Page 2 of Tango (Hunt Brothers Search & Rescue #4)

Tucker

H ot and exhausted, I remove my baseball cap and withdraw my red bandanna from the back pocket of my jeans. After wiping up the lake of sweat that’s formed on my forehead, I stick the bandanna back into my pocket and replace my baseball cap.

Despite the fact that it’s only eight in the morning, it’s already nearly a hundred degrees out here in the hot summer heat. Thank you, Texas . Still, even though it feels as though I’m standing on the surface of the sun, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

After making a secure loop with one end of a broken barbed wire strand, I attach the fence stretcher and crank it down. I tighten it until I can slip the new wire through the loop of the one I made, then let the fence stretcher hold it while I use pliers to fully join the two pieces.

As soon as it’s secure, I undo the stretcher and step back to survey my work. “Good work, huh, Tango?” I glance back at my dog, who has been watching happily from the shade cast by the utility vehicle we’d driven out here first thing this morning.

He tilts his head to the side, ears perked. “That’s what I think too, bud,” I reply, then retrieve my tools and stick them in the bed of the vehicle. After taking a swig of my water, I hop into the driver’s seat.

“ Hier , Tango,” I order, using the German command my dog and my brothers’ dogs are all trained with. It’s a lot easier to ensure the dog will do his job when the average person probably won’t know the commands.

Less confusion for the dog, more security for us.

He hops into the UTV, so I fire up the engine then start driving the fence line, looking for any other holes. Unfortunately, broken fences are just a part of life on a ranch. As is predawn mornings and—occasionally—late nights.

I don’t mind either of those, though, because this place is my home. Happiness in a world filled with chaos and—unfortunately—darkness.

Ahead, I offer a wave to two of our ranch hands—Leon, who’s been here since I was a kid, and Keith, who just started working here last month.

They’re both on horseback, riding through the pastures, checking on the cattle.

We’ve had some predator issues lately—bobcats and coyotes—and have already lost three heifers.

They’re out counting to make sure last night didn’t claim any more.

I crest the top of a hill and stop for just a moment, taking in the breathtaking view of the cabin-style four-bedroom ranch house I built on my parents’ land about seven years ago.

Before then, I’d been living in a rental house I shared with my brother Riley and my twin, Dylan.

Five out of six of us own houses here on the property, and Lani—my younger sister—has property prepped for her whenever she’s ready.

All with my parents’ house at the center of our ranch, just as they’re the heart of our family.

With a smile on my face, I head down the hill, beyond ready for a fresh cup of coffee and one of the muffins my mom dropped off yesterday. I can practically taste the blueberries already. But as I get closer and see who’s waiting on my porch, my hope of a quiet morning vanishes.

Time to work.

After parking my UTV in front of my garage, I climb out and call Tango to follow.

“Well, this is a surprise,” I say as I climb the steps and greet my oldest brother, Bradyn, as well as Frank Loyotta, the owner of Find Me, an organization run by veterans.

Their mission is to track down and stop human traffickers while rescuing as many victims as they can.

We’ve helped them out quite a few times, just as he’s used his resources to help us out when things get, for lack of a better word, dicey.

“I’m sorry to drop in on you like this, Tucker,” Frank says, holding out his hand. I shake it then move past them to open the door. His expression is a lot less joyful than it usually is, and I note the dark circles beneath his eyes.

“Not a problem, Frank. Come on in.” The blast of AC is beyond welcoming. Tango immediately runs to his water bowl and drinks happily as I take a bottle of tea from my fridge. “Would either of you like anything?”

“No, thank you,” Frank replies.

Bradyn shakes his head.

“Okay, what can I do for you?” I ask.

Bradyn crosses his arms. His expression is somber at best, and my unease grows. Not much puts that look on my brother’s face.

“What is it?” I ask again.

“I need help,” Frank says. “My nephew is missing.” His voice is strained, as though each and every word is a fight to get out. Because I know that sometimes the hardest parts of these conversations are getting through the beginning, I don’t ask any details—yet.

Frank removes an aged cowboy hat and runs a hand through his short, graying hair. “Ramiro is a good kid. He had some trouble here and there, but he’s been getting through it.” Tears brim in his eyes. “He works for Web Safe as a threat analysis expert.”

