“I know it. It has a seaport.”
Back in the car, A.J. looked over at her. “You think he’s trucked the guns to this place to ship them out?”
“Possibly. I don’t like the trashed apartment. It suggests that someone else is looking for him and they’re not very friendly.”
“All the more reason to get going. How long?”
“It’s a three-hour drive, so buckle up.” She picked up her radio again and requested that the Mexico police detain the vehicle and the driver of the U-Haul.
* * *
It was much later by the time they pulled into the sleepy little town of Guaymas-San Carlos. Just as eager to get there as he was, Sienna had floored it, using her siren all the way. The radio had crackled around four o’clock that the Mexican police had found the truck and the driver. The address they gave was a hotel on the beach.
A.J. glanced at her as she pulled up to the quaint structure. He was out of the car almost before they stopped.
She was close on his heels as they approached the vehicle. The driver was sitting on the veranda of the hotel, a tan-shirted police officer close by. When A.J. reached them, the driver raised his head.
“That’s not my brother.” The relief he felt was short-lived. If David wasn’t here, where was he?
“What the hell is going on!” the driver demanded.
“SDPD,” Sienna said, flashing her badge.
“Not again. Don’t you people talk to each other?”
“What do you mean?” Sienna asked.
“I was already bothered by another cop.”
“From San Diego?” Sienna asked.
“Yeah. He was looking for someone named Buckner. He was quite insistent. I told him I didn’t know the guy.”
Sienna pulled out David’s picture. “Was this man at the U-Haul rental place when you were picking up your truck?”
The man studied the picture for a moment. “Yeah. He was hovering around the counter when I was signing up for my truck. Asked me if I’d seen his keys.”
“He switched plates,” A. J. said quietly.
“I just need to take down your information in case I have to contact you.”
A.J. walked toward the beach. He stood there watching the water roll to shore. The adrenaline in his system buzzed and he took a deep breath.
Sienna walked up to him and stood close.
“I had half an idea to disarm both of you and the cop and get my brother out of there.”
Sienna turned toward him. “When did you change your mind?”
“When I realized that it was irrational, stupid, and the reaction of a protective brother, not the honorable actions of a Navy SEAL.”
Sienna stared out at the ocean. “It’s hard to separate the two. If David means as much to you as my sister means to me, I know how you feel.”
“Do you find it hard to separate your cop role from your personal life?”
Sienna winced. “Yes, I do. I’ve missed my dress fitting for my sister’s wedding three times. I was so proud and happy when she asked me to be in her wedding. I really want to go.”
“Did she understand?”