Page 28 of Avenging Kelly

“Oh!” Rafe said as he pointed to the sat phone. “He called while you were… uh…”

“Relieving tension?” Dal teased us, the bastard.

Kelly and I both laughed. Oh, we’d relieved a lot of tension.

I took the phone and returned Casper’s call. “I got your message from earlier,” he answered.

“Good. Where’s Mrs. Devaney?”

I watched Kelly and Dal whisper dirty words to Rafe, who translated them to Italian—as best he could. Some things didn’t translate literally, but the three of them seemed to have a good laugh at the attempts.

“She’s still in San Diego as best I can tell. Mathis got her fired, you know. He filed a report that she was part of the conspiracy to keep those kids from being returned to their parents, especially Mia. Mathis also named two guys from the Company who were working in Mexico back then. They’ve both left the Company and gone off the grid, but Charlene Devaney is still in San Diego,” Casper confirmed.

“Who were they? Can you find them? Do you think they matter?”

“Dario Marquez and Hector Olmos. I know these fuckers, and their boss, Ian Mallory. I really don’t think they’re involved, but I’ll keep digging into all of them to see what I come up with. I gotta tell you, though, if you find them and they’re involved in Mia Boone’s kidnapping, you better fucking call me. I owe those assholes,” Casper answered.

“Thanks, Casper. I’ll be in touch, I swear.”

“Be safe, my friend,” Casper stated, and we disconnected the call.

I looked at Rafe. “Any chance you could get us a ride to San Diego?”

“È tutto?”

“Huh?” Dal asked.

“That’s all?” Rafe translated as he slid the two flatbreads into the oven. From what I’d seen before he put them into the heat, I would definitely miss his food after we left.

Once he closed the oven door, the chef extended his hand for the sat phone, so I handed it over. He walked out onto the deck to make his call, and I watched my brother as his eyes followed Rafe’s every move.

“You guys get along well. Anything there?” I asked.

I knew nothing about Rafael’s personal life. I knew the guy worked very hard and was opening a new restaurant in Vegas—which was quite a coincidence, since that was where my brother was currently calling home.

Dallas chuckled. “He’s an interesting guy, that’s for sure. So, you want me to come with you to Cali?” Again, my brother had crafted the perfect non-answer and changed the subject.

I squeezed Kelly’s leg to reassure both of us. “You in Cali? That’s too many targets on too many backs for my comfort level,” I answered honestly.

Dal nodded and went to the fridge, retrieving three Peroni beers, popping the caps off using the countertop, and handing them out. I held up my bottle to both of them. “May we have another drink together under far better circumstances.”

We touched bottle necks and drank as Rafe returned inside. “All set. You’re leaving in the morning from the Signature terminal at SeaTac, seven o’clock.”

Let the adventure begin…

12

KELLY

“Ready?” London asked. We’d spent the night in my room, just sleeping. I could tell he was worried about something, and I was pretty sure it was me leading him into a dangerous situation.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, almost,” London stated as he went into the bathroom and closed the door. He was still shirtless, and I had a hard time concentrating when his gorgeous body was on display.

Finding out the social worker was still in San Diego was surprising. Obviously, she believed she was safe being in her home. Whether I left her alive was still up in the air.

If Mrs. Devaney had anything to do with my sister’s abduction, rape, and the aftermath, I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t make her feel my anger. Revenge was overflowing from my heart—for my mother, who thought her little girl was gone forever, for Mia and her beautiful little Daisy, and for Mathis, who had worked so hard to find my sister. I couldn’t be talked out of making Devaney understand what was foremost on my mind.

Ten minutes later, London came out of the bathroom, his face missing that handsome goatee I wanted to feel scrape along my ball sack. I hoped the change was temporary.

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