Page 1 of Wild Temple
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Ihadn’t been able to reach her in days. It was unusual. Downright concerning. But on occasion, Isabella would have good reason to go dark.
I hoped that was all it was.
Maybe she had taken a well-deserved vacation. I dismissed that notion right away. She would have said something.
You don’t run a clandestine agency without making enemies. And together, we had lots of them. It seems we made new ones every day.
I was still dealing with the remnants of the last enemy I made. It was a flesh wound—through and through. The meaty part of my shoulder still twinged with pain, but I was on the road to recovery. The little drip of morphine helped dull the sensation when I was in the hospital, but I didn’t touch the pain meds after I got out. I needed a clear head.
All things considered, I was lucky. The bullet had taken a chunk of flesh, but I’d had worse. Savannah’s predicamenthad nearly gotten us both killed. She always was a bit of trouble, but somehow, the juice was worth the squeeze. Although, I hadn’t really counted on this.
She was safe, for now. My excursion in Pineapple Bay was a trip down memory lane. But some things are best left in the past. Savannah had choices to make, and she was heading down a road I couldn’t follow.
I’d been hanging out in Coconut Key, recovering. JD and the guys were still in Europe, having wrapped up a few shows—arena-sized crowds, posh parties, and adoring groupies. Living the dream.
When my phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number, my concerns were validated. With hesitation, I swiped the screen and took the call.
A timid woman’s voice filtered through, “Tyson?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Talia. We’ve never actually met, but I work with Isabella. I feel like I know you rather well.”
“She’s mentioned you before,” I said, cautious of strange phone calls.
“We’ve got a problem,” she said in a panicked voice. “You were the first person that came to mind.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Isabella. I can’t get in touch with her.”
“Neither can I.”
“We were working an op. I can’t really go into the specifics, you understand. But this is not like her. She’s never justdisappeared like this. I’m afraid something terrible has happened.”
“When was the last time you talked to her?”
“A couple days ago. But you know, I just thought she was busy. She’s got a lot going on. She’s moving around constantly. You know she’s never in the same place for too long.”
My mind raced as I processed everything. “Have you received any ransom demands?”
“No. I haven’t heard anything. Then again, I don’t think anybody would be calling me. You think she was abducted?”
“I’m just considering possibilities. She’s a high-value target. I need her last known location.”
“You know how well she covers her tracks, but I was able to locate her device in Tanjung Sur, in the beach town of Jatala. It went off grid. It took a couple of days for me to work through all the proxy servers to pinpoint it. You have no idea how hard that was to find.”
Tanjung Sur was a tropical paradise in Southeast Asia, popular with digital nomads and expats. A fitting place for Isabella to office from for a few days or weeks. Work in a place like that wouldn’t feel like work at all.
"I'm not a field operative," Talia said. “I don't know how to handle this kind of thing. I stare at computer screens all day. I hack databases, crack passwords, analyze signals intelligence.”
"You’re doing a great job so far,” I said in an appreciative and encouraging tone. “I can be on the next plane out.”
Talia exhaled a breath, and the tension in her voice relaxed. "That would be fantastic! I can coordinate a flight. How soon can you be Oscar Mike?”
"I need a little time to prep, pack, and make a few phone calls." I gave it some thought. "Wheels up in an hour?"
