Reggie rounded on Gunther, his face flushed with anger. "Gunther, why'd you have to go so brutal on poor Rico like that? Who knows what other valuable information he might have let slip if you hadn't beaten him down so viciously."
Gunther remained impassive, unrepentant. "Sotis a gentle touch just doesn't cut it, bro. Rico wasn't playing ball with us, so I had to get a little...persuasive." He cracked his knuckles aningfully.
Randall nodded in solemn agreent. "Much as I hate to admit it, Reggie, Gunther's got a point. Even when I threatened him myself he wouldn't bulge and you know that using our mind skills to force him into talking might yield only the result we wish to hear and not what we need to know. Sotis, taking the kid gloves approach isn't always effective when interrogating tough nuts to crack.
Sotis you gotta apply so...firr thods to get results."
"Exactly," Gunther said. "And we did get what we needed in the end - Rico spilled that Blake was transported to a seaport after our failed jail-rescue incident."
Reggie sighed heavily taking off his hat and running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I suppose you're both right. It's just... annoying to watch things like that go down, you know?" He shook his head. "Anyway, no point bellyaching over it now. We've got a new lead on Blake's location.
Let's get moving to that seaport Rico ntioned, see what else we can dig up."
It was a quick trip over to the docks after flying back to the states. They had left Rico a bloody ss after Gunther beat him to pulp to get all the information they could out.
Rico has claid a woman has promised him freedom from prison and a new life if he and his n could do the job of intercepting a police van taking a prisoner to another jail.
He claid he had rejected it at first but the woman was persuasive and wouldn't take no for an answer. However he was even more motivated when he learned the prisoner was Blake, the sa person with Rose that had led to the downwards spiral of his life.
The three brothers had questioned Rico about the woman's identify but he said he oddly couldn't rember her face or na and all he knew was that she was scary and had an aura of power around her. That description was too vague and couldn't help the brothers so they let him be.
Gunther, Randall, and Reggie began questioning any sailors they could find, pressing them for any information about Blake's whereabouts.
But their interrogations were interrupted by a surprising sight - Tessa, the stubborn journalist that had been a pain in the ass, hurrying down the pier toward a small private boat that was getting ready to depart.
"Well I'll be..." Randall muttered. "What's that girl think she's doing here?"
"You don't suppose she followed ..." Gunther frowned, trailing off aningfully. He was getting mad already that Tessa would have the guts to trail them. He knew she was capable of doing so after all she had singlehandedly brought Rose's identity that was hidden for centuries to the public knowledge.
Reggie shook his head adamantly. "No way, no how. Tessa may be stubborn as a mule, but she's no fool. She wouldn't just up and run away like this. I think she knows sothing. Look at her body language, she looks anxious.
"
The three brothers watched as Tessa boarded the boat, then exchanged a puzzled look. Just what was she up to now?
*********************
Onboard, Tessa engaged the scruffy, weathered sailor at the helm in friendly conversation. "So Jordan, right? This island we're headed to - what can you tell about it?"
The sailor, Jordan, shrugged nonchalantly. "Not much to tell, lady. It's a small private island, owned by so rich broad who runs one of them fancy resort getaways for well-to-do folks."
Tessa nodded, maintaining her facade of nonchalance. "A resort, eh? Well, a relaxing vacation is just what I could use right about now."
She was lying through her teeth, of course. In truth, Tessa knew this island had been her father's last known location before he died. He went alongside several of his employees from Shelley Tech. She intended to snoop around, hunt for any clues that could shed light on his death.
After a few hours' journey, the boat arrived at the picturesque island. Jordan helped Tessa gather her belongings and guided her inland, to where the sprawling resort buildings were situated.
"Not too many guests this ti of year. They all wait till after the eclipse. You're in luck, co any later than this and no boat would agree to bring you here. The eclipse is in few days ti," he remarked as they passed through ticulously landscaped grounds utterly devoid of people. "Just you, , and the owner - a real reclusive type. Loaded though, owns this whole island."
'An eclipse?' Tessa thought but barely had enough ti to ponder on it before Jordan went on to give her so more details.
Indeed, the resort itself looked like an ultra-luxurious paradise - elegant villas nestled along pristine beaches, a world-class spa and dining facilities, perfectly manicured gardens and anities. But there didn't seem to be another guest in sight besides Tessa.
"The owner still around?" Tessa asked innocently. "I'd love for you to introduce , if that's possible?"
Jordan gave a wheezy chuckle. "Sure thing, missy. Let just find where that ornery lady's hidin' out..." He tipped his cap and headed off, leaving Tessa to get settled in the interim.
However, Jordan didn't get very far before running into the hulking, intimidating figure of Drake prowling the grounds. The brutish man blocked Jordan's path, squinting at him suspiciously.
"You...what're you doing wandering about?" Drake demanded gruffly. "Didn't realize we had any new guests check in."
Jordan shifted nervously under the larger man's intense glare. "Uh, yeah...got a young lady wanting a room for a few nights back at the other end of the beach resort that's all. I was just gonna go fetch the owner, get her properly squared away."
Instead of responding, Drake simply stared Jordan down for an uncomfortably long mont. Then, in an oddly calm yet deeply unsettling way, he said "Follow ."
Confused but sensing he shouldn't argue, Jordan ekly fell into step behind Drake. The two n walked in silence, Jordan throwing a couple confused glances over his shoulder in the direction he'd left Tessa.
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