Castle Investigations Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Lucas got into the cockpit and put on his own headgear. She heard his voice in her ears. "You guys ready?" he glanced back at her over his shoulder. She nodded, not knowing if he could hear her.

  "You can talk, you know? That's what this microphone is for." He touched the microphone near his mouth, his grin wide and carefree as he teased her.

  She didn't know how he did it. They were getting ready to put themselves in danger, yet he was joking as if they were off on a joyride to see the city from the air. Gabriel, Ethan, and Sullivan continued to talk to one another, insulting each other with such fervor, one would never know they were best friends.

  The chopper lifted from the ground, and Scarlett's stomach lurched. She'd never been in one of these before. She'd flown in a plane a few times when she was younger and her parents were alive, but not in a helicopter. It was a different feeling altogether. Not as safe or secure, in her mind.

  She watched Lucas fly the helo, as he called it, amazed at his confidence. He looked so natural there, as if the control stick were an extension of his arm.

  She didn't have much to contribute to the conversation, preferring instead to watch out the windows as the city passed them by. D.C. was beautiful from the air as they flew past the monuments and memorials. The capital was grand in its expansive majesty.

  The cityscape turned to green space dotted with houses and buildings. The coastline lay to her right as they headed towards Baltimore. She could tell when they entered the city limits, the green trees morphing into gray buildings. Church steeples and high-rises littered the view as the chopper descended towards their destination.

  Lucas dropped the chopper onto the building as if it were second nature, and maybe it was for him. Scarlett knew he'd flown in the Air Force, and she imagined that those missions were probably much more dangerous than this.

  The group was greeted by firemen and two men in suits. She assumed these were the plainclothes policemen who would be leading the rescue of the women from the halfway house.

  They walked briskly towards the door that led them down a flight of steps and into the living quarters of the firemen. Several guys were hanging out, watching television. They nodded their hellos as they passed by them.

  Sully was deep in discussion with the two men in suits as Lucas pulled Scarlett over to the side.

  "How're you doing?" he rubbed her arms up and down, warming her. She realized she was shivering and knew it was not just from the cold.

  "I'm good. Just ready to get this over with."

  He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  "Stay close to me at all times, understand?" He looked as serious as she'd ever seen him—grim, even.

  "I will." He hugged her, then turned to face the guys.

  "Let's roll."

  * * * *

  Scarlett tried to keep up, but between the freezing cold and the high wedge heels, she was falling desperately behind. Lucas held her elbow, trying to keep her steady. They had been running through back alleys and small courtyards and were now just a couple of blocks away from the house.

  They paused at the corner of Ellis Lane.

  "We'll go this way so we're coming at the house from the front. They'll see us walking and assume we've parked down the street," Lucas said.

  "We'll surround the house from behind," Sully said, nodding towards the opposite direction. "Have to cut through here, and we can hide until you might need us."

  Lucas placed a small device in Scarlett’s left ear and pulled her hair over it to mask it. He placed an identical one in his own ear and then unbuttoned her coat, pushing a small device just under the waistband of her skirt, near her navel. The touch of his hand against her bare abdomen made her want to shiver, but she worked hard to control her reaction.

  "You'll be able to hear the guys with this," he said, pointing to her ear. "And they'll be able to hear you through this." He touched her skin right above the waistband of her skirt once again. She tried to control the swirly feeling in her stomach, but the shudder that ran through her at his touch gave her away.

  Lucas grinned, the smile touching his eyes and making him look less serious than he had just moments before.

  "Do exactly what I tell you. Don't ask questions. And don't talk unless absolutely necessary. The less you say, the greater the chance they won't figure you out." She reached up to button the coat back up, but he shook his head.

  "Leave it open. I know it's cold, but we need you to look the part, and this coat buttoned up to your chin won't do that."

  "Ok. Let's go." She was ready to get this over with.

