SAFE

by Brandon, B J

  Going up to the door, Melissa entered the small foyer and waited for someone to ask to see her ID. Once allowed inside, she made her way to the small living space and stood watching a few of teenagers for a few minutes. Such a normal scene, kids playing video games or kicking back reading in the corner.

  “It’s scary, isn’t it?” a voice asked from her right. Melissa’s head jerked, unware someone had come up on her without her knowledge. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I’m Linda.” She held her hand out and Melissa shook it without thinking.

  “You didn’t. I’m just not use to having someone that close to me without hearing you.” Melissa turned so her back remained against the doorjamb and she could still watch the room. “How are the ones brought in from the caves doing?”

  “Most of them are settling except for one.” Melissa looked back at Linda, waiting for her to continue. When she didn’t she had to ask.

  “What do you? Is she one of the little ones?”

  “Actually, no.” Linda looked down before looking Melissa in the eye, and all she saw was rage.

  Melissa gently opened her mental blocks to test the emotions rolling off Linda in waves. Anger, despair, horror. She could relate to all of them where the kids were concerned and reach out to rub the older woman’s shoulder. The instant her hand connected Melissa knew it was a bad idea.

  “What’s wrong, Linda? Has she said anything?”

  “Maybe you should come with me,” Linda whispered, walking back toward the office. Once in the seclusion of her office, Linda spoke softly to the young attendant, asking her to leave then closed her door.

  “What’s going on?” The hairs on the back of Melissa’s neck stood on end and her sixth sense kicked in, warning her that she wasn’t going to like whatever she heard. Linda sat next to Melissa, so close it was actually uncomfortable. She could feel the air from the older woman’s breath on her neck close to her ear and it caused goose bumps to rise on her arms but she forced herself not to flinch or move.

  “You know that I cannot relate anything Gayle or any of the others have told me. It was offered in safety and confidence. But those children will never feel safe here and you need to do something about it, fast! I need you to arrange to get Gayle out of here. Fast.” The breathy whisper was so low Melissa was almost sure she didn’t hear it correctly until Linda took a death grip on her upper arm, forcing her to look directly at her. When she looked into Linda’s eyes she saw rage again, and something more.

  “I think I understood you to say that Gayle was causing some problems so I thought I’d stop by to see what was going on,” Melissa said into the room, carefully looking into the corners but not noticing any cameras or other devices. “She may not be able to settle right now with everything that has happened, which is understandable. I’ll give my Task Force manager a call and we’ll arrange to move her tomorrow.”

  “That should work out. Let her sleep tonight.” Linda’s slight nod let Melissa know she understood. There was no way in hell that girl was staying another night in this place if she was in danger. Melissa didn’t know why the other girls weren’t in danger but Gayle was leaving. Tonight.

  Nodding, Melissa rose and left the building knowing that it was most likely under surveillance if Linda was so worried and on edge enough to warn her to get the teen out of there tonight. Pulling away from the center, she speed dialed the Task Force line, immediately getting the operator.

  “Connect me to DuValle. This is McKinney.” A series of clicks and Melissa heard Ty’s phone ring once before he picked up.

  “DuValle.” Ty sounded distracted so Melissa cut to the chase.

  “One of the teens is in danger and we have to move her, tonight. The center’s supervisor alerted me covertly when I went to check on the kids just now. Not sure what’s going on but she didn’t indicate any of the others were threatened, just Gayle. If I remember correctly she was only fourteen, but looks older.”

  “Got the file here. What the hell, McKinney. How did this leak?”

  “I don’t know but they are supposed to be in secure facilities. If this has been leaked then all of them are in danger. Linda is afraid they are coming for Gayle in the next twenty-four hours. We have to move her tonight, Ty. I can’t let her down.”

  “Don’t go lone wolf on me, McKinney. Where are you now?”

  “Headed toward downtown Amarillo, just off 10th and Polk Street. I was going to cut down to Author over in the Barrio then back to my hotel. I still have to move to another one before this goes down but I think this needs to be taken care of first.”

