Page 37 of Protecting Kelli
Mark’s eyes widened as his manager left him with the group of six angry-looking Americans without a second glance.
Safe turned a chair around and motioned to it. “Sit,” he told Mark.
Nervously, the young man did as ordered.
“Tell us everything about the group of men and women you drove back to their resort yesterday. Don’t leave anything out,” Kevlar said.
“Um, I was waiting for the group at the pick-up point. They were all laughing. Seemed to be in good moods.”
“How many?” Safe asked.
“Eight.”
“But you knew there were ten in the group, right?” Preacher asked.
They were all standing around Mark, intimidating the hell out of him, but Kevlar didn’t care. Neither did the others. They were purposely attempting to put the teenager at a disadvantage.
“Of course. I asked one of the men where the other two were, and he didn’t know.”
“So you left?” Safe asked in disbelief.
“I suggested we wait, but no one wanted to. They were hungry and thirsty, and one of the women said they had some sort of going-away party that evening, and theywanted to get back to the resort so they could change and meet at the bar.”
Kevlar was disgusted but not really surprised. From everything he’d heard about the men and the women, except for maybe the bride- and groom-to-be, they’d had only one thing on their minds…sex.
Okay, two things…sex and alcohol.
“It wasn’t a huge deal! Errol was there, and he stayed to take the other two back to the resort when they got off the river,” Mark said hurriedly, as if realizing the men around him were one second away from losing their shit.
“Errol?” Kevlar asked, standing up straighter. “Where is he?”
Mark shook his head quickly. “I don’t know. He was supposed to work today but hasn’t shown up yet.”
“How long has he worked here?” Blink asked.
Mark looked terrified. “He’s new. A few weeks maybe?”
“Do you know him?”
“How old is he?”
“What’s his last name?”
The questions were coming fast and furious, and it was obvious that Mark was shutting down in fear.
Kevlar held up a hand, stopping his friends’ questions.
“Thank you, Mark. You’ve been very helpful. My friends and I are going to get your information from your boss—you know…address, family, things like that—so if we have further questions we can find you. Is there anything else you want to tell us? Anything you haven’t already said? Anything that will help us find our missing friend?”
“No,” Mark said, shaking his head almost violently.
It was obvious he got the message Kevlar wasn’t toosubtle in sending. That they could find him at any time, and if he’d lied about anything, it wouldn’t go well for him.
“You can go. But in the future, I’d advise you to make sure that all members of a tubing party are accounted for, andneverleave anyone behind again.”
“Yes, I will do that. Of course. Good idea. Thank you! Yes. All right.” He was tripping over his words, trying to appease his interrogators.
“Leave,” Smiley said, opening the door.
