One Last Song (A Thomas Family Novel Book 3)

by Kristi Cramer

  “Move along, boy. Time to tie you back up.”

  Hanging his head, Jax shuffled back to the seating area, refusing to meet Kylie’s gaze as he sat down and obediently drew his legs back up against his chest.

  Back under the watchful eyes of the woman, the man was all business as he pulled a length of tape off the roll and bound him up tight. Knowing the woman did not appear to be aware of the man’s lewd activities frightened him all the more. Once he was secure, the man put a hand on Jax’s knee to push himself up, and Jax didn’t think anyone noticed the extra squeeze he gave it.

  Ms. Andrews stood and went back to the lavatory herself, while the man stared at Jax until he looked down at his knees. When the woman returned, she passed through and up to the cab of the RV. Moments later, it started up and began moving. The man went up to the front briefly, then returned, disappeared into the corridor, and didn’t come back. Jax assumed he was going to get some sleep while the woman drove for a while.

  No one spoke, although Kylie leaned against him as though sensing something had happened...or maybe she had something she wanted to tell him.

  ⋘⋆⋙

  They waited for what felt like forever before Kylie tipped her head up so she could whisper in Jax’s ear. “I got someone’s attention out the window,” she said. “While he was asking Ms. Andrews for a tampon for me, I looked out the window and waved down a boy and his father. I think I was able to show that I was in trouble.”

  “That’s great,” he mumbled. Not for the first time, Kylie wondered just what had happened while Jax had been out of her sight.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  Jax shook his head, then turned to look at her for the first time since he’d returned. “Did he...touch you?”

  “No,” she replied. “I told him I was on my period and needed a tampon. Put him right off.”

  The smile Jax gave her was weak, and totally unlike him. She had expected him to praise her ingenuity. Then a thought struck her. A horrible, horrible thought. “Did he touch you?”

  Jax didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. Kylie bit her lip to keep from exclaiming in shock and anger. Her best friend’s demeanor now made sense. He was ashamed, and no doubt very, very angry.

  “Oh, Jax,” she said, and he looked at her.

  “He made it clear that if I cause any trouble, he’ll teach me a lesson...one I will die before I allow. He also said if one of us escapes, the rest will die. Rather than get caught, he said they’d just cut their losses.” The look on Jax’s face turned stony. “So we all have to escape together.”

  He spoke quietly, but Kylie turned to look at the other two girls, who had leaned forward in their seats to hear what was being said.

  “I’d rather die trying to escape than live the life they’re taking us to,” she said.

  One of the girls, a strawberry blonde, nodded vigorously. The other, a brunette who looked like she was on the verge of tears, took a few moments longer before she nodded, too.

  “Good,” Kylie said. “We’re all agreed. That means we have to be ready to make a move at any opportunity.”

  ⋘⋆⋙

  Cody Buford watched Dylan Ducharme bring out another steaming pot of coffee to refresh the mugs lined up on the lunch counter of his diner. Seven mugs for seven weary people who hadn’t gotten any sleep all night. He filled an eighth cup for himself.

  Cody lifted his mug toward his friend in gratitude and took a sip before turning back to the map spread out on the counter. Mitzi Thomas, her cell phone to her ear, made another mark on the map and hung up.

  “This is taking forever,” Janie said, leaning against Tim.

  Cody wished he were the one comforting her, but the task had passed to his rival—the man who had won Janie’s heart after Cody had broken it all those years ago. Now they were all united by the desire to find his daughter and her friend safe and sound, and by the helplessness that came from not knowing how to do it.

  Despite the sheriff and three deputies searching farther and farther afield, and countless phone calls to neighboring law enforcement offices, there was no indication as to what had happened to Kylie and Jax.

  Cody feared the worst. Something about this was too pat, too...convenient. When he was in Houston, he’d heard about plenty of runaway cases that turned out to be anything but runaways, and almost never did a disappearance turn into a simple case of someone just forgetting to check in.

