Cherished (Wanted #4)(24)
Author: Kelly Elliott

Drake grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “Wait.” He shook his head. “This guy—why in the hell would he let your buddy take his helicopter to Belize just for you to get to Jessie?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know…maybe he believes in love. I don’t really give a shit. I’m paying him enough money to probably buy a new fucking helicopter. I don’t care, Drake. I just need to get to Jessie.”

I jumped into my truck and shut the door. I started the truck and rolled down my window. “I should be in Austin in two hours. Lark is going to be waiting for me there. He said it was about a four-hour flight to Belize, not including one or two fuel stops. I’ll let you know when I get there and find her.”

“How are you going to land in Belize?” Drake asked.

I took a deep breath. I didn’t really want to tell him that I was going to stay at Lark’s boss’s house, which had a helipad. “Lark’s boss has a house in Belize. He’s gonna land there.”

Drake started shaking his head. “What in the hell does this guy do, Scott?”

“I’ve got to go, Drake. Don’t worry, it’s not drugs.” I rolled up the window and took off down my driveway.

Okay…at least I hope it’s not drugs. A part of me wondered what in the hell Lark and his boss did for a living.

Lark showed me around his boss’s house, and I was dumbfounded. I’d never seen such a big house.

Do I want to know what this guy does for a living?

I was tired, cranky, and just pissed-off. We’d ended up having to land at the airport anyway to go through customs. As soon as the customs people had realized who I was a guest of, they had practically brought out the welcome committee. The tropical storm hadn’t been that bad, and most of the airport had opened back up. Once we had flown out to Mr. Martin’s house, I was just ready to get to the hotel where Jessie was staying.

“Lark, what in the hell does your boss do for a living?” I asked.

Shortly after one phone call to Lark with the number that had come across on Jessie’s first call, Lark had called me back with the name of the hotel where she was staying.

Lark let out a laugh. “He’s in communications and a few other things. He does a ton of work down here for one of his…jobs.”

I just looked at Lark. “Is it illegal?”

His smile dropped. “Hell no. You think I’d be involved with someone doing something illegal?”

“I don’t know, Lark. Would you?”

He sat down on the sofa and glared at me. “Fuck no, I wouldn’t, Scott. You just have to trust me. I can’t say what all Mr. Martin does, but I give you my word as one of your best friends, it’s all legal. He’s a shrewd businessman, and he makes good investments.”

I sat down in the chair opposite the sofa and took a good look at Lark. He was tall with light brown hair and green eyes. I wondered if the ladies still flocked all around him.

“Good enough for me. Do we have a car, so you can take me to the hotel?”

Lark smiled and nodded. He jumped up and called for someone.

A young kid who looked to only be about eighteen came walking into the room.

“Roads open and clear?” Lark asked.

“Yes, sir,” the young gentleman said.

Lark looked at me and raised his eyebrows. “Ready to go and get your girl?”

Lark and I got out of the Mercedes Roadster, and as I looked back at the convertible, I had a very strong suspicion that Mr. Martin didn’t make his money in communications only.

“Did you want to wait just in case, you know, I can’t find her or something?” I said as the sick feeling in my stomach came back full force.

Lark was looking all around the lobby. It was almost like he was staking the place out. “I actually had Carlos follow us over here,” he said as he handed me the keys to the Mercedes.

I just looked at him. He doesn’t think I’m going to drive an eighty-thousand-dollar car, does he? “Dude, does your boss know you’re offering up his Roadster?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Actually, that’s my car. I come to Belize a lot when I’m not working with Skip.”

“Skip?”

Lark smiled and then watched a girl walk by before he looked back at me. “Yeah, Mr. Martin. His nickname is Skip.”

I rolled my eyes. I didn’t want to know how or why Lark was the owner of such an expensive car. After college, Lark had spent a year in the Marines as an officer, but he had been medically discharged, and then he’d immediately begun working for Mr. Martin. He never did tell anyone what had gotten him discharged.

“Bring it back with a single scratch on it, and I’ll kill you,” he said with a wink.

I smiled. “Are you heading back to the house?” I asked.

Lark chortled. “Hell no. I’m going to say hi to that pretty little thing that just walked by.” He gave me a wink and turned to walk toward the bar.

I sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out. I spun around and walked toward the front desk. The young girl behind the desk smiled as I approached. I glanced down to her name tag and felt my stomach drop.

Chelsea. Ugh.

I gave her a smile and watched as her face turned a light pink.

“Good evening, sir. May I help you?” Chelsea asked as she looked me up and down.

“Yes, I got here as soon as I could after I found out about the storm. I’m looking for my girlfriend, Jessica Rhodes.”

Her smile faded, and she started looking around before her eyes met mine again. “Um, you’re Miss Rhodes’s…boyfriend?”

The look in her eyes told me she was surprised.

Ah shit, Jessie must be with her friend.

“Can you tell me what room she’s in? I’d like to surprise her.”

She looked down at the floor and then back up at me. “Oh…I’m pretty sure she’ll be surprised.”

My heart dropped to my stomach, and all I wanted to do was walk away and go back to Texas. “Is that so?” I asked with a slightly forced smile.

She nodded and must have realized what she had said. “Oh, I mean, she’s going to be happily surprised. Um…she’s in cabana seven. Let me show you how to get there on the map. I don’t think her cabana was one of those that flooded. It sits back a bit higher than the other ones.”

After she showed me how to get to Jessie’s cabana, she handed me the map, and I made my way down the path. Everything was still soaking wet from all the rain they had gotten from the tropical storm. I stopped and sent Drake a quick text message, letting him know that I’d arrived safely and I was on my way to Jessie’s cabana.