Redemption Lost

by Cindy M. Hogan

  “Helvan?” Jeremy said.

  Ace whistled. “Smart girl.”

  “It’s a drug that makes a person incredibly suggestible. I can get him to tell me everything he knows—where he’s keeping the girls, what happened to Bradley, how to get to Patriotware, everything. Afterward, I can suggest to him that none of it ever happened.”

  “This is dangerous—what if the drug doesn’t work? After what happened with Carrie and these other girls, we can’t risk it.”

  Christy shook her head. “He didn’t take Carrie until after their date. I think he goes on the dates to vet girls—for what, I don’t know. But I’ll have time. If he sends me home in a black sedan, we’ll know he’s targeting me.”

  Jeremy sighed.

  “It’s a bit tricky to use,” Ace said. “It has to be taken in pill form. It can’t be cut up or ground up. And you have to wait fifteen minutes for it to take effect. You’ll have about forty-five minutes to suggest things to him. I’d stop suggesting around thirty, though if it were me.”

  She nodded. “Could you get me some?”

  “I can. So should I hit accept on the date?”

  Christy looked to Jeremy. He was mission leader. She needed his go ahead.

  “When does he want to meet?” Jeremy said.

  “It’s an early one. Four.”

  “Today?”

  Ace nodded.

  “Yes. Accept,” Jeremy said, his voice almost inaudible. Christy knew this would be hard on him. She couldn’t let him see anything but determination from her.

  “That’s in one hour. I better get ready then.”

  “I’ll work out some of the finer details,” Jeremy said.

  Christy tidied up her disguise and sewed her wig into her hair to secure it better. Right before it was time for her to head out, Ace gave her the pill. It was tiny and blue.

  “Any ideas on how I can get him to swallow this?”

  “That’s going to be the hardest part. Take this with you.” He handed her what looked like a tiny air freshener: a tiny pink pouch that smelled like roses. She squished it lightly between her fingers. “Put it in your bag.” He eyed her nervous fiddling. “And don’t ruin it. It’s a bug. We’ll be able to listen to what is going on inside that room.”

  “This is genius. Thanks.”

  They met back up in the kitchen and Jeremy ended a call. “Ace, you’re going to stay here and monitor what’s going on.”

  “I gave Christy a bug they’ll never suspect.” He bobbed his eyebrows twice.

  “Good. I hated the thought of sending her in there without any ears.”

  “You don’t think I can take that old man?” Christy said, giving Jeremy a withering gaze.

  They took off toward the meeting spot. They waited until she had one minute to be in the lobby of the hotel to enter. They wanted to use the exact same protocol that Carrie had followed. Once inside the lobby, it unfolded the same way. Christy wasn’t met by the senator, but one of his guards. He led her up to a room and shut the door behind her. She put her bag on the desk, hoping the bug would get the best reception there. It gave her comfort knowing the team was listening.

  Before she could get settled and ready, the door opened. She jerked around, startled. Alvarez stood in the doorway. Her hands trembled, and her stomach lurched. That was definitely faster than with Carrie. She had counted on a good three minutes to herself. She’d had less than one. The door shut behind him as he walked toward her, setting a briefcase next to her bag, a sly look on his face. All she wanted to do was run out that door behind him, but she knew if she did, Carrie would be lost. He didn’t bother to set the lock or anything.

  “Well, heeelllo,” he said, a catlike growl emerging from his throat. He looked at her expectantly.

  She worked hard to keep her face blank. What was he doing? Then it dawned on her as he raised his eyebrows. Oh—he wanted her to play along. She needed to act like a cat, she guessed. Her heart thudded. She put up her hands and pretended to scratch the air, purring like a cat in the process. She tried hard to get into character and not feel too foolish.

  “Oh, I like that. I like that a lot.” He took two steps and was right in front of her.

  She resisted the urge to step back. Instead she turned on a shy act, twisting her hair around a finger and letting her chin fall. Only then did she take a small step back.

