by Julia Bright
It was almost noon when his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number and scooped it up fast.
“Hello, Randy?”
“Sorry.” There was a delay, but he recognized Marissa’s voice. “I don’t have anything yet. I wanted to call instead of just texting.”
“Oh.” He blew out a breath and got up, heading to the door. Adam lifted his brows and threw him a questioning gaze. Jackson shook his head no before he stepped outside. “So how are you?”
“I’m good. I’m at the embassy in Barcelona. I’m headed over to the police headquarters later this afternoon, but I wanted to tell you where we were. I’m sorry I haven’t found more. I wanted to wait until we had a little information, but….”
He sighed and closed his eyes a pain hit him deep. “At least it’s good hearing your voice.”
“Did you go home?”
“No.”
“Oh.” She paused, and he could tell he’d thrown her. His relationship with his dad was too strained. The number of times his dad had gone off on him, trying to get him to bend to his will had been more than he could count on one hand. That’s what had sent him running to the Army at seventeen.
“Well, I went to my home, but not my parents. I can’t do anything there other than be in the way.”
“Are you okay?”
Her concern was too much. The emotions he’d kept at bay threatened. He spent hours focusing on digging deeper into the shadows of the darkweb, but now with time to think, his mind raced over the possibilities of what could have happened to his brother. A choked sob escaped though he fought to keep his desperation hidden from Marissa.
He cleared his throat, keeping a lid on the runaway emotions fighting to break free. “I don’t know.” He grabbed his beard and tugged, inflicting pain that centered him.
“I wish I was there in the States with you.”
“You working on your end is the best thing for all of us.”
“I know.”
“I wish you were here so I could hold you.”
She cleared her throat, and her voice changed. “Thank you for being so…”
“What?”
“Amazing,” she said in a husky whisper.
He heated and groaned. This woman made him want more from life. He couldn’t have her, not now, maybe never, but he wanted her with him. “Maybe my next vacation can line up with yours.”
She chuckled, and he heard someone else speaking in the background. “Sorry, Jackson, I’ve got to go. We’ll try to make that happen though. Once we have your brother home, we’ll figure something out.”
Thoughts of his brother made him check himself. God, he was such an asshole. How could he think of anything but Randy? The call ended, and he stared out into the wilderness as he prayed for his brother’s safe return.
A lone bird dove to the ground, seeking prey. He squinted as he watched, seeing it was an eagle. The eagle pulled up, catching something in its claws then flew away, dinner in hand. That’s how they had to be. The precision strike from the eagle was exactly what they wanted, but they had no clue where to strike. For all the progress they’d made, it hadn’t been enough to find Randy.
A scream lodged in his throat, but he didn’t let it loose. He needed to hone his rage and anger and take it out on the people trying to hurt his family.
The tiredness he’d felt earlier was gone. With his focus renewed, he went back into the computer room and sat down, making lists of all possible locations, people, everything from the data they’d gathered. So far, they hadn’t pinned down who could have done this, but they were closer than they had been before.
The hours turned to days. Jackson slept when he was too exhausted to work. His fingers ached, and his legs were stiff, but he’d fight for his brother, even if that fight happened in this little room with computers and keyboards instead of with fists and guns.
“Hey, you need a break,” Adam said.
He shook his head, feeling a little woozy. “I can’t.”
“Yeah, you have to. You’ve been in here long enough, and I need you fighting ready when we find your brother. We’re going for a run, and after we run, we’ll do a workout.”
He leaned back and closed his eyes, twinging at the pain that shot through his body. “Fine. Give me a minute.”
“Kelsey is coming in here to continue the search. We won’t stop. You need a breakthrough.”
“I get it.” He stood and stretched before moving to Adam. His buddy wrapped him in a tight hug and held on, slapping his back before walking away. Emotions bubbled to the surface, and he had to clear his throat to keep from crying.
“Put on your boots, we’re doing the canyon,” Adam said.
He groaned but actually looked forward to the challenge. “Okay, boss.”
They’d developed a run that had them training on uneven terrain, keeping their skills sharp while they also checked on the cows by the creek. He laced up his boots and was outside in minutes. Adam was easy on him, not making him go full on as they made their way up the canyon hill and over to the trail that led down to the base.
The dirt over his feet and sun on his back felt good. He let his mind go, thinking of only the workout to come. They’d made their way closer to the house where they’d installed a set of rings, a pull-up bar, monkey bars, and a small obstacle course. It was the perfect setup for staying in shape. In the few months, they’d built a shed for their weights and rack for days they wanted to pump iron.
After the first run through the course, he admitted Adam was right. He needed this.
They were on their second run through the obstacle course when Kelsey stepped outside. She waved as she hurried over.
“Hey, guys, I need a moment,” Kelsey called out.
“We’re not done,” Adam said.
“I found him.”
Jackson dropped from the monkey bars, shock filling him. “What do you mean?”
