Page 5 of Dangerous Affair (The Phoenix Three #2)

L iam answered the ringing phone. “The Phoenix Three. Liam O’Rourke speaking. How may I help you?”

“I need you to find my daughter,” a man said, his voice urgent and tinged with fear.

“To whom am I speaking?”

“Robert Sullivan. My girl is missing. I was told that if anyone could find her, it was you people. I don’t care what it costs, just find her for me.”

“How old is she, and how long has she been missing, Mr. Sullivan?”

“Since at least yesterday, but the last time I talked to her was Sunday, so it could be since then. Something’s wrong. She never misses our scheduled phone calls every Wednesday and Sunday.”

Not a small child then. “And she’s how old?”

“Twenty-eight. Quinn’s a photojournalist. A damn good one, and she travels all over the world.”

Liam frowned. “So, she’s missing in a foreign country?” That was going to make it harder…if he accepted the case. The Phoenix Three’s emphasis was on saving children, which Quinn Sullivan was not.

“I didn’t say that. She’s supposed to be in West Virginia.”

More than likely, he would be wasting time on finding a woman who simply got busy and forgot to call her father. “Mr. Sullivan, I think you should give her a few more days to contact you, and if she doesn’t, call the police. Our company focuses on finding missing children.”

“She is a child, my damn child!”

Liam pulled the phone away from his ear. The man could shout. “Sir, I’m sorry, but—”

“Your father said you could find her.”

Liam almost gasped. “My father?” That was not something he ever expected to hear.

His father hadn’t spoken to him in over ten years, not since the day Liam had told his dad that he had a higher purpose in life and was enlisting in the Marines.

That was the day his father had disowned him.

Said Liam was turning his back on family, on his inheritance.

“Yes, he gave me your name and number. Said if anyone could find her, it would be you. I don’t care what it costs.”

That his father even knew his phone number was shocking. “Has anyone been hassling her that you know of? An ex who might want to hurt her? Anything like that?”

“No, no one would want to hurt my Quinn, and she doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

That you know of. “Mr. Sullivan, send me everything you have on where your daughter is supposed to be, along with a photo of her and any other information you think will be helpful. Also, include her cell phone number. I’ll find her for you.” He gave the man his email address, then disconnected.

His father! Liam couldn’t wrap his mind around that.

The old man had disowned him, said he’d never utter Liam’s name again.

Yet, after ten years, he had, and apparently with praise.

How was he supposed to feel about that? It had taken years of not hearing from his father, but he’d finally accepted that his old man meant it when he said he no longer had a son.

Liam pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk. He stared at the folder for a moment before picking it up and setting it on his desktop. He hesitated before opening the folder and spreading out the contents.

His gaze roamed over the photos of his father and mother, the place that used to be his home.

For the first time in what felt like forever, he let himself miss being a part of his family.

He secretly talked to his mother once a month, but that only made him feel guilty because it meant that she had to lie to her husband.

He picked up the photo of his father. What did it mean that he’d given Liam’s name to Robert Sullivan?

Probably didn’t mean a thing. Liam closed the folder and slid it back into the drawer.

He was dead to his father, and he wasn’t going to wish for a change that would never happen.

A few minutes later, his computer dinged, signaling an incoming email.

Mr. Sullivan hadn’t wasted any time sending the information on his daughter.

Included was a message saying that a deposit of ten thousand dollars would go in the mail tomorrow.

Liam had been so gobsmacked by the mention of his father that he hadn’t thought to discuss payment.

He printed out the attachments then settled back to learn about the missing woman.

The first item he looked at was her photo, and it was the green eyes with laughter shining in them that caught his attention.

She looked like a woman who would be fun to know.

The most striking thing about her was her curly hair the color of copper.

His gaze moved to her face. A phrase he’d heard somewhere came to mind.

Peaches and cream perfectly described her complexion.

Her smile was infectious, and he almost smiled back at the photo.

“Get a grip, O’Rourke,” he muttered. She was a case, not a woman he needed to be lusting over. Even if there was something about her that had him wanting to meet her.

