by Rita Herron
Reliving it was hell, but she had to push herself...
She felt the hard whack on her head as the brute slammed the butt of his gun into her forehead. Stars swam and she swayed, clawing to remain upright. Screams filled the air.
One of the men spoke. She struggled to understand, but the gunshot blasted.
Another voice. She was on the floor. Blood soaked her shoulder. Pain splintered through her.
She stared up at the chaos. Her students fighting to get away. Evie running. The brute speaking into a mic on his shirt collar.
She strained to hear what he was saying. Something like Shep... Shet... Shetland...
She sat upright, eyes wide open. Except the darkness greeted her again. Grays and blacks.
She had to focus on the voice. Thick, gravelly, into the mic... Yes, he said Shetland. Like Shetland pony?
Her pulse pounded. What did it mean? Were her memories confused because of the drugs?
No. The man was talking to someone else. Maybe they were discussing where they would meet?
Shetland... Was there a Shetland pony farm somewhere nearby? If so, the girls could be there...
Chapter Eleven
Lucas and Harrison scanned the area surrounding the teen center as they parked. On the drive, Lucas phoned the deputy director, who’d assigned another agent to check out the warehouse in El Paso.
The teen center was a freestanding concrete structure with art deco-style sketches on the sides that had probably been painted by the teens.
A strip shopping center sat behind it, housing a pizza joint, ice-cream parlor, karate studio and western mercantile.
“Someone could easily have parked in the shopping center and scoped out the teens,” Lucas said as they walked up to the entrance.
“Yeah, but in the last three instances, groups were taken. Louise supposedly disappeared by herself.”
True. Lucas reached for the door and opened it. Noises echoed through the front entry as they entered. Signs indicated a gym, basketball courts, a swimming pool and exercise equipment. Rooms were designated for teen classes, including dance, aerobics, Zumba and spinning. A sign pointed down the hall toward a rec room for special events, a snack area, a media center with a big-screen TV and a stereo system.
Lucas introduced himself and Harrison to the receptionist. He flashed a photograph of Louise.
“We need to know if this girl was a member,” Lucas said. “Her name is Louise Summerton.”
The young woman studied the picture then shook her head. “I don’t remember her, but let me check our members’ and visitors’ lists.”
Harrison looked through the glass windows at the pool area, where several teens swam laps.
“I don’t have her name on either list,” the young woman said.
“Do you mind if we talk to some of the other teens?” Lucas asked. “Maybe one of them remembers her.”
“Sure. But why are you asking about her?”
Lucas lowered his voice so as not to create alarm. “Because she disappeared a few weeks ago. According to her computer, she planned to meet a guy here.”
The young woman’s eyes widened. “That’s awful.”
“Have there been any problems at the center?” Lucas asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Any unwelcome guests? Fights between teens? Perhaps an older man stopping by or watching from outside?”
Fear darkened the woman’s face. “No one has reported anything like that.”
Harrison glanced at the camera in the corner. A wall-mounted TV displayed various areas of the center, along with the entrances and exits.
“Can we look at your security tapes?”
“Let me call the manager.” She punched a button and paged a man named Jordan Lansing. Seconds later, a tall, broad-shouldered man in shorts and a T-shirt appeared. He looked like a football coach, tough and big, and greeted them with a friendly smile.
The young woman quickly explained the reason for their questions, and the man’s expression changed to concern. “You think this girl disappeared from the teen center?”
Lucas shrugged. “We don’t know yet. According to her social media, she planned to come here with someone she met online.” Lucas showed the man a photograph of Louise. “Do you recall seeing her?”
An odd look passed over the man’s face, then he shook his head. “No, but she could have come on one of my days off.”
Lucas pulled up the calendar on his phone to show him the date the girl went missing. “I’d like to see the security tapes from this date.”
Harrison cleared his throat. “While you’re doing that, I’ll talk to some of the other teens. Maybe one of them knew the girl.”
The receptionist called one of the teen counselors to the front to escort Harrison through the center while the director led Lucas to a security office, introduced him to a guard named Juan Perez and explained what he needed.
“We have cameras on all the entrances and exits, along with the stairwells,” Perez said.
Lucas was impressed that they were trying to make the center as safe as possible. The guard scrolled through the tapes and located the one for the day Louise disappeared.
He, the guard and Lansing studied the footage, watching as teens came and went. A group of girls had congregated for a swimming class, but Louise wasn’t among them. A few teenage boys gawked at the girls and made crude comments about them before disappearing into the locker room.
But no one stuck out as suspicious.
After scrolling through the tape twice, then searching through other tapes from that same week, Lucas sighed. “She wasn’t here. He must have met up with her at the coffee shop.” Or in the parking lot or on the street nearby.
He gave the director his card and asked them to call if anything suspicious turned up, then went to meet Harrison.
His phone buzzed just as he joined Harrison outside the teen center. The hospital.
His breath caught. He hoped to hell Charlotte was all right.
