THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

about those coins she was searching for? Was she at the marina, going through his boat now?
    His phone lit up with a text. He thumbed the button for the display and read: High Vision will no longer need your services.
    What the hell? He punched the numbers for the dispatcher. When Sammy answered, Zane demanded, “What’s going on? I flew through a tropical depression to be here on time. No one’s shown with the shipment.”
    “You should have received a text.”
    “I got some bullshit message about not needing my services. What’s with that?”
    “I don’t know. I only coordinate shipments.”
    “Oh, come on, Sammy. I’ve been working with you for months. I’ve gone above and beyond. Tell me something, dammit.”
    Sammy’s low grumble came through the lines. “Okay, but I’m not at liberty to say much and even if I could, I don’t know squat. From what I hear, local authorities and harbor patrol are all over the ship and our containers.”
    What. The. Hell? Wouldn’t Ben and Vance know about this? Zane wasn’t hanging up without clarification on not needing his services.
    Just today or not anymore?
    Sammy cut into his thoughts. “I hear the front blowing into Miami is picking up steam. You may want to get rolling or find somewhere to hole up overnight. From the weather report I got, I doubt anyone can fly back in this mess.”
    Zane didn’t want a weather report and knew when he was getting blown off. “Is High Vision cutting me loose?”
    The silence that answered Zane churned the nausea building in his gut.
    Sammy finally said, “All I know is High Vision goes apeshit over anything like this. There’ll be an internal investigation and only a few people even knew about this shipment today. Shit runs downhill and right now you’re at the low end of the pipeline. Don’t call the office. If they want anything, they’ll call you.”
    In other words, yes, you are cut loose, Zane.
    Shit! He pulled back his foot to kick the cheap wall paneling and stopped before he destroyed someone else’s property. “Gotta go,” Sammy said and the line died.
    Zane pulled the phone away and stared at it. All his hard work, all the insane flying and sacrifices he’d made to get this contract just did a nosedive into the sewer.
    He clutched his forehead, trying to hold back the headache wanting to explode. What the hell had happened? Fuck it . He was not staying here another minute.
    Screw the weather.
    He headed for his airplane. His cell phone rang. The ID was his home phone number. Maybe Trish was still asleep and Angel had been in the shower.
    Relief took the edge off his frustration, but he still couldn’t help his rough tone. “Angel?”
    “No, it’s Heidi. I’m at your apartment. We’ve got a problem.”  Her frantic voice made that clear.
    “Why? What’s wrong?”  Fear hammered his chest, his mind jumping to every bad scenario possible.
    “When I got here, your front door was wide open and nobody’s here.”
    “Nobody?” he shouted. He hadn’t considered that scenario.
    “No. I forgot to leave the answering machine on. I don’t know where Trish is, but she said she’d lost her bus pass last night.”  Heidi’s normally high-pitched, calm voice reached the squeaky stage when she got upset. “Your front door and patio doors were wide open.”
    “Listen to me, Heidi.” He started running to his Titan. “I’m on my way back from Jacksonville right now. Get out of the apartment.”
    “Do you want me to call the police?”
    “No.”  He didn’t want anyone there until he’d had a chance to check it out himself before anyone contaminated the scene. The police might not agree, but they would only look at it like a break-in at this point. They wouldn’t go after Trish or Angel for twenty-four hours.
    Heidi argued, “I don’t want to leave in case Trish comes back. I’m worried about her.”
    “I am, too, but until I get there and figure out what happened, I don’t want you in the apartment. It might not be safe. If you want to wait, stay in your car. Leave immediately if anyone strange shows up. Got it?” 
    “Okay. I’ll wait outside until you get here.”
    His worst nightmare had come to life.
     
    Chapter 38
     
    Air. Angel needed air. Her chest wouldn’t expand for a simple breath. She was going to suffocate.
    She could hear a deep rumbling noise. Thunder. Her clothes hung heavy on her body, soaked. She opened one eye.
    Black pavement shined under a veil of water. She