by April Thomas
"She never really let anyone in her room. She liked her solitude." Ameila sighed thinking back to the difficulty in raising Azura.
Tamarius and Maxwell both went straight for her nightstand. It would be the best place to look for an address book. Tobias went to her student desk in a corner of the room and pulled out an old note pad from high school. He glanced through it before moving on to her high school yearbook. He couldn't help but search for her senior picture, which turned out to be the unhappiest picture he had ever seen. She looked miserable and detached from the present reality. He flipped the page and found Morgan's picture, jealousy rose in him again, but it was weakened with the thought of never seeing his wife again, never touching her skin. It now seemed silly to be jealous of a man she wasn't longing for. Suddenly it hits him; Morgan's last name was very familiar. "Judd?" Tobias blurted out load. "Is this Uncle Adam Judd, by any chance?" he asked his in-laws.
"Oh I don't know dear," Ameila answered.
Tobias pulled out his wallet and quickly flipped through to find a business card from Adam Judd. Happy to see he had not thrown it out, he called the number on the card. It was after midnight but Tobias didn't care. "Hello?" said a voice on the other end.
"Adam, Adam Judd?" Tobias questioned.
"Yes, this is he, has something happen to my nephew?" the old man questioned right away.
"Is your nephew Morgan?" Tobias asked.
"Yes, Morgan Judd, is he in some kind of trouble?"
"No, but we need his help. Do you know how we can get a hold of him?" Tobias asked.
"Who is this?"
"Tobias Cavaughna,"
"Hey we had a meeting and you stood me up!" the old man shouted.
"Yes, I told my assistant to let you know that I am accepting your offer, but you haven't heard from her, obviously," Tobias replied.
"No, I haven't, but thank you," he replied happily.
"Yes we can talk about this later, can you please help me get in touch with Morgan," Tobias reminded.
"Yes, yes of course, here is his number. 555 0110, he plays pool down at the bar most late nights so he should be up. Good luck and we will be in touch," Adam said as he prepared to end the call.
"Yes we will be in touch, thank you," Tobias said then ended the call.
Tobias didn't wait another second to call Morgan. The phone rang and Morgan answered on the third ring. "Hello, Morgan, this is Tobias...Azura's husband."
"I -I know who you are, what happen is she all right?" Morgan asked. "I just turned on the news and I'm now hearing that she was kidnapped."
"I was told that you may know who is behind it," Tobias got straight to the point.
"Yes, Jason, my boss."
"Where is his shop located?"
"Kissimmee, off of 192 and John Young. You can't miss it. Jason's Autocare," Morgan informed them. "I will meet you there if you don't mind. I need to know that Azura is safe."
"We are leaving now...but don't make yourself obvious..."
"Meet me at the Waffle House in the same area," Morgan said cutting him off.
"Okay," Tobias answered then hung up.
"What did he say?" Maxwell asked his cousin.
"It's in Kissimmee and he wants us to meet him at the waffle house close by," Tobias answered.
"Let's go," Tamarius said heading towards the bedroom door.
♥
Jason drove for a straight seventeen hours only stopping for gas and the occasional bathroom break. He was now making his planned stop to get a few hours shut eye. Opting to pull off to the side of the road and take a nap versus going to a hotel room, seem like the better choice. For the entire journey Jason had not checked on the extremely quiet Azura. He notices she was very different from the other girls he has taken in the past. Jason knew the drugs should have worn off by now, but she has not screamed or made any attempt to escape. He realized he would have to check to see if she was alive; it wouldn't be the first time a girl died during the kidnapping process.
Jason yanked his car to the side of the road as Azura’s mouth poured out a variety of curse words. He bitterly shoved the gear into park and exited the van. He walked around to the back, unlocked it, but only to see Azura lunging at him with full force. She knocked him to the ground and they began to wrestle. Her hands were around his neck doing their best to choke the life right out of him, but they just weren't strong enough. She knew it would be a matter of time before he would regain control. Although it was uncomfortable to fight naked she could not back down now. She abruptly stood then shoved her foot on his neck pinning him to the ground. She found the van keys before he knocked her off balance, and she found a knife. She slammed the knife into his thigh as he stood, he hollered out in pain. Azura ran to the driver side of the van, hopped in and sped off but was immediately struck by an oncoming car.
