Page 33 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

“Mostly, it’s schematics for a military installation. All the buildings and underground rooms that were constructed over the years, adding to the footprint.”

“Any idea where it is?”

If the base was in the hands of the military, that wouldn’t make much sense. Why would Milo Hargrove believe that it had anything to do with the Count of Shadows? He’d known that was who Zeyla was looking for.

“We have an idea about that. It was actually shut down and might have been sold privately.”

“Find it.”

Maizie chuckled. “Don’t you have a young woman to save?”

“I’ve been waiting for leads for a couple of days now and suddenly all this lands in our laps? It’s not a coincidence.” All he had to do was keep Miguel from killing Zeyla.

Not something that was easy to do under normal circumstances. But it was hard to protect against what you never saw coming.

His mind wanted to wrestle with the issue of why Miguel had done the things that he’d done. But what was the point? Thetask at hand would be completed far more effectively if he simply focused on what they needed to do.

Save the victim, take down the bad guy.

“I see Zeyla.” He pulled over to the side of the road, and she climbed in the passenger seat.

Through the car speakers, Maizie said, “The police dispatched a patrol car to the location you reported in. They’ve contacted the girl’s parents.”

“What’s her name?” Ramon asked.

“Isabella Sanchez.”

Zeyla glanced at him. “We need to get her back to them.”

“We will,” Ramon said. “But it gets us nothing that will help us take down the Count if we don’t let them pass her off to the next person.”

“You’re the one who gets to explain to her parents why we chose to do that.”

Maizie said, “You guys want me to get Stairns to tell you what he would do? Maybe he can break the stalemate.”

“It’s not a stalemate.” Because they were going to do what Ramon decided.

“We know there is only one of them in there. Are you really going to sit here and let him do whatever he wants to her?”

Ramon squeezed his eyes shut, but all he saw was the pictures Miguel had shown him. That traitor, and the innocent baby he she had been carrying. Good and evil all wrapped up in one person.

Could they somehow rescue the girl and get the information they needed at the same time?

Subduing the man and rescuing the young woman meant they could continue the ruse in the morning. Pretend as if he was still delivering the girl to whoever was expecting her.

He glanced aside at Zeyla. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Of course.”

“Even if it means being bait? Getting yourself kidnapped again?” He needed to know how far she was willing to go just to rescue someone. Could she face all of her fears in one go and stare down everything she was afraid of?

She grasped the door handle. “I thought you’d never ask.”

He heard it in her tone and saw it in her movements when she climbed out of the car. Entirely too much of that façade, so brittle it was about to shatter.

“I guess we’re going to save a girl.”

Maizie said, “Let me know how it goes. Bye.”