Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2) (8 page)

I
forced my thoughts away from Cade as I accepted the plate. “
Bon appétit
,”
I replied. I took a small bite of the roast duck and hummed appreciatively when
the savory bread crumb stuffing melted in my mouth. I glanced at Michael before
taking another bite. “So tell me about your staff. Who do you have working here
besides the cook?”

Michael
looked thoughtful as he sampled the roast duck. “We have a butler, three maids,
and a gardener. I have a personal assistant and a bodyguard. You have already
met your bodyguard.” He paused as he took a sip of wine. “There are actually
quite a few people who guard the property.”

I
silently studied Michael. He seemed completely unfazed by the large staff. “I
had no idea so many people were in the house.”

Michael
shrugged. “If you notice them, then they aren’t doing a very good job.”

I
set my plate aside and reached for my wine. “Do they all live here?”

Michael
shook his head. “Our bodyguards and the butler are the only ones who live in
the main house. The security staff work in three eight hour shifts. So, they’re
always around, even at night. The cook and her granddaughter are staying in the
guest house at the back of the property, but the rest of the staff have their
own homes.”

I
kicked my heels off and tucked my feet under me as I settled in to watch the
flames dance in the fireplace. I took a sip of wine. I sighed contentedly when
I felt my body relax. “Do you always eat in this room?”

Michael
set his plate on the coffee table. He turned toward me as he leaned back against
the couch. “
Oui. Pourquoi?
”

I
smiled. Michael seemed to speak more French when he was drinking wine. “I was
just wondering why you don’t eat in the dining room. It’s so lovely.”

Michael
draped his arm across the back of the couch. He gazed at the fire while playing
absently with my hair. “The dining room is too big and cold. I only use it for entertaining.”

I
thought about the ballroom and the dining room and wondered what type of
entertaining Michael did and with what kind of guests. I took another sip of
wine as I shifted my attention toward Michael. “I didn’t notice any televisions
when we toured the house.”

Michael
scoffed. “Television is overrated. We have a few, but they are hidden behind
paintings. I can show you how to access them tomorrow. There are very few
channels in English,
mon coeur
.”

I
nodded. “Speaking of which, I’d like to work on my French so I can better
communicate with your staff. I’d like to find some online instruction or purchase
software so I can study.” I stilled, suddenly realizing I wasn’t in a position
to purchase anything.

Michael
stiffened next to me. “Why? I can teach you French. Besides, I am not ready for
you to have a computer.”

I
glanced at Michael in surprise. “What? Why?”

Michael
gave me a knowing look. “Because you will try to reach out to your family and
friends.”

I
scowled even though it was a reasonable conclusion. “Michael, I’m not going to
do anything that would put them in danger.”

Michael
resumed playing with my hair. “I know, but on this point, I am the one who
needs more time.”

“Okay,”
I finally conceded. I was hugely disappointed. I was used to having a cell
phone, a television, and a computer. I was already feeling disconnected without
them, but I recognized how important it was for me to pick my battles with
Michael. His concessions on intimacy made it worth yielding on this point.

Michael
nuzzled my neck. “Soon,
ma chérie.
It is as you said. We both need time
to be together and adjust. I’d like to take you out to see Paris tomorrow if you
are feeling up to it and if the weather permits. Perhaps we can eat dinner
out?”

I
stared at Michael in shock. “Aren’t you worried about taking me out in public?”

It
was Michael’s turn to look surprised. “
Pourquoi?”

I
was hesitant to respond, given that some degree of freedom was on the line, but
I was truly baffled by his willingness to take me out in public. “Surely the
fact that I’m missing will be in the news, especially if they connect it to
what happened at the Pentagon. People will be looking for me.”

Michael
shook his head. “Your disappearance is not likely to make the news here. Your
soldier friend will make sure of that.”

I
was surprised by his assessment of Kadyn. “Why do you say that?”

Michael
shrugged. “Because he knows what could happen.”

“And
what is that?” I asked hesitantly.

