by Dani Pettrey
To Gage’s amazement, she agreed.
Jake went in first and Gage followed.
A large man sat at the table, dealing out cards in a game of solitaire, his broad back to them.
Jake approached, the man shifted, and Jake leveled his gun at his head.
Noise stirred from the rear, and Gage headed toward it, gun in hand.
The hall was dim, a series of doors lining each side of the narrow passage. He peered into the first room. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. A woman lay on a mattress on the floor, a tattered blanket covering her. Her hair was dark, her face covered. She shifted with a moan.
Something cracked, then splintered in the room at the end of the hall. Gage rushed to it and jiggled the handle. Locked.
A crash sounded and light burst forth beneath the door. “I think we’ve got a runner,” he hollered, kicking in the door.
The room was dank and cold, and he saw another woman lying on a mattress. Her bare arm was littered with puncture marks.
Jake rushed in and glanced at the opening. “A hidden door.” The boards blocking it had been kicked to the ground. “I’ll go. You stay and check on the women.”
“The man in the front room?”
“Secure, as is the rest of the house. We have a total count of three women, including her.” He gestured to the woman balled up on the mattress.
“Abby?”
“I didn’t look that close. I was just making sure the rooms were secure.”
“I’ll get Darcy.”
Jake nodded and headed outside, while Gage moved to the front, signaling Darcy it was safe to enter.
“Where’s Jake?” she asked, hesitating at the sight of the large man bound and gagged in the room off the entry.
“We had a runner. He’s tracking him now.”
“And Abby?”
“There are three women. From your description, I don’t think the two I saw are her.”
“And the third?” Darcy asked, heading for the back hall.
“Second door on your right.”
She ran into the room and Gage followed. He entered as Darcy’s breath hitched.
Abby lay on the makeshift bed, needle marks in her left arm, her eyes dilated, her head swaying.
“Abby.” Darcy rushed forward, enveloping her friend in her arms.
Abby looked so frail, so weak, so cold. When she spoke her voice cracked. “I . . . I . . . kn-knew you . . . not . . . give up . . . on me-e-e-e.” Her head drooped to the side.
“Never,” Darcy said, cradling Abby tighter.
“How is she?” he asked from the doorway, trying to assess the best course of action.
Darcy smoothed the hair from Abby’s brow, studying her face. “Semiconscious.”
“I’ll go look for medical supplies. See if we can’t start flushing the drugs from her system until the Coast Guard medics arrive.”
Jake sprinted up the hill, trying to avoid the jutting rocks.
The runner had a good hundred-yard lead on him and was racing for the south shore—where he probably had a getaway boat stashed. Seeing him disappear over the next rise, Jake increased his pace—his heartbeat whirring in his ears, his legs burning. It felt good to be back in pursuit.
Reaching the top of the ridge, Jake surveyed the landscape while maintaining his brisk pace. It took a moment for his eyes to fasten on the movement ahead—the man darting in and out of his line of sight, weaving around the volcanic mounds. Jake continued pursuit, gaining ground with each stride.
“Kayden, stop!” Piper’s shriek echoed over the ridge.
Jake scanned the space, fear welling. What is she . . . ? Panic rose in his throat as he spotted her racing along the lower edges of the hills at a perfect angle to intercept. “Kayden, no!”
She was fast—record-shattering fast. He’d heard as much, but he’d never seen her in action, not like this. Within seconds she’d be between an armed criminal and his bid for escape.
Jake lost visual as he neared the bottom of the hill, his heart firmly wedged in his throat. As he cleared a thicket, they stood not five feet ahead. Unable to stop, he barreled into them midstride, and the wind left his lungs as he collided atop the two on the hard-packed earth.
A shot fired, the retort echoing around them.
Please, don’t let it be Kayden. Please, God.
Jake scrambled to his feet, his fingers tightening around the gun’s grip. Something cracked into his jaw, lashing his head back. Blood pooled in his mouth, the sun overhead flashing bright in his eyes.
He straightened, blinking the sunspots from his eyes until he saw Kayden wrestling with the man on the ground. The man kicked, knocking her back, and lunged for his gun mere inches from his reach.
Jake cocked the hammer, ready to fire. “Stop!”
The man stilled, his gaze fixed on his weapon.
Jake kept the barrel aimed directly at his head. “Don’t do it.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the man’s shoulders slumped and he lifted his hands in the air.
“What were you thinking?” Jake asked as they trudged back to join the others.
Kayden wiped dirt from her mouth and swallowed, trying to settle what seemed like a swarm of bees swirling in her stomach. Piper and Landon escorted the now-handcuffed prisoner far enough ahead to be out of earshot. “I was trying to help.”
“By chasing down an armed criminal?”
“I . . . ” She’d had a plan, hadn’t she? “I stopped him before he could escape.”
“Yes, but if I hadn’t arrived when I had . . . ” Jake’s face tightened, true fear edging his eyes.
She’d never seen that depth of concern on his face before. She’d missed a lot of things about him in the midst of her distrust—how strong he was, how powerful in his element. What else had her stubbornness caused her to miss the past three years?
What had she been thinking?