“The cybersecurity company?” I ask, mentally running through everything I know about the Los Angeles-based business. It was started up fifteen years ago and quickly gained a reputation for its intense security measures. Mainly because they hired a team of hackers to try and break into the system.

They all failed.

I didn’t, of course. But I wasn’t after prize money. I just did it to see if I could. And since I was able to, I anonymously submitted my findings. After waiting a month for them to fix it, I broke in again just to see if I still could.

“Yes. He’s been there for the past five years and is darn good at his job.” He closes his eyes for a moment then takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Come and have a seat.” I gesture toward my dining room table, so he and Bradyn take seats. After grabbing the notepad I keep on my counter for random thoughts, I sit as well. “Tell me what you need from me.”

“The last contact my sister had with him was three days ago. He said he was going to a trivia night at a local library with a friend of his. When he didn’t show up for their planned dinner the next night, she tried to call him. Went to his place, all of that, and—nothing. It’s like he vanished.”

“The friend?”

He clears his throat. “Alice Sterling. She also works for Web Safe, though she’s in a different department.”

“What department is that?”

“According to my sister, Ramiro used to joke that it was his job to break stuff and hers to fix it.”

“Got it.”

“My sister tried calling her too, but she’s not answering. I even called her folks, but they said they haven’t heard from her either and had filed a missing person’s report with the local police.”

“So we have two missing security experts and no clues,” I summarize, making a note on my notepad.

“You can see why I came here.”

“Any chance they just ran off together?” I hate asking it because, chances are, Frank has already investigated that angle, but it’s part of my job. I need all the facts before I can properly come to a conclusion.

“They weren’t romantic, as far as I could tell. And according to my sister, he took nothing with him. His suitcase is still in his closet, all his clothes—his car is even in the parking lot of his apartment building since the library is within walking distance.”

“It’s unlikely they ran off then,” Bradyn comments.

“Did you talk to Web Safe?” I ask.

He nods. “They were my first call, but all they said was the two of them hadn’t shown up for work or called in. They said they have no idea why, either. That both of them were good workers and Alice Sterling had never missed a day. They wouldn’t give me any other information.”

“Even if they knew something, it’s unlikely they would get involved without a warrant explicitly ordering them to,” I say, considering just how big of a panic it would cause if the clients discovered two high-level employees simply didn’t show up for work.

Banks, billion-dollar companies…the list goes on and on.

There’s even been talk about the government using them on a contract basis for certain situations.

“I’m flying out there tomorrow morning to be with my sister and see what I can find, but you guys are the best at finding something from nothing, and I really need help here.”

“I’ll take the case,” I tell Frank. Since my brothers and I all operate on a rotation, and Riley just got back from mission, I’m up next.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, Frank. You know we’ll always support you in any way we can. You said you’re flying out tomorrow morning?” He nods. “Send me the flight information. I’d like to grab a ticket and join you—if that’s okay.”

“Of course. It’s on one of our company’s private planes, so there’s no need for a ticket. I’ll get your name on the flight log. Plane is wheels up at 0700. Same airport as always.”

“I’ll be there.”

He nods. “Thanks again. I-I’m really hoping for some good news here, guys, but I have this sinking feeling in my gut that something horrible happened.

My sister’s barely spoken since she called me.

She’s worried sick. In my line of work, I’ve seen some horrific things.

” He shakes his head sadly. “But I never thought I’d experience this so close to home. ”

Bradyn clasps a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find answers,” he assures Frank. “Do you know if Ramiro had any other friends who worked for the company?”

“A few he talked about, but none he was as close to as Alice.”

“Can you get me those names? Places he liked to go? The name or address of the library he went to? Anything might help.”

He nods. “I’ll call my sister and see if I can get her to email all of that over.”

“Great. Give me a few hours, and I should have something to report back.”

“Thank you.” Frank takes a deep breath. He’s one of the best men I know, completely dedicated to saving the innocent, and to see him suffering absolutely crushes me, even though I know all too well that good men suffer.

Some die far too soon.

Others face realities worse than death. No, that stays buried. I shove the memory down and force my attention back on Frank.