Page 22 of Evening Shadows

Ken knelt and slowly sliced through the clear tape securing the box lid. The brown box had no markings except for the shipping information. They’d send it off for prints, but if Alejandro resided in Mexico, he might not have prints in any US system.

Realizing she’d actually been worried and thankful nothing had happened, she sighed with relief. Now to the second part that had her heart thumping in her chest.Please lead us to Cody.

Opening the box took an excruciating amount of time. Going slow for a potential bomb made sense, but something inside her gut told her they’d find something about Cody. Which would mean Bev had lied about more than just when she’d seen Alejandro.

Once the lid was fully opened, the note, on top of a navy backpack that she’d purchased for Cody, told them they’d been played for fools.

“He’s better off with me.”

Sam didn’t know this man, but based on what she’d seen with Bev today, she wholeheartedly agreed.

9

Ken knew his men and knew they didn’t care how intimating the group of them came across as they surrounded Beverly. The scowls on their faces no doubt covered the rage that built within each of them.

Ignoring Sam beside him and any feelings she had for her friend, he went in like a rabid dog after a bone. He ground out, “How long did you say your son has been missing?”

Beverly looked around the group with wide eyes. When her gaze landed on Sam, as if calling her back to her side but not seeing what she perhaps expected, her head fell in defeat. “I-I,” she stammered, “I don’t know what you mean.” With what appeared to be renewed courage, the crazy bitch lifted her head and stared straight ahead, away from them. “I told you. It’d been about six hours when I called Sam.”

His control might snap after all. Why? Why would she lie to them? Either she knew it’d been more than six hours, or she knew that Alejandro had taken Cody. In either case, she didn’t want to own up to it, which created a whole new level of concern for the boy. With the information the men had gathered, the notes and the backpack told them it had all been a lie. The question for them to resolve—albeit later—was why Beverly had lied to them. Even to Sam who she’d claimed was her best friend.

He crossed his arms over his chest to keep from reaching out and doing something he might regret. Might. “You want to try that again.”

“What?” She gave them the same bewildered look. He had to hand it to her, her acting had them in the beginning. Knowing they’d been played for fools while a child had been abducted set the team on edge. They didn’t know this man or how he’d treat Cody. “I told you the truth.”

Ken nodded to Franks, motioning to the room where they’d left the package. Once Franks returned with the backpack, Ken unfolded his arms and accepted it before shoving it in front of Beverly. “Does this look familiar?”

She turned her face away.

Beyond pissed, he pushed the backpack in her face so she couldn’t ignore it, no matter how much she tried. When she closed her eyes, he roared, emphasizing each word, “Does. This. Look. Familiar?”

She nodded. “It’s Cody’s.” Her voice broke as she admitted what they’d already learned from Sam. Finally, they got one snippet of truth from the woman.

“When did he really disappear?” With his head, he motioned the men to the door before handing the backpack back to Franks. They didn’t need anything more from Beverly right now, but he hoped to grab one more grain of truth while the men prepped them to get to the airport. Not like he thought he’d get anything useful.

“I don’t know.” The crying restarted, but he had no sympathy for her.

“Why don’t you know?” Sam asked. When Beverly didn’t answer her, she prodded, “How long did you leave him alone?”

She sniffed. “I don’t know. Maybe a week.”

Christ. A fierce resolve settled in him. They’d do something they’d never done before when rescuing a child. They would bring Cody back from his kidnapper, but they wouldn’t return him to his mother. Finding him a better situation would be a new goal for Devon while his team located the boy.

Ken caught Sam’s eye, and they turned their backs to Beverly and departed without another word to her. Sam’s heart had to be hurting, but he couldn’t do anything about it right now. Not like she’d allow him to do so.

Like always, he had to hold those thoughts and emotions for another time. One day he’d just buck up and tell her the depth of his feelings. Even though she pushed him away after their kiss, they’d shared something strong. She’d kissed him back with something powerful that he thought might’ve scared her. He wanted her love more than anything in the world, and he wouldn’t let her push him away.

First, they’d save the boy.

Giving one last look at Beverly’s home, Ken climbed into the SUV. Because of all the time they’d wasted, they wouldn’t arrive in Mexico until nearly four in the morning—if they could fly out right away. They could grab combat naps on the plane. When they arrived, darkness would hamper their recon efforts.

To include Devon in the call, Ken dialed him then connected someone from each vehicle and used the SUV’s Bluetooth to coordinate their plan of attack.

Without prodding, Devon started the information sharing. “I spoke with the pilot, and the plane is refueled and waiting with the new flight plan. I can confirm the address in Mexico on the package as belonging to one Alejandro Ramirez. So far I haven’t been able to confirm he’s the one we’re looking for, but based on what I pulled from the hotel, he’s our best option. I’m working to get photos of the man’s house, whether satellite or other.”

Ken waited for more. Jesse had slipped away more than once to pass information along to Devon and receive what their computer guru had uncovered.

Jesse shook his head.

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