Chapter 13

thirteen

Seth strode off the elevator into the common area, which normally would be dead on a Sunday afternoon. Instead, it was buzzing with activity. Del had his wife with them as they looked over something on a tablet. His team stood on the opposite side of the room discussing different rescue scenarios, and Adam had his team in another area. They all seemed to be on the phone, probably checking in with other people.

“Wow,” Ian said under his breath.

“One of us goes missing, the entire group will be here to help.” He glanced at Ian. “You doubted that?”

“No.” He shrugged. “A lot of people think she’s flighty.”

Seth snorted as he dropped his gear in his office. “Autumn isn’t flighty. She’s solid as an investigator with excellent instincts. She also knew this would happen if she didn’t answer the texts and phone calls. Autumn would never let all these people worry about her for no reason.”

He stepped further into his office and motioned with his head. Ian followed him. Seth shut the door, knowing this had to be discussed, even though Autumn was going to be pissed that he’d figured it out. On the way in, he would have questioned Ian, but he had chosen to drive his car instead of riding in with Seth.

“I want to talk to you about your relationship with Autumn.”

Ian rolled his eyes. “Is there time for this?”

“Yes, because it factors into the investigation.”

“Don’t worry, mate, I won’t step on your toes. She’s not my kind of woman.”

This family . They made his head hurt.

“Stop the bullshit. I’m not worried about you.”

Ian’s smug smile dissolved as he studied Seth’s face. “She told you?”

“Nope. I just started putting it together with a few other things. So, why don’t you tell me.”

“Her mother and my father had a love affair when he was in the States.”

“And?”

“Yeah, Autumn was the result. What made you realize it?”

He thought back to this morning when he was kissing down her body in the shower. The small scar on her abdomen had grabbed his attention.

“What’s this?”

“Knifed during an op.”

“Your father had a transplant last year, right?”

Ian nodded.

“She has a scar on her abdomen. When I asked about it, she lied.”

“Yeah, she was the best candidate and, like always, she didn’t hesitate, although she had to reveal her connection to Dad to Adam and Del.”

“Does Joseph know?”

Another long pause. “You believe her? That Joseph is still alive?”

“You do, too.”

He nodded. “Yeah, we’ve been tracking him for a decade. All three of us.”

“Joseph still thinks she’s his daughter?”

“We think so. We don’t think he would be here otherwise.”

Seth opened his mouth to ask what he meant by that when there was a sharp knock on his door before it slammed open.

“Harry, we need you out here,” Tamilya said. “Charity found something.”

They followed Tamilya out into the common area. Their forensic tech, Charity, had a tablet in her hand. Her FBI husband was off to the side on the phone. He was probably checking in with contacts as the liaison between the two organizations.

“I started looking for Autumn, wondering what could have happened to her. I tracked her phone to this apartment building in Honolulu.”

Seth looked at the area and shook his head internally. They would talk about her living situation as soon as they could.

He noticed there was an area taped off by the HPD.

“Damn, that Freddy had to go and overdose,” Ian said.

“Someone you know?”

“Autumn used him as an informant sometimes.”

Seth noticed Del texting someone. “I’ll have Elle check out the info on the body. It probably went to HPD for their analysis, but she has a good relationship with the crew there.”

“What is she doing?” Ian muttered, drawing Seth’s attention back to the screen. He watched as she pulled out her phone and started texting with someone. Then, she looked around as if searching for someone. He saw the moment she zeroed in on the CCTV. She looked at the camera, then drew her thumb across her neck.

His head spun as his blood froze. She was threatening someone, and knowing her, she planned to go after whoever she’d been texting.

Joseph. She was going after that crazy bastard and had been missing for at least two hours.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Everyone turned to find Sam watching them.

“We’re looking for Autumn,” Ian said, irritation filtering through his voice. Seth got it. He was worried about his sister and didn’t want to deal with their father, too. But he also knew that any paternal instinct would have this man ready to fight.

“Do you have anything yet?”

Ian shook his head. “Just an interaction over the phone.”

He looked at Charity. “Could you play it back?”

“Of course.”

They all watched in silence once more.

