by Julia Bright
“I think Marissa is in trouble,” Jackson said.
Adam’s lips thinned, and his smile disappeared. “Tell me everything.”
The news station flipped to another story, and Kelsey turned the volume low. Jackson’s head buzzed, and he wasn’t sure he could stay standing. Had Marissa been abducted? Why would someone take her? Jesus, in that area they didn’t really need a reason.
“I don’t know what to do, Adam,” Jackson said.
“We’ll get this one right. First, we’re making chicken. We’ll get the computers up and running and begin our search. There’s a clue out there, now we have to find it.”
Jackson was glad he had his friends with him. If this had happened, and he wasn’t at the ranch, he’d be a mess. Kelsey led him to the computer room, but he was helpless as his mind spun with what could have happened to Marissa. He’d finally found a woman who he loved, but it could all be taken away from him because of some stupid idiot in Africa.
12
Pain like none Marissa had known before had settled over her. Even her toes ached. She wasn’t sure where she was, or how far they’d traveled, all she knew was everything hurt. An itch on her nose meant she had to move her arm, but it hurt to adjust her body. Finally, she moved. Pain filled her, and she almost cried out. Somehow she stayed quiet, praying they didn’t come back for her.
So far, all they’d done was beat her, but she feared she’d be raped. Michaels was dead. That she knew for a fact since she’d seen them slide the knife into his chest before cutting off his head. A whimper escaped her lips, but she stuffed the tears, forcing herself to focus on what she had to work with.
Her phone was gone, smashed under a boot. They’d chopped off her hair and shaved her head, cutting her scalp in the process. They’d threatened to chop off her little finger, but they hadn’t done that yet. No question, she would suffer before they killed her.
The pain and desperation were too much, and she closed her eyes, thinking of her lover. Jackson held her so gently though he was rough around the edges. He wasn’t a highly polished FBI agent. When he cupped her cheek, and kissed her lips, holding her in his loving arms with such care, it made her heart sing. Making love with him was amazing. If she saw him again, she’d demand he hold her on his lap.
Tears ran down her cheeks, over her nose, pooling on the thin mattress beneath her. She wanted home, her own bed—scratch that, Jackson’s bed. After too many worries, she fell asleep. Her dreams focused on the ranch and Jackson.
She woke with a start, unsure where she was. Then she tried to move. Pain exploded, running down her back, through her legs and arms, making it hard to breathe. She gasped and groaned as she recovered. The door screeched, and the light came on. One eye was swollen almost all the way shut, the other she could see out of for the most part.
The man yelled at her. She couldn’t understand a word he said. He screamed again, but pain blazed hot, and nothing he said was making it to her brain.
When he came over and yanked on her arm, she screamed as the pain hit. She almost passed out, which she would have welcomed. She’d give almost anything to not be present for whatever they had planned for her. She didn’t need to know how much damage they caused or what else they did to her. Jealousy for Michaels hit as she longed for death. If she died, this pain would all be over. The only thing holding her here was Jackson. God, she craved Jackson’s arms.
Somehow she was on her feet, being supported by the man’s arm as he dragged her into another room. She wasn’t sure where they were taking her, but she feared and hoped for death. No training in the FBI prepared her for this. Though strong, she had no idea how to handle this situation.
The man half dragging her, half holding her up, let go and she toppled to the floor. Hitting the hard surface was just another pain in a string of terrible pains flashing through her body. How could she get over the abject terror of it all?
“Get up,” he barked.
She understood his words, but it took a while for those words to work through to her brain, and then it took even longer for her muscles to respond to the command.
The bruises weren’t giving her a break. Instead, she was regretting every move, every clench of muscles. So far, she didn’t think any bones were broken, cracked, maybe. Her ribs ached with almost every breath, and her right arm hung at an odd angle. Her legs felt like fire ran through them.
Once up, she lifted her head, staring the man straight in his eyes. He sneered, and she wanted to snarl back at him, but moving her face hurt.
“Why has your government targeted us so unfairly?” The man’s voice was deep and held a British English accent.
She’d never seen him before. He wasn’t a politician, at least she didn’t think he was.
“Answer me.”
His yell startled her, and she jerked which caused more pain to flash. Her brain wasn’t catching up to what he’d said. Had they drugged her? Was that why she couldn’t think. If they drugged her with something, wouldn’t that cut the pain? Why was she in so much pain?”
“Why are you targeting us?” He’d dropped his voice, and now he sounded almost reasonable. It was a trick to throw her off guard, she knew it.
“I-I don’t know what—who you are.” Her voice shook, and it took a while for her to get the words out. In the end, she wasn’t sure she’d actually spoken out loud.
The man moved fast, and suddenly he was standing right beside her. She cowered, praying if he struck, he’d kill her. Jackson! The cry never left her lips, but she screamed his name in her head.
Why had she left Wyoming? She could have told Cheryl she was done and walked away. Living in Wyoming would have been different. The ranch was far from town, no Starbucks, no Bonefish Grill, there wouldn’t be shops in walking distance, and her lifestyle would be vastly different, but she wouldn’t be here and in pain, wishing she could die.
