Sinner Reborn

by Morgan Kelley

  It was sad.

  That was her child.

  Quinn couldn’t imagine turning his back on Suzie or the baby growing in his wife’s womb. They were all that mattered in life.

  Family was paramount.

  “We all felt bad because she was innocent. If the devil wanted her, it wasn’t her fault, and there were times she was completely normal, and you wanted to forget what she was.”

  “And that is?”

  “An abomination.”

  Quinn had to change topics, or he was going to hurt the man. “Tell me about Frank?”

  The priest switched focus, and at the mention of the man’s name, he looked calmer. “Frank was a good man.”

  “He was Avalon’s cousin?”

  “Yes. He’d put on airs, but you could tell the child scared him. He had a family book with all the kid’s pictures in it, and he used to brag about Sarah and Brian.”

  “But not Avalon?”

  “If outsiders were in the room, yes, he would talk about her. If I was there with him, then the answer is no. She was in the book, but he’d skip the pictures.”

  Interesting,

  “What happened to Avalon?”

  The reverend thought about it. “One day, she went crazy, telling her grandmother that someone was going to kill the President of the United States. The poor woman called the doctor and he sedated her, but the drugs didn't work. I guess she got out of her room and called the police.”

  He already knew the story. Ethan Blackhawk had included everything they had on her.

  “Shortly after, someone came to take her away. Time passed, and we didn't bother to look for her. Melissa was happier because she didn't have to see her daughter, Mary Louise didn't have to raise her, and the rest of the family moved on.”

  It sounded incredibly selfish to him.

  These people were horrible to a little girl who didn't know what power she had.

  Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing Avalon was taken away.

  It might have been a blessing in disguise.

  “You should talk to Doctor Aldridge. He’s still practicing medicine, and his mind is as sharp as a whip. He might be able to give you something that I’m not privy to.”

  He’d add that to his list of things to do.

  “Thank you for your time, Reverend. If you think of anything else, please give me a call.”

  With that, he handed him a card and headed outside to find his wife. Quinn wanted to make sure she was okay.

  He found her all right.

  Callie was pacing back and forth, and she didn't look happy at all. In fact, she looked outraged.

  “Can you believe what they did to that child?” she asked.

  He didn't get to speak.

  “If her grandmother was here right now, I’d kick her ass. I’m so angry, that I could spit nails,” she stated, walking back and forth.

  Quinn let the storm continue before he even risked getting in her way. He wasn’t a dumb man. No, he knew better than to wear the bull’s-eye over this one.

  “They abused her. It was mental abuse and nothing less! They shouldn’t have been allowed to keep Avalon. Now, the government has put her in a position where she’s still being treated badly. I’m so mad.”

  “Yeah, I get that.”

  “Well, shouldn’t I be?”

  He didn't argue. “I’m mad too, so I get it.”

  She took a deep breath before running her hand over her bump. “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.”

  Quinn crossed to her, pulling Callie into his arms. “We’ll get justice for Avalon. We just need to work this little by little until it unravels for us.”

  “You’re right,” she said.

  He stared at her. “Can you say that again? I’m married, and that’s a sentence I rarely hear.”

  She slugged him.

  “Kidding! Jeez! Where to now, baby?”

  “We should head back to the cabin and see what Jagger dug up. He might have gotten lucky and picked up something for us at the dead man’s house.”

  “We should grab something to eat first. You skipped breakfast, and when you do, you get mean like a viper.”

  She gave him a look.

  “See?”

  Callie laughed. “I love you, Quinton Gaines. Thank you for calming me down. I know what you were doing.”

  He grinned.

  “It’s my pleasure, baby. How about some pizza?”

  “Do I have to make it?” she asked, giving him a look. “Or are you going to buy me lunch?”

  Quinn kissed her soundly on the mouth. He wanted her to be in a good mood for when they began working on the profile. The last thing he needed was Callista all stirred up.

  A pregnant woman was a dangerous woman.

  * * * C a r t e r - G a i n e s * * *

  They each took a turn with her in the back room. From the outside, you could hear her screams and begging. It was a good thing they were isolated from people, or she would have alerted the cops.

  Since they weren’t going to get caught, the men didn't bother gagging her. No, she was to pretty to cover her face. Like with her sister, Avalon—when they found her—they were promised some fun. They needed the information, and they wouldn’t need to bloody her up too much to get it.

  Well, that’s what they thought.

  Who knew that Sarah Miller was going to be stubborn?

  When the second man exited the room, buttoning his jeans, he shook his head.

  “Nothing?”

  “She doesn’t know where the girl is. She doesn’t have any way to contact her. I tried to fuck it out of her, but she isn’t bending. We might not have anything here.”

  “Oh, that’s not going to make him happy. In fact, he’s going to lose it, and me telling him that is going to end badly. I bet he takes a trip down here.”

  The man shrugged. “You can’t get blood from a stone, even with rape.”

  “Do you want him up in our grills, telling us how to interrogate a prisoner?”

  He shook his head.

  “I’ll go again in a little while. This time, if sex won’t work, pain will. We have to break her. We don’t have a choice. He wants her destroyed.”

