by Marie James
“I need to call her sister,” I say absently in response to Holt’s direction.
He continues. “This more than likely has to do with Blake Evans and the death threats Joselyne Bennett got last week. Scour every meth house, dealer, and user we know! School let out over an hour and half ago, the trail is still hot people.” They turn in unison to go back to their squad cars. “MOVE!” He yells not satisfied with their sense of urgency.
I sit in the passenger seat of Holt’s Police Issued Tahoe and place a call to Ian.
“Hey, Kaleb. What’s up?” His voice is cheerful and doesn’t fit the tragedy of the situation he’s about to be dragged into at all.
“Have you heard from Josie?” I silently pray she’s with Lorali, picking dresses or something for the wedding.
“Not since you guys left the house this morning.”
“Could she be with Lorali?” My hope is dying with every answer he gives.
“I doubt it, Lorali is at work. What’s going on, Kaleb?” His voice has lost its jovial nature and his last question is more of a demand.
“Fuck! Ian.” I swallow the growing lump in my throat. “I haven’t heard from her all day. I came to her school as soon as I got off work. Her car is here and one of her shoes is in the parking lot.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!?” He yells before I can finish what I was planning on saying.
I know exactly how he feels and I would have a violent reaction also if I weren’t so numb with failure.
“We have an APB out on her. I need you to get Alexa and Lorali together and make sure to answer the phone every time it rings. We’re sending a team to your house to set up tracking devices in case someone calls for a ransom.”
“I’ll go get Lorali know and call Garrett and have him bring Alexa to the house.” He assures me. “You think whoever took her will call with a ransom?”
I scrub my eyes roughly with my fingers. “I don’t know, but we have to prepare for everything. I’m sure this has to do with Alexa’s shooter. We confirmed his girlfriend’s prints on the death threats this morning. We raided a house in the country but they had already deserted. Obviously tipped off by God knows who.”
“What else do you know?” Ian’s voice is calm with an edge of violence to it. I don’t envy him having to tell his fiancée that her sister has been abducted and we have less than nothing to go on at this point. I know he wants to be able to assure her some way.
“We haven’t been able to make contact with staff at the school. I don’t know if she was taken from the parking lot when she got to work or after school got out. We have every available on-duty officer scouring the area and doing patrols to find her.” I know it’s little assurance but it’s all I have right now.
“I’ll pay the overtime for any officer that wants to come in on their days off to help find her. Have your HR department send me the bill. I’ll fund it all!” He offers.
“I’ll let them know, man. Thanks it will help tremendously. Let me get off here so you can collect Lorali. The digital tracking team should be at your house within the hour.” I press the end button on my phone and slide out of the Tahoe and meet back up with Holt, who continues to bark orders.
“What do we know?” I’m sure they’ve found nothing out during the five minute phone call with Ian.
“Her cell phone was pinging off of a tower near the residential area near your address. The last hit was at ten this morning and then they stopped.” He’s barely able to get the thought out before I’m back in my squad car and peeling out of the parking lot, heading home.
Pulling up to the house I know exactly what I’m going to find. The house is locked up tight. I unlock the door, turn off the security system, and let Mia into the house. I rush to the bedroom and flip the light on searching for her phone. I find it completely powered down and dead on the vanity counter in the ensuite bathroom. It takes everything I have not to smash it against the wall. Knowing she will need it when she gets back home is the only thing that saved her stupid useless phone.
I want to collapse on the floor and sob but I don’t have time to feel sorry for my situation and I refuse to even let the thought that she may never come home to me creep into my head. I leave Mia a bowl of food and keep the back door cracked. I could care less at this point if someone breaks in to my house, but I know Mia will tear someone to shreds if they even try.
I lock the front door behind me and get back in my car. Heading to the county jail and interrogating Blake Evans is the only thing on my mind. Well that and praying for the strength not kill him in front of the jailers and security cameras.
***
Randall Holt has the same idea as me. I find him at the weapons lockers, unloading his gear before going into the jail. He shakes his head at me as I walk up.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he says flatly.
“He’s the only person who may have an idea what happened to Josie.” I unclip my gun and place it in a small box on the wall and extract the key from the small door after it’s closed.
“How about I let you go in but I do all the talking?” As much as I would love to slam him against the wall and declare my love for Josie and insist that I be the one to talk to Blake, he’s my commanding officer and I know deep down that I’d get nowhere. The first lie out Evans mouth would send me over the deep end.
I nod and hold my badge up to the camera as I press the button alerting the jailer of our presence. There is a loud buzzing noise and I hear the lock flip in the four-inch steel door. As we walk towards the second door into the facility it clicks unlocked again. A jailer is holding the third and final door open for us as we make our way around the bend in the stark hallway.
“That was fast,” the jailer says as we make our way through the doorway.
Just as I’m about to ask what he’s talking about we step into chaos. People are yelling, jailers are running all over the place, corralling detainees into cells.