“I don’t even want to imagine what could have—”
“Nothing happened. I’m fine. You’re fine.” She winced at his swollen jaw. “Well, mostly fine. And now we may finally get some answers.”
Darcy remained steadfastly at Abby’s side while Landon and Jake secured the third man in the room where they were holding the other two. Meanwhile, the McKennas tended to the three women as best they could with the minimal supplies available until the Coast Guard arrived.
A half hour later the Coast Guard medic said, “She’s going to be fine,” and offered a reassuring smile as he hooked up Abby’s IV.
“Thank you.” Darcy clasped Abby’s clammy hand. “See, Abby, you’re going to be all right.” Thank you, Lord.
Gage signaled to her from the doorway, and after a moment’s hesitation, she left Abby and joined the McKennas along with Jake and Landon in the front room.
“Federal agents should be here within the hour,” Landon said. “Since the women aren’t in critical condition, they’ve requested that the Coast Guard wait to transport them until they’ve had a chance to assess them on scene.”
Darcy nodded, rubbing her arms, anxious to get back to Abby.
“You okay?” Gage asked, wrapping her in a hug.
“Yeah. I just hope we’re able to catch whoever is behind this.”
“I’ve questioned the men here,” Jake said. “They aren’t talking. Period.”
“But we have to discover who’s running this network, or all we’ve managed to do is cut out a few of his players.”
Jake took a seat at the long narrow table. “Why don’t you tell me more about what you saw in the lockbox.”
She glanced back at the hall.
“Abby’s in good hands,” Gage assured her.
“You’re right.” She nodded. Abby was safe now. The medic was treating her, and figuring out who was running this horrific network was vital. Wearily, she pulled out the chair beside Jake and sank into it. “The lockbox . . .”
She raked a hand through her hair. That had seemed so long ago, and yet it had
been less than twenty-four hours. “I grabbed the ledger but left the photos and drugs, thinking maybe they wouldn’t notice the ledger missing if they checked the box because it had been stuffed in the bottom.”
“This was before we knew Clint was part of the first rescue crew,” Gage said.
“Right. We figured if we pulled the box, Ted would know for certain someone was on to him.”
“The pictures?” Jake asked. “Any of our known victims?”
“None of Abby,” Darcy said, “but I’m pretty sure I recognized Jessica Matthews from the missing-person flyer you gave Gage.”
“I printed off a news article covering the Bowen case earlier.” Landon handed her the printout. “What about her?”
“Yes,” Darcy said. “I definitely saw her in one of the photos.”
“You’re positive?” Landon asked.
“As sure as I can be with the time I had, but like I told Gage, I have a knack for faces.”
“That’s good.”
“But it hardly helps any. Clint or Mullins has no doubt destroyed the contents of that lockbox. It’s probably resting at the bottom of the ocean somewhere.”
“Let’s look at what we do have, what you know,” Jake said.
“Not a lot,” Darcy said. “Somebody took the black book off of me while I was knocked out, and I’m sure all the evidence we pointed out to Mullins has been destroyed. I still can’t believe she was involved.”
“I can’t believe we totally missed that.” Gage shook his head. “I feel like a fool.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Landon said. “I informed the FBI agents of Mullins’ involvement, and they are moving to detain her as we speak.”
“Well, that’s something,” Darcy said.
“Do you still have copies of Clint, Ted, George, and Jeremy’s employee files?” Landon asked.
“They’re in Gage’s cabin,” Darcy said, “if Mullins hasn’t gotten to those as well.”
“Did you find any connections between them?” Jake asked.
“Yes, actually. Alaskan Adventure and Travel Employment Agency.”
“What?” Landon arched a brow.
“Alaskan Adventure is the employment agency that supplied all the men in question.”
“Alaskan Adventure?” Kayden said, shifting in the chair beside Piper. “That sounds more like a travel booking agency than an employment one.”
Landon pulled it up on his SAT phone. “Alaskan Adventure and Travel Employment Agency. A full-service Alaskan travel agency, providing dream vacations as well as Alaskan-travel professionals to inquiring companies and ventures. Fully screened and highly professional personnel.”
“So it books vacations and provides travel personnel?” Jake said.
Landon lifted his chin. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Jake smiled, then winced. His poor jaw was still swelling. “We may have just found our network source.”
“Alaskan Adventure?” Darcy said.
“It’s the perfect cover.” Landon exhaled. “The person running it books vacations for single women, couples, etc. He keeps on the lookout for women he knows will be in demand, books them on the right vacation, keeping in mind to diversify the carrier or locations, and on the flip side, he plants employees at these places—on the ships, in the wilderness lodges, spas, and on excursions, so they can handle the kidnapping and deliveries.”
“From a criminal perspective, it’s genius,” Jake said, shaking his head.
“And from a human perspective, utterly terrifying.” Darcy cringed.
“Every woman who has gone missing while vacationing in Alaska now becomes a possible victim of this network,” Landon said.
“Kyle Trent is listed as CEO of Alaskan Adventure,” Jake said, studying the screen over Landon’s shoulder. “No photo.”
“I’ll make a call.” He stood and stepped from the room.
