Fire and Desire (Arabesque) (26 page)

“Just keep calm, man,” he was saying to the caller. “I’ll contact Clayton and Justin. We’re on our way.” He slammed the telephone down and quickly stood up.

“Dex, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“That was Trevor calling from Austin. Corinthians is missing.”

L
ieutenant Richard Medina looked around at the people assembled in the spacious kitchen. There was a battle line drawn with Senator Joshua Avery on one side; the fiancé, Trevor Grant, on the other; and the parents, Reverend and Mrs. Avery, in the middle.

The preacher and his wife were trying their best to keep peace and ward off any bloodshed, since the look on Grant’s face indicated he was ready to kill somebody. Lieutenant Medina suppressed a sigh. Why him? How did he get to be the lucky one assigned to this case? He’d rather be investigating a double murder instead of dealing with this group, especially since the senator was trying his hardest to entice Trevor Grant to kill him. Even a fool could see that Grant was a man on the verge of doing something destructive…like breaking every bone in the senator’s body if he didn’t get smart and shut up.

Lieutenant Medina shook his head. As an officer of the law, he had an obligation to curtail any possible violence. It was time he stepped in and intervened, since it didn’t look like the senator was going to get smart anytime soon.

“All right, all right, let’s settle down and go over everything one more time,” he finally said, raising his voice over that of Senator Avery’s.

“Really, Lieutenant, is that necessary?” Senator Avery was asking. “I think the note my sister left speaks for itself. She needed to get away for a while and took off. I personally resent Mr. Grant calling my parents and upsetting them with the notion that something has happened to Corinthians.”

Trevor gave Joshua a hard look. “Something
has
happened to her, Avery. If you know your sister, then you’d know she would never just up and leave like this.”

Joshua raised his eyes to the ceiling. “I do know my sister, Grant. I think I happen to know her a lot better than you do. I admit her unexpected and abrupt departure isn’t normal behavior for her, but considering the circumstance of the situation, I completely understand why she left.”

Lieutenant Medina leaned back against the kitchen wall. He crossed his arms over his chest. Like any politician, Avery was a smooth talker, a true glibber if ever there was one. “Then how about enlightening me of the circumstances of the situation, Senator.”

Joshua gave the lieutenant his politician smile. “Why certainly. Corinthians was nearly kidnapped by terrorists last month while in South America. I’m sure you read about it in the papers.”

The lieutenant nodded, indicating that he had.

“Well, she was able to get away from the terrorists,” Joshua said, conveniently omitting mentioning how Trevor had been instrumental in making that possible. “She and Mr. Grant spent some time together and when she was rescued, she had this insane notion that she had fallen in love with him. I only found out since coming here tonight that she has agreed to marry him.”

Joshua took a sip of coffee before continuing. “After reading her note, it looks to me like she’s having second thoughts about that decision and went away to think things through. Mr. Grant is definitely not her type, and I’m not completely convinced that she loves him.”

“That’s enough, Joshua!” Reverend Nathan Avery’s voice boomed so loudly, the lieutenant was certain the floor shook. “There is no doubt in my mind of Corinthians’s feelings for Trevor. There’s a lot you don’t know.”

The lieutenant looked thoughtfully at Corinthians’s father. It was time he brought the preacher out of his neutral zone. “What about you, sir? You know your daughter. Do you think there has been foul play, as Mr. Grant seems to think? Or do you agree with your son and believe she just went away for a while to think?”

Reverend Avery frowned in serious concentration. He glanced at Joshua and then at Trevor. He released a long, deep sigh before finally answering the lieutenant’s question. “I agree with Trevor.” Ignoring the stunned look on his son’s face, he continued, “I believe something bad has happened to my daughter. I’m almost certain of it.”

“And why is that, sir?”

“Because her note hints at that fact.”

Lieutenant Medina looked down at the note he held in his hand and reread it. He didn’t find anything amiss. He glanced back up at Reverend Avery. “What are the hints, sir?”

“The part where she says for once she needed to think only of herself and no one else. I know my daughter, and there is one other person that she would think about right now, no matter what.”

