by Kylie Brant
The officer, whose nameplate identified her as Megan Ryan, looked uncertain. “I have to talk to my chief.”
Jude bared his teeth. “Then do it. Because if this thing goes very bad I’m going to be the guy speaking to CNN about the price of your inaction.”
Without another word she left the room, taking her cell out of her pocket as she went. As she left, Jude switched his attention to the doctor. “Did you run labs on my blood work?” The bandage on the inside of his elbow told him the answer better than words.
“Yes.” The man looked at the screen of his tablet again, scrolled down the page. “It doesn’t appear that the results are back, however. Most likely it will be tonight or tomorrow morning.”
“Did you run a tox screen?” Jude was pretty sure they would have. He’d definitely been altered when they’d brought him in. He didn’t even have a memory of the trip to the hospital.
“You were unable to answer any questions about what you might have taken,” the man began.
Jude smiled grimly. “I didn’t take anything. I was injected. Likely a sedative of some sort, but fast acting.”
“We can test for the most common types of recreational drugs found, but if this is one of those exotic blends that crop up now and then, it’s going to take a forensic level screen to decipher it. That kind of testing will be beyond the capabilities of this hospital.”
“But you’ll have plenty of blood for them to run the extra screen?”
The man smiled drolly as the officer came back into the room. “Why do you think we fill so many vials?”
Raiker’s lab could run the test, Jude thought. The results would be quicker, and the man employed a team of forensic scientists with the expertise to identify the ingredients used. He turned to Ryan as his cell alerted of an incoming text. He needed to talk to Raiker, find out the current state of the investigation. Maybe he’d discovered a connection between his case and Mia’s that law enforcement entities would find convincing.
“West Virginia State Patrol has been alerted. It will be up to them to issue a BOLO for the vehicle you described,” the officer announced.
“I’ve got an updated location, as of a minute ago.” Jude pulled out his cell screen and showed her the recent text. Watched as she took out her own phone and copied it. It was gratifying at least that she was finally taking him seriously. “Write down the information above, too.” He scrolled up to Mia’s iCloud information that Kacee had passed on. “You can log in to her device from a computer in your office and communicate the phone’s whereabouts to the state police down there.” Every time the vehicle crossed state lines, a new law enforcement entity would have to be brought on board, further muddying the waters.
Jude pulled out his wallet and sorted through the business cards to hand one to Ryan. “This has my personal number on it. You can call me with updates.” Stuffing the wallet back in his pocket he casually picked up the bag his clothes had been placed in, folding it to keep the tiny bits of confetti at the bottom of it secure.
“That’s not exactly the way these things work, Mr. Bishop.” The woman’s gaze dropped to his card. “We’re not in the habit of keeping civilians in the loop regarding ongoing investigations.”
Inclining his head he started for the door. “That’s okay. I plan to stay updated on my own.”
“You haven’t been discharged, Mr. Bishop.” The doctor’s voice was stern. “You really shouldn’t leave until we’ve identified the drug you were given. We won’t know the possible long-term effects until we do.”
“If you go anywhere, it will be to headquarters with me.” Officer Ryan stepped in his path, halting his progress toward the door. “There are details we need for the report.”
“Get the security cameras from the motel, if they have them. You have witnesses that saw at least part of what went down there.” Deliberately, he stepped around her. “I’ve given you all the information I have.” At least every detail that would aid in Four’s apprehension. “You can get in touch with me if you need to, but I am leaving.”
“What’s so urgent that you have to go right now?” the officer’s voice demanded behind him.
He opened the door and walked through it. “I’m going to find Mia Deleon.”
* * * *
Anthony was halfway to the airport when his phone rang. Lost in thought, he drew out his smartphone first, before realizing the call was on his other cell. Excitement thrummed in his veins as he answered. “Yes.”
“I have Eleven.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sheer pleasure of the words wash over him. “Where?”
“In the trunk of my car.” The explanation tumbled out of her in a torrent, and it took some careful questioning to piece together the events of the morning. “I gave her the drug you sent. And I used the TASER in the package on the bodyguard. Twice.”
He laughed, delight filling him. Eleven was back. Had any words sounded sweeter? And soon she’d be exactly where she belonged. “My trust in you wasn’t misguided. I admit, Four, when you bungled things in Da Nang…I had my doubts.” All the woman had needed to do was track Eleven in the city and hold her in the room he’d rented for them. The private flight he’d planned to charter to fetch them back would have been quite expensive, but well worth it. Difficult to hide from Mother. She pored over the business’s books like a miser counting her gold. But he’d stockpiled some of his own money by using cards taken from the women he selected. It was, he thought fancifully, a dowry of sorts. And useful. Taking care of his collection appropriately could get expensive.
He flipped off a driver who cut him off on the exit ramp. Punctuated his displeasure with a blast of his horn. A female. Of course. He shuddered to think of Four’s driving skills these days. She hadn’t been behind the wheel of a car in more than fifteen years.
“Tell me exactly where you are.” He listened to her description, thinking the whole while. “Did anyone see you take her, besides the bodyguard? Any chance you’re being followed?”
