinthians is missing?”
Drake muttered a curse before saying, “We were hoping to get here before anything could happen.”
“What do you mean? Are you saying you know something about my daughter’s disappearance?” Reverend Avery asked Drake desperately. Like his son, he remembered Ashton from that night in Key West. Also, like Joshua, he could detect something destructive and dangerous about the man called Drake Warren. However, the look Drake gave him was respectful when he responded to his question.
“Yes, sir,” Drake answered politely. “We know something.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Joshua said heatedly, forgetting for the moment his decision not to rattle either of the two men. He still was not convinced Corinthians was missing and not somewhere rethinking her future. “Who are you and why should we believe you know so much?”
The look Drake turned on Joshua was hard and deadly. “Is he for real?” he asked Trevor without taking his eyes off Joshua.
“I’m afraid so,” was Trevor’s terse reply.
“I’ll let it pass since he’s a future relative of yours,” Drake said with a sharp edge in his voice.
“Don’t do me any favors,” was Trevor’s reply.
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
Drake nodded before slowly walking over to Joshua Avery, who had the good sense to take a step back. “Keep up the negativity, Senator, and I just might be your worst nightmare. And the reason I know so much is because for the last fifteen hours, I’ve been sitting in front of a computer reviewing highly classified data. Someone has been trying for the past month or so to get their hands on your sister. Since she’s now missing, I can only assume the person has succeeded.”
Fire and Desire (Arabesque) Page 26