  Lucas took her hand, and they rounded the corner, making their way towards the halfway house. She could see one of the guards from here, pacing back and forth in front of the house, smoking a cigarette. She saw him flick the butt onto the sidewalk, smashing it with his foot before lighting another one.

  As they drew closer, she noticed that there were two men—one pacing the sidewalk and one standing guard at the door. As they approached the man on the sidewalk, Lucas let go of her hand and placed his own hands in his pockets.

  "We're here to see the merchandise," Lucas said, speaking in a low, gravelly voice that sounded as if he really was from the wrong side of the tracks. It was so easy to forget that he’d grown up with people who could kidnap women and sell them as sex slaves.

  The guy nodded toward the guard by the door, and they walked up the steps, Scarlett trying not to slip and fall in the heels. Lucas repeated his request from earlier, and the man grunted and opened the door. That was easy.

  They walked inside, and Scarlett was overwhelmed by the smell. It smelled like death, cigarette smoke, and disease. She also smelled something else, a rusty smell, like blood. She schooled her expression, not wanting to give away her disgust. If she were a regular client, as she was supposed to be, she would be used to this scene.

  The guard passed through a curtain to their right, and moments later, a man dressed in a three-piece suit came out, one hand in his vest pocket and another held out in front of him.

  "Good afternoon. I'm William. What can I do for you?"

  Lucas shook his hand and said, "I'm Luke. This is Charlotte." She noticed he kept their fake names close to their real ones. "We'd like to try out the merchandise. You know, try before you buy." The leer on his face sent chills up Scarlett's spine. She knew he was acting, but he was so convincing.

  "I'm sorry, sir. I'm not sure what merchandise you're talking about. Could you be more specific?" The man was cautious. Scarlett didn't blame him. It seemed anyone could walk in and get an introduction. She deduced that there were certain words the man was expecting to hear before letting them in.

  "Damon said you had top-quality services here. If that's not the case, we'll just be going." Lucas grabbed Scarlett roughly around the wrist and pulled her to him as he turned to walk out the door.

  "Ah, I’m so sorry for my rudeness. You can imagine my hesitation, though." He snapped his fingers twice, and a tall, skinny man with bad skin stepped through the curtains.

  "Edward, show these people to the first-floor rooms. They can have their pick." The well-dressed man disappeared behind the curtains as Edward started up the stairs. Lucas gave her a meaningful glance before taking her hand in his and following. As they hit the first landing, Scarlett looked over her shoulder and saw the man peering out from behind the curtain, watching her with predatory eyes. He stuck his tongue out and licked his lips in a sensual caress. Scarlett had to bite back the disgust that crawled up the back of her throat. She winked instead, and the man looked surprised at first, before smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

  The hallway was long and had six rooms, three on each side. Instead of doors, curtains hung in the doorways to give the illusion of privacy. She could hear moaning coming from down the hall, followed by grunts and groans. She did her best to keep the blush from her face.

  She looked up and noticed cameras at each end of the hallway, and she wondered if the g
uys had considered that they would be under surveillance.

  "We're in place," a voice sounded in her ear. She assumed it was Sully.

  Lucas caught her eye, slightly shaking his head. Don't reply. She got the message.

  They stopped at the first door.

  "You can have any of these in the first four rooms. The other two at the end of the hall are occupied."

  "Thanks," Lucas said and pulled Scarlett into the first room. Lucas walked in, and the girl on the bed rose slowly, stumbling as if she were high on something. She made her way to the middle of the small room and pulled at the negligee she was wearing, revealing more skin than Scarlett was comfortable with. Lucas walked around her as he examined her, pinching her arms and patting her butt.

  He looked at Edward and shook his head. "Let me see the others."

  The girl sank back onto the bed, and Scarlett couldn't help but sneak a look back at the girl. She reached over to the small table next to the bed and grabbed a syringe. She caught Scarlett's eye with a dead expression as she pressed the needle into her forearm.

  They tried out the other three rooms, Lucas making the same circle around each girl. At the last one, Lucas asked Edward, "Any others we can see?"