“What the fuck is going on?” Holt demands.
“Inmate on inmate murder in the latrine” The jailer who opened the door says glumly.
“Who’s the deceased?” Before the jailer could even answer I knew in my gut what the answer was going to be.
“Blake Evans.” We say at the same time.
“For fuck’s sake! How did that shit happen? He was supposed to be segregated!” Holt shoves inmates and jailers alike as he plows his way through to the book-in desk.
“Who made the call for Evans to be in gen-pop?!?” He yells at no one in particular.
“The sergeant on duty.” One jailer says and points across the way to a skinny non-descript male who looked to be in his mid-thirties. “Sergeant Hernandez.” He says in identification of the jailer.
“Hernandez!” Holt screams across the vast room.
The second he hears his name Hernandez whips his head up. I watch as the color drains from his face. He hands off some paperwork to another jailer and makes his way over to us.
“Why was Evans mixed in gen-pop?” Holt is seething. He’s well aware of the opportunity we’ve lost even though Evans was a scum bag.
“It’s an election year, Lieutenant. We’re horribly short staffed.” Hernandez seems very nervous, so that tells me that he knows he’s fucked up and could lose his job over this slip up, and it’s a well-known fact that people start jumping ship when there’s a possibility that a new sheriff will come in.
Holt nods his head, still pissed but fully aware of how skeleton the crews can get every four years. “Coroner show up yet?”
“Yes, sir.” Hernandez answers.
“I’ll leave you to it. I want his personal effects on my desk before the end of shift.” I watch as Hernandez scuttles away. Surely he knows this isn’t the end of it. There will be an investigation into the incident, and those are never pretty; usually a group of people who have big educations and no real experience in law enforcement or corrections.
We quickly clear the three doors we had to pass to get
into the jail on our way out. Silently I put the key into the lock on the small locker holding my gun and pull it out.
“What are your plans now, Perez?” Holt asks as she positions his own gun into his side holster.
I shrug. How do I tell him I plan to go track down every meth head around and beat them to a pulp until I get the answers I need? I have to get her back no matter what. The thought of what could be happening or may have already happened to her causes a full body shudder.
“All I know is I have to move. My head goes to dark fucking places when I stand still.” I explain.
“I don’t have to tell you about the conflict of interest line you’re skating. I need you to stay above board on this.” He clasps his hand on my shoulder, forcing me to look in his eyes and gauge his seriousness. I nod again.
We go our separate ways in the parking lot. I force myself to drive around and look for her in the shadows, knowing damn well that the effort is futile. After hours of creeping around in the most dangerous neighborhoods in Denver I head to Ian’s. I have the urge to be around others that love her.
I hate the hopeful look on Ian’s face when he opens the door, but when it falls once he realizes it’s just me I’m nearly gutted. No one has spoken to Josie since school got out. Chatter from the radio informed me that no one at the school had any unusual activities to report, and Ian can tell by my face that I have nothing else to offer him by way of good news.
When I see Alexa and Lorali huddled up together on the couch I nearly turn around and walk back out, unsure if I’m going to be able to handle their pain in conjunction with mine.
Ian and Garrett are pacing behind the sitting area, rattling off different plans and scenarios, shooting ideas off of each other.
I catch the tail end of something Garrett says. “What was that, Garrett?”
He stops in his tracks. “Fuck man I’m sorry.” He runs his big hand through his unruly hair.
“No seriously what did you say. I only caught part of it.” I’m insistent.
“I was saying that we need people better than the local police looking for her. No offense.” He adds at the end.
“Fuck!” I stand and reach into my pocket. Why didn’t I think of it sooner?
“I said I was sorry man!” Garrett has his hands held palms out like he’s certain I’m fixing to attack.
I may lose my badge for what I’m about to do, but getting Josie back is my number one priority. I could spend the rest of my life in prison so long as she’s safe and back where she belongs.
I walk out the front door as I’m putting the phone to my ear.
“Hello?” A gruff voice answers.
“Hey Kincaid. It’s Kaleb. I need a favor.”
Chapter 33
Kaleb
By the time I get off the phone making plans and explaining the situation it’s after midnight. Ian offered to let me stay in the guest bedroom I shared with Josie last night and I almost turn him down until I realize that the sheets hadn’t been changed yet.
I close the door softly behind me and strip my boots off. It’s as comfortable as I’ll allow myself since I could get a call at any second. I cocoon myself in the blankets she wrapped around us last night and lay my head on the pillow that is covered in the scent of her shampoo and sob quietly until I pass out.
***
At the first hint of sunlight I’m holstered back up and out of the bedroom door. Low conversation from the kitchen grabs my attention.
Walking through the entryway I find Lorali and Ian at the small table tucked in the corner of the sizable kitchen. She has her head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. I feel like an interloper as I walk further into the kitchen, but it would be rude to leave without a word to them.
They are completely unaware that I’ve joined them and don’t acknowledge me until I clear my throat.