“I know who you are and what you did,” the man said, his voice hard and crisp.
“That makes one of us,” she slurred.
His hands struck before she could lift her arm. She stumbled back a few inches and the back of her knees caught on a chair. She plopped down, almost falling out of the chair before she caught herself. The yelp of pain that escaped her lips sounded like it came from someone else.
“You were one of the ones who ruined our network.”
She shook her head, blinking her one working eyelid. “Network?”
“Yes, the one you attacked in Italy. We spent years putting that together, and you ruined it.”
“M-Michaels had n-no part in that, why did you kill him?” The sentence took forever to get out, but he didn’t interrupt her.
“Collateral. Isn’t that what you all call it when you come in blasting your rockets, killing the innocent.”
Pieces of the puzzle were coming into focus, and she might be able to put them together if her head didn’t hurt so much. She focused, thinking about what he said.
“How did you know it was me?”
“A tip. Someone told us you were coming.”
She shivered, wondering who the hell would have told this man she was traveling to Ceuta and then to Tangier? Or had someone in Ceuta spilled the information?
“H-how did you know?”
The man threw back his head and howled with laughter. “You think I’d tell you?” He hit her again, this time knocking her out of the chair. She sprawled on the floor, pain filling her. She wished he’d just get it over with.
If she stayed down here, he could kick her. She didn’t care anymore. How could she care? Her being abused and beaten was because she’d saved people and shut down a part of his network. Barr and her team were working to end the reign his network had in Europe. Human trafficking was big business all over the world. People were disposable. Sure, some of the missing were looked for, but mostly, those taken were replaced by a new baby, or a friend, or something else. Their parents stopped looking, the police quit digging, and the lost were give up as dead when in reality the
y were being run through a network of slave trainers who broke them. Then they were auctioned, and finally, they arrived at their owner’s house to serve however the person wanted. They would be used until they were finished, and the owner didn’t need the slave any longer. Then they would be tossed in the trash like a used sandwich wrapper.
The man bent, his evil smile making his black-beady eyes glint with something scary. His breath was fresh and minty instead of putrid like she assumed it would be. His gaze flitted over her face, and she groaned.
“Don’t worry, you’re going on the auction block next month. We won’t kill you now. Instead, we’ll advertise you to those people who hate Americans more than anything else in this world. You’ll be sold and used until you wished you were dead, but they won’t kill you. No, you’ll become a toy, kept alive, tortured, abused, raped, and anything else they can come up with to make you repeatedly suffer for what you have stolen from me.”
The man popped up to standing and stalked away. Someone lifted her, and half carried back to the room with the thin mattress. They dropped her on the floor where she stayed for a long time.
They would torture her for years, no question. It would be better if she died. Somehow, she’d find a way to take her life. This bastard wouldn’t get the satisfaction of selling her to someone else who would make her suffer. No, before it came to that, she’d end it all.
13
Two days of searching for Marissa had netted him nothing. Every waking moment he’d spent looking for any mention of the abduction. And then when he slept, he ran through possibilities in his mind. But there was nothing out there, no mentions, and no one was taking credit. No one had anything to say. His head ached, and his chest felt tight. Stress filled every fiber of his being. He had to find her.
“Hey, I have breakfast and coffee going.” Kelsey stepped into the computer room and moved to stand behind him. “Did you find anything last night?”
He shook his head as depression filled him. “No. I don’t know what to do.”
“Eat something, shower, take a nap if you need. I’ll be at it. We have two men coming in to help Adam this afternoon.”
He growled and put his head in his hands, despair winning. “Fuck, I should help him.”
“No, go for a run if you need exercise, but Adam and I have everything covered. I swear, we’ll work around the clock to help you find her. If anything is going on, any word of her, anything at all, we’ll find it.”
He stood and pulled Kelsey into a hug, realizing how dumb he’d been about her being pregnant. A sob stuck in his throat. If he ever wanted to have kids, it would have been with Marissa. She was the only woman who inspired him that way. He could actually see himself with her for life. Now he feared he’d never get a chance.
After eating breakfast, he headed outside to the obstacle course and did a slow run through as he stretched. Adam came out and ran the course with him the next time. No words were exchanged, but it was exactly what he needed.
They finished the round and Adam handed him a bottle of cold water. He drank it down then stared up at the sky. The sun was up, and the weather had warmed. A little green was popping up in the field, and he realized he had no idea when that had happened. Where was time going?
“She’s dead.” His voice was flat as reality stole his joy. He’d lost the best woman he’d ever known.
Adam set his bottle on the flat board of one of the obstacles. “That kind of thinking won’t help you right now.”
Hot anger flashed through him. “Fuck, Adam. We both know the score. We’ve seen it time and time again.”
“We’ve also seen people rescued years after they were abducted. Not everyone is ready to kill another human. She may be out there, and they are keeping it quiet.”
He crushed the empty water bottle, finding no satisfaction. “I didn’t know Marissa for long, but she is my world.”
“I get that. I understand how hard it is for you to make connections and when you do, I get how it can be deeper than anything you’ve ever felt before. We’ll keep looking.”
