****
The next morning Boone woke to the smell of breakfast being cooked. He pulled on his jeans over his boxer briefs and sauntered into the kitchen. He was surprised by the way Delilah was dressed. She was wearing one of his white button-down shirts. Boone could see the outline of her signature red lace panties and bra underneath.
Boone stared at Delilah. He was enthralled by her long toned legs. He followed them from her feet to the top of her thighs which were only slightly hidden by his shirt.
“Damn woman,” he muttered. “Are you trying to kill me?”
Delilah said nothing. Boone could not see the smug grin on her face as her back was still towards him. Then she turned to face him. When Boone saw she had only partially buttoned the shirt allowing her more than ample cleavage to be displayed, he sighed and closed his eyes. Boone quickly turned and headed for the shower; a very cold shower. “I have rules you know,” he called back over his shoulder. “And I am going to have to add a few about wearing clothes while cooking.”
Delilah laughed. Yes, she was having fun at Boone’s expense. Yes, she wanted to get him hot and bothered. But Boone had more fortitude than she did. And hers was nearing zero. She was ready for a sexual relationship. She had been for a long time.
While Boone showered, Delilah finished cooking breakfast and dressed. Once they finished eating breakfast, Delilah pulled out her tablet. “Time to look for our next mission,” she announced. “Should we venture out or find something nearby?”
“Bounty or detective work?” Boone asked succinctly.
“I have already searched for bail jumpers and escaped convicts,” Delilah answered. “There is nothing worth getting out of bed for.”
“So detective work,” Boone asked as a statement.
“There are murders, rapists, pedophiles, runaways, drug runners, just name your crime,” Delilah shrugged.
“What do we have nearby?” Boone asked.
“We have human trafficking in Minnesota,” Delilah suggested. “Or we have a rich runaway in Utah.”
Boone’s curiosity was piqued. “How rich are we talking?”
“Enough to add at least two bedrooms and another bathroom onto the house,” Delilah smiled. “And enough left over for a nice deck and a new hot tub.”
“Sounds interesting,” Boone nodded as he thought it over. “Give the man a call and see if it is worth our traveling out there.”
“Already have,” Delilah smiled. “The man is worth trillions and is offering half a billion for the return of his daughter.”
“Damn, that is rich,” Boone smiled. “We could add on as much as we want to the house with a half a billion dollars.”
“But he does not pay expenses. So if we fail, we come home with nothing,” Delilah advised.
“I knew there was a catch,” Boone frowned.
“But between the two of us, we have enough secret powers to beat the rest of the mob to the girl.”
“How many others,” Boone asked now afraid there would be too many people looking for the girl.
“About a dozen, maybe more,” Delilah replied. “He would not say.”
“Let’s work up a full dossier on both daddy and the girl and then we decide. I do not want to be just another fortune hunter in the crowd.”
Delilah and Boone spent the next few hours researching Allen Miner and his sixteen-year-old daughter Lucy. Allen had amassed his fortune buying out dot nets and selling them off piece by piece. A polygamist Mormon, he had three wives and nearly a dozen children ranging in age from three months to twenty-two years. Lucy was Miner’s third child with his first wife. She was his first daughter.
Lucy was a pretty girl, blonde, bright blue eyes with a youthful figure. She was a bright girl who did well in school and from all accounts was a devoted Mormon. Being the oldest female child, Lucy helped her mothers with the smaller children. She had gone shopping Saturday morning with her best friend, Maggie. Lucy never returned home.
“It is only a seven-hour drive to Provo, Utah,” Delilah stated when they were finished with their research.
“But it could be for nothing,” Boone replied. “And our last mission netted us a big goose egg in pockets.”
“Actually, that is not true,” Delilah countered with a smile. “I got a call while you were in the shower this morning.”
“And you are just now telling me?” Boone’s became tight-lipped, his lips a thin line.
“I was saving it for tonight. I was planning a big celebration,” Delilah smiled. Even her pale icy blue eyes were twinkling. “We got paid in full by the NSA. And the DEA tacked on a hefty bonus for destroying the Jems lab. And...” Pausing Delilah smiled even bigger while she was trying to find the right words.
“Spit it out, Delilah,” Boone glowered. “No more secrets.”
“It is the land in Idaho,” Delilah started. “The government confiscated the land. They are going to deed it over to us. It is thirty-two thousand acres, the equivalent of fifty square miles.”
“You are kidding, right?” Boone replied hesitantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“We should have the deed in thirty days,” Delilah giggled. “As soon as the EPA declares the soil and the water table clean, it is ours.”
