She neared the doorway and looked down both ways of the hallway. She knew what was located in the direction of her room… more rooms and a dead end. What she didn’t know was what lay down the opposite direction. Would it offer freedom or turn into another dead end?
As twilight neared, Reed sat in a standard-issue beige car watching the duplex on the corner. It looked like any regular family building, a cheery spring yellow with a brilliant white trim. Lush green grass spread across the lawn, and the flower beds were filled with an assortment of colorful pansies and snapdragons. The only thing that really set it off from the rest of the upper-class neighborhood was its overly high brick fence that ran around the backyard perimeter. Usually, the average household fence was maybe six feet high, depending upon if the owners had large dogs. This house, though, looked to have an almost eight-foot fence. Inside, he knew and hoped, lurked an establishment that would make any family afraid. Inside was one of the largest sex slave rings he’d come across during his time period as a police officer. And, he hoped that inside were housed both his missing sister and his girlfriend. Even mentally, he had a hard time labeling Mandi as his girlfriend, but right now that was a better term than anything else he could come up with.
If Reed was going to be able to get them all out alive, then he was going to have to call in backup, the ol’ reinforcement troops. The police motto dictated that one never go into an unknown situation alone. Well, he may have done the entire mission on his vacation time and tracked down the kidnappers to this location, but the next step would take a combined effort. Before reaching this point, he hadn’t known what he was dealing with. Now, he knew better. If he was going to get them out, he was going to need some help.
And in order to ask for help, he was going to have to, as “I Love Lucy” would say, have some “’splaining” to do.”
He picked up his cell phone and hit the quick-dial number 6 spot. The number rang through to his direct report, Sergeant Johansen. He anticipated a few questions to start off with, like “What the hell did you think you were doing?” but eventually, Johansen would send in the cavalry. The bust would be done, all the women would be safe, and they’d all be happy.
Maybe not him, especially if Mandi hated him, but then maybe she would realize that he hadn’t planned any of these events. They were out of his control. And, maybe if she understood, she would eventually forget, and then she’d take him back again, because that is all that he could ever want.
“Johansen here,” the sergeant picked up the line.
“Sir, it’s Reed McAllister.”
“Reed, my man. How’s vacation treating you? Coming back to the office soon?”
“Well, that’s about why I’m calling you,” Reed started off, and then explained the situation. Johansen was a bit more than a little ticked off that Reed had chosen to go undercover and weed out a major sex trade operation all on his own, but he quickly agreed to send out some backup cars. Unless it looked like there was some type of imminent danger to the women that the kidnappers held, Reed wasn’t going into the house alone. Too many unknowns still lurked. He had no real idea of how many people were involved. There seemed to be some muscle-bound hired help, but he didn’t have an exact headcount.
Until the reinforcements showed up, Reed would have to sit tight. Every muscle in his body felt like it was stretched taut. As if he’d been working out for hours, pumping up the adrenaline. He tried to loosen up a bit and sent commands to his body to relax. It wouldn’t be prudent for him to be high-strung with the mission began. Ideally, he’d shut his eyes and do a few deep-breathing exercises, but right now he had to keep them wide open, focused on the house across the street. Letting out a deep sigh, Reed resigned himself to being wound up until this whole thing was over.
Staying as close to the wall as possible, Amanda tip-toed down the hallway. She left her shoes in the library, figuring that barefoot would probably be quieter than the flip-flop of slippers. Every few steps she stopped, straining to hear if anyone was approaching. She expected the two guards to return shortly, after they had escorted Willow to wherever she was headed. If they were back at the university, then Ralph would certainly administer some sort of punishment. Here, she’d probably be drugged up even more and tossed into her room. If one of them ever got too out of hand, there was always the possibility of restraints on the bed.
One thing was certain, though: none of them had ever been touched sexually, which stood in absolute contrast to the time they’d spent at the school. There, it was all about sexuality. Here, they were being held, kept in some sort of limbo, until whatever the future held. Although they had been kidnapped and held against their will, it was as if they were prized possessions. Each one of them looked starkly different than the others. Under the influence of drugs, Amanda couldn’t really tell their various personalities, but she knew how different she and Claire were.
At the thought of Claire, Amanda stopped. She hadn’t seen her friend in a few days, and she’d never gotten to talk to her. She was starting to grow worried. She knew that she shouldn’t waste time looking for Claire or the others. Sometimes the known proved to be better than the unknown.
And, at that bit of philosophy, Amanda continued her journey into the unknown. Hopefully, the winding hallway would eventually lead to a stairwell outside and freedom.
Reed had instructed the officers to come mainly in unmarked cars and not to roll up with flashing lights and sirens. As the last of the sun’s rays slipped away, Reed grew thankful for the cover that the night would give them. A black four-door sedan rolled up behind him with two officers in the front seat. He stepped out of his car, zipping up his black jacket, and walked back to brief them and set the stage for their rescue mission.
He approached the passenger-side window, and the officer rolled down her window. He’d worked with Officer Marge a few times. He didn’t know her all too well, but he knew that she was solid. Maybe a bit too serious, but in their line of work, who wasn’t?