He met Adam’s gaze and a pulse of fear mixed with regret. “What do I do?”
“Man, I don’t know. We keep looking and praying. That’s all we can do. We just have to keep looking and hope we find her.”
“Can you—” his voice cracked, and he let out a choked sob.
Adam pulled him into a hug. “Don’t think about what could be happening. She could be okay. Randy was fine, just a little banged up.”
“I don’t know, Adam. I have a bad feeling about this. Like I think maybe she’ll have it worse.”
Adam said nothing because realistically there wasn’t anything he could say. They both had seen the worst of humanity serving as an Army Ranger. Marissa’s life meant nothing to those type of people.
After a mile run, he headed to the bathroom for a shower where he broke down and cried like a baby. He had a feeling they’d find Marissa dead soon, and that thought chipped away at his heart. He didn’t want this to push him over the edge, but he feared losing her would leave him with nothing left to live for.
The shower helped, but he couldn’t shut his brain down to sleep. After dressing, he headed to the kitchen to grab a mug of coffee. Kelsey had set up in the den with her feet up while she worked on a laptop.
He was about to say something to her when she glanced up, the look in her eyes making him freeze.
“What?” His breath caught, and goose bumps broke out over her body. He stumbled forward, dropping to his knees beside her.
“Adam, get in here,” she yelled.
No question, whatever had happened would be bad. Lost, Jackson stared into her eyes, praying what she had to say wouldn’t kill him, but deep inside, he feared it would.
Adam rushed in, his eyes wide. “What?”
Kelsey shook her head as tears streamed down her face. No question, he wouldn’t like whatever she had to say.
“The Moroccan government is reporting that—” Kelsey swallowed, her brows pinched tighter.
Adam reached down and pulled him into a hug. The words didn’t have to be said. He knew without a doubt, Marissa was gone. She’d slipped through his hands like water. The best woman he’d ever met was dead.
The cry from his soul filled the house. He wanted to destroy everything, but he held it together for Kelsey’s sake. Adam lowered him to the chair where he screamed and cried for who knows how long. His brain couldn’t wrap around the fact that Marissa was dead. She’d been so full and vibrant. Her life had meant something.
Nothing would ever be right again. The bastards had taken everything. He must have fallen asleep at some point because when he woke, he realized he’d been dreaming about Marissa. Everything came flooding back to him in wave after dark wave. He didn’t even know how she died. He had to learn, had to understand what had happened. No doubt, looking at the reports would be brutal, but he had to know.
He stood on shaky legs and paused as his head spun. The first step almost had him falling, but he stayed upright. He stepped into the kitchen and Adam jumped up and moved to him, pulling him into a tight hug.
“What do you need?” Adam asked.
The question made him want to scream. Instead, he cleared his throat and swallowed over the lump of dread. “I need to know what happened.”
“Okay, Kelsey is gathering information.” Adam paused, and a shiver made him shake. “It’s not pretty.”
“I don’t—” he blew out a breath. “I don’t need pretty, I need the truth.”
“Here, drink this.”
“What is it?”
“A smoothie. I know you won’t want to eat, but you’ve got to take in some nutrition.”
His stomach clenched. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Just have some. It’s not much, but it’s packed with calories and good stuff.”
He took the cup and drank down a swig before pausing to swallow. It was difficult, but somehow the smoothie made it down, and he didn
’t throw up. He finished the drink before heading into the computer room.
Kelsey hopped up and hugged him. He’d fought in the army to protect people like Kelsey and Marissa. When he finally found who killed Marissa, he was going to make them wish they’d never been born.
“This is the photo.” Kelsey pulled up a webpage, and he squinted at the photo.
“What am I seeing?” His eyes were a little fuzzy from crying he guessed.
“Let me turn up the brightness. It’s two bodies they are claiming are Marissa’s and an Agent Michaels. He was with her on the trip from Ceuta to Tangier.”
He felt dead inside. “Where did they find them?”
Kelsey pulled another page up. It was a map that was zoomed in. “It was here, outside Marrakesh. A farmer found them a little after sunrise. Someone must have pulled up and placed them there in the middle of the night. The man, Michaels, had his head cut off. Both bodies were burned beyond recognition.”
He stared at the photo of Marissa, trying to comprehend what had happened. “Are they really sure it was her?”
Kelsey shook her head. “The body is being brought back to the United States. From what I’ve read it will take about five days. Once they have her hear. They’ll do a DNA analysis. Then they’ll confirm it’s her.”
“Jesus, Kelsey, what am I going to do.”
She sat back and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“I want to go over there and tear that place apart until I find the bastard who killed her.”
Kelsey put her hand on his knee. “I get what you mean. It took me months to find the asshole who killed my dad and brother. I didn’t care if I died, I just wanted him to die too. So I get exactly what you are thinking.”
He sat back and wiped his hand over his face. “What the hell am I going to do?”
Adam stepped in and sat on the other side of him. “I don’t know, but I’ll help you however I can.”
“I can’t put you at risk, not with your baby on the way.”
Adam squeezed his shoulder. “We won’t be at risk if we do this right.”
He shook his head. “I don’t care about risk right now, I just want him to pay.”