Without a Trace

by Velvet Vaughn

  Amelia couldn’t help the smile that broke free.

  Maggie narrowed her eyes. “When did this happen? You’ve been holding out on me, Ames. I thought we were best friends.”

  “We totally are, and I wasn’t holding out…not exactly. I’ll admit that I’ve…had a thing for him for a while, but I had no idea he felt the same way.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because you’d have run to him and blabbed.”

  “No, I would—”

  “Jeremy Young, sophomore year.”

  Maggie winced. “Oh. Yeah, well, I was just trying to help you out.”

  “You told him I wanted to sleep with him!”

  “So? You did!”

  “But I didn’t want him to know that. He started coming on to me like white on rice. He followed me to all my classes, and I couldn’t get rid of him.”

  Maggie sniffed. “Excuse me for trying to do you a favor.”

  “He stalked me! I had to take out a restraining order.”

  “How was I to know he was psychotic?”

  Amelia sighed. “You weren’t. Neither was I. He was cute.”

  “He was, but nowhere in the same league as Mr. Hollister. How did that come about?”

  “I’ve had a mini-crush on him from the beginning. Then we spent time together when he was recovering. There were…sparks, but neither of us acted on them. Then he came here to visit me, and the rest as they say is history.”

  “Wow, girlfriend, you skipped over lots of juicy details.”

  “He saved my life, Mags.” Tears filled her eyes. “So many times. I wouldn’t be alive if he hadn’t come for me.”

  Now Maggie was crying, too. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Amelia, but I’m so damn happy you’re safe and that you found love.”

  She nodded. “I did. He’s amazing.”

  “He totally is,” Maggie agreed.

  #

  Wyatt stuck his head inside the room. “You up to a visitor?”

  Amelia scooted against the pillow and arranged the blanket over her legs. Maggie had just left, and she didn’t feel like taking a nap. It seemed as if she’d been sleeping for weeks. “Sure.”

  He opened the door wide and a man with short brown hair and wire-rimmed glasses stepped inside. He wore a tan blazer over a white oxford shirt and brown pants. She pasted on a smile, having no idea who he was.

  “Amelia?”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s me, Manuel Perez. We were held captive together.”

  She lunged forward, only to stop short when the IV in her arm tugged. “Oh my God, Manuel.” Tears flooded her eyes and she held out a hand. He grasped it and eased to the chair beside the bed. Wyatt knew how worried she’d been about Manuel and he’d tracked him down for her. She met his eyes and mouthed “thank you.” He smiled and nodded before slipping out of the room.

  “I’m so happy to see you, Manuel. I was worried about you.”

  “I was the same way with you, Amelia. I wanted to go back for you, but they blindfolded me when they took me from the cell, so I had no idea where we were. I’m so sorry. I prayed for you.”

  “I did for you, too, and you have no reason to apologize.”

  His face turned serious. “I was scared when your friend called me and told me you’d been shot. I had to come see for myself that you would recover.”

  “I will. Did they hurt you?”

  “Not really. A slight concussion. Scrapes and bruises.”

  “What happened when they took you from the cell?”

  “They drove me to Meseta and dropped me off. I had to find my way to the Colombian Consulate to get home.”

  “Why did they let you go?”

  “They contacted the University where I work and they paid the ransom, for which I am so thankful. My wife would not have been able to pay any amount.”

  “I’m thankful, too. Is your wife okay?”

  “She was terrified for my safety. Now she barely lets me out of her sight.” Amelia smiled. “This ordeal has made me leery of ever leaving Colombia again.”

  “Me, too,” she agreed. “But you don’t have to worry about the men who took us, Manuel. They’re dead.”

  He nodded. “Your friend told me. But it doesn’t matter. One gang goes down, another one pops up to take its place. It’s a never-ending cycle.”

  Sad but true.

  They chatted for an hour. She told him about their escape and subsequent trek through the rainforest. He showed her pictures of his beautiful wife and adorable son. They exchanged contact information and then he stood. “I need to get back to work. I owe them so much for paying to bring me home. I shudder to think what might’ve happened if they didn’t cover the ransom.”

  She felt the same about what would’ve happened if they hadn’t managed to escape.

  With a small wave he disappeared out the door. Wyatt stepped back inside.

  “Thank you.”

  “What for?”

  “Manuel. I can’t believe you remembered.”

  “I remember everything you tell me, love. Always will.” He bent down and kissed her softly. She ran her hand across his smooth cheek. She’d gotten used to the scruffy beard, but she loved him like this, too.

  He dropped into the recliner the nurses had brought for him. One had told her how sweet it was that he refused to leave her side and he was so adorable, they wanted to make sure he was comfortable. He charmed everyone he met.

