Hard to Kill: a Hard Targets novel

by Wendy Byrne

  Kane popped through the sunroof and shot off a couple of rounds. He came back down seconds later. "I couldn't hit a side of a barn in this terrain."

  Even driving the Hummer, she had them at an advantage; the slow progress of the unwieldy vehicle seemed to erase any potential gain. She glanced in the rearview mirror and they'd disappeared. "Where did they go?"

  "Damn it. There must be another trail."

  "Look for them." Tension seeped down her shoulders and into her arms as she fought to keep the vehicle on the narrow road and avoid the trees that seemed inches away from the sides.

  The girls had gone from screaming to whimpering. Sabrina couldn't decide which was worse. Caitlyn seemed to have passed out and remained slumped in the seat. If not for the soft whisper of the girl's breath, she'd be worried.

  Day or night, this road had "treacherous" written all over it. Due to an abundance of trees, even on a bright, sunny day, Sabrina doubted much light would penetrate through.

  The Jeep appeared in front of them blocking the road. They were either suicidal, or they were close to the mountain road that would get out into the open.

  "I'll try to pick them off." Kane shifted in his seat and readied to poke out through the sunroof again.

  Sabrina shook her head and pressed the gas pedal to the floor. "I'm going to plow right through them." She briefly glanced in back. "Hang on, ladies."

  Once the men in the Jeep spotted her intent, they jumped off the vehicle. She didn't think about stopping as she rammed through, not stopping until she'd pushed the Jeep to the road. The mangled car spun until it finally came to a stop, resting on its side. The Hummer went airborne as she landed on a real road.

  But they were free. That was the important part.

  * * *

  As far as partners went, Kane figured Sabrina was the best he'd ever had, even if she fought the word with a ferocity he still couldn't quite comprehend. They stopped to get some water and food for the girls.

  "Caitlyn, do you want to call your parents?" Kane offered his cell phone. She hadn't said a word for the longest time, preferring, it seemed, to slump between him and Sabrina.

  He helped her take some sips of water while Sabrina drove. A sense of fear permeated the interior of the Hummer, even though it had been at least fifteen minutes since they'd seen anyone on the road.

  Caitlyn seemed unable to muster the energy to press in her phone number. Instead, she rattled off the number as he punched them in and handed her the phone.

  She seemed to perk up a bit, and tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke. "Mom. Dad. It's me. Sabrina found me." Between the emotion and her weakened state, she couldn't continue, and handed the phone to Sabrina.

  Kane could guess the gist of the conversation based on Sabrina's one-word answers. "Germany." Then seconds later: "Probably Zurich. Sounds good. I'll let you know once we check into a hotel." She handed the phone back to Kane and continued to drive for a few moments. "Where is the Bureau meeting us?"

  "Switzerland border. The girls will be released to their care, visit the hospital to make sure they're okay, and they can be returned home."

  "No. No. No," Caitlyn screamed as she sucked in giant gobs of air. She tried to climb over Kane to the door, but he held her back. She started to hyperventilate and Kane couldn't help but wish he had a paper bag handy. Sabrina reached over and rubbed the poor girl's arm. Caitlyn's head shook back and forth as a prelude to her words. "No hospital. Ponci will find me and bring me back." Her voice so strong, so forceful, he blinked at the intensity.

  She scratched her arms, leaving giant marks in her flesh. He corralled her to keep her from doing serious damage. Her limbs started to shake, even as Kane tried to soothe her. She kept whispering, "I'll die if I go back there." Over and over again.

  Kane and Sabrina exchanged looks.

  "Okay, no hospital. We'll check into a hotel. Kane has a gun. I have a gun. Ponci won't get you." Sabrina's voice was soft as she stroked the girl's arm and shoulder.

  It didn't take a doctor to know Caitlyn's hold on reality was tenuous. One wrong word would send her over the edge.

  She needed help. Psychological help for sure. Probably medical help as well. But more than anything, she needed to get back to the United States and with her parents.

