“Crazy, right?” JD muttered.
“You want a beer?” Travis asked.
“Not right now,” I said. “Thank you. Got any bleach handy?”
“I’m sure there’s some in the kitchen.”
Jack closed the garage door, and we stepped inside. Two half-naked hotties reclined on the couch watching TV.
Travis introduced us. “Serenity, Crystal, this is Tyson and JD.”
We smiled and waved. They smiled and waved.
“God, I love being single,” Travis said.
In the kitchen, I found some bleach under the sink. I grabbed a pair of kitchen gloves and a roll of paper towels, then headed back out to the van. I wanted to keep it handy when the time came to dump the vehicle. We could burn or bleach it to remove trace evidence. I’d worn gloves and the balaclava, but an eyelash, a stray hair, or sometimes a few skin cells would be enough to put you behind bars. Why take any chances?
I grabbed a half-full gas can from the garage and set it on the floorboard on the passenger side, just in case we needed to burn the damn thing.
Jack asked me in a hushed voice, “How do you want to play this?”
“Stay here with the van. I’ll go back to theAvventura, check on the guys, and wait to hear from the kidnappers.”
“Travis can look after the van,” JD said.
“No offense, but it’s $150 million dollars. You’re the only one I trust to look after the van.”
Jack nodded in agreement. He said to Travis, “We were never here. None of this ever happened.”
Travis gave Jack a mock salute. “Affirmative.”
Jack gave me the keys to the Porsche, and I hustled down the driveway to the car. I climbed in and fired up the flat six. I put the car into gear and backed out of the driveway.
JD and Travis waved.
I didn’t feel too bad about stealing the thugs’ van. I didn’t feel bad at all. Those clowns had sealed us in crypts and stolen $150 million from us. The van was asshole tax.
I hurried back to Diver Down and parked by the dock. I hopped out and locked the Porsche, then jogged to theAvventuraand boarded the boat.
Buddy greeted me as usual. After petting him, I set out to find Flynn and Mickey. They chilled on the sky deck, coming down from their high. Mickey sobbed, and Flynn tried to console him.
“I’m such an asshole,” Mickey said. “I’ve been so selfish. My daughter’s going to die because of it.”
“She’s not going to die,” Flynn assured. “How many things have gone wrong already? Yet we’re still here. Everything’s going to work out. You just have to believe.” Then he added, “Plus, we’ve got the dynamic duo. If anybody can get your daughter back safely, it’s Tyson and JD.”
I joined them with a smile and said, “We got it.”
Flynn’s eyes widened with disbelief. “You got the money back?”
I nodded.
Flynn smiled, grabbed Mickey’s shoulder, and shook him. “See! I told you. You just gotta ride that wave.” He howled, “Woo-hoo!”
“Any word from the kidnappers?” I asked.
Mickey showed me the text.[Go to the lighthouse. In the dispenser for the Coconut Times, there is a burner phone taped to the ceiling. Find the phone. Await instructions. Come alone. No cops. No backup. If you’re followed, Kendra dies.]
They were going to bounce us around from location to location. It would keep us from setting an ambush and let them know if we were being followed.
