Page 62 of Forged in Secrets

“I ended up on the Gulf-side beach, and talked to people from end to end. A handful of people claim to haveseen Grace, but it’s hardly a certainty that it was her, and in any case, they didn’t see her go anywhere with anyone or anything else suspicious.”

“So, nothing,” Ben said.

“Nothing. But at least Detective Hayles has become a little more helpful now that three women seem to have disappeared off of South Padre.”

“They passed the cases to the FBI,” Ben reminded him, not feeling particularly impressed with the North Pier police. But at least he could trust that the FBI would actually investigate if they suspected the disappearances were linked to human trafficking activity.

“Well, maybe they’ll turn something up,” Asher said, stuffing a large bite of steak into his mouth. “But we need to figure out what we’re going to do in the meantime. I’m lost.”

Ben felt his throat going tight as helplessness and rising panic began to take hold.

He skewered another few pieces of pasta and shoved them into his mouth, chewing furiously.

He wasn’t going to cry. Not even in front of Asher.

No matter what it took, he was going to find the woman he loved.

GRACE

The voices were quiet again.

Grace stood still, hearing nothing aside from the rushing of her own breath. It sounded loud in the small space, and as desperately as she wanted to move, she knew that it would be better if Jade and Craig and whoever else might be nearby thought she was still knocked out.

After several painfully slow minutes had passed, she stuck out her hands again, trying to feel for something that made sense of the dark room.

She could tell at once that the area was as small as she’d assumed, perhaps eight feet across. She knew there had to be a light switch somewhere, but it was difficult to find in such complete blackness.

At last, her fingers landed upon something that felt like fabric.

With a silent prayer of thanks, she yanked the curtain back, revealing a round porthole.

As far as she could see, there was nothing but ocean, the gentle current lapping against the side of the boat as they raced through the water.

The sudden glow of the sun made her eyes burn, but the tears that followed were her own as she realized what she was seeing. It was sunset in what looked to be the middle of the Gulf.

She was trapped on a ship somewhere, a large one, if the lack of rocking motion was to be believed.

And she’d been passed out for almost an entire day.

BEN

As Ben swiped his company-issued credit card through the restaurant’s machine, the insistent chiming of Asher’s phone almost made him jump.

“Gabe,” Asher said as he answered it, giving the waitress a quick nod before getting up from the table. “What’s happening?”

Ben’s fingers shook as he entered the tip amount and his PIN number. Before the machine had finished printinga receipt, he was on his feet, rushing after Asher through the back exit.

As they emerged into the warm evening and slipped past a few wandering Mistflower guests, Asher put the phone on speaker.

“Ben, you hear me okay? You guys alone?”

“Yes, what’s going on?” Ben asked impatiently. The look on Asher’s face was enough to make it clear that their oldest brother wasn’t calling to chat about the weather forecast.

“The Hintons got a ransom note,” Gabe said calmly.

“Asking for one million, eight hundred thousand dollars,” Asher added.

Ben’s mouth felt dry, and he said nothing, unsure what it was that he could say. The demand for cash was a good reason to hope that Grace was alive and well, but it was hardly enough to put his mind at ease.

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