by Casi McLean
Wyatt’s gaze flashed to Harper. “Why don’t you take Mikey for a walk. I’ll bet he’d like to see the fountain.”
She knelt beside the boy. “What do you say? Would you like to go see a water spray?”
He nodded and took her hand.
Wyatt shifted his attention to Hanna.
Her gaze lowered to the ground.
With a bent forefinger, he lifted her chin until her gaze met his. “We should have told you about our trip. I’m truly sorry.”
Hanna shrugged, but said nothing.
“Maybe I don’t deserve your trust, now. But I’m making another promise. You can tell me anything…I won’t be shocked or disappointed…and I won’t tell a soul unless you want me to. Okay?” He searched her eyes for some glimmer of acceptance of his heartfelt admonition.
She nodded.
“Good. Now, do you know anything that could help us find your sister?”
Hanna pressed her teeth into her bottom lip for a long beat. “Maybe. Last week, Damien took Sarah and me to a big mansion…like one you’d see on television. We rode in the back of the black van so I couldn’t see, but along the way, I heard Damien talking on his cell phone. He said, ‘If the price is right’ and ‘Got it. Congressional Court, Potomac, Maryland.
Wyatt knew the area. Prestigious and one of, if not the, most expensive elite housing in the entire Washington DC area. The kind of money floating around in that neighborhood could buy almost anything. He rubbed the bristly scruff on his chin. “How long did it take to reach the mansion?”
She twisted her mouth to the side. “I’m not sure…maybe forty-five minutes.”
Gazing up to the sky, Wyatt estimated the time from the boathouse to Potomac Maryland. “That sounds pretty accurate. You are doing great, sweetie. Now close your eyes and think. Tell me exactly what you saw when Damien opened the back of the van.”
With pouting lips, Hanna squeezed her eyes tightly. “The driveway was a circle with a gate at the street. Damien parked the van at the front door. The house was the biggest I’ve ever seen…pink brick and white stone around the entrance…with a big arch on top––and it had black bars like a jail. I remember seeing three garage doors connected to the house on the left.”
This kid’s a natural. Who could remember such detail? “Perfect. Has anyone ever mentioned you have a terrific memory?”
She nodded and lowered her gaze. “My parents. They said I had a photographic memory. It’s easy for me to remember things. I just close my eyes and see the picture in my head.”
Raising his brows, he lifted her chin with a crooked finger. “You are one impressive young lady.”
Hanna beamed. “Thank you.”
“And polite to boot.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Because of you, we know what to look for and where. So, what happened next? Did you go inside?”
She nodded. “When the door opened, I thought we were in a castle. Sarah said she felt like a princess just walking into the house. White stone floors with grey lightning strikes, and two staircases, one on each side that met in the middle upstairs…and a gold elevator in between them. That’s when Damien told us to go with the man who answered the door, while he talked to the owner.”
Wyatt drew and a deep breath. He dreaded what he was sure Hanna was about to tell him and his stomach clenched into a hard knot. “Where did the man lead you girls?”
“We took the elevator upstairs…I’ve never seen a golden elevator. Then the man showed us to a beautiful hotel room with a big white canopy bed that had a soft, fluffy, white comforter. And a huge TV that stretched across one of the walls. It was the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen.”
Wyatt lifted his chin. Only one option came to mind why those girls were taken to a bedroom…and it definitely wasn’t good. “What happened next?”
Again, she lowered her gaze. “At first, we thought he expected us to…work another job, but instead, he told us to do whatever we wanted…relax, watch TV, take a nap, or play in the spa.”
“Did he do or say anything to make you feel uncomfortable?”
“I thought one thing was kind of weird”— she raised her gaze to meet Wyatt’s then paused a beat— “he said we we’re allowed to play in the hot tub or lie on the bed and watch TV, but to be sure we took showers first. Then he said he’d take our clothes and wash them, so they’d be clean for after our shower. He promised to return them when it was time to go…in an hour and a half or so. Until then we could play like princesses.”