  Through the miracle of exhaustion, Caitlyn fell asleep against his shoulder as they made their way toward Zurich.

  Except for Caitlyn's meltdown, all in all, he'd say it was a great day. But capturing Trinity still was his number one objective. Tracking down the clients on Marco's list would be one thing. But how many other Marcos were out there doing the exact same thing—brokering deals for the man who made it happen. All with a connection back to Trinity. He couldn't rest until he tracked the man down. Dead or alive didn't really matter much to him.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Sabrina sat on the bed in the hotel suite and wrapped multiple blankets around Caitlyn. She pulled her into a hug to further stave off the cold that didn't seem to want to leave. The FBI had made a stink about Caitlyn not going to the hospital, and compromised with a doctor coming to the hotel. He'd checked her out, diagnosed her with dehydration, and had given her an IV of saline. She seemed to perk up a bit after that, but hadn't said much. Judging by the photos Sabrina had seen, she would guess the poor girl had lost fifteen to twenty pounds in the last couple of weeks.

  This case was messing with Sabrina's head, bringing her to times she hadn't thought about in years. As she watched Caitlyn give in to the vulnerability and fear, she couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't been wired that way. Or if she had, what happened to her to allow her to cut herself off so completely?

  As she watched Caitlyn exhaust herself by crying, part of Sabrina wished she could allow herself the same type of release. But she didn't think she remembered how. She remembered crying after the loss of her parents, and being on the verge of crying when Max had nearly died, but everything in between and since had been an emotionless void. It was as if sadness or fear for someone else had been extinguished from her internal makeup. Most times she didn't miss the whole emotional connection thing, but right now she felt its absence more acutely than she'd dared to admit. Part of her would give anything to let loose the clog of fear stuck inside her, but the other part, the one who felt vulnerable and alone, stripped naked and bare when exposed in that way, thought better of it.

  Why couldn't she feel? Would she ever feel? Prior to these last few days, the numbness of her existence felt comfortable, like a nice, warm sweater on a cold day. Now it seemed as if that sweater was suffocating her.

  More anxious than she cared to admit, Sabrina scooted away from Caitlyn's vise-grip to scour the place for food. Caitlyn whimpered, then brought her arms around herself and rocked back and forth.

  Sabrina held out a bottle of water. "I'll order room service. What would you like to eat?"

  Caitlyn stared off into space as if still caught up in a nightmare. But then she reached for the water. Seconds later, she shrugged. "I'm not very hungry."

  Kane gave Sabrina a this-is-scaring-the-crap-out-of-me look before taking control. "I'll order a bunch of different food, and we'll see what strikes your fancy when it gets here."

  Caitlyn had a far-off look in her eye as she stared back at him. Sabrina couldn't help but think it was only the beginning of her trauma settling in.

  Memories from her first night at Petrovich's rose to the surface.

  She had never been so scared in her life. After months of not letting their guard down, the home he brought them to was warm and inviting, a giant fireplace heating up the place.

  She sat on Max's lap, close to the fire, a blanket wrapped around her. Still she shivered as he fed her soup from a large cup. She remembered crying and begging for Max to find Mommy and Daddy. The vivid memory of the expression on his face—somewhere in between terror and despair—had burned itself into her brain. She recalled everything as if it had happened yesterday. Thinking about that night and
what it meant to Max still made her heart break.

  When they had first arrived at Petrovich's, Max was on edge, but he had been since their parents died. Being the oldest, he'd always been bossy, but being the self-appointed father to her when he was barely twelve only made him more vigilant. He never left her alone in the room with Petrovich and ensured she slept in the same room as him and Jake every night. He'd monitored her every move and was a general pain in the ass as she got older.

  Some people might believe she'd had a tough childhood. But it was all she knew. When she considered what Kane told her of his own, she wasn't sure. A vagueness about her parents shrouded her memories. They were happy. They were in love. And then they were gone.