Lorali raises her eyes in my direction, her face puffy and swollen, her eyes red with dark circles around them, the aftereffects of a long night of worry and no sleep. I’m certain I look the same, but I was unable to look myself in the mirror this morning. How can I face myself when I let Josie down?
“Morning.” I grunt out and have to remind myself that these people love her as much as I do and don’t deserve to have my attitude taken out on them.
Ian narrows his eyes at me at the gruffness I just aimed at them. “Made plenty of coffee.” He angles his head toward the coffee maker on the counter by the sink.
“Thanks,” I say my voice a little lighter this time and make my way over to the coffee.
I pour a large cup of the dark, steaming liquid and sit at a vacant chair at the table with them.
“Alexa and Garret go home?” I ask.
“No. They just haven’t made it out of the room yet.” Ian explains. “We all stayed in the den pretty late last night with the tech team, hoping we’d get a ransom call.”
I nod my head before glancing over my shoulder making sure no one from the Department is within hearing range. Still not sure that someone isn’t lurking around the corner I lean in to speak with them.
“I’ve set some things in motion that I need to tell you guys about. It sits on the fringe of legalities but I’ll do anything in my power to get her back.” I whisper to them and I’m shocked when Lorali reaches her hand out and clasps mine.
I have to cough to keep from losing my shit right there at the table in front of them.
“I only want to have to explain this once,” I continue. “So we’ll need a secure place to discuss it when Alexa and Garrett are available.”
Ian stand immediately from his chair, kisses Lorali on the temple, and turns towards the hallway to the guest bedrooms. “Well, then. Let me go get them.” I know he’s just like me; sitting idle and waiting is not handled very well and he’ll use anything as a distraction and will grasp on to anything that has forward momentum.
Within minutes an equally distraught Alexa and bedraggled Garrett come into the kitchen.
“Library,” Ian says and walks toward the large double oak doors off of the den.
We file in behind him, which grabs the attention of the police department tech guys that are holding vigil over the monitoring equipment. They’re forced to pretty much just sit there until a call comes in.
“Hey Perez. Got something?” One of the guys asks.
“Family business,” Ian says in a tone that leaves no room for question.
Once we’re all in the opulent room Ian slides the doors closed. He motions with his hands to various seating places around the large rectangle table in the middle of the room. He inclines his head to me giving me the floor.
I clear my throat before beginning. I look over at Garrett before I begin.
“You gave me an idea last night. You said something about needing someone better than the police to look for Josie and I agree with you.” I tell him.
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” he apologizes again.
“I know. We have an excellent department but funding and politics keep us from being able to work to our fullest capacity.” He nods at me.
“I have a cousin. A former Marine who runs an organization out of New Mexico that specializes in recovery and extraction.”
“An organization?” Lorali whispers.
“He’s the VP of the Cerberus MC.” I state waiting for the highbrow group to put an end to things right then, but instead they’re all staying silent waiting for me to finish explaining.
“I called Kincaid last night and explained the situation. He and his crew are supposed to be here by noon today. They’ve agreed to work the case and help us find her.”
“They plan to give the police a hand?” Lorali asks.
I shake my head. “They don’t work with any other form of organization. Just themselves. He usually works a job with four or five guys. Every one of them former military and special ops. They’re the best.”
“Better than the police,” Garrett says, acknowledging that I got just wh
at he said we needed.
“Better than the police,” I repeat.
“I can’t bring them here but I plan to set up a headquarters at my house.” I explain further.
“What do you need from us?” Ian says. “Resources? Money?”
I wish I had a list of things he could provide; feeling useful always helps people in these types of situations.
“Nothing,” I tell him. “They work alone and any information they’ll need I’m going to filter to them. My CO is already cautious that I won’t be able to keep my actions above board, but I don’t think he would ever expect that I’d bring in an MC to look for her. It’s going to be good to have fresh eyes and untainted ears out looking for her.”
“We’ll help any way we can,” Lorali says with more enthusiasm than she was able to show earlier. I just pray I haven’t given her false hope.
“I’ll spend the rest of my life looking for her if that’s what it takes.” I say as I stand.
“You really care for her,” Alexa says it as a statement not as a question.
“I love her,” I say without inflection. “I plan to marry her if she’ll have me once we get her home.” I pull my cell from my pocket and check it for missed phone calls or texts even though I know it is set on the loudest setting and I haven’t missed a damn thing.
I look between Garrett and Ian. “I’ll call you once the guys get in and we have more of a plan.”
***
Shortly after eleven I hear Kincaid and his crew minutes before they actually pull into my driveway. Mia is going hysterical at the noise of the bikes, but she settles once they kill the engines. I command her to heel and she keeps off to the side of the entry way as I pull the door open.
I make my way down the front steps just as my cousin and four other equally as large men swing legs over and off of their bikes. I take long strides and hug my cousin in the manliest way possible with a tug and a slap on the back for good measure.