Pretty Little Girls

by Jenifer Ruff

  On the fourth ring, he glanced at the screen. “I have to answer this. It’s perhaps the only person I’m more disappointed in than you right now. Although all of you are giving me a good run for the money.”

  He picked up the call. “Did you find her?”

  “She’s at the Charlotte Center Hospital. She hasn’t given them her name, so it was hard to find her.”

  If she hadn’t given them a name, it meant she wasn’t talking. Stephen was relieved. “It’s about time you did some successful investigating.”

  “She had surgery yesterday. She’ll probably be there one more day. She doesn’t have insurance. They’ll want her out of there as soon as possible.”

  Stephen cursed under his breath. “I don’t want her alive with the ability to speak for another hour, never mind another day.” He didn’t think she would say anything. He’d always told the girls if they got away, he would find them and make them pay. But the more time that passed without him coming, the more she might doubt his resolve. The more confident she might become.

  “There’s nothing we can do about—”

  Stephen tightened his fingers around his phone. “There’s nothing you can do? Don’t you dare say that to me. What good are you? If I did my job as well as you, we’d all have much, much smaller bank accounts and you wouldn’t be driving that Maserati I’ve seen you in.” Stephen let that settle in. “That’s right, I’m watching you. Bring me Sofia or you’ll be sorry for the rest of your life.”

  “Once she’s out of the hospital. Right now, there are guards and FBI agents there.”

  “Once she’s out of the hospital it might be too late.” Stephen growled. His operation only worked as long as everyone he was paying did what he told them to do. Their willfulness, negativity, and incompetence were becoming a problem.

  “My advice to you is for you and Allison to get out of town,” the man said. “Leave your girls with the brothers and hop on a plane to another country as soon as you can. Like today.”

  “I don’t take advice from you,” Stephen said.

  “You should. Listen. If you expect me to help you, I need to know. Is Emma Manning still in the country?”

  “No.” Stephen hung up. The men he paid to protect his operation might look the other way with runaways and girls from poor foreign countries, but the daughter of a prominent businessman might test loyalties. Now was not the time to find out.

  “What was that about?” Allison asked.

  “I know where Sofia is. I’m calling Petar.” He was already making the phone call.

  “This situation with Sofia has nothing to do with Emma Manning, you know. Nothing. So, don’t try to blame it on me.”

  “I don’t believe in coincidences.” Stephen closed his eyes briefly, getting a hold on his emotions as he waited for Petar to answer. “Change of plans, Petar. You’ve got a job to do here. An immediate priority. Get your ass to the Charlotte Center Hospital and drag Sofia out of there. You know the story.”

  “S-s-say I’m her uncle and sh-how them the papers.”

  “And if anyone gives you trouble, her religion doesn’t allow for hospital stays and you’re taking her home.”

  “B-but what if she denies I’m her—?

  “She won’t.”

  The stuttering beast would do as he was told, regardless of the risk or consequences. His dumb loyalty was worth its weight in gold.

  Stephen hung up and turned to Allison. “I’m calling Svet and Damian with a change of plans, telling them to take all of the girls to the Garden Courtyard. Go pack your bags because as soon as I know Petar has Sofia, you’re coming with me.”

  I’ll punish Allison later. She doesn’t get to double-cross me and live.

  Neither does Damian.

  But Sofia needs to die first.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Victoria left Sofia’s hospital room with Rivera. She passed the guard sitting outside Sofia’s door and ducked into a nearby alcove.

  “Be right back,” Rivera said, continuing on.

  “Okay. I’ll call Murphy and see if he’s in Charlotte yet.”

  One of the hospital staff hurried past, wheeling equipment in front of him. Then the guard tapped her on the shoulder. “I need to take care of something. Back in a second. Okay?”

  “Okay.” She kept her eyes on Sofia’s room. She was only a few yards away.

  A tall, muscular man with a military-style haircut entered the hall. Tattoos covered his upper arms. Something about him was familiar. He entered the nearest hospital room.