  The man grabbed a drink.

  “If she doesn’t know shit, there’s nothing we can do.”

  He was well aware, but Mr. Greene wouldn’t want to hear that.

  At all.

  CHAPTER Eleven

  Wednesday Afternoon

  J agger was pleased that when he returned to the cottage, the rest of his team was already there. Even better, they’d brought a couple of his closest friends—pizza and some beer. After ghosting around, there was nothing like having something to eat.

  “How were the interviews?” he asked, handing them each a paper plate as the doctor doled out food.

  Callie was still stirred up, so Quinn told him everything, including how the family had treated Avalon when she lived there.

  Jagger whistled. “That sucks. She had a bad break from the start,” he admitted. While his childhood had been less than normal, at least he had his mother in his and Jaxon’s lives. She was their stability and until her death, she loved them with all she had.

  “Yeah, it pisses me off,” Callie stated, taking a bite of her pizza.

  Quinn handed the Marine a beer. “How about you?” he asked. “Did you find anything?”

  He tossed them the phone, so they could look at all the pictures he took.

  “They are definitely military castoffs. You can tell by the boot marks they left behind.”

  Callie stared at it and didn't get it. “It looks like normal boot treads.”

  Jagger dropped his foot onto the coffee table so they could see for themselves. “See the metal plate imbedded into the rubber sole?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” they replied.

  “It’s standard military surplus. The only people who get boots like this are soldiers. You have to be requisitioned them the day you get your gear, and then tw
ice a year after that. Someone is still wearing their military stuff.”

  They inspected the photo, and there was the same telltale square in the tread mark.

  “Are we sure this isn't some sort of military cover-up?” Quinn asked. “You know…they can’t have Oracle anymore, so now they go through and eliminate the entire family to get rid of the evidence.”

  Jagger stared at him, but didn't say a word. How could he? It wasn’t like shit like that didn't go down.

  “Seriously?” Quinn asked. “I’m not an idiot. The military has its hands in all the pots, and we’re both smart enough to know it.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah, they really do.”

  “Speaking of being sneaky, Jagger, how about a little recognizance later?” Quinn asked.

  “What do you need?”

  “We have someone killing Millers. Do you think you can head to that house and keep an eye on them for a little while?” he asked.

  “I can do that.”

  “If they’re going to make a move on them, it’s going to be soon. Those military boys won’t expect our military boy playing spy.”

  “Works for me.”

  Callie thought that was a good idea. “We don’t need anyone else getting killed, and we can’t go to the sheriff with this. It’s going to spread panic,” she stated.

  “Likely. You know how civilians are,” Jagger stated.

  They both looked at him.

  “Yeah, okay, well, I’m going to call the boss and see what she can find out about our competition in town,” she offered.

  When no one disagreed, Callie pulled out her phone and made the call. On the second ring, it wasn’t Elizabeth who answered, but Ethan Blackhawk.

  “Hello.”

  “Boss? It’s me,” she said, placing it on speaker.

  “What can I do for you, Doctor?” he asked. “If you’re looking for Elizabeth, she’s neck deep in toddlers. She and Callen are trying to maneuver through feeding time at the Blackhawk zoo.”

  “It doesn’t matter who I talk to since I’m sure you’ll know too, so no need to disturb her.” Then Callie paused. “How’s Suzie?” she asked. “Does she miss me?”

  He laughed. “Oh, she certainly does. I think she was making out with CJ. They both had the same cookie face.”

  “What the hell?” Quinn stated. “My girl better not be making out with anyone!”

  Ethan laughed. “Yeah, I think they’re engaged too. Maybe she likes older men.”

  Callie laughed at the director’s teasing. At one time, Ethan Blackhawk was so damaged that he wouldn’t laugh or joke. “Well, since they got engaged on your watch, the wedding is on you.”

  Quinn stared at his wife, his mouth hanging open.

  Jagger found it hard not to laugh. He totally understood. When he heard his sister was getting married, there was that same terror.

  Callie knew she needed to refocus the conversation before her husband had a stroke. “What I really called about is this case. We found traces of the military all over this. I know you’re going to think I’m crazy for asking this, but we need to know…by any chance is the government trying to kill off Avalon’s family?”

  He paused, not liking where this was heading. “Well, if you ask Jagger, if he’s sitting there, that could be a possibility, but then Gabriel Rothschild wouldn’t have sent us in to deal with it. When I told him you three were heading there, he would have nixed it. I think it’s safe to say this isn't that kind of scenario.”

  That being said, Ethan had every intention to dig deeper and get the answer to that. For now, there was no reason to freak his team out with no answer.

  “What are you planning next?” Ethan asked.

  “We’d really like interview Avalon’s mother, but she’s not in town. She skipped her own mother’s funeral.”

  Ethan knew that not all women deserved to have their children at their gravesides to mourn them. Look at Callen. His mother had destroyed him.

  “Then who’s next up to be interviewed?”

  “We spoke to Avalon’s sister, and we’re planning to hit up the half-brother tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” Ethan stated. “How was that interview? Did you learn anything helpful?”

  She found it funny that they learned a lot—not so much from what the woman said—but what she didn't say. Callie told him everything.

