Chapter Twelve
With iPad in hand, Eric sat down at the table on the patio. He was alone at the moment, which gave him a little time to read some e-mails.
The weather was unseasonably warm for this time of day in May. Seventy-three degrees. That must’ve been the reason Gretchen had set up breakfast outside. The table was filled with the meal he and Scott had enjoyed from time to time from her since they were kids, even before the accident that had taken the lives of their parents.
Gretchen called her breakfast special a two-courser, but it could’ve been at least ten, and probably was as far as he was concerned, though the entire meal was already set up in a single serving.
Gretchen’s first course consisted of fresh-squeezed orange juice and some fresh fruit, today’s being sliced strawberries and bananas. He’d learned long ago not to move on to the other items until he’d sampled from number one. Back whenever he did risk a nibble beyond one, her disapproving frown had set him straight.
Course two was the jewel of the meal, a feast of sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, hash browns, and toast with marmalade. Of course, no Gretchen meal was complete without tea.
Megan was still upstairs getting ready for her first day at TBK. Gretchen was with her. Scott should be down shortly.
Eric drank some of his tea and looked at his messages on the iPad. The first was from the technician here in Destiny he’d given Megan’s computer and modem to. The kid was young and had been thrilled to be put on a top-secret project for Eric and Scott. The man didn’t require many details before diving in, which suited them just fine. Still the tech had nothing useful to report as of his last email.
Eric didn’t open the messages from any of the TBK executives, instead deciding to open Dylan’s message first. The subject line was too intriguing not to.
“Found K. L.”
Kip Lunceford. Dylan had been pulling strings and calling in favors for months to try to locate where the government was keeping him. Had it finally paid off? There was more in Dylan’s message that didn’t relate to Kip. Vicky was missing with no explanation. She’d been absent from work without so much as a phone call. That wasn’t like her. How in the hell had Kip gotten his claws into Vicky? Who was Eric to judge? The bastard had done the same to him and Scott long ago.
Scott walked out onto the patio, his own iPad under his arm. “Gretchen’s done it again. I think this is for Megan more than for us.”
“I agree. She hasn’t made an English breakfast for us in over a month.” He reread the e-mail from Dylan. “Got some news here.”
“What?”
“Dylan sent you and I an encrypted e-mail. He’s found Kip.”
“Damn he’s good.” Scott sat and clicked on his iPad. “Where’s Gretchen?”
“I’m betting she’s with Megan, helping her pick out the perfect outfit for her first day at TBK.”
“I’m sure you’re right. I’m glad they hit it off already.”
“Was there any doubt?”
Scott shook his head, reading the message on his iPad. “The bastard is in a federal correctional facility in Georgia.” Then his brother’s jaw dropped. “Shit, Vicky?”
“I know. We should’ve trusted our instincts about her feelings she’d shown for Kip. It seems she’s still into him.”
“We don’t know that yet. We need proof.”
Eric nodded. “I hope you’re right and there’s a simple explanation for her disappearance. But that’s not like her.”
Scott sighed. “No, it isn’t.”
“I’ll call Josh and head to Kip’s prison after breakfast.”
“No.” Scott kept his nose in his iPad. “You aren’t going, Eric. I am.”
“Why not both of us?”
“The only people I would trust Megan’s safety to are Emmett, Bryant, Cod
y, Sawyer, Reed, Josh, or Dylan. The Stones are busy with their new woman, Amber.”
“Isn’t her name Kathy?”