special three-month training program similar to infantry basic training only with mercenary soldiers. They’d cut her no slack and expected her to play rough, despite being a female. She’d come through, scoring the highest on weapons qualification, even on the live-fire courses and urban terrain exercises. She had a sixth sense for when to shoot and when not to shoot.
She’d been an operative for two full years before her parents were killed in an automobile crash, right before her younger sister’s high school graduation.
Natalie’d had no other choice. Family came first, and you didn’t give up on them.
As she danced she watched the bar. Several men stood out to her. Of course Duff and his friends, who’d arrived the same day as she, because of their obvious physical fitness and laid-back charm. Natalie sensed no threat from them. The bartender was a compact man with dark hair and darker eyes. He served drinks quickly, without talking, and the wait staff seemed a little intimidated by him.
Then there were the two Hispanic men who’d sat at a table in the corner, drinking Coronas and watching Melody’s friends and her as she danced with a sandy-blond-haired playboy from New Jersey.
To Natalie every man in the place was under suspicion until she proved his innocence. And all bore watching.
When Duff and his friends left, Natalie felt her energy leave with them. Melody’s friends didn’t have the heart to stay and party when two of them would leave the next day and Melody remained missing.
“We’re calling it a night,” Lisa said. “I hope you have a better vacation here than we did.” She hugged Natalie. “Please be careful.”
“Thank you.” Natalie hugged the other woman, as if by so doing, she was a little closer to her sister.
They rode up the elevator together and parted ways in the hallway of their floor.
A soon as Natalie entered her room, she tapped her earbud. “Anything?” she asked Lance.
“Got into the security videos. I’ve spent the past three hours going through all the footage.”
“And?”
“I ruled out the hallway. The lobby had several characters I found lurking in the outdoor cabana. Could you slip away for a few minutes to check out the faces, or do you want me to try to send snapshots to your cell phone?”
“I don’t want any hackers to intercept the messages. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Wear the earbud in case you run into any trouble on the grounds.”
“Will do.” She slipped out of the blue dress and stilettoes and into a long casual dress and flat sandals. If someone asked her where she was going, her answer would be for a walk on the beach. She took the stairs down to ground level and walked out the back door of the hotel. The pool was lit and glowed a soft ocean-blue, the water rippled by the salty breeze.
Natalie schooled her pace to take it slow, like a person on vacation enjoying the night air, not like a woman on a mission to save her sister. When the path curved toward the bungalows, she veered in the opposite direction and took a more direct route to the beach. If someone followed her, she didn’t want him or her to discover her repeated visits to the bungalow where Lance worked.
By the time she reached the bungalow ten minutes had passed and the wind had picked up, whipping her long hair around her shoulders and across her eyes.
Lance opened the door as soon as Natalie knocked.
She slipped inside and crossed to the computer screen. The video had been paused on two dark-haired men sitting in the corner of the cabana. “I saw these two tonight. Same table, same corner of the cabana.”
“Happen to get their names?”
Natalie shook her head. “No. They stayed at the table the entire time.”
Lance fast-forwarded the video, stopping on an image of Melody and a man dancing.
Her heart came to a hard stop in her chest and Natalie sucked in her breath. Her gaze caught on Melody, laughing, dancing and flirting. She was so happy and carefree.
When her heart started pumping again, it raced, anger pushing blood through it faster and faster.
Natalie leaned toward the screen, trying to see the man with her, only getting the back of his head. “Can you see his face anywhere in the video?”
Lance shook his head. “No matter how many times I replay, I can’t get a clear shot of his facial features.”
“Melody is five feet two inches tall and, based on what she’s wearing, she’s probably got on at least three-inch heels, making her five feet five. He’s at least another five to six inches taller than her. That would put him right around six feet tall. And he has dark hair.” She straightened. “Anything else?”
“Several men in the lobby of the hotel. Some of them with women who appeared to be girlfriends or wives. Others were alone.” He clicked on the touch pad and another view popped up on the screen. “This is the lobby.”
Lance took her through several minutes of video he’d tagged as potential. When they were done, Natalie didn’t feel any closer to finding her sister than before. “Tomorrow morning, I’m scheduled to go on the dive boat Melody and her friends sailed with.”
Lance’s brows dipped. “Stay with your dive buddy in case you run into trouble.”
She snorted. “What are the chances the people who took Melody will hit the same dive boat two times in a single week?”
“Slim to none. If these creeps are smart enough to kidnap three women without raising a red flag with the local authorities, they won’t go after someone on that dive boat.”
Natalie sighed. “I know it’s a reach, but maybe I’ll get some information out of the crew. Perhaps one of them is in cahoots with the operation.”
Lance clicked another button on the computer and a GPS tracker screen appeared. “Either way, I’ve got you covered. Get some sleep tonight and be careful down there tomorrow.”
“I don’t hold out hope on sleep.” Natalie crossed to the door. “I can only imagine what Melody is going through.”
“Yeah, it’s gotta be tough when it’s your sister. She’s not my sister, and I can hardly wait to catch the bastards.”
Natalie smiled. “Thanks for your help, Lance. It’s nice to know SOS is backing me.”
“We miss having you around. Nobody quite equals our best sharpshooter.”
Warmth stole through her. They might not be blood relatives, but the members of the SOS team had been like family.
She opened the door and checked to make certain the coast was clear. A light breeze stirred the air. The moon shone bright through the gently undulating palm fronds, stirring shadows. But nothing else moved.
Natalie left the bungalow and headed toward the beach.
She passed another bungalow and was about to cut across to the more direct path leading through some bougainvillea bushes when the snap of a twig sounded behind her.
She spun, ready to face an attacker. Again, nothing moved in the shadows except the shadows themselves.
A shiver rippled across her skin in the balmy night air. Rather than cut through the thick bushes, she continued on the pebbled concrete path toward the beach. Once on the sand, she’d be in the open. Unless whoever was following her had a gun and planned to shoot her, she’d have half a chance at defending herself.
Natalie picked up the pace, stretching her long legs, trying to put distance between her and whoever or whatever was following her. By now she heard footsteps behind her.
Whenever she turned, she saw nothing. Trained to survive in hand-to-hand combat, she knew her limitations. She was better with a gun. A large man could