Page 41 of Hearts on the Line (The Maverick Key #1)

Scott

Mark Glassier’s call. It was cryptic and rushed with terrible news. Now, I’m sitting at a small desk in the front office waiting for Michaels, a grizzled Coast Guard veteran. My gut tells me something is off.

“Rickter,” Michaels says, sitting down at the desk. “I didn’t expect to see you today. What’s up?”

“I got a call from Mark Glassier. He told me to come in.”

“Oh yeah? What did he want from you?”

“He told me you found a body in the Drop—Nathan’s.”

Michaels exchanges a glance with another officer before turning back to me. “Glassier? He’s out of town, had a family emergency. He won’t be back until next week.”

A cold knot tightens in my chest.

“And no one has found a body at the Drop. What’s going on, Scott?”

“What the?” I mutter. “Okay. This is important.” I take out an old business card from my wallet that has my number on it and hand it to him. “I need you to tell me who reported Nathan’s disappearance. Find out who took Nathan out to the Drop that day.”

“What’s this all about?”

“Talk to Daniels. He’s reopened Nathan’s case.”

Without another word to Michaels, I bolt from the office and jump into my truck, adrenaline surging as I tear down the road toward my house. Worst-case scenarios race through my mind, each more gut-wrenching than the last. When I pull into the driveway, my stomach drops.

I dial Mark’s number. It rings before going to voicemail. “This doesn’t make any sense,” I mutter, trying Maddie next, straight to voicemail. My heart pounds as I scroll through my contacts, dialing Hannah. No answer. Wes. Nothing.

My unease twists into full-fledged fear.

The front door is ajar and swaying in the breeze.

I run to the porch. Maddie’s bag lies on the deck, her phone smashed beside it. I shove the door open, my heart pounding. Inside, it’s worse. Much worse. There’s blood all over the floor. It doesn’t take long for me to assess the source.

Denver. He’s on his side and he’s not moving.

“Oh, no. No boy.” My throat closes in. Looking him over, I determine he has a faint pulse. His wound has been wrapped in a tight blanket.

Maddie.

Like a madman, I search through every nook and cranny in the house. She’s nowhere.

The crunch of gravel snaps me out of my panic. I spin around. Wes’s Jaguar pulls into the drive, followed by Hannah’s compact car. They jump out, their faces etched with worry.

“What’s going on? Maddie called but didn’t tell me anything. She sounded spooked.” Hannah’s frantic as she storms through the door, her voice trembling.

She takes one look at Denver and screams, throwing her hands over her mouth.

“Maddie’s gone.” I gesture toward the chaos on the porch and inside. “She’s been taken.”

Hannah gasps. “No…” She picks up her phone and dials 911. “We’ve got to get him help. It doesn’t look like he’s got much time.”

Wes runs a hand through his hair, his face pale. “Who did this?”

I round on him, fury boiling over. “Don’t you have an answer, Harrington? What the hell have you been doing, creeping around Maddie for months like a spider? You know something.”

Wes’s eyes flicker to the ground. “I… I don’t know where she is. I swear it.”

“Bullshit.” I take a step closer, anger surging within me. “Spill it. Now.”

Wes raises his hands in a mix of guilt and desperation. “All right. I think Garrett might be involved.”

“Garrett? What the hell does he have to do with this?”

Wes exhales, his shoulders slumped. “He’s been pressuring me to bring him information about Nathan’s research. He’s been blackmailing me.”

“Explain.”

“He’s got a video, one that implicates me in a caver’s death in the Yucatán.”

“Where did he get a video like that—are you guilty?”

“It’s doctored. Actual footage, altered.”

“I don’t really give a shit about your problems. What’s this got to do with Maddie?”

Hannah’s eyes widen. She starts to get up to confront Wes, but stays crouched by Denver, holding his wound. “Wes! How could you? Did you steal Nathan’s things?”

“No. I’d never do that to her. She’s my friend,” Wes snaps, his voice hoarse and cracking. “I strung Garrett along, trying to buy time. But I never gave him anything real. I swear on my life that I’d never let anyone hurt Maddie.”

My fist connects with his jaw. He stumbles back, clutching his face, but he doesn’t retaliate.

“You son of a bitch. I’m going to kill you.”

“I deserve that. I know I do,” Wes says, his voice thick with guilt. “But I didn’t take her and don’t know what’s going on.” His chin drops. “Garrett might be behind this, but I swear I’ve been trying to protect her.”

I pace, running my hands through my hair, barely holding my fury in check. Stopping, I glare at him. “How the hell does Mark Glassier fit into this?”

Wes frowns, confused. “Mark? The Coast Guard guy? I’ve got no idea.”