The lieutenant’s brows rose. “And who is that?”

“The baby.”

“What baby?” Joshua demanded to know.

“The baby she and Trevor made together.”

Lieutenant Medina could have sworn he saw steam coming from the young senator’s ears with his father’s statement. The look he gave Trevor Grant was murderous.

“You got my sister pregnant?” Joshua screamed out the question. The lieutenant was certain the floor actually shook that time.

“Joshua, lower your voice,” Reverend Avery demanded harshly. “Corinthians got herself pregnant. By her own admission, Trevor did not hold a gun to her head and force her to do anything. She has a mind of her own and is accountable for her own actions and whatever decisions she makes.”

“And you accept this?” Joshua asked in disbelief.

“You and Corinthians both know my position on moral issues. And recently, Trevor and I had a long talk, and he also knows. He and Corinthians were counseled.”

Joshua was livid. “Counseled! They were counseled! What about me?” he stormed.

“What about you, Joshua?” Reverend Avery asked his son calmly. “Do you need counseling, as well?”

“No, I don’t need counseling,” an angry Joshua Avery replied, almost ready to lose it. “I want to know what about me and my political career once the media gets wind that my sister is pregnant and not married?”

“We’re getting married,” Trevor said in a firm voice with a definite edge to it. “Corinthians is missing and all you can think about is your political career?”

The lieutenant cleared his throat. He thought it was time to get his line of questioning back on track. “I can find nothing to indicate Miss Avery did not leave willingly. There is no sign of forced entry into this condo, and Mrs. Avery, you indicated her luggage is missing, as well as some items of clothing. From the looks of things, she did go away on a short trip.”

Maudlin Avery nodded. However, she agreed with her husband and Trevor that Corinthians would not have left without contacting someone first. “Yes, sir, that is correct, but I have a gut feeling she didn’t leave willingly.”

“Is there anything other than hints and gut feelings that can provide substantial evidence of any foul play?”

When the occupants in the room shook their heads negatively, Lieutenant Medina sighed. “I’ll question the other occupants of this building to see if they may have seen anyone or noticed anything unusual. This is a pretty ritzy area of town. Anyone who doesn’t fit in will probably stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Officer, since there is no sign of forced entry, do you think whoever took my daughter could have been someone she knew, and she let them in?” Maudlin Avery asked.

“That’s a good possibility. I’d appreciate it if you’ll write down the names and addresses of any friends she has who visit frequently, including any former boyfriends.”

“Corinthians didn’t date much, so there aren’t any former boyfriends,” Maudlin Avery said quietly. “She preferred keeping busy by working.”

Lieutenant Medina shrugged. He’d obtained a picture of Corinthians Avery from her parents earlier. She was a good-looking woman. He couldn’t imagine her not ever having a close male friend. “Mr. Grant, you and Miss Avery got engaged recently, is that correct?” he asked Trevor.

“Yes, just last week,” Trevor answered. In fact, he had her engagement ring in his pocket. He had planned to surprise her with it tonight.

“Any arguments since then?”

Trevor’s gaze narrowed at the officer. “No. Last weekend we spent some time together in Houston when she met my family. I put her back on the plane Sunday afternoon and had not planned to see her again until this coming weekend. I was able to shorten my work schedule and decided to come earlier.”

“Was she expecting you?”

Trevor wondered where the officer’s questions were leading. “Yes. I called her on my cellular phone when I was on my way to the airport and told her I was coming.”

Lieutenant Medina nodded. “And how did she feel about that?”

Trevor remembered his and Corinthians’s last conversation. It had been short, but packed with meaning. Pain settled deep within him at the thought that someone had taken her away from him.

“She was glad we would be together again,” he said softly. He turned and walked over to the window and looked out. The night was pitch-black, and the woman he loved was somewhere out there. Why? Why would anyone take Corinthians? It didn’t make sense. Did it have anything to do with what went down in South America?

Trevor shook his head. He didn’t have any answers. He turned back around to face the group of people. “Lieutenant, unless you have any other questions for me, I want to be alone for a while.”

“No, that’s all I have for now.”