  Victoria’s first thought was of Sofia, in case the man hadn’t come alone. She rushed back to find Sofia squinting at her from the bed.

  “It’s just me, Agent Heslin.” She peered out the door, just enough so she could watch without being seen. A hospital employee strolled past, reading from a chart. The tattooed man stepped back into the hallway, looked both ways, and went into the next room. He had to be an idiot not to realize how suspicious he appeared. His size would always get him noticed and the tattoos weren’t helping him blend well either.

  Heart racing, Victoria called Rivera. “Where are you?”

  “In front of the hospital.”

  “The guy I chased out of that basement is here. He’s going in and out of rooms. I don’t know that he’s alone. I’m going to stay with Sofia.”

  “I’m coming. Hold tight.”

  “I’m calling for back up. I doubt he’s here to talk. Take the stairs. They exit right next to this room. I’ll call you back.”

  “Someone came for me, didn’t they?” Sofia scrambled out of the bed and moved into the corner of the room. She leaned against the wall. “Who is it? Svet? Petar?”

  “It might be one of them. I’m not positive.” Victoria kept her voice calm and level, but it was just above a whisper. “Go into the bathroom and lock the door. Get on the floor and stay as low as you can, especially if you hear . . . signs of trouble.” No one else was going to hurt Sofia. Victoria was there to make damn sure of it.

  Cradling the arm on her injured side, Sofia hurried to the bathroom. No questions. No complaints. But her eyes were wide with fear.

  “It’s going to be all right.” Victoria’s gaze left the door to the hallway only long enough to see where Sofia was. “This is what I do for a living. I’ll protect you.”

  Sofia gripped the edge of the bathroom door with her good hand. “Be careful. Please don’t get killed.”

  “I’m not planning on it.” She waved at Sofia to step back and close the door.

  Victoria called for backup and alerted hospital security. She opened the door a crack and peered into the hall as she called Rivera again.

  Rivera’s breath came short and fast. “On my way up the stairs.”

  “I’m going to get a location on him. If he gets here before you do, I’ll handle him.”

  Before she moved, the door to Sofia’s room creaked as it opened a few inches. Victoria tensed and made sure her gun was cocked and ready. Her adrenaline had her prepped for whatever would happen next.

  The door burst open.

  Victoria raised her gun and yelled “FBI! Stop!”

  A commotion of flying feet and grunting breaths erupted. The man at the door jerked his head to the side as someone slammed into him. They both disappeared from sight. The soft snap of a silenced gun went off.

  She raced into the hallway. Rivera lay on his back, a stunned look on his face. Victoria gasped. Next to Rivera, a large man lay on his stomach, forcing weight on his arms and pushing himself up. Victoria pounced onto his broad back, pressing her knee into his spine with all her weight. The hospital security guard darted to her side, helping to hold the man down. A male nurse ran over to help them. It took the three of them to overpower the intruder and get him cuffed.

  Rivera groaned.

  “Rivera! Are you shot?” Victoria yelled, breathless, craning her neck to see him.

  “Yes.” Rivera moaned through gritted teeth. His body shook v
iolently.

  Victoria moved away from the intruder, who had stopped struggling. “Don’t let him up,” she told the security guard. She knelt beside Rivera, searching for blood and the location of his wound. Shouts and hurried footsteps buzzed around her like white noise, none of it fully registering. She pulled the buckles apart on Rivera’s vest, tossed it to one side, and tore open his shirt

  “We’ve got this. You need to move.” Victoria heard the woman’s voice, but couldn’t register her request.

  A blazing red burn glared from the center of Rivera’s chest.

  But no hole.

  And no blood.

