Shiloh had a dickens of a time finding a parking spot even though it was after ten by the time he got back to the coffee shop. Fingers crossed he’d find the mysterious Tina working her shift and willing to answer a few questions.
Opening the glass front door, sounds bombarded him from every side. Dozens of voices, conversations filled with laughter, rock music coming from the speakers high on the walls, and the sound of orders being yelled out from the windowed area behind the counter. Every table in the place held patrons getting their morning java jolt. He shook his head and barely kept from rolling his eyes. Didn’t anybody work in this town?
Scanning the crowd, he noted the woman he spoke to earlier, and when their eyes met, she nodded her head toward the right. Immediately he spotted the dark-haired woman passing cups to a couple of college-aged guys, one of whom had his gaze glued to her chest. He chuckled, remembering those days when hormones overwhelmed common sense.
Something about her looked familiar, though he only saw her from the side. The hairstyle she sported was short and sassy, curving under at the nape of her neck. Sleek and smooth, the dark color reminded him of the coffee they served here in the shop.
When she spun around and walked away from the table, that’s when it hit him. It was the woman he’d seen getting off the elevator at Renee’s apartment. No way running into her again was a coincidence. Maybe karma was smiling on him for a change.
Trying not to be confrontational, he stepped into her path and smiled. “Excuse me, are you Tina?”
She eyed him up and down, and gave him a flirtatious smile, her eyes twinkling with good humor. “I am. What can I do for you?”
“My name’s Shiloh Boudreau, and I wondered if I might ask you a couple of questions? I was in earlier today, and Gertie,” he motioned toward the owner, “mentioned you’d be working and might be able to help me out.”
Tina gave him another smile, this one a mixture of sultry and sweet. Not an overly aggressive come-on, but enough to let him know she’d be interested if he wanted a little more than coffee and conversation. Another time, another place, he might have taken her up on her unspoken offer.
“If Gertie vouches for you…” She motioned toward a side door with an employee’s-only sign affixed, and he followed her, praying she’d have the answers he needed. Finding Renee had, without him being consciously aware of when it happened, morphed into almost an obsession. He might downplay it, spout off about reuniting her with her long-lost brother, but somehow during his search that had become only a half-truth. Seeing her in the flesh, the fantasy converging with the mystery, manifested into something beyond a simple P.I. case.
Tina led him to a tiny back office with an old-fashioned metal desk with a faux woodgrain top, steel legs, and drawers. It dominated the space, leaving barely enough room for an office chair on one side, and a plastic folding chair directly across. One two-drawer filing cabinet sat in the corner, with a mountainous pile of papers atop it, threatening to erupt into an avalanche with the slightest gust of air.
“Alright, Mr. Boudreau. How can I help you?” The dark blue of Tina’s eyes appeared sincere, but he couldn’t help spotting a mischievous twinkle in their depths.
Time to turn on the charm.
“Tina, I’m looking for someone. A friend of yours, Elizabeth Reynolds.”
The change in her was instantaneous. The oh-so-subtle flirting, the thinly veiled interest disappeared as though it never existed. In its place her expression was completely walled off and guarded.
“Sorry, can’t help you. If that’s all, I need to get back to work.”
“Please, Tina, I’m not trying to hurt Elizabeth.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a business card, realizing he probably should have started with that. “I’m a private investigator from Texas, and I—we—have been looking for her for a long time. Years, in fact.”
She glanced at his card before tossing it onto the desk. “Like I said, sorry, I can’t help you.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Does it matter?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, knowing he’d taken the wrong tack. “It matters. I only want to talk to her. There are things she needs to know, life-changing things. Could you at least give her my card? Ask her to contact me?”
Tina studied him so intently it felt like she looked into his very soul. Whatever she saw must have swayed her, at least the tiniest bit, because she relaxed enough to lean against the wall. “Give me something, Mr. Boudreau. One good reason I should tell her anything.”
Ah, she does know where Renee is or knows how to get in touch. That’s at least a step in the right direction.
“The reason I want to talk to her is…you know, this is difficult to sum up in a few minutes of conversation. Do you get a lunch break? Maybe I could take you out and explain why I need to talk with Elizabeth. I promise the reason isn’t about bad news. Just the opposite, actually.”
Tina ran a hand through her hair before pushing it behind her ear. “I don’t usually take a lunch, but lemme ask Gertie. Since she knows you, maybe she’ll give me a break.”
Shiloh let out the breath he’d been holding and smiled, hoping she didn’t read the panic he held at bay. Right now, Tina was his biggest lead to finding Renee. He couldn’t afford to let her slip through his fingers.
“Be right back.”
He watched her step through the partially open doorway and moved to where he’d have a better view of the front of the coffee shop. Tina spoke with Gertie, waving a hand around and then pointing back toward the office. At Gertie’s nod, the knot of tension in his gut unfurled, and he exhaled slowly.
