Page 126 of Jay Bird

“I think you’ll forgive me.”

There was something in Liu’s voice that immediately caught Chen’s attention. He looked over his shoulder and watched his head of security step onto the patio with a phone in his hand. Liu’s expression gave little away, but after seven years of working together, Chen knew the man well enough to recognize the subtle tension in his face.

Chen set the tablet aside. “What happened?”

“We heard from Elias.”

Chen’s fingers stopped just short of his coffee cup.

“The one keeping an eye on things in Virginia Beach?”

“Yes.”

“And?” Chen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Liu crossed the patio and placed the phone on the table before sliding it toward him.

“We may have found her.”

For several seconds, Chen stared at him. Then he reached for the phone.

Three photographs were attached to Elias’s message, and the first showed three women standing outside a veterinary clinic. Chen enlarged the image, his attention immediately settling on the woman standing between the other two.

His pulse quickened as he took in her features. Her hair was longer, falling differently around her face, and she had regained some of the weight she had lost during the months before her escape. Her cheeks had more color, too, and even through a photograph he could tell she looked healthier.

But there was no question in his mind. “That’s her.”

“Elias believes it’s a strong possibility, but he hasn’t been able to confirm.”

“I don’t need him to confirm it.” Chen enlarged the photograph even more. “I know what Willow looks like.”

Liu remained quiet as Chen swiped to the second photograph. This one showed Willow in profile, and whatever small shred of doubt might have existed disappeared completely. It was her.

After months of searching, she was finally right there in front of him.

Chen moved to the third photograph, which showed the vehicle she had climbed into after leaving the clinic.

“Where did she go?”

“Elias followed her after she left work. She eventually drove into a gated residential community on the north side of Virginia Beach, but he didn’t attempt to follow her inside.”

Chen looked up sharply before giving a slow nod. “Good.”

Liu seemed mildly surprised by his response.

“You agree with that decision?”

“Of course I agree. I didn’t hire Elias because he’s an idiot.” Chen handed the phone back before reaching for his coffee. “We already know there’s a military connection in Virginia Beach. The last thing I need is some fool drawing attention to himself by tailgating Willow through a security gate.”

Liu pulled out the chair across from him and sat.

“It appears that Willow is working at the veterinary clinic belonging to Mia. We also confirmed that Riley’s fiancé is also a Navy SEAL.”

Chen leaned back in his chair as the pieces began fitting together.

He hadn’t forgotten the operation that had nearly dismantled a significant portion of his network months earlier. Officially, information surrounding the raid had remained limited, but Chen had enough contacts to hear rumors about specialized military involvement. Navy SEALs had been mentioned more than once, although he had never been able to confirm it.

Now those rumors didn’t seem nearly as unlikely.