  When she was younger she had daydreamed about running around, playing hide and seek with her brothers, but as the years went by, those thoughts disappeared. Her mother's ruby necklace that she had always worn had never been passed down to Sabrina. Somehow that had gone missing, and nothing had been asked or said about it that she could remember. Each night while her mother braided her hair, she had let Sabrina try on her ruby necklace before she went to sleep at night. Even now, she could feel the weight of its imprint on her neck. The smooth feel of the stone; the gold chain woven through it; the initials on the back—M&M—Marina and Max. Thinking about it now, and that hole in her heart that remained due to their absence, didn't even bring a tear to her eyes.

  She loved her brothers more than anything else, but the man who was part father, part mentor, part drill sergeant who was impossible to read, especially the day he sent them to what he thought was their death, was something else. Remembering each and every lesson he'd taught until they were instinct didn't dull the pain; it only made it more contradictory.

  Kane interrupted her thoughts when he touched her arm and mouthed, "Are you all right?"

  That was the million-dollar question, wasn't it? Would she ever be all right? Would she ever be normal? At this point in her life she highly doubted she could be anything but what she was trained to be. An unemotional killer.

  * * *

  Caitlyn had finally eaten a grilled cheese sandwich and an apple out of the plethora of food Kane had ordered. Sabrina figured at least it was something.

  "Kane stole some sweet FBI sweats if you want to take a shower and change. Maybe then you'll be able to take a nap."

  The girl's eyes went wide. "I don't want to be alone."

  Sabrina patted her hand. "You don't need to worry about that. I'll help you." She shook her head. "Maybe, on second thought, you should take a bath instead. I could help wash your hair and we could put on some American music and relax."

  The girl still seemed as weak as a baby when Sabrina helped her undress. She helped her take off her threadbare clothes and uncovered what looked like healing wounds along her back. Sabrina sucked in a breath and immediately regretted it when Caitlyn started to sob.

  "I'm going to send Kane out for some ointment."

  Caitlyn hiccupped through a sob. "There's still the guys at the door, right?"

  Sabrina nodded. "Yep, two big, burly FBI dudes carrying guns. Nobody is going to get past them." She wasn't about to admit her own fear about their safety. And wouldn't discount another attack from Trinity or his minions.

  After she helped Caitlyn into the deep tub, Sabrina put on the radio and found a station playing American music. Then she opened the door and whispered her request to Kane. To his credit, he didn't ask any questions.

  Sabrina knelt next to the tub, leaning her back against the wall, and tried not to focus on Caitlyn's emaciated body. Worse than that were the bruises on her wrists, her legs, and numerous other spots, along with the welts and burn marks.

  Sabrina trounced down the roar of anger. She had to keep her focus. Caitlyn needed to be safe and secure before Sabrina could move on to step two.

  She sucked in a breath and thought about stopping Trinity from ever causing harm to another girl. Memories of being at Petrovich's mercy paled in comparison to what these girls had endured. It wasn't fair that this man was getting away with sexual slavery at a hefty profit.

  Kane knocked on the door and handed her the antibiotic cream, bringing her out of her thoughts. A few moments later, Caitlyn exited the tub with a little more color to her cheeks than when she went in. Sabrina dried her hair and braided it, mimicking the movements of her mother so long ago. Once she'd finished, Caitlyn sucked Sabrina into a hug and started to sob again. "It was horrible."

  Sabrina felt a tug in the middle of her chest as she patted the girl on the back. "You don't need to tell me anything you don't want to."

  "Did Kane…find that…" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she struggled through emotion. "…creep, Ponci?"

  "They're getting very close." She didn't want to lie, but to distress the fragile girl with the information that they hadn't yet tracked him down would only make her more anxious. Besides, between her and Kane there wasn't a chance anyone would get through to Caitlyn.

  Sabrina administered the cream to her back, wincing every time Caitlyn whimpered. Ponci had better pray the FBI got hold of him before she did. They had to abide by rules. She didn't.

  "Why don't you lie down? Remember, Kane and I will be right outside the door." She helped the girl to the bed, tucked her under the covers, and closed the blinds. Within moments Caitlyn was sound asleep.