  “You never explained why you are moving hotels, Melissa. Care to elaborate?” Ty asked,

  “And I’m not discussing it now,” she growled. “We need to take care of this and leave my problems alone! I’ll wait for all of you but we have to do this now!”

  Melissa’s gut was screaming at her to go back and take Gayle out of there now, but Ty was correct. Going lone wolf could get both of them hurt if she wasn’t careful, and lose any suspects they might have in the process. The other end of the line was quiet until she heard Lonnie’s voice in the background giving Ty directions.

  “Ok, here’s the plan. Meet me at the corner of 27th and Washington Street at the backside of the Junior College. There’s a parking lot there if memory serves me right. We’ll use my car while I have legal get everything ready and we move the girl now with an escort.” She could hear him talking to people in the background and figured he was making the arrangements as he was walking out the door. Somewhere in the background Melissa heard someone cuss long and hard.

  “Uh Oh, Buck isn’t happy,” she whispered to herself, forgetting she had the Bluetooth still on and that Ty could hear her every word.

  “Don’t worry about Buck. Just meet me at the parking lot. I’ve got two other Unmarks with me and we are going in hot.” The line went dead and Melissa knew that whomever thought they could take this girl was in for a big surprise.

  Ty was furious.

  He was going to kill the motherfuckers once they found them. He just wanted ten minutes in the same room with them, alone with his sharp hunting knife and no witnesses and there was no way the son of a bitch would every get it up enough to ever hurt another child ever again. Whatever the plan, he was determined that those kids never suffered another day of fear as long as he was alive. He was law enforcement. It was engrained in his very DNA for the last five generations, from his grandfather to his father. He had served his country two tours overseas as an Army Ranger coming home in one piece and been recruited just before leaving the service for the FBI because of his profiling abilities. But, it didn’t mean he had forgotten how to track, how to kill, and how to protect.

  Right now, all of his instincts told him to track and kill.

  He saw Melissa’s SUV tucked in a corner of the parking lot as soon as he turned off Washington Street and went under the overhead walkway for Amarillo College on 27th Ave going east. She was parked in the corner directly under the streetlight even though it was still daylight. One look at her face and Ty knew she was as angry as he was. Pulling up next to her SUV he watched her lock it and climb into the passenger side without a word.

  “Let’s do this,” she finally whispered but Ty could see the anger in her eyes, the way she held her body.

  “Can you do this and keep it together, Agent?” Ty knew it was a low blow but he needed her to focus. He would rather have her anger focused on him than on some unseen villain they had yet to catch.

  “Bite me, DuValle!” Melissa growled, fastening her seat belt over her chest and Ty noticed she had her vest on under a light shirt with a t-shirt under it. He grinned at her comment and keyed his earwig while handing one to Melissa.

  “Listen up folks. Going in quiet with lights on. I don’t want to scare the folks around the park or the kids at the center. We’re going to pick up the teenager along with the other three that were recovered from the caves who are still at the center. Let’s d
o this.” Melissa felt her body relax for a moment at his words.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “For what?” Ty pulled out of the parking lot with two other SUVs behind him, the convoy lit up and silent as they made their way back to the shelter.

  “For getting all four of them out of there. If someone is after Gayle, the others aren’t safe.” Melissa pulled her weapon and checked the clip, cocked it and put it back in the holster.

  “It makes sense,” was his only reply as all three vehicles pulled up, one in front of the shelter and two on the side street. Everyone exited at once, all except Ty and Melissa wearing regulation dark clothes and keeping their weapons holstered.

  As soon as they entered the facility Linda was at the door letting them in. She took them to Gayle’s room where the teenager sat in a corner with her back to the wall and a threadbare quilt over her lap. A little girl lay curled up in her lap asleep as Gayle softly hummed. The minute Ty and Melissa entered the room she stopped.

  “Shush,” Melissa whispered softly, bending down on the floor beside her. “We’re taking both of you out of here now.”