And there it was. The compassion Wyatt felt for Hanna spiked off the charts. He swallowed the bile creeping into his throat before he spoke. “Is that everything you remember?”
She shrugged. “When the man returned with our clean clothes, he told us to get dressed and then he took us back to Damien.”
Drawing in a deep breath, Wyatt clenched his jaw before he asked Hanna a final question. “Did the man say something to make you think that’s where Damien would take your sister…even if you weren’t with her?”
“Kind of. He said, ‘Mr. Sebastian likes the merchandise.’ Then he looked at me and Sarah and said, ‘Bring the girls to the auction next Saturday morning…five a.m. sharp’ Damien smiled a scary grin with lots of teeth.” She shivered. “Then he took us back to the van.”
Again, Wyatt’s breath caught in his throat. The only possibility he could surmise had Damien pegged as more than a pimp. He took the girls to an international trafficking lord with hopes of selling them to––or through––a high-stakes auction. Telling the girls to bathe merely made the process of seeing their assets in a more relaxed arena…the filthy, sick bastards. He clenched his jaw. Saturday…damn, that’s the day-after-tomorrow. “You did great, Hanna. We’ll get Steel and Rhodes on this information right away.”
“Do you think Damien will take Sarah to the auction? If he does, maybe we can find the mansion and help her escape.”
“I’m banking on that idea, honey.” Wyatt bent a finger and raised her chin until her gaze met his. “Is it okay for me to tell Harper about this? I think she could help us.”
Hanna nodded. Her gaze drifted to the pathway where she now saw Harper returning with Mikey. “Yes. Harper can help. We have two days. If we lose this chance to find my sister…” Her expression turned icy cold and somber. “There might not be another one. That’s why I was so upset you left.”
“We’ve got this, sweetie.” Again, he placed a hand on her shoulder then turned toward the path. “Did you like the fountain, Mikey?”
“I did. Harper held me so I could put my feet in the water.” He grinned.
Smiling, Wyatt knelt and held out his hand. “I bet that was fun. Give me five, buddy.”
The dark-haired boy complied with a strong slap.
Wyatt glanced at his watch. “Wow, it’s really getting late. What do you say we go inside and get some rest? Maybe we can convince Hanna to tell you a bedtime story.”
Mikey turned, his blue eyes gazing with a pleading stare. “Will you, Hanna?”
She bent down and drew him into her arms. “Of course.” She gave a quick glance to Wyatt then headed inside.
Once they were out of sight, Harper turned to face Wyatt. “Did Hanna tell you anything we can use to find Sarah?”
Staring at the ground, he scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “And then some.” He shifted his gaze to Harper. “You won’t believe what that SOB planned to do with those girls.”
Chapter Fourteen
The new LED light strobed in the Ops room adding to Harper’s advancing headache, and she wrote a mental note to correct the issue. Pressing her temples, she gazed toward Gunny Steel. “Are you sure?”
“Completely, Director. Hanna’s description fits that address perfectly,” Steel continued shifting screens and tapping out commands.
“I want everything you can dig up about anyone or anything connected to that address. Thoughts spinning, Harper stepped into the SCIF and closed the door behind her. Her glare bore into the
cold stone floor as she mindlessly bit the tip of her fingernail. Shifting her gaze to meet Wyatt’s she leaned against the wall.
Wyatt smoothed his beard. “Thank God Hanna and Sarah had no idea the creep recorded them, let alone intended to sell them on the black market.”
Shaking her head, Harper clenched her jaw. “That son-of-a-bitch scumbag.”
“Damien told Hanna he took her and Sarah to the mansion as a reward––for satisfying a customer’s unusual request.”
The thought of such a vile pedophile twisted Harper’s stomach even tighter.
Wyatt placed a hand on Harper’s shoulder. “My guess is Hanna compartmentalized what Damien made her do…after talking with her, I think she’s locked the trauma into her subconscious where she doesn’t have to deal with it…at least for now. But maybe that’s a good thing.”
Harper pursed her lips. “With the information she supplied, we might find Sarah and take down Damien at the same time…and maybe breach a global human trafficking ring in the process.”
