by Char Webster
Dawn hugged Kate and said, “Good luck. Let me know if you need any more help.”
“Thanks. Here is my phone number in case you need it.” Nick handed her a card with his cell phone number on it, and he helped her place the car seat and Maddy’s bag in her vehicle.
Before they left, Dawn handed Nick a file folder filled with her research on Brooks. “I don’t know how much this information will help you, but it should be a start,” Dawn told them.
“This is great,” Nick said, flipping through the information. “Thank you.”
Nick and Kate got back in the SUV and drove off. There was an eerie silence that neither of them wanted to break.
Kate had no idea of Nick’s destination, but she just wished he would hurry and get there. She needed to be doing something. Sitting in the car thinking was not helping at all. She grabbed the file folder and opened to the first page. She scanned the page and read some of it out loud to Nick.
“Richard Brooks, age fifty-two, goes by his last name. Louise Santos Brooks, age forty-nine, no mention of nicknames of any sort. Married twenty-eight years. They have seven residences across the country. The closest is in Washington’s Crossing, PA.”
Kate looked over at Nick. “We need to get online to the electronic tax records to see if there is some information about that house and then maybe use Google Earth for an aerial view.”
Nick smiled at her. “Both good suggestions. I need to stop by my apartment in Philly first for some supplies and equipment. We can make a plan there.”
Kate nodded and said, “That works.” She continued to go through the file, but suddenly looked up and said, “They fostered twenty-eight children over the years. Most of them were in their early to mid-teens. A few were younger. That is a lot of children to foster. All were troubled and had unusual things happen around them.”
Nick glanced over and said, “I bet they were all gifted kids that fell through the cracks of our system. They try to have thorough records, but it is impossible to keep track of every gifted family out there.”
“I think so, too,” Kate agreed and then paused. “Oh no. Eleven of those kids died. That is a really high number. Dawn made a note here that says she thinks that Brooks may have been able to hide some of this because government agencies do not communicate well with each other and neither do states. Crossing state lines sometimes halts information sharing.”
“Does it have any more information on their deaths?” Nick asked.
“There are a few sheets here but not much,” Kate told him. “Looks like none of them lived past twenty-three.”
“If he was looking for gifted kids, it makes sense. If you don’t have a gift by the age of twenty-two, then you won’t get one. He also could have been looking for strong gifts. You know, get rid of the ones that were not useful to him.”
“This whole thing is making me sick,” Kate muttered. “How could anyone be so evil?”
~*~*~
Robert was irritated that Kate had disappeared on him earlier. He really needed to talk to her, so he stopped by her house. No one was home, but her car was in the driveway. Very weird. He stuck around for a while to see if they came back. Nick’s SUV was not in his driveway. Maybe they all went out together.
It was odd for her not to be home this late. She usually put the little girl to bed around this time. He had a bad feeling, which had naggingly gotten worse as the day progressed. He didn’t get her phone number the last time he saw her. He hadn’t needed it so far; she was normally way too predictable. He always knew where to find her—that was, until now.
He wanted to call Nick, but they weren’t exactly on speaking terms. He wished Nick would open his eyes to what the Association was really like. Once Robert broke away from the Association, the people in charge created all kinds of rumors about his dirty dealings and made it seem like Robert had turned into a monster.
It hurt that Nick believed the lies, although it didn’t help that Robert had let his more colorful side take over for a while after the Association released him from ‘protective custody.’ Maybe his behavior had been a little worse than colorful. He had behaved appallingly for over two years after he was released, lashing out at everyone, including Nick. He had been what Kate called a jerk, and he even pouted a bit, which he wouldn’t admit to anyone.
He had come back into the area to try to patch things up with Nick and try to get his friend back. Nick was making that harder than Robert had thought he would. Nick was stubborn, but he seemed to really be falling for Kate. Maybe now Nick would see things a little differently . . . or at least he hoped.
~*~*~
Grabbing the kids was a little bit easier than Frank had thought it would be. They were just wandering down the side of the road in their neighborhood. Frank had stolen a minivan from the mall parking lot to grab the kids. He had wanted to blend in, and in this town, there seemed to be an endless supply of minivans.
He turned the corner and parked in front of a children’s playground. No one was around, which was good luck on Frank’s part. The sooner he got this job done, the sooner he would get his daughter. He knew the kids would have to walk right by the van. He opened the side door and pretended to be looking around inside it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them approach the van. He began counting their steps. Three more steps and they would be even with his van and blocked from view of anyone else on the street. As soon as they were even with him, he opened the door wider, and threw up his shield to surround the two kids. They couldn’t get away from his hold.
Both kids struggled and tried to break free. They even attempted to use their powers, which Frank was impressed by. He could feel the electricity pulsing against his shield, but it was very weak, not nearly enough for them to get loose. The boy kept flinging his arms at the shield, but nothing was happening. Frank figured he was trying to move it somehow. That was not effective either.
