Chapter 22

The conference room was full,and everyone had their eyes on Teresa. The scene might intimidate some people, but she’d been in similar situations and it hadn’t been an issue. She’d just give everyone a rundown of her conversation with her former boss.

Cass pounded away on her keyboard, Irish watching intently.

Any other time, she might wonder if something was going on between them, but not today. Today, her mind was focused on the task at hand.

“Dammit, it’s going to take me a little longer to get the footage from the awards ceremony the girls were at,” Cass said.

“Same with the accidents. Who knew there are a lot of accidents in LA?” Eveline asked sardonically. “Any way we can get some more information from Monte on where the accidents happened?”

Teresa shook her head. “There’s no way he’s going to take any calls from me. Or even see me. These incidents have really freaked him out.”

“What about a call from one of us?” Ox queried. “Would he be open to that?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Teresa cocked her head to one side. “But he may not want to answer anything pertaining to the cartel in the office. It’s possible he’s worried that someone tapped their phone lines hoping to get close to me.”

“The guy’s got to leave work. What if we waited for him to do that and then intercepted him on the street?” Angelo suggested. “Out in the open, he could feel a little safer.”

“It’s worth a try,” Teresa said. “The worst that could happen is that he brushes you off. The best is, he gives the details.”

“Plus, it’s not like we’re asking for state secrets, just if he knew where the accidents occurred, and then it will narrow down our search parameters,” Angelo said. “What time does he leave?”

“Usually, around six. Sometimes seven. Depends how busy it is, if there’s a big story brewing or not.” Teresa recalled the many times her former boss had stayed back to make sure a story ran that would guarantee the paper being on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Hopefully, tonight wouldn’t be a night like that.

“Why don’t Jag and I head over there and see if we can get the information you need?”

This suggestion came from one of the new guys Teresa had met. She thought his name was Brighton but his nickname was Fox. It was going to take some time to get used to the way the guys used their nicknames and not given names.

“That’ll work,” Ox said. “Thanks.”

Fox nodded. “It’s what we’re here for. Jag, we’ll scope the building and area surrounding it to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary.”

The two men exited the room, and hopefully, they’d be able to get the information out of Monte. He probably wouldn’t be forthcoming, but if he knew that Fox and Jag were there to help, maybe he wouldn’t be close-lipped like he would if she spoke to him.

“About the panda,” Ox said. “We ran a scanner over it and were able to pull some hair strands from it, which are likely to be your mom’s. It’s going to be impossible to get prints from a plush toy. Nothing would stick. We’ll run the strands we find through the system. We might get a ping back from another organization, but I’m not holding my breath.”

Everything Ox had said was what Angelo had mentioned on the drive back to Alliez. When he’d mentioned trying to get some sort of DNA from the stuffed animal, she’d thought he was being ridiculous, but she’d kept her thoughts to herself.

“We still don’t know if it’s the one I had as a child,” she countered, taking a seat next to Angelo. She kept the thought in the forefront of her mind as a way to reassure herself her mom was safe.

The second they’d returned to the office, she called her mom, but the call went directly to voicemail—which wasn’t unusual if Lynlee Carter was traveling. She and her friend often went to places where there was limited coverage, or they were overseas where the costs were prohibitive.

“We don’t, but at this time we have to think it is, considering it was left in your bedroom.” Angelo squeezed her hand.

“Any luck tracing my mom’s phone?” Teresa asked, hoping Eveline was about to say the last ping from the phone had been at her mom’s house in Arizona.

“Nothing yet, but I’ve only just started looking.” She smiled reassuringly, but Teresa felt it in her bones her mom wasn’t safe.

The more time that passed, the more she was convinced that the cartel had taken her.

“Don’t borrow trouble until we have to. We will do everything we can to find her,” Ox said quietly and confidently.

“Teresa?” Cass called. “I promise, between Eveline and me, we’ll get all the answers we need.”

There was something in her tone that reached Teresa. A confidence that in a few hours, Cass would have the information. “I believe you.”

The woman nodded once and shut the lid of her laptop. “I’ll keep working in my office.” She headed out.

Ox also rose. “I think at the moment, we’re in a holding pattern. Once we know more, we’ll reconvene.”

“Sounds good,” Angelo said, his hand still gripping Teresa’s tightly.

She was grateful to have him so close.

A few moments later, only she and Angelo remained in the conference room. “I want to believe Mom’s okay, but I can’t help but think something bad has happened to her.”

“Babe, don’t let yourself think that way.”

She opened her mouth to protest at his easy brushoff of her concerns, but Angelo held his hand up.

“I’m not being flippant or dismissive. I just know, like Ox said, that borrowing trouble’s never a good thing, and as hard as it is, you’ve got to try to remain positive.”

“Easier said than done,” she grumbled.

He leaned forward so their foreheads were touching.

