by Matt Lincoln
“If you don’t take me, I’m going to the airport myself,” Emily said. “And I’ll buy Luci a ticket, too.”
“She doesn’t have identification or a passport,” I reminded them. “It won’t be easy, but I’ll talk to my boss.”
Emily stayed behind when I left the hospital. On my way back to headquarters, I tried to figure out how those two took over the show in that room. Holm wasn’t going to let me live it down. Hell, no one at the office would. Ethan Marston outmaneuvered by a couple of women he barely knew.
Great. Just freaking great.
15
Emily stayed with Luci for about an hour after Ethan left. She wished she could stay longer, but she’d agreed to cover at the antique and coin shop for her dad while he went to a doctor appointment.
Many kids of shopkeepers got sick of their parents’ spaces, but for her, the shine never wore away. The scents of dusty pages, oiled leather, and fading memories never failed to remind Emily of her childhood, when she spent hours exploring and researching her family’s new finds.
“Dad, I’m here,” she called out.
Her dad stood up from behind a century-old bureau they’d recently acquired. His feathery brown hair wisped away from his forehead with the movement he made. He stepped out from a little pocket between the hardwood piece and the wall.
“Just in time,” he said as he stepped out. “Dr. Maldine waits for no one.”
They gave each other a quick hug.
“Good luck,” she told him.
“It’s probably nothing,” he told her. “Moles run in the family, and the Florida sun brings out the worst of them.”
“Better safe than sorry.” That, they’d learned the hard way. “Oh hey, when you get back, I need to talk to you about something.”
He cocked his head ever so slightly. “Anything important?”
“A little, but nothing to worry about.” She gave him her brightest smile. “Love you.”
“Back at ya, kiddo.”
On the way out, her dad tapped twice on the doorframe. It was his love note to her mother. He double-tapped for her every time he left the store, something he’d started doing while she was alive. The only time he’d forgotten was the day they lost her.
Emily blinked and coughed to clear her mind. She had a lot to do before leaving for Barbados. Although the university was on summer break, she had a small handful of students earning credit hours. Most of their assignments were through an online classroom, but they met once a week on campus. Luckily, she had discretion over that part of her summer session.
She settled in behind the counter where the register and coin catalogs resided. Before she could get her tablet out, she saw a sticky note on the register drawer. It was a note from her dad to himself, a practice he was using more often these days.
Call Marston about t.u. value update.
That could mean a number of things. She knew “t.u.” meant Triple Unite. So he’d either appraised something high or low. For Ethan’s sake, she hoped the initial appraisal was low.
Over the next two hours, she saw maybe four customers. One bought a lamp Emily had found at an estate sale. Aside from that, she caught up on the coursework.
The bell at the front jingled when her dad got back. His perky step was back with a twinkle in his eye.
“Good news?” she asked as tension released from her shoulders.
“It’s not cancer,” he told her. “The doctor said it’s benign. Sunblock and yearly checks.”
Emily went over and gave him a long hug. “It was still scary, wasn’t it?” She knew her dad better than anyone.
“Yes, but I’m fine now.” He slipped in behind the counter. “So, you had something to talk about.”
She wanted nothing more than to stay with him and celebrate, but she’d made a promise. A reckless promise, maybe, but still a promise.
“I’m going to Barbados for a few days,” she explained. “It came up today, and I can’t back out of it.”
“Why would you?” He laughed. “Barbados is a great historical location. Your mom always spoke about visiting.”
Emily nodded. “That’s right.” How could she have forgotten? “There’s a great-aunt out there who has her own archive, right?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it an ‘archive.’ More like a collection.” He put his elbows on the counter and chin on his hands. “Aunt Esme. I’ll have to find her address for you. Last I heard, she is still alive and kicking.”
“That’s great!” She grabbed her messenger bag from the counter and slipped it over her shoulder. “I’ll be back before too late tonight. I’m visiting a friend.”
One of her dad’s trademark ornery grins appeared. “Anyone special?”
“No, Dad. Just someone who needs a friend. She’s at the hospital.”
The smile vanished, and he stood. “Wait, why did you say you were going?”
Crap. Emily didn’t want him to worry, but they had a pact to never lie to each other.
“Well, I’ll be looking into some pirate history.” Her fake smile felt fake even to her, and she played at a braid that fell over her shoulder. “Aunt Esme’s collection will be a great start.”
“Emily Jada Meyer, what aren’t you telling me?” His eyes widened and then narrowed. “That Marston fellow, the one with the coins. Did he put you up to something?”
Dammit.
“No,” she said with absolute honesty. “He hated the idea.”
“Tell me about this idea.”
