Chapter9
David pulled himself up off the floor, shaking his head and watching in confusion as glass fell from his hair. He looked around the kitchen of the beach house, then all of a sudden, it all came flooding back. The blitz attack, Kelissa’s muffled screams as the darkness flooded around him. Somehow, Salvador’s men had gotten into his house and now they had Kelissa.
He rolled onto his side slowly, head spinning and a metallic taste in his mouth. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and dialed Aaron’s number. His friend answered on the first ring, sounding wide awake even though David knew that he went to sleep by nine every night.
“They have her,” David said.
“From where?”
“The beach house. They broke in and knocked me out.”
“Impossible,” Aaron muttered, but he wasn’t questioning David’s account.
He was angry.
“Where are you, David?”
“Beach house, on the floor. I think I need stitches.”
“I have a guy for that. We don’t have time. How long since they took her?”
“We got home a little after midnight.”
“It’s almost two now. They don’t have much of a head start.”
“Almost two hours. That’s long enough for something bad to happen.”
“I’m getting in the car right now. We’re going to find her, and we’re going to figure out how they got past the security system. I’ll be there in five minutes and I’ll have some of my guys meet us. Hang tight.”
“Alright,” David said, hanging up the phone and going to the freezer.
He put together an ice pack and held it to his head, then made his way through the house looking for Kelissa, even though he knew she wasn’t there. Still, he hoped she’d made her way to the panic room and managed to close the door before they got to her.
Calling out to every deity known to man, he carefully walked up the stairs, pushing the dizziness away as best as he could. The closer he got to the top of the stairs, the more he wondered about the smell that Kelissa had been talking about. Originally, he’d thought it was a beached animal down the way. It happened from time to time. But now that he was almost in the master bedroom, he had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly where the faint odor had come from.
He flipped the light switch, squinting against the bright light. He was surprised that they’d cut the power back on. But it made sense. They had to get out of the garage, and they probably took one of his cars in the process. It would be in a million pieces by now, he already knew, but he still held onto the hope that Aaron would be able to track the car before the GPS signal was lost.
Kelissa’s phone vibrated from its perch on the marble counter in the bathroom. It was one less way they had of tracking her, but it was better that way. Salvador didn’t know who Kelissa was, and if he didn’t have her cell phone, there was no way for him to get her personal information to use against her. With her cell, he could find the names and locations of everyone she loved and use that to hurt her even more.
He cursed under his breath when he saw Julia, the top half of her body visible from the master closet. Kelissa had obviously tried to make it to the panic room, but the kidnappers had set Julia in there to hide her body while they laid in wait. It was obvious that they’d used her to gain access to the house. They’d probably surprised her as she was leaving the house.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No matter what happened, he would make sure that she got a proper send off and that her family never had to work a day in their lives again. It was David’s fault that Julia was caught up in this mess, and she’d paid with her life. Now Kelissa was missing and Salvador was waiting for him to come after his men. Everything was a mess, and he didn’t know how he was going to get out of it. Even if he managed to save Kelissa, she would probably never speak to him again.
“David!” Aaron called out from the kitchen.
“I’m here,” David called back, wincing at his pounding headache.
He heard Aaron rush up the stairs, then suck in a deep breath when he saw David standing a few feet from Julia’s body.
“Is that Julia?”
“It is.”
“I’m sorry, David.”
“Not as sorry as I am.”
“Did you see anything, or hear anything?”
“No. I thought it was Kelissa. She had just left the room to shower and I thought maybe she was coming back down the stairs to have another drink. Before I could turn around, something hit me in the back of the head and I hit the floor. Everything else is a blur.”
“Your head looks okay. I have some hyper bond in the car; it’s better than stitches. Cade will patch you up while I drive.” He opened his handheld device that always reminded David of a miniature laptop. “What else do you remember?”
“Nothing, but they took one of my cars.”
“Are you sure?”
“They turned the lights back on after they caught Kelissa. I remember them talking about which breaker turned off the upstairs, then giving up and hitting the main. The lights are back on and I didn’t do it, so they must have turned them on so they could get out the garage door.”
“It was open when we pulled up. Tell me what you had in the garage.”
He listed the cars off, skipping over the Jaguar that Kelissa drove that was parked in the driveway of his house in Bonita.
“It’s the Porsche,” he said, pulling something up on the screen. “That’s a dead end. It’s in Mexico, but the GPS is weak at best. I would wager that they pushed it off a cliff or set it on fire. I don’t think they’re over there, anyway. It’s too remote and too obvious.”
“Where is the car?”
“Near the old bull fighting arena just over the border. There are a couple warehouses over there, but nothing you could hide a kidnapping victim in for long. Does she have her phone on her?”
“No.”
“What about—” Aaron asked, stopping when David perked up, hurrying into the bathroom and rummaging through Kelissa’s discarded clothes.
“I think she’s wearing it.”
“That will help, now we just have to be within two miles of her to pick up the signal.”
“Let’s go,” David said.
“Are you sure you’re up for it?”
“Aaron, I got her into this mess, I’m going to get her out of it.”
He was already going down the stairs, not even acknowledging the men that filled his kitchen, dressed in tactical gear.
“There’s a body in the master,” Aaron said. “Get what you can for evidence, then call it in.”
The man closest to Aaron nodded his understanding, and David and Cade followed Aaron to the car.
“I don’t know where she put her clutch with her ID in it. I think she left it in the limo.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Aaron said, firing up the black Jeep Cherokee and handing a large black bag to Cade, who had climbed into the back with David. “We’re not coming back through the checkpoint.”
“So, you have a plan.”
“I do. But it’s a longshot. And that depends on Kelissa. It will be easier to track her if she’s outside or at least near a window. Does she know?”
“She has no idea I put a tracker on her. I didn’t want to scare her.”