  “She’s afraid the monsters will come back for us. She said they came to the window last night and told her they were coming.” Gayle pulled the little one closer to her, big tears slipping down her pale cheeks. “I have to make sure the monsters can’t get to her again.” Ty reached down and pulled the little one to his chest as Melissa helped Gayle stand up.

  “Let me help you protect her, ok?” Ty whispered, tucking the dark little head under his chin as he looked at the brave young girl trying to hold her proud head up like a small adult. “We’re getting all four of you out of here now so let’s go.”

  Gayle just nodded. As Ty turned she reached up and grabbed the back of his belt loop, holding on for dear life. He could feel her small hand there and it nearly broke his heart as she kept up with him as they moved down the long hallway. He knew Melissa had his back, could feel her coming up behind the teenager as he carried his precious burden down the hallway. The Team silently moved with the other two little ones in their arms, each covered with a light quilt and faces out of sight so if anyone was watching there was no way anyone could make a positive ID. They couldn’t be more than ten years old. Ty knew that he was going to kill someone - just as soon as he could find them.

  In less than an hour all four kids were safely behind closed doors with guards set at the doors and outside each of their rooms. The last thing Melissa saw was Gayle pulling the little girl into her lap and humming the little one to sleep.

  Chapter 7

  Melissa pulled the last of her packing from her travel case and hung them up, checking to see if any of her shirts and pants needed to be dropped at the cleaners. She had to pick up the ones tomorrow hoping they could get the stains out from last week. The events at the caves came crashing back on her, and Melissa fell back onto the plush king-size bed, staring up at the ceiling.

  It had been the hardest thing to leave Gayle at the safe house separated from the other kids but both she and Ty felt it was for the best at the moment until they could figure out what was going on. Gayle hadn’t shed a tear, hadn’t even tried to argue about the situation. She had just curled into a ball on the little twin bed on the back wall of the room and folded into herself. Nothing Melissa could say would get her to talk after that. As soon as she had pulled away from that obscure location Melissa promised herself that Gayle wasn’t going to stay there a day longer than necessary.

  Picking up her cell phone, Melissa thumbed through her contacts until one came up that she hadn’t called in over two years. Why she hesitated Melissa had no idea. Her Aunt Mary wouldn’t be angry at her, opposite of that in fact. Her aunt was one of the few who kept up with her career, knew everything that went on with her and stayed in touch when Melissa forgot to call for long stretches at a time. So it was no wonder it was a smile she heard with the welcome when she finally pressed call.

  “Baby girl. How are you holding up?” Her Aunt Mary’s Texas twang had always been strong but Melissa’s ear picked up how tired she was tonight and looked over at the clock. Shit, it was almost ten o’clock and Mary was usually in bed by nine right after the local Dallas/Ft Worth news.

  “I’m good, Mary. You sound tired. I’m sorry to call so late, I didn’t look at the clock.” Melissa’s fingers pulled at the comforter on the bed, her mind finally slowing down for the first time in weeks.

  “Hush, child. You’ve been busy. What’s going on to make you call now during a case?” Tears pooled in her eyes, Melissa’s mind recalling the little girl curled in on herself, terrified and refusing to talk

  “I can’t tell you anything, you know that.” She hated that she couldn’t unburdened her heart on the one person who would understand what she felt but Melissa knew her aunt would understand. In the background she heard a ruckus and then a loud shout.

  “Is that our girl, Mary?”

  “Here, you need to talk to him first or I won’t get to talk to you at all.” Mary didn’t even wait. The phone was handed over to her uncle and Melissa had to smile.

  “What are you doing girl? Keeping those criminals on the run over there?” There was a deep chuckle, and Melissa’s stomach cramped with loneliness at the sound. God, how she missed the two of them. Of all of her relatives it was these two who she was felt closes.

  “Just doing my job, Uncle George. Are you keeping Mary out of trouble for us?” Melissa wiped at the tears she didn’t realize were falling and took a deep breath.