  Edward shook his head. "Nope. Boss said one of these four. Take your pick."

  They stood in the last room, where a young girl who couldn't be more than fourteen lay on the bed. Her legs were spread, and she was barely covered by a tiny strip of underwear. She wore a short camisole that was sheer, her small breasts on full display. Scarlett struggled to swallow her revulsion for what these girls were forced to do.

  "All right, we'll try her," Lucas said, motioning to the girl on the bed. She made little effort to move.

  "Yeah? Her?" Edward seemed skeptical.

  Lucas moved in closer and lowered his voice. "I like 'em young."

  A sick grin broke out across Edward's face as he clapped Lucas on the shoulder.

  "Enjoy, then."

  Edward made his way to the curtained door and gave Scarlett a once-over. She smiled and pulled the coat over her shoulder, exposing some skin. She winked, and Edward moistened his lips with his tongue. Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed it and turned to walk towards Lucas, who was sitting on the bed next to the girl. His hands were caressing her arm, and Scarlett took the other side to do the same.

  A moment later, she looked back over her shoulder to see that Edward was gone. Lucas caught her eye and jumped off the bed to make sure they were alone.

  The girl looked at Scarlett with wide eyes, eyes that weren't seeing reality. Eyes that were clouded by drugs. The girl sat up and traced her finger between Scarlett's breasts. Scarlett grabbed her hand and shook her head.

  "I didn't come here for that," she whispered. "We're going to help you." She put her finger to her lips.

  "Ok, it's clear," Lucas hissed.

  "Did you see the cameras?" Scarlett asked.

  "I did. We're going to have to be quick."

  Scarlett took the small photo of Emery out of her coat pocket and showed it to the girl.

  "Do you know her?" The girl was having trouble staying focused, and Scarlett grabbed her by the upper arms and shook her slightly.

  "This girl." She held the picture up in front of her. "Have you seen her?" The girl mumbled something unintelligible and fell back against the bed. It was no use.

  They took off down the hall to the other two rooms and peeked in. Both women were in different stages of sexual acts. Neither was Emery.

  Lucas shook his head and motioned for Scarlett to follow him. They crept up the steps to the next floor. Lucas pushed through the curtains at the opening of the hallway and saw that this corridor held even more rooms. There were no curtains or doors. Every room was open.

  As they passed by, they found girls high on drugs and chained to beds. Some rooms contained three or four girls to a room. The beds were stained with blood, urine, and other things Scarlett didn't want to think about. The smell was overpowering, and she gagged, placing her hand over her mouth to keep the contents of her stomach from spilling out. They searched each room until they reached the end of the hall. No Emery.

  "There's one more floor," Lucas whispered.

  "It's been too quiet. You need to get out of there," Sully's voice sounded in her ear.

  "Roger that. We'll head up and then out."

  They took the stairs to the top floor and found the same setup as below. Girls chained to beds, needle marks up and down their arms, nearly naked and covered in filth.

  As they approached the end of the corridor, a voice sounded from the other end of the hallway. "Hey! You're not supposed to be up here."

  "Run," Lucas said as they turned and ran towards the window at the end of the hall. Scarlett looked over her shoulder as Lucas tried to pry the window open and saw the man pulling out his gun.

  "Lucas!" she screamed. "He's got a gun!"

  In her ear, she heard Sully's voice saying, "Get out of there. Something's happening down here."

  "No kidding," Lucas mumbled.

  The window popped open, and Lucas pushed Scarlett out onto the landing of the fire escape. She ran towards the ladder and began climbing down. Lucas was right above her, his gun in one hand as he maneuvered down the fire escape.

  They hit the second landing just as shots pinged off the metal near her hand. She screamed, and Lucas shouted, "Go, go, go!"

  She started to climb down the second ladder, and her foot slipped. Her shoe fell to the ground with a clatter as she held on with both hands. She scrambled to get a foothold on the ladder and kicked the other shoe off.