  Sabrina tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind her. "She's finally asleep." She sat down on the sofa and stretched her legs. The swirl of emotions and memories wouldn't stop coming, and she needed some respite from her thoughts.

  Kane had been nonstop texting since they'd walked into the room several hours ago. And was still at it.

  "Did they arrest Ponci?"

  "They're trying to track him down, along with the other names on the list. The girls' parents have all been contacted and they're in the process of heading home. Ron said they're still sorting everything out. They haven't located Ponci yet. He's not on his private island. But they found a few young girls there." Kane shook his head. "What a sick bastard."

  Sabrina tapped her fingers along the table. "We need to make sure Caitlyn stays safe. As long as Ponci and Trinity are roaming free, she's in danger."

  He hesitated for a minute and looked at her. "Did she say anything about what happened?"

  Sabrina shook her head, undecided if that was a good thing or bad thing. "Based on the burn marks and welts on her back, I can only imagine what they did to her while she was there."

  "Probably should have taken some pictures for evidence." He grasped her hand, but she didn't look him in the eye.

  "I couldn't bring myself to do it. Besides, some dickwad prosecutor would probably say I screwed them up." Sabrina closed her eyes and shuddered. "Once she's home with her parents, the doctors can take care of her there."

  Sabrina could only imagine how long it would take for Caitlyn to recover mentally. Nothing she'd ever experienced had come close to what Caitlyn had. "What's the theory about Ponci? Where do they think he's hiding out?"

  "Don't even think about it," Kane cautioned. "Let the FBI handle it now. Caitlyn's safe. That's all you signed on for."

  "What about all the other Caitlyns we don't know about? Who's going to make sure they're saved?" Letting this go wasn't an option as far as she was concerned. Once she'd seen Caitlyn and all the other girls held in Ponci's home, she'd known she was in this with Kane until the end.

  He cradled her chin. "Don't go there. Why don't you take the plane back with the Collins?"

  He was worried about what she might do, and she couldn't blame him for that. "You know I can't do that."

  "We have to prove the case in court against Trinity. No doubt his attorneys will run circles around the court process. Do not go vigilante on me. It will compromise everything. The FBI will make sure whoever's involved gets what they deserve as they build their case."

  "Will they?" She locked her jaw. "I'm not so sure. If you hadn't gone off map on this one
, they'd still be sitting around with their computers and their statistics and probabilities while young women were suffering." And she wasn't planning on allowing either man to evade what they deserved.

  "You can't kill Ponci. We have to find out what he knows."

  "I won't kill him. At least not right away." She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back on the couch.

  "The girls are talking. They've been kept in the dark for the most part, but they've mentioned some names that we've tracked down, and we have those guys in custody for questioning."

  Her heart squeezed as the breath caught in her throat. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.

  "What's taking them so long? Shouldn't they have Trinity behind bars by now? We did everything but tie him up in a neat little bow." Frustration trailed along her spine. She wanted Trinity. She wanted the man behind all the heartache for Caitlyn and every other girl who'd fallen victim to his scheme. She wouldn't rest until that happened.

  "The guys who bought these girls from his network aren't saying, even with the promise of immunity. Besides, most of their contact was through Marco. It seems no one knows Trinity's identity."

  "They don't know or aren't sharing?"

  "I'm not sure. But let's face it, if this guy operated as long as he did, he had to keep his identity well under wraps."

  "I want Trinity." Those three little words pounded through her system like a shot of conviction. Knowing no other young woman would fall prey to his scheme was the single thought tunneling through her brain.

  "You need to be patient, Sabrina."

  After all they'd been through, she didn't need his patronizing tone. She wanted the man who did this to Caitlyn held accountable.

  "I'm not letting this rest until he's found."

  "I promise you that will happen."

  If not for Caitlyn walking in at that second, a smile lighting up her face, Sabrina was fairly certain she and Kane would have had words. For some reason, she was spoiling for a fight, and with him towing the FBI line of bull, he was a good target.