Page 72 of Exposed

Silence met his words, ripping through him and shaking his resolve. He had to do this. He had no right to withhold what had happened to Maddie from her family.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ethan’s voice came out in a rough breath.

Nate dropped his head in his free hand, pinching the bridge of his nose until pain split his forehead.

“I’ve been with Maddie this whole time. We’ve been after Carlos Santiago. She’s been working as an informant.” The words tumbled out in broken sentences.

No way he’d throw her under the bus and tell him Maddie had cornered him into this. Nate was more experienced, he knew what she was getting herself into, and he hadn’t stopped her. It was solely his responsibility.

“He took her, Ethan, and I can’t find her. She’s gone.” His voice broke in his throat. He’d never see her smug, laughing eyes again. He’d never kiss her full, sensual mouth, or see her brilliant, coy smile.

He’d wasted so much of his life searching for something that had been under his nose the whole time. And on top of that, he was milliseconds away from losing his best friend.

A million memories, ten million drinks, and even more jokes… gone. All as lost as the beautiful young woman who had stolen his heart from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.

“I’m so fucking sorry, man.” He hung his head.

Tension built behind his eyes as he waited for the roar on the other end of the phone. He took a deep breath, ready to bend over and take whatever Ethan needed to say to him. “Get your head out of your ass and find her.” His voice was a low rumble that vibrated to Nate’s core.

The line went dead in his hand, and Nate gritted his teeth. That hadn’t been the response he’d expected. He took a deep shaky breath and his chest expanded. Ethan was right. He didn’t have much time—he had to find her.

The vehicle slowed and Nate turned to the passenger window. Infinite Custom Yachts loomed before him. The steel and glass building overlooked the harbor, a Puerto Rican flag danced in the wind outside. He’d researched long and hardinto Carlos’s family business. His father, Luis Santiago, was the founder and president of the company. Carlos sat on the board of directors along with his much younger brother, Sebastian.

All of his relatives had come out clean, and the company appeared to operate a legitimate business. Carlos had supposedly been summoned to San Juan because of his father’s failing health and business adjustments were to be made.

Nate exited the vehicle with Ashley at his heels. He pushed the door open and a bell sounded overhead. A young woman with her dark hair pulled back into a severe knot at the nape of her neck rounded her desk. She sported a black pencil skirt and white blouse.

She rattled something in Spanish that Nate took to mean ‘how can I help you?’

Ashley unfolded the warrant and held it out for her inspection. “We’re investigating Carlos Santiago and have a warrant to search the premises.”

Nate opened his wallet and flashed his badge. His gaze took in the smooth metal beams and sharp architectural angles of the twenty-foot showroom. Wood and stone samples hung neatly near the wall next to miniature model yachts.

The woman stretched out her thin, shaky hand, accepting the paper. Her deep brown eyes clouded with fear and her ebony eyebrows touched above her nose in a frown. She stepped out of the way and her footsteps zig-zagged to the steel desk near the front of the door. She lifted the receiver of the phone and spoke hurriedly in Spanish.

Nate tucked his badge away, removed his Glock from the waistband of his pants, and moved down the long hallway off the showroom. He and Ashley split up, taking one room at a time each. Nate tore through each room, not caring about the mess he left behind.

No signs of Maddie.

Not a single one.

Though he hadn’t expected to find her so easily, the boulder of panic crushed further into the cavity of his chest. He pushed the last door open and Ashley sat crouched by a filing cabinet against the wall. A large desk took up a fraction of the room, the rich mahogany sharply contrasting with the rest of the modern finishes.

Nate holstered his gun, rounded the desk, and sat in the computer chair.

He brought the screen to life and of course, it was password protected.

Goddammit.

He’d be able to confiscate it, but until the tech guys got ahold of it, he wouldn’t be able to access anything on the hard drive.

“Shit.” Ashley slammed the filing cabinet drawer and stood. “I can’t find a single thing. Not an address, or any other business documents.”

Nate closed his eyes and pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Maddie had been adamant that Carlos owned a club here. She’d overhead him talking about bouncers, but fuck, that could have been anything.”

“Finding a specific nightclub in this city is like looking for a needle in a haystack.” She folded her arms over her chest and rested her hip on the desk. “Especially with no leads.”

The boulder in his chest sunk deep into his stomach. She was right. They had nothing, no way to find the bastard. She’d been gone a couple hours and by now could be anywhere. He bounced his knee up and down, his body looking for a way to let loose the adrenaline that made him want to bolt and run laps.

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