Marine's Mission - Rebecca Deel Page 0,52
message from Owen. “They’re finished. Owen wants me to meet him at the SUV.”
“Let’s go.” As they exited the building and walked onto Runaway Lane, Rio glanced at her. “Want some advice?”
She glanced at him, wary. Would the medic try to talk her out of dating Owen? “I can’t promise to take it.”
“Fair enough. Keep yourself busy while Owen’s gone, and don’t dwell on things you can’t control.”
Easier said than done. As Rio said, the bad guys didn’t play by the rules. They wouldn’t think twice about hurting or killing Owen and the others. “Does your advice work?”
He shrugged. “I’m the one who deploys. My job is to ensure my teammates make it home to their families alive. When I’m gone, St. Claire’s team keeps an eye on my wife. The advice comes from Darcy. She says staying busy prevents her from developing an ulcer.”
“Do you deploy often?”
“We’re on the same rotation as the rest of the teams. One month of training, one month of deployment. Since we’re training bodyguards and operatives, Maddox sends us on short deployments. Because the Montgomery brothers are local cops, the boss will use the same schedule for them.” He stopped her forward motion with a hand on her forearm. “For what it’s worth, if you want a relationship with Owen to work, help him focus on his job. If he’s worried about you, he’ll be distracted. In our business, distractions are dangerous.”
She got his meaning. Missing Owen when he deployed was normal. Gigi must be strong enough to let Owen do the job without him worrying about her ability to handle his absences.
Owen had survived multiple tours of duty with the Marines. The training he’d received as a law enforcement officer and a Fortress operative had honed those skills. She had to trust that training to protect him. “I understand.”
“If you can’t deal with his job, walk away now.”
“More wise words from your wife?”
He smiled. “Darcy is highly intelligent.”
Gigi had waited too long for a chance with Owen to walk away now. She’d handle the absences and times of silence when he wasn’t able to communicate with her. She wouldn’t give up on the man she loved with every fiber of her being.
The medic guided her toward the parking lot where Owen and Jackson waited. When they neared the SUV, Gigi’s concern skyrocketed at seeing Owen’s dark and grim expression. Had Maddox shared bad news about Toni and Ellis?
Owen hugged her. “You okay?” he murmured close to her ear.
“Are you?”
He shook his head.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you everything on the way home.” He held out his hand to Rio. “Thanks for keeping Gigi company.”
“No problem. I gave her the grand tour. She enjoyed the S & R training facility and Crime Town the most.”
Owen grimaced at the mention of Crime Town. “She wouldn’t have enjoyed the training.”
The medic chuckled. “That’s what I told her. You’ll have to enlighten her about the rigors of what we do.”
Gigi smiled at Rio. “Thank you for the tour, Rio. I’m glad I had the chance to see where Owen and his brothers trained.”
“Have Owen or Jackson give you my phone number, and add it to your contact list. If you have questions or need a sympathetic ear, call me. Owen, watch your back, and protect Gigi. I like her.”
“Yes, sir.”
After speaking to Jackson for a moment, Rio returned to his duties.
“Let’s go,” Owen said. “We have a lot to do with little time to set everything in motion.” He opened the passenger door for Gigi, then circled the hood while Jackson climbed into the backseat.
Once they drove from the PSI grounds, Gigi twisted toward Owen. “Did you learn something about Toni and Ellis?”
“Yes and no.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Maddox had some information, but not enough. We need more before we mount a rescue.”
“Do you know where Toni is?”
“Costa Rica.”
Her jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
Owen nodded.
“But how? She didn’t have her passport when she was kidnapped.”
“Money talks. The man who had Toni kidnapped has plenty of money, power, and high-level friends with connections who can order officials to look the other way.”
Who had that much power, and how would Owen and Wolf Pack find Toni? Costa Rica was a big country. Her friend could be anywhere. “Who ordered Toni’s kidnapping?”
“Paul Wagner.”
“The name sounds familiar.”
“His name’s been in the news,” Jackson said. “Wagner is a weapons dealer.”
“He’s using Toni as leverage to force Ellis to cooperate, but what does he want with a software developer?” She frowned. “Wait. If Wagner is a weapons