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“Nothing yet,” Rhett growled. He shot Knox a hard look. There was no way he wanted his sister to get involved in this.

Reed was already queuing up the footage and they all leaned in, studying the images on the monitor. Before long, they saw Gallo walking down the street, taking the boardwalk over the dunes.

“How the hell did he get back here from the airport?” David muttered.

“We’ll sort out the how later,” Knox said. “Right now, we need some idea of where he took Trina.”

Panic bubbled in Rhett’s chest. Gallo had his golden ticket and he wouldn’t give her up without a fight. He drank the water David handed him, willing it to erase the effects of the attack. Because Rhett had no intention of giving up Trina.

Knox held up his phone. “Jenna, you’re on speaker,” he said to the Guardian Agency researcher.

“Hey, all. What do you need?”

“Luca Gallo. What’s the latest intel?”

“I’ve got a rental car in his name, picked up today.” The men glared at that news. “Give me a second.” They waited in silence. All Rhett could hear was his pulse pounding in his ears. “Here we go. GPS is showing him at a hotel near theairport.” Another pause. “I don’t see his name on any flights leaving tonight.”

“What about Trina Bollani?”

There was a sharp inhale followed by rapid-fire keystrokes. “Nothing under her name either.”

“The charter.” Rhett’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “Look for any private charters under her family’s hotel management company.”

After a moment, Jenna replied, “Negative. But I’m looking at a charter scheduled to depart in 90 minutes under the Ellington corporate account.”

Rhett swore. “He’s stealing my wife and using my own account to do it. I’m going to beat him to a pulp.”

“Looks like we’re headed to the airport,” Travis said. “Jenna, can you loop in Logan, please?”

“Sure thing.”

Knox ended the call and gripped Rhett’s shoulder. “Let’s go rescue your bride.”

Chapter Twenty

Trina came around slowly.It felt as if her mouth had been stuffed with cotton. When she tried to move, she discovered she’d been jammed into a small space. Zip ties pinched her wrists and ankles. One of her shoes was missing.

Mechanical smells of oil, grease, and gas clouded the air. Though she breathed carefully, she choked and coughed.

She heard footsteps approaching right before a light came on somewhere above and behind her.

“Luca.” She practically spat his name.

“You’re awake, my darling. I was starting to worry.” He crouched on the other side of a cargo net. “We’ll be leaving shortly.” He looked around her. “It could get bumpy back here, but no worries, my darling. Once we’re in the air, we can have a civilized conversation.”

“Where is Rhett?” Luca’s smile made her sick. “Where is my husband?”

He lunged at her, but couldn’t strike her through the cargo net. “You’ll never say those words about anyone butmeagain. Your first husband has died in a tragic accident.”

She started to swear, to curse, heedless of the tearsstreaming down her face. She called up every foul-mouthed insult she could manage in a tantrum of epic proportions.

Luca simply backed away and turned out the light.

As her tears ebbed, a cold fury took over. As soon as she had the chance, she would tear Luca apart and find her way back to Rhett.

He wasn’t dead. Couldn’t be.

Because she loved him and she was sure that life wouldn’t be so cruel as to never allow her to tell him.