She was grateful that it was only the front bumper that got wiped out and not her. She threw the van in reverse, but Jason reached the door, he flung it open and shoved her out of the driver’s seat. Azura fell on the floor between the driver and passenger seat. She scrabbled to reach the passenger side door, however Jason yanked her back then locked the doors. He sped of nearly hitting the driver of the vehicle that hit the van.
He cursed, shouted and struck her naked body repeatedly. Azura managed to tuck herself down onto the floor by the passenger's seat. She glared at Jason and although the van was dark her eyes saw clearly in the dark. Jason glanced at her but the chills that ran down his spine concerning her frighten him beyond anything else he has ever known. He saw a wild animal ready to kill him at the first given opportunity.
Jason now realized he would have to drive straight to Florida without stopping. If he stays in the area the cops would find him because of the car accident, also he could not give her another chance to escape. He pulled out his dart gun that he hid under his seat and shot Azura. The eerie glow from her eyes finally faded and her eyes closed. Pain from his left thigh began to throb. He pulled off his shirt and tore off a strip while doing his best to keep the van on the road. He pulled the knife from his thigh while swearing. The pain was too much, he needed to pull over; but he knew it would be foolish to stop now. He regained his strength and wrapped the clothe around his wound and tied a tight knot.
As he settled in to the drive, he realized he may not make it another seventeen hours. He found his cell phone and called his partner. "We have a problem," he greeted.
"What's going on?" Duke replied.
"She tried to escape, I got hurt, and there was a car accident. I got away, but I'm sure those bastards are going to call the cops, so I have to distance myself." Jason explained.
"Then why the hell are you calling me!" Duke retorted. "Get some damn coffee and quit your complaining!"
Jason hung up his cell phone and turned on the radio full blast...
♥
"When I passed the shop, on the way to this restaurant, I saw an older man smoking a cigarette outside of the shop." Morgan said as he sat with Tobias, Tamarius, and Maxwell in a Waffle House Restaurant near the mechanic shop.
"I take it, that's not your boss," Tobias said as he placed his coffee down on the counter.
I don't know who he is, but he can't be a thief, he seems oddly comfortable." Morgan added.
Tobias opened his mouth to ask Morgan a personal question; however, his cell phone rang. It was the detective from Wyoming. He stepped outside to speak with him quietly.
"I just wanted to give you an update. We are sorting through a lot of leads as we speak, and a few of them seem promising-"
"Can you do research on the owner of an auto shop called Jason's Auto care?" Tobias said cutting him off.
"Of course, what did you find out?" The detective asked.
"I don't know much," Tobias replied. "I really need you to look into that and let me know. We are back in Florida, and we are with a man who says that Jason, his boss, was hired to kill my wife."
"I will check on that now, I will call
you back," The detective returned seeing the urgency to act quickly.
"Thank you," Tobias said before ending the call. As he turned to walk back into the restaurant he noticed an older gentleman walking in his direction from the corner of his eye. He thought about the man Morgan had described and could see that this man fit the description. The stranger was tall, with short grey hair that was a ruffled mess. He wore black pants and a buttoned up shirt. He walked pass Tobias and into the restaurant. It just happened that Morgan was trying to get Tobias' attention from inside the restaurant. Tobias saw and Morgan signaled to him that he was the man he saw earlier.
Tobias made a quick decision to run next door to the mechanic shop to see if he could get any information on Jason or the stranger or anything he could find out concerning his wife's kidnapping.