“Remember when I helped trafficking victims in college?” At his nod, she continued, “I asked to meet the survivor from his case. She’s going back with his team in a day or two, and I’m going to accompany her as a friend and advocate. I also volunteered to consult about the history of trafficking, as needed.” Not that she thought they would need much from a history angle, but it was as good a reason as any.
She reminded herself that he couldn’t keep her from going. She was an adult, after all.
“It sounds dangerous.” His voice quavered the tiniest bit, but he controlled it. “I’d rather you not go.”
“I know.”
“You’re going to, anyway.”
She nodded.
He sighed. “I’ll find Aunt Esme’s contact information by the time you get back from the hospital tonight.”
“I love you, Dad.”
He gave her his best uneven smile. “I know. Now get out of here. Take care of that young woman, if that’s what you’re up to.”
“I will,” she assured him. “Someone needs to look out for her in the midst of those big bad special agents.”
“Well, you better git now.”
She hated leaving him alone after this near brush with skin cancer, but he was the one who’d taught her the importance of a promise. As she drove out to Miami-Dade General Hospital, she thought about that difficult year after her mom died. They’d thought she was going to survive the aneurysm, but three days after she collapsed in the shop, she was gone.
Three days of hospital bills, and with minimal insurance at the time. Three days that made it impossible for them to keep their promise to return her mother’s ashes to Jamaica for five years.
She was grateful Luci wasn’t at the same hospital where Jada Stewart-Meyer had passed. Emily remembered details such as the paintings she stared at and halls she’d walked during that half-week.
By the time she reached Luci’s room and got cleared by the police in the hall, Emily had cleared her head. She smiled when Luci looked up in surprise.
“You came back,” Luci said.
“Of course, I did. I even brought entertainment.” Emily pulled out her tablet. She’d downloaded everything important to her laptop earlier at the shop and now logged in to the hospital WiFi with the password from the nurses’ station. “Netflix and Hulu. It’s better than anything they have on Hospital TV.”
“This is true.” Luci accepted the tablet. “All this for a stranger. You are very kind
.”
Emily shrugged and took the chair next to the bed.
“I’d want a friend if I were stranded so far from home,” she told Luci. “Besides, I’m mostly free this summer.”
Over the next few hours, they spoke on and off, watched videos, and Emily ran out to sneak in classic American junk food. Just a little, the nurses quietly told her, as Luci had been starved for days.
They were sharing M&Ms when the lights dimmed and went out. Emergency lights snapped on, but Emily got a chill.
Seconds later, she heard screams and a series of sharp bangs. Both women jumped, and Luci covered her mouth with her hand. Two more bangs sounded closer than the first. A police officer and a male nurse’s aide bolted into the room. The cop slammed Luci’s door shut, and the aide unplugged the IV pole.
“Someone’s coming after you,” the young aide said. “We’re going to lock you both in the bathroom.”
The aide scooped Luci out of her bed, which caused her to panic.
“Let him take you,” Emily called as she pushed out of her chair. “I’m staying out here.” She pointed at the aide. “Stay in there with her.”
Nobody argued, as there wasn’t time. She looked for something heavy to bar the door, but they only had the ungainly bed, which wasn’t going anywhere without a struggle. Emily planted her back against the door and prayed the pounding footsteps on the other side came from police and not bad guys.
The aide put Luci around the corner in the bathroom and then came back out. He locked the door, shut it from the outside, and then joined Emily and the officer at the door.
“I couldn’t leave you guys on your own,” he said. The aide looked like he was barely past his teens. “I help the patients.”
Emily’s heart pounded.
“Let us in,” a deep, tense voice barked. “We will shoot more people if you don’t.”
The cop had the lever-style handle blocked by one hand and a radio held in the other. Like Emily, he had his back to the door for best leverage. Her skin prickled and eyes smarted. This wasn’t supposed to be the dangerous part of her promise.
“We are coming in,” the man shouted.
“The hell they are,” the officer muttered.
The handle jangled. The police officer unlatched his holster before he got his other hand on the handle. It rattled again, but he held fast.
“Last warning,” the voice boomed. “Open the door yourselves, and we will let you live.”
If they could stall until a SWAT team got there, maybe they could save Luci.
“Joke’s on you.” Emily’s voice cracked as she yelled. Both men with her jumped. The police officer gave her a funny look but didn’t relax his grip on the handle. “She’s long gone. We’re just a diversion.”
Tears poured down her cheeks. She had no expectation of tricking them, but if she got them to talk, maybe, just maybe, they’d be slowed long enough for help to arrive. Maybe.
“Who do you think you foolin’, girl?” The man laughed on the other side. “Did you hear that, Kool-Man? She thinks she will fool us.”
