I cringed on the rookie’s behalf. “What happened?”
“He convinced her to dance on the bar with him, but he didn’t take into account how low the ceiling fan was. It hit him in the head. He grabbed hold of her when he started falling, and both of them took a bit of a tumble.”
“Are they okay?”
He waved a hand at me. “Of course. I’m not a brute. I caught her and one of the others made sure he didn’t hit the ground. As I grabbed hold of her, though, the lieutenant walked in. I should mention that he doesn’t drink at all, and he’s crazy protective of her.”
“I get that.” I couldn’t imagine how I would react to walking in on something like that if Sofia had been involved. “How does that end with you being in here?”
“Apparently, my pranks and stunts are unbecoming of the uniform. I’m being taught a lesson. Why are you here?”
“For killing a guy who talks too much,” I said.
Dave laughed in response. “I’m pretty sure I could take you.” He gave me a long onceover, and suddenly, the humor faded from his expression, and seriousness took its place. He scratched his jaw, frowning at me. “What did you say your name was?”
“Lincoln.”
The frown deepened. “I heard a story about a SEAL named Lincoln. The way I heard it, the guy got dropped into a mission gone to shit but managed to save a whole team. That wouldn’t be you, would it?”
“Nah, that’s just a story, man. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.” Also, when the fuck had the Navy started gossiping like little kids in middle school?
I almost snorted out loud. Oh, right. Since always.
It was too damn bad the gossips had missed a few vital parts of that story, though. Such as the fact that the Lincoln in question had been on suspension at the time and hadn’t had any fucking idea what he was getting himself into.
Chapter 34
Sofia
A block of a man whose name was embroidered onto his jacket as “Jackson” stepped in front of me when I got to the base. “I’m sorry, ma’am. This area is off-limits.”
“Of course, it is,” I snapped. “It’s a fucking military base. I know where I am, soldier. I also know where I need to go.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Do you have an appointment?”
“Yes, with Charles Cantor. He’s my father.”
Jackson did a double-take. “No shit. Really?”
“Really. Step aside, and maybe I’ll tell him how good you are at security.” I knew I wasn’t being fair to him, but I needed to get to my dad.
Urgency burned like a living thing inside of me. After the talk I’d had with Haley, I was one-hundred percent sure that my dad knew where Lincoln was and that he’d had something to do with his disappearance from my life.
Jackson wisely let me in without any further argument, but he did check my ID to make sure I was who I said I was. Once I got onto the base, I headed straight for my father’s office.
I had no way of knowing whether he’d be there or if it was even still his office, considering that he was technically retired, but it seemed as good a place as any to start searching for him. As it turned out, it had been the right move to try him there first.
The door was open, and the inside of the office looked exactly like I remembered. He even still had the picture of me when I was five on his desk.
“Do they know you’re retired or do people just keep their offices here for the rest of their lives?” I asked as I walked in, planting a hand on my hip.
Dad frowned when he looked up from a folder spread out on the surface of his desk. “I still have business to attend to here. You know that. Once it’s all wrapped up, I’ll clear out. What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you,” I said. “About Lincoln. Where is he?”
His hazel eyes flashed at me. “This is not the place for that discussion, Sofia.”
“Well, you didn’t want to have it at home, either.” I marched right up to his desk and stared down at him. “It’s been days since I’ve heard from him, and I’m worried. Where is he?”
“That’s none of your concern,” he ground out. “It’s official business. You know better than to question me on matters I can’t discuss with you.”
“Bullshit.” I folded my arms tightly across my chest and sat down without breaking eye contact. “I’m not leaving here until you tell me where he is.”
“Sofia,” he said, his voice a low warning.
Before he could say anything else, though, there was a faint clicking sound on the floor that sounded like crutches.
As I turned around, I saw Lincoln’s very blond friend limping into the office. His skin was pale, but his jaw was set with determination. “I’m here to give my statement, sir.”
“As you can see, Phillips, I’m in the middle of something.” My father leveled him with a glare, but the guy didn’t back down. “I’ll call for you to come in when I’m ready for you.”
“With all due respect, sir, my statement in this matter is overdue. No one has contacted me, and now Dobbs isn’t answering his phone.”
My heartbeat sped up at the mention of Lincoln. “What is going on here, Dad?”
“Dad?” The guy frowned, then comprehension set in behind his light green eyes. “You’re Sofia, aren’t you? I remember you now. From the party.”
“And you’re Eden.” It wasn’t a question. “You haven’t heard from Lincoln either?”
He gave his head a curt shake. “Not a word. It’s been days. This isn’t like him. Something is wrong.”
“Nothing is wrong,” my dad chimed in with a glare at both of us. “We have placed him on indefinite suspension and he’s the subject of an ongoing investigation.
