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Feeling as close to naked as one could be in a dress, Natalie slipped her feet into strappy silver stilettoes. Grabbing the matching silver clutch, she slipped money, her passport and one of the knives inside. At the last minute she flipped the switch on the earbud and stuck it in her left ear.
“Hey, Lance.”
“I’m here, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me sweetheart.”
“You got it, babe.”
Not in the mood to argue, she let his teasing slide. “Anything?”
“Your guys are two of the four who arrived today. I traced them all the way back to the plane they flew in on. Dutton Calloway, Sawyer Houston, Benjamin Raines and Quentin Lovett. Their plane originated from New Orleans. Probably legit.”
“Thanks.”
“Do you want me to dig deeper?”
“Yeah, just in case they’re buyers for the kidnapped women.”
“Got it.
“And...Lance?”
“Yes, babe?”
“Remind me to punch you later.”
A chuckle sounded in her ear.
“Will do.”
“In the meantime don’t talk to me unless I talk to you first or you find something major. I can barely think in my own head without a man in it, too.”
She stepped into the corridor at the same time as Melody’s friends.
“Oh, good.” Lisa met her at the elevator. “We were just about to knock on your door.”
“Thank you for letting me tag along.” Natalie entered the elevator, followed by Melody’s friends.
Natalie wasn’t worried she might look too much like Melody that the girls would recognize her. The only picture her sister always carried with her was one of the two of them with their parents six years ago. Natalie had sported a short bob back then, her hair several shades lighter than now. And she was six inches taller than her younger sister’s five feet, two inches.
“Have you heard anything from the police about your friend?” Natalie asked.
“No, but the Cancun police stopped by again to ask more questions.” Lisa shook her head. “It’s not like I had anything new to say. Melody was there. Then she wasn’t.”
Natalie’s heart contracted and her eyes stung. The only way she could keep tears from falling was to remind herself that Melody was alive, waiting for her big sister to find her.
Dinner was a somber affair. Melody’s friends spoke to one another in subdued tones, each quietly introspective after the past two days’ trauma.
“Are you ready to go back to our rooms?” Lisa asked.
“No. We can’t leave without drinking a toast to Melody,” Kylie said. “Come on. One last drink before Lisa and Jodie take off in the morning. It’ll be the last legal drink for them until next year when they turn twenty-one.”
“Y’all go on without me. I don’t feel much like partying,” Jodie said.
“You have to come. We’re going to drink to Melody. It wouldn’t be the same without you.” Lisa and Kylie each grabbed one of the girl’s arms and marched her out to the cabana where reggae music was in full swing and a few couples moved to the beat on the dance floor.
Natalie followed the girls to the bar beneath a thatched-roofed cabana strung with twinkle lights.
They all ordered strawberry margaritas and stood around a table, no one making a move to take a seat.
“Melody’s favorite,” Lisa said, her voice cracking as she lifted her glass rimmed with sugar. “To Melody. I hope she’s found safe and returned home.”
Kylie’s eyes filled with tears as she lifted her glass with the others.
Fighting her own tears, Natalie raised her glass. “To Melody,” she whispered. I will find you and bring you home.
Duff spotted her as soon as she stepped out of the hotel into the cabana bar.
She tagged along behind the group of young women they’d met on the beach following the rescue. They ordered sugar-laced strawberry margaritas, each with a colorful umbrella perched on the rims of their glasses. As one, they lifted their drinks in a toast.
Natalia sipped the sugary concoction and winced.
Duff almost laughed. A gut feeling told him she wasn’t into fruity mixed drinks.
She set the drink on the table and glanced around the outdoor bar as though looking for something or someone. Maybe a rescue from the drink.
Duff strode to the bar and ordered two long-neck beers. Once served, he slipped up behind Natalia. “Looking for someone?”
She turned, the corners of her lips rising. “Not really.”
Duff nodded in greeting to the other women at the table before turning his attention to Natalia.
She stared down at his hands, her brows cocked. “Are you a two-fisted drinker?”
“No, I kind of hoped you would prefer beer to whatever that is you’re drinking.”
Natalie crossed her arms over her chest. “Do I look like a beer drinker?” Her lips quirked again.
Duff chuckled. “Not really but, like I said, I hope you are.”
She relaxed and held out her hand. “Actually, I don’t really like sweet, fruity drinks.”
“Thank goodness.” He handed her one of the ice-cold bottles. “I was afraid I’d end up drinking both. Alone.”
“Glad to help my fellow rescuer out.” She tipped the bottle back and drank a long swallow before glancing up into Duff’s eyes. “You don’t take no for an answer often, do you?”
“I’m persistent. When I want something, I go after it and stay after it until I get it.”
She snorted softly. “A prize to be won?”
“No, a challenge to be met.” He lifted his bottle and tapped it against hers. “Anything worth having is worth fighting for.”
“Like?”
“Freedom. The lives of your friends and family...” His voice deepened. “The love of a woman...”
She blinked, her smile spreading. “Wow, are you always this smooth with the ladies?”
Duff grinned. “Heard that on a movie. That’s the first opportunity I’ve had to use it.” He set his bottle on the table and took hers from her hand and placed it beside his. “Come on. Let’s dance.” He slipped his arm around her waist.
She hesitated. “And if I don’t want to?”
“You do,” he said. The fact she hadn’t told him to bug off already gave him hope.
“Cocky much?” she asked.
“Only when I’m sure of myself.”
“Which is often, I take it.”
Despite his arrogance—or maybe because of it—she allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor. An upbeat reggae tune had some couples leaving and others stepping