Frank was not concerned with being gentle. He normally would not hurt children, but with what Brooks pulled, nothing was out of the question. He stalked over to the teens, grabbed them both by the necks, and banged their heads together extremely hard. Both kids were dazed enough for Frank to throw them in the van, and zip-tie and gag them within a minute.
He put Alex and Zach on the floor and threw a blanket over them. It was just an extra measure since the windows in the back were tinted.
After driving for several miles, Frank checked the rearview mirror and saw two thrashing bodies underneath the blanket. He pulled over to the side of a wooded area along the road and reached back to lift the blanket to see the struggling teens.
He needed to get them under control before he went for the third kid. These two had gifts, and if he wasn’t careful, they could end up escaping.
Alex looked up at him with hatred and kicked out at him with both zip-tied legs. At the same time, Zach kicked his feet at Frank as well.
Frank avoided the kicks by sitting on Zach and grabbing Alex’s feet and hands. He secured both their feet and their hands together behind their backs. It was not a comfortable position for anyone.
“Don’t make me knock you out. I have no problem with hitting you both.”
Alex continued to struggle but finally gave up in defeat.
Frank would drop these two off at a secure location and come back for the third child.
~*~*~
Two hours later, Frank was back to find the smallest child. It was proving a little more difficult than the two he had already. He parked down the street and walked up through the backyards. The house was dark, but it was too early for everyone to be in bed. He jimmied the back door and entered the kitchen. Older doors were so easy to break into.
The house was very quiet, and he soon discovered that no one was home. The woman’s car was in the drive and so was another SUV.
He didn’t think they could have gone too far. The little girl was very young and would be in bed soon. The woman seemed like the type to follow strict bedtimes.
His Melissa was like that with their daughter. She had thought it was important for kids to get their sleep. Just thinking about her made him sick inside. He wanted to throw up, thinking about what they did to his beautiful Melissa.
He walked the neighborhood but didn’t see them. He would just have to wait for them to get back. He went back inside and settled himself on the couch and flipped on the TV. He could wait for a while. He wondered if they had any snacks.
Frank gave up after three hours of waiting, fearing that they weren’t coming back. The woman had to have known that her kids were gone by now, so where was she and why hadn’t she called the police? Frank loved watching the inept police conduct missing persons’ investigations. Most of the time, the person missing would never be found. This was one of those cases.
It still bothered him that she wasn’t home and that she hadn’t called the cops. He’d half expected to have to sneak out the back door if she came home with the police. Maybe there was more to this than he knew. He was feeling desperate now that it was going to be harder to find the girl. If he didn’t find her soon, he’d never get his daughter back.
Chapter Sixteen
Nick parked in front of a building on 10th and Spruce in Philly. Varga Bar was on the corner and was packed with people having dinner and drinks along the sidewalk. It had an old-fashioned feel, with World War II-type decor.
Nick pointed to the bar. “This place has great food and the coolest breakfast cereal ice cream for dessert,” Nick told her. “When this is over, we’ll have to come back here.” He was trying to distract Kate, but it wasn’t working.
Kate just smiled weakly and nodded. Nick threw his arm around her and pulled her to his side. He kissed the side of her temple.
Nick’s apartment was just a few buildings down. It was a nice night and people were enjoying Philadelphia. Kate would have normally loved the atmosphere and lively night life of the city, but she just couldn’t bring herself to enjoy anything. She wanted to get to the apartment, collect what they needed, and be on their way. She didn’t even want to take time to formulate a plan.
Nick kept his arm around Kate as they walked down the street, and Kate was glad for the comfort and support she felt coming from him.
He kept looking over at her wondering how she was doing, but he didn’t ask her. He knew she wasn’t okay and that she wouldn’t want to talk about it yet. He tried to infuse her with his calm the same way she had done for him before, but he wasn’t sure it would work in reverse with her.
Nick was punishing himself by allowing the guilt to eat him alive inside. He couldn’t believe that he had let his brother’s kids to be taken from him. How could he have been that blind to the danger? After all that time watching out for them and searching for the person responsible for his brother and his sister-in-law’s death, someone swooped in and kidnapped them.
He needed to stay positive for Kate. He knew she was blaming herself as well. She loved the kids as much as he did, and he knew that she would do whatever it took to get them back. He was so glad that they had found someone like Kate. Heck, he was glad that he had found Kate. The only way he would get through this would be by her side.
They reached the steps to his apartment building and walked up the three flights. His place had two bedrooms and a large living room that opened to a kitchen and dining area. Kate was surprised at how nicely the place was furnished. For the most part, it didn’t have a young guy feel about it, except for the very large screen TV and several video game units under it. The rest of the place had a mature feel to it: leather couches, dark wood coffee and end tables, and matching curtains and throw pillows.
She dropped her backpack on the floor next to the couch and flopped down, suddenly exhausted. Nick grabbed his iPad and sat next to her. He placed it on the table and pulled her over to lean against him.
“We should get some rest. There isn’t much we can do tonight,” Nick told her. “I’ll call my contacts first thing tomorrow.”
