* * * *
Zach sat at his desk, typing furiously on a keyboard. Lucas wasn't sure what all he did on that thing, but he knew Zach was one of the best hackers—and computer geniuses—in the world.
"Does he ever sleep?" Scarlett asked.
"He's one of those guys who can exist on less sleep. We all are. Comes with the training."
"Must be nice."
Lucas chuckled. "We can also close our eyes and sleep anytime, anywhere, for a specific amount of time. No alarm clock needed."
Scarlett sighed. "Not me. I have three alarms set on my phone in seven-minute increments."
"Why not just hit snooze?"
"I never hit the right button," she said. "I'm kind of out of it in the mornings."
"I can't wait to see that," Lucas said, his voice low and husky, hoping she would hear the intention there.
The lack of color in her face from earlier was replaced with a soft pink glow, and he puffed out his chest just a little, knowing that he was the one who’d put it there.
Zach reached out his hand. "Can I hear the message?"
Scarlett reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone. "Here. It’s the one that doesn't have a name next to it. All the other calls were from Maggie and my boss."
Zach plugged the phone into his computer and hit some buttons on the keyboard. He pushed play, and the sound of Damon's breathing flooded the speakers in the room. Scarlett watched as Zach rewound, played, and replayed the message, wondering what he was doing. He would slow it down and press a few buttons, and then play it again.
"There. Did you hear it?" he asked, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Hear what?" Scarlett wasn't sure she could hear anything but a whooshing noise in the background.
He punched a few more buttons and played it again, more slowly this time.
"It's a train," Lucas said.
"Exactly."
"So if we can narrow down the motels to ones that are next to railroad tracks, we might be able to figure out where he's holding Emery."
Lucas picked Scarlett up and spun her around. "Our first big break!" He placed a kiss on her lips, holding her head in his hands. He leaned back, taking in the tears of joy in her eyes and the high color on her cheeks. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "We're close, Scarlett. I can feel it."
Tears spilled over the edges of her eyelids as he turned back to Zach, keeping his arm around Scarlett's waist.
"Get me a list—"
"Already on it," Zach interrupted, shooting Lucas a cheeky grin. "It will take me a few minutes, though, so why don't you get that girl some breakfast and meet me down here in half an hour?"
* * * *
Scarlett could barely contain her excitement. They were so close to finding Em. So close to rescuing her from those men with evil intentions. Then reality broke into her newfound joy as Scarlett wondered what state they would find her in. Had she been drugged? Beaten? Raped?
How would she recover from that? Would she ever be the same?
Scarlett decided to push those thoughts from her mind. At least she would be alive and well, and not some foreign diplomat's sex slave. She would get Emery any help she needed. Maybe Isabel could help her. She wasn't sure how she would afford it—nor did she know how she would pay the security team for the time they’d spent searching for her sister.
Scarlett decided she would face the concern head-on. Lucas was making omelets as she sat at the bar waiting on her food.
"I wanted to assure you that I'll find a way to pay the bill for Castle Investigations's involvement. I should have asked before if there were payment arrangements I could make."
Lucas stopped what he was doing and turned to face her, crossing his arms across his chest. It made his arms look even more amazing in the snug gray henley he wore.
"You think I'd let you pay me for helping you find your sister?" he asked.
"Well, not just you, but the whole team. I'm sure there are costs involved with this type of thing, and I'm pretty sure Zach has worked virtually round the clock."
Lucas turned back to the omelets, sliding them onto a plate. He took out two forks and set the plate down between them. Taking a seat on her right, he handed a fork to her and dug in.
"We charge fees to high-level executives, rich dudes with more money than they know what to do with, or even government officials or entities." He paused, making sure he made eye contact with her. "We do not charge young single women who work two jobs in order to care for their sister. You don't owe us anything. This is what we do."
Scarlett looked down at her hands in her lap, emotion clogging her throat as she tried to tell him how she felt. Instead, she settled for, "Thank you."