“Evening Marge, thanks for coming,” he said, and ducked down to see who was driving. Nick Ramirez may be young, but from what Reed had seen, he definitely knew how to handle himself, and stay cool. “Nick…”
“We have a few unknowns this evening, one of which is how many perps are located inside the house. We need to assume that they are armed and dangerous, and they potentially have hostages,” he explained. “There should be at least three women being held.”
“Have you done a survey of the house?” Ramirez asked. “How many rooms? How big is the yard?”
“It’s hard to get an accurate reading on that,” Reed said. “From what I know, it’s two houses, on two lots, that have been connected and merged. I saw some of the original zoning plans, but who knows what happened once construction started? Plus, they have a pretty high and solid fence circling the property, so that also makes it tough.”
Marge’s face instantly foretold her emotions. Then again, she certainly wasn’t a woman to keep things held in.
“I don’t like it,” she said. “We’re basically going in blind.”
Reed could understand where they were coming from but, at the same time, they needed to move and he wasn’t going to be able to do the job himself. “If you’re not feeling comfortable Marge, then you can stay outside and watch the street. We’ll need a person to make sure that someone else doesn’t come back home at the wrong, or right, time, and interrupt us.”
Marge indicated for him to move away from the window. She opened the door and got out. Arms crossed over her chest, she leaned back against the car and gave Reed the once-over.
“There’s more than what you’re telling us,” Marge said. “I’ve worked with you before, and you’re careful, not headstrong.
“What’s at stake here?”
Reed considered what to tell her, and then settled upon the truth: “They have my sister,” he said.
With a slight widening of her eyes, Marge nodded at him in acknowledgement. “Fair enough,”
she said, “let’s do this.”
She moved a bit closer to Reed, and whispered, “but I want the kid to stay outside,” indicating Ramirez.
It felt like a long time had passed since Amanda had left the library, but she’d not heard a sound of alarm yet. Maybe the situation with Willow was more serious than she had anticipated, maybe the guards thought that Amanda had returned to her room, or just maybe they were following her right now, and she had no idea that they were behind her.
With each door she passed, she tried the doorknob as quietly as possible. So far, each one had been locked, and so far, she hadn’t encountered another soul. She knew that Claire was in a room, but maybe hers was on the opposite hall. Hand trailing the wall for guidance, she followed the hall all the way down to the end, where she found a door. Please, please, she thought, let it be a stairway.
She held her breath as the door swung inward. A diffused light illuminated the high chamber. Stairs rose up and down. So, holding onto the cold metal handrail as tight as a lifeline pulling one out of stormy waters, she started down, counting each step along the way. The chill of the cement stairs against her bare feet seeped through to the bone, and the further down she went, the darker the stairwell became. As she moved further into the bowels of the house, she reminded herself that it was the only way out. Others depended upon her.
She reached the first landing, stubbing her toe and grabbing onto the railing at the next flight.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” she hopped on one foot, which never seemed to ease the pain but always made her feel better. Somewhere above, a door opened, and the sound of voices echoed through the darkness.
“We’re going to have to move these bitches soon,” the male voice said. “I’m getting tired of picking up the pieces of them, and the way that they’re going, soon there’s not going to be much left to hold together.”
The door slammed shut again and Amanda held still, holding her breath. No footsteps seemed to come down the stairs. If someone had joined her, he was moving awfully slowly and stealthily. Maybe he got called back, she thought, or distracted. She’d better take it as a warning to get the hell out of there as fast as possible.
With that thought, she hurried down the final flight. At the end, the door opened into a garage. A black car that looked like the one used to kidnap her was in one of the parking spaces. Looking around her, she searched out some type of wall button to open the garage door. It might make a lot of noise but, once she got out, she could run to a neighbor’s house for help. Or so she hoped. A rustling noise sounded from the other side of the garage and, right as another door opened, she ducked behind some boxes.
Out walked that sleaze ball Ralph, talking on a cell phone. “So tomorrow we move,” Ralph said. “All’s set for transportation. I’m headed out now to finalize a few things…”
He got into the car, and she lost the end of his conversation. As the garage door opened and Ralph drove out, Amanda managed to slip out the side, into the shadows around the house.
Little did she know that someone was already there, waiting for her.
Chapter Seventeen
Amanda fought against the person restraining her.
“It’s all right,” the voice soothed. “You’re safe.”
She pulled her head away from her assailant’s chest to take in his face. She stepped back, amazed. It was Reed, and he had brought the police.
More than slightly surprised to see Reed surrounded by uniformed police, Amanda ran her hand along the scruff of Reed’s beard. She had an odd thought given the situation: Who knew he had a few gray hairs in it? Until now, he’d kept himself pretty clean shaven. It was so good to see him. To feel him. It felt like she’d been without him for a lifetime, rather than a week.
“You look tired,” she said, bringing her fingertips up to touch the corner of his eye. Dark shadows marred his usually clear complexion. One would not describe him as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tonight. Then again, she knew she wasn’t a sight to behold, either.