The Jeep was flying down the road, the traffic lighter than it had been only a few hours before.
“That’s good, it’s better if she doesn’t know, but if she’s in a cinder block building we’ll have to be a lot closer to her in order to track her, and that’s going to take time.”
David hissed when something wet and going poured onto his scalp, but the sting quickly numbed and then he could only feel pressure as Cade dealt with his wound, then held it together while the hyper bond dried.
“That’s wet to set in about sixty seconds, so you should be feeling a little more held together in about a minute.”
“I just hope that they didn’t hurt Kelissa.”
“She’s more valuable alive. They don’t want her; they want your cooperation.”
“I don’t know why. I paid my father’s debt when I sold the business. We’re free and clear.”
“The cartels never see it that way.”
“I’m learning that the hard way. I don’t know why he was suddenly interested in me. It’s been years since I sold the car dealership.”
“What about the San Diego Thirty Under Thirty feature?”
“I guess that could be it.”
“Using your vacant homes to move his drugs is much more beneficial than using luxury imports. The houses give him a place to stash people and drugs.”
“Could you imagine the hit my reputation would take if people found out I was letting a drug cartel use the houses I was paid to sell?”
“Being indebted to the cartel is usually passed down through the generations; that’s why families can never break free from it. Your father owned a business and gave it to you, so Chacon believed that you were indebted to him by default.”
“But, it wasn’t even my father’s debt.”
“I know that, and you know that, but the cartels don’t care about that. Your father’s best friend left him a mess, and you’re going to be picking up the pieces until Chacon is stopped.”
“Can you help me? Or at least, help Kelissa? She shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
“I helped your father, didn’t I?”
“You did, but I don’t want that help for her. I don’t think Kelissa is cut out for witness protection.”
“Your parents didn’t think so either, but they’re thriving.”
“Good. I wish I could visit them, or at least know where they are and how they’re doing.”
“You will, someday.”
“I just wish I hadn’t lied to Kelissa. I told her they were retired and living in Mexico.”
“You can’t tell anyone about what you know, even if it’s not much.”
“Kelissa isn’t just anyone.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“When we find her, and this is over, I’m going to tell her everything.”
“Do you think she’s going to believe you?”
“I have to believe that she will. I know she must think the worst of me, but whatever she decides, I want her to know everything and decide from there.”
“She doesn’t seem like the type to see your involvement with the cartel as a gray area.”
“I know. But I have to take that chance. She’s worth it, Aaron. She’s worth that and so much more.”
“Do you love her?”
“I do. I just wish I’d told her before tonight. I was afraid it was too early, and I would scare her off. But now, I’m afraid it’s too late.”
“There’s never a perfect time,” Cade said, his deep voice booming in the quiet care, even though he was speaking as softly as he could. “When you love a woman, you have to tell her when you feel it.”
Aaron and David looked at Cade in shock, but the frighteningly large man just smiled. He wasn’t one for talking, but when he did, he always dropped a bomb, then retreated back into silence. David knew he was right. As soon as he could, and not a moment later, he was going to tell Kelissa he loved her and what happened after that would just have to happen.
“Last Us exit,” Aaron read, his voice changing as he went into search and rescue mode. “This is it, guys. Get ready.”
The handheld was on the center console in full view of David and Cade, but there was nothing on the street yet.
“I’m going to start on the west end of town nearest where the Porsche was probably torched and work my way back. If you see anything let me know.”
“That could take hours,” David groaned.
“Don’t think about how long it could take. Focus on the screen and be ready to tell me which way to go when you see it. We can’t afford to cut corners, even if it gets frustrating. You have to trust me on this. There’s a method to my madness.”
“Got it,” David said.
They watched the screen intently, but Cade looked out into the darkness now and then, scanning the area for dangers. They were in Chacon territory now, and things could turn in an instant.
An hour passed, and still nothing appeared on the screen. David’s eyes were starting to feel fuzzy, and he was getting the urge to sleep that hinted at a possible concussion. He poured water from a bottle he found in the back seat on his hands and rubbed it across his face, trying to stay awake.
“Are you alright?” Cade asked softly.
“I think I have a concussion, but I’ll be fine. Just don’t let me fall asleep.”
“You can count on it, brother.”
“Thanks,” he said.
He scrubbed his face again, doing one side at a time so he could keep one eye on the screen at all times, but still, there was nothing.
David managed to stay awake, head still throbbing, but the pain a little better. He didn’t see anything at all for some time, then for an instant, a tiny blip appeared on the screen and disappeared just as quickly.
“Turn left here,” he said excitedly, watching the screen.
Aaron did as he asked, heading toward the spot on the map where the faint dot had appeared for just a split second.
“Anything?” Aaron asked.
“Not yet. But I saw something.”
“Are you sure.”
“I saw it too, boss,” Cade said.
“Alright,” Aaron said. “Tell me if you see it again. I’m going to do a search grid pattern in this area gradually heading north. When you see it, holler.”
David nodded, too intent to say a word. His eyes were burning but he was afraid to blink. He knew he’d seen it, and having Cade confirm it was even better. She was close. Hopefully they weren’t too late.
“Anything?”
“Still nothing,” David said, frustrated. “I saw it right around here. I know I did. She’s got to be close and—There! Turn right here. She’s right around the corner.”
Aaron did as he was told, turning down a brightly lit road near the tourist area of downtown Tijuana. David searched the surrounding area frantically, trying to connect the winding roads with the dot on the screen.
“She’s on the move,” Cade said. “We’re almost there.”
The three of them looked around, but David didn’t see her. Then he looked back at the screen, and the fast-moving dot and his stomach dropped. The dot stopped abruptly and disappeared off the screen again. David cursed out loud in frustration.
“It’s gone again,” he said. “Something happened. We have to find her now.”