Lindsey wasn’t the only one who’d come running when Izzy had sent out a distress signal. Adam, too, was back, ready to help however he could, as were Seagull, Timebomb, and Hans from Boat Squad John. Normally, Pete would’ve been unhappy at the idea of welcoming SEAL candidates into the privacy of his home, but right now he was just grateful for the extra bodies and sets of eyes.
“How about I go with?” Adam said to Izzy. “Because isn’t it likely that Daryl’s real parents are already at the hospital? And you’re good, but I don’t think even you can sell being a surprise uncle, but—” he pointed to himself, then did jazz hands “—a surprise boyfriend? At least until Daryl wakes up.”
“Oh, man,” Izzy said, “if this was one of Eden’s romance novels, Daryl would be gay and Tony would be in serious trouble.”
“Tony’s my fiancé,” Adam told Shayla. “My Navy SEAL fiancé. Trust me, Tony’s in no trouble at all.”
But Shay had turned to Pete, a quizzical look on her face. “Does…Eden write romance, too?”
Izzy answered. “Write? No. Read.”
“Too?” Lindsey asked Shay.
“Shayla writes romance novels,” Pete told his friends.
“What?” Izzy said. “Really?”
Lindsey sat up. “Wait…you’re that Shayla Whitman? No fucking way! I love your shit!” She winced. “Sorry, I’ve been hanging with SEALs for too long—that’s the SpecOps version of fangrrling.”
“That’s okay,” Shay said, laughing. “And thanks.”
“When’s your next book out?” Lindsey asked. “I can’t wait—I’m so ready. It’s been, like, more than a year!”
“Um…” Shayla’s smile changed—very subtly. Anyone who didn’t know her the way Pete did wouldn’t have seen it. But she was suddenly enormously uncomfortable. Even more uncomfortable than she’d been when she’d realized that Izzy had overheard her telling the police that she and Pete had been in the garage, having sex, when the men broke in to his house.
“Can we please get back on track?” he said, partly to save her, but mostly because Maddie was still out there. Somewhere. With her phone turned off.
“Yes, please, let’s focus.” Shay jumped all over his request, tossing a quick “I don’t have a release date yet, sorry” to Lindsey. “We still need to contact Fiona’s aunt—and her parents, too.” But then she jumped literally—her phone had buzzed. She pulled it out to look at the screen, but then shook her head no at Pete, letting him know that it wasn’t Maddie, even as she moved into the kitchen to take the call.
“How about if I reach out to Fiona’s parents,” Lindsey volunteered as Izzy and Adam left for the hospital. She pulled her laptop out of her bag and rested it on the arm of the sofa. “I have that list you emailed, with their phone numbers and addresses in Sacramento.” He’d sent the info to her, on the off chance she’d uncover something—anything—useful. But nothing had pinged for either of Fiona’s parents, or their new spouses. “I’ll take the Your daughter is probably in danger, too approach.”
“Do it,” Pete said. If Fiona’s parents didn’t talk to Lindsey, he was flying up there and pounding on their front doors.
“Me and the guys could drive back to Van Nuys, sir,” Hans Schlossman volunteered. “See if anyone’s shown up at Dingler’s parents’ house—and stake it out, if not. I mean, you got hold of the address, isn’t it likely that whoever’s searching for them will find it, too? And they’ll go there, looking for Dingler? It’s an obvious place to start.”
“That’s a good idea,” Pete said. But. “When are you guys due back on base?”
All three of them answered in unison. “Oh-four-hundred.”
Seagull added, “Tomorrow.”
“So, no. Driving through LA traffic and back isn’t the best use of your limited time,” Pete told them. “Also, I’m gonna need some help back here. Until this is over, I want someone with Shayla twenty-four/seven.”
Lindsey looked up from her computer. “Shouldn’t that be your job?” She grinned at him and lowered her voice to add, “I can’t believe you’re dating Shayla Whitman! Her books are hot. Also? She’s so funny and smart! Go, Grunge!”
He ignored her. “Maddie’s got an elderly aunt. Hiroko. I want to bring her back here, create a safe space. Guards inside and out.” He looked around. “Maybe we don’t do that here—two of ’em’ve already been inside—whoever the fuck they are.” Should the intruders return, he didn’t want to give them any kind of advantage, like knowing the floor plan. “We’ll set this up over at Shay’s,” he decided.
“Set what up?” Shay came back into the room.
“A safe space,” Pete told her. “For you and Hiroko. And fuck. I’m sorry, but we should contact your ex, about Tevin and Frank. I want to make sure they’re safe, too—until we find out what’s going on, and who put Daryl Middleton in the hospital, and just how crazy they are.”
She held up her phone. “Welp, Carter just called. He just got a gig, subbing for a player out in Phoenix, or maybe it’s Tucson? Arizona, anyway. His flight leaves, like, now. Friday’s a half-day, so I’ve got to go and pick up the boys at his place.”
“Not by yourself, you’re not.” Pete heard the words come out of his mouth, and just as he expected, Shay gave him her WTF face. “Sorry,” he added. “I meant, please let me come with you. Please.”
She smiled at that extra please as he knew she would, but then she said, “Are you sure that’s necessary?”
“Very,” he said. “Also, if you’re all right with it, we can swing past Hiroko’s and pick her up, too.”
“Hiroko,” Shay said, with a laugh. “You really think you can convince her to just…pack a bag and come hang out with a bunch of strangers?”
“I dunno,” Pete said, “maybe not, but I don’t want her to get hurt, so I intend to try.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Shayla drove. Her car was small, but three passengers would fit in the little backseat, as opposed to Peter’s truck. Tevin’s long legs would be crunched and he’d probably make some noise about that, but they wouldn’t be in the car for long.
“So. This is a little awkward,” she began, glancing over at Peter.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Your friends think we’re dating,” Shay said. “But my boys haven’t even met you, and I really don’t want them to get the news that I’m your girlfriend—” she made air quotes over the top of the steering wheel “—from something someone says in passing.”
He took a deep breath. “Well, we could let everyone know that we’re keeping it on the down-low….No…?” He trailed off as she shot him a heavy Oh, really? look.
“Two operators outside, at least one in,” she recited what she’d heard him tell Seagull, Timebomb, and Hans as she’d unlocked her house and gotten the AC running and Lindsey comfortably situated inside. “And since those three boys with the ridiculous nicknames have to report back onto the base at oh-four-hundred—” She heard her stress leaking out in her voice, and took a deep breath instead of asking why they couldn’t just say four A.M. like normal people, because really, that wasn’t even close to the real issue here.