“I started back-tracing and found an anomaly. It wasn’t much, but it was enough, and I used the profile we created, and I was in, and I found your brother, Jackson. I found him. He’s being held in Italy for now.”
Jackson turned to Adam, panic tracing his nerves. “What do we do?”
“First, we make sure Kelsey is right. Then we plan a raid.”
His hands were shaking, and he wanted to call and tell his dad, but he couldn’t, not yet. Once they had Randy safe, he would let his dad know.
“You really found him?” Jackson couldn’t believe it. They had Randy.
“Yeah.” Kelsey met his gaze and what he saw sent a blast of worry through him.
“But?” He held his breath waiting for her to answer.
She reached out, touching his arm, there was sadness in her eyes. “It’s a sex trafficking operation. It’s not terrorist, they don’t want a ransom. They have no reason to let him go. On their site, they have a list of what they do to condition their captives, which they call products. Your brother is being broken, like a horse. I want you to be ready for what you’re about to see. It’s painful.”
He dropped to a squat, the air seeming to leave his lungs. His head spun as his mind reeled over what she’d said. His little brother was being broken just so some fucker could take advantage of him over and over again.
Adam was next to him, hand on the back of his neck. Their foreheads were together as Adam held on to him, keeping him grounded.
“We’ll figure this out, Jackson. You, me, and Kelsey. We’ll figure this out and get those bastards.”
He nodded and reached up and clasped Adam’s hand in a wrestling grip. Adam pulled him up as he stood and tugged him closer. He’d never been as needy as he was now, and he didn’t like it. He was supposed to stand on his own, but he needed Adam and Kelsey. If only Marissa were here.
“We’ll get him back. Okay, we’ll get him, and we’ll make them pay,” Adam whispered before he let go.
They headed inside to the computer room where Kelsey explained everything she’d done to come to t
he conclusion that Randy was being held in Italy. After she finished, he read over the product list the group had on the site. He wanted to throw up. They would do anything to deliver a perfect slave to the ultra-rich. The assholes were making Randy into a plaything for some rich bastard to use as he saw fit.
Rage built, but he had to guide that anger or risk losing it all. Retrieving Randy meant so much more than his service in the military or where he lived. It was more important than his failed relationship with his father. He closed his eyes, trying to channel the incredible amount of hate he felt for the people holding Randy captive. When he found them, they would be sorry they’d touched his brother.
4
Marissa closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead again. She had nothing to report to Jackson, but she wanted to call just to hear his voice. It was crazy thinking there had been an attachment between them. They’d had sex, that was all. They didn’t even know each other.
She went over the CCTV footage again, concentrating on where the van had driven. It had just disappeared. How could the van have vanished? She played back the tape, looking at the street and jotting down the intersection. She was hopeless and decided going to social media might be the only way to find what she wanted. She searched for all photos geotagged to the location near the street where the van disappeared. There were hundreds of photos to comb through. Her eyes ached, and she wanted to take a break, but she was working on this case in her spare time while she also did her other job. Her boss, Cheryl Davidson, had already decided Randy wasn’t ever going to be found, so she refused her request to be assigned full time to the case. The pace was driving her crazy.
When her eyes became useless, she closed them and sat back. The feeling of missing something important wove through her. If only they knew where the van had gone. There didn’t seem to be anywhere to hide. The only garage had a large sign set up in front of it. She heard footsteps behind her, and she opened her eyes to see Greg, one of the other agents stationed at this embassy.
“Hey, look at that photo,” Greg said.
“Which one?”
“The one with the redhead with the awesome, um, the one with the redhead.”
She sat up and looked, seeing the woman he was talking about. The redhead had an awesome butt hanging out of her shorts. That dominated the photo. All eyes were drawn to the round, creaming globes trying to escape her pants. “I don’t see what you mean.”
“Behind her. Look at that.” Greg pointed to a spot on the screen that was black.
“What are you seeing?” Marissa narrowed her eyes as she stared at the spot he’d pointed at.
Greg clicked on another photo of Red. “This shot is of the same road just seconds before or after they shot Red’s butt in that other photo. What is making this spot black on the other photo?”
Someone had taken a series of shots of this woman, focusing on her butt. Marissa looked at these photos for hours, but the woman with red hair had dominated the frames. Now she was looking at the other parts on the screen and saw what Greg was talking about. Her exhaustion was making her dull. That was the only explanation of why she hadn’t seen it before.
Excitement pulsed through her and she stood fast, shoving her chair back. “Oh my God, Greg, you’re a freaking genius.”
She wanted to call Jackson, but they didn’t really have anything yet, just a photo showing the garage permanently closed with a sign in front of it and another shot with a black van sliding into the space. That was where they took him. It had to be. He probably wasn’t being held there, but maybe they’d find a lead. Something to point them toward finding Randy and bringing him home.
“We need to get a team over there to investigate,” Marissa said.
“I’ll get on the phone with Agent Barr and have her get her crew ready.”
Marissa nodded, worried that they were too late. “Where are you, Randy Jackson?”