She loved being close to him. Loved having his strength to lean on when she needed it. Her job had made her independent enough to rely only on herself, but Teresa had to admit, having someone to share the burden with was something she could get used to.

If it was possible,Angelo would take away the burden resting on Teresa’s shoulders. What would he do if there was any chance that something had happened to his mom?

As much as he grumbled about how she interfered with his life when he didn’t want her to, the thought of her not being at the end of one of his calls was something he couldn’t contemplate. Of course, some time in the future, that would be the case, but today he didn’t want to face it.

“Do you want to try her again?” he asked, even though it was probably a pointless exercise, considering Cass was working her magic on tracing her mom.

“I don’t see the point.”

God, Angelo hated hearing the despair in Teresa’s voice. “What about a neighbor or… Fuck! Why the hell didn’t we think of this earlier?”

She arched a finely groomed eyebrow. “Think of what?”

“Calling her friend. The one she travels with. How on earth did I not give contacting her consideration? This is not how I operate. I see all angles, and yet I missed the most obvious one.” Anger swelled inside of him at his carelessness and thoughtlessness. If he was still part of a SEAL team, he’d have been raked over the coals for his incompetence. Something like that would’ve put his team in danger—and he was known as the guy who got the information they needed all the time.

“Angelo.” Teresa’s hand cupped his cheek, and he focused on her and not his shortcomings.

“Sorry, Tre.”

Her lips quirked at the corners. “If anyone should’ve thought of it, I should’ve. As you said, it’s so obvious, but there was so much going on with Monte, my missing and injured colleagues, and then the toy. It’s not surprising that we missed something so obvious.”

“But the whole team? Fuck, what is wrong with us? With me? No way should we have missed that.”

“We missed it because I didn’t tell the team about my mom traveling with her friend. All I said was that she travels often and so getting in touch with her was sometimes hard. And we hadn’t talked for a while.”

Teresa wasn’t lying. That was exactly what she’d told the group, but she’d told him about her traveling companion so he should’ve mentioned it.

“Still no excuse.”

“I don’t blame you. Why don’t we try it now?” She pulled the phone that sat in the middle of the table toward her. “Can you get my cell out of my bag, please? I need to get her number from my contacts.”

Angelo nodded and went to the credenza where she’d placed her bag. He paused before opening the purse. “Are you sure you want me to delve through your purse?”

She laughed. “Yes, it’s fine. If it wasn’t, I would’ve got up and done it myself. I just wanted to rest my legs,” she finished with a wink.

He laughed, feeling lighter than he had been a few minutes ago. “Anything for you, my princess.” He gave an exaggerated bow.

“That’s your queen, thank you very much,” she sassed back, and it pleased him that, like him, she looked a tiny bit happier.

Of course, that could change in the blink of an eye, but he’d be there if she needed him.

It didn’t take him but a few seconds to grab her phone and be back at the table. “Make sure you put it on speaker,” Angelo said.

“Of course.”

He grabbed her hand as the phone rang and rang. Just when he was beginning to think it was going to either ring out or go to voicemail, a cheery voice answered.

“Hello!”

“Margery? It’s Teresa Carter. Are you with my mom?” Her fingertips dug into his palm.

He held his breath, waiting to hear Margery’s response.

“I am. Hang on.”

Teresa’s hand came up and covered her mouth to suppress the cry of happiness at hearing her mom’s friend confirm they were together.

“Teresa! Darling! How are you?” Lynlee’s happiness radiated through the phone.

Extreme relief washed over Angelo that Teresa’s mom was fine.

“I’m good. Where are you?” Teresa’s voice quavered, and he could tell she was trying very hard not to let the tears glistening on her lower lids from trickling down her cheek.

If they did, he’d catch them.

He would always catch her.

“Honey, we’re in Australia! Can you believe it? We’re visiting this gorgeous city called Perth. We’re waiting to catch a ferry to Rottnest Island to spend the day and take photos with the quokkas.”

“Australia! Wow, Mom, that’s a long way away. How long have you been away, and why didn’t you tell me you were going?” While Teresa may be happy her mom was okay, the disappointment she felt that she hadn’t been informed was evident in every word she’d said.

“I’m sorry. Australia has always been a bucket list item for us, and we decided to take the plunge and just go. I was going to let you know, but I also knew you were on assignment and didn’t want to worry you.” The sound of a boat’s horn sounded in the background. “Margery sold her house. It was just too big for her now that all her kids have left. She’s going to live with me when we get back, so she used some of that money for the trip and I’ve been investing carefully over the years and have built up a nice little nest egg and decided that now was the time to make a withdrawal. It’s been so fabulous. We’ve been here almost a month. We decided we needed that long to visit everywhere we wanted to see. Perth is our last stop. We’ll be here for another two weeks, and then we’ll head home. We’re staying at a beautiful hotel attached to a casino, but we haven’t ventured there. Neither one of us like to gamble.”