  "You ok?" Lucas asked.

  "I'm fine," she called out.

  More shots were fired from above. Lucas fired back. The man above them grabbed his chest, dropping his weapon as he fell face-first onto the landing above them.

  She moved quickly to the next platform and made her way down the final ladder. She stopped as she reached the last rung. It was a long way down.

  "Lucas?" she asked. He glanced down at her and said, "You're going to have to jump, Scarlett."

  She shook her head. She'd break an ankle if she jumped from this high, especially with no shoes on.

  "When you hit the ground, roll forward to absorb the blow, ok?"

  She was frozen. Unable to move—knowing the fall would hurt like hell.

  Shots rang out, and bullets ricocheted around them.

  "Go! Now!" Lucas yelled.

  She looked down, placing her hands on the final rung as she let her legs dangle below her. Just then, Sully and the guys rounded the corner. Sully ran underneath her and held out his arms. "Let go! I'll catch you."

  She closed her eyes and released her hands, landing with an oomph against Sully's chest. He held her tightly. "I'm used to girls falling for me, but does Lucas know how you feel?" Her cheeks warmed at his teasing as Lucas landed next to them.

  "You can put her down now, Castle," Lucas said.

  Sully laughed and placed Scarlett's feet on the ground. Lucas took her hand and pulled her towards the back of the house. A gunshot rang out, and cement shattered in front of them. Scarlett screamed, covering her face with her hands. Lucas yelled, "Let's go!" and took off towards the cross street behind the house. Sullivan, Ethan, and Gabriel returned fire as two thugs rounded the corner behind them.

  They stuck close to the wall of the house as they ran for their lives. Scarlett's hands covered her ears, and her bare feet were already sore and blistered from running on the concrete. Yet she barely felt the pain as adrenaline coursed through her body.

  Sirens wailed nearby, getting louder the closer they got to the street behind the halfway house. She looked over her shoulder as unmarked cars surrounded the house. Policemen sprang from the cars, chasing after the two men pursuing them. Just as the agents approached them, a dark van pulled up, opening its door by the street.

  "Get in," a man dressed in black riot gear yelled. Lucas pulled Scarlett along, pushing he
r into the van. The other guys piled in behind them as the van took off, its door still open.

  They drove around the block, circling back around, close to the house. Scarlett watched as William was handcuffed and placed inside a police cruiser. Other men followed behind him, one after another stuffed into waiting cars.

  Breathing out a sigh, she felt relief flood over her, bringing with it tears of sorrow for what those girls had endured. She hoped they would get the help they needed to recover completely from the horrible life they'd been forced into.

  Lucas's phone rang, and he answered. "Yeah."

  There was a pause as he listened to what the person was saying on the other end of the line. "Ok, thanks." He turned the phone off and met Scarlett's eyes, sympathy and compassion radiating from his gaze. He shook his head.

  The crushing blow of disappointment brought with it a fresh flow of tears. Emery wasn't there.

  Chapter 11

  The warm feeling was gone. She still felt peaceful, but she could feel the effects fading. Now she felt sad. The pain in her legs was returning. Her lips hurt, swollen from the cut and cracked from dehydration. She wanted to feel good again.

  Her body shook uncontrollably. She was cold. She glanced down, noticing she was no longer wearing the clothes she’d been taken in but some sort of black silk nightgown that barely covered her. She tried to pull it down farther, as she could see the tops of her thighs and realized she no longer had panties on, but her arms were chained above her head.

  It was then that she grasped the fact that she was no longer in the same motel room. She lifted her head, but it was so heavy. A vinegar taste in her mouth turned her stomach, and she felt like she might throw up.

  She tried to figure out where she was, taking in the room with heavy-lidded eyes. She was on a cot in the corner. Nothing else was in the room. It was small, almost like a large closet. She pulled her knees up to her chest, but realized she was only exposing more of herself. She curled them instead to the side, hoping to cover her shame.