My thoughts are scattered, pieces of a fragmented puzzle refusing to fit together. I turn to Hannah, my voice sharp but steady. “Stay here with Denver until help gets here. Talk to the police and tell them everything. Don’t stop until they listen.”

Hannah nods, her hands shaking as she comforts Denver, still applying pressure to his wound and talking to the emergency operator. She looks up. “They’re sending a vet from Naples, so we don’t have to move him. They’re on their way. It should be less than thirty minutes.”

I crouch, running my fingers through his fur. “Thank you, boy. I know you tried to save her. You’re going to be okay. Help is coming.” He lets out a soft sound and licks my hand. I take a deep breath and take off my tags. I put them around his neck and pet him once more.

My eyes are stinging when I turn back to Wes. “You’re coming with me. We’re going to Garrett’s. If he knows anything, I’ll make him talk.”

“Let’s go.”

The air between Wes and me is thick as we approach Garrett’s room at the inn. We haven’t said a word since we left my house. My fists clench, fury radiating off me in waves. I sense Maddie doesn’t have much time. Wes follows a step behind, his jaw already turning an ugly shade of blue.

I don’t knock. Instead, I slam the door open, rattling the frame. Garrett springs to his feet, his desk stacked with papers with a tumbler of whiskey now teetering on the edge.

“What is this?” Garrett demands, his eyes darting between Wes and me.

“Where is she?” My voice is low but sharp enough to cut through steel.

Garrett blinks, confusion flashing across his face. “Who?”

“Maddie.” I step closer. “She’s missing. Taken. Start talking now.”

Garrett’s confusion twists into irritation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He acts like he’s going to dismiss me as he flicks his wrist. Fuck that.

I grab him by the collar, slamming him back against the wall. Papers flutter to the floor and the whiskey tumbles, flooding the room with the sharp smell of oak.

“Don’t lie to me. You’ve been sniffing around Maddie for months, trying to get your claws on Nathan’s research. You’re out of time, Garrett. Don’t play games.”

He struggles in my grip, his voice strained. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” He tries in vain to get loose. After I put one hand around his neck and squeeze, all his bravado disappears, replaced by cold fear.

“All right. Stop, please.” I ease off the pressure. “I used Wes to get close to Maddie so I could find out what she knows about Nathan’s research.” I release his neck. “I didn’t take her. Let me go.”

“Why should we believe you?” Wes steps closer.

Garrett’s eyes narrow at him. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here, Harrington.

You’re the one who screwed this all up. I told you to use your charm to get me Nathan’s maps and notes.

But no, you couldn’t do it before someone else jumped in and took them.

So much for a ladies’ man. I guess Rickter has the bigger dick. ”

Dropping him, I punch his face, holding back only enough to avoid killing him before I get the information I need from him.

Grabbing his collar, I pull him back up off the floor. His smug face grates against every nerve I have left. “So you’ve been after Nathan’s things all along?”

“Of course,” Garrett snaps, his arrogance cracking under the weight of his fear. His nose and lips are bleeding.

Good.

“Do you know what’s down there? What those caves could hold? But I didn’t take Maddie. I need her alive, cooperating. Not… whatever this is.”

His words ring hollow, but my gut tells me he’s not lying. “If you’re telling the truth…” I drop him and step back. “Then Mark has her. If I find out you’re lying…” My words hang in the air, heavy with promise.

Garrett straightens his collar. “I have no idea what Mark wants from Maddie. I like her. She’s a sweet girl.” Glaring at Wes, he scoffs at him. “You’re done, Harrington. Pack your bags. They’re going to love you in prison.”

Wes bristles.

Without another word, I leave.

Mark has to have Maddie. It’s the worst kind of threat.

We’ve got no idea why he’d do it, and if he also killed Elaine, what’s the connection?

Did he want what Nathan was looking for in the caves?

He’s shown no interest in it before. None of this makes any damn sense. My phone buzzes. It’s Michaels.

“Yeah,” I bark into the phone.

“Scott—we have the name of the boat captain who was with Nathan when he disappeared.” Michael’s voice is strained, like he can’t believe what he’s about to tell me.

“Yes? Who?”

“It was Mark. Mark Glassier.” All the blood leaves my body. Wes is staring at me as I pocket my phone.

“What is it?”

“Mark Glassier killed Nathan,” I state numbly, frozen, as I feel my world cave in.

Wes inhales sharply and closes his eyes.

In the living room, Ding is wandering around, looking for Maddie. He rushes to me, jumping on my leg.

“It’s okay, boy. We’ll get her back.”

Ms. Connor is on the couch. Her eyes are red. Hannah must have called her. Beside her sits a young blond woman. At first, I don’t recognize her, but then I do. It’s Mark’s wife.

“Scott. This is Crystal Glassier. She has information about Maddie.”