Page 57 of Finding Carly
While Jag, and everyone else on the team, was frustrated, he knew Baker wouldn’t give up until he’d foundsomething.
In the meantime, he and Carly were trying to live their lives as normally as possible. Kenna had decided they were having another girls’ night in next weekend, and Jag was pleased to see that Carly was honestly looking forward to it.
He pulled into the parking garage, making sure to find a space near the stairwell. Even though they hadn’t discovered who was working with Keyes, he wasn’t going to take any chances by having to walk through a garage any farther than they needed to. Sometimes he found a parking spot on the street, and he used a few different parking garages, making sure to change up his route to Duke’s every so often just in case someone was watching Carly. He headed down the stairs and onto the crowded sidewalks of Waikiki.
He kept his eye out for anything or anyone who looked out of place, who could be a danger. All he saw were tourists…until he happened to glance down the alley that housed the international market. It used to be an entire block wide, but after a developer bought the space to build a high-rise, the vendors were forced into the narrow alleyway.
A man was leaning against a wall smoking a cigarette. He wasn’t holding a shopping bag, and his gaze was locked on the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort across the street. Which was the hotel where Duke’s was located.
But it wasn’t just any man. Jag had studied the pictures of the people Baker was investigating, and he knew without a doubt the man attempting to blend in with the tourists, and failing, was none other than Eddie Evans. Shawn’s neighbor.
Scowling, Jag turned in Eddie’s direction, but at that moment, the man finished his cigarette, tossed it to the ground, stepped on it, then turned and strolled away, disappearing into the international market. Jag followed, intent on finding out if the man was watching Carly, or if it was simply a coincidence he was outside her workplace. But as soon as he entered the market, he knew searching for the man would be hopeless. Even though the alleyway wasn’t very large, the number of kiosks set up with tarps and tables filled with tchotchkes provided way too many hiding places for Eddie, and too many places for him to slip away undetected.
Frustrated, but not willing to spend his time on a wild goose chase, possibly giving Eddie a chance to circle around and get to Carly, Jag headed for Duke’s.
Seeing the man was a good reminder that none of them could let their guard down.
Jag walked through the shops on the bottom floor of the hotel and felt a tiny bit better when he didn’t see anyone he recognized as he approached Vera, who was standing at the hostess station.
“Hey,” he said as he approached.
“Hi, Jag!” she replied cheerfully.
He nodded at the perky hostess and headed inside. He’d been here enough now that no one blinked at him walking into the place as if he worked there. He glanced into the dining area and didn’t see Carly or Kenna, so he continued to the kitchen.
He stood silently against the wall just outside, watching Carly without her knowing he was there for just a moment. She looked tired, as if the shift had been a tough one. Her hair was falling out of the ponytail she usually wore it in when she worked, wisps brushing against her cheeks. Her shoulders were slumped as if she was exhausted. She’d been sleeping all right—he should know—so that had to mean she’d had an incredibly busy day.
Kenna looked just as frazzled, and it made Jag worry about them both. Aleck would be there any minute to pick up his wife, and it looked like they both needed a relaxing night. Without wasting any more time, Jag headed in their direction.
“Jag!” Carly gave him a smile as he neared.
“Hey,” he said, reaching out to pull her into him. She came willingly and smiled wider as he lowered his head. He gave her a chaste kiss. He longed to deepen it, but this was her workplace, and the last thing he wanted to do was disrespect her in front of her peers and friends.
For just a moment, Carly leaned into him, giving him her weight. It was another clue that she’d had a tough shift.
“Long day?” he asked.
Carly nodded. “Oh, yeah,” she said with a sigh. “There’s an ironman marathon in town and I swear every athlete, trainer, and family member decided to carbo load here this afternoon. We’ve been slammed from the moment I got here.”
Jag had noticed the large number of people waiting for tables, but he’d been so focused on getting eyes on Carly that it hadn’t really registered.
“I’m sorry I didn’t bring this up earlier,” Kenna said to both of them. “I know it’s my turn to bring leftovers to Food For All, but Robert—you know, the concierge at Coral Springs?—is in the hospital, and I was going to ask Marshall if we could stop by for a quick visit before we head home.”
“Is he all right?” Carly asked in concern, turning to her friend.
Jag kept his hand on her waist as she talked with Kenna, feeling much better now that he saw for himself that she was okay. He had no idea what Eddie was doing down here in Waikiki. It might have been a coincidence that he was hanging out across the street from Duke’s. Making a mental note to talk to Baker tonight about what he’d seen, and find out if Baker could have the man followed just in case, he focused back on the conversation.
“He’s okay. It was some kind of hernia repair surgery. He should be coming home tomorrow, but I thought it would be nice to visit him before he leaves. I’m bringing a hula pie. I figure he can share it with the nurses on his floor.”
“That’s awesome. And of course we can stop by Food For All, right?” Carly said, looking up at Jag.
“It’s not a problem,” he reassured her.
Carly gifted him with another wide smile before turning back to Kenna. “I’ll take care of it.”
“I appreciate it.”
Aleck walked into the kitchen, and Jag saw him immediately recognize that the women were unusually tired.
