Page 65 of Forged in Secrets

Ben narrowed his eyes at him, saying nothing.

Asher cleared his throat. “Turns out this airfield was tied to a certain human trafficking ring that has also been known to operate up in Texas.”

“Whoa,” Ben said. “That’s quite a coincidence.”

“Yup. But I think that’s all it is,” Asher said. “The kidnappers would have to be insane to try bringing a full-sized bottle of sunscreen into that airport right now, let alone anything else. I guess the kidnappers are planning to take off by speedboat or something. Who knows.”

Asher went quiet, and Ben tried not to think about any of the darker possibilities. They’d get Grace back in just a few hours. There was no other option.

Still, something seemed to be prodding at the back of Ben’s consciousness as he considered Asher’s words.

“I still feel like there’s some detail I’m not seeing,” Ben said aloud. “It’s right there, but I can’t figure it out.”

“Love has a way of confusing us,” Asher said.

Ben turned to him, expecting to see a grin, but his brother looked completely serious.

“For the record, I think you’re holding up better than anyone else would be,” Asher continued. “And I’m proud of you. Grace will be, too, when we find her. Which I promise you we will.”

Ben felt warmth pooling in his chest despite his anxieties. He was thankful that he had his family by his side, no matter how dark things became. And he knew that God was there too, even when He chose to stay quiet.

“The last couple of days with her have given me some of the greatest moments of my life,” Ben admitted, not bothering to try and hide the blush that was surely rising on his pale face. “I just wish I’d let her in instead of always being so afraid. On our first night here, we went to the beach, and–”

He stopped short, his mouth pressing into a firm line.

“What?” Asher asked.

Ben hardly heard him.

That night on the beach came back to him in stark detail. The grit of the sand between his toes. The lapping of the water along the shore. The huge bonfires that had frightened Grace. The feeling of her fingers intertwining with his own.

The huge yacht off of the coast.

“Grace was right,” Ben said to a bewildered Asher. “Her intuition was right from the start. We need to get to the beach.”

“In case you missed it, I’ve been combing the beach up and down for half the night,” Asher protested as Benheaded for the door of the hotel room. “I told you, I didn’t find anything.”

Ben reached down and picked up Asher’s sandals, tossing them in his twin’s direction.

“That’s because you didn’t know what you were looking for,” Ben said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I think I do. Let’s go.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

GRACE

Grace stepped back from the porthole and drew the curtain away as far as it would go, bathing the room in the last of the evening’s warm light. She took a moment just to breathe, thankful for the chance to get her bearings, and then began to examine her surroundings.

It was a small cabin, with a bed, a cupboard for clothes, and a desk. There was no light switch–she supposed it must be on the outside wall. The furnishings were simple, but she could tell by the gleaming white walls and the immaculate cream carpet that whatever boat she was on had to be expensive.

“Okay, there isn’t a bunk bed, and it has its own separate head, so it’s probably not a basic crew cabin, but I doubt it’s the captain’s quarters, either,” she muttered to herself, the words sounding loud to her own ears.

She swallowed a fresh wave of panic as she wondered who the captain was. She seemed to be on some sort ofprivate craft, not a large vessel filled with people who would be able to help her.

She walked over to the desk and sat down, resting her head on her hands as she considered the information she had.

If Craig and Jade were looking for her parents’ money, that would require them to know she’d been taken. And if her parents knew, that meant Ben would too. And Asher, who had surely made it to South Padre by now.

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