Page 106 of Javier

“You put Missy in danger.” My voice was as cold as my glare. “You cut the landline and fudged with the little signal we get up here. You better talk and fast.”

“Swear to me you won’t kill me,” she pleaded.

“He does.” It was Missy who answered.

“I won’t neutralize youifyou answer our questions truthfully,” I qualified, playing my part. I wasn’t a cold-blooded killer, but Rozina didn’t have to know that. “How did you find us?”

She inhaled a big breath. “A few days ago, I got a tip.”

“From whom?” I demanded.

“It was an anonymous tip.”

“What kind?”

“An untraceable phone call.”

“What did the person sound like?”

“Like a robot,” Rozina said. “The voice was disguised by a vocoder or a ring modulator.”

Shit.

“Why you?” I demanded, and despite the promise that Missy made on my behalf, I kept my weapon on the bitch.

“Last year, Mr. Astor hired me to search for his daughters in Central America,” the woman explained. “He told me he had assets in other areas doing the same. So, technically, this was my territory. Whoever called me, knew that.”

“You didn’t find this unsolicited tip suspicious?”

“To be honest, I thought it probably came from Mr. Astor himself.”

An impossibility, given that Richard Astor was dead.

Missy and I traded worried glances. Whoever had delivered the tip knew the details of Richard Astor’s searches. Itcould be an insider, someone who’d been close to Richard before he died or someone somehow in the know. Or, it could be the NWO. They’d sent mercs after Missy in Nicaragua. They also knew she’d crossed into Costa Rica. My money was on Bekker. Which begged another question.

“Did they tell you to come to this resort?”

“Yes,” Rozina nodded. “I checked in a couple of hours after you did.”

Fuck.

Whoever was behind the tip had made it very easy for Rozina. If she knew our location, surely the NWO knew it as well. Why hadn’t they made a move on us yet? Why give Rozina the info?

The answer punched me in the nose.

Bekker couldn’t get to us. He had to lie low. His face was on every Most Wanted list in the world, and I’d turned the resort into a veritable fortress. On the other hand, Rozina had her law enforcement credentials to check into the hotel without creating suspicion, and no red flags showed up in her background check. This explained the anonymous tip. Rozina had no idea she was being used, but Bekker’s plan was to wait for her to extract Missy from the grounds and then pounce. A cursory glance at Missy told me she understood all of this as well as I did.

“So,” Missy said. “You came here to abduct me against my will.”

“I’m working as a private detective for a distressed father who wanted to find his daughter.” Rozina straightened. “Nothing wrong with that. If the pay’s good, well, even better.”

“Key words for you to remember,” Missy said. “You meant to abduct me against my will. Since I’m an adult, your actions and your attempt to force me to return with you aren’t legal. Perhaps you did this for your kid.” Missy perused Rozina’s face, and I could’ve sworn that, even after everything that hadhappened, she held some compassion for the woman. “Maybe you did it out of greed. I don’t know, but I think that everyone deserves to be treated right.”

I sucked the air between my teeth. Was Missy about to let this bitch go Scot-free?

“Angel,” I started. “I get what you mean, but—”

“I’m not done.” Missy sliced me a look that shut me up before she returned her gaze to Rozina. “Taking someone against their will is wrong. Everyone should be able to live their lives in freedom. I know what that means to me. You’ll need to figure out what it means for you, detective.” She put out her hand. “Javi, may I borrow your cell?”

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