Page 36 of Carter's Battle

Emery sighed. “She’s not wrong. The DA would’ve kept her in, but they would’ve protected her. And yeah, there’s not much I could have done about Akela.”

Carter could point out that he’d been there to protect her but she’d still gone out on her own. He was pissed at her for doing it. Taking the risk the first time was bad enough but doing it a second time? What the hell had she been thinking? He was determined to find her and ask her.

“They must have followed her from the ranch,” Emery pointed out. “There’s no way they were staking out my place just in case she came by.”

“But how would they know she was there?” Quinn asked.

Emery snorted. “It’s not like you guys have been subtle. You’ve all been hanging at Ohana’s and,” she turned to Carter, “you and Mia have been seen together. They didn’t have to begeniuses to figure out where you would take her if things got crazy. They just had to ask around a bit.”

Carter grunted in acknowledgment. Emery was not wrong. They probably had the road to the ranch staked out. He should’ve thought of that.

“This Bobby guy is who ran her off the road last night?” Flint asked.

“His goons. Nakoa and Mikey,” Carter confirmed.

“Okay, we just have to find him,” Bowie commented. “Emery, where would he hang out?”

Carter held up his hand. “There’s more.”

“What the fuck? How can there be more?” Emery slammed her mug down on the counter. “Jesus, it’s only been a couple of weeks. What else could Mia be involved in?”

“Makaio Hale is involved,” Carter announced.

Emery’s eyes narrowed. “Involved how? I know Mia was gambling at his place to get the money but what does that have to do with anything.”

“Makaio is her uncle.”

Emery’s breath hissed out. “Son of a bitch. That’s one hell of a secret to keep.”

“Who’s Makaio Hale?” Flint asked.

“He’s one of the biggest organized crime bosses in the whole state. He usually stays in Oahu, but he’s been on the island for the last couple of weeks. Rumor has it he’s making some kind of real estate deal, but no one knows too much about it.”

Carter didn’t care. He just wanted to find Mia. Standing here talking had been killing him, while she was out there somewhere, in God only knew what kind of condition. But he also knew the best way to find her was to have a plan and that’s what they needed to do now.”

“You’re saying this crime boss might want to kidnap her as well? It could be either of them?” Quinn asked.

Carter nodded. “Makaio might think it was Mia who dropped the dime on his gambling den. Mia was invited to be there and we were on the way when we saw all the cop cars. We didn’t stick around nor did we say anything. Makaio might hold a grudge.”

Emery snorted. “That’s for fucking sure. If he thinks Mia ratted out his operation, then he would have to make an example out of her. He can’t have people screwing up his business without getting punished.”

Carter’s already knotted gut spasmed. He needed to get out there. He needed to find Mia before… well he just couldn’t go down that road.

“Emery, can you get a list of places that Makaio and Bobby might take her? We’ll divide and conquer. Whoever finds a likely spot, we’ll regroup there and form a plan.” Carter looked at his teammates, who all nodded.

“Okay, that makes sense,” Bowie nodded. “Let’s do teams of two though. We don’t want to be spread too thin. It’s unfamiliar territory and we don’t know who all the players are.”

Carter wanted to argue. They needed to cover as much ground as possible, but Bowie had a point. They had to be smart about this. Mia being kidnapped was killing him. His heart hurt and his thinking was foggy. He needed to get his shit together if he was going to be able to help her at all. “Two-man teams,” he agreed. “Emery, give us a place to start and then feed us more locations as you get them.” He turned to Quinn. “You’re with me.”

Quinn nodded.

“Be safe,” Emery said as the guys headed out the door. She was already working the phone for information as they walked out.

Carter walked toward the SUV. His body was tied up in knots and icy fingers gripped his heart.Please, God, don’t let us be too late.

CHAPTER 21

“You killed my parents?”Mia wanted it to come out as a scream, but her voice was barely above a whisper.

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