“Can you track her?” he asked, reminding Seth again that he had been a spy, a type of law enforcement. The man understood precisely what could happen to her.

Charity shook her head. “But I have her last location when the phone was on.”

A map appeared on the screen. Oh, damn, Autumn was in the middle of nowhere, but the pinpoint gave them at least a starting point. He would find her if it was the last thing he did. His team was already gearing up and preparing for the rescue.

“Wait,” Del said. “You need to know what you’re walking into. You don’t even know what this is about.”

“I do. It’s about Joseph Watters still being alive.”

Everyone seemed to stop moving at the same time.

“The cult leader who died in the fire?” TJ, Charity’s FBI spouse, asked.

He nodded.

“There was DNA,” TJ said.

“Watters had a lot of connections in state government and law enforcement at the time,” Adam said. “Jin has been researching him since she investigated the Alana Kim murder a few months ago. I have to agree with Seth on this. Jin is sure the man is alive and had someone fake his dental and DNA records. He could have done it.”

“Why is he after Autumn then?” TJ asked. It was a fair question, but he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was get the fuck out of there to find her.

“Money.” This came from Emma, Del’s wife. They all turned to face her.

“Say again?” Del asked.

“Money. That’s all Joseph has ever cared about. He wants her money.”

“What kind of money? She’s a civil servant,” Del said.

Emma sighed, then looked at Ian. “Are you going to say anything?”

Seth looked at her brother, then to Sam. “Okay, spill right now. We need to know everything.”

Ian made a face, but Sam stepped up. “You’ve heard of Bradford Industries?”

“It went defunct a while ago,” Charity said. “The family died out.”

At that moment, everyone put the pieces together. Seth sighed. “They didn’t go defunct?”

Sam shook his head. “No. They sold off their business, and the money went into a trust for Autumn. She came into the money just over a year ago.”

He thought back to the apartment building she lived in, the way she acted…

“How much?”

“She’d be a billionaire if she hadn’t given a lot of it away.”

He rolled his shoulders, trying to push away the discomfort. Autumn didn’t owe him all her secrets, and they were new to each other. She didn’t know everything about him, but then, he wasn’t a millionaire.

“And Joseph plans on getting her money? How? And isn’t this just a little elaborate to get the money?”

“That bastard always liked games,” Sam muttered. “Plus, Autumn is convinced he blames her for his downfall.”

Revenge and greed. Watters wanted to make her pay, first with her money, then with her life. There was no way Seth was going to let that happen.

He nodded. “We’re heading out. Keep us updated on the location if it changes, Charity.”

Ian stopped him by grabbing him by the elbow. “I’m coming.”

Ian was dressed down from his usual suit slacks and button-down shirts, but he wasn’t dressed for a rescue.

“Listen, I get it. She’s important to you.” He looked at Sam. He didn’t think many people knew about their blood connection, and it wasn’t his place to reveal it. “To both of you. This is what I do for a living. We work as a team and know each other in the field. You would be a hindrance. Also, you can get some gear here if something else comes up. This is our first lead, but something else might pop up.”

Ian sighed, then nodded.

“Plus, I think you might have some connections, so we can get some satellite imagery to help?”

“Yes. I’ll call a few people,” Sam said. The smiling man from the night before had turned into a hardened warrior. Seth would not want to be Joseph Watters at the moment.

He walked away, already on the phone with someone.

Seth looked at Ian.

“Bring her home.”

“If it’s the last thing I do, I will get her back.” Seth made sure the other man understood his feelings for Autumn. It was new and raw, but he loved her. He didn’t know how he fell so fast and hard for a woman who hid so much from him, but he did. Seth knew she wouldn’t be happy about it, but they would deal with that once he got her back.

Ian studied him for a second, then his eyes widened. He nodded and stepped back. Just as Seth stepped toward the front doors, Del’s phone pinged. Seth wanted to growl but buried that feeling and turned to see what other news had come in.

“Okay, Elle got the report. It wasn’t an overdose. Blunt force trauma to the back of the head. He was murdered.”

