“No, I’m fine.” Her nerves returned. He had always had that effect on her. She crossed her legs. Chase’s whiskey-brown eyes followed the movement of her skirt hem, his gaze sliding over her bare thighs. She tugged the skirt down, surprised he had noticed.
“What can I do for you, Harper?”
She steeled herself. She had to convince him. Her brother’s life could very well depend on it.
“I need your help, Chase. Mikey’s missing. I’m afraid something terrible has happened to him.”
“Missing? Are you sure? How long has he been gone?”
“Today’s the fifth day. Almost a week without a word.”
“As I recall, it wasn’t unlike Michael to disappear for several weeks at a time. He always turned up sooner or later.”
“He isn’t the same man he used to be. Michael doesn’t do drugs anymore. He hasn’t for nearly five years. He turned his life around, moved to Houston and started his own tech company. He was doing really well before he disappeared.”
“What happened?”
“Remember how he loved to sail?”
“I remember. We went out on your dad’s yacht a few times when we were in college.”
“Michael always loved the ocean. Last year he bought a forty-two-foot Beneteau. This year, he took a month off to sail the Caribbean.”
“That’s where he was the last time you heard from him?”
“That’s right. He would email or text every day or two, letting me know where he was and where he was going. He had a satellite phone and internet on the boat.” Her chest was beginning to ache. She was so worried about him.
“Everything was fine. He was having a wonderful time. Then five days ago, I stopped hearing from him. No emails, no texts. Nothing. I’ve called his cell phone over and over, but the calls go straight to voice mail.” She swallowed past the lump that was forming in her throat. “I know he’s in trouble. I can feel it.”
“You could be wrong, Harper.”
She pulled herself back under control. “I’m not wrong. I know my brother. After he moved to Houston, we got really close. We made a deal before he left. I was worried about him going on a trip like that by himself. He promised he would get in touch every few days so I wouldn’t worry. He would never go this long without letting me know he was okay.”
“You think he could have had some kind of trouble at sea? Some problem with the boat?”
“No. He is a fantastic sailor. I think it’s something else. But I called the authorities in Aruba and reported him missing. I called the US Coast Guard and asked them to look for the boat. Apparently, they weren’t able to make radio contact, but they said sometimes that happens.”
“What about the hospitals? Maybe he was in a car accident onshore or something.”
“I called everywhere. Even the morgue.” A chill swept through her at the memory of the dreaded phone call she had forced herself to make.
Chase shifted forward in his chair. “Aruba? That’s where he was the last time you heard from him?”
“That’s right. So far no one’s found any sign of the boat or my brother.”
His dark gaze never wavered. “So you’re here because you want me to find him.”
Not exactly, but close.“I want you to go with me. I’m leaving for Aruba in the morning. I won’t be back till I know for sure Michael is safe.”
Chase eyed her with speculation, then leaned back in his chair, giving himself some time, she figured.
He didn’t want anything to do with the Winstons. He’d never approved of her father’s business tactics. And he believed Knox Winston’s emotional abuse had been the cause of Michael’s addiction.
Chase had done his best to help her brother, but it hadn’t been enough. Not back then. But Michael had finally found the courage to defeat his addiction. Harper prayed Chase would be willing to help him again.
“All right, I’ll go after him,” Chase finally agreed. “But I go alone, Harper. I’m a private investigator. That’s what I do for a living. I’ll find Michael for you. There’s no reason for you to get involved.”
She shook her head. “I knew that’s what you’d say, and I understand your feelings. But I won’t sit here and do nothing. Not when I know Michael is in trouble.” She had only one brother. Her mother was dead. She and her father rarely spoke. She couldn’t lose Michael, too.