Relief poured over her in waves. She was grateful for their help—knew she couldn't have done it on her own. She also knew that as much respect as she had for the police, there was no way they could have made this much headway. Too much work, too few resources, and too much red tape.
They finished the omelets, washing them down with coffee. After cleaning up the dishes together, they headed back to Zach's office to make a plan to rescue Emery.
Zach had three pictures of motels pulled up on three separate computer screens. Lucas pulled a chair out for Scarlett, and they sat down to hear what he'd found. Gabriel and Sully filed in behind them and propped themselves up on one of the desks. Gabriel didn't even look at her this time. She turned her attention back to the computer screens.
"We have three choices, all situated near the railroad tracks. This one, however"—he pointed to the first screen—"is a block or two away. Which might be too far away for us to have picked up the sound over the line."
"What are we waiting for?" Scarlett jumped up from the chair, ready to go and get her sister.
"It's not that easy," Lucas began. "We need to take a team in with us. You'll need to stay in the van. Sully?"
"We can split up and hit all three at once. I'll take two of our contractors to the one farthest away, Ashley Oaks. Zach, you take a team to Village Inn. Gabriel and Ethan will go with you, Lucas, to the closest one, The Americana."
"Let's roll out of here in fifteen minutes." They all rose from their seats and made their way to the staging room.
Lucas put a bulletproof vest over Scarlett's head, his eyes finding hers. "I'm guessing you won't stay put?"
She smirked. "You guessed correctly. If we find her, I want to be there."
Lucas placed his forehead to hers. "I figured as much. Ok, here's how this is going to work. You are going to stay in the van. Is that clear? You can only get out when I tell you."
Scarlett nodded and saluted him. "Yes, sir."
Lucas grabbed both sides of her vest, pulling her closer to him. "I'm serious, Scarlett. If anything happened to you—" he broke off, his gaze lowering to her mouth as he leaned in and pressed a hard kiss to her lips.
Scarlett felt his desperation—his need—matching it with her own.
"Get a room!" someone yelled, and Lucas pulled away.
Lucas drew his own vest over his head, fastening it in place. He took out several weapons, putting them in different pockets and holsters on his body. Gabriel walked over to them and nodded his head towards her. "She coming with us?" he asked, a slight sneer curling his upper lip.
"Yeah. You gotta problem with that?" Lucas asked, rolling his shoulders back and straightening to his full height.
"She'll get us killed," he protested.
"She's staying in the van till it's all clear."
"Fine," Gabriel said and walked out the door, anger rolling off him in waves.
"Seriously, what did I do to him? Why does he hate me so much?" Scarlett asked.
"It's not you. It's women in general. The only woman he trusts is Isabel. All the others, he's learned, will turn on him."
"Why would he think that?"
"His own mother tried to kill him," Lucas replied, looking at her meaningfully, and Scarlett lost her ability to ask any more questions
.
Lucas handed her a handgun, and she took it, testing its weight in her hands.
"Put it behind you, in the waistband of your pants, just in case we get separated and you need to defend yourself."
She shuddered at the possibility. Could she shoot someone? Take another person's life? Maybe, if her own or those of the people she loved were in jeopardy.
"Let's move," Lucas said, and took her hand as they started towards the motel where she hoped they'd find her sister.
Chapter 14
Lucas watched Scarlett closely as they sat in the van on the way to The Americana. He snorted at the name. It sounded like a fancy hotel located near The Hill. Instead, it was a rent-by-the-hour, disease-infested dump that even some prostitutes steered clear of.
They crossed the railroad tracks, and Gabriel turned around to get his attention. Lucas nodded. Almost there.
"Stay in the van. Gabriel, Ethan, and I will clear the room. Once we do, I'll motion for you to come take a look."
"I won't leave the van," she assured him.
They drove up a pothole-ridden driveway to a building painted in red, white, and blue. A neon sign hung haphazardly over the office door, half the bulbs dark. Pouring out of the rooms were half-naked women, smoking pot and cigarettes. It seemed The Americana had seen better days.
