Finding Carly (SEAL Team Hawaii #5)(90)

He was suddenly very thankful for the self-defense lessons and the talks they’d had about how she could protect herself. Her purse was gone, which meant she had the pepper spray he’d given her. And he hoped she also took the pocketknife when she left.

Jag took a deep breath. He’d been so proud of her for finally feeling comfortable enough to venture out on her own…and then this had to happen.

“He was watching her,” he blurted.

Mustang looked over at him, but didn’t say anything.

The more Jag thought about it, the more sure he was. “Other than a couple quick trips to the grocery store, she hasn’t been anywhere by herself in months. If I wasn’t with her, it was one of the girls. The car service took her to work and she was surrounded by people there too. I think he was biding his time. Watching and waiting for the chance to snatch her.”

“You’re probably right,” Mustang said.

Jag wanted to yell in frustration. One part of him shamefully wished Carly wasn’t so strong, that she’d clung to him a little longer. But that would’ve only postponed the inevitable. Then again, maybe if she’d still been frightened of going out by herself, Detective Lee or Baker would’ve figured out who was gunning for her before much longer.

“It won’t do you or her any good to beat yourself up,” Mustang said. “Trust me, I know how you’re feeling right now. When Elodie disappeared, I didn’t know if I could forgive myself for not keeping a closer eye on her. For underestimating the Columbus family. You just have to have faith. Carly’s out there, and we’re gonna find her.”

Jag nodded, but deep down he had his doubts. He knew what the statistics said. That if a missing person wasn’t found within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, they were probably dead. And the timetable was even quicker for women. Their only saving grace was that whoever had her, probably wanted to make her suffer like Keyes had planned.

And it made Jag feel physically sick to have to hope that was the case.

But he and Carly could deal with whatever happened to her. He just needed her back in his arms, alive and in one piece.





Baker was exhausted. Mentally and physically. And he felt an immense amount of guilt. He should’ve put more pressure on Shawn’s friends. Should’ve worked harder to figure out who he was looking for. And because he hadn’t, Carly was missing.

It had been a long time since he’d gotten so…attached. Baker might not be an active-duty SEAL anymore, and his team might be long gone, but Mustang and his friends had become his new team. Their women were sweet. Down-to-earth, welcoming, and damn funny. He genuinely liked them.

They were also extremely prone to landing in trouble. If they were his, he’d probably lock them down and never let them leave the house.

His thoughts briefly turned to Jodelle. He’d suppressed a lot of emotions over the years; it was the only way to deal with the things he’d done and seen.

But Jodelle was even more closed off than he was.

On the surface, she was open and friendly. Feeding and looking out for the local surfer boys. But she was a kindred spirit, and Baker had known it the first time he’d met her. They both kept their true emotions on lockdown. She was his soul mate. He had no idea how to reach her, however. She had walls around her heart even taller than his own.

Shaking his head, Baker realized he’d been standing on the sidewalk outside of Theo’s studio apartment for several minutes. The formerly homeless man had become a fairly close friend. He was genuine and never held back what he was feeling or thinking. Baker had started bunking with him when he was on this end of the island and it got too late to head home.

He needed to get some work done, and Theo’s small apartment was the perfect place to do it. The little apartment was quiet. And as much as Baker liked Jag and the team, they’d all be extremely keyed up right now, and he needed to briefly recharge to figure out who’d grabbed Carly and where they might’ve taken her.

Knocking on the door, Baker got no answer, but it didn’t take him much to get inside the apartment. Theo wasn’t there, which wasn’t exactly unusual. The man might have a safe place to lay his head now, but old habits were hard to break, more so for Theo. The mentally challenged man needed routine, and more often than not he went back to his old stomping grounds and slept on the streets.

Lexie wouldn’t be happy to know what Theo was doing, and Baker didn’t plan to tell her. She and Theo were close, and she’d done all she could to keep him safe. That was enough.

Baker planned to shower and lie down for thirty minutes to clear his head before he headed back out. He had to find Carly. He couldn’t fail.

He forced himself to go back over everything he’d learned about Shawn Keyes’s friends. He was still leaning toward Jeremiah being the culprit. But he couldn’t discount Luke. He was an asshole, just like his father had been, and he’d definitely worshipped his dad.

Baker had just stepped out of the small shower and gotten dressed when the door opened. Theo had returned—and he looked extremely agitated. The second he saw Baker, his eyes widened and he yelled, “Baker!”

“What’s wrong, buddy?” he asked.

“Bad things are happening!”

Baker froze. It wasn’t so much what Theo said, but the emotion behind his words that made him realize this wasn’t something in Theo’s head. “Take a breath,” Baker ordered. “That’s it. Another. Good. Come here and sit down and tell me where you’ve been, and what’s going on.”