Page 25 of Exposed

Eric gave him a rundown of what had happened on the island thus far. “I could really use some back up, buddy.”

“I’m on it. That island is on the fringe of our jurisdiction, and we’ve had our eye on Hart for a while. There’s definitely something odd about him and that place he runs. We thought he was into drug smuggling at first, but that didn’t seem to be it,” Tig said. “What do you know?”

“Hart seems to deal in information if my guess is right. He digs into his guests’ lives, finds their secrets. Maybe it’s blackmail on a high level. And I suspect he’s also stealing from their accounts. We found lists of accounts and balances.”

“That would explain a lot,” Tig said. “I’ll get a crew together and leave now, but it’ll still take us about an hour to get there even at top speed.”

“That’ll do. I can hold them off until then, I’m sure. Thanks.” Eric ended the call then searched the computer room next. No one there either and no Beth. He did, however, find more reports on the printer filled with more bank accounts and balances. This time, his was there too.

If he hadn’t been pissed before, he sure as hell was now. Eric wasn’t a rich guy. He made an okay living in the SEALs, but that was about it. Screw Robert Hart and his staff if they thought they could steal from him or anyone else.

Renewed rage boiled inside him, mixing with the desperation and determination to find Beth and make sure she was okay, pushing his steps faster, until he jogged out of the building, past the rec room, and beyond the restaurant. No sign of Beth.

He made himself stop and consider the most likely place to take someone on the small island. When he considered the possibilities, he shuddered. They’d driven through undeveloped jungle on the way to the place where they’d climbed a few days earlier. It would be easy to hide someone there. Easy to hide a body. That thought hit him in the gut, and he reeled himself in. He wasn’t going to think like that. Beth was alive and waiting for him to come to her.

He forced himself to be rational. Hart would want her close, so he could question her and find out what she knew. He was enough of an egomaniac to want to tell her what he was up to. He’d brag about it even. Then, he’d make her disappear. It was Eric’s job to find her before that could happen.

Eric pictured the entire complex in his head. He’d jogged the perimeter, learning it as part of his security measures. His thoughts went to a smaller maintenance building in the back of the resort. He’d gone by it a few times and had noticed groundskeepers and such gathered there. But it was later in the day now and that staff had probably gone home. The maintenance area was likely empty. If he was going to kidnap someone and try to hide them away, that would be where he’d take them.

He sprinted toward the area, pulling up to surveil the spot when he neared it. The area seemed deserted but looks could be deceiving. Breath panting loud in his ears, he pressed his back to the stucco wall of the building and skirted his way around to the door, gun at the ready. He paused to listen. From inside he heard a scuffling noise, confirming his suspicions. Something, or someone, was in there. He only hoped it was Beth. This building had few windows, just two near the front and when he leaned sideways to peer quickly through one, it was too dark inside to make out anything more than vague shapes.

Not ideal. There was only one way to find out if she was being held in there and that was to go in. After a silent prayer for safety, he swiveled fast and kicked at the door. It crashed open and slammed against the wall before rebounding back. Silence hung heavy and foreboding inside.

Gun first, Eric slowly made his way inside, scanning the shadows for any sign of attack. Sunlight streamed through the dust-filledair, and the lonely cry of a seagull pierced the air. From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of white and turned to see the edge of a robe. The same kind of robe he and Beth had been wearing for their massages. Heart in his throat he rushed over to find her tied up and secured to some metal pipes on the walls. Her mouth was duct taped shut, but her eyes were pleading with him to get her the hell out of there.

Eric clicked on the safety on his Glock and set it aside as he knelt in front of her. Her urgent grunts and head bobs toward him told him she wanted that tape off of her mouth. Now. He winced slightly as he got his nail under the corner. “This is going to hurt, sweetheart.”

“Unnnnnhhhhhhhh,” Beth grunted, her dark brows drawn together in a scowl as if to say “Get on with it already.”

He would’ve smiled if they hadn’t been in so much danger. With one swift jerk, he pulled the tape off. Her skin beneath was raw and red, but he’d never seen a more beautiful sight in his life than Beth alive and well and ready to fight.

“Sweetheart,” he said, cupping her cheeks. “Are you okay? Who did this?”

“One of Hart’s goons. I’d never seen the guy before, but he was built like a goddamned ox.” She wriggled in his hands. “Hurry. He’ll be back soon, and we have to be ready for him this time.”

Pulling out his pocket knife, Eric quickly sliced through the ropes holding her hands and ankles, then helped Beth to her feet.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said as he picked up his gun.

“And go where? There’s no way off the island. We need to make a stand. We have one advantage on our side—Hart and his guys don’t know you’ve rescued me.”

He liked her logic, and if he was here with his SEAL team, that’s exactly what they’d do. But this wasn’t a mission, and she wasn’t a trained warrior. Most of all, though, he couldn’t stand the thought of her in more danger.

“We can hole up until the Coast Guard arrives. I called a friend of mine and they’re on their way, but it’ll be another forty minutes at least,” Eric said with a quick check of his watch.

Beth’s face glowed with excitement. “By then, we’ll be able to hand Hart over to them. I figured out what he’s doing. It all clicked while I was tied up here. He’s mining people’s computers for personal information.”

“To use for blackmail.” He’d gotten that far, too.

“Exactly. And to gain information he can use for insider stock trading.” She was pacing, ticking off ideas on her fingers. “As far as the bank accounts go, I think he’s doing what a lot of legitimate banks do—he’s taking money out at night, earning interest on it, and returning it to the account in the morning. It’s little amounts that can add up fast.”

“He’s got quite a network of deceit going on,” Eric observed. He’d taken up a post by the window to watch for anyone approaching.

“That computer room must be a busy place at night.”

He nodded his agreement. “Hart’s been running the ultimate con. Bring people to a remote location, gain their trust, and rob them blind.”

“But these are smart people. I don’t think Hart hasactually gotten away with it—not completely. The guests who get hit the hardest know what he’s done, but he’s gained power over them by viewing what’s on their computers. They can’t turn him in without risking him revealing sensitive information about themselves.”

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