All through her mom’s gushing monologue, Teresa’s grip on his hand got a looser and looser, the tension and worry all but gone from her.

“That’s great, Mom. Sounds like a great adventure! I can’t wait to see your pictures when you get back.”

“You won’t be away?” her mom asked.

“No. I’ll be around for a while.”

“Fabulous. Maybe you can come to Arizona and stay for a little while.”

“I’d like that.” The tears were back, and this time they fell down her cheeks.

Angelo caught them with his thumb and kissed her temple.

“I’ve got to go. The boat’s pulling away.”

“Panda. Ask her about the toy,” he muttered under his breath.

“Don’t hang up yet. I have to ask you something. You know the soft toy panda I had. Did you get rid of it or not?”

A soft chuckle sounded over the speaker. “I didn’t. I kept it because I loved it, and it reminded me of you. I have it on a shelf in my bedroom, so I see it when I go to sleep and when I wake up and I think of you.”

Beside Angelo, Teresa sniffed, and he squeezed her hand.

She smiled at him, the tears free flowing now. “I love you, Mom.”

“Love you too, honey. Bye.”

The call disconnected, and he pressed the button to kill the speaker. He pushed his chair back and hauled Teresa to her feet, enfolding her in a tight hug. “She’s okay, Tre. She’s on the other side of the world. She’s safe.”

He knew of a security company in Perth. There’d be no harm in making sure that Lynlee and Margery were safe.

“She is, and she sounds like she’s having fun. I’m happy for her and so relieved. We need to let Cass know she can stop searching for her.”

“That we do. But before we do, I need to make a call.” If Teresa’s mom was awake and heading out, it would mean Steve should be at work.

As he didn’t want to keep anything from Teresa, he made sure the phone was on speaker when he dialed the number.

Once again, the sound of ringing filled the room.

She looked at him expectantly, but Angelo didn’t say anything—she’d find out soon enough what he was up to.

“Power Security, how may I help you?”

Angelo would’ve laughed at the way Teresa’s eyes widened in surprise when she heard the Australian accent.

“Hi, this is Angelo Donatello from Alliez Security, in LA. I’d like to speak to Steve, if he’s available.”

“Certainly, one moment.”

“What’s going on?” Teresa asked over the monotonous tone of the hold music.

“You’ll find out.”

“Angel, this is a surprise. Reconsidering my offer?” Steve’s voice boomed, as if he was in the next room and not on the other side of the world.

Angelo laughed. “Nope, I’m very happy here, and”—he looked directly at Teresa—a “the best thing in my life is in LA. I’m not leaving. Ever.”

Teresa’s smile widened, and she blew him a kiss.

He caught it and pressed it against his heart. Everything about the last ten seconds was cheesy as hell, but Angelo loved every minute of it.

“Shame, but I get that. What’s her name?”

He laughed again, unsurprised Steve had picked up on his unspoken meaning. “Her name is Teresa. And we need a favor.”

“What do you need?” Steve said immediately.

As he’d suspected, his friend was more than happy to help. The security community was highly competitive, but in some cases, it was close knit and they were happy to help assist where they could.

“Teresa’s mom, Lynlee, and her friend Margery are in Perth. They’re there for a couple of weeks. I want to know if you could keep some eyes on them for me. There’s some shit happening here, and I don’t want anything to reach them there.”

“Of course, I can send a couple guys to watch over them. Do you know where they’re staying?”

“I don’t have the name, but Lynlee said they were staying at a hotel near a casino. If that helps.”

“Yep, we’ve only got one casino here, but there are a couple of options of where they might be saying. Send me anything you’ve got. Names. Descriptions. Phone numbers etc. I’ll get Wilt to do his stuff, and I’ll have eyes on them in a couple hours.”

Teresa leaned into him. The relief that her mom was safe was evident on her face. “They said they were heading over to an island for the day to take photos with quickas or something.”

Steve laughed. “Quokkas. Okay, so they’re at Rottnest. Rest assured, until you tell me otherwise, we’ll keep them safe.”

“Thanks, Steve. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

“All good, mate. I’m still annoyed I couldn’t lure you here, but glad things are working out for you. I’ll be in touch.”

The second Angelo disconnected the call, he found himself wrapped up in Teresa’s arms.

“Thank you for that,” she breathed.

“Babe, you know I’ll do anything to make you happy, and I know that, even as far away as your mom is, you’d be worried that somehow Ramirez could get his hands on her.”

“I was. Now we really need to tell Cass that we’ve located Mom and let them know about the panda. Either someone broke into Mom’s place and stole the panda, knowing it meant a lot to her. Or there was some other creepy reason why a panda was put on my bed.”

Like with every mission he’d gathered intel on, there were always pieces that didn’t make sense until all the other pieces were put in place. Angelo suspected this was the case. Answers would be found. He wouldn’t rest until he had them all and the threat to Teresa was gone.