  “Wow!”

  “I shouldn’t be surprised. I know people are cold and can do cruel things, but this has me sick to my stomach.”

  “Remember what we discussed in session regarding Elizabeth’s half-brother?” he offered. “Things like this happen, and not all families are close knit like you and Nate.”

  Yeah, Callista recalled how Elizabeth’s half-brother killed his own father and nearly Elizabeth and Ethan.

  “Can you find out if there are any more relatives floating around out there?” she asked. “We’re running out of Millers, and no one seems to know much about Avalon or what’s happening here.”

  “Callen is my research monkey, so I’ll pass that one off to him,” he stated. “Anything else?” he asked, watching his wife trying to wrangle the kids. It was the most beautiful sight in the world. It melted his heart.

  “No, that should be it. Thank you for your help, Director. I really appreciate it. Just email the list over,” she offered, “if you find anyone.”

  “Until then,” Quinn stated, “we’re starting to talk to other people. We interviewed the family minister, and tomorrow we’re going to talk to the family doctor. Someone has to know what’s happening, or be able to give us a little more on why someone’s gunning for Avalon and her family.”

  “Good idea,” he said. “If there’s nothing else, I have to help out my team. The kids appear to be winning.”

  They said their goodbyes, and as soon as Callie hung up, Quinn was staring at her.

  “What, Quinton?” she asked.

  “Are you insane? Marrying off our daughter already? No one is going to be good enough for her! Then toss in that the Blackhawk-Whitefox men are…”

  Callie laughed because she knew exactly what had her husband stirred up. It had everything to do with them sharing Elizabeth. “If there was a family for our daughter to marry into, it would be that one, big guy. You see how those men treat Elizabeth. Whatever women they marry are going to be happy and well taken care of, that’s for sure.”

  He crossed his arms. “My baby girl isn't getting married. It’s never going to happen.”

  She laughed. “Oh, okay, Quinton. You keep thinking that. We’ll see who’s right.”

  He growled.

  Quinn didn't want to go there.

  At all.

  * * * C a r t e r - G a i n e s * * *

  Middle of Nowhere

  They’d been walking for a couple hours, and it was time to make the call. While the team took a Power Bar break, Maura knew it was about time touch base with the bosses.

  Pulling out a burner phone, she made the call.

  When Elizabeth answered, there was chaos going on in the background, but as soon as she realized it was Maura with a check in, she headed somewhere quiet.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “We had a little situation,” she stated, telling her about the diner and the highway.

  “Shit! Are you four okay?” she asked, making notes. It looked like there was going to be a mess to cover-up.

  “Yeah, we’re intact, but if you saw that on the news, you’d be freaked out. That’s why I’m making the call.”

  “Thanks. I would have been worried. Are you on your way to a safe location?”

  She gave her the details. “Yeah, and off exit twenty two you’re going to find a burnt out wreck. It’s Luke’s Hummer. Can you beat the local law to it and get it brought back in-house? I don’t want these assholes on it.”

  She understood the urgency. They’d trace it back to Luke, and then be all over him and his home. That was a bad idea all around. “I’ll get Ethan on it right now
,” she stated, whispering to him with her palm over the phone.

  When Elizabeth was back, Maura continued, “Can you make a replacement appear by the time we’re back there?” she asked. “He really had some sick attachment to it.”

  Elizabeth snorted as she thought about Ethan’s Mustang. It sat in their front yard for the same reason. It wasn’t kid friendly, but he swore he’d die without it. “Yeah, consider it done. What else?”

  “Off the record?” she stated.

  “Okay. Now it’s Maura to Elizabeth, not Major Gaines to Director Whitefox-Blackhawk.”

  “We have to get Avalon out of this life. There has to be a way. She’s a prisoner, and we need to save her.”

  There was a pause, and Maura wasn’t sure what Elizabeth was going to say about that. It could go either way. She didn't really know the woman all that well.

  “What happened?”

  “Nathaniel Carter happened.”

  “Uh oh,” she stated. “Spill it.”

  “They’ve started something, and remember, this is between the girls, not the boss and soldier.”

  “I can keep it to myself. The director won’t find out. I’m really good at keeping secrets from her.”

  Maura laughed.

  “Are we talking full blown relationship, or just dipping his feet in the pond?”

  Looking over her shoulder, she watched the two people sitting on the felled tree log. Avalon was between his legs, leaning against his chest. His chin was lovingly on top of her head as his arms kept her to his body. Yeah, this was far more than a quick swim in the pond. This was a man protecting someone who mattered to him. Maura could recognize it from her own relationship.

  “I’m guessing sex and long term attachment.”

  “That’s not good. What the hell was he thinking?” she asked.

  “The same thing I obviously did when I met Luke. Sometimes, the shit hits the fan, and you get hit with love. Cupid is a sloppy mess, and Nate Carter is on his way to Mushville—population one.”

  Elizabeth grinned. “Okay, well, I’ll see what I can do on the saving her, but we already know what I’m going to hear. The president won’t let her go, but I’ll talk to Gabe. He might have more pull since they’re golf buddies.”