“How on earth did they pull Mullins in?” Darcy asked, shifting back in the uncomfortable wooden chair, the cold still biting at her.
“Maybe she was tired of working so hard for so little pay. Along comes a man offering her a lot of money to look the other way,” Jake suggested. Clearly he’d seen it before.
“That’s disgusting.”
“It’s just a theory, but I bet if we search Mullins’ file we’ll find a connection to Trent.”
“You cold?” Gage said.
He was always so adept at sensing her needs. She nodded.
“Come here.” He scooted her chair beside his, engulfing her in his strong arms.
She reveled in the sheltered protection until Landon returned.
“Turns out Kyle Trent has a record—solicitation and assault. But . . .” Landon rubbed the back of his neck. “It looks like he’s been clean since nineteen.”
“Seriously?” With a grunt, Darcy stood to pace, her muscles tight and sore. “Trent’s been clean since nineteen, and Clint, George, and Jeremy have no criminal record?”
“Not as adults,” Jake said.
Landon nodded with a smile. “Exactly what I was thinking. I’m going to pull a few strings and call in a couple favors.” He again stepped from the room.
“I don’t understand.” Darcy shook her head. She was thrilled Abby was safe, but the man responsible needed to be brought to justice, and so far all they had were a few of his players—all without previous criminal records. How could that be?
Jake reclined with a curious expression. “I think we just figured out what ties the men involved together.”
“Huh?”
He stood. “Let me go take another stab at those three.” He headed for the room off the entry.
Darcy looked at Gage with confusion. “Are you following this?” She was tired. Hadn’t slept since . . . she couldn’t remember, but what was she missing? How would juvenile records, if they even existed, help them?
“Still not talking,” Jake said, returning with a grunt.
Darcy balled her fists, wondering if she should take a swing at them, both figuratively and, at the moment, literally—her anger was so riled.
Landon skidded back into the room, nearly breathless, a smile on his rugged face. “Our hunch paid off.”
“Juvie?” Jake sat forward.
Landon nodded. “Clint, Jeremy, and George all served time in the Washington State juvenile system.”
“Washington?” Gage asked.
“Guess they figured Alaska provided better hunting ground—larger area, more remote, no one knows them or their history.”
“Guess who else did time in Juvie?” Landon said.
Jake smiled. “Kyle Trent?”
“Yeah, and his younger brother, Steve, who just happened to share a cell with Jeremy.”
“When the brother had finished serving his stint,” Landon continued, “Clint became Jeremy’s new bunkmate.”
“Sounds like Trent started his network way back then. Who knows how far it spreads?” Jake lifted his hand to his chin and grimaced. The medics hadn’t had the chance to check out his injury yet.
“I’ll see if I can find some ice,” Kayden said.
Had Kayden just offered to do something nice for Jake?
Jake shook his head, then winced again. “It’s fine, really. But thanks.”
“And have we figured out a connection to Mullins?” Gage asked, echoing Darcy’s thoughts.
She still couldn’t figure out how they tied together. She was quite a bit older than the men involved.
“I got the Bering’s head of security to pull her records while I was waiting to hear back from my colleague,” Landon said. “Guess who was listed as her previous employer?”
Jake smiled, more tentatively this time, paying heed to his injury. “Alaskan Adventure and Travel Employment Agency?”
“You got it,” Landon said. “And Trent’s DMV photo should be arriving any minute.” He glanced at his SAT smartphone again. “Well, soonish. Then at least we’ll know who we are looking for.”
“So . . . ” Darcy said, running through what they had pieced together. “Mullins works for Kyle Trent. He sees a new opportunity with the launch of Destiny’s Bering in his own backyard. But he needs to make sure his guys get hired. He figures, why not give her a cut of the profits and get her hired as employee liaison on the Bering? And, of course, he provides a stellar recommendation.”
“She gets the job and hires whomever Trent tells her to,” Gage said.
Darcy snapped. “That’s how she did it.”
“Did what?” Gage asked.
“Abby’s roommate, Pam, said Mullins had a way of filling openings really fast.”
“Of course, she’d just call her boss and get a new employee—sometimes legit, sometimes to increase or fill in their network.”
“How could a woman knowingly be a part of selling other women into sexual slavery?” Piper asked, her expression aghast.
“As horrific as it is, even mothers have sold their own children into prostitution,” Jake said with sorrow. “Happens all the time, particularly in poorer countries.”
Tears spilled down Piper’s cheeks, and in an uncharacteristic gesture of physical affection, Kayden clasped her sister’s hand tight.
44
“Sheriff Grainger.” The clean-cut FBI agent stepped forward and shook Landon’s hand. “I’m Special Agent Stan Jackson. We spoke on the phone. This is my partner, Special Agent Will Turow.” He gestured to the man beside him.
“Good to meet you.” Landon turned to Darcy. “This is Darcy St. James, the reporter who started this entire investigation.”
“Nice work, ma’am,” Special Agent Turow said.
“Thanks, but it was my former colleague Abigail Tritt who really started the undercover investigation.”
“We’ve cleared the Coast Guard to transport your friend and the other two women to Dutch Harbor Regional Medical Center.”
“I’d like to go along.”