  “Don’t be shy,” he whispered, taking her hand in his. She swallowed hard. She needed to get a grip. She was supposed to have the upper hand, and she’d let him get it. It was time to turn that around. What was her goal? She had to get him to drink something, and he couldn’t see it. Her eyes rested on his tie and an idea came to her. She stood tall.

  “How is it that you’ve been using this app for as long as you have without me noticing you?”

  She leaned in and whispered in his ear, “I like to play hide and seek.” She purred.

  “That just so happens to be one of my favorite games too.” His lips landed on her neck, and she shivered. He growled, obviously mistaking her disgust for pleasure, but he’d said the right thing. She had him now.

  “There’s nothing like a nice tall glass of something to loosen the nerves a bit.” She held her fingers like claw and raked them softly against his chest, pushing him away subtly.

  He tilted his head and looked at her. “I could go for something to drink.” He stepped over to the mini bar and pulled out a large tray of tiny alcoholic beverages. He set it hard on the desk, one corner catching the edge of the lamp and tipping the tray. The little bottles slid to one side of the tray and he scrambled to stop them, his meaty arm landing heavily on Christy’s bag, but doing its job of stopping the migration of jars.

  Christy walked over and helped him gain control, then grabbed two glasses from near the sink and added crushed ice. She handed him the glasses and took hold of his tie and loosened it as he poured the drinks. She slipped it off his neck. He held out the drink for her. She swung the tie around through the air, fighting a wave of nausea. She never wanted him to touch her again.

  “I think it’s time for you to hide.” She grinned and stepped behind him. He bent down and Christy put the cloth over his eyes, tying it behind him. Then she took one of the drinks, slipped a pill in. With all those chunks of ice, he’d never know a pill was mixed in. She whispered, “Here comes your drink,” and put the drink to his lips. “One shot. Show me what a big man you are.”

  The door swung open and two guards, one of them Mitch Abernathy, rushed in. Christy was so startled, she stepped back and tripped over her own feet as the men lunged at her, preventing her fall and securing her in a few seconds flat with plastic ties. The cup with the pill went flying behind her. She struggled against her bonds, her only consolation being that Jeremy and Ace had heard every word. They would soon be here to save her.

  The senator slipped his tie off his eyes. “It was just getting good.” He peered at Christy like a drunk looking into his glass and realizing it was empty.

  “Sorry, boss, but if she’s going to be on this shipment, then we need to get her to the docks now.”

  “Yeah. Yeah.” He waved a hand of dismissal. “Still, this would have been a good one, I can tell. I’m raising the price on her.”

  Next thing Christy knew, Mitch pressed a tiny needle into her arm. Her last thought was of Jeremy saving her. The room went black.

  Chapter 14

  MARYBETH

  “Slow down, Jeremy. What’s going on?” Marybeth pressed the phone to her ear, moving away from her computer desk. It was nine o’clock; the kids were asleep and Mrs. A had retired early. She was exhausted from the ordeal of Bradley’s funeral earlier in the day. Marybeth had been writing her resignation letter. Her bags were already packed and waiting on her bed.

  “We ran an op and it went well. Too well. Alvarez took Christy.”

  “What? He took Christy? Why? Why would he do that?” Her heart rumbled against her ribs and she stood up, her body full of extra energy, an
acid pit forming in her stomach.

  “Christy went in undercover as a call girl on the app. She was supposed to drug Alvarez and get him to spill the beans about Bradley, the app, and another girl that disappeared, Carrie. We had a bug in her things, and I was right outside, but something went wrong. The bug went dead and when we finally got in to check what happened, Christy, the senator and his goons were gone. I have no idea how they got past me. By the time we figured it out, they were long gone. We found her bag in his room, the bug smashed. We’re not sure if that was done on purpose or not because the bag was zipped shut like they hadn’t even been inside to find it. In any case, Christy is gone and we need to find her.”

  “He kidnapped her?” Somewhere in her head she knew hysteria was settling in, but she couldn’t stop it. “Where did he take her? Why?” Her voice shrieked.