Calvary
He waited impatiently as a car drove pass. Tobias quickly ran across the street and disappeared into the shadows surrounding Jason's mechanic shop. He tried all the doors, but they were locked. He tried to peer into a window but boxes stacked from the inside blocked his view. Tobias decided to give up and return to the restaurant when he noticed something familiar out the corner of his eye. It was a red car covered in old tarp. As he moved closer he recognized it was Shelby's car. He looked back at the building as he silently questioned himself about her possible being in the building. Is she a part of this or had she become a victim too? He questioned himself. His cell phone rang and it was his cousin Maxwell demanding him to return. The stranger got his food and was walking towards the door. Tobias hid himself in the shadows and waited for the stranger to cross the street and enter the mechanic shop.
He wanted desperately to see inside the building, but did not want to do anything that would put his wife in further danger. They would have to wait however long it would take to see Jason return to the shop, without suspecting anything.
His cell phone rang again, but this time it was the detective from Wyoming. "What did you find out?" Tobias questioned upon answering the phone.
"Jason has a business partner named Duke; the local detectives have been watching them for months. They believe that they are a part of a sex trafficking ring." The detective answered.
"They plan on selling my wife!" Tobias replied.
"We are working with them, but we need your cooperation to bring them down for good. The Orlando detective informed me that they met with a man in Miami. What we need is for the connection to be made." The detective said.
"You want me to allow them to play games with my wife's life!" Tobias growled.
"We have reason to believe that they will not kill her, she is worth more to them alive. They are sex traffickers "he reminded." We also believe that they are holding more than just your wife at that shop. An undercover detective investigated there about a month ago. He portrayed himself to be a customer and he took his car in to be fixed. He could not find anything that indicated they were holding women there. But when he was leaving he decided to take a look at the original floor plans of the building. It took him a couple days to get a hold of it and when he did he found out that there used to be a large room below ground."
Tobias had his back to the building, but turned around to take a second look at the detective continued speaking. He notices that building seemed a little higher than the others. The drive way leading to the garage was on a slight slope. "That guy Morgan. Are you sure he doesn't know anything? I mean how does a guy working there for so many years not notice anything?"
"That's a very good point" Tobias said looking back across the street to the restaurant. "Let me call you back." he said hanging up the phone before the detective could finish speaking.
Tobias struggled to hold on to his sanity as he stomped across the street, shoved the doors open and his eyes locked with Morgan's. He took him by the collar and yanked him out of his set ignoring Tamarius and Maxwell's protest. "How is it you know nothing about your bosses?"
"Wh-what! Bosses?" Morgan stammered.
"Jason and Duke!" Tobias shouted.
"I only have one boss; he is the owner of that shop. I've worked for him since I was sixteen; I think I would know if I have another boss!"
"Tobias, what is going on?" Tamarius asked forcing his cousin to let go of Morgan.
"Let’s pay our tab and leave, this is not the place to be having this conversation," Maxwell said dropping a hundred on the countertop. "Keep the change," he said to the waitress who had served them. She stood stunned as she glared at the four men, then down at the one hundred dollar bill.
They all exited the restaurant quietly and walked around the back where the limo had been parked hidden from view. They all entered the limo and Morgan was asked to tell them everything that he knew, even if it seemed insignificant.
"How did you come to work for Jason?" Maxwell asked calmly as he sat off to the right of Morgan who was seated next to the door of the limo. Tamarius sat next to him and Tobias sat next to Maxwell. It was perfectly organized that way by Maxwell and Tamarius to keep Tobias from harming Morgan.
