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. "Sometimes 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 meaningfully.
Randall nodded in solemn agreement. "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. Sometimes, taking the kid gloves approach isn't always effective when interrogating tough nuts to crack.
Sometimes you gotta apply some...firmer methods 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 mentioned, 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 mess after Gunther beat him to pulp to get all the information they could out.
Rico has claimed a woman has promised him freedom from prison and a new life if he and his men could do the job of intercepting a police van taking a prisoner to another jail.
He claimed 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 same 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 remember her face or name 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.
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 time of year. They all wait till after the eclipse. You're in luck, come any later than this and no boat would agree to bring you here. The eclipse is in few days time," he remarked as they passed through meticulously landscaped grounds utterly devoid of people. "Just you, me, and the owner - a real reclusive type. Loaded though, owns this whole island."
'An eclipse?' Tessa thought but barely had enough time to ponder on it before Jordan went on to give her some 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 amenities. 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 me, if that's possible?"
Jordan gave a wheezy chuckle. "Sure thing, missy. Let me 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 moment. Then, in an oddly calm yet deeply unsettling way, he said "Follow me."
Confused but sensing he shouldn't argue, Jordan meekly fell into step behind Drake. The two men walked in silence, Jordan throwing a couple confused glances over his shoulder in the direction he'd left Tessa.