Rising Hope by Edie James

38

Sarah’s eyeslocked onto Jack, scrutinizing his every move as he conversed with Enzo’s brother. A cold sweat dripped down her neck. Why hadn’t she noticed Enzo was missing sooner? He told her he was heading to the café next door to grab a bite. She should have gone with him, but she’d been too focused on her borrowed computer, trying to track down Panetta.

The woulds and coulds and shoulds tormented her, freezing her brain.

“We’re initiating the search now,” Jack assured the person on the other end of the phone, but Sarah couldn’t shake off her unease.

She tore her attention away from the conversation and examined the high-tech monitors and communication systems that filled the expansive office, trying to focus on anything other than Enzo’s disappearance. The team had assembled, ready to tackle the case at hand.

The atmosphere in the room thickened like a heavy fog, and Sarah felt trapped as though something malicious had its grip on them all.

Phone still to his ear, Jack glanced at the clock above her head. “I’ll fly down and pick you up. We’d be back here by around fifteen hundred.”

He listened for a moment. “Roger that.” He ended the call and set down his phone. “I’m going to get Rollo.”

Sarah slipped her hand into the pocket of her jeans and closed her fingers over the necklace Enzo had given her. Some going away. She rubbed her thumb over the worn pieces of glass, as if the pendant were a talisman. What a sweet gesture the gift had been. So like the man she was coming to know. Spontaneous. Generous.

And now he’d fallen into the seamy world she was so desperate to leave.

She squeezed the pendant harder, wishing the slivers of silver and glass could unite them. Where could he have gone?

At first, when he failed to show up to the meeting with the latte he promised to get from the little café inside the tiny airport lobby, she figured he’d gotten detained talking to another team member, but when the others looked concerned, she realized something was off. Plus, everyone but Enzo was accounted for.

She hadn’t known Enzo long, but everything he did exemplified a man of integrity. Of faith.

A boy scout, in every sense of that word.

But even boy scouts could be influenced by greed.

What if he planned to make himself a deal?

The idea made her heart hurt.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the wave of pain to fade. Enzo wouldn’t leave her to face the consequences alone. She might not have his faith in the Lord, but she’d grown to have faith in him.

Star caught her attention. “We’re really good at this. We’ll find him.”

Sarah smiled her thanks, but she couldn’t help but doubt Star’s words. Not about the team’s skills, but about the outcome. What if Enzo didn’t want to be found?

She shuddered.

“Wherever he went, he did it of his own free will. No one gets past our security,” Austin said. “Seriously. No one.” He waved at the bank of windows overlooking the east/west runways. “We’ve got cameras on every inch of the airport grounds and alarm systems the NSA can only dream about.”

“I know,” she responded. But was that a good thing?

Ethan pointed at one of his oversized monitors. “He headed straight for Tailwinds, just like he told you.”

Video footage played across the screen. Unlike most she’d seen, it was sharp and in color, not the hazy, out of focus grays she was used to watching. There he was, his walk so familiar now she could close her eyes and imagine his unhurried pace. He walked like a man who enjoyed his life. A man anticipating yet another wonderful day ahead.

If only.

Ethan winced, pointing again. “And there he goes.”

Enzo had entered the café through the doors closest to the Knight Tactical Headquarters, but a few seconds later, he appeared striding out the front of the building, on the street-facing side. He hadn’t even paused. Certainly not long enough to order coffee or make a phone call or anything.

Austin leaned forward, watching the footage. “Where’s he headed?”

“I’ll check the local traffic cams,” Ethan said, attacking his keyboard.

Star did the same. “I’ll tap into area security feeds.”

Tamra tapped a pen on the edge of the conference table, her gaze in the middle distance, obviously thinking.

Angie, sitting next to her, stared at the images zooming across Star and Ethan’s monitors. “He’s got no phone,” she said aloud, as if talking to herself. “And he can’t use any credit cards.”

Austin slapped a hand on the tabletop. “The guy’s on foot, as far as we know. I’ll circle around in an SUV. I might get lucky and be close if you spot him on camera.”

Jack set his coffee down so hard, a healthy wave sloshed out. “Good idea. I’m going to check the armory.”

Austin looked confused. “He doesn’t have the combination.”

“As far as we know,” Jack muttered, heading for the stairs.

Sarah’s stomach contracted. Enzo wouldn’t have taken the drugs, or the jewels, would he?

Doubt began to erode her earlier convictions. Millions of dollars in untraceable jewels could turn anyone’s head. Or maybe it was worse. Maybe he planned to turn her in.

She clutched her stomach. It made a horrible kind of sense.

Odds were, even with Knight Tactical’s help, they weren’t going to be able to identify all the players. Which meant they’d never be safe.

But if Enzo pretended he didn’t know about the jewels… He could say he escaped from her, tell Halliburton she intended to run with the drugs. Trading that kind of info might keep him alive.

Metal clanged as Jack raced back up the stairs. “Safe is secure,” he said, much to Sarah’s relief.

Jack’s cell phone rang. “It’s Cory.”

He turned away from the team, phone to his ear.

“Cory Frazer, the Hope Landing police chief,” Star explained to Sarah.

Had Enzo been hurt? Arrested?

“Thanks, Bud. I appreciate the head’s up.” Jack hung up and faced the group. “Enzo turned himself in. He told Cory that he has info on the death of a federal agent, and he knows the whereabouts of a multimillion-dollar drug cache stolen from a recent undercover op. He wants a deal.”

He stared straight at Sarah. “What’s he thinking?”

“No idea.” None. He’d clearly decided to do this on his own.

Because he wanted to save her.

The realization slammed into her. At heart, Enzo was a protector. He knew how risky his plan would be and he had no intention of involving her.

She wanted to be angry, but all she felt was fear. Deep, bone-chilling fear.

It was the same thing she’d been contemplating, only she hadn’t quite figured out how to implement the idea. And she definitely hadn’t dredged up the courage.

Unable to sit still another second, she shoved her chair away from the table and jumped to her feet. “He’s going to draw out the rest of Panetta’s team, if there is one.”

One look at the faces surrounding her and she knew she’d hit it. Enzo had set himself up as bait. By specifically failing to mention the jewels, he was sending whoever wanted them a message.

Jack grabbed his phone, his expression sour, as if he’d eaten week-old stew. “Rollo’s not gonna like this.”

Austin snorted. “Dude, I don’t like it.”

Sarah swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Neither did she. Bravery was one of Enzo’s finest qualities.

Now, it might prove his downfall.