Sweet Justice

by Christy Reece

  Jared knew he was empathizing with Missy’s circumstances, perhaps more than he should. That wouldn’t keep him from finding out as much as he could about both Missy and Karen. But Karen had people who cared for her, wanted her to come home. Missy didn’t have that. Jared vowed to be that person.

  Honor stood in the aisle so she could see everyone’s faces. “I know we’ve got a long flight ahead of us, but let’s go ahead and get a discussion under way. The drop-off itinerary is as follows: We’ll land in Indianapolis and drop Jared off, then head to Houston for Aidan. Seth and I will then fly to California. Rental cars should be waiting for all of us. The local authorities know we’ll be in the area. All have expressed their willingness to work with us and offer assistance where needed, but they’ll have eyes on us at all times.” She fixed Jared Livingston in her gaze as she added, “No going solo into dangerous situations or pissing off the locals. We need their cooperation.”

  Livingston gave a small nod of acknowledgment, but still Honor worried. She knew the man had come to LCR fully trained and ready to kick ass. He was more than capable, but she’d seen evidence of a wild streak. Lone Ranger heroes were not her favorites to work with. However, McCall trusted him, and she trusted her boss’s judgment.

  “I’m assuming everyone had an opportunity to review not only their assignments but the information on the other girls. Any questions or observations come up?”

  “I have one,” Aidan said.

  “What’s that?”

  Instead of looking at her, his golden-brown eyes focused on Seth. “Out of all the people who go missing each year, why do you think these five were related?”

  Seth shrugged. “After my brother called to tell me about Kelli, I spent days researching before contacting McCall. Though I didn’t have access to all the information, just what I could dig up or get out of my contacts, these five seemed to separate themselves out because of a lack of commonality, as opposed to similarities.”

  “How’s that?” Livingston asked.

  Seth blew out a sigh. Leaning forward, elbows on his knees, he took in everyone’s gazes. “With the exception of their ages and that they’re college students, these girls have nothing in common that we can see. Right?”

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  “In my opinion, that’s a commonality that’s not been explored enough.”

  Intrigued by his reasoning, Honor sat down across from him. “So the fact that there’s no reason to think they’re related makes you think they are related?”

  “Something like that.”

  Eyeing him thoughtfully, she nodded. “Looking at things backward sometimes helps.”

  Seth’s mouth twitched. “It’s definitely a different perspective.”

  “You think it’s deliberate?” Jared Livingston asked.

  “Yeah, I do. The guy’s got to know the authorities would look for similarities. What better way to keep them off his ass than to give them none.”

  Honor shot up from her seat and began pacing, thinking out loud. “Okay, we know the similarities are the gender and age of each victim and that she’s a college student. We’ll assume the college-student aspect is just because it gives him a large pool to work within. But the age … he wants women of about the same age. Is that his preference or does he need that age group for another reason?”

  “Not for material gain,” Seth said. “The girls range from having nothing to very well off. And ethnicity doesn’t matter. Drenda is Hispanic, Karen’s African-American, and the other three are Caucasian.”

  “And I hate to say it, but it’s one of those nonsimilar similarities: looks don’t seem to matter, either.”

  Surprised that Livingston was the one to bring this up, she said, “What do you mean?”

  “All the girls, with the exception of Missy, are attractive and slender. Missy is …” He looked down at the folder in front of him and shrugged. “She wears no makeup, is about twenty pounds overweight, and looks like she just came in from a cattle drive.”

  The other girls had several photographs in their files. Missy had only one, and Jared was right: it did look as though she had been doing something that not only involved dirt but was also very difficult. Filth and mud covered her jeans; the too tight white sweatshirt she wore had numerous stains.

  “Makes me wonder who took this picture,” Seth said.

  If possible, Jared’s face went even grimmer. “That’ll be one of my first questions.”

  Honor observed the men as they continued to discuss Seth’s theory and offer input. Each man was as committed as she was to finding these young women. Question was, were they still alive to be found?

  seven

  Tranquillity

  “No, I don’t want any of them.”

  His first instinct was to lash out in frustration, but Alden held his anger in check. His children were completely opposite in temperament. His daughter went out of her way to please him in every way she could. His son, especially lately, did everything to oppose him. Not for the first time, he wished he’d spent as much time training John as he had Tabitha. Now his son was a greedy, ill-tempered, spoiled brat. Alden had no patience for such a person.

  “You have three females to choose from, John. Other men have been waiting longer, and are several years older than you. Since you are my son, I’m allowing you to choose first. You should feel privileged—instead, you complain about your choices.”

  The mutinous expression on John’s face was becoming a permanent affliction. “As your son, it’s my right to go before others. None of these women will do for me. I wasn’t even allowed to go on the hunting trips. My choices shouldn’t be limited to the few bitches you drag in here for the others. I deserve only the best.”

  Alden didn’t lose his temper often because when he did, he lost all control. John knew this about him, but the older his son became, the more often he challenged Alden’s decisions. The boy’s arrogance was becoming problematic.

  Alden’s followers weren’t allowed to question his authority, and his son was one of those followers. Though he often gave John leeway he wouldn’t give others, he refused to allow this.

