CHAPTER TWENTY
Rowan’s stomach knotted as Brent parked in Nolan White’s driveway. Her brother-in-law’s colleague might know or suspect something about Alexa’s disappearance. If there was a chance to find her niece faster, Rowan would gladly suppress the uneasiness she felt in Nolan’s presence. Couldn’t put her finger on why he bothered her. There was just something about the man that gave her the creeps.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Brent asked.
“We have to learn what he knows so we can find Alexa.”
“You don’t have to do this. I’ll get the information we need.”
She shook her head. “Alexa is mine now.”
“What do you know about White?”
She breathed easier knowing Brent wouldn’t force her to step aside. Rowan knew he wanted to place her in private protective custody. Not happening, though. She wouldn’t live her life hiding in safety while Alexa was in constant danger. “I didn’t spend much time with him.” She was grateful. Her brother-in-law had lousy taste in friends and business associates.
“I see.”
His voice told Rowan he saw too much. She sighed. Brent Maddox was a smart, intuitive man and she didn’t need him punching out Nolan for an imagined offense. He wouldn’t give information if Brent punched him out. “Nolan White is a slimy jerk. Unlike Jay, Nolan never laid a hand on me. He just makes me uncomfortable.”
A sharp nod. “Let’s go. We don’t have much time before we meet the feds.”
At the front door, Brent rang the bell. The large house was lit up with light shining from almost every room. The guy must not be too concerned about paying his light bill.
Finally, the door opened. Nolan White stared at Rowan as though having a hard time believing she stood on his front porch. “Rowan. I’m surprised to see you.” His glanced past her to scan over her shoulder.
Hmm. Nolan looked afraid. He didn’t fear her or know Brent. What made him uneasy? “We need to ask you some questions about Jay.”
His gaze shifted to Brent. “Who’s he?”
Rowan wasn’t sure how to introduce Brent. She didn’t want to compromise Brent’s safety, a necessity in his line of work. She had a feeling the less information about him that Nolan knew, the better. If the wrong people captured Nolan, he’d spill his guts. Brent’s anonymity aided Alexa’s. No matter how often Detective Taylor said the FBI would use every resource to finding her niece, Rowan knew Alexa’s best chance of rescue lay with Brent and his Fortress operatives.
Rowan decided on the simplest explanation and hoped Brent didn’t mind. “This is my boyfriend, Brent. May we come in for a few minutes? We have another appointment soon.”
Reluctantly, Nolan opened the door wider for them to enter.
Rowan glanced around, curious about his home. Perfect, she decided, beautiful. Everywhere she looked, sleek lines and neutral fabrics or wood were used in decorating the place. Camera ready.
“Have a seat,” Nolan rumbled as he dropped into an overstuffed chair. “What do you want?”
“You heard about Jay and Heather?”
“How could I not? Their murders are plastered all over the news.”
That made Rowan pause. She hadn’t watched the news since she and Brent found Heather and Jay. Now she was glad she hadn’t. Seeing the media coverage of the murders would contribute to the nightmares she already wrestled with at night. Rowan suspected she wouldn’t sleep undisturbed for years to come.
She yanked her attention back on task. “I scheduled Jay and Heather’s funeral for Friday at noon. Since you were a colleague, would you be willing to share a couple of funny stories about Jay?”
Nolan grimaced. “I don’t do public speaking,” he muttered.
Rowan resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Barely. “I was going to ask Toby Minter to share a story, but that’s impossible now. I’d be grateful if you would contribute to their service, Nolan. I don’t know who else to ask. You and Toby were the only friends of Jay that I met.”
“What do you mean, it’s impossible to ask Toby to speak? He’s not answering his phone or refusing to talk to you?”
Oh, boy. Nolan didn’t know about Toby. “I can’t ask him to speak because he’s dead.”
Nolan’s eyes widened. “That’s impossible. I talked to him a few hours ago.”
“Someone shot him in the head. I need you to help me out at the service. Will you do it?”
The balding, paunchy man sat in silence a moment. “Yeah, okay. Where is this service?”
Rowan gave him the address of the funeral home and repeated the time, wondering if Nolan would show up. Wouldn’t surprise her if he didn’t bother. “Thank you.”
“Sure. Is that all?” Nolan stood.
“Did you know Jay’s daughter, Alexa, is missing?” Brent asked.
The man froze. “Missing?” His gaze shifted to Rowan. “You don’t have her?”
“The men who killed Heather and Jay took my niece, Nolan.”
“Took her? Why?” His voice rose. “That doesn’t make sense. She’s just a kid.”
“A very scared one. The kidnappers called me. She’s crying all the time. I’m afraid they’ll hurt her. I need your help, Nolan. Alexa needs your help.” Surely he wouldn’t refuse to help a young child?
Nolan swallowed hard. “What am I supposed to do about her disappearance?”
“Talk to us.” Brent rested his forearms on his thighs as he leaned closer to Jay’s colleague. “Alexa’s life is at stake.”
“I don’t know anything,” the other man insisted.
“I think you do.”
“You claim to be her boyfriend. Why haven’t I ever seen you with her before?” Nolan asked, suspicion in his voice.
“We’ve been friends for a while,” Rowan said. “The dating relationship is new. You, Toby, and Jay were all in business together, weren’t you?”
“Stay out of this, Rowan. You don’t want to get involved.”
“Too late for that. Answer my question.”
“All right, all right. We had a few business deals. What’s that got to do with the murder?”
“Their deaths have the earmark of a cartel hit,” Brent said.