Wyatt dug a toothpick from his pocket. “As much as I’ve seen of war” –– he raised his brows––“and I’ve seen some atrocious sights, the idea of selling children into slavery, into the hands of monsters to be tortured repeatedly, sickens me on a level beyond the pale.” He teetered the wood between his teeth several times before retrieving it. “If what I’m anticipating plays out, I’m not sure our small team can bring them down alone. If we bring in the big guns, our chances of taking out this trafficking ring would escalate exponentially.”
“Perhaps.” She pushed off the wall then flipped a switch, pulling up a huge computer screen that stretched across one full wall of the SCIF. “But you’re forgetting one important fact.”
His forehead wrinkled. “Harper, I know what you’re thinking, but the danger involved requires utilization of every asset we have.”
“Exactly…but in order for the New Patriots to survive, we can’t break protocol. As far as the world is concerned…we don’t exist.”
§
When his phone rang, Wyatt flicked his toothpick into the brushwood then snatched the cell from his back pocket. Answering the call, he continued his nightly walk toward his favorite cove. “Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, Em. We need you and the rest of the team here ASAP.” Expecting her resistance, he paused until she finished her case before dismissing the rationale. “I hear you, sis, but we don’t have enough man-power to carry out both missions.”
Emily harrumphed. “Then we use woman-power.” Standing her ground, she continued her reasoning, insisting on more time.
Wyatt set his jaw then pulled rank. “No. Case closed.”
Her silence spoke volumes.
Not wanting to stir hurricane Emily further, he elaborated. “Look, Em. I’m not playing the rank card.” He kicked a random pinecone into the woods without missing a step. “I realize abandoning the AquaStar lead could set us back a few weeks, but this sting is a one-time event. No do-overs exist.” His pause was met with more silence. “If we allow this auction to take place, chances of rescuing Sarah from being sold into slavery evaporates. We’ll be short-handed even with the entire team mobilized.”
“We’re so close.” Emily sighed. “I hate this.” She paused a beat. “Can we compromise? Stephanie and Parker will head back now, but Ash, Vic and I will stay for” ––she paused a beat, whispering to Ash––“give us six hours. I promise, we’ll be at Dobbins Airforce Base landing strip ready for take-off at 06:00 tomorrow morning. Six lousy hours, Wyatt. Have the plane fueled and waiting. We’ll be back at the compound in plenty of time to set up your sting.”
“What about sleep? We need all of you on your game.” Saying no to Emily had never come easily for Wyatt. Since childhood, his sister had him wrapped around her little finger. She had a point, too. Breaking into the AquaStar manifest had been the team’s priority since Alyssa’s death. He’d never abandon the mission. But Sarah…damn, all the kids in Damien’s stable needed their help––now. Aside from rescuing Hanna’s sister, any chance of following that bastard to rescue the other children would dwindle as well.
“We’ll sleep on the flight, Wyatt…Deal?”
Arriving at the beach, he gazed across the water, his stare locked on the Aqueduct where Ash found Alyssa. Reluctantly, Wyatt gave in. “Okay…Deal. 06:00. Not a minute later. The Citation will be waiting…and Em” ––he flashed on an image of Alyssa. Regardless of where or to whom the AquaStar mission led, danger followed. The knot in the pit of his stomach tightened. If anything happened to Emily, he couldn’t live with the loss. “Just be careful.”
“I will. I promise.”
“I’ll call the pilot and instruct him––wait…did you say Dobbins? Are you in Atlanta?”
“We will be shortly. I’ll fill you in when we return. We need to roll. See you tomorrow, Wyatt.”
The call ended before he could reply. He couldn’t be concerned with his sister’s whereabouts now. Surrounded by Ash and Vic, Emily would be safe. In the meantime, he had to focus on rescuing Sarah. He dropped his gaze and turned from the river toward the path and drew in a long breath before returning to the compound, still brainstorming. The team would get one crack at this sting. The details needed to be executed precisely as planned…the problem was, those plans had yet to be made and he had precious little time to come up with a feasible strategy. Deep in thought, he opened the hidden door and stepped inside. If only he––
“Excuse me, Assistant Director. I think we’ve found something on the dark web you’ll want to see. Kara smiled. “Can you join is in Ops to take a look?”