  “I make the mating decisions for Tranquillity, not you.”

  Brown eyes, so like his, narrowed. “Fine, but at least let me go with you to get the last one for the season. I’m sure I can find one to suit me.”

  Alden opened his mouth to object, but John stopped him with “You’re not the one who’s going to spend the rest of your life with her … I am.”

  As much as he didn’t want to give in to his son’s childish demands, he had to admit that he made a good point. There was no such thing as divorce in Tranquillity. Women and men were bound together until death.

  Alden was the only man who was allowed the outlet of divorce. Staying satisfied and free of worry enabled him to be a better leader. He’d made that clear to his people from the beginning. Not that he would ever consider divorce. A man who could not control his woman was not a man. He’d had only three wives … all of them had agreed to his requests that they leave him. Once a month, as a show of respect, he visited their graves.

  “Very well. The men, starting with Nathaniel, will place bids on the three we have now. In a week or so, we’ll go out and you can make the selection yourself.”

  “A week? Why not—”

  Alden sprang to his feet. “Silence!” The temper he’d been fighting spewed forth. “I will not allow more questions. My word is law. Understand?”

  John’s sullen nod told him that it wasn’t over. Alden opened his desk drawer, and before he knew it, the small whip he kept inside it was in his hand. Swinging hard, he slashed it across his son’s face, leaving a bloody crevice on his cheek.

  Tears stung his son’s eyes and his breath hitched rapidly as he tried to control his emotions. The boy knew he had done wrong. It usually took Alden only one strike to get his point across.

  Composure finally achieved, John said quietly, “I’ll await your in
structions, Father.”

  Satisfied that, for the time being, the matter was settled, Alden dismissed him from the room with a nod. If John complained again or continued his arrogant ways, he wouldn’t be as gentle. However, the fire continued to burn inside him, needing an outlet.

  Pressing a button on his desk, he called the one woman who had the ability to calm him in the best ways possible.

  “Yes, Father?” Tabitha’s voice came through the intercom.

  “I have need of you.”

  “I’m on my way.” He could hear the happiness in her voice. Keeping him satisfied made her happy. And Alden enjoyed making her happy.

  Piney Ridge, California

  Honor collapsed onto the bed in the sterile-looking hotel room. She felt as if she hadn’t slept in days. Flying internationally always did that to her, but the extra stops in Indianapolis and Houston had been a bit much. Of course, it hadn’t helped that Seth had been beside her all the way, either. Not that he had done anything wrong. In fact, he had been polite, had said nothing inappropriate or controversial, and once had cracked a joke that had been funny. Even Jared had lifted half of a lip in a smile.

  Seth was behaving like a complete professional, and he was irritating the hell out of her.

  No explanation of what he had been doing for the past five years. No information about why Noah McCall thought he was totally qualified for this job. Not once had he offered her anything other than that one touch in the conference room, when his finger had caressed the scar on her neck and he’d said he was sorry. Shivers ran up her spine at the memory.

  She could come right out and ask him. She would at some point, if he didn’t volunteer the information. How to pose the question was the sticking point. Asking a question without any seeming interest in the answer wasn’t something she had a lot of practice with. When asking questions, she always made it clear she was interested in the answer.

  Over the years, she had studiously avoided knowing anything about Seth and what became of him. Oh, she’d come close on several occasions. Once, in the middle of the night, she’d woken throbbing and aching from a much too realistic sex-filled Seth dream. She’d slunk into her small office, turned on her computer, and Googled his name. The instant Ruth’s Place, his restaurant, popped up, she’d slammed the laptop closed and marched back to bed, furious at herself.

  Others had known about her antipathy to his name. After their breakup, a few people had tried to question her about what went wrong. When she’d cut them cold, word had gotten out. Honor had developed the reputation of being fair-minded, professional, and easy to work with … as long as one man’s name was never mentioned. Now she regretted being so hard-nosed about it. What had she missed? Should she try another Internet search and this time have the courage to actually read the information?

  Blowing out an exasperated sigh at her own foolishness, she got to her feet. She needed to get her butt in the shower; she was meeting Seth in the lobby in half an hour.

  They were going to see Drenda Greene’s family. Since LCR wasn’t a law enforcement agency, they were somewhat limited in their scope of authority. People didn’t have to talk with them. That had been a difficult adjustment for Honor. As an FBI agent, she’d been used to people having to talk with her, whether they wanted to or not. Fortunately, the Greene family was interested in getting help any way they could. Their daughter had been missing for well over a year; any additional offer of assistance not only was welcomed but revived hope in what had become a hopeless situation.

  Tomorrow they would interview the Bradfords, who weren’t going to be as cooperative. Yes, they loved their daughter and wanted her back home. However, Anna’s parents were in the middle of a bitter divorce, and talking with Honor and Seth was apparently one more thing they couldn’t agree on.

  She would be meeting with Anna’s mother. Seth would go to the next town over and talk with the young woman’s father.

  After those interviews, it would be on to the colleges the girls had attended.

