by T. R. Ragan
“I was in a hospital,” Rage told Little Vinnie. “I was in a lot of pain. I let the nurses and doctors handle it all.”
“Stop!” Beast shouted. “Everyone stop!”
They all looked at him with wary eyes, everyone silent for the first time in twenty minutes. “What is wrong with all of you?”
Nobody said a word.
“Her water broke. It’s not a big deal. It could be hours before she has the baby, so let’s all stay calm.” He looked at Jana. “Everything is going to be fine. I’m going to grab the keys to my truck, and we’re going to take you to the hospital. Rage is going to call Steve right now, aren’t you, Rage?”
“Yes, sir.”
Despite Jana’s low tolerance for pain and his dad’s inability to calm down, Beast somehow managed to get Jana in the truck and to the hospital in record time. Although Rage had wanted to go along for the ride, she’d offered to stay home and watch over his dad.
FIFTEEN
Faith stood in front of the window, peering in at Jana and Steve’s baby boy. Although he had been born six weeks early, he looked healthy.
Steve kept patting Beast on the back, thanking him for helping Jana get to the hospital. According to Rage, when they’d first arrived, Jana had been dizzy and had a rapid pulse. The doctors were afraid she was going into shock. But everything turned out fine, which was a good thing because Faith didn’t think they could take any more bad news.
Faith looked around for Hudson and noticed him sitting on the bench nearby, watching people walk by. She couldn’t look at her son without wondering what was going through his mind. Was he afraid, she wondered, that he might recognize someone from his time away from home? Or was he merely people watching, and she was the paranoid one?
Seeing Steve’s excitement over his firstborn, Faith found herself reflecting on the last time she’d been at the hospital with Hudson after Colton’s youngest daughter was born. Hudson had been so excited. He’d wanted to hold his new cousin and feed her a bottle. That was the very same day he’d told Faith and Craig that more than anything he wanted a baby brother.
Her insides tightened.
The kids and Craig had never known she’d been pregnant before the attack. Boy or girl, she would never know. She’d lost a baby, her baby, their baby, and yet she hadn’t had time to think about the loss of that tiny life. She and Craig had never gotten the chance to talk, late at night after the kids were asleep, about the child she’d been carrying. They never got to choose a name. Never had the chance to feel giddy with excitement over their baby’s future and all the endless possibilities.
Faith walked to the bench where Hudson sat and plopped down in the empty spot next to him. “Are you OK?”
He nodded, but it was so subtle she wasn’t sure he’d heard her.
“Do you want to see your brand-new cousin?”
“Does he have a name?”
“Not yet, but I’m sure Jana and Steve would give serious consideration to any name you might want to throw out there.”
He said nothing.
They had another appointment with Kirsten Reich set up for tomorrow morning. She watched Hudson closely, praying she’d be able to help him get through this. When his eyes brightened, she followed his gaze and smiled when she saw her brother come around the corner. Seeing Colton made her heart swell. He’d been her rock since the beginning of her ordeal. His wife and kids were on the other side of the country, and yet he’d decided to stay close by until Lara was found.
Although she’d seen Colton more than once since he’d brought Hudson down from the mountains, she didn’t notice until now how long his hair had grown. His jaw was covered with stubble. He looked different.
Colton’s eyes lit up when he saw them. He rushed to where Faith sat with Hudson.
Her brother didn’t say a word. He just leaned down and took Hudson into his arms. Colton was tall and strong, and he had no problem holding him as he talked.
“Have you talked to Bri?” Faith asked.
He nodded.
“How is everyone doing?”
“They’re all good. The girls like their new school. They sounded happy.”
“I’m glad.”
“We’ll talk more later,” he said. “Stop looking so serious,” he told her, chucking her under the chin.
Faith had heard from Mom that Colton wasn’t ready to make any decisions about whether he would be moving to Florida in the near future. He and Bri had a lot to work out.
“Come on, buddy,” Colton told Hudson. “Let’s go see your new cousin.” With Hudson still in his arms, Colton made the rounds, embracing Mom and Dad, Beast and Steve. He then pointed his finger at the new baby, and Faith knew the exact moment when Hudson saw his cousin for the first time. His mouth fell open, and his eyes grew a smidgeon bigger. It was a while before Colton put Hudson down. Then he pulled a small wooden box from his coat pocket and passed out cigars.
She watched everyone celebrate, and for a moment in time, she felt something other than anger within. She felt an outpouring of love for her family. Faith and Hudson were lucky to have each and every one of them. But the thought, along with the feeling, exploded into tiny particles and disappeared as quickly as it had come. Because it always came back to the fact that Lara and Craig should be there, too.
After leaving the hospital, Faith and Hudson returned to her parents’ house.
It wasn’t long before Hudson fell asleep and Faith went to the command post to wait for Beast, Colton, and Dad to join her for a quick meeting.
Beast had gone home to check on Rage since she wasn’t feeling well.
Colton and Dad had decided to drive by the warehouse in East Sacramento where Aster Williams was supposed to hold his meeting tomorrow night.
