Chapter 1

Trembling with anger and disappointment, Mel stood in the kitchen with the letter in her hand.

"Dear Melia,

I'm sorry, but I can't marry you.

It would all be a big lie.

I still love Catherine and will go back to her.

I wish you all the best,

Steve."

She scrunched up the letter and threw it in the corner. Her heart ached to burst and tears streamed down her face.

They had been in wedding preparations for weeks and Steve had told her just yesterday how much he loved her and that he was very much looking forward to their wedding and their life together.

Without making her planned coffee, Mel left the kitchen and went upstairs. She pulled out her travel bag and threw a few things in it. In the bathroom, she picked up her toiletries from the rack, her gaze lingering on her reflection in the mirror.

A red-haired woman in her early forties with scars on her face. Her gaze slid down herself and lingered on her prosthetic leg. Of course, she couldn't stand up to a complete woman like Catherine. Hurt, she threw her things into her bag and carried it down the stairs.

In the kitchen, she picked up the letter again, smoothed it out, and put it back on the kitchen table. She pulled her engagement ring off her finger and placed it on the letter. Then she shouldered her bag and left the house. At the door, she threw her bag into the trunk of the Mustang and got in. As she drove off, her vision was obscured by tears and her heart was beating wildly in her chest.

For a long time she drove around aimlessly. For a long time, she just didn't know what to do. Even this morning when she got up, she thought she had found happiness again. Again and again tears came to her eyes and more than once she had to pull over because the tears took away her vision.

In between, she tried to call herself to order and not let all this get to her, but she was trapped in her deep hole.

Just then she was driving down the coast road when her cell phone began to ring, briefly she glanced at the display. Danny. Danny, who was to be her best man.

Mel ignored the call and at the next opportunity she turned off her cell phone. She couldn't and didn't want to talk to anyone. She had already experienced a lot in her life, ups and downs, and so far she had always fought her way back, but right now she just had no strength left.

With Danny

With neither Steve nor Mel answering their cell phones at this hour, Danny didn't think anything of it yet. He had noticed the stress they were under because of the wedding, and he assumed that they were just taking a moment to rest. Basically, he thought it was good that Steve didn't throw himself into work for once, but that his focus was on his future wife. Unconsciously, Danny had to grin. Steve had been wandering around for so long and hadn't found a port, so it took a woman from Germany to finally give Steve the feeling that he had arrived. He was honestly happy for his friend. Danny turned back to his work and decided to just ring through again this afternoon.

It was noon when his cell phone went off. Unknown caller ID.

"Williams?"

"Danny, it's Catherine. Do you know where Steve is?"

"No, why what? Do you need help?"

"No, I'm just worried. I can't reach him and we intercepted a report today that a highly decorated Navyseal has been turned over to the insurgents in Afghanistan by an unknown person."

"That has to be someone else. Steve and Mel are in the middle of wedding preparations."

"Are you sure? When was the last time you spoke to Steve?"

"Last night."

"Not yet today?"

"No. Neither of them were answering their cell phones."

Slowly, Danny was getting restless, too.

"I'm going to head over there."

"I'll meet you there."

"You're here?"

"Of course my best friend is getting married, where else would I be?"

"I just didn't expect you to be. See you in a bit."

Danny put the phone away and an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. Had he been too naïve? Should he have checked on them first thing this morning? Briskly he walked to his car and fifteen minutes later he parked the Camaro next to Catherine's Stingray. Steve and Mel's vehicles were not there. Briefly, Danny greeted Catherine with a hug, then they walked to the front door. There was no answer to their knock, and Danny pulled the spare key out of his pocket, which he had carried with him since he had lived with Steve for a while. He unlocked it and entered the house with Catherine.

At first everything seemed normal, but then Danny discovered Steve's front door key, which was lying in the bowl next to the front door as usual. Only the car key was missing.

Catherine had already gone further into the house and Danny heard her calling his name. He followed her voice into the kitchen. Catherine pointed to the crumpled piece of paper and the ring. Danny swallowed; it was Mel's engagement ring, which Steve had had specially made by a small jeweler in Düsseldorf. Carefully he pulled the letter out from under the jewelry and his eyes widened in shock. It couldn't be.

Yes, Steve loved Catherine, and always would, but he loved Mel a little more, Danny was sure, just thinking back to the situation in the mail bunker a few months ago when Steve thought Mel was dead.

Catherine read the letter a second time as well.

"Danny, I don't believe that. So yes, Steve certainly still loves me, but we've talked on the phone a lot in the last few weeks and he's never sounded happier since I've known him. There's no way he would leave Mel. Not for me and not for anyone else. And certainly not like that!" she pointed to the piece of paper.

Then she frowned.

"Why does he even call her Melia? Is that her real name?"

"What?"

"Here."

Catherine pointed to the salutation.

Danny shook his head; Steve would always say Mel.

"Do you think he was forced to write that so no one would look for him?"

Catherine turned pale.

"Then maybe it is true and he is in Afghanistan. But where is Mel? She must have found the letter, or her ring would hardly be on top, would it?"

"Oh my God, the poor thing. What must be going on inside her!"

"We need to find them both, and fast."

Danny nodded.

Danny and Catherine had gone to HQ and called in the rest of the team. Tani and Junior entered the hall first and looked questioningly at Danny and Catherine, but it wasn't until Lou and Adam were also there that Danny and Catherine reported what had happened. Horrified, the friends looked at each other.

They split up. Catherine and Junior continued to try to find out about the captured Seal, Tani checked all the traffic cameras and tried to find out where Steve and Mel had gone. Adam tried to find out through air traffic control if there were any unidentified aircraft movements. And Lou contacted the bank to find out if Mel had used her credit card anywhere.

Repeatedly now, Danny had tried to reach Mel, but her cell phone was still off. His query at the airport had turned up nothing, at least she didn't seem to have flown back to Germany.