  Opting not to wash her hair, since blowing it dry would take too long, she finished her shower and was ready to dress in minutes. She stood at the closet and barely paused for thought before selecting a light blue pantsuit. Seth used to tease her about her pantsuits, telling her she must have a closet full of them. The first time he’d spent the night with her, he had discovered how right he’d been in his assessment of her wardrobe. She still remembered the morning he’d walked buck naked into her closet, thinking it was the bathroom. He’d turned on the light and burst out laughing. Seth had a great laugh.

  Her eyes rolling at where her thoughts had once again headed, she dressed quickly. Makeup was a light foundation, mascara to darken her lashes, and a colorless lip gloss. Pulling her hair back into a low ponytail, she stepped back to access her appearance. Unimaginative and much too bland, but also coolly professional—an image that would inspire confidence in others. Not only that—seeing Seth again had put her emotions into a tail-spin. Dressing in this manner gave her a much-needed feeling of normalcy.

  She fastened a side holster at her waist, slid her SIG Sauer inside the pocket, and snapped the buckle. Shrugging into her jacket, she stepped back once more and gave a final nod of approval. Attractive, competent, and businesslike. In no way did she reveal that her insides were experiencing a mild earthquake at the thought that, in a few minutes, she would see Seth again.

  Get a grip, Stone. Satisfied with the mini-chastisement, she turned away.

  She had deliberately not listened when Seth had checked in, not wanting to know where he would be sleeping. When she opened her hotel room door, she froze. A lot of good that had done; Seth was coming out of his room right across from her.

  As if he had known her thoughts moments before, his eyes swept up and down in a hot, thorough glance. “Nice pantsuit. New one?”

  The glare Honor shot him could’ve melted his gun. Now, what the hell had he done to set her off?

  Mentally shrugging at the intricacies and intriguing layers of the beautiful woman glaring daggers at him, he headed to the elevator. “You want to grab dinner after we talk to the Greenes?”

  Honor entered the elevator first. The instant the doors closed, she said, “I think we need to do more than just have dinner.”

  Seth went hard instantly. Did she mean …? He snuck a glance at her face. Of course she didn’t. Her beautiful face held an expression he’d seen more than once when they were dating. She had questions and wanted answers. And hell, if anyone deserved answers, wasn’t it this woman?

  He nodded. “You’re right.”

  She released a long sigh, as if she’d been holding her breath. Had she thought he would refuse? Probably. Their last time together hadn’t exactly been pleasant. He’d said things he never expected forgiveness for.

  Despite how he’d hurt her, he knew it couldn’t have ended any other way. Not only would Honor’s career have been permanently tarnished if they’d stayed together, but Clemmons would have gladly used her to manipulate Seth. And if the man had tried that, the game would have been up. No way in hell would he have allowed Honor to be used as a pawn or to be hurt. He would’ve killed Clemmons.

  Little had he known that his biggest regret would be in not killing the bastard when he’d had the chance. If he had, at least he would’ve been spared the nightmares.

  The elevator door opened. As if they’d read each other’s minds, they exited wearing the same expression of seriousness. The past could be discussed and dissected another time. Now it was time to get to work.

  Drenda Greene’s family lived in an upper-middle-class neighborhood just outside the city limits of Piney Ridge. Her father was a plumber, her mother a real estate agent. She had one sister who was still in high school and a brother in middle school.

  Evelyn and Marty Greene greeted them with hope in their eyes. Seth had listened to Honor on the phone when she’d set up the appointment. She’d given them a brief rundown of why LCR was on the case. Not in
any way had she been encouraging or discouraging about the chances of finding their daughter. But the Greenes were grasping at anything, and LCR’s involvement gave them renewed hope.

  Sitting in the Greenes’ living room, sipping tea and eating cookies, seemed incongruent with what they were discussing, but that was the nature of this case. What the hell kind of refreshment do you serve when you’re discussing your missing child?

  “So you said that someone hired your company to look into my Drenda’s disappearance?” Mrs. Greene was a slender, middle-aged blond with a nervous habit of blinking rapidly when she spoke.

  In a compassionate but firm voice, Honor said, “Not only your daughter’s disappearance but several others’ as well.”

  “So there’s a possibility somebody took our Drenda and is holding her along with other girls?” Mr. Greene was a stout, ruddy-faced man with deep lines around his mouth. The worry in his eyes indicated his grief over his daughter’s disappearance.

  “That’s what we’re looking into,” Honor said.

  Feeling Honor’s eyes on him, Seth explained: “A few weeks ago, my niece Kelli disappeared. I’m a former cop, so my brother called me for help. I have the experience to find my niece, but I don’t have the contacts. Last Chance Rescue specializes in finding missing people. I felt getting them involved was my best bet in finding my niece.”

  “But what does that have to do with Drenda?” Her eyes filling with tears, Mrs. Greene added shakily, “Our daughter’s been missing for a year and a half.”

  “We don’t know that the person who took Mr. Cavanaugh’s niece is the same one who took Drenda; however, that’s what we’re trying to determine.”

  Mr. Greene leaned forward, his expression one of desperation. “If there’s anything we can tell you that will help you find our Drenda, all you have to do is ask.”