Morgan looked upon the faces of everyone there. He had a deep dark secret to tell, but he figured he could find a way around it and stop them from digging too deep into his past. "I knew him since we were kids I guess," he began. "M-my father, when he was alive, was friends with his father. My father died when I was..." a violent memory surfaced of his father causing Morgan to lose focus. The silence became deafening and Morgan pulled himself together. "Our parents weren't good people. I was taken away from my parents at a young age and sent to live with my uncle. Jason is five years older than me and we remained friends. I always looked up to him even if I didn't always agree with what he did. I Just...he was the only person who I felt really knew me. He was my connection to the father I thought I had and the mother I never knew. We lost touch for a while, but when I turned sixteen he came looking for me. He wanted me to do him a favor, help him out around the shop. His father had just passed away and he needed the extra help. He taught me all that he knew about cars. I went to a vocational school to get certified and I became a full time auto technician for him. I never really noticed anything strange except this one time." Morgan paused for a moment then began to speak again. "I-I brought girl...she wanted to see what it is that I do? Everything was fine I showed her around and introduced her to Jason. He must of taken a liking to her, because...well...I saw something in his eyes when he looked at her. I was only nineteen at that time, I put it behind me, and we continued on our day. Later that night after I dropped her home, I found out that she was kidnapped in the middle of the night, while walking her dog. She was never heard from again. I didn't put it all together back then, but now...I see it differently."
"Did you ever bring Azura around your shop?" Tobias asked.
"No," Morgan answered.
"Now, what are you not telling us?" Tamarius questioned Morgan directly.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Morgan questioned quickly becoming annoyed.
Tamarius glanced at Morgan and with his gift of spiritual vision he caught a glimpse of Morgan's childhood, images of an adorable little boy being used to lure other children away from the watchful eye of their parents. He thought back to what he said about his parents not being good people and he leaned back in his seat. It was Morgan’s secret and had nothing to do with Azura's disappearance, and none of their business. Tamarius stopped Tobias and Maxwell from asking Morgan any further question. "It's okay, he has nothing to do with what happen to Azura." he glanced back at Morgan and smiled. "It’s okay," he said softly.
16 hours later...
Duke suddenly opened the garage and a white van pulled in. Duke, concerned about being followed, took a look around the area before closing the garage door. Jason's feet hit the floor with a thud, he groaned in pain from the knife wound on his thigh.
"Where is she?" Duke questioned heatedly.
"We can't do this alone any more, we need to hire more people," Jason stated while walking towards the back
of the van."I put her in the back, tied her up again. That one is a wild one, stand back!" Jason warned his friend.
"What happen to your shirt?" Duke asked.
"She was naked when I took her; it’s very hard to focus seeing a body like that. Can't tell you how bad I wanted to pull over for a while and break her in myself," Jason chuckled.
"I saw pictures of this one in the newspaper, what a beauty?!" Duke expressed.
"Yea well I don't know if you want to mess with this one," Jason mumbled.
"Oh, I'll break her in," Duke replied hearing his words.
Jason paused as he unlocked the door and looked at his friend. "Brace yourself in case she gets lose again."
"Just open the damn door!" Duke demanded.
Jason opened the door cautiously. He relaxed when he saw that Azura was still passed out. She lay in the remains of his torn and bloody shirt. Her soft thick wavy hair encircled her bruised face. Jason grabbed her feet that sat close to the door and dragged her limp body to the edge of the van. He picked her up and slumped her over his should as he cried out in pain. Duke grabbed his arm as his knees hit the floor.
"You forgot your injury old friend," Duke laughed. He lifted Azura throwing her over his shoulder as Jason got back on his feet. "All together we have four girls. I don't think we can handle six right now."
"Just put her down," Jason said pointing to a section of the garage where an unusually large fridge sat.
"Have you ever thought about bringing in Morgan?" Duke asked as he walked towards the fridge.
"Nah, every since his father lost custody of him he became useless. His uncle ruined him, turning him into some do-gooder," Jason replied doing his best to step ahead of his friend to open the fridge door for him. Jason reached into the fridge and pressed a button. They both step back as the fridge moved forward to the side, automatically revealing a door way leading down underneath the building into a chamber that held three cheap wooden bunk beds and toilet sat in the corner next to a faucet. As Duke walked behind Jason going down the stairs, Azura woke up, however she stayed motionless. The only light coming in was from the garage; however, Azura's eyes saw perfectly. The less light the better it was for her. She noticed something sticking out of Duke's back pocket. It was a pocket knife, a smile grew across her face. Slowly she reached down slipping the pocket knife out. Jason reached the bottom of the stairs and turned on a light.