“Absolutely, Sergeant.” He bent at the waist and swiped a hand, motioning for her to take the lead. Mind spinning, he let his thoughts drift to his lack of a plan. Though he had no idea how slavery auctions went down, Wyatt knew damn well the event would never take place in the basement of a prestigious Potomac Maryland home. But from what Hanna revealed, the mansion undoubtedly had a network of remote cameras throughout the premises. Building a hidden room where the owner could display his property online would be simple enough. Once Rhodes and Steel learned the basics, i.e. the owner and his or her background, more details would quickly surface, as would Wyatt’s plan of action. With any luck, they’d take down Damien before he ever reached the main event. But in doing so, would they blow any chance of discovering the kingpin and where the actual event occurred…perhaps they should follow the money instead.
Once inside Ops, Wyatt scanned the screens before turning toward Harper. “Holy shit.”
She smiled and gave him a curt nod. “So, you two want to bring the Assistant Director up to speed, or shall I?”
Sergeant Steel stepped to the right of the screen. “I know all these open windows appear a bit convoluted, sir, but bear with me. I promise, they connect.”
“Then connect them, gunny.” Wyatt strode back a few steps to take-in the massive screen then leaned against the wall next to Harper.
After swishing aside several windows, Steel expanded the view of an enormous red brick home with white stucco trim, surrounded by a black, wrought-iron fence accented by brick pillars. Zooming-in through the iron gate to the front entrance, Steel pointed out the circular driveway, stucco entryway and black front door trimmed with a black iron gate. “Hanna’s description matched this home down to the smallest detail. The address is 3002 Congressional Terrace in Potomac, Maryland and” ––he slid aside the window and enhanced another––“and the property belongs to one Michael J. Harrington.”
On the far side of the huge screen, Kara Rhodes slid a window front and center. “A mogul in his own right, Harrington dabbles in some sketchy overseas businesses…and appears to have a taste for eccentric adult games.”
Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “Be specific, Rhodes. What does this guy get off on?”
“The dark web info says he’s into female dominance.”
Wyatt shoved off the wall then crossed his arms. “Kinky, but that descr
iption flies in the face of selling children into slavery.”
She nodded. “Show him the next screen, Kara.”
“That’s what we thought, too.” Turning, she swished away the window showing Harrington’s personal info, then zoomed in on what appeared to be a dungeon. “So, we dug deeper and found plans for this small, hidden room built into his basement.”
“We also found plans for an extensive camera system throughout the entire premises.” Steel added. “But here’s the kicker. Harrington winters in Buenos Aires. He’s been in South America for over a month with plans to stay until May.”
Wyatt pushed off the wall. “So, when Harrington flies south, who maintains his extravagant home in Potomac?”
“Bingo.” Kara slid another screen into view then widened the picture. “Enter “Elegant Homes Management and Rentals.” A subsidiary company owned and operated by Star Realty.”
“Kara took the liberty of interviewing them this morning.” Raising his eyebrows, Steel shifted his gaze toward his coworker. “Posing as a high-society socialite, she nailed the part.”
“Nice work, Kara. Did you uncover any information pertinent to the case?” Harper strolled toward the screen and scanned the company details. “On the surface, Star appears to be legit.”
“Perhaps. But I insisted on a discreet interview with the highest official…I schmoozed the owner, Janeen Waters. Told her my husband would make it worth her while to find us an elegant home with high security and an inconspicuous playroom. Of course, money was no object.”
“Of course.” Harper nudged Wyatt. “I told you Kara had untapped talents.”
“That, you did.” He turned toward Kara then leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “And?”
“And she took the bait.” Kara grinned. “Get this. She had the perfect property in a prestigious area of Potomac…even showed me a few pictures. But unfortunately, the home wouldn’t be available until the end of the month…I told her my husband would be in touch to make arrangements.”