"What, are you psychic or something?"
She was running for the house now, the sweet smell of pig wafting behind her. "No, I often end up covered in unmentionable stuff and need to change. It's the nature of the job."
To his astonishment, in fifteen minutes she was showered, freshly clothed, and sitting beside him in the cab as it headed for the local airport. His cell buzzed and it was Chase's admin confirming the new ticket assignments. His brother was nothing but efficient even in a crisis.
Blue typed a thank-you and an inquiry about Jake, but there was no update. Jenna was also busy texting, presumably settling things with her family.
He touched her arm. "Thanks for doing this."
"You didn't give me much choice."
"Chase thinks that if we don't speak to Big Mike now, we'll never find him again."
"Then let's go and talk to him."
The taxi pulled up at the small local airport, and a man dressed in some kind of uniform opened the door.
"Mr. Morgan? Ms. McDonald? There's been a slight change of plan. Mr. Chase Morgan has chartered a private jet for you to complete your journey to San Diego in one hop."
"Nice." Blue grinned at Jenna.
"I've never been in a private plane," Jenna whispered as they were whisked along a series of hallways to a secure lounge.
"Neither have I," Blue confessed. "Unless you count a military transport."
"I'll just check you in." The man retreated behind a desk, leaving them alone.
Beyond the door Blue could already hear the rumble of an idling engine. It made his heart rate increase, although he hoped his current mission wouldn't be quite so stress inducing as his last.
"Mr. Morgan? We're ready to go."
Blue took hold of Jenna's hand and marched forward into the unknown. Sometimes that was all you could do.
* * *
Time hadn't been kind to Big Mike. He'd piled on the weight, and even on his massive frame it was starting to show. His vibrant red hair was faded to sand and his weathered face bore the expression of a man who'd let life beat him down.
He glanced up as Blue and Jenna filed into the seats opposite him in the coffee bar he'd chosen as the meeting place. It was near the sea, but at the less touristy end of the commercial dock.
"You look familiar."
"I'm BB Morgan. You worked on our ranch near Bridgeport a while back. This is Jenna McDonald."
Big Mike screwed up his bloodshot eyes. "There was a vet called McDonald, right?"
"Same family."
"Seems not a lot changes out there." Big Mike sipped his coffee. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
Blue contemplated the man sitting opposite him. "Don't you know?"
"I don't remember much." Mike shrugged his massive shoulders. "Too much booze and too many blows to the head, so they tell me at the clinic."
"Okay, then I'll just put it out there. Do you remember my mother Annie?"
"Sure I do. She was a nice lady."
"I remember she liked you a lot."
Big Mike smiled for the first time. "I was popular with the ladies back then."
Blue kept quiet, but Big Mike didn't say anything else, so he tried again. "Annie left the ranch around the same time you did."
"Did she now." His smile disappeared.
"In fact, we think she left the same night. Can you confirm that?"
"Maybe she did, maybe she didn't. I can't quite recall. After that bastard Roy fired me, I got good and drunk before I packed up my stuff and left."
Blue took a careful breath. "And when you left? Did Annie and my baby sister come with you?"
"What does it matter? What are you trying to do?" Big Mike glared at Blue. "Convict me of something? Because I've had enough shit from the cops to last me several lifetimes, and I won't be dragged back into something that happened so long ago any decent folk would have forgotten it!"
Blue kept his voice level and pleasant. "You're talking about the disappearance of my mother and sister. It's still very important to my family and me. We just want to know the truth."
"And I'm telling you I don't really remember that night at all. I woke up a couple of days later in a motel and was kind of surprised to find myself there."
"Were you alone when you woke up?"
"Yeah."
Blue exhaled. "You sure about that?"
"Yeah."
"Then there isn't really a lot left for me to say, is there?" Blue slid twenty bucks under the coffeepot and stood up.
"Hold on, where's the rest of my money?" Big Mike held out his hand.
"What money?"
"The five grand I was offered if I would meet with you."
"You'll have to take that up with my older brother. He's the one with the cash, and I'm going to make sure he knows the 'information' you passed on amounted to diddly-squat." He tipped his hat to Big Mike. "Nice meeting you again. Come on, Jenna."
Outside the shop he took deep breaths of the fresh sea air, but nothing could stop the frustration and rage of decades of loss bubbling up inside him.
"Blue . . ."
"What?"
Jenna was biting her lip. "I think you should go back in there."
"What the hell for? He doesn't know anything. He's just using us for some sick purpose of his own."
"I don't think that's true. If you could just calm down-"
He rounded on her. "I've waited twenty years to find out what happened to my mother and sister. Don't you think I have a right to be angry when that loser is messing with us?"
He slammed his hand against the brick wall. "I am so fucking done with all this." He swung around again in time to see her flinch away from him. "Shit, Jenna, I didn't mean-"
She started speaking fast, as if she was afraid of him cutting her off, or worse. "Perhaps he knows more than he maybe realizes. Think about it. If he really was that drunk, who drove him away from the ranch?"
Blue stared at her for a long time. "I . . . don't know."
"Would you let me talk to him?"
"You think you'll do better?"
"I tracked down my birth parents and had to deal with a lot of denial before they'd admit to even being my parents." She raised her chin. "You can stay out here if you'd rather."
"You mean if I can't control my temper."
Her cheeks reddened but she didn't need to say anything. He already knew how much she hated violence. What a great time for him to lose his cool and scare his favorite woman in the universe.
"It's better if I do it. I'm not involved."
"I'm not going to hurt him."
She held his gaze a faint question in her eyes that made him feel like hitting the wall again, which would just confirm her opinion that he was out of control. She also looked poised to run away, which made him feel like a heel. He took a slow breath.
"Did your dad hit you?"
She stilled. "What did you say?"
"You heard me."
She blinked and looked away from him. "That has nothing to do with the problem in hand. Do you want me to try and talk to Big Mike or not?"
He nodded.
"Sometimes you have to put your personal feelings aside and concentrate on the goal, Blue."
"You think I don't know that? I'm a goddamn Marine."
"Then act like one and stop jumping to conclusions," she snapped. "Maybe you could call Chase and get some information about how the money is supposed to be delivered to Big Mike, and then come and join me."
She opened the door into the coffee shop and went back inside, leaving him staring after her in shock.
* * *
Jenna was aware that she was trembling. Violence or rage always made her feel sick, but she didn't let that stop her from reaching her target. Luckily for her, Big Mike was still sitting in the booth, getting his money's worth out of his carafe of coffee.
She slid into the booth opposite him and summoned a smile.
"Blue's upset. He really wants to find out what happened to his mother and sister. I'm sure you can understand that."
"Sure, but there's no need to try and double-cross a man."
"He was telling the truth about the money. His older brother is the one who arranged this meeting, and then wasn't able to be here. Any financial arrangement you made will have to go through your contact with him." She tried to sound sympathetic. "Blue's out there right now trying to contact his brother and see what the situation is, okay?"
"Okay."
A waitress came by and Jenna ordered a glass of lemonade, a refill for Big Mike's coffee, and an extra cup for Blue.
"The night you left the ranch, you said you were really drunk, right?"
"Yeah. With good reason."
"So how did you manage to drive?"
Big Mike sat back and contemplated Jenna before shaking his head. "I dunno."
"Is it possible that Annie took advantage of your drunkenness and stole a ride with you?"
"I suppose she could've done that." Big Mike appeared to like that idea. "Yeah, that's probably what she did. There's no good those Morgans saying I stole her away or blaming me or anything."