Michael’s
eyes met mine. “I would take you some place where you would never be found. I
told you,
mon coeur
, I own six different properties, all in different
names, and I could easily purchase more. I can work from any place in the world,
so I do not need to be here. If he comes close to finding us, we will leave.”

Michael
took the wine glass from my hand and set it aside. He stood and pulled me to my
feet. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me gently on the lips. “Come,
ma
chérie.
It is time for bed.”

Michael
went downstairs to speak to the security staff while I got ready for bed. I was
so exhausted by the time I crawled under the sheets that I fell asleep within a
matter of minutes.

I
woke briefly when Michael joined me. He wrapped his arms around me as he tucked
me into his warm chest. He kissed my neck before whispering in my ear. “
Bonne
nuit, mon amour.
”

I
tensed at first. He didn’t feel, sound, or even smell like Kadyn. His presence
in that bed felt all wrong. Eventually, I relaxed enough to fall back to sleep.
When I did, I was still wrapped tightly in his arms.

Kadyn’s
arms ached to hold Kri. His arms ached… his heart ached… even his head ached;
but none of that really mattered. He still had to return to work. The Secretary
of Defense was planning a trip to Israel, and he was responsible for ensuring his
travel communications were secure. Kadyn set his concerns for Kri aside long
enough to review the travel plans, identify the equipment and protocols needed,
and brief the SecDef’s security team. Once they were square, he called Phil to invite
him to lunch.

They
met at Panda Express in the Pentagon’s underground mall. Kadyn waited to ask
Phil about his efforts to find Kri until they were seated at a table with their
food. He unwrapped his chopsticks and snapped them apart. “Any news?”

Phil
scowled as he dug into his Kung Pao Chicken. “No. I’ve run his name through a
number of Interpol’s criminal databases, but I haven’t been able to identify a Michael
Garcia connected to an Eastern European terrorist organization. I’ve had plenty
of hits on a Michael Garcia who’s connected to a drug cartel in Mexico. There’s
another Michael Garcia in Colombia who’s linked to FARC. There’s a Michael
Garcia who’s linked to money laundering in Panama, and there are a number of men
named Michael Garcia in South America who are linked to gun trafficking. I’m
sure you can see the problem. This guy’s name is too common. There are over a
hundred thousand men named Michael Garcia in North America alone. It’s like
searching for a needle in a haystack.”

Kadyn
nodded as he processed the news. He took a few bites of shrimp fried rice while
he worked through strategies for narrowing the search.

Phil
continued. “I’m running into the same problem with the passenger lists on all of
the major airlines. There were a number of men with the name Michael Garcia who
flew out of Reagan National, BWI, and Dulles Airport yesterday. I’m operating
under the assumption that he didn’t drive somewhere else, like Pennsylvania or
New York, and fly out of there; although, that is a possibility we should
consider. I have just over seventy people I need to look into from the
passenger lists on commercial flights out of Virginia and Maryland alone, and I
haven’t even looked into any private or corporate jets. We need a passport
number, or a driver’s license, and some idea where he might have gone. We need
to narrow the search.”

Kadyn
rubbed the heel of his hand across his forehead. He had been fighting a
headache all morning. “Let’s narrow the search by focusing on the men who are
tied to money laundering or other white collar crimes. We can’t be certain that
Garcia is tied to a terrorist organization. That could be pure speculation. You
know how the media gets. Still, what are the odds there would be car bombs at the
Pentagon the same day he took her?”

Phil
nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t know. It’s possible the two incidents are
connected, but you said this guy has been stalking her for some time. Maybe he heard
the news break on the Pentagon and saw an opportunity to force her hand. Any
number of terrorist organizations could have pulled this off; although I do
find it odd that no one is claiming responsibility. Terrorist acts are typically
pursued to make a point or to further a political agenda. The explosive devices
were rudimentary, and none of them appeared capable of detonation. Aside from
the fact that Kri disappeared the same day, I’d say a connection is
questionable at best.”