Tina pushed the office door fully open and motioned him through. “Gertie’s gonna give me a lunch break today. I don’t know what you did to charm her, but she’s in a really good mood.”
“She seemed pleasant when I talked with her this morning.”
Tina’s eye roll spoke volumes. “Trust me, that’s not Gertie’s norm. Anyway, there’s a Chinese buffet about a block and a half west of here, on the opposite side of the street. China Palace. Meet me there at one thirty.”
“Thank you, Tina.”
“Your story better be good, Mr. Boudreau, or I guarantee you’ll never find Elizabeth. I’ll make darn sure she’s so far underground, you’ll be knocking on Satan’s front door before you dig deep enough.”
“Understood. And call me Shiloh.”
She chuckled and made a shooing motion. “Go on, get out of here before Gertie changes her mind.”
With one last look, Shiloh headed out the front door and slid behind the wheel of his rental. Having a couple hours’ free time, he decided following up a couple of old leads might be a good idea. Plus, he should probably check in with his office, see if anything needed his attention. He doubted it. The new addition to the company was a former Navy SEAL. He had a firm handle on all the ins and outs of the clients, and came highly recommended from Gizmo, his father’s former Army buddy.
Pulling out his phone, he noted two missed calls. He’d turned it off before heading inside the coffee shop, not wanting or needing any distractions.
Dialing his brother’s number, he wasn’t surprised when Lucas picked up on the first ring.
“What’ve you got?”
“What, no hello, how are you? What’s the weather like in Portland?” Shiloh felt the smile curving up his lips at his brother’s frustrated sigh. “I’ve got a solid lead. I’m going to talk to somebody this afternoon who knows where she is.”
“Seriously? How much do you trust this lead?” Shiloh could hear the underlying fear in Lucas’ voice. While he trusted Tina would show up for their lunch meeting, he didn’t want to make false promises of answers he might not get.
“All I can say is she’s a solid lead. She seems very protective of Renee, or Elizabeth as she knows her. But she slipped up when we were talking, so I know she knows how to get in touch with your sister. I’m close, bro. We’re going to find her.”
“I’m frustrated because this is the closest we’ve been in years. I’m afraid to get my hopes up. What if she takes off again?” Lucas sighed. “I just want to make sure she’s alright. That she’s happy. Except my gut’s screaming at me that she’s running from something big enough she’s scared, and I can’t help her. I feel useless.”
“Hate to admit it, but I think you’re right. The good news is, once I catch up to her, get a chance to talk with her, I can assure her that we’ll have her back no matter what. Whoever is after her, we’ll stop them.” Shiloh’s gut clenched even thinking about Renee in trouble. His intuition screamed she was in danger, and that it was closer than any of them realized. Finding her felt like an itch beneath his skin, driving him with an insatiable urgency he couldn’t quench.
“Does she look like the picture?” Lucas’ tone had taken on a wistful quality, and it tugged at Shiloh’s heart. He had all his Boudreau brothers, and he had his twin, Ridge. Even thinking about losing any of them made him cringe. Lucas had lost his flesh-and-blood sister, a physical part of him. The whole time they’d been growing up, Shiloh knew it had eaten at Lucas about living without her. The not knowing, wondering if she was alive or worse, if she’d ended up with people who hadn’t loved and cared about her—or worse.
“Bro, she’s beautiful. That pic Heath sent doesn’t begin to do her justice. You look enough alike, there’s no mistaking you’re related.”
“I’ve got things cleaned up here, and I can head out to Portland and let you get back to your life soon.”
“No!” Whoa, Shiloh hadn’t meant for that to come out quite so harsh. “I’m already here, and I’ve got it handled. I’ve established a few local contacts, so I’ve got a working base. You need to stay and be with Jill. Things at my office are covered since I hired on a partner. Let’s play it by ear, and if I need you to come out, you’ll be the first person I call.”
“Promise you’ll call if you find out anything. No matter how small, I want to know.”
“You’ve got my word, bro. I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Shiloh disconnected the call and leaned back against the headrest, closing his eyes. The frustration and anger mixed with hope in his brother’s voice made him want to cry. Or scream. He didn’t want to let another day go by without finding Renee. She might well tell him to take a hike and refuse to meet Lucas, but he wasn’t giving up without a fight.
Renee opened Tina’s laptop and logged into her e-mail account. Over the years, she’d picked up a couple of contacts, friends, for lack of a better term. People who kept their eyes and ears open and alerted her when Darius and Eileen got too close. She’d gotten complacent living in Cincinnati, and it had almost cost her. Escaping with the clothes on her back and her go-bag, she’d been one step ahead of them.
