“I remember. She was kind of shy.” Dylan’s memory of her was vague. He and Aly had been verbally sparring that night as well.
Ian shook his head. “That’s not her name, it’s an alias. Everything she told Claire was a lie. The deeper I dug, the more connections I found between her and Bradford. I could be wrong, but I believe she’s stalking him.”
Clay rubbed his chin. “Romantically?”
“No.” Ian’s tone was curt.
“You think he and Joanna are in danger?” Dylan asked. Bradford was a badass, but anyone could be taken down if snuck up on. Ian knew that all too well.
Ian flexed and fisted his hand. “I don’t know, but I’ll feel a lot better when I know where the hell they are.”
“This is why I track people with my phone,” Clay said blandly. When both Dylan and Ian gave him a surprised look, he said, “A Fairy Godfather is only as good as his intel.” He took out his phone and opened an app. “Looks like Bradford is still in the air, heading toward England. Hang on, Joanna is on my friend’s island. That doesn’t seem right.”
Ian sent off a text. “No, it doesn’t. Bradford would never leave her on her own.”
“Not willingly,” Dylan added. “Why do I have the feeling you’re texting some covert team you flew over with you?”
The look Ian gave him told him that was exactly what he was doing. Holy shit. Ian lowered his voice. “Clay, fuel up your jet. Dylan, keep everyone here calm. I don’t know what’s going on, but I trust the two of you to get Claire and everyone else the hell out of here and to somewhere safe if something goes down.”
“Understood,” Dylan said.
Clay looked a little shell-shocked. “You don’t think I put them in danger, do you? Is this my fault?”
It was a valid question. Ian had reamed Clay recently for sharing one of Bradford’s addresses with Dylan and Connor. He’d pretty much told him he was endangering Bradford by exposing him.
“I don’t know, Clay. I sure as hell hope not.” He began texting again.
Just then Angelina rushed in and over to Ian. She looked flushed and frightened. She waved her phone at Ian. “You need to read this. It’s Joanna. She and Bradford are in trouble.”
Ian read the message aloud: This is Joanna. I’m with Bradford on Clay’s friend’s island. We’re in trouble. Caretaker has been murdered. Someone has Bradford. I’m hiding but I’ll keep the phone with me. I don’t know how many people are here with us. Contact Ian. Get help. This is not a joke. Please help us. Hurry.
Ian instantly began to type back. Claire joined the group, standing quietly beside Ian. She was as pale as Angelina was, but they both looked a lot calmer than Dylan felt. Connor appeared and put his arm around Angelina.
No one spoke.
No one breathed.
Ian switched to texting on his phone, then pocketed them both and turned to Claire. “Everything is going to be okay. No one is better prepared for something like this than Bradford and me. I have a bird in the air with some of the best trained men I know on their way to the island. I have to go.” He kissed her.
She clung to him for a moment. “Bring them back safe, Ian.” Then she released him with a sniff.
“I will,” he swore. The sound of a helicopter landing just outside the lodge was his cue to leave and he bolted out to meet it.
The silence that followed his exit was long and heavy.
A movement across the room caught Dylan’s attention. Aly was walking toward them tentatively. “Did something happen?”
Angelina rushed toward her, wiping tears from her cheeks as she went.
There are moments in life that freeze time and dwarf everything else. Aly met Angelina in the middle of the room, and comforted her with a hug while she scanned the expressions of the others. Something had happened and it wasn’t good. Connor looked as if he might throw up. Clay had a similar expression, although when Lexi joined him he masked his fear and took her aside to talk to her.
As Angelina tearfully updated her, Aly met Dylan’s gaze across the room. He was a tougher read, but his face was tight and his eyes tormented. The severity of the situation hit Aly in waves.
“But Ian’s on his way to them?” Even to her own ears Aly’s voice sounded calmer than she felt.
Dylan answered, “Just left in a helicopter. He should be there fast.”
“A lot can happen in fifteen minutes,” Angelina said as she stepped back.
Shaking his head, Clay said, “This is my fault. I brought everyone here.”
“There’s no way you could have known, hon,” Lexi said as she wrapped her arms around him.
“Ian warned me to back off, but I didn’t. I wanted what I wanted.” His voice was strained.
Dylan stepped toward Clay. “You heard what Ian said about Daphne—or whatever her name actually is—she’s been following Bradford for a while. If this is her, she would have done something to him regardless of where Bradford was. I’m guessing this has more to do with him having Joanna with him than anything you did. Before her, he didn’t have anything he was afraid of losing.”
Both Aly and Angelina gasped in unison. It was an ugly thought, but spot-on. Angelina rushed back to Connor’s side. “Oh, my God, do you think this is about hurting Joanna?”
Connor hugged her and shot Dylan a warning look. “Don’t think like that. We don’t even know for sure it’s Daphne who has Bradford.”
Dylan looked toward the door then at Clay. “Clay, you heard Ian, get your jet fueled up.”
Aly crossed the room to where Dylan was standing and said firmly, “We’re not going anywhere without Joanna and Bradford.”
“No one said we are.” The easygoing man from earlier was gone. Dylan said, “We don’t know what this is. Ian left instructions, but no weapons. He and his men can handle whatever is going down on the island. I have some local connections, but considering we don’t know what we’re dealing with, I’m not calling anyone yet. We wait, and if Ian says we need to get our asses in the air, that’s what we’ll do. If he doesn’t call, we go to the island, but we don’t go alone, and we don’t go unarmed.”
There was a strength to Dylan that Aly hadn’t expected. His confidence brought a calm to the group, even to her. “Okay,” she said.
Connor let out an audible breath. “And that’s why you’re the action hero. I’d follow you into battle.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Dylan said then motioned to Clay who was on his phone texting. “What resources can you bring?”
Clay stood taller. “I don’t usually do this kind of thing, but I know people who could organize a small army in hours.”
“We might only have minutes,” Dylan responded. “But we need a backup plan, and we need one fast.”
“On it,” Clay said as he typed off a message. “We should get security on the ground here as well.”
Dylan nodded. “Definitely, but keep it low-key. We can’t do anything that shows Ian’s hand before he has a chance to act. For now, everyone have your cell phones with you and gather your passports in case we need to leave.”