An hour later, Faith and Beast were on the computers set up in the command post. Just as she had done last night before going to bed, Faith pulled up satellite maps of the warehouse. She could see every building and street.
Beast was quieter than usual, which prompted her to try to get him to talk about anything. “Were you nervous when Jana’s water broke?”
“No.”
“Really?” she said, surprised. “Have you delivered a baby before?”
“No,” he said, and she thought that would be the end of it, but then he added thoughtfully, “There was a time when I did worry I might have to deliver my daughter. My wife was doing the breathing thing all the way to the hospital, but we made it in time. She ended up needing a C-section.” There was a long pause before he added, “Your little nephew obviously couldn’t wait to come into the world.”
Faith put her hand on top of his. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and my family. It makes me wonder how I ever got along without you.”
“You’re a good woman, Faith.” He angled his head just so. “No matter what happens. You and Hudson are going to be fine.”
Beast was strong and bigger than life, and yet when she looked into his eyes she always saw sadness there. She was about to tell him how she wished there was some way she could repay him for all he’d done for her. She also wanted him to know that he was part of the family now, but then Faith heard talking outside the door right before it opened. It was Colton and Dad, and Faith jumped to her feet. “How did it go?”
Colton shook his head, letting her know they hadn’t seen Lara. “The place was empty.”
Faith couldn’t hide her disappointment. It was a warehouse, and she knew it would most likely be empty, but she’d held out hope that maybe, just maybe, they would find Lara there.
“It’s not in a great area,” Colton said. “A few kids hanging out on street corners.”
“What were they up to?” she asked. “Did you talk to any of them?”
Dad settled a hand on Faith’s shoulder, letting her know it might help if she slowed down.
“We talked to one guy, asked him if he ever saw anyone entering or leaving the warehouse, but he had nothing to say.”
&nbs
p; “It was clear he and his pals were up to no good,” Dad said.
Faith noticed how wiped out Dad looked. His hair was disheveled, and he had dark circles under his eyes. “While you two were out,” Faith said, “we took another look at the area using satellite maps online. Mostly warehouses and empty lots.”
“Yeah, that’s what we saw,” Colton said, focused on the weaponry laid out on the table in the center of the room. “Where did you get all this stuff?”
“Mom told me Dad has been busy getting ready for war,” Faith said. “I thought she was exaggerating, but obviously she wasn’t.”
Russell rubbed his hands over his face. “Just about anyone can get their hands on a variety of military-grade weapons these days. Rifles, grenades, whatever you need. A click of a button and you can have it mailed to your house. I figured it was time to add to the stockpile.”
Colton took a seat. “It’s getting late, so we better get to it. Dad told me everyone has been working on gathering volunteers. I know we haven’t had much time to plan, but what have you all come up with so far?”
“I have four men, ex-military, joining me tomorrow,” Beast said, turning toward Colton. “I was hoping we could use one of your trucks if you have any available.”
“Not a problem,” Colton said. “Dad told me what was going on. I’ll have two trucks ready to go.”
Dad went to stand next to the whiteboard. He picked up a blue pen and made a square in the middle of the board, then filled it in with an X. “I’ve made a few calls, gathered a couple of retired military friends myself.” He drew a street around the building and then made more squares with X’s on every corner. “As you saw on your map, there’s a street on every side of the building,” he said. “If the meeting is to be held at nine o’clock tomorrow night, I suggest we get there early. It’ll be dark by six. According to the weather report, we should also be prepared for rain.”
“Do we have any idea at all how many men will be at the meeting?” Colton asked.
“No,” Beast answered. “But we’ve been over and over the list of names. If Eddie was right about this being a VIP gathering, I think it’s safe to say there could be anywhere from ten to twenty men. We know nothing about the gang from Los Angeles, so we need to be ready for anything.”
“The warehouse is two stories and about twenty-five thousand square feet,” Dad said. “They could definitely fit a hundred men inside. Even ten men, armed and dangerous, would be enough to cause worry.”
He drew another square next to the warehouse on the whiteboard. “This represents the chain-link fence at the back of the building. Inside the fenced area are two empty semitrailers. Colton was able to climb over the fence right about here.”
He pointed at the two small rectangles he’d made at the back of the building. “These are fire exits. The doors were chained and bolted, but we were able to use wire cutters to get inside.”
“Won’t they notice the cut chains?” Faith asked.
“Not a chance,” Colton said. “They would have to climb the fence to check it out, and even close up the chains look as if they’ve never been touched. Besides, the back door hadn’t been used in years. There’s an unpaved parking lot and a loading dock on the premise, but my guess is that they’ll be entering through the double doors at the front of the building.”
“What was inside?” Beast asked.
“Other than a few rats, the place was empty,” Colton said. “There are stairs leading to two large offices. The main floor is mostly empty warehouse space. It looks as if it’s been abandoned for a while. No shelving. Just dirt and a few boxes. To the right I saw a desk and some folding chairs, which led me to believe that’s where they handle business.”
“We need someone posted outside every corner of the building,” Dad said, “so we can see the warehouse at every angle when they start showing up.”