“There were people in the parking lot before I could get away. I pretended I was a doctor, helping the man I zapped. I remembered everything you told me. Everything.”
Was that a note of pride in her voice? That was a quality he didn’t tolerate in his possessions. He gave a mental sigh. Eleven might not be the only one in need of retraining when they were all settled again. “Stay off main highways. County roads will be better. You may go east into Ohio, or south into West Virginia. No further. At this point, you just need to put as much distance between you and Johnstown as possible. I’ll call back after I make arrangements with further instruction.”
“And Four,” his tone turned caressing. “You did quite well. I’m very pleased.” He ended the call. Drummed his fingers on the wheel in a moment’s indecision. He could cancel the trip to Atlanta. Send someone in his stead.
But in the next moment he discarded the idea. An alternate would never be able to make the scheduled meeting with the seller. This could work. There was time to arrange a place for Four to go and await his arrival. From Atlanta he could rent a van and drive to fetch them. Satisfied with the plan, he turned on the radio. Selected a classical station. There’d be a story to spin for Mother, but she was easily handled. And his possessions always had ample food for three days, for emergencies just like these.
He raised one finger off the wheel in an imaginary conduction of the song’s orchestra. Any extraordinary collection carried with it the burden of responsibility for proper care. Climate control for rare works of art. A regimen of polish for admirers of antique armor. And careful security for anything of value. He accepted that responsibility for his collection willingly.
The rewards were more than worth it.
* * * *
By the time Raiker got back to him and Jude finished filling him in on Mia’s kidnapping, he was close to the Pennsylvania border. The man was silent for a long moment. “The device appears to still be moving?”
“The
location app says it is.” He glanced at the mini computer he had set up on the seat beside him. He’d bummed a ride from an elderly man in the hospital parking lot and had been dropped back off at the motel to collect his car before heading out. “The route has gotten sort of random. They’ve crossed back and forth between Ohio and West Virginia several times. I can’t figure out why they haven’t been picked up yet.”
“Communication lags. Change of jurisdictions. Finding cruisers in the right area. Multiple cars fitting the same description…” The man’s voice was dry. “Welcome to my world. Right now they present a moving target. They’ll be scooped up quick enough when they stop.”
Thinking about what happened when they stopped was exactly Jude’s concern. Four couldn’t hurt Mia while she was driving. But once she wasn’t… He glanced in his mirrors, pulled in the next lane to pass a bright red semi. Accelerated. He’d directed his operatives to head straight to West Virginia and once they were in position he’d relay the coordinates to them so they could join the search. At least they wouldn’t suffer from jurisdictional issues.
“What are the chances Four could be taking Mia directly to the Collector?” Voicing the fear out loud gave it more credence. Filled his gut with lead. “If he’s housed somewhere on the east coast, Mia would be in his hands by nightfall.”
“I can’t answer that. I can definitely say that the victim we found wasn’t killed east of the Mississippi, however.”
There was a flicker of relief. “And you know that how?”
“Caitlin found a small section of a plant in the tarp around the body. The forensic botanist has identified it as coming from a western prairie fringed orchid. They’re found only west of the Mississippi, in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and in Manitoba, Canada.”
Jude mulled that over. “Mia thought that the trucks she rode in after her escape may have come from the west or the north. She ended up in Nashville over a possible two-day period. She also said the winters where she was kept were cold. That would square with any of the states you named.”
“I know. But Jude…” the man’s voice held a hint of warning “we’re nowhere near being able to link the body pulled out of the mineshaft with Mia’s case. I believe they are connected. More so after speaking with her. But what I think and what I can prove are two different things. So far.”
“Yeah.” His eyes burned as he stared at the ribbon of road ahead of him. He’d said as much to Mia before she’d bolted. The twist in his belly was likely close to what she’d felt hearing the words.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t offer any assistance I can.”
The screen next to him showed Four’s car moving steadily east into West Virginia now, nowhere near the Ohio border. At this rate he’d find Mia himself before the cops were any damn use at all. “As a matter of fact…” He told the man about the tox screen he wanted run. “Maybe the drug is one he uses on the women. Could be we’ll get a link that way.”
“We can test it at my lab facility,” the man said immediately. “I’ll arrange for the transport personally.”
“Your name will carry weight with the local police department.” Jude’s gaze dropped to his gas gauge, estimated how much time he had before he needed to refill. That thought led to another—wondering when Four’s car would require refueling.
“Keep me posted. I’ll let you know when we find something solid connecting Mia’s case to the one I’m working.”
After the call ended Jude updated Hunter and Logan. Given the meandering route Four had taken, he was within a couple hours of the car’s location according to the app. “How sure are we that the phone is still in that car with Mia?” Hunter voiced the fear that had been nagging at the back of Jude’s mind for hours.
“There’s no way to be certain.” He hugged the outside lane as a convertible came up beside him, weaving erratically. Like him, the driver was on the phone. Unlike him, the other man didn’t seem capable of multi-tasking. “Mia’s backpack and purse were at the motel, and her iPad was in the pack. I know she’s got her phone on her. She specifically bought it for this purpose, just in case…” Just in case what was happening actually occurred, he finished silently. Just in case her plan backfired and she landed in the hands of a madman again.
