“No, no, it’s not like that. I talked to Carson. He and Jesse are fine. You don’t need to go.”
Every instinct in Sean’s body told him either she was lying or not telling him the entire truth.
“Did he call you?”
“Yes! I spoke to both of them. Please—I just got to the airport. Your girlfriend told me where you were.”
“I know. She told me.”
Madison clearly wasn’t expecting that answer.
“You should have called me.”
“I didn’t think you’d talk to me! You were very mean when I called earlier. I have to see you. I’m canceling this whole thing. They’re fine. I just panicked. But they’re fine, really.”
Sean hung up. He did not believe this. “Watch the plane,” he said to Kane and climbed out of the cockpit. By the time he dropped to the tarmac, he saw a white sedan racing toward him. She screeched to a halt only feet from the tail of the plane and jumped out of the car. “Thank God you haven’t left.”
She looked frantic and took a deep breath. “Carson called me thirty minutes ago. He and Jesse are fine. I talked to Jesse. They’re fine, they were robbed. They’ll be back on Friday.”
“Robbed?”
“Yes, that’s why he couldn’t call me, didn’t get my messages. Their passports were stolen, they’re at the American embassy. That’s where they called me from.”
He didn’t believe one word.
“The American embassy where?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Probably Acapulco.”
“And he couldn’t call you for three days.”
“He didn’t have time to explain everything! He just told me they were fine, they were at the embassy and straightening everything out. I talked to Jesse myself.”
That he believed. She had talked to her son but he didn’t know whether that was to verify he was alive, or because he was really safe.
“Give me your phone.”
“What?”
“I’m tired of the games. Give me your fucking phone.”
“I’m not hiring you. I’m unhiring you. You can’t do this. Just leave it alone.”
He yanked her purse from her hands, retrieved her phone, then tossed the purse back at her. He walked back to the plane.
Sean said, “Spade made contact.” He tossed Madison’s phone to Kane, who grabbed it with one hand. “Plug that into my tablet and break her passcode.” He reached into his go-bag and pulled out a phone. He wrote the number down on a pad, then walked back to Madison.
She stood exactly where he’d left her, eyes wide.
He handed her the burn phone. “This is how I will contact you.”
“You don’t understand…”
“What did he say?” Sean stepped forward and Madison stepped back. He didn’t care if he looked or sounded threatening; she was lying to him and now he knew for certain that her no-good husband and his son were in danger.
“They’re fine. They’ll be back on Friday.”
“And?”
“And … that’s it. Please don’t go. I should never have come to you. I should never have told you…”
“You’re lying.”
She straightened her spine and stared him in the eye. “Who are you?”
“If you don’t tell me exactly what your husband said, you’re putting your son in greater danger. My son. And I will do anything to protect my son.”
“I’m not lying, Sean. Carson called me and said they were fine, he just has more business, and he will be home on Friday.”
“And?”
Her eyes darted toward the plane, just briefly, before looking Sean in the eye. “And … nothing.”
“So the whole story that they were robbed and at the American embassy was a big fat lie.” Sean turned and started walking away.
“No!” Madison ran after him. She grabbed him and he shook her off. “Please, Sean, trust me.”
That was it. “Trust you? You lied to me for thirteen years. I have a son. He doesn’t even know who I am. You kept that from me. I will never forgive you. I will never trust you. And now you’re lying to me again to protect your husband, putting my son in danger. Your son. You know what I think? I think your husband is laundering money, and if he’s in Mexico, that means he’s doing it for the cartels. And if he’s laundering money for the cartels, you and Jesse already have a target on your backs.”
She was shaking. “I-I talked to J-Jesse. He’s f-fine.”
“No matter how many fucking times you tell me Jesse is fine, he’s not fine. I will bring him back. At this point, I don’t give a fuck what happens to your husband. But Jesse is not going to be used as a pawn between Carson and the cartels or whoever the hell he’s screwing around with. And there is nothing you can do or say to stop me.”
Sean returned to his plane. He was shaking. Fear and anger. He started the plane again and rolled forward.
“Blocked number. Six-minute conversation.”
“And?”
“Your program said it originated within fifty miles of Guadalajara.”
“If he calls again, I’ll run a program to trace it.”
“We have a meeting with security in Acapulco.”
Sean didn’t say anything.