“I am,” he said, drawing her close. Then, he was all business.
“Tell me the situation inside. How many women are in there? How many guards?”
“There’s four of us. You know Claire from the school. A black woman named Shatonda, who I last saw upstairs in the library, and Willow, who somehow seems to know you.”
Reed pulled back. “Willow’s still there? How is she? Is she all right?”
Obviously Reed knew her, too, Amanda thought. Hopefully, not too well.
“She seems all right. Pretty drugged up. They all are.”
An officer stepped close to them and cleared his throat. Amanda looked up at him, expectedly.
“Detective McAllister,” he said, addressing Reed. “Hate to interrupt this reunion, but if we’re going to keep any element of surprise, especially with this little lady’s escape, then we better move.”
When she heard the officer call Reed “detective,” she turned to check him out. There was more about him that she didn’t know, and these were serious things. Was he an instructor at a sex school, or was he some type of covert police operative? Where did his relationship with her fit into everything? And who the hell was Willow, and what did she mean to him?
“Right,” Reed said. “How many guards, and are they armed?”
“Anywhere between four and six, and I never saw any of them wearing weapons in the house. They didn’t need to,” she said, looking down at herself and her less-than attire of an oversized T-shirt. “We’re not a threat. Do they have weapons, though? It wouldn’t be out of the question.
“Oh, plus there’s the instructor Ralph from the school. Whatever ‘it’ is, he’s in on it.”
Reed acted like that last bit of information didn’t come as a surprise. When they were alone, Amanda was going to have a lot of questions for him.
Her would-be lover and rescuer took off his black neoprene jacket and draped it over her shoulders. With a final kiss on her forehead, Reed called out to one of the officers: “Ramirez. Will you see Ms. Wilkinson out to one of the cars and make sure that she keeps safe?”
The young officer didn’t look too pleased to have babysitting duty. He’d probably much rather be storming the sex house and rescuing the naked damsels in distress, Amanda thought, rather than sitting out in a vehicle with her.
“Will do, sir,” Ramirez said. Just like that, Reed handed her off to another officer, and he was off, about to save the other women being held. How she could possibly be jealous at a moment like this, Amanda had no idea. Watching Reed walk away from her, without even a backward glance, fueled the green demon.
Chapter Eighteen
While Officer Ramirez and his partner transported Amanda back to the police station to take her statement, Willow had obviously gone with Reed. He didn’t even bother to stop by the car she was in before heading out.
The image of Reed carrying Willow out in his arms, her head tucked into his chest, continued to replay through Amanda’s mind. Anger boiled, starting in the pit of her stomach, streaming through the veins throughout her body. Her hands shook as she tried to reign it in. She hadn’t come into the school needing anybody, and hell, she didn’t need anyone now either, especially a lying undercover cop.
Foolish to think that Reed was interested in her, for her. Instead, he remained just another means to an end. A way to get to that chick Willow and her kidnappers. Maybe even make a name for himself.
Shit. He probably set up her kidnapping, too. Leaving her naked and vulnerable, just the perfect little kidnapping victim. Well, she’d be no victim anymore.
That was part of the reason why she had been at the school, trying to take control of her life, on her own terms (well, within their guidelines).
Across the room, Reed could see Amanda giving her initial statement to Marge. A blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her face looked pale and her eyes oversized and shocked in the glare of the florescent lights.
As if she could feel him looking at her
, she glanced up, eyes meeting for too brief a time. He felt that instant connection between them, the undeniable draw, and then she looked down and away. When she raised her eyes again, attraction was replaced with an altogether different look: Anger? Indifference?
Reed’s main goal in life was to help others and to keep them safe. In his search for his sister, he had almost lost Mandi, too. Now that he had them both back, he needed to regain his relationship with both. Something told him that it wouldn’t be easy.
He’d have to accept Willow as the young woman she’d become. She’d enrolled at Sex U. for a reason, and after meeting so many of the students and instructors, he knew that it didn’t have to be a bad one. And Mandi, well there was a lot left to learn about her, but hopefully she’d give him the chance.
The police station bustled with the extra activity. A sex-trafficking ring blown wide open. Gorgeous women and international intrigue. Conversations buzzed about Reed’s unauthorized, undercover operation. He knew that he was breaking the rules, but since he had done it on his own time – earned vacation time – there wasn’t too much they could say about it. And they would still get to take credit for the bust.
“Hey McAllister,” said Tommy, one of the guys he’d worked with for years. “You get a piece of that sweet ass over there?” indicating Mandi.
“I’d like to be under covers with her,” chimed in Manuel Morales, a new guy he didn’t know too well.
Reed bristled. If he were a cat, his claws would definitely be extended. As it was, it took everything he had not to deck Morales. Exactly the reason why he preferred to work alone on a case. He didn’t have to deal with assholes like Morales.
“Mind your mouth, Manny,” Reed said between clenched teeth. “Ms. Wilkinson has been through a lot, and she deserves to be treated with respect.”
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