“Autumn will be out for blood. She had a soft spot for him. If Joseph killed him to get to Autumn…” Ian sighed. “She’s going to be more erratic.”

Seth nodded. Autumn was like him, a protector. This time, though, she would learn that it was time to let someone else protect her.

Autumn drew in a deep breath, her body aching from the run through the jungle and the guard she took down. Fucking Joseph couldn’t just do something as simple as confronting her. No, he had her traipsing through a jungle filled with bugs and assholes he’d hired.

Maybe she should have waited, or maybe she should have driven up to the house. And yes, she should have contacted the team somehow. She wasn’t usually erratic like this. One thing Sam had taught her was to always have a plan.

About half-way to her destination, she had realized her mistake. Going in without backup was stupid. Still, she knew that there was a good chance Joseph was following her progress through the traffic cams. Just how long had he been watching her? That’s why she always felt eyes on her, at least these last few weeks. Either way, her impulsive behavior might have been a mistake, but she’d made sure to leave lots of clues for the team.

There was also a chance that something really bad had happened to Sam and that’s why they had the really bad fake picture. Joseph had always been a loser surrounded by losers, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have tried to get to Sam.

Just as she had that thought, she heard a twig snap behind her. She turned to confront the guard, then had to look up. Great . He was massive. He was close to six-foot-five and probably outweighed her by at least one hundred and fifty pounds, with a large scar down his right cheek. He was bald with Pacific Islander features.

“Mr. Watters wants to talk to you.”

She knew he did and should let this behemoth take her in. It would be easier and faster, but it was also what Joseph wanted. And one thing she had learned was that giving Joseph what he wanted wasn’t worth the price. She knew she would get taken in. Hell, she was heading to his house, but the asshole wanted her humiliated.

“I don’t give a fuck.”

His eyes widened. “You need to come with me.”

“So, is Sam at the house?”

He didn’t say anything, but he looked away briefly. That told Autumn that she had been right. Thank God.

“You need to come with me,” he said again.

She settled her weight, getting ready for a fight. “Make me.”

There was a long beat of silence. The dripping of water and the bugs buzzing were the only sounds between them. Slowly, his mouth curved, then turned into a grin that sent ice coursing through her blood. He was missing two front teeth. Lovely. He was definitely a True Believer .

He launched at her, trying to take her down, but she quickly thwarted him. He was big, but that size made it hard for him to move. She slipped beneath his arm as he reached for her, hurrying to get behind him. Her triumph was short-lived when he twisted around and grabbed her arm. Fuck, his fingers dug into her flesh as she tried to yank it free.

“It would be easier if you would just come in. You’re here to see him.”

That was true, and it was stupid to fight this, but she wanted to go in on her terms. If she was going to possibly die, she would do it the way she wanted to. That meant mainly being a pain in the ass. Also, the more time she spent fighting them, the more time TFH would have.

She relaxed her arm. The guy did have an advantage because of his size, but she had a good idea that he wasn’t that smart.

“Fine. But can you let go of my arm? I think you’ve bruised me. Not sure Joseph will like that.”

His eyes widened, fear stamped on his features. These True Believers always thought Joseph had special abilities. He loosened his hold, and she yanked her arm out and turned to run.

“Summer Joy!”

Yep. They all called her by her former name. She ran through the jungle area, sure she was stomping through filming scenes for the show about the people stranded on an island. There was also a good chance she could run into a wild boar, and those things scared her more than the giant now traipsing after her. Jesus, she thought she was loud.

But as she thought she had just gotten away over a ridge, a massive body ran into her from the right, taking her down. It wasn’t the other guard, but someone just as enormous. They hit the ground so hard that Autumn knew he’d knocked the air out of her. Her head hit something hard, and pain vibrated from her temple, exploding through her body.

The first guard stopped just a few steps away from her.

“Tsk, tsk, Summer Joy. We could have done this the easy way. Look what you made Bart do.”

“Bart?”

She turned to look at the idiot approaching her. “Your name is Bart?”

He opened his mouth to say something but didn’t get the chance. Instead, her head started to spin.

Her last thought was that she hoped TFH followed the clues she left, and then her entire world turned black.