Nerves on edge, he punched Connect and said hello.
“Lucas?”
“Charlotte, is everything okay?”
“Yes, but I may have remembered something.”
His pulse jumped.
“It might not be anything, but I was thinking about when the men burst in... One of them spoke into a mic attached to the collar of his shirt.”
“Coordinating with the team,” Lucas said.
“That’s what I thought. I couldn’t hear everything they were saying, but I think he used the word Shetland.”
Lucas frowned. “Like Shetland pony?”
“Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but I was wondering if there’s a Shetland pony farm nearby. Maybe they took the girls there.”
Hope budded inside Lucas. “I’ll find out. And, Charlotte?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks. Harrison and I have one more stop to make and I’ll come to the hospital to drive you home.”
“Just find the girls,” Charlotte said. “I can get another ride.”
He knew damn well she could. But he wanted to take her home.
Wanted to make sure she got settled into her house and that she was safe tonight.
* * *
CHARLOTTE SAT ON the edge of the bed, hands knotted as she waited on Lucas. For once she was grateful that she didn’t normally wear makeup. At least she didn’t have to worry that she’d smeared mascara across her nose or cheeks.
She repeatedly racked her brain for other details about the kidnappers. If she had her sight back, she’d research Shetland pony farms herself, but until she adapted her house and computer and her lifestyle to accommodate her vision loss, she was at the mercy of others.
A knock sounded at the door and she tensed, then listened for it to open.
&
nbsp; “Charlotte, it’s Lucas.”
Relief surged through her. Deputy Bronson was nice, but there was something about Lucas’s deep voice that soothed her soul.
She fiddled with her hair, smoothing it down. “Yes?”
“Are you ready to go home?” Lucas asked.
She turned toward his voice, wishing she could see his expression, but she had to rely on memory.
His deep-set brown eyes had looked serious in the photograph, intense, just as she imagined them to be now. His cleft chin, thick five-o’clock shadow, and gruff voice added to his masculinity She was surprised he wasn’t taken.
Then again, Honey had confided that the Hawk men harbored guilt over their little sister’s disappearance and had remained single, devoting themselves to law enforcement. Until Harrison had fallen in love with Honey, that is.
“Charlotte?” Lucas’s footsteps came closer. “Did the doctor release you?”
She slipped off the bed and stood, steadying herself by placing one hand on the edge of the mattress. “Yes. I’m ready to go.” She straightened her spine, searching for courage.
“The nurse is bringing a wheelchair,” Lucas said.
Charlotte lifted her chin. “I don’t need it.”
“Whoa.” Lucas’s voice gentled as he touched her arm. “It’s hospital policy. Every patient leaves in a chair.”
She suddenly felt silly. “Of course.” She should have known that. But her pride smarted.
Another knock, then Haley’s voice. “I’m here to take you downstairs.”
Charlotte nodded. The vision therapist planned to meet her at the house, after Charlotte arrived and called her. All she had to do was make it to the car and get in her house, then she could start learning how to lead her life.
Haley guided her to the wheelchair and she sank into it. She held her head high as Haley rolled her down the hall toward the elevator, certain people were staring at her.
Noises echoed around her. A laugh. Voices. A loud beep. A shrill screech.
Someone was crying.
With every strange voice and sound, the reality of her situation struck her. She was in the dark, didn’t understand what was going on, who was talking, how far they were from the elevator or what floor she was on, or if someone was watching her.
For all she knew, the kidnappers could be waiting at her house to ambush her, and she would have no clue.
* * *
LUCAS WAS TEMPTED to help Charlotte into the car, but he fought his instinct. Charlotte was fiercely independent. Leaning on others would be difficult for her.
He understood the feeling. He would hate it if he was in her shoes.
Still, part of him wanted to sweep her into his arms, hold her and take care of her every need.
She fumbled for the seat belt, and he kept his hands by his sides to keep from fastening it for her. The nurse offered him an encouraging smile and he returned it, but the moment the door closed and he was alone with Charlotte, nerves set in.
“I appreciate you driving me,” she said as she clicked the seat belt.
“No problem.” He shifted into gear and drove from the hospital parking lot.
“I live in that neighborhood Honey developed,” Charlotte said.
“Honey texted me the address.”
Charlotte angled herself toward the window as if she could see out, and his heart ached for her. “What time is it?” she asked softly.
He checked the clock. “About six o’clock,” he said. “Almost dinnertime. Why don’t I stop and pick up something?”
A heartbeat of silence passed, tense and raw with emotions she obviously wanted to suppress.
“I guess that would be good. I like to cook, but...that’s not possible at the moment.”
He couldn’t help himself. He reached out and covered her hand with his. “Give it time. You’ve just suffered a terrible trauma, both physically and emotionally.”
“I will cook again,” she said stubbornly. “Now, talk to me.”
Lucas smiled at her spunk, then relayed his visit to the teen center. “Are you familiar with that facility or the director, Jordan Lansing?”