She kept an open e-mail account, and only a select few had the address. Assumed name, of course, because she couldn’t be too careful. Staying under the radar meant learning a few tricks to maneuver around the internet, including bouncing her signal all over the globe. So far, she’d been able to outwit hackers and trackers, though she had a gut feeling Darius would eventually hire somebody skilled enough to hunt her down digitally. Which was why she rarely got online, not unless she had to. Better safe than sorry. Or dead.
No updates from her contacts. Which meant both good news and bad news. Good, because she’d avoided Darius and Eileen for another day. Bad because she didn’t know who the stranger was who’d been at the club watching her. Did he work for them? Somehow, she hadn’t gotten the same hunter/stalker vibe she’d gotten from the others who’d managed to track her down in Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Miami.
Closing her eyes, she pictured him, the stranger from the club. Tall, she’d guess at least six feet. Not musclebound like some of the jocks she’d worked out with in her apartment, but he wasn’t weak. Instinctively, she knew better than to underestimate him. Dark hair almost the color of a crow’s feathers, it was cut in a shorter business style, with a little curl at the ends. She’d bet if he let it grow out, it would have a lot of waves. Most startling, though, were his eyes. They were a deep, rich brown, reminding her of her favorite chocolate ice cream. Eyes she could get lost in. Nope, she was too smart to fall into a trap just because somebody had a pretty face and a killer smile.
Stop it. You don’t have time to daydream about a total stranger, especially one who might be working for Darius. Step up your game. Be sharp. Be ready. And don’t be afraid to run for your life.
There would be enough to give Nico, but didn’t leave a whole lot left over. If, and it was a big if, the stranger wasn’t there because he worked for Darius, she’d need to look for a new job soon if she didn’t want to live on the streets.
Renee jumped at the unexpected sound of the landline ringing, her hand flattening against her chest. Great, now she was jumping at the slightest noise. She stared at it, wondering if she should pick up the call. The answering machine clicked on before she’d taken two steps, and Tina’s voice came on, calling her name.
“Elizabeth, if you’re there, pick up. I need to talk to you.”
Sprinting across the room, she grabbed the phone. “I’m here.”
“Good. Listen, this guy came into the coffee shop this morning, asking questions about you.”
Renee’s stomach plummeted and she closed her eyes, steeling herself for what she knew was coming. “Tall, dark, good looking? Deep brown eyes?”
“Yep. Is he the guy from last night?”
“Sounds like. What did he want?”
Tina hesitated a second before she answered. “Dude says he’s a private investigator—from Texas. He swore he wasn’t here to hurt you, but he wants to talk to you.”
“Tina, I can’t.”
“Well, I wanted to give you a head’s up. I’m going to meet him at one thirty, find out everything I can. I didn’t tell him anything and I won’t. But I figure the more info you have…”
“You’re meeting him?” Anxiety warred with intrigue deep in Renee’s thoughts. She really wanted to find out more about the stranger, because just the quick glimpse or two she’d gotten the night before made her want to stay at the club. Talk to him. Get to know him. Shaking her head, she wiped away that silly notion. She didn’t have time for relationships or even being attracted to a man. Not now. Maybe not ever. Her life was too messed up, unstable. How could she even consider pulling anybody into the nightmare that was her life?
“Yeah. Lunch at the China Palace. Don’t you want to know why a private investigator from Texas is looking for Elizabeth Perkins? I know that’s not your real name, so why is he calling you that? Do you have a connection to Texas you haven’t told me about?”
Renee swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat and fought the sudden urge to burst into tears. There was one connection to Texas, though she’d done her best to lock it up tight and not think about him, because he was lost to her.
“Tina, please, don’t tell him anything about me. Promise.”
“I promise. That’s why I called you first. If you want me to bail on meeting him, I will. Gotta say though, I didn’t get the impression he’s the type who’ll give up without getting the answers he’s looking for. I told him if I didn’t like what he had to say, I’m outta there no matter how cute he is.” Tina chuckled and Renee could picture her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, grinning like a loon.
“You’re a good friend, Tina. If anything seems off-kilter about this dude, book it out of there. It might be nice to actually know why he’s looking for me, instead of running into him without a clue what he’s after.”
“I’ve got you covered. I’ll talk to you later, girlfriend.”
Hanging up the phone, Renee nibbled on her lower lip, going over everything Tina had said. Had Darius and Eileen sent a hired gun to bring her back? Or maybe they’d opted for a final solution this time and hired a hitman. Just the thought made her insides clench, and her hands shake.
Life shouldn’t have to be lived like this. Always on edge. Always running, never settling down. Always trying to stay one step ahead of the hunter. She was tired of being the prey.
Standing, she walked to the little entry of the apartment, and picked up her purse and the windbreaker hoodie she’d borrowed from Tina. Within seconds, she was out the door. She was tired of being the victim, of being at the mercy of everybody else. That stopped today. Exiting the apartment building, she glanced left and right, and then started walking toward her destination.
The China Palace.