  “Luke and Logan have arranged for a flight home tomorrow.”

  She burst into tears. What was wrong with her? She’d cried more in Santigo than she had her entire life. It had to be the drugs they’d pumped into her to ease the pain from surgery. They made her emotional. Her sob turned into a choked laugh at the look of panic on Wyatt’s face. She reached up and cupped his cheek again. “They’re happy tears. I’m ready to be home.”

  He gave a relieved sigh and covered her hand with his. “I am, too.”

  The door opened and a woman in a white coat breezed inside. Her dark hair was fastened into a bun and she wore a pair of tortoiseshell glasses perched on the end of her nose. She glanced from the chart to Amanda. “I’m Dr. Sanchez. How are you feeling, Dr. Howell?”

  “Better. Ready to get out of here.”

  “They do say doctors make the worst patients.” Dr. Sanchez smiled. “But we’re releasing you tomorrow. I’m sure I don’t have to give you any post-op instructions, but don’t try to overdo it. Take time to heal. Listen to your body. I’ll be back tomorrow to check you one last time before you depart.”

  As soon as she left, Amelia turned to Wyatt. “What about your friend’s plane?” The one he’d borrowed so he could fly hundreds of miles from home to see her.

  “The bosses arranged for it to be flown back to him for me. Oh, I almost forgot.” He reached into a pocket and held up a blue booklet. “General Sanchez’s troops found your passport in Gustavo Rios’ compound. They found Ryan’s too. And speaking of…I talked to him a little while ago. He’s been calling me constantly to check on you and to keep tabs on your recovery.”

  She glanced at the myriad of vases covering her windowsill. There were so many flowers and she wouldn’t be able to take them home with her. She’d keep the notecards and ask the nurses if they would deliver the flowers to patients who needed cheering up. Maybe people who didn’t have any visitors. She wanted someone to enjoy the beautiful blooms as she had for the last few days.

  The stuffed koala Wyatt tucked by her side when she’d been unconscious was definitely going home with her.

  She pointed to the large spray of pink roses “He sent those. How’s he doing?”

  “Better. He’s home recovering in St. John’s.”

  “Are you going to recommend him to Luke and Logan?”

  “Already have.”

  “And?”

  “He’s interested. More than, really. He set up a meeting. He won’t be able to pass Dante Costa’s rigorous tests until he�
�s better, but I’m pretty sure he’s a lock.”

  “Good.”

  “I have more good news. General Sanchez sent troops to Father Juan’s village. Pedro, Aline and all the residents are safe.”

  Amelia closed her eyes. “Thank God. I was so worried.”

  “Someone spotted the gang storm the church and they fled to a cave in the woods that they kept hidden for that purpose. It was Father Juan’s idea to create a safe room of sorts, just like the one in his church. He saved their lives.”

  “I wish we could’ve saved his.”

  “Yeah, me, too.”

  “His death is on me. I shouldn’t have come to Santigo. If I’d stayed home, Father Juan would still be alive.”

  “Amelia, stop,” Wyatt ordered. “His death is not on you. It’s on the men who killed him and the Bainbridge family. Never on you. Plus, think of all the lives you’ve saved by exposing the crime ring. Because of you, fewer drugs will hit the streets.”

  When he put it that way, she almost believed him. Still, she’d mourn Father Juan the rest of her life. She shifted and winced when the stitches in her chest pulled. Wyatt was at her side instantly, his mouth pinched.

  “It kills me that you’re hurting. I would take every bit of pain for you if I could.”

  “Even after I tortured you with rehab?”

  “Paybacks, babe.” He sobered and lowered his eyes. When he looked at her again, they were shiny with unshed tears. “When I saw all the blood and then you passed out…” He shuddered. “I don’t ever want to experience anything like that again for as long as I live. I was afraid I wouldn’t get the chance to tell you that I love you.”

  She smiled at him, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks. “That’s my line.”

  # # #

  Epilogue

  Wyatt kept his promise of showing Amelia all Australia had to offer. Their first evening down under, they dressed up and headed to the Sydney Opera House for an elegant dinner at Bennelong, located inside the Opera House. After a delicious meal of whole roasted John Dory fish with gordal olive, coastal herbs and native citrus butter for her and crisp confit duck with blueberries, kampot pepper, black fungi and umeboshi for Wyatt, they took in a beautifully produced Puccini opera. She wasn’t much of an opera fan, but the entire experience was incredible.

  He drove her up the coast to the charming town of Cairns, where they joined a tour boat to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef (a bucket list item). The underwater views of colorful fish and coral were ones she’d never forget.