Lucas hopped out of the van, walked into the office, and rang the bell at the front desk. An overweight man with long, stringy hair and bad teeth came to the counter.
"You wanna room?" he asked. "How long? By the hour or by the night?" His words were slurred, and he reeked of alcohol.
Lucas showed the man a picture of Damon and Emery. "Have you seen either of these people?"
The man shook his head. "What happens at The Americana, stays at The Americana." He broke into a hoarse laugh that escalated into a coughing fit.
"I'll ask nicely one more time. Have you seen these people?" Lucas leaned a little closer, holding his breath against the aroma of cheap whiskey and cigarettes.
"I ain't seen nobody," the man said.
Lucas reached across the counter and grabbed the man by the collar, shaking him so hard that his head flopped backwards.
"Where are they?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing.
"L-l-last r-r-room on the r-right," the man sputtered, his face turning red at the lack of oxygen from Lucas's tight grip.
Lucas put the man down, brushing the front of his shirt with his hand.
"There, now. That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Lucas turned on his heel and jogged back to the van.
"Last room on the right." He didn't take the time to close the door, and jumped out as soon as the van rolled to a stop. He looked over his shoulder at Scarlett. "Lock the doors." She nodded, and he motioned for the guys to close them.
As they approached room 122, the door opened to the room next to it. A woman wearing nothing but a short, threadbare t-shirt stood there smoking a joint. "You guys want a ride?" she croaked in a voice that said she'd been a smoker from an early age.
Lucas shook his head and pointed his gun towards her. She gasped and jumped back into her room, slamming the door.
Gabriel knocked on the door of 122, while Ethan posted himself on the other side. When no one answered, Gabriel stepped back and kicked the door in, splintering the molding, then watched as it swung open.
Guns at the ready, they slowly searched the room. A dog crate sat in the corner. The top sheets and comforters lay on the floor, and the remaining sheets were stained with something Lucas didn't want to think too hard about. On one of the beds was a girl, face down, her head covered by a pillow. Lucas prayed it wasn't Emery.
Gabriel motioned towards the back, where the door to the bathroom stood ajar. Lucas took the lead, nudging the door open with his foot. On the floor were zip ties that had been cut off. Vomit covered the floor on one side, near the tub. In the sink were women's clothes. Jeans and a black shirt.
"No one else is here," Gabriel said.
"Did you check the girl?" Lucas was afraid to know the answer.
"She's dead," Ethan said, standing next to her, but Lucas couldn't bring himself to look at her face.
"Is it—"
"It's not Emery," Gabriel finished. Lucas breathed out a sigh. Sorrow filled him for the girl that had died here, but his relief was overwhelming as he took in the news that it wasn't Emery.
"I need to bring Scarlett in. She might recognize something. Confirm if Emery was here." Lucas jogged out the door and towards the van.
"Is she there?" Scarlett asked, jumping out of the van and running to meet him.
He stopped her before she could run by him. "No, she's not there now. But she might have been. I need you to look and see if you recognize anything." Scarlett started past him again, and he held tight to her arm. She looked down to where his hand rested and back up to his eyes. "It's not pretty in there. A girl—she's dead. Just try not to look, ok?" The color drained from Scarlett's face, and Lucas pulled her against him.
"I'm right here with you." He stroked her hair, placing a kiss on the top of her head. She pulled away, drawing in a deep breath, and Lucas knew she was preparing herself for what she was about to see.
* * * *
Scarlett wasn't prepared for the sight that was before her. A young girl around Emery's age lay spread-eagle, face down, on a dirty bed. Her red hair was almost the same color as Scarlett's. A chill skated across her nerve endings as she pondered the reality that this girl could have been her.
