Defending Raven (Mountain Mercenaries #7)(2)
Seven pairs of eyes simply watched Dave intently without interrupting, which he appreciated.
“My wife’s name is Margaret. Her family calls her Mags. I thought it was cute and started calling her Magpie. It didn’t seem to fit her, though, so I eventually settled on Raven. With her long, black hair and her nickname, it fit. Anyway, ten or so years ago, we went to Las Vegas to celebrate our five-year anniversary. We were more in love than ever, and it had been a while since either of us had taken a break from our jobs. I had bought this bar right before we met, and had been working long hours for years to make it a success. I loved it, and was successful, so I wanted to give my wife something special. A trip to remember.
“Raven was an insurance underwriter. We had completely normal and boring lives, so spending a week in Vegas seemed exciting and extravagant. It was on our fourth night there when we decided instead of going to another show, we would check out some of the popular and famous clubs on the strip. We both knew to be careful about our drinks and not to let them out of our sight. I mean, I’m a bartender—I know all about date-rape drugs. We were cautious, but also having a good time. Drinking and enjoying spending time together.”
Dave paused and took a deep breath. He hated thinking about that night, about the terror he’d felt. There were so many things he wished he’d done differently, and he’d spent all the years since kicking his own ass for being so careless with his wife’s safety.
He continued, knowing he owed it to the men around him.
“It was around two in the morning or so, and we were in a club at one of the casinos. Raven said that she needed to use the restroom. I didn’t think anything of it. I kissed her and told her I’d order us a round while she was gone. She turned around and blew me a kiss before disappearing into a crowd of people on the other side of the bar near the restrooms. That was the last time I saw her.
“After about ten minutes, I started to get concerned, as she usually doesn’t take so long, so I went looking for her. There was a line to get into the restroom, but none of the women there had seen Raven. I even had one check inside the bathroom, but Raven wasn’t there. I figured I’d just missed her and went back to our table. When she didn’t return after another couple minutes, I wasn’t sure what to do. I called her phone, and it went straight to voice mail. I wondered if she’d gotten sick or something and had gone back to our hotel room.
“Stupidly, I left the bar and walked all the way back to our hotel, but when I got there, she wasn’t in the room. I panicked then. I had no idea what to do. I called the police, but they pretty much laughed and said she’d most likely turn up soon. I knew something was wrong, but couldn’t get anyone to believe me. It was Vegas, after all. The cops just assumed Raven had been drunk, or was maybe even having a wild affair with someone she’d met. It wasn’t until two days had passed with absolutely no sign of her that the cops finally took me seriously. But by then, it was too late. Way too fucking late.”
Dave took a deep breath to try to get some control over his emotions.
“Did they check the surveillance cameras?” Meat asked.
Dave nodded. “Yeah. She exited the restroom, and a guy came up to her and put his arm around her shoulders. He leaned down and said something to her . . . and she walked out of the hallway, through the crowd, and straight out the door, toward the casino. She didn’t call out for me or try to signal anyone in any way.”
“So he threatened her,” Gray surmised.
“I’m guessing he told her something had happened to me, or that something would happen to me if she struggled or brought attention to herself,” Dave agreed. His voice lowered. “I was pissed as hell at her for that for quite a while,” he admitted. “I know she was probably worried and scared, but look at me.” He threw his arms out. “I’m not exactly the kind of guy people mess with.”
Dave knew he was intimidating. He was a big man. Very big. His biceps were huge—he worked out a lot, including back then, and took pride in looking scary enough that people thought twice about messing with him. His current beard gave him even more of a wild look. Between his height, his bulk, and his looks, people didn’t often fuck with him. His skin was naturally dark, and even though ten years ago he hadn’t had the large scar that went down the side of his neck, he’d still been big and mean-looking.
“The police had no leads at all?” Zara asked quietly.
Meat had argued against his fiancée coming with them to Peru, especially because she didn’t have very good memories of her time there, but she was adamant. She’d argued that she spoke fluent Spanish, and they’d need her to talk to the residents in the barrio where she’d last seen Mags. If Raven had moved on, Zara could talk to people she knew and hopefully find out where she’d gone. Dave wasn’t thrilled about having to put her back into a situation that could bring up painful memories, but he’d never been as close to finding his wife as he was right now, and he’d use whatever assistance he could get if it meant rescuing Raven.
Over the years, various police officers, detectives, and private investigators had suggested that he move on, that his wife was most likely dead, but Dave had refused. It may have been crazy, but he truly felt as if he’d know if she was deceased. Something deep within him would instinctively feel it.
When Gray cleared his throat, Dave remembered that Zara had asked him a question.