It wouldn’t happen, he vowed, unconsciously pressing down harder on the accelerator. He’d be damned if he’d allow it to.
“Things went down fast. I don’t think Four had a chance to search Mia before forcing her into the trunk.” That fact had given him the tenuous thread of hope he’d clung to all day. “I know she’ll do whatever she can to hang on to the cell. She knows it’s our best shot at finding her.” He disconnected the call without mentioning that Mia was even more concerned with getting information from Four about the man who had kidnapped them both.
Jude couldn’t imagine the other woman giving it up freely.
He drove another hour following the roundabout route Four’s car seemed to be taking. The next time he looked at the screen, it took a moment to realize what it was showing.
The car had finally stopped.
* * * *
The darkness consumed her. Mia moaned. Brightly colored shapes wheeled beneath her eyelids to explode in her skull. Her gut was churning, her mouth watering. She tried to drag herself out of the morass of gloom. Couldn’t manage to open her eyes.
Then light sliced the shadows like a knife splitting a shroud. She threw up a hand to cover her eyes. Groaned again. Long moments passed before comprehension made a belated appearance. Light. How was there light?
Her eyelids cracked open. Giant specters of green loomed over her, rays of sunlight bouncing off them to blind her. It took another minute before her brain made sense of the visual imagery it was receiving. Trees. Sky. Sun.
Where was she? And more importantly, where was Four?
The hair on her arms rose. Instinct had her doing a quick search of the trunk. Found it completely empty. But her pockets weren’t empty, she recalled finally. Squinting, she shaded her eyes with her hands and surreptitiously checked her pockets while straining to see beyond the raised lid above her. It hampered her vision but there was no one in sight. Nothing but rows and rows of trees.
She found the extra pepper spray canister. Palmed it. Discovered her phone in the other pocket and hesitated. For the first time she noticed there was no road beneath the vehicle. Hard packed dirt littered with dead vegetation was directly beneath the car.
The other woman would never have opened its lid if she hadn’t planned to remain in the vicinity.
The realization had Mia taking out the phone and stretching her hand behind her blindly to tuck it in the farthest corner of the trunk. She could always retrieve it to call for help if she was truly alone.
If she wasn’t, she didn’t want to alert Four of its presence.
Scooting to the edge of the trunk, she put her knees over the side. Then leaped out, pepper spray ready. At least that was the plan. Her knees failed to hold her up, and she fell to the ground, dizzy and stunned.
There was a crunching sound. Something whizzed through the air and she rolled reflexively as Four swung a tree branch at the exact place where Mia would have been standing, had her legs been capable of it. The woman was on her in two quick strides with the branch raised again. Mia stretched out an arm and pressed the button on the vial, covering her eyes with her free hand. She got her legs beneath her and did an awkward crab walk, trying to get out of the line of the descending branch and the spray.
Four gave a gratifying screech at the same time the branch came down across Mia’s right hip. Pain radiated in agonizing waves, stealing her breath, drawing a high-pitched moan. She tried to rise. Could do no more than crawl, half dragging one leg behind her. She had to put as much distance as she could between her and the car.
The other woman was sobbing, hands searching along the vehicle blindly until she found the front door handle. Mia struggled to her feet, her injured hip sending up a how
l of protest as she tried a stumbling sort of run.
She had no idea how far they’d come, or even what state they were in. Nothing was familiar, with the canopy of trees stretching overhead, blocking out all but snippets of sky. It occurred to her then that the trees were growing denser as she ran. The ground began to slope upward. She stumbled on, dodging low hanging branches, once tripping and sprawling over a rotting log.
The woods were shadowy, allowing only occasional slants of sunlight to penetrate the forest floor. Mia’s breathing sounded loud in her own ears. She tried to quiet it. Stumbling to a halt behind a fat tree, she attempted to listen for someone following her.
A rustle sounded behind her. She whirled, the canister of spray ready and winced when the movement sent a zing of pain through her hip. A rabbit sat frozen for a moment before zipping into some brush.
She released a shaky breath. Continued on, slowing to a walk. Her hip was singing a chorus of pain. But Jude had been right about using the pepper spray outside. The other woman had been affected while she’d been unscathed.
The underbrush was getting thicker, slowing her progress. With every step the ground beneath her feet seemed steeper. Maybe the woman hadn’t followed her at all. The last sign Mia had had of her, Four had been trying to get in the car.
But on the heels of that thought came the certainty that whatever she’d been doing, the woman hadn’t been intent on leaving Mia here alone. She’d had a reason for stopping at this particular place, in these isolated woods. To kill her? Skirting a thicket that looked impassable, she rejected the idea. Maybe he was here somewhere. The thought had her jerking around again, half expecting to see a naked man with a heavily adorned mask, eyes glittering with the promise of depravity to come.
She gave herself a mental shake. Turned and continued on, but the specter from the memory had left a chill in its wake. Sometimes when she dreamed she wouldn’t see the full man at all. Only a mask and those eyes behind it. They’d been a different color each time she’d seen him. Brown, green, blue… His use of colored lenses had even denied her that one small descriptor of him.