Nolan started for the door, in an obvious hurry to get rid of them. “You have to go. I’ve got stuff to do.”
“There’s nowhere to run.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Yeah? How about this? You three decided to take a shortcut to easy money and started your own drug business. The Navarro cartel makes no secret of its desire to capture a major portion of the drug trade in the United States. My guess is the militia groups were looking for a quick score. I don’t know yet why they wanted to get involved with drugs, but I know the Volunteer militia in particular is chummy with the Navarro cartel. I’ll keep digging until I find out all the details.”
“Why do you care? This doesn’t concern you.”
“It matters to Rowan and that makes it my business.”
Nolan turned his desperate gaze toward her. “Keep your nose out of this. These people aren’t fooling around. If you don’t stop, that little girl will end up a ward of the state.”
“Never happen,” Brent said. “Rowan is mine to protect and that makes Alexa mine as well. No one will hurt either of them.”
Rowan stared at Brent. He sounded as if he meant those statements. Did he think of her and Alexa as belonging with him? Butterflies danced in her stomach at the prospect. He was such an amazing man. The idea of a close personal relationship with the Navy SEAL made her feel giddy inside. If he was making those statements as another form of protection, she’d be disappointed. She more than liked Brent Maddox. Too bad for her peace of mind the Fortress CEO was better at hiding his emotions than she was.
“You don’t know these people,” he hissed. “They’re dangerous. They’ll do anything to protect themselves and their business enterprises.”
Brent snorted. “Business enterprises? Navarro deals in misery, White. They prey on people, selling drugs, promising a false happiness that ultimately leads to their destruction. And the human trafficking? No one deserves to be sold into slavery. If Navarro obtains Alexa, that beautiful child will end up a sex slave and die before she reaches adulthood.”
“I can’t help you. They’ll kill me.”
Unbelievable. This clown was more concerned with his own skin than protecting a child. Rowan’s hands fisted. “Come on, Nolan. Grow a spine. You can disappear, move across the country and buy yourself a new identity. Alexa is only six. She can’t escape on her own. We have to help her.”
“You want to risk your own life, it’s your business. That kid is nothing to me. I don’t owe you or her anything.”
“This place is lit up like a Christmas tree, White.” Brent stood, arms folded across his chest, a scowl on his face. “I can’t imagine you’re afraid of the dark. How soon are you skipping town?”
Nolan’s face lost all trace of color.
Rowan frowned.
“That’s what I suspected,” Brent said. “Look, you want to disappear? I’ll help you do that. I have connections to set you up with a new identity and relocate you. Navarro will never find you if you follow the rules laid out.”
“What’s the price?”
“Information.”
Nolan scowled. “I don’t know anything more than I already told you.”
“Why is Navarro after you? Why are the militia groups so interested in dealing drugs? Who are your contacts in Navarro and each militia group? If you want my help, start talking.”
“I have to go. I don’t have time to spare.” He glanced toward the back of the house. “Look, I can print off some stuff that might help, but that’s all I’m willing to do.”
“If it’s not enough information to help us find Alexa, I’ll rescind the offer.”
“Yeah, whatever. I’ll do it myself.” A sneer crossed his face. “Not like I’ve needed anyone before.” Nolan tapped his chest. “I’ve always taken care of myself. I don’t owe you anything, but I can’t stomach the thought of that sweet little kid crying because she’s scared. She reminds me of my niece.”
“Let’s go, then.” Brent motioned for him to proceed. He and Rowan followed close behind the spooked businessman.
Nolan hurried to a large desk and dropped into the chair. He tapped a few keys on his computer keyboard and called up a file which he printed, then handed to Brent. “Here. That’s the best I can do. You can let yourself out while I gather a couple more items to take.” His expression darkened. “This is Jay’s fault. He’s the reason Toby and I got involved in the first place. We didn’t know who these guys were until it was too late to back out of the deal.
Right. Everybody knew the wisdom of getting into business with total strangers and trusting they were honest. Rowan stepped aside as Nolan charged around the desk and raced from the office. “Jay and his friends were idiots,” she murmured.
“Oh, yeah.” He scanned the pages, grimaced.
“What is it?”
“The DEA won’t be happy with this,” he said softly. “And neither will the ATF.”
It took Rowan a few seconds to translate the acronyms. Drug Enforcement Agency and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. “I understood the reference to the DEA, but why will the ATF be unhappy?”
Brent folded the pages and shoved them deep into one of his cargo pockets. “We’ll talk on the way to our next meeting.”
He used careful terms. Maybe he worried about being overheard. Her suspicions were confirmed when he tapped his mouth with his forefinger.
They walked from the office to the front door. Brent motioned for her to wait a moment, opened the door with his shirt covering his hand, then stepped out on the porch. A minute later, he held out his hand. “Let’s go, baby.”
“Are we leaving Nolan? He doesn’t have a great track record of wise decisions.”
“I can’t force him to take the offer. He made his choice.”
Rowan hoped Nolan White knew what he was doing. The men he’d gone into business with were ruthless. First Jay, then Toby had been killed. Would Nolan be next?
Brent’s hand rested against her lower back as he urged her silently to move faster. When Rowan glanced at him, she realized he was scanning the area, alert and focused.
Oh, boy. Rowan’s steps quickened. Did Brent sense someone watching them or was he being careful considering the circumstances?
Brent unlocked his SUV and helped Rowan inside, then climbed behind the wheel.
At that moment, Nolan came out of the house with a large suitcase in each hand. Before he’d taken more than a handful of steps, a shot rang out and Nolan dropped to the ground.