Kadyn
shook his head. “I still think it’s connected. Do you remember Kri’s Vietnam
vet friend from Montana, the one who helped us find her in Trout Lake?”

Phil
nodded. “Dan.”

Kadyn
continued. “He was trying to track down Garcia before we discovered that Morris
was the one who kidnapped Kri. Maybe he has something we can use… possible
destinations or the last place he was seen. I’ll call him after work to see if
he can help us narrow the search.”

“Didn’t
he work as a skip tracer when he came back from Vietnam?” Phil asked.

Kadyn
nodded. “Yes, and he’s one of Kri’s best friends. He’s going to want in on
this, and there’s a good chance he can help. I’ll give him a call after work.
I’m also going to track down the name of the reporter who published the news
story in Portugal speculating on Garcia’s connection to a terrorist network. If
I can locate him, maybe I can obtain some additional information that will help
us narrow our search.”

Phil
narrowed his eyes at Kadyn. “You don’t speak Portuguese, and your Spanish
sucks. You need to pull Cenia in, so she can talk to that reporter. Besides, he’s
more likely to cooperate with a woman than he is a man.”

A
small smile played on Kadyn’s face. “I plan to pull Cenia in, but just for the
record, my Spanish is a lot better than yours.”

Phil
chuckled as he and Kadyn disposed of their trash and returned the trays. He
patted Kadyn on the back. “It’s good to know I can still bait you.”

Kadyn
just shook his head. The two men fell into a companionable silence as they walked
through the miles of winding corridors that formed the Pentagon. Kadyn and Phil
parted ways just before Kadyn reached the art display from the children of the 9/11
victims. An overwhelming sense of sadness fell over him as he stood staring at
the artwork. “Terrorists,” he grumbled as he turned away.
Was Kri already in
their hands?

*
* * * * *

Kadyn
drove straight home after work. He changed out of his uniform before walking over
to Kri’s apartment. Her apartment was where they spent most of their evenings
together, so the walk was instinctive.

He
unlocked the door and tossed his keys on the counter. He didn’t bother sitting
down. Kadyn knew there would be hell to pay when he called Dan. He scrolled
through the list of contacts on his cell phone and tapped on Dan’s name.

Dan
answered on the first ring. “Hey, Kadyn. I heard about what happened at the
Pentagon. What the hell’s going on over there? You sleeping on the job?” Dan
chuckled as he ribbed his friend.

“Evidently,”
Kadyn gritted out.

The
phone line went quiet. Then Dan’s voice came across low and menacingly. “What
is it?”

“It’s
Kri. She’s been kidnapped again.” Kadyn moved the phone a few feet from his ear
in anticipation of Dan’s reaction.

“What
the FUCK!” Dan exploded. “How the hell did you let that happen…
again
?”

Kadyn
exhaled loudly. “I didn’t
let
anything happen, Dan. I was on lockdown at
the Pentagon when she was taken.”

“This
happened yesterday, when the bombs were found at the Pentagon? Why am I just
now hearing about this?” Dan asked sharply. “Wait. Are you thinking what I’m
thinking?”

Kadyn
leaned against Kri’s breakfast bar and stared out over the living room. His
eyes lingered on the place where he had found Mickey. “Yes. She was taken by Michael
Garcia. He left the lease officer from our apartment complex tied up in Kri’s
apartment with a message for me. She recognized him from that photo you had Kri
distribute last year.”

Dan
sucked in a breath. “What was the message?”

“He
said he’ll destroy everything and everyone I love if I try to find Kri.”

Dan
swore softly this time. “Son-of-a-bitch.”

Kadyn
pushed off the counter and walked into the living room. “I had to involve the
Department of Homeland Security because of the possible connection to the bombs
at the Pentagon. They have far more resources at their disposal than I do.
Still, I don’t trust them to keep me in the loop. Phil and I are doing what we
can, but we’re having a really tough time getting a lead on this guy. His name
is too common.”