  Why would Kylie leave without telling anyone where she’d gone? She was nothing if not outspoken about her life and the hopes and dreams she aspired to, and he had no doubt she would have told him or her mother if she planned to leave town. And Jax? From all accounts, the only thing the boy was more dedicated to than Kylie was his job.

  They had no reason to run away—unless they had just lost track of time.

  He hadn’t yet suggested to the others what he feared, but he knew he would have to soon.

  “We have to be thorough,” Mitzi said, rubbing her eyes before reaching for her own coffee. “If we rush around like crazy, we might miss something critical.”

  Blue’s hand on Mitzi’s shoulder offered his wife comfort, and Cody wished he had someone to comfort, or someone to comfort him. Even Janie’s parents had each other.

  “Let’s review what we know,” Cody said, needing to hear it all again in the hopes they had overlooked something simple, like two kids sneaking off to consummate a relationship. “Kylie and Jax sang at the karaoke tent...?”

  “Yes. Alice said she’d won the opportunity to sing in the later competition, but never showed,” Janie confirmed.

  “And we’re sure she knew she’d won?”

  “Not a hundred percent, but reasonably sure.”

  “So she and Jax could have just run off together? Lost track of time?”

  “God, I hope that’s all it is,” Janie said, “but it’s not likely. They’ve been friends forever. He’s certainly in love with her, but she has always insisted they’re just friends.”

  “That can change,” Cody said hopefully.

  Mitzi broke in. “While I’d like nothing more than for this to be a case of a mother’s anxiety,” she said briskly, looking apologetically at Janie, “I think there’s enough to the circumstances to warrant concern. Jax has never been the sort to blow off his responsibilities, and Trip confirmed he never made it back last night. None of the vehicles they have access to are missing. Deputy Quince was working near the gate, and he says he saw the two of them leaving together around ten. He said he thought he saw a woman with them, but they exited the gate alone. Then there’s the RV. Quince and Alice both recall seeing an RV in the lot that seemed out of place. It was twice as big as most, and Quince noted Texas plates. Our little fair is hardly a destination event, and Highway 50 isn’t exactly a preferred travel route. While it isn’t conclusive, it suggests foul play.”

  “Texas plates...,” Cody mused. The implication of that was chilling. It couldn’t have anything to do with Houston, could it?

  Mitzi’s phone rang, and every head turned toward her as she answered. “Deputy Thomas.”

  Cody could hear the voice on the other end of the phone, but he couldn’t make out the words. He watched Mitzi make another mark on the map, and was about to take another sip of coffee when she spoke again.

  “No, you’re right. That can’t be a coincidence. I’ll tell Jonas, and suggest we concentrate our efforts south.”

  Closest to her, Cody leaned over and looked at the map as she ended the call. “Clovis, New Mexico? What’s the news?”

  “There’s a small truck stop there. Guy came inside, a little freaked out. He said he saw a girl in the window of an RV, and he thought she’d mouthed the words ‘Help us’ to him. She was young and blonde, and the RV was an expensive land yacht with, get this—”

  “Texas plates,” Cody finished. His hands clenched into a fist at the confirmation that his daughter had been kidnapped. He heard a sharp gasp from Janie and turned to see h
er face buried in Tim’s shirt, knuckles white as she gripped his hands.

  “How long ago?” Tim asked.

  “Early. Six this morning. They had to have driven all night.”

  Cody checked his watch. That was an hour ago. Before he could comment, Mr. Thomas cleared his throat.

  “Think this has anything to do with that woman?”

  He didn’t have to specify. His tired blue eyes were fixed on Tim, and everyone knew the old cowboy was referring to the arrest of a vicious drug dealer—and Tim’s former lover—four days ago.

  As tempted as Cody was to let Tim take the blame for this, his conscience wouldn’t allow it. “Doubt it,” he said. “The Texas plates bug me.”

  Mitzi nodded. “Salgado was based in Colorado. There’ve been no indications she had any connections in Texas.”

