Page 125 of Jay Bird

Yet there she was.

He watched Willow get into the Honda and, a minute later, back out of the parking space.

Elias stayed where he was, waiting until she drove toward the exit before letting his gaze shift to Mia’s SUV.

Mia didn’t matter anymore. He had spent three days following her because she might lead him to Willow.

Now that she had, Elias had himself a new tail.

Elias waited until the Honda disappeared onto the road before starting his engine, then pulled out several cars behind her. Distance mattered, especially with military personnel potentially involved, and he had no interest in being noticed.

For the next several miles, he followed without getting close enough for the woman to remember his car. At one point, he let another vehicle move between them, catching sight of the Honda again at the next light. She drove normally, showing no obvious signs of countersurveillance.

When the vehicle eventually turned toward a gated residential community, Elias continued straight. He didn’t slow down or even glance toward the entrance. Only after driving several blocks did he pull into a convenience-store parking lot.

He grabbed his phone, opened the encrypted messaging app, and attached three photographs.

The first showed the woman standing beside Mia Watson, the second captured her face in profile, and the third showed the Honda she had driven away in.

He typed a message to Liu.

Elias: Got a match on your target. She works at the Watson’s veterinary clinic. She drove into a gated community on the north side of Virginia Beach. Need confirmation before further action.

He sent it, and the reply came in less than a minute.

Liu: Do not approach. Stay on her. Find out where she goes and who she’s with.

Elias stared at the message for a long moment before looking toward the road that led back to the gated community.

Whoever this woman was, she was important. In all the years Elias had taken jobs from Chen and his people, he had never seen them exercise this much patience over one person. Usually, Chen wanted problems handled quickly and quietly. But this woman?

Chen didn’t want her handled. He wanted her watched. And Elias had the distinct feeling that whatever Chen wanted with Willow, finding her was only the beginning.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The morning sun stretched across the tiled patio behind Chen’s Italian villa, reflecting off the surface of the infinity pool and casting shimmering patterns against the pale stone walls. Beyond the sprawling grounds, the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean stretched toward the horizon, while rugged cliffs and clusters of colorful homes dotted the coastline in the distance. It was the kind of breathtaking view people traveled halfway around the world to experience and paid obscene amounts of money to enjoy.

Chen sat beneath the shade of the covered terrace with one ankle resting over the opposite knee, a cup of strong black coffee beside him and a tablet balanced in his hand. The estate was quiet at this hour, aside from the occasional footsteps of his security personnel patrolling the perimeter and the soft trickle of water from the fountain near the gardens. It was peaceful, almost picturesque, a stark contrast to the information displayed on the screen in front of him.

Eleven women had arrived two days earlier. The shipment had been smaller than originally promised, which irritated him, but the quality made up for some of the loss. Most were young and healthy, and several had already drawn interest from buyers after preliminary photographs had circulated. Others would need time to become compliant enough to be moved.

Chen scrolled through the files with detached interest, reviewing their ages, nationalities, medical reports, and potential buyers. They had assigned each woman a number until her placement was finalized. He preferred it that way. Names encouraged familiarity, and familiarity had no place in business.

At least, that was what he had always believed.

His thumb stopped moving across the screen as his thoughts drifted to the one woman who had somehow managed to become the exception—Willow.

Even after months without a single confirmed sighting of her, she continued to occupy far more of his thoughts than he cared to admit.

Even now, just thinking about her made his jaw tighten. Willow needed to be punished.

He had spent the past few weeks thinking about what he would do when he finally found her, and killing her had never been part of the plan. Death would be too easy. Willow needed to understand what her betrayal had cost her and that the freedom she had stolen had never truly belonged to her in the first place.

Most importantly, she needed to understand that no one humiliated him and just walked away.

The sound of footsteps coming from inside the house pulled Chen’s attention away from the tablet, although he didn’t bother turning around.

“You’re interrupting my breakfast, Liu.”