  “Always, baby girl. She and those old betties down at the church are stirring up trouble again with their sewing circle. Determined to get the men folks to help them run a mentoring program for some teenagers. Seems these kids stay in trouble all the time.” She knew George would go out of his way to help Mary do whatever the group at church decided to do, but it was his way of distracting her and she loved him all the more for it.

  “Those teenagers will learn a lot from you, Master Sargent McKinney, Sir.” She couldn’t help adding his title. Her uncle had served in the U. S. Army for twenty-five years and then as a civil servant for another ten after retiring. He was a role model every youngster could look up to, had raised two sons and lost one to Desert Storm. He and Mary knew heartache, and how to extend love to someone who needed it. Especially a lonely young girl sent to them one summer who had nowhere to go and was so lost in her own grief and heartache she could have turn out differently if not for their gently guidance.

  Pay it forward came into being that summer for Melissa McKenny.

  “Are you still there, baby girl?” George asked, his gruff whisper bringing her out of memories best left buried.

  “Yep, Uncle. Now, are you going to let me talk to your pretty wife?” Melissa grinned, feeling better than she had in weeks.

  “Well crap. I guess if my girls are going to gossip I need to go finish reading that Louis L’ Amour book I started this afternoon.” George held the phone away from his ear and called Mary back to it. Melissa wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath. It felt good to talk to them and now she could sleep.

  “He’ll read himself to sleep now,” was Mary’s whisper as she came back on the line.

  “I’ve missed you,” Melissa whispered back, her voice shaky and it took all of her control to keep the tears contained.

  “I know baby girl. I know. Yet the work you do saves lives and we both know those children would be dead without you and Ty out there fighting dragons.”

  “How do y-y-you know Ty is here.” Melissa’s stutter never came out unless she was terribly tired and now it was pronounced.

  “I watched the news the other night and saw both of you. Your boss was giving a statement but the two of you stood in the background. It’s no wonder your so stressed right now. He’s grown into a right fine man, now hasn’t he?” She was amazed her aunt remembered what Ty looked like since it had been one picture Melissa had shown her a long time ago. However, Mary
was a smart woman who had helped her military husband survive twenty-five years of active duty and three tour assignments in Europe. She remembered faces and details, not to mention teach middle school students most of her life. Mary McKinney was no dummy.

  “Yes, he has but I’m not even sure he remembers me, Auntie.”

  “Oh give me a break, child. That boy loved you. He remembers you so I don’t know what game he may be playing at but you didn’t see the look on his face when he looked at you when you walked off camera.” Mary chuckled at Melissa’s gasp.

  “You fibber!”

  “Excuse me?” Now Mary laughed outright, and Melissa was glad her elderly aunt couldn’t see the deep blush covering Melissa’s face.

  “Alright old woman, I’ve got to get up early to go check on a teenager of my own. Put her on your prayer warrior list. She and all of those kids need all of the help they can get right now.” Melissa started to hang up, but remembered to add, “I love you!”

  “Already done, baby girl. You and Ty are also on there, so stay safe. Love you, too.” The other line went dead and Melissa closed her eyes. She let the quiet of the room ease her and filtered out the dim light of the bathroom. Soon she was asleep and allowed the calm to take her away on the first good night’s sleep she had had in a week.

  Chapter 8

  Tyrone DuValle was pissed and it seemed to be a recurring event for him since coming to Texas. He didn’t normally let his temper get out of control but this case was pushing all of his buttons. There was no other word for how he felt. There was no sugar coating it, no way to gloss over it and no way to get around it. He was straight up, top of the morning, badass pissed and someone was going to pay for it - now.

  He had called everyone into the Team meeting room before 7 AM except for Agent McKinney because he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she wasn’t the leak. However, he was going to find out what was going on or he was going to replace every God damn person on this team expect himself and Agent McKinney before anyone else left this room before noon today. Ty wasn’t in the habit of having his operations jeopardized and he wouldn’t stand for juveniles being terrorized who were supposed to be protected.