  Though she’d be happy to never see a rainforest again, he talked her into riding the Skyway Rainforest Cableway that ran above the Barron Gorge National Park in the Wet Tropics of Queensland’s World Heritage Area. They spent two incredible nights in a beach cabin at the Fitzroy Island Resort, billed as the place where the rainforest meets the reef.

  They visited the Taronga Zoo and sunbathed on Bondi Beach. Wyatt surfed the famous waters and impressed her with his moves. They took a ferry from Circular Quay to Manly and ate some of the best salmon she’d ever tasted straight from the Tasman Sea.

  They harnessed up and scaled the Sydney Harbor Bridge. They strolled through the gorgeous Royal Botanic Garden at Farm Cove. They took in the view of the city from the top of the Sydney Tower Eye. They fed kangaroos from their hands and her most favorite activity and the number one item on her bucket list: she got to hold a koala, her childhood favorite animal.

  But the best times were spent with his family. They welcomed her with open arms. His mom was a small, red-headed fireball who hugged Amelia so tight and whispered, “Welcome to the family.”

  “You love it here,” Amelia said as they sat on his mother’s porch sharing a double swing.

  “I do.”

  “Why did you leave?”

  “I needed a change.”

  He’d told her all about his unfaithful girlfriend. Amelia couldn’t believe anyone would cheat on him, but she was so glad. Otherwise, she’d have never met him. One woman’s loss was another one’s gain.

  “Well, I’m glad you did, or I’d have never met you.”

  With his feet against the ground, Wyatt gently sent the swing in motion. “So, I’ve been thinking, how about we make this trip once a year, say on our anniversary?”

  Amelia’s head snapped to his. Did he mean the anniversary of the day they escaped Santigo, their first trip together, their first kiss, the first time they made love…there were so many firsts, and dozens, dozens more in the future, she hoped. She needed him to be more specific. “Our anniversary…” She let the sentence hang.

  He stopped the swing and dropped to one knee. Her breath caught in her throat as he clasped her hand. “I mean our wedding anniversary. I love you, Amelia. With all my heart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making you smile, making you happy.” He slid a diamond ring on her finger. “Will you marry me?”

  There were those blasted tears again. She could barely make out the ring. It could’ve been a plastic one from a vending machine for all she cared. As long as she had Wyatt, she didn’t need anything else.

  “Yes. In a heartbeat. I love you, Wyatt. With all my heart.”

  # # #

  Notes

  I hope you enjoyed Without a Trace, the eighteenth book in the COBRA Securities series. As with many of the locations in my books, the country of Santigo is fictional. However, the activities that Wyatt and Amelia participated in on their trip Down Under are all events that I was fortunate to experience on my trip to Australia in 2000. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The country is so amazingly beautiful and every single person I met was so kind and friendly. I hope to go back one day!

  Several characters from previous books made appearances in Without a Trace. If you would like to read their stories, you can find them here:

  Peter Dennis from Committed

  Maggie and Carter McQueen from Saving Santa

  Kai Costa from Hide and Seek and Kidnapped

  Sawyer Oldham from Hunted

  Grant Colton from Say Goodbye to Melody

  Noah Addison from Golden Girl

  Ethan Addison from Fatal Dreams

  About the Author

  Velvet Vaughn is the author of The List, The Fan, Committed, Violets are Blue, Trust No One, Hide and Seek, Killer Cuisine, Vigilante, Face the Music, Tough as Nails, Total Surrender, Hunted, Say Goodbye to Melody, Last Dance, The Viper, Golden Girl, Fatal Dreams and Without a Trace, the first eighteen books in the COBRA Securities series, as well as Saving Santa, and Kidnapped, COBRA Securities Short Stories. In addition, two novellas: A Christmas Miracle and Flying High Christmas are available as stand-alone books or in the anthologies All I Want For Christmas and Yuletide Treasures, respectively. Running Scared, the nineteenth book in the COBRA Securities series will be published soon.

  Connect With Velvet

  Website: www.velvetvaughn.com

  Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/authorvelvetvaughn

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/velvetvaughn/

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/velvetvaughn/

  Email: velvet@velvetvaughn.com

  From Velvet

  Thank you so much for purchasing Without a Trace. I hope you enjoyed Wyatt and Amelia’s story. If you did, I would appreciate you leaving feedback. Thank you!

  The nineteenth book in the COBRA Securities series will be out soon. Running Scared is COBRA Securities agent Declan Elliot and editor Kenzie Bryant’s story.

  If you would like to read the story of one of the characters from my books, let me know. You can reach me through the contact page on my website or my Facebook Fanpage. I'd love to hear from you. And be sure to like my Fanpage so you can take part in giveaways, and sign up for my newsletter for a chance to win a gift certificate in each issue.

  Thank you again for your support!