“That is prime land,” Boone gasped in disbelief. “A single acre is going for almost $10,000 in that area.”
“It is three hundred and twenty million dollars worth of beautiful land,” Delilah exclaimed no longer able to contain her excitement. “And another two million for the mission.”
“Damn woman. We just might make it, after all,” Boone grinned as he took Delilah into his arms and kissed her ardently.
“So do you still want to take this case?” Delilah giggled. She was excited by Boone’s kiss, no longer chaste.
“If we find this girl, we will not have to work another day in our lives,” Boone realized.
“We do not have to work now if we just sell the land in Idaho,” Delilah advised. "We are already very rich. Boone, we are millionaires."
Boone ignored Delilah's last statement. He did not want to think of himself that way. He just wanted to be a normal man working each day to make a living. His net worth was already in the millions just from working as a bounty hunter. But he never thought of himself as wealthy. He liked the way he lived; simple and uncomplicated. “Let’s keep the land for a while. The value will double in ten years. Then we can discuss selling it,” Boone decided quickly.
“So back to Miner,” Delilah continued tabling their recent paycheck and land acquisition. “Do you want to go to Utah?”
“I would like to spend some more time learning more about Miner and his daughter. She has been missing for almost three months, and there have not been any leads. Something does not add up,” Boone stated, shaking his head. He was trying to fill in the blank or missing information.
“According to Lucy’s friend Maggie, they were at the mall on a Saturday morning. Maggie left the food court to go to the ladies room, and when she returned, Lucy was gone. Maggie searched the mall for her friend for over an hour and then went to Lucy’s house. Her parents waited another five hours before calling the police.
“According to police records, they found no evidence of foul play,” Delilah added. “And since there were never any ransom demands, they chalked it up to Lucy running away. It is labeled a missing person case.”
“It seems strange a sixteen-year-old girl who grew up in a tight-knit family with lots of wealth would just run away,” Boone commented skeptically. “Something is not adding up.”
Then Boone thought of the conversation he and Delilah had earlier. “Murders, rapists, pedophiles, runaways, human trafficking,” he pondered aloud.
“What?”
“I was just thinking of the list of cases you suggested this morning,” Boone replied. “Murders, rapists, pedophiles, runaways, human trafficking. This could be any combinat
ion of the above. Murders, rapists, human traffickers, do not ask for ransom. They are not the kidnap for money type. This girl could be dead or worse, enslaved.”
Boone started tapping the screen of his tablet again. When he found the photos he was looking for, he stopped. “Look,” he stated turning the tablet towards Delilah. “She is young and looks even younger without makeup. We cannot be sure of her body under her plain baggy dress. If she is underdeveloped, she could be the target of a pedophile. If she is well-developed, she could have been the target for human trafficking and/or prostitution. If someone took her, they might know who she is or does not care. In some markets, especially the sex trades, she is worth more by selling her than by asking for ransom. A young pretty innocent looking virgin can fetch a handsome amount depending on who is buying.”
“That complicates everything,” Delilah frowned. “A simple runaway is one thing, but the types of people you are talking about are not only dangerous but a bit harder to find.”
“And the girl could be anywhere, pick a country,” Boone glared. “This could get expensive.”
“Expensive,” Delilah repeated rolling the word around on her tongue. “Maybe it is why Miner is not paying expenses. He knows where she is and knows no one will find her.”
“Like he killed her,” Boone suggested.
“Or he is the one who sold her,” Delilah suggested. “What is one less daughter when you have nearly a dozen children?”
“That would make him one sick bastard,” Boone snarled. “I need to meet this guy and see what I can find out. Maybe we can push the truth out of him.”
“It might be hard to get him alone,” Delilah suggested. “And if he is the culprit behind her disappearance, then we walk away penniless again.”
“This one ain’t about the money,” Boone scowled. “It is about the girl. I need to know what happened to the girl.”
“You are pissed,” Delilah proclaimed watching Boone’s eyes turn dark and feral.
“Yes. Women are not property to be bought and sold. And they are not to be used and abused for someone’s perverted sexual gratification. It is not right, Delilah. It is just not right.” Boone hung his head. He was not only angry but sad. He remembered his sister Rayne and how she was already coveted when she was still a young girl, not even a teenager. He imagined what his now dead sister Star might have experienced. Boone did not know Lucy, but suddenly he felt responsible for her. He felt an irrepressible need to find her.
Delilah instinctively knew Boone had made his decision. She knew he had to find Lucy. She nodded. “I will start packing. We can leave for Utah in the morning.”
“Thank you,” Boone muttered. His sadness had already consumed his heart and soul.