Page 34 of Silk Shadow

"Could you tell me if the guys in room 375 are still here? One of them left his shirt on the golf course yesterday. I thought I'd return it."

She looked at her computer screen.

"No, sir. I'm afraid they've already checked out."

Interesting.

"Any idea when?"

"Last night." She frowned. "But it says here they're paid up until today."

Now that was very interesting.

Blade Wilson rang him a couple of hours later. It was almost midday, and Viper still hadn't slept. His body wouldn't shut down. Not while Izzy was still out there. It had been fourteen hours since she’d been taken.

The police had been in touch. They'd immediately launched a kidnapping investigation, but with nothing concrete to go on, there wasn't much they could do. They'd put out an alert for the fishing trawler, Pacific Pride, but those guys were professionals—the boat would be long gone by now.

"What have you got?" he asked Blade as soon as he answered the phone.

"Nothing yet. One of our operatives, Phoenix, is on his way to you. He boarded a plane an hour ago. He'll make his way to the hotel. You'll need some help getting her back."

Adrenaline shot through his body. The mission wasn't over.

"I know Phoenix," he said. "We went through SEAL training together."

"Yeah, he's a great guy. I'm sorry we can't spare any more operatives. As you know, we're under-resourced right now. Pat even suggested I come out, but I'm needed here."

"Did you find the fishing trawler?" Viper asked.

"Not yet. It's registered out of El Salvador, but that's not unusual."

His heart sank. Without a bead on the trawler, they had no hope of finding her.

"There is someone who we think can locate it," Blade added.

"Really? Who?"

"Phoenix's wife, Ellie, has a geologist friend at Stanford University who has access to a satellite. He maps the ocean floors along the coastline, mostly in the Gulf of Mexico. Something to do with finding oil deposits. There’s a chance he has access to the live data from last night."

"Phoenix is married?" That was news. The Phoenix he'd known back in his SEAL days was the last person Viper would have guessed would settle down.

"Yeah, he met his wife on an oil rig in the Gulf last year. She's smart, like Lily. Don't know what these clever women want with us thugs."

Lily, Blade's wife, was a military software designer who worked for the US government. Anna had told him all about it when he'd been at the office.

"This friend of Ellie's, he'll help us track the Pacific Pride?"

"He should be able to. I'm sending you his contact details. Ellie has already spoken to him, so he's expecting your call."

"I'll get straight on it. Thanks, man."

"We'll get her back, brother. Don't worry."

He just hoped they’d get there in time.

CHAPTER 15

Ray, the Stanford geologist, was eager to help.