Faith pointed to her computer screen at one of the buildings across the street. “Can we put someone on the rooftop? They could keep an eye on the place using binoculars.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Beast said.
“Who will call the police?” Dad asked. “And when?”
“The second I see Lara, I’ll call the police,” Faith said.
“Sounds good,” Colton said.
Dad nodded. “Colton is going to hide inside the building just in case.”
Faith looked at her brother.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve already picked out a couple of places inside where I’ll be able to stay out of sight.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to bring Detective Yuhasz in on this?” Dad asked Faith.
“I’m sure,” Faith said. “I’ve told you the names of the people involved. We can’t risk it. If the police or the FBI shows up, this meeting won’t happen, and we’ll never find Lara.”
“OK,” Dad said. “It’s OK. We won’t call anyone until we’ve seen Lara with our own eyes.”
Faith nodded.
“I could set up a surveillance camera inside the warehouse tonight,” Beast said. “We’ll be able to hear what they’re saying. At least this way we might have a chance at convicting one or two of them after all is said and done.”
“Good idea,” Colton said.
“I have all the equipment needed. I’ll take care of that once we’re done here.”
“I’ll go with you,” Colton said.
“I don’t like the idea of Colton being trapped inside a building, especially when we have no idea how many men with guns will be inside,” Faith said.
“I’ll be wearing a vest, and I’ll be armed,” Colton said.
Beast crossed his arms and waited for them to finish.
“Between my men and Beast’s,” Dad added, “we’ll be able to cover the loading dock area, fire exits, and the entrance. We’ll have one or two heavily armed individuals at every corner of the property to keep them from going anywhere.”
“I’m meeting with Kirsten in the morning,” Faith said. “I’ll fill her in and make sure everyone in her group knows what’s going on.”
“Any update from her yet?” Beast asked.
Faith nodded. “Five sex-trafficking suspects were arrested in Elk Grove. They were stopped and found traveling with a sixteen-year-old girl. Three more adults were arrested near Auburn. Her group is responsible for more than a dozen arrests in just a few days. That’s more than we hoped for. At least two dozen of Kirsten’s members are keeping surveillance on as many of these guys as possible, but so far there have been no sightings of young children.”
“This is good news,” Colton said.
“If we’re done here,” Beast said as he stood, “I’m going to go set up the cameras and get home. It’s been a long day.”
Colton stood.
After Colton and Beast left, Faith looked at her dad. “Detective Yuhasz will be turning the list over in the next twenty-four hours,” Faith told him.
He raised an eyebrow.
“If we don’t find her,” Faith said, “I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“You’ll do what you’ve done from the start. You’ll keep talking to the media. You’ll do everything you can to make sure nobody forgets Lara’s out there. If we don’t find her tomorrow, then we’ll find her the next day, or the day after that.”
SIXTEEN
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Patrick jumped out of bed, half-dressed, arms spread wide in defense mode. It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t in any imminent danger. Thinking he’d heard the girl in the basement, once again banging on the door, he headed that way without bothering to get his gun or his shirt.
As he marched down the hallway, a square of block glass in the center of the front door revealed a shadowed figure outside. And then again, boom, boom, boom.
About to turn around and head back for his gun, he heard a voice.
“Patrick! It’s me, Aster!”
The familiar sound of Aster’s voice made his stomach roll. Shit.
H
ow the hell did he know where he lived? He’d been using an address in another part of town for years. If Aster discovered he had the McMann kid in his basement, it was over. One of them would have to die right here, right now. And it sure as hell wasn’t going to be Patrick.
“Open the door!”
Every muscle tensed as Patrick headed that way. It took him a few seconds to undo the chain and metal bar at the top of the door.
Aster entered the house uninvited. The boss didn’t look like himself. Everything from his hair to his overcoat was wrinkled and disheveled. Colorless and drab, he did not resemble the man who made most men quake in their shiny wing-tipped shoes.
Patrick glanced outside at the car parked at the curb. Nobody else appeared to be inside the vehicle. But the windows were tinted, and he couldn’t be sure.
“What the hell took you so long to let me in?” Aster bellowed.
Patrick shut the door and turned back toward him. “It’s four in the morning.”
Aster looked about, his gaze fixed on the door leading to the basement for a few seconds too long before he continued on to the main living area.
“What the hell is this place?” He took a couple of sniffs. “Smells like old shoes.”
“It’s where I live,” Patrick said, his jaw tightening. “Mind telling me how you knew where to find me?”
Aster snorted. “You’ve got a lot to learn, kid. I know where every fucking whore, pimp, and asshole who works for me lives. And that includes you.” He took off his coat and tossed it on the back of the ugly green couch. The last person on earth Patrick wanted to see standing inside his own personal shit hole was right in front of him.
“Coffee,” Aster said with a wave of his hand. “I need coffee. But put on a shirt first, would you?”
Patrick didn’t like leaving the man alone, not even for a minute, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He went to the bedroom, slipped a T-shirt over his head, then grabbed a robe from the closet and shoved his gun into the front pocket. As he proceeded to the kitchen, he ignored the tingling in his chest as he passed the door to the basement.