It had occurred to him that Lansing could possibly be involved. But he’d seemed like a nice man, interested in helping teens and protecting them.
Hell, he’d been fooled before though.
What better setup for preying on young girls than a facility where they gathered in droves?
“I’ve heard of it and Lansing,” Charlotte said. “The program is legit. God knows, the teens need it. Lansing is a good guy. He lost a child of his own and is trying to help save others.”
So he could most likely strike Lansing off the suspect list.
He explained about the email exchange between Louise and the alleged boy who wanted to meet up with her. “We stopped by the computer café, though, and no one recognized Louise or remembered anyone suspicious hanging around.”
“You think it was a setup to lure her away so the boy could take her?” Charlotte said.
“It’s possible. We’re airing her photo on the news with her story. Hopefully if someone saw something, they’ll speak up.”
“I keep wondering what’s happening to the girls,” Charlotte said. “If the same group killed Louise, how do we know they’ll keep the girls alive?”
Lucas opened his mouth to offer her encouragement, but a gunshot pierced the front right side.
“Get down!” he shouted.
She screamed, and he shoved her head to her lap as he swung the car onto the shoulder.
The glass shattered as another bullet hit the passenger window.
Chapter Twelve
Charlotte covered her head with her hands, her body jerking as Lucas swerved off the road. The brakes squealed, and the tires were grinding as they bounced along the shoulder of the road, then he straightened so quickly that she was thrown against the console.
Another bullet pinged the car, and Lucas cursed and sped up.
“Lucas?”
“Just stay down. I’ll lose the son of a bitch.”
Another quick jerk of the car, and she banged her elbow on the door. She raked shattered glass from her hair, her breathing choppy as she fought panic. The car sped up, flying and bouncing across rugged terrain.
She clung to the seat as he swung the car around and screeched to a stop.
“What are you doing?” she cried.
“I want to find out who this SOB is.” He stroked her hair. “Listen to me, Charlotte. We’re at the edge of a ravine, so do not get out of the car. Do you hear me?”
Her head was buried in her arms, but she lifted it slightly and nodded.
“Stay down and don’t move until I return.”
She blinked, fighting fear. “Where are you going?”
“I parked behind a boulder. I’m going to fight back.”
She gulped back a scream of protest as the car door slammed, and she was left alone in the dark.
* * *
LUCAS CURSED. HE’D managed to get ahead of the damn shooter, but the bastard was coming for them. Dust spewed to the right where a dark Jeep sped down the dirt road.
Lucas ducked behind the boulder, then quickly glanced back to make sure Charlotte was still in the car. The door was closed. Thank God she’d listened.
Wiping perspiration from his brow with his sleeve, he pulled his gun and took aim.
The Jeep barreled around the corner, then slowed as if searching for them. Lucas counted the seconds, waiting until the car was close enough to hit, then fired. The bullet skimmed the top of the Jeep, and the driver wove to the side. Damn. The windows were tinted. He couldn’t see inside.
A second later, the Jeep spun around and headed straight toward the boulder, where he was hiding. Lucas cursed, then fired another shot and anothe
r as it roared toward his vehicle.
His bullet hit the windshield and pierced the glass, making the driver swerve to the left. He hit rocks and dust, and gravel flew in a cloud around the Jeep. But it didn’t stop.
The driver straightened, then accelerated and roared over the terrain, cutting to the right to go around the boulder. It was heading straight toward his car. Dammit, was he going to push it over the edge with Charlotte inside?
He raced to the right and fired, sending bullets into the driver’s window. The driver jerked sideways. The Jeep went into a skid and raced over the edge of the ravine.
Lucas jogged to the edge and looked down. The Jeep flew nose-first, slamming into rocks along the side, then careened into the rocks below. A loud crash reverberated in the air, then the gas tank exploded.
Lucas scanned the area surrounding the Jeep in case the shooter managed to escape. Nothing.
Flames burst into the air, smoke billowing as orange, red and yellow streaked the sky.
Another explosion and the rest of the vehicle turned into a ball of fire. Flames engulfed the Jeep, and smoke curled into the sky in a gray fog.
Satisfied the shooter couldn’t have survived, he jogged back to his car. One glance confirmed that Charlotte remained inside.
His heart pounded as he opened the car door. “It’s me, everything’s all right.”
She looked shell-shocked and shaken. Tears tracked her cheeks and her pale face looked haunted.
“Where is he?” she asked in a choked voice.
Lucas slid into the driver’s seat, then pulled her up against him. “Dead. He crashed over the ravine.”
Her body trembled against him, and he wrapped his arms around her, stroked her hair and held her.
Dammit, it could have been them going over that ravine. Charlotte could have been shot.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whispered. “They won’t get you, Charlotte.”
Not as long as he had a breath left in his body.
* * *
CHARLOTTE LEANED INTO LUCAS, grateful he was alive and they were safe. But the reality that someone had tried to kill them—her—sank in, driving fear deeply within her.