Page 55 of Riptide

“It’s not negotiable,” she replied, fire in her eyes.

“Look I know you’re friends with Garrett, but we’re going to talk to her one way or another, which could probably tip them both off. But if Evan’s alive, this is the time to find him. And Magic, Joli, whatever her name is, may know something.”

A pregnant pause filled the air as several seconds of silence lingered. A loud sigh from Marcus signaled his decision.

“You’ve got yourself a deal. But the conversations need to be short and sweet. From what we can tell, Adam is going to his momma’s house in Portland tonight but there’s nothing to stop him from hopping a plane back if he gets wind. There’ll be eyes in the club watching her.”

“It’s done then.” Seth turned to Marcus. “What’s the theme?”

“I’m sorry, what theme?” Kaimana asked.

“It’s glo night. They’ve got it running every Thursday. Which is good because disguising you all will be easier.”

“We’ve got this.” Seth glanced at Kaimana.

“They have pictures of me. They’ll know who Seth is too,” she told Marcus.

“A lot of people wear wigs on glo night. Between that and a mask we should be good.”

“This will only be the third time I’ve met her,” Kaimana said. “She won’t know who I am in disguise. Even the last time, I had to remind her who I was.”

“Magic usually sits at the bar and is easy to find. From what we can tell, she’s not mingling in crowds. She sits and waits for an unsuspecting couple to come along. Like a Venus Flytrap,” Marcus explained. “The club is dark and there’s a lot of people. It’ll be loud. There are alcoves along the wall that will give you some privacy.”

“Got it.” Seth gently squeezed Kaimana’s hand. “We’ll get in and get out.”

She nodded. “We can do this. We have to. We need her help.”

“Okay.” Marcus stood and blew out a breath. “We’ve got outfits for you. There’s a suite upstairs for you both to change. I’d advise you to skip the jet tonight and stay here.”

“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want to stay here tonight,” Kaimana told him.

“I think you’ll both be safer here,” Marcus replied.

“Yeah, no. I’m kind of with Kaimana on this one. We’ve got a flight out of Burbank tomorrow morning to Maui.”

“I can get a couple of guys on you tonight. But once you get to Oʻahu, you’re going to have to keep things on the down low. We’ve got a safe house in Kapolei. You can stay there until the raid is over.”

“We’re good in Maui,” Seth insisted. “I’ve got my own security system and weapons at the house if we need them. We’ll stay there until the auction and copter over to Oʻahu when it’s time.”

Kaimana locked eyes with Marcus. “No offense, but I just met you. I get you’re Garrett’s friend. Evan’s friend, so you say, but I don’t trust anyone. Not you. Not even the FBI. I’m not staying in some safehouse while you guys raid the auction. No. I can’t risk it. I’m going to find Evan.”

“We’ll find him,” Seth corrected. No way in hell was he letting her out of his sight. “Kaimana, I know you want to find Evan but you’re not going to rush into wherever this auction is being held. You’ll get yourself killed.”

“No I won’t. Not if I’m prepared. I was in the military. I have a license to carry.” She shook her head. “No, neither one of you is going to keep me out of this.”

“We’ll discuss it later.” Marcus changed the subject. “Let’s just focus on getting through tonight and getting Magic on board. We’ll have eyes on you at all times. You sure you’re up for this?”

“We’ll be fine. Like you said. You’ll be watching. If anything goes down, you’ve got us,” Seth told him.

“How much time have we got before we go?” Kaimana asked.

“Two hours. Your room is the first at the top of the stairs. Agent Martin put everything you’ll need in there.” Marcus leaned forward resting his forearms on his knees. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “I’ve got one more request.”

“Lay it on us,” Seth replied.

“The matchbox cover. I’d like to see it. Garrett said the handwriting is Evan’s but we should run it just to be sure.”

“Okay.” Kaimana dug into her purse and retrieved the worn piece of paper. She glanced at Seth and then handed it to Marcus.