Page 67 of Storm Warning

“Yes, it is. You should have known sooner how he felt about you. Andre doesn’t have a clue how you feel, but the rest of Echo unit knew months ago that you were in love with him.” She motioned for Riley to follow her. “You and Andre have been a source of entertainment for all of us. Now, Seth and I will have to find something else to occupy the teams.”

“You plan things like this?”

“Oh, you bet, sister. Part of keeping the teams bonded to each other is having a common goal. We all wanted to see you and Andre together because you were perfect for each other. Figuring it out took you long enough. In case you were wondering, we wagered on that too.

“Who won that bet?”

“Teagan. After that, we speculated about when you would know Andre was in love with you. I kind of helped that along, though.” She wrinkled her nose. “I might have to confess all to the rest of the teams. Too bad. I was looking forward to eating Mexican food after this mission is over.”

“Your meal is safe.”

“Explain.”

“Earlier this morning, I suspected Andre had stronger feelings for me than he’s admitted and hoped he’d fallen in love with me. What surprised me is that you knew when I’d only discovered the truth for myself. I’d count that as a win on your part. Nicely done, Iona.”

“Perhaps we’ll all go to dinner at the Mexican restaurant. That way, we can celebrate each person’s success and enjoy being together.”

The women walked to the large garage. Iona stood in the center of the garage with her hands on her hips. “This is perfect. We should hurry, though. Andre and Elias won’t take long to capture our guest.”

They found a blue tarp and spread it over the floor of one bay, then set a chair in the center. That done, they found a bucket and filled it with water.

“You know what we need?” Iona scanned the interior of the garage again. “Jumper cables and a battery.”

“Oh, nice touch. I’ll get a towel and look for something else that might be useful in persuading this guy to talk.” Riley returned to the cabin and rummaged in the kitchen cabinets until she found what she was looking for. In the garage, she laid out her tools.

Iona paused in setting up a car battery with two jumper cables attached and studied the items Riley brought back. She chuckled. “Needle-nose pliers, a corkscrew, a towel, and a roll of plastic wrap. If this would-be kidnapper doesn’t spill his guts after seeing all this, he has a screw loose.”

“Let’s hope he doesn’t guess that I don’t plan to use any of these items on him.” The idea of forcing information from the stranger caused nausea to build in Riley’s stomach. Distaste for the task was why she didn’t use this skill unless absolutely necessary.

Andre and Elias returned minutes later holding a beefy, dark-haired man between them. The stranger glowered at Riley, totally ignoring Iona. Well, guess that told them who he was after.

Andre shoved him into the chair and used zip ties to secure his legs and wrists to the seat.

Elias stood in front of the man with his arms folded while Iona and Riley positioned themselves behind him. Andre moved to Riley’s other side and waited for instructions.

Thankful both men were falling into the same routine they’d used on the other intruder, Riley looked at Elias and nodded. Now they would see how long this one held out.

Elias focused on their prisoner. “Here’s what’s going to happen. We ask you questions. If you answer them truthfully, you’re out of here in a matter of minutes with a verbal warning about trespassing on private property. If you lie to us or refuse to answer our questions, things won’t be so pleasant. Ready?”

Beefy man sneered. “Get real. I ain’t talking to you.”

“Yeah? Let’s find out. What’s your name?”

Silence.

Elias waited for two minutes, his gaze locked on the cocky prisoner. He flicked a glance at Riley.

She rested her hand on Beefy’s shoulder. “You really should make this easier for yourself. Why suffer for someone who will throw you under the bus when we find him?”

He snorted. “You won’t find him. Even I don’t know who he is.”

So, the orchestrator was male. Adrenaline surged in Riley’s bloodstream. What else could she learn from this man?

“Tell me your name.”

More silence.

“I warned you.” She glanced at Andre and motioned for him to rest his hand on Beefy’s shoulder. With her free hand, shecounted to three. Together, they applied pressure to the nerves between the neck and shoulders.