“There has to be something we can do tonight,” she said pleadingly. “I can’t just sit here while they’re out there somewhere being held prisoner. I need to do something.”
“I know how you feel. I want to go out searching everywhere, but that won’t do any good. If this guy is as powerful as I think he is, he’ll move those kids if he even suspects us getting close,” Nick told her. “We need to be really careful.”
“I know. I just hate feeling this helpless.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Nick told her. “Come on. Let’s get some rest.”
Kate picked up her bag and started to rummage through it when she realized that she hadn’t packed anything to sleep in. She looked up at Nick, who had a knowing smile.
“Forgot to pack sleep clothes?” Nick asked with a slight smile. He liked the idea of her in his clothes. Kate nodded.
They walked over to the two bedrooms. Nick ducked into his room, pulled a T-shirt and shorts from the drawer and handed them to Kate.
“Bathroom is right through that door.” He pointed toward the door down the hall. She took the clothes and headed in that direction. He had already changed into shorts and a T-shirt when she came out with her own clothes folded neatly in her hands.
They stood together looking at each other in the hall between the two bedrooms. “As much as I’m probably going to regret saying this because it goes against my best interest, you can sleep in that room right there. It used to be Robert’s and no one uses it anymore.”
“Thanks,” Kate said, but they both still lingered in the hall. “I don’t want to be alone right now,” Kate said hesitantly. “Will you stay with me?”
Nick took her hand and guided her into his room. Pulling down the comforter for her to climb in, he needed to feel her against him. Nick settled down on his back with her head on his shoulder, staring up at the ceiling and trying not to think about how right she felt in his arms. Neither spoke; they didn’t need to while soaking up the comfort each other provided. Kate snuggled against him with her hand on his chest, absentmindedly drawing circles on her shirt. Nick was trying to ignore what her fingers were doing to him, so he focused on playing with her hair, loving the feel and smell of it.
He could tell when she fell asleep because her breathing became steady and slower. She also made cute little noises when she slept, and snuggled even closer to him. He stayed awake for a while, thinking about everything.
He needed to find the kids quickly before something truly horrible happened. He also needed to figure out what to do about the beautiful girl in his arms. Right now they needed each other, but this couldn’t last. They couldn’t be together no matter how much they both wanted it. But, when this was finally over, could he let her walk away? Right now, the answer would be no, and that scared the hell out of him.
~*~*~
Alex and Zach didn’t have any idea where they were. They just knew that there was no way they could escape. They’d been trying for the last several hours. First, they had tried separately, and then they tried it together, but nothing had worked.
The two teens were still zip-tied around their ankles and their wrists, but their ankles and wrists were no longer tied together. That had been painful, and the beast who took them had left them that way most of the night. This morning, he released their wrists so they could eat the breakfast sandwiches he had bought for them. Once they were done, he zip-tied their hands again, but this time in front. Alex didn’t think her shoulders would ever be the same.
“Come on Zach, concentrate. Smash the door,” Alex encouraged.
“Lex, I’ve been trying all morning. Its solid metal and dead bolted. It’s not moving,” Zach complained. “I don’t see you trying anything.”
“What do you want me to do, electrocute us? This whole place is metal. It’s a big, long, metal box,” Alex told him.
“Do you think we’ll run out of air?” Zach worried.
“No, there is some sort of vent in the ceiling up there. I think that’s an air
vent.”
“Great, so we won’t suffocate,” Zach muttered.
Alex huffed. “Just try again, Zach.”
“What use is it? It’s not going to work,” Zach complained. “Maybe we can jump him when he gets here. You zap him and I’ll throw him against the wall.”
“Oh yeah, because that worked out so well the last few times we tried it,” Alex said sarcastically. “Uncle Bud and Kate will find us, and when they do, Uncle Bud will kick some butt.”
“If they find us,” he said dejectedly. “What do you think this guy wants with us anyway?
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s with the Division. He has that shield gift.”
“What would the Division want with us? We don’t even have full control of our gifts yet.”
“Maybe . . .” Alex couldn’t finish her sentence. The door creaked open and they were suddenly caught up in a protective shield they could not escape from.
The guy who took them and another guy walked in and picked the two kids up like they weighed nothing.
As soon as the second guy picked up Zach, he could move again, and he started to buck wildly and swing his arms and legs. The second guy clipped Zach on the back of the head with a gun and knocked him out.
Alex screamed, “ZACH!”
Frank almost dropped Alex. He turned to his colleague and said, “What the hell, George. They’re not to be hurt. I have to deliver them today. He had better be okay, or I will kill you myself. Do you hear me?”
Alex started to whimper. So far it had been scary, but somehow it hadn’t seemed real. These guys knocking Zach out and threatening to kill each other made it more terrifying and much more real.
Frank moved to walk out of the metal container first. “We need to move these two. They’ve been here too long as it is. I need to find their sister, and then I can dump the three of them off.