Wednesday. Private Yacht, Ibiza.LIMAN STARED DOWN AT the two men bound and gagged, secured to a bulkhead."Where are the other four?" he asked Khaled.The man fidgeted. It appeared even he was feeling the pressure. Good. "The men are still looking, sir."Liman grimaced. This plan only worked if he had all of them. He needed bodies to barter with, to prove his point.He kneeled next to the big one, the one who'd nearly taken out four men.Liman switched to English. "Where are your friends?"The man just stared at Liman."This will go easier for you if you cooperate."They both knew the prisoner wasn't going to speak.Liman patted the man's cheek then straightened. It was time to handle this personally."Move them to the shore. I want a report ready by the time we land.""Yes, sir."Khaled scurried off to relay the order, leaving Liman alone.He took the stairs back up to the deck and stared out at the ocean. A few years ago when he'd been approached about
Thursday. Private Residence, Ibiza Town, Ibiza.GRANT GLANCED UP AND down the well-kept suburban street. It was late morning, almost early afternoon, and there wasn't a soul to be seen other than him and Melody in this part of town. Not awake and coherent at least. He had counted at least four people sleeping on lawns and a few signs advertising rooms for rent.How had Nolan and Vaughn wound up all the way out here? Had Melody read the note right?The address the internet comment had led them to was clear on the other side of the city from where they'd been attacked."This is it." Melody gestured at a large, square white house.Unlike some of its neighbors, this house appeared recently renovated. The exterior was pristine, almost spotless. A few palm trees swayed in the breeze. Wooden pergolas created exterior living spaces, one of which appeared to be a bedroom for people who didn't mind sleeping on lawn chairs. A collection of beer bottles circled them like some kind of
They tip-toed through the first-floor rooms finding nothing but passed out partiers. Their missing team members were nowhere to be seen."Upstairs?" Melody whispered.Grant ground his molars together. He wasn't keen on being boxed in, but if that was where their people were, that was where they were going.He palmed the gun in the waistband of his shorts and wished once more for the comfort of his jeans and boots.Together they climbed to the second floor. A toilet flushed. The faint sounds of music came from one of the rooms along with a few hushed voices.The house wasn't going to be quiet for long.They needed to find the guys and get out. There was an itch developing between Grant's shoulder blades. Nothing good ever came from that kind of funny feeling. He couldn't put his finger on what it was bothering him, he just knew he didn't want to be on this stairwell with Melody as a target.He pulled his weapon from his shorts and rounded the landing to the second floor.
Thursday. Hospital Can Misses, Ibiza.MELODY PAID THE DRIVER using some of the cash they'd lifted off the bodies. It was the only disposable money they had.She could feel Grant's displeasure rolling off him. What with the attacks yesterday he was in hyper cautionary mode. That did not work well with Vaughn's delicate health situation. Things in the cab had gotten very tense when they'd clashed over where to be dropped off.Melody had won that argument. There was no way Vaughn was going to walk a block to the hospital just so they could have the distance to observe people loitering around the doors. Melody had overruled him on the grounds that Vaughn was getting worse by the minute. Plus, if there were people stationed outside the emergency department looking for them there wasn't a thing they could do about it. This way they had the best chance at getting inside the hospital where people and security officers might offer a little protection.The main hospital on the island
GRANT PACED THE WAITING room. He had different points to hit. If he walked over to the fountains, he could see the shop across the street. There still wasn't any sign of Melody or Nolan, but they had a lot of shopping to do. If he paced to the vending machines, he had a clear line of sight into the parking lot. When he walked back to the entrance, he could peer down the halls, deeper in the hospital. All of this without ever losing sight of Vaughn.Not that he was going anywhere.The man had barely moved a muscle since sitting down. His head was tipped back, hands pressed to his stomach. Grant was pretty certain he'd never heard so much silence from Vaughn, even when he was sleeping. The guy was always running his mouth.How many times had Grant prayed for a little peace and quiet?He'd listen to all of Vaughn's bullshit right now if it meant he was well.This was a disaster.What was taking Melody so long?He wheeled around and peered toward the shop. He should have neve
"You've got to get out of here," Vaughn said as he limped toward the nurse waiting on them.Grant shook his head. "We aren't leaving you.""I'm no good to them. You should go, now. Leave me here. It'll be hard to drag me out of a hospital."Grant ignored Vaughn's protest.The nurse eyed him with speculation. Grant wasn't sure what Nolan had jotted down as their reason for visiting the hospital, but he doubted the whole bullet wound part had been disclosed.The young nurse showed them into a bay. Grant helped Vaughn sit on the gurney while the nurse told them someone would be in shortly then left."We aren't going to have long," Grant said. He turned to face the others and realized it was just Nolan standing there. No Melody. "Where's Mel?"Nolan turned around, as if he expected her to be right behind them."Shit." Grant froze, torn between caring for the team in front of him and going after Melody.They must have grabbed her while they were focused on Vaughn. An exper
Thursday. Ibiza Town, Ibiza.MELODY USED ONE OF her hair clips to secure the hotel curtains shut and block out all the light. An ancient window unit chugged cooler air into the pay-by-the-hour room. They'd fled to an older part of the town that pre-dated the tourist boom and nightlife. She wouldn't call it a bad part of town, just a lot less glossy and polished. The people who lived here were born from generations of fisherman before they became something else. Before the rest of the world told them to be unhappy with their lives."Oh, God. Fucking hell." Vaughn groaned.She glanced at the bed and bit her lip.Whatever drugs Nolan had given Vaughn to get him mobile had worn off a good half hour ago. Melody hadn't said it, but she was worried about a variety of medical complications that weren't infection. Blood loss, sepsis, internal bleeding, organ puncture. The list went on. If they didn't get a real doctor to look at Vaughn soon, he could very well die."It's okay. This
Blue skies. No clouds. Brisk breeze.It was picture perfect weather.Too bad Melody's insides were knotted up. For now, they were okay. But how long would that last?Grant picked their path, setting their course for a line of shops a few blocks away. They stopped in two different stores, using them as both a shopping opportunity but also to watch the street. Grant picked out some T-shirts and hats, commenting to her about his friends back home that'd get the souvenirs. They fell into the faux tourist roles easily enough, playing their parts.He didn't ask her the questions that were no doubt burning his mind. The ones she knew were coming. Instead they kept going, kept up the rouse, postponing yet more conversations they needed to have.At long last they stopped at a payphone that had seen better days.Melody ticked off the hours.It was just past midnight in Seattle.Merida was not going to be happy to hear from her.Melody fed money into the phone then dialed Merida