Page 27 of Casey's Hero

“You don’t happen to have a gun on you, do you?” Casey asked softly.

“No. It’s in my truck back at the Big Wave.”

“Should we go back?” Casey asked, slowing her SUV.

“No.” Jacob nodded toward the road ahead. “We’re just looking. If we need to, we’ll call in reinforcements. I won’t endanger you by taking you into a hostile situation.”

Casey nodded. “From what I’ve read, cartels play for keeps. I hope they haven’t hurt Hawk. Kalea will be devastated.”

“If Camila wants him,” Jacob said, “I don’t think they’ll hurt him.”

“We can hope so. But why else would she have them take the tuxedo unless she plans to force him to marry her?”

“He won’t do it,” Jacob said, his lips pressing into a tight line. “Let’s just hope he leads her on long enough for us to rescue him.”

“Yeah. I’m afraid that if he tells her no way in hell,” Casey gulped, “Camila’s family might terminate him.”

Jacob sat up straighter, staring at the road ahead. “We’ll just have to get to him before that happens.”

Casey focused on the road. Jacob gave her the directions, indicating each turn well before she had to make it. The homes were close together and built into the sides of the hills, with views of the ocean.

As they neared the address, they descended into a neighborhood where the homes were not as well cared for, and they didn’t have the views of the ones high on the hills.

“Slow down,” Jacob said. “Jimenez’s is three doors down on the right.”

The house he indicated had a high stucco fence surrounding a terracotta one-story house. A solid wooden gate didn’t invite strangers to enter. A package lay against the gate, and mailspilled out of the mailbox. When they’d rolled past the address and several more doors down the block, Jacob said. “Stop.”

Casey hit on the brakes. Though she was already moving at a snail’s pace, she hadn’t expected him to want to stop.

Jacob rocked forward and then back against the seat. He didn’t say anything but got out of the vehicle.

Casey’s pulse leaped. She leaned across the console toward him. “Where are you going?”

“Doesn’t look like anyone’s home,” he said. “I’m just going to look around to make sure.” He captured her gaze. “I’ll be all right. But it wouldn’t hurt for you to drive around the block.”

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” she said. “Get back in the vehicle.”

He smiled. “I’ll be all right. However, you look really conspicuous in that vehicle.” He tipped his head toward the road ahead of her SUV. “Go. Ride around the block. I won’t put myself at risk.”

“And if you don’t come back out?” Casey shook her head. “Don’t go,” she pleaded.

“Really, I wouldn’t go if I didn’t think it’s a non-issue. He’s not home.”

“Yeah, but his neighbors might be. They might take exception to a stranger poking around Jimenez’s house.”

“I’ll be careful.” He shut the door and walked away.

Casey glanced in the rearview mirror as she drove slowly away. Jacob was walking down the side of the street toward Jimenez’s house.

When she reached the stop sign at the end of the street, she put her blinker on to turn left and looked back. Jacob had disappeared. Her heart leaped into her throat.

She craned her neck around, searching for him, with no luck. He’d ducked behind a bush, a vehicle or a house.

A horn honked in front of her. An angry driver shook a fist at her and drove past her, shaking his head.

Casey made her turn and hurried to the next block, which was farther than she’d expected. When she finally was able to turn left again, her stomach had knotted, and her hands were sweating. Was Jacob all right? Had he run into trouble?

Damn him for getting out of her car. Didn’t he know the cartel didn’t mess around? They’d just as soon shoot you as look at you.

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