Page 78 of Forged in Secrets

GABE

Gabe rested his arm against the windowsill as the inconspicuous Ford Bronco sped along the narrow country highway. The sun was shining bright, and he was sure he’d end up with a weird single-arm tan, but the fresh air was worth it. He could almost smell the sea.

Every few minutes, the vehicle bucked over a pothole or two, but for the most part, he’d been pleasantly surprised by the level of road maintenance in middle-of-nowhere Tamaulipas.

“Looks like we’ve almost hit the actual town of La Pesca,” he said, gesturing toward the windshield. Up ahead, he could see more traffic, and a few taller buildings sticking out over the tops of the palm trees. “It’ll still be a couple of miles until we reach the beach, though.”

Isla Hinton leaned forward, sticking her hairspray-scented head in between the driver and passenger seats.

“You’re sure that Gracie wasn’t taken by the cartel?” she asked in a stage whisper, as though the rental car they had taken from the airport might somehow be bugged.

Gabe pressed his hands more tightly around the steering wheel. “I’m not sure of much, Mrs. Hinton,” he reminded her. “But there’s no evidence of that, no.”

“They’re dangerous,” Mrs. Hinton continued, undeterred. “Not the sort of men we should be taking on alone. They might poison our tequila. Or shoot us in cold blood, leaving our lifeless bodies floating in a pool at their fancy estate!”

Gabe furrowed his brow. “Why would we be drinking tequila? What estate?”

Mrs. Hinton pointed in the direction of the road ahead with one long pink fingernail. “You never know, Gabriel.Best to prepare ourselves. Do you know how to create a bomb out of an Etch-a-Sketch board? Just in case?”

“What–”

“I don’t care if we have to take on every criminal in the state,” Mr. Hinton snapped from the back seat. “We’re getting our girl home. I’ll do it myself if I have to!”

Gabe pressed his foot gently on the brake, slowing the SUV as they entered the town.

“Let’s just focus,” he said, giving Mrs. Hinton a pointed look. She sank back into her seat and clicked her seatbelt back into place. “I need you both to keep your eyes open, all right?”

He didn’t, of course–their help would probably prove more dangerous than handling everything by himself–but hopefully it would give them something to do aside from arguing.

The car was quiet as he rolled through the main strip of La Pesca. As always, he was struck by just how colorful Mexico tended to be compared to San Antonio. It was a simple but pleasant looking place, with at least a dozen family-owned restaurants and food stalls lining the streets.

Within a couple of minutes, they’d passed through the entire town and returned to an even wider highway. The back seat remained quiet as they passed a mile or so of farmers’ fields until finally they passed beneath a blue archway that informed them Playa La Pesca was just ahead.

“Ooh, that lighthouse is so cute,” Mrs. Hinton exclaimed as they drew nearer, rolling down her window. Gabe heard the click of her digital camera behind him, and watched as several unfriendly-looking guys stared at the car from where they were standing on the side of the road.

He tipped an imaginary hat brim in their direction andoffered a friendly smile, which was fortunately returned by the locals. There weren’t cartel drug lords hiding under every rock, to be sure, but they were still traveling in a state under a current travel advisory by the American government, and he wasn’t going to let his guard down.

“There’s the beach. We’re coming, Gracie girl,” Mr. Hinton said quietly.

Gabe slowed the SUV as they reached what was apparently the end of the paved road and continued onto the dusty, bumpy streets that led closer to the coast. It was quieter here, but he could still see several obvious tourists milling around the ramshackle buildings that housed local eateries and other small businesses.

He glanced out at the beach and the blue water beyond, as well as the long stone jetty that reached out into the Gulf. He could imagine the location of the nearby dock where the kidnappers were supposed to arrive, but he didn’t dare get any closer.

He turned off of the road that served as a main street and continued until he reached a secluded area behind a few buildings that was little more than a driveway. He turned off the Bronco and closed his eyes, taking a couple deep breaths. He could almost hear his father’s voice in his head, reminding him to pray, but he ignored it. The clock on the dashboard indicated just how little time they had left.

He turned to the back seat. “How are you both feeling?”

“I’m ready to get my daughter back,” Mr. Hinton said without a moment’s hesitation.

“Me, too,” Mrs. Hinton chimed in.

Gabe looked over the older couple. The two of them were supposed to be dressed as ordinary tourists, but theiroutfits looked just a little too expensive to be fully convincing. Especially Mrs. Hinton, who had probably assumed the Forge Brothers Security staff members were joking when they suggested she pick up something at Walmart.

Worse still, her immaculate makeup and perfectly styled blonde bob screamed money.

Once again, Gabe was reminded of just how many things Grace handled as office manager at FBS. Despite having a similar flashy style to her mother, she excelled at putting together disguises for undercover work.

“I think you would look better with a hat,” Gabe said, thinking quickly. He reached over and plucked his own baseball cap from where it had been sitting on the dashboard.

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