  “Marybeth. I need you to calm down.” His voice was firm, insistent, but calming also, and immediately, her heart rate slowed. “She’s gone missing before, so we have no reason to completely freak out right now. We need to be level headed so we don’t make mistakes and can think clearly enough to help her.”

  Marybeth swallowed hard and took a couple deep breaths. “I’m trying.” She forced herself to sit down, guilt and fear coursing through her.

  “Good. Listen. I need you to search the house and look for—”

  “Are you crazy? I’m getting out of here. I’m leaving tonight. I can’t spend another night in the house with this man—he’s sick.”

  “Then he wins and we never find Christy.”

  Panic railed inside her. “Jeremy. I can’t.” How could he ask this of her? There was no way she could pretend not to be scared out of her wits. “I’m not a spy.”

  “I know what you told Christy, but this is not a matter of wanting to be a spy or not anymore. Christy’s life is in danger. You’re the only one who can help her. Help me. Please, Marybeth. I need you. In order to save Christy, she needs all of us. You are right there. We wouldn’t be able to get there for at least an hour.”

  The implication was obvious. Christy could die in that hour. Ice filled her from her toes to her nose. She shivered violently. He was right. She knew it, but how could she? And she knew as she asked herself that question. She had to. Jeremy was right. It had nothing to do with choice now. She had to help Christy.

  “Okay. I’ll try.”

  The sound of a car rumbling down the gravel drive met her hears. She peered out the window.

  “Thank you, Marybeth. It’s not—”

  Marybeth interrupted him. “Wait. Alvarez is driving up the driveway.” Her voice fell to a whisper.

  “Is anyone in the car with him?” The hopeful tone in Jeremy’s voice clawed at Marybeth’s heart. She craned her neck to get a better look, but the passenger seat was empty.

  “No. He’s alone.” Her stomach growled as acid filled it.

  “Christy could be in the trunk still. As soon as he goes inside, check it. Document everything you see and hear. Everything. And act normal. Whatever you do, act like nothing has happened.”

  Everything in her told her to run away from this place, but the underlying panic in Jeremy’s voice made her pause. She forced herself to breathe slowly and get into the moment. “I’ll check the trunk, but I have to wait until Alvarez is occupied. I’ll call you back as soon as I can.” She hung up. How had her world turned upside down so quickly? Where was Christy? Alvarez took her? What was he going to do to her?

  Christy wouldn’t be missing if she hadn’t told her about the case. The fact that she had brought Christy in to protect the very man that was now attacking her made her sick. She stopped the burning tears that welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t cry. She had to be strong for Christy. While she was no spy, she would need to act the spy and do her very best to get Christy back. She owed this to her.

  She waited at her door, listening for sounds from downstairs. Would Alvarez go straight into his office? If he did, she could sneak out to the garage unseen. But if he’d gone into the kitchen, he’d block her path.

  She took a deep breath and opened her door as quietly as possible. She crept down the hall and down grand staircase that wrapped its way down into the foyer. The entryway was empty, and if a pin dropped on the marble floor it would probably echo throughout the entire house it was so quiet.

  She glanced around, looking for any sign of Alvarez, and caught her reflection in a mirror. She looked like a scared little kid. She closed her eyes. Jeremy said to act like nothing had happened and here she was, acting like she was afraid of her own shadow. She took a shaky breath.

  There was a light on in Alvarez’s office, toward the back of the house. The kitchen was dark. She thanked whatever luck had gotten her this far and she crept silently through the foyer and into the kitchen

  She scurried out, into the garage. Once she got inside the side door, she leaned on the wall and sighed deeply, glad she’d made it that far. She reached out to disarm the alarm before heading for the car and was surprised to find she didn’t need to. She turned her head to find none other than Senator Alvarez watching her.

  She let out a little startled squeal, her hand flying to her chest. The enemy was right in front of her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “Is everything all right?” He moved toward her, concern all over his face. He didn’t look like a killer or a kidnapper. Still, her heart raced and thudded away. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He was getting closer to her.

  He reached out for her and she would have recoiled had she not been frozen to the spot. She’d failed already, before she’d done anything. He was on to her.

