The Chase

“I doubt my explanation about the dynamics actually sank in when we were in the back of River’s truck with our hands all over her. We need to break it down.”

Beck rolled his eyes. “You mean before Raine fills in more blanks?”

“Oh, god. Those two together scare me.”

“Hammer and Liam’s little princess is a bad influence,” Beck agreed. “But Heavenly has to understand all we’re asking of her. Yes, we mesh great sexually…”

“But last night proved that adding more of the dynamics would seriously make the sex even more mind-blowing.”

“I can’t imagine how that’s possible, but you’re right.”

Seth nodded wryly. “Funny. A few weeks ago, we were doing everything possible not to share her.”

“A few weeks ago, we were dipshits who didn’t know what we were missing.”

“True that.” Seth held out his fist.

As Beck bumped it, their cell phones chimed in tandem. Both men plucked their devices off the counter and opened the text from Heavenly. Beck smiled when he saw the picture of a sign that read i-405 south.

“Check and see exactly where on the freeway, man.”

With a tap, Seth refreshed the screen. “She’s just passed John Wayne Airport.”

Beck stood. “She’s making decent time. She must not have hit too much traffic.”

“I know we promised her a two-hour head start, but it’s been almost ninety minutes. That’s close enough.”

His impatience would have been funny if Beck wasn’t feeling it, too. “Yeah. But there’s a store I’d like to hit before we leave the city. If we’re going to spend a whole week with our girl, we should be prepared.”

“You’re not out of condoms, so what kind of preparedness did you have in mind, boy scout?” Seth looked intrigued.

“Grab your suitcase. I’ll show you.”

Thirty minutes later, he and a smiling Seth hopped back into the SUV with presents for their girl packed up and headed out of the city. Along the way, their phones lit up every half hour with another photo. Five text clues later, it finally looked as if she’d reached some destination.

“What did she send this time?” Seth asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

Beck chuckled. “What the hell? It’s some weird dude with a goofy hat walking around with a map. I know we told her to be creative, but this doesn’t give us much to go on.”

“So she’s somewhere people need a map to navigate. Can you see the map? Or any details?” the PI quizzed.

“No. It looks like one of those fold-up deals you’d get at an amusement park or something.”

“You’ve lived in California the longest. What attractions are so big you’d need a map to find your way around? Or do you just want to pull up the app on my phone?”

“No. Let’s play along for fun. We all agreed last night to spend tonight in San Diego. The only two places I can think of in the area that require a map are Sea World and the zoo. Heavenly loves amusement parks, but I just took her to Disneyland in January. So she’s probably at the zoo.”

“Isn’t this one pretty famous?”

“Yeah. One of the best in the world.”

Seth handed over his phone. “Check and see. If you’re right, I might have to offer you a job.”

Beck brought up the app with a grin. “Yep. She’s at the zoo. How much are you willing to pay me?”

“Not enough.” Seth laughed.

It took longer to reach the zoo than they wanted, but Seth finally pulled into a spot in the crowded lot and cut the engine. “C’mon. Let’s go stalk our girl.”