  Tim cleared his throat. “We used to make exchanges in Albuquerque,” he said, obviously embarrassed. “They appear to be heading into New Mexico now....”

  “We can’t rule anything out,” Mitzi said, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

  It was Cody’s turn to clear his throat. “In that case, there’s something y’all should know.”

  Chapter Five

  Janie turned at the ominous tone in Cody’s voice, and the look on his face was hardly comforting. The cold fist in the pit of her stomach that had been growing throughout the night grew even larger. She’d been fighting a debilitating sense of fear and helplessness, which hadn’t eased with the dawn’s light.

  With a sick sense of dread, she knew it wouldn’t ease until Kylie was safe in her arms.

  Seeing he had everyone’s attention, Cody cleared his throat again. “As most of you know, I worked in Houston for the last several years. While I was there, I hit a rough patch. It’s a long and complicated story, but the upshot is I spent about two years loosely working with the FBI to dismantle a sex trafficking ring.”

  “Come again?” Janie’s dad asked, his voice sharp with that tone she’d dreaded to hear as a child.

  “I thought you were oil speculating or something,” Blue said, his voice heavy with doubt. “How do you wind up helping with something like that?”

  Her brother’s question echoed Janie’s own.

  “Well, like I said, it was a complicated set of circumstances. I was approached because of an acquaintance I’d made.” Cody wasn’t going to get out of giving them more information, and he sighed when he realized it.

  “I used to hang out at this club, and I helped out this drunk guy one night. He’d been eighty-sixed for hitting on the bartender, and I found him puking in the gutter. After I helped him to his apartment, I left him my number and told him to call if he needed anything. He called later to thank me, said he’d just broken up with his girlfriend and had been in a bad way. We started hanging out, but he was off. Really off. I thought he had all these women around because he was rich, but after a week or so, I realized they weren’t after his money. They were scared of him.

  “I was just about to stop taking his calls when I was approached by an FBI agent who told me they suspected Antwon was part of a sex trafficking ring. She was desperate for inside information and asked if I would stay friends with him long enough to find out if they were right. For whatever reason, Antwon liked me. He had this thing about Clint Eastwood and thought I was a cowboy. To make a long story short, he was a showoff, so it wasn’t long before he started letting me in on his secret. After that, it was just a matter of listening and reporting back. The FBI took down about half the ring before they figured out it was me and shut me out.”

  It was Mitzi who connected the dots. “So you think this is a case of human trafficking—sex trafficking?”

  Janie’s stomach dropped as the implications of that hit her. It was bad enough thinking her daughter had been kidnapped, but she hadn’t let herself consider why. Unfortunately, it was a very compelling reason, and the only one that really made any sense.

  Tim took it one step further. “Texas plates.... You think this is retribution?”

  Cody hesitated before slowly nodding. “I’ve got nothing more than a twist in my gut telling me so, but this fits their M.O. Agent Sanderson thought the ring had closed up shop in Houston and moved. I’m afraid they stayed in the Southwest to stay near the border, so El Paso might be their new base. There are plenty of backroads through New Mexico that lead to El Paso.”

  Janie erupted into motion, throwing herself at Cody. She slapped him across the face with all the power she could muster, and the force of the blow shocked them both. He rocked with it, taking a step back as she kept coming at him, pummeling his chest with her fists.

  It was a moment before anyone else moved, then Tim wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. She struggled for a moment, then her fiery rage melted and she slumped in Tim’s arms, letting him hold her as a sob tore loose from somewhere deep inside.

  “That might have been good to know earlier, son,” Daddy said, his voice gruff with emotion.

  Cody rubbed his jaw. “I didn’t want to unnecessarily scare anyone,” he said, his tone full of contrition. “Not while there was a chance it was just a misunderstanding or a prank. I’m sorry, but I was really hoping....” His voice trailed off.