  “You’re okay,” Victoria said, barely able to breathe, eyes unblinking. She took hold of his hand and squeezed it. Aware of her racing heart and the chill tingling down her spine, she stepped back, letting his hand go as the hospital staff surrounded him. She covered her mouth with her hands and whispered again, “You’re okay.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Outside the makeshift interrogation room, Victoria checked her watch. Rivera was supposed to join her as soon as a nurse finished wrapping bandages around his bruised torso. Petar was waiting inside. His hands were cuffed to a large pipe. A red lump had formed on the side of his head where he hit the floor. Hopefully he’d concluded that his game was up and it was in his best interest to talk. She’d give Rivera a few more minutes before she went in to interrogate him.

  For the second time in less than thirty minutes, Victoria called Murphy. The first call had been a little emotional, coming right after Rivera got shot. Murphy’s flight had just landed in Charlotte. She’d relayed the information they’d gathered. Now, she’d calmed down and was more herself.

  “Allison Greenwood’s home is surrounded,” Murphy informed her. “I’m almost there.”

  Victoria now experienced a pang of fury each time she pictured the cool-as-ice realtor.

  Murphy continued. “We’ve got agents positioned across the street. They confirmed she’s inside. They’ll use a battering ram and tear gas if needed. They’re just waiting to hear we’ve located the girls before they bust in there. Once we have them, she won’t have a bargaining chip. We can lock her up and throw away the key.”

  “And Stephen?”

  “Still tracking him down.”

  “Make sure they know he always carries a gun. And from what Sofia says, he won’t hesitate to use it. She’s seen him commit murder.”

  “They know. What’s the latest on Rivera?”

  Remembering the horror of thinking he’d been shot sent another shudder down her back. She was still overwhelmed with relief that he had been wearing a vest. The uncertainty had lasted mere seconds, but it had rocked her world. She wasn’t sure if she understood why. “He’s okay. Two fractured ribs. I’m waiting for him now. I’ll give him another minute before I go in.”

  “Good, good. And you?”

  “Me? I’m fine.” She’d finally stopped shaking.

  “Then get your suspect to cooperate immediately. Let him know we’re not playing games. They’re all going down, it’s just a matter of how far. We need the girls’ locations so we can move. Call me once you have them.”

  There wasn’t time to waste. Victoria had her hand on the door when Rivera walked around the corner, his gait slow and stiff. He smiled. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “Better late than dead, Rivera.” Her tone was snappier than she’d intended. Whatever she was feeling, now wasn’t the time to sort it out.

  She stared at Petar through the window in the door. “Check out the twitching eye. He’s worried. Let’s see if we can’t make him sweat.”

  Rivera took a deep breath. “Walking hurts. I’d like to give him a taste of it. Let’s get in there.”

  Victoria’s phone buzzed as they entered the room.

  Rivera moved with his usual athletic grace and gave no indication he’d been hurt. “Good thing I wear Kevlar, big guy. Or you’d be facing the death sentence. If you aren’t already for something else.”

  Petar glanced at them, then back down at the handcuffs securing him to the table. “You took me down.”

  “You reached for a gun.” Rivera eased into a chair. “What were you doing sneaking in and out of hospital rooms? What did you think you were going to do? Shoot someone and walk on out of here? Threaten Sofia not to talk? Either way, is your boss really that stupid? Or just that desperate? And what does that say about you?”

  Petar didn’t look up.

  “Answer me,” Rivera shouted.

  “I was only going to talk and take her with me. I’m her uncle. The gun went off by accident.”

  “Maybe it did.” Rivera huffed. “Clearly, you’re not very smart. We know you’re not her uncle, Petar.”

  Victoria’s phone buzzed again. This time she took it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. It was a 911 from Murphy.

  She turned to Rivera and lowered her voice. “Give me one second.”

  She shut the door behind her and raised the phone to her ear. “Murphy. What is it?”

  “Allison isn’t alone in her house. She’s with a Caucasian male, six feet tall, late forties. We got a picture of the plates on a black BMW through the garage window. The car is registered to Stephen Petrovich.”

  “It must be our perp. We’ve got them.”

  “They’ve been in there for over an hour. Allison wheeled a suitcase by a window not too long ago. Agents will have to move on both if either tries to leave. Do you have the location for the girls?”