Her eyes took in the room. A medium-sized dog crate sat against the wall, a padlock hanging loose from the door. Scarlett wondered what type of animal would need to be padlocked in—before understanding dawned on her. It wasn't for an animal at all. She turned to find Lucas, and he nodded in understanding. A girl had been in that crate. Was it this girl?
Gabriel stood next to the bathroom, his gaze averted. When he met her eyes, she saw compassion there for the first time. He inclined his head towards her and stepped to the side as she walked into the bathroom. The smell of vomit made her gag, and she quickly discovered the reason for the smell. Zip ties lay on the floor as if they'd been cut off. She looked around the bathroom, her eyes finally landing on the clothes crumpled up in the sink. She slowly reached out her hand, picking up the black chiffon top that lay there.
A wail of sorrow forced its way from her belly as she dropped the shirt to the floor. Crumpling to the floor, Scarlett sobbed. It was Emery's shirt. Emery's clothes. Lucas was there, then, murmuring soft words in her ears. But she couldn't make them out. A high-pitched noise echoed in her ears, and everything seemed distant. Her body convulsed as the anguish of her discovery consumed her.
Strong arms wrapped around her, and she closed her eyes as nothingness overtook her.
* * * *
Low, male voices whispered around her. A deep rumble next to her ear roused her as she heard Lucas say, "She passed out—too much—should have sheltered her."
She slowly raised her head from his chest. "No," she started. "I needed to be here." She sat up as Lucas helped her. She looked around at the worried faces of Gabriel and Ethan. Gabriel must be getting over his distaste for her, she thought to herself, and almost laughed at the absurdity of such an observation at a time like this. She smiled at them and then turned to face Lucas. "I'm sorry. I just wasn't prepared for that."
"I should have told you—"
"Stop." She put her hand up, placing her finger over his lips. "You can't blame yourself for this. It was all just too much, but I'm fine now." She crawled out of his lap and onto her feet, a little woozy still from her earlier meltdown.
"Let me see the clothes," she said, pulling her shoulders back and lifting her chin. She had to be strong.
Gabriel brought the jeans and shirt from the bathroom and handed them to her. She laid them on the round table next to the chair that Lucas had been sitting in. She lifted the shirt up and knew it was Emery's. She had one just like it. She set it dow
n and raised the jeans up, looking for the small nail polish stain on the front pocket. She found the small red dot and almost cried out again.
"These are Em's clothes. See the small stain there?" she said to Lucas, pointing out the small red dot.
"You're sure?"
"Yes. I bought these jeans for her from the thrift store at the beginning of the school year. They're an expensive brand, but someone must have discarded them because of the small stain. Emery was so excited to get them," Scarlett said. She herself had been equally excited to be able to buy something for Emery that had such value to her.
Lucas took a plastic bag from his pocket and took the clothes from her, placing them in the bag.
Gabriel stepped outside, she assumed to call the police and report the dead girl. Scarlett found herself looking at the girl, wondering what her last hours alive had been like. As she noticed the bloodstains on the bed, she shook the thoughts from her mind. Emery would be ok. She wasn't this girl.
But the sick bastards who had done that to this young girl were the same ones who had Emery in their possession. The fear she felt was so great that it threatened to cripple her. She drew in a deep breath and turned, almost running into Gabriel as she did.
He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "You did good today," he said in a soft-spoken voice with just a hint of a Spanish accent.
"Thank you." She met his eyes and tried to smile. One corner of his mouth lifted up, and she realized that was as close to a smile as she was going to get from Gabriel. She felt like she'd made some headway with him today. Maybe earned a tiny fraction of his trust. She could only imagine what his life must have been like—couldn't fathom a mother who would try to kill her own son.
She walked out of the motel room and into the midday sun. She closed her eyes, inhaling, praying for a moment that God would help them find her sister. Her disappointment was crushing. She'd hoped to find Emery today—to save her from further abuse and danger.
"Lucas!" Gabriel shouted. He held up a phone in his hand. "It's Sully."
Castle Investigations Box Set Page 12