  Dimly, Janie wondered how this little aspect of Cody’s life fit in with what she knew about the rest of his time spent in Houston. How had he been the successful businessman he claimed to be, and still have time to be some kind of undercover agent for the FBI? And how had his health issues fit into the story? Had he really had a heart attack last year? Or had that been part of the repercussions of being a snitch?

  Scenarios from dozens of TV shows and movies whipped through her mind. She imagined him hospitalized for gunshot wounds, poisons, or other nefarious murder attempts for his part in the scheme.

  She shook her head. Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself. Just ask.

  “Did you have any idea they’d be coming for revenge?” She surprised herself with the coldness in her tone.

  Cody shook his head, but didn’t meet her gaze. “I worried about it for the first few years, but after two years, I figured they’d just cut their losses and put Houston and everything about it behind them.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense. How did they even know about Kylie?” It was her momma who spoke, but Janie was sure the question was on almost everyone’s mind.

  Cody pulled out his phone. She watched as he swiped his thumb across the screen, a small intent frown turning his mouth down. In just a few moments, he scowled, then turned it for Mitzi and Janie to see.

  “Kylie has a blog.”

  There was a photo of Kylie posing with Cody, big grins on both their faces, under the headline “My Dad Is Home.”

  “She not only talks about me, she has posts about the fair, the karaoke tent, and her hopes of one day becoming a professional singer. It’s everything they would have needed to plan a snatch.”

  ⋘⋆⋙

  They’d only been traveling for about two hours when the RV unexpectedly slowed and everything tilted as the vehicle pulled off onto the shoulder of the highway and came to a stop.

  The man burst out of the hallway and moved to the front of the vehicle just as the curtain was thrust aside and the woman motioned to him.

  “Cops,” she said caustically.

  The man turned to the frightened passengers as she drew the curtain closed again. “Anyone makes a sound, you and the cop all die,” he whispered.

  Jax’s heartrate spiked when he noticed the man held a pistol clenched in his hand, a suppressor screwed into the barrel.

  After a few tense moments, they heard a man’s firm, authoritative voice coming from the passenger side of the RV. A door opened, then the woman spoke.

  “What seems to be the problem, officer?”

  “Where are you coming from, ma’am?” the officer asked, his voice clear and tantalizingly close.

  “Amarillo,” she said sweetly. “Taking the scenic r
oute out to see the Grand Canyon.”

  “You alone?”

  Jax wanted to shout for help, but he eyed the man with the pistol warily. Did he dare sacrifice himself on the off chance the lawman could save the girls? It didn’t seem like good odds.

  “My husband is sleeping in the back,” the woman answered, her voice deceptively sweet again.

  “You don’t happen to have a young girl in there, do you?”

  His question caused the man to glare at Kylie, and Jax knew he had just figured out what Kylie had done at the fuel stop.

  The woman hesitated, which was enough to put the lawman on guard.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to step out of the vehicle, ma’am,” he ordered.

  “Why? What’s going on?”

  The lawman didn’t answer, and Jax felt every muscle in his body tense as he readied himself. He didn’t know what he’d be able to do, but if the smallest opportunity arose, he’d take it.

  “I need you to step out of the vehicle,” the lawman said again, causing the man with the gun to move slowly toward the curtain, taking his eyes off the unwilling passengers.

  Jax glanced at Kylie, and saw her and the other two ready to move.

  The sound of the police radio crackling to life caused the man to stiffen and use the barrel of the pistol to open the curtain just enough to peek out.

  With no warning, the sound of gunfire filled the RV. Jax and the other girls shrank back in the seats, while Kylie threw herself forward, hitting the floor with a thud. For a moment, Jax worried she’d been hit, but when he felt her hair against his ankles, he realized she had kept her cool more than he had. She was biting at the tape around his legs!

  Pushing his knees apart as much as possible, he tried to help her find purchase. All she needed to do was start a tear. He’d be able to do the rest.

  Another volley of gunfire caused the man to stagger back a pace, though his attention remained on whatever was going on outside. He pushed his way through the curtain, and Jax felt the RV move as he exited.