  “Come take a seat.” His hands landed on her upper arms and he directed her around the corner and to the bench where the family kept their boots. He helped her sit. “Breathe and tell me what happened.” He took a seat next to her. It was so shocking to see him act like the man she’d grown to love over the past six months kind, sincere, and helpful. She couldn’t reconcile that with the person Jeremy had just been talking about. She felt like the earth was shifting beneath her. She was going insane. She took a deep breath. “Sorry. I heard a noise as I was coming out here and it scared me. Then, the alarm wasn’t on and it freaked me out even more. I thought someone was in here.”

  He smiled. “Me.”

  “I mean an intruder, you know?”

  He chuckled. “Sorry. It was probably me you heard. I disarmed the alarm, and I guess I was the intruder.” He laughed again, and Marybeth forced a chuckle. It wasn’t like he was going to snatch her right then and there. She simply needed to act natural like Jeremy said.

  “Well, now that you know it was me all along, you don’t need to be afraid. Why did you come out here in the first place?” His smile was sincere, no menace or suspicion.

  Why was she out there? She needed an excuse. That was spying 101. Always have a solid reason to give someone if you’re ever caught somewhere you wouldn’t normally be. She racked her brain, and the pause was way too long. She couldn’t even think.

  “I—I—I—I was—uh?”

  “I scared you so badly you forgot?” He smiled. Still no suspicion played on his face.

  She forced a chuckle. “You must think I’m an idiot.” Then she saw his car and Mitch’s car parked right next to it. What if Christy was inside and that’s why he was out there? She needed an excuse. Finally, one popped into her head. She sat up. “Oh—I lost my lip balm, and I thought maybe it fell out of my pocket or purse when we went to the funeral.” She popped up in one jerky movement.

  “All that, for lip balm? I hope you find it.” He stood up, went to the car, and opened it. She held her breath. No body. He held up a file and waved it at her. “I came for a file, but I knew it was there.”

  She stood there like a child looking at her bike that was still intact after a car swerved to hit it.

  “Would you like me to help you look for your lip balm? You still look like you’re shaken up.” He moved r
ight to her and put his arm around her. She moved quickly out from under it and opened the car door.

  “No. Sorry. I’m an idiot.”

  “I’ve got to get something out of my trunk. I’ll wait for you so you don’t have to walk back to the house on your own.” He smiled and moved to the trunk.

  That smile. She always thought it genuine. Now she knew it was a farce. How could she have missed it? She dug around in the car. Nothing. Of course. She stood, as if his movements were tied to hers. Surely Christy wouldn’t be in the trunk if he was opening it in front of her. She wanted to be able to see the entire trunk, so she shifted toward the back of the car, hoping to escape his notice. He pressed the button on his fob and she heard the tiny click of the lock popping open. As he pulled the trunk up, she pressed her eyes shut, afraid of what she might see, but then quickly opened them. Her blood rushed through her veins. What would she see? Inside was an emergency kit, a few boxes and some files. No Christy.

  She sighed loudly and as he turned toward the sound, she lunged at the back door of the car and opened it. She leaned in and searched the back seat thoroughly. Nothing, of course.

  “Huh,” she said as she climbed out of the car, “Not here. I wonder where it might be.”

  “I’ll buy you a new one. I know how traumatic it can be to be without lip gloss.” He laughed. “What brand was it?”

  “Ha, ha,” she said. “It was my favorite.”

  “I have a wife. I get it. Come on. Let’s go back inside.”

  She hurried out in front of him. His hand brushed her back as he reached out to guide her. Normally, she would thank him for waiting for her, but she couldn’t stomach it today. All she could manage was a smile that was closer to a grimace when she split off from him in the house. She headed for the foyer and the stairs and he headed to his office.

  She literally ran up the stairs as fast as she could and scrambled into the bathroom in her bedroom. She did not want to go back downstairs. What if she ran into him again? But how would she talk to Jeremy if she didn’t? She needed to tell him Christy wasn’t in the trunk. She dialed his number with a shaky hand.