She would have preferred Steve with her, but he hadn’t answered her calls. Nor had he returned her text messages. Ian in St. Louis wasn’t helpful, either. Regina had no choice but to board her private airplane and fly down there. I hate not being kept in the loop.
She finally arrived at Ian’s office, a rundown mechanic’s shop that served as the front for their high-tech operation. St. Louis served as their operations hub for most of the U.S. and parts of Mexico. The office itself was staffed by Ian and two of his longtime employees. Everyone else worked remotely. Good thing we own shipping companies and some low budget airlines. In the age of technology, it was the only way to make sure goods and merchandise could be transported without nosy governments figuring it out.
“Mrs. Praeda.” Ian startled as she walked in. Ian was about her age, had been with Praeda Inc. for as long as she could remember. My brother hired him as a bodyguard. And Regina understood why. Even at nearly sixty years old, Ian was tall, muscular, wiry.
She stared at him. “Don’t act surprised. Did you think I’ll let you placate me with stupid lines like ‘he’s busy’?” She glanced around the mechanic’s floor. “Where are they?”
Ian exhaled and crossed his arms. “I don’t know.”
“Wat is that supposed to mean?”
Ian shrugged. “They argued, Steve went off to make a call, I’m guessing to you, and Mark left. I thought he’d just gone out to get some air, but by the time Steve came back, Mark had taken his phone and was gone.”
Regina scolded Ian. “The BMW has a tracker, activate it.”
Ian shook his head. “He didn’t take the BMW. Or his business phone. He must have called a ride.”
“Is Steve out to find him?”
Ian blushed. “No, Ma’am; he cursed, took one of our cars and left. Haven’t heard from him since. We’ve been scrubbing everything, waiting to hear what’s next.” He ran his hand over his cheeks. “What do you want me to do?”
Regina thought for a moment. “Nothing.” She pulled her phone out. “If Mark doesn’t return within a week, take the car apart and use the parts.” Her phone beeped as she dialed her pilot. “I’ll be taking a vacation.”
She nodded to Ian, turned around and walked out.
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