Agent Barr from the Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, or CNP, assembled a team to go in and strike. The alley was close to a popular tourist district, and they’d sent in plain clothes officers to clear out the street. She and Greg drove over to the CNP offices and were watching on screen as their SWAT team, the Grupo Especial de Operaciones, or GEO moved closer to the garage. The GEO was a step above the SWAT teams for police forces in the US. They were more like the FBI’s tactical operation unit. She’d worked with the GEO a few times in Madrid, making a fool of herself pronouncing it like an American the first few times until one of her colleagues told her the G was pronounced like H. She saw the respect in Barr’s eyes grow as she’d correctly pronounced the team name. Barr and the rest of the CNP could kick her out if they felt like it, and she needed them to allow her to stay. Barr was doing the FBI a favor. They had no real probable cause, just a few snapshots stolen off Instagram and Twitter.
“They’re approaching.” Barr leaned in, her eyes wide.
Anticipation made Marissa’s skin tingle. She gave a quick glance to Greg, noticing the tick in his cheek. The GEO commander approached the door and bent, grabbing the bottom handle. The garage door looked locked, but when he pulled, the door rolled up. The GEO swarmed in. For a few seconds, it was chaos. The lights came on, revealing an empty garage, except for the van. They had the van or one that looked exactly like the one Randy had been pulled into.
Barr lifted a brow as she turned to Marissa. “Would you like to accompany me to the site?”
She nodded, relieved at the invitation. “Thank you, yes, I’d love to see the area.”
“Very well. I like you, Agent Edwards. You’re not like some of the American working out of that office.”
Her heart kicked up pace, and she had to fight the sweat forming on her brow. Acting cool and calm even though she wasn’t would win her points with Barr. “Thank you, I like to think of myself as a guest in your country.”
“It would be interesting to receive a post in your country for a few months. I think I would enjoy it.”
Marissa’s lips tilted up. “Like Spain, every region is different.”
“How is San Francisco? I’d like the Bay area.”
“It’s beautiful. I don’t like the new phallic building though.”
Barr lifted her brow and shot her a look as they slid into the back seat of the car. Greg sat up front with the driver.
“Phallic building?” Barr asked.
“It’s a little, um—”
“Obvious is the word you’re looking for,” Greg said. “The building stands out.”
“Ah, I would like to see the building and the city,” Barr continued. “Though I don’t think anything would be as beautiful as La Sagrada.”
The church came into view, and Marissa shook her head. “No, nothing will ever be as beautiful as La Sagrada. When I first received a post in Spain, I came to the church and sat for hours watching the light move.”
“It’s inspiring,” Barr said.
They were silent the rest of the way. Barr received a few texts about the scene which she forwarded to Marissa. So far, they had little information, but they were combing through the drawers and papers.
The driver dropped them off close to the alley. He said he’d find a spot close by. He told Barr to call him when she was done. Marissa understood enough Spanish she could get along well enough here. Most of the conversations with authorities happened in English since it was assumed Americans didn’t know the language.
They slowed as they approached the garage. The setup was brilliant. The sign blocking the garage, the one they’d been told wouldn’t move, was pushed to the side and obviously moveable.
“Well, that moves fairly easily,” Greg said.
“It does,” Barr added. “The GEO commander, García, said it’s on tracks above and remote controlled. They just had to push a button.”
“That is wild,” Greg said.
“Yes. They had the place hidden well,” Barr said. “That means there is money in this operation. They aren’t just using this space without some investme
nt. They meant for this to be used often. Now, I wonder how many young Spanish men and women have been taken here.”
Marissa was focused on Randy, but a hidden garage like this one had to mean multiple people had been abducted. This group knew what they were doing. She would place bets on the fact they’d built an empire taking people, building wealth by dealing in slaves right here under the noses of the Spanish government.
“I agree,” Marissa said. “I know we are focused on getting our citizen found, but I hope we can find your people too.”
Barr’s lips thinned, and she gave a sharp nod. “Hopefully we can take this operation down.”
They entered the garage and paused. Glancing around, she took in the work the GEO was doing. Forensic analysts were already on scene, swabbing the back of the van. Someone had emptied the contents of the glove box. Papers were being looked at. The CNP operated like a well-oiled machine. She stood off to the side, watching as they moved through their motions, taking samples, detailing everything, leaving no cabinet closed. Men and women searched for hiding places, tearing the place apart. She had little doubt nothing would be left to chance with this group.
Close to midnight, she caught a taxi back to the embassy. Greg had left at six that evening since he had to take care of other work. She’d stayed until they were closing up the garage. They’d gone over everything, leaving nothing left to search.
The urge to call Jackson grew, but she didn’t really have anything to go on. They’d found a garage with a van used to abduct his brother. If she called now, it would only get his hopes up. Randy could easily be dead, or worse, alive and they’d never find him.
After a few hours’ sleep, she was back at it. Close to noon, they received a call from Agent Barr. There’d been a break in the case. They had a trail to follow. It wasn’t much, but they were getting closer.