Trevor nodded. He then met Reverend and Mrs. Avery’s troubled gazes. “I’m going to get her back,” he said with deadly calm and absolute determination. “And whoever had the nerve to take her away is going to pay dearly.” He then turned and walked out of the room, going into Corinthians’s bedroom and closing the door behind him.

A chill swept through Lieutenant Medina’s body. For some reason, he believed every word Trevor Grant had spoken. If Corinthians Avery had been taken against her will, he felt sorry for the person who’d been stupid enough to do it.

Corinthians willed her body to stay calm. She refused to be afraid. She had to believe Trevor would find her. She had to believe that somehow and some way he would know that she had not left on her own and would come for her. She had to believe it. She had to have hope.

She wondered who the men were who had brought her to this place awaiting further orders. She had been placed on a bed. Her hand were tied behind her back, and a blindfold covered her eyes. She strained her ears when she heard two male voices. They had boasted of how one of them had easily slipped into her home past Lenora, her cleaning lady, and had waited for her to come home. From their clipped English, she knew they weren’t from this country, but she didn’t have a clue where they were from or what they wanted with her. One of them had said something to the other about leaving for the airstrip shortly. She wondered if they had plans to fly her out of Austin. She hoped not. Trevor would never find her if they did. He would spend his time searching Austin for her.

A feeling of fear resurfaced again. She took a deep breath to calm her ragged nerves, willing her body to believe the man she loved would find her.

She bowed her head and softly spoke to the one person she knew she could depend on. She prayed. “Father, please let him come.”

Trevor felt like he was ready to explode. While the detective was wasting time gathering information to determine if Corinthians had been taken against her will, the people who had taken her were gaining an advantage in time. He wished there was something he could do. He felt so helpless. He balled his hands into fists at his side as both fear and anger roiled within him. If anything happened to her, he didn’t know what he would do. He closed his eyes and silently prayed…for help, for direction and for strength.

Kicking off his shoes, he lay down on her bed. The faintest wisp of her scent clung to the bedcovers. He closed his eyes, wishing he had mental telepathy and she could tell him where she was. He tried to think of any reason why someone would force Corinthians from her home and make it seem like she’d left willingly. The only reason he could think of was that the person didn’t want anyone looking for her, at least not for a while. That would give them time…but time to do what?

Trevor sat up when he heard a knock on the door. “Come in.”

Moments later, Maudlin Avery walked in. Concern was etched on her face. “Are you okay, Trevor?”

He stood and slipped back into his shoes.
No,
he wanted desperately to say.
He wasn’t okay and he wouldn’t be okay until he got Corinthians back.
Instead, he said, “Yes, I’m fine. Is Lieutenant Medina still here?”

“No, he left, but indicated he would be back later. He wanted to check out a few things.”

Another knock sounded on the door and Reverend Avery stuck his head in. “Trevor, there’re two gentlemen here to see you.”

Trevor nodded, thinking it was probably two of the Madaris brothers. He had called Dex who said he would call Justin and Clayton to tell them what had happened. When trouble hit, he could always depend on his friends being there for him. “Thanks, I’m coming.”

He walked out of the room and stopped short. Drake Warren and Ashton Sinclair were standing in the doorway.

Trevor released a long, deep sigh. His prayers had been answered. He’d been sent the help and direction he’d asked for. The strength would come in knowing he wasn’t alone. He shook his head and tried to swallow the golf-ball-size lump forming in his throat. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you guys,” he said honestly, easily and sincerely.

Rasheed stood at the window of his apartment building, looking out. His mind was heavy, deep in thought. Returning home to Mowaiti for a short visit had been what he’d needed. His people had been glad to see him and had rejoiced in his return with celebrations of feasts and dancing. It had reminded him of just how much his people meant to him, and just how much he was concerned for their welfare.

He was troubled by the way his father had been acting lately. He had spoken with his mother and had been surprised to learn his father had only contacted her once since he had been in America. Rasheed found that strange. Something was going on and he didn’t know what. What had changed his father so drastically over the past months?

Rasheed folded his thoughts when he heard Swalar enter the room. He turned around. “Yes, Swalar, what is it?”