  “We need a few more minutes. We just started talking to him.”

  “You need to talk faster.”

  Victoria hurried back into the room. She wasn’t able to tell Rivera what had transpired, but he would trust her lead. She remained standing, holding on to the back of a chair.

  “Let’s cut to the chase here. We know you’re not the mastermind of this operation. We’re not sure how you and your brother got involved, but we know you couldn’t just leave, just like the girls couldn’t leave. Maybe they threatened to kill your family if you did. That’s how it always works with these types of rings, isn’t it?” She didn’t know if it were necessarily true in his case, but it allowed him an angle in case he wasn’t smart enough to think of one himself. “The faster we can catch everyone, the safer your family will be. You cooperate now, and we’ll make sure prosecutors know how helpful and remorseful you were. Tell us where to find Svet and the girls you’re trafficking.”

  With the mention of his brother’s name, Petar lifted his head and pinned Victoria with a look that said, how do you know that? He would get destroyed in a game of poker.

  “We have Sofia,” Victoria said. “She told us everything. The only thing she couldn’t give us was the address of where the other girls are right now. That’s the only thing we don’t know. But we will find them. Once we do, it’s all over for the rest of you. You’re going to do time for kidnapping, prostitution, and a bunch of other stuff. Life in prison. Do you want to know what inmates do to guys who hurt children? It’s not pretty, that’s for sure. Brutal and sadistic is what it is. Or . . . you can help yourself and make a deal. If you help us, and help us right now, we can tell the prosecutor you’ve been helpful and argue for leniency.”

  Petar shifted in his seat. “I d-don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You took a loaded weapon into a child’s hospital room!” Victoria’s voice rose with her anger. “You and your brother kidnapped girls. You made them use drugs and forced them into prostitution—underage girls! Stop acting tough and start acting smart. How many people?”

  “He’ll kill me.”

  “Not if we get him first,” Rivera said. “You’ve seen your last glimpse of sky outside of a federal penitentiary, but we need your help. We want to move fast, and we’re willing to make life a lot easier for you if you cooperate. We can help protect you in prison. But while you’re taking your sweet time deciding, if the people you work with get scared, they might do so
mething stupid like kill the girls—which means you’re an accessory to murder. But it might not be too late if you start talking right goddamned now! So, how many people, other than your brother, are with the girls?”

  Petar lowered his head and whispered. “J-j-just one. Damian.”

  A jolt of exhilaration shot through Victoria. He was going to talk.

  “Tell us where they are,” Rivera said. “And maybe we won’t shoot your brother in the head when we find him.”

  Petar’s phone vibrated and lit up on the table.

  “Speak of the devil.” Rivera snorted. “Bet he’s wondering where you are.”

  Petar stared at Stephen’s name lighting up on his phone.

  “So, here’s what you’re going to tell him.” Victoria leaned forward, speaking quickly. “Tell him Sofia is alive. She just left the hospital. She’s going to a safe house.”

  Petar stared at the vibrating phone.

  “Hurry up,” Rivera said. “And don’t forget that we can help you or we can make your hell even worse than it otherwise will be.”

  Victoria accepted the call and then pressed the speaker button. She prayed Petar wasn’t loyal enough to his boss to give them away.

  Petar spoke. “S-S-S—” He swallowed, closed his eyes, and tried again. “S-S-Sofia’s alive.”

  “I know. That’s why you’re there. Bring her to me. I want to kill her in front of the other girls.”

  Victoria cringed. The man was a monster.

  “Yeah. B-b-but the cops have her. Th-th-they’re taking her somewhere safe.”

  Victoria mouthed the word “Good.”

  Stephen sighed. “I’ll find out where she is. You be ready and waiting by your phone.”

  Rivera waved to get Petar’s attention and mouthed. “Where are the girls? Ask him.”

  “Uh, w-w-where are the other girls now?”

  “They’re at the usual hotels. You’re going to focus on getting Sofia. Do you understand?”

  “Y-y-yes.”