The last time he spoke with her was on Friday while she was getting ready to go out with her coworkers. The only reason he hadn’t called last night was because of what turned out to be a non-emergency that involved a missing guest. The middle-aged man had turned up disheveled and hung over after a day and night in Nassau. With the eight-hour time difference, he didn’t want to disturb Aziza’s rest. Now, Ryan knew he should have done so. He’d have been aware of her disappearance earlier.
“Is there something you’re not telling me,” Shaz asked, his brows elevated.
“Yeah, Aziza and I … let me put it this way. We’re a lot more than friends.”
Shaz’s eyebrows met as he said, “Dang. You’ve kept that close to your chest, but then you’ve always been secretive.”
“No more than you.” Ryan headed him back to the present business, which had his stomach doing drunken somersaults. “When exactly d’you think she went missing and how d’you know that for a fact?”
“Her parents contacted me fifteen minutes ago. Yesterday was Miss Constance’s birthday. She and Aziza are close. She said she’d never miss her birthday.” Shaz let out a deep breath. “Her mother was in a state after she called the hotel where Aziza works. They told Miss Constance she didn’t turn up for work this morning. Her father had to finish up the call with me.”
“Does her brother know?”
“His wife just had a baby, plus he’s dealing with his own medical issues. Drake can’t be out of range at this time.”
“Understood.”
“There’s some other suspicious activity over there that needs our attention. Missing women are involved, so …” Shaz laced his fingers together and met Ryan’s eyes. “I’m asking you to go.”
This hadn’t been the first time Shaz hinted that he had a special assignment for Ryan, given his five-year stint with the Criminal Investigation Department of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. After reconnecting with Aziza months ago, Ryan had stayed busy with hotel business, as well as expanding the reach of Bostwick Security in the Caribbean. They were in the middle of business negotiations that needed Ryan’s input. Now this.
“I figured,” he said, sucking in his breath.
Getting away would be challenging, especially since he’d taken time off to be with Aziza. Good thing the director of security at the hotel was his friend. Plus, his brother Myles was more than competent. The two of them ran the security firm and also took on specialized jobs, depending on the needs of their clients.
At thirty-five, Myles was three years older and also in a steady relationship. He was level-headed and wouldn’t mind doing double duty while Ryan was out of the country. Ryan’s biggest challenge would be those contracts he’d been in the middle of preparing that were yet to be finalized and sent to their lawyers.
“Great. The Kings and I plan to get together within the hour. When we convene at The Castle, we’ll set up a video connection to bring you into the meeting.”
“Sounds good. In the meantime, I’ll talk to Roger Blythe, an extractor who will give me some guidance on navigating through this minefield. He’s been everywhere on the map. Then, I’ll look at what flights are available.”
Shaz nodded and glanced to his left. A smile lightened his serious expression.
“Daddy-Shaz.”
His daughter’s head popped up behind the desk and a second later, she wriggled between him and the desk and climbed onto his lap. The little girl propped her elbows on the desk and waved at the screen, “Hi, Unca. Where are you?”
“Hey, Ayanna.” Ryan wriggled his fingers at the charmer Shaz had adopted when he married her mother. “I’m in the Bahamas.”
When he tipped one eyebrow, Shaz chuckled. “When you have a dozen or more uncles, every man other than me gets that tag. Plus, the others travel so much, she understands that screen time means you’re not in Wilmette.”
As Camilla’s distended stomach appeared on screen before the rest of her, Ayanna scrambled to his other side to escape. “Little girl, I’m not playing with you,” she said.
“Hey, Camilla.”
She focused on the screen, then laid a hand on her belly. “Hey yourself. Everything good?”
Her words brought back the heavy matter Shaz dropped on him. “Yeah, we’re fine over here.”
“Talk to you later,” she said, and guided Ayanna to the floor. “Come baby, let Daddy get back to what he was doing.”
Ryan focused on the legal pad where he’d jotted notes for the report he was about to write on the lost-and-found guest. When he looked up, Shaz said, “Don’t go anywhere.”
Ryan nodded, already planning his next steps. He’d have to advise the hotel that he’d be away, perhaps for an indefinite period.
Chapter Three
“Ahhh.”
Some evil person was beating cymbals inside her head.
Aziza struggled to open her eyes, but they refused to cooperate. A man spoke in harsh Arabic, which she hadn’t yet learned beyond basic words. Her eyes flicked open when a metal gate clanged nearby. The thunder in her head and the throbbing that came and went in waves wouldn’t allow her to focus. The semi darkness didn’t help. Where the hell was she?
Someone groaned close by and wailed in a language Aziza had never heard before. She wanted to tell the woman to shut up, but couldn’t work up the energy needed. Instead, she kept her eyes closed. The last thing she remembered was feeling a little light-headed and Akbar speaking with her in the corridor leading to the bathrooms at Encounters. After that, her memory failed, coming in snatches—a building here, rough hands there, and feeling nauseous as she did now.
The woman next to her sobbed, and Aziza’s attention settled on her. She couldn’t be over thirty, but it was hard to tell with the puffy eyes and ravaged features. She wore braids and was model