He set the photo aside and read her father’s email. Quinn Sullivan wasn’t just a photojournalist. She was an award-winning one. Her specialty was the children of the world. Her photos of children caught in the middle of war zones were heartbreaking.

There was a long list of links in the email, and by the time he reached the last one, he was impressed with not only her heart-wrenching photos posted online and in magazines and newspapers, but with the attention she brought to children who needed the world to save them. He had much in common with her.

Her father was adamant that his daughter wouldn’t willingly miss their scheduled calls, and after reading about her and seeing through her lens the love she had for children, Liam believed that Quinn hadn’t voluntarily gone radio silent. She wasn’t a woman who’d worry her father like that.

According to her father, she was supposed to be in West Virginia, in a small Appalachian mountain town he’d never heard of.

He did a search on Hope Corner and decided to drive, since there wasn’t a flight out of Myrtle Beach until the following day.

He could get there faster by driving, and that would give him the added benefit of being able to carry his weapons without having to declare them to the airline.

He called Grayson, got his voicemail, and left a message for his teammate to call him.

Grayson was in town, searching for a fourteen-year-old boy who’d gotten in a fight with his father and had run away.

Cooper was in Texas, tracking down a mother who’d kidnapped her two-year-old daughter.

He was on the woman’s trail and should wrap the case up in a day or two, so Liam didn’t call Cooper.

Next, he went to their weapons room, and after putting his palm against the reader to unlock the door, he went in. The three of them had a wide assortment of weapons, some they’d collected over their years in the military and some they’d bought after starting The Phoenix Three.

Not sure what he was walking into, he decided on two handguns and a long gun, along with plenty of ammo.

He added a KA-BAR—his knife of choice—to his weapons, along with a handful of smoke grenades and night-vision goggles.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t need any of the items he was packing up, but it was always better to prepare for the worst.

On his way to his condo to pack, he stopped and topped off his gas tank. He was packing his duffel bag when Grayson returned his call.

“Hey, man,” Liam said on answering. “Any luck finding the kid?”

“I got a tip that he’s couch surfing among his friends. I’m sitting on a house that he’s supposed to be sleeping at tonight.”

“No doubt you’re bored. Hope you can get the kid home to his family tonight.”

“Tell me about it. What’s up?”

“Got a job, and I’m heading out to West Virginia.”

“Now?”

“Yup. Woman who her father swears is very reliable is missing.”

“Thought we agreed we were only going to take on cases involving children.”

Liam had expected that response. “I have to take this one. My father told the woman’s father to call me, that I could find his daughter.”

“That’s unexpected.”

“Understatement.” Grayson and Cooper were aware that Liam’s father had disowned him. “Not sure what the deal is, but I’ll keep in touch. I’m leaving now, and I’m driving. I need you to track the cell phone number I’m going to send you and text me the coordinates.”

“I’ll do that, and, Liam, be safe.”

“Back atcha.”

He made coffee, filled a travel mug, then grabbed a box of power bars. In the car, he started the ignition. “All right, Miss Sullivan, let’s find out what kind of trouble you’ve landed in.”

* * *

Liam arrived in Elkins, West Virginia, at five in the morning. It was the closest good-sized town before Hope Corner. He found a decent-looking hotel, checked in, and in his room, he stripped down to his boxer briefs. A few hours’ sleep, and he’d be ready to go.

Three hours later, he was up and in the shower.

Twenty minutes later, he was dressed and ready to leave.

He slipped his wallet and phone in the back pockets of his jeans, his duffel bag over his shoulder, and with his car keys and travel mug in hand, he went to the lobby.

After dropping off his room key and getting a receipt, he went to the breakfast area.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” he said when he saw that the hotel served sausage, cheese, and egg biscuits at their free continental breakfast. After filling his travel mug with coffee, he stacked two of the sandwiches on a napkin, added an apple, and he was good to go.

He’d already programmed the Hope Corner motel where Quinn was supposed to be into his car’s GPS, and he brought up the directions. According to the GPS, he had a two-hour drive before reaching the Sunset Motel.