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Chapter Five

-- Nick --

Another day had passed. The sun had disappeared right along with my hope that Brooke would be coming home today. When the phone began to ring, my entire body tensed up. I dreaded hearing Aaron's voice.

But it wasn't him. It was AJ.

"Hello?"

"Nick, Aaron's hiding out in the Dry Tortugas. I thinking he's bouncing between the lighthouses."

Henry was listening in. He immediately began typing on his laptop, but I didn't have time to process the information. Another call was coming through and this time I knew there was no avoiding Aaron's voice on the other end.

""I---oh shit, he's calling."

I hung up on AJ. I pressed talk again and closed my eyes, waiting for the snake to uncoil and unleash his venom right into my ear.

"We're at the end of day two. I'm not counting my cash or flying the friendly skies."

"Aaron I--"

"You must think that I'm joking around. Well, a package will be coming in the mail tomorrow. Then you'll know that this isn't a game."

There was a pause. I didn't know what to say.

"This isn't a game, is it Brooke?"

There was a scuffling noise and then I heard a huge hiccup.

"Daddy, I don't want to play anymore. Please I--"

"Five million, a private plane, and a box of unregistered police grade ammunition. I'm looking forward to day three. Are you?"

The phone went dead. Henry was glancing between the phone and the laptop. I set the phone down, sank down on the couch, and rubbed my arms. It wasn't cold in the room, but my whole body seemed to have turned to ice.

"What about the information from my friend?" I finally asked. I didn't want to think about Brooke's little terrified voice.

"I have Key West authorities following up on the lead," Henry said. He looked at me intently. "I told you not to get involved in the Key West tip."

"No, you told me I couldn't go to Key West," I said. "That doesn't mean my connections couldn't."

I suddenly felt a wave of loneliness wash over me. The day had been rough for Liv. I had put in a favor for a house call from our doctor and she had been heavily sedated. Liv's mom was watching Peyton and Noah who I prayed were sleeping soundly upstairs.

I still hadn't slept.

I sat in stone silence as the minutes ticked away. An hour passed and still...nothing.

Around midnight, Henry's cellphone rang. He answered and stood up, his back turned towards me. I sprung to my feet.

"Yes. I see. Thank you."

He closed his phone. I saw him inhale deeply.

"What?" I asked.

"Both lighthouses were searched top and bottom. The wiring was tampered at one location. The other was empty..."

He trailed off, but I knew he was hiding something.

"Completely empty?"

Henry turned. His eyes were filled with sympathy.

"They found some long blonde hairs. They've bagged them to see if they belong to Brooke."

I swallowed around the huge lump that invaded my throat, threatening to strangle me.

"But where did he go? They saw him."

"I was told that there was a boat stolen yesterday. This same boat was found floating in the middle of the water not far from the Dry Tortugas about a half hour ago."

"That means?"

Henry rubbed his neck and sat back down. His coffee had probably gone cold hours ago but still he drank it down greedily.

"That most likely means that there's now someone else involved. A contact that picked him up from the boat and took him to another location."

"Where?"

He sighed. "That's what we have to try to find out."

I walked back over to the window. The stars were out but there was no shine. At least not in my eyes. I pressed my palms against the glass, not caring if I left a smudge. I lowered my head to my chest and thought...

The guys had already gotten closer to Aaron in half a day than the FBI had in two days. This wasn't thought in spite. I mean, it wasn't that I didn't trust them. Hell, my father-in-law was ex-FBI. But the guys had known Aaron almost as long as they had known me. They had a sixth sense that the FBI could never have.

I had a sinking suspicion where Aaron was headed.

And I needed my team on the prowl.

-------------------------

"Cozumel? There's millions of people roaming about. He'd get spotted for sure."

I was in the attic again on my old phone. The guys had rented a couple hotel rooms in Key West, awaiting a phone call from me. What they most likely hadn't expected was another assignment.

"Not necessarily. Hunter told Liv that Aaron didn't hide the fact that he liked to conduct his business in Cozumel. It can be accessed by water and he knows his way around," I explained.

AJ sighed. "I just wish I would have jumped at him when I had the chance."

I couldn't help but agree, but there was no need to add guilt into the situation. I had enough of that resting on my own shoulders.

"I don't want you guys to do anything that will get you hurt," I said. "Kev was right telling you to keep back. Just don't tell him that I said that."

"Your secret's safe with me. Howie's looking at plane tickets right now. We'll be there by tomorrow morning."

I closed my eyes.

"You have no idea how much this means to me."

There was a pause.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

I heard the sound of a door opening and closing on his end. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

"If I see him this time, he's a dead man. He might know Cozumel well, but I've been there a time or two. There's quite a few places to get a gun without being asked a lot of questions."

I felt a surge of...I don't know. I just knew without a doubt that AJ was serious. A man with five kids at home knew where I was coming from.

"I don't care about Aaron. Just don't let Brooke get hurt," I said quietly.

"We won't," AJ said gently. "She's like a daughter to all of us."

I felt the warm rush of tears dripping down my face, but I didn't care.

"Thank you," I whispered.

I hung up, not feeling better in the way that 'better' is defined, but...productive.

As I headed back downstairs I knew that if one more day passed and I had to endure one more phone call that this would be the end.

I would sell every part of my body to get Aaron that money. I'd beg, borrow and steal to get him a plane. We could live in a cardboard box.

Brooklyn just needed to come home.