Chapter Eight
Josh hadto call the in-home health care company to see if he could hire another caretaker to help his dad. Guilt rode him hard at leaving his father with someone else, but he explained about Liza and that she could be in trouble, and Dad didn’t mind being left with a stranger. He would probably talk the guy’s ear off anyway.
Josh also had Drake on standby in case the nurse who’d shown up an hour ago had to leave early for some reason.
Drake was as distraught as Riley and Josh were that Liza could be missing. Josh was holding out hope, even though he had an eerie feeling coursing through him. It was so unlike his cousin not to answer her phone or at least let someone know what was going on. She wouldn’t have ditched Riley either. She had planned every activity for her and Riley, and she wouldn’t have just fallen off the face of earth.
Regardless, Josh’s brain was having a hard time comprehending that someone would hurt his sweet cousin.
“I should call my brother,” Dad had said. “He’ll want to know about his daughter.”
“Please don’t until I can find out more,” Josh had said.
Liza’s father didn’t give her the time of day, but Josh agreed with Dad that Uncle Ted should know more about his daughter. Josh doubted the man would rush to the Bay Area from Sacramento, but he could hear the argument now.
“You knew my daughter was missing and didn’t bother to tell me?” Uncle Ted would ask. Unless he was drunk, he would brush off his daughter like a piece of lint on a dark suit.
Riley waved a hand in Josh’s face. “Earth to Josh.”
Rubbing a temple, he braked in traffic.
Riley reached over the console and squeezed his thigh.
Instantly, the blood rushed through him, almost kick-starting his heart. The woman was no doubt bringing out feelings in him that he hadn’t experienced in years. While it felt good to have someone comforting him, Josh took a breath. Part of him wanted to capitalize on her actions and kiss her, as in really and truly kiss her. They’d been interrupted when he had attempted to earlier that day.
But he was driving, and they had more pressing matters in front of them too. Josh needed to take a step back and reel in his feelings. Otherwise, he would ask her to marry him before she even left the state.
So he covered her hand with his and grinned. “It’s great to have you here. I wish the situation was better, though.”
She withdrew her hand and dragged her soft fingers down his rough jaw. Josh wasn’t one to grow in a beard quickly, but he had the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow.
“I try to look on the bright side of things. Maybe we were destined to be in this position.” Her voice sounded as silky as her skin felt.
Charlie perked up in the back seat as though he were alerting Josh to her voice. But Riley was on Josh’s right, and they were confined in a small space. So he had no problem with hearing. It felt as though he would be tuned in to her even if he couldn’t hear her.
Riley abandoned Josh for Charlie. “We’re almost there, boy.”
He licked her hand. Suddenly, Josh wanted to be Charlie. He wanted Riley to run her hands through his hair like that. Then a laugh broke out in Josh’s head. He was jealous of his dog.
Traffic crawled.
“I’m praying Liza is cleaning up her apartment,” Josh said more to himself and to break the spell Riley had him under. Despite that, he’d been praying all day that Liza would return his call since he’d left about a hundred messages. He wasn’t exaggerating either. Among Drake, Riley, and Josh, they’d called her repeatedly.
Riley flopped back against the passenger seat of her rental car that had the lingering new-leather scent. A stray black hair came undone from the updo she was sporting. Her pink-colored blush makeup was swept across her cheeks perfectly, giving her a soft glow. She had the perfect profile—round chin, small nose, and high cheekbones.
Traffic started moving faster as they approached the Golden Gate Bridge.
Riley tapped on her phone. “I’m calling Taylor.” After a second, Riley said, “Taylor, please.” Another beat of silence followed. “The line goes straight to her voice mail. I think Taylor isn’t telling us something.”
“What makes you think that?” Josh had known Taylor since Liza hired her about six months ago. She seemed like a good person—honest, dedicated, and professional.
“During our conversation with her, I found it odd when she said, ‘I shouldn’t be telling you this.’ Then she proceeded to tell us about the two men. Why would that be a secret? Did those men threaten Liza or Taylor or both of them? And she looked around as though someone was watching her. I think Liza was in a meeting with those men and not an important client like she had Taylor tell me. And remember, those men were from Boston. They have to be Moretti’s men.”
Josh leaned his elbow on the middle console. “So you think Liza lied to us? And if you’re right about Moretti’s men, then Taylor could be in danger too.” Josh didn’t know a whole lot about the mafia world. What he did know was that eliminating a person was their way of dealing with anyone who threatened or compromised their organization.
“I think Liza didn’t want to worry us,” Riley said.
Or maybe she’d had a gun to her head when she’d called. She hadn’t sounded like herself when Josh had talked to her.