“What are you doing?” the cop hissed.
“I’m making it up as I go along,” she whispered.
“Shit,” the aide said.
“I don’t like to shoot girls,” the man cajoled. “Please, open up. We won’t kill no one if you step aside.”
“Why do you want her?” Emily called out, trying to keep her voice level.
“She didn’t hurt anyone.”
“I am not amused,” he thundered back. “Three.”
“Please don’t do this,” Emily cried. “She’s been through too much.”
“Two, and you better stop talking if you don’t wan’ a bullet to the mouth.” He mumbled something to whoever was at his side. “Open it.”
Emily bit her lips together.
“No,” the police officer shouted. “You’re not coming in.”
Emily met his gaze. His face was flushed and beaded with sweat. He knew what he was doing and what could happen to him. She saw it in his eyes even as the gun cracked from outside the door. The officer lurched forward with a wordless cry before tilting over to fall on his side at Emily’s feet. Plywood dust surrounded a growing red stain from a hair above the edge of his vest.
The door burst open, knocking Emily into the injured man. Someone grabbed her braids and jerked her away from the door. When she was able to look up, she saw the nurses’ aide on his knees with hands on his head.
“Maybe we should take this one also.” This was Kool-Man, not the one with the deep voice. “The boss likes good presents.”
“The boss does not like surprises.”
Yes, the one holding her by the hair was the one who’d threatened them through the door. Probably the one who’d shot his gun. Emily didn’t know what to do. He wouldn’t listen to reason.
“She’s a pretty one,” Kool-Man said. “Fetch a high price, no?”
Her captor threw her to the floor. She heard a snick that froze her in place. A knife appeared before her face.
“Up,” Deep Voice ordered.
Emily shook as she got to her feet. Both men wore masks. The one who’d held her was a head taller than she. He ran the flat of the blade down her cheek and under her jaw, where he turned it on its point against her throat.
“You are fortunate, girl,” he growled in her ear. “Ask me how I know.”
“H-how do you kn-know?” she stammered.
“Observe.” He stepped back and raised his voice. “Luciana, come out here. I know you don’t want this lovely girl to die. You are coming with us either way. Best be done with this foolishness.”
“No, Lu—”
The knife tip went back to her throat and pressed so hard she was sure it was going to sink in.
“Luciana!” He nodded toward the other guy who moved toward the bathroom door. “We already killed those who got in our way. I will shoot everyone else until you come out. Do the right thing and save their lives.”
Emily could only imagine what Luci was going through in that bathroom. She knew what she’d do in that situation.
“Don’t,” she screamed.
The smaller man made eye contact with the big man. Emily didn’t see or feel anything, but something passed between them. Kool-Man pointed at the aide and pulled the trigger. The aide yelled and crumpled over.
The bathroom door creaked open. Emily felt like her chest was in a vice grip as Luci gingerly stepped out. She pulled her IV lines out, and tears poured down her cheeks. Kool-Man seized her arm.
“See?” the big goon asked. “Not so bad.”
“For who?” Emily gasped.
Deep Voice wound his hand around one of Emily’s braids and yanked her to the floor. She landed on her shoulder and hip. He pressed her cheek into the chilly linoleum.
“You defied me,” he growled. “Nobody defies me. I should kill you, but I will not. No, not now. When the boss is done with that little trash, I will hunt you down and make you my property.”
Emily tried to push up on her elbows, but he put enough of his weight on her head to dim her vision. She forced her muscles to relax.
“Nothing to say now, huh?”
He brought the knife before her eyes and then, in a swift motion, he sliced a single braid off at its roots. She winced as the knife scraped against her scalp. He released her and dangled the long braid before her face. Afraid to trigger something worse, she remained still and quiet.
“I will keep this until we are reunited, my sweet.” He kissed where the braid was wound about his hand and then blew as if sending the kiss to her. “Cheers.”
Kool-Man handed Luci off to Deep Voice, who threw her over his shoulder. Emily heard a slight whisper as Luci was whisked away.
“Lo siento, Emily.”
16
While Bonnie and Clyde worked down in the lab, the rest of us used the conference room for planning the undercover operation. When it came to planning the flight, I had a promise to keep
. As much as I initially disliked the girls’ plan, it began to grow on me. Dropping it on my boss, however, was going to be difficult. I tried a casual approach.
“Luciana Ramírez wants to fly back with us. She also wants to bring a friend as emotional support.”
Diane looked up from the documents she was studying. That steel glare was like looking down a gun barrel. Holm and Muñoz stopped what they were doing and had similarly incredulous looks. Yeah, this wasn’t going to play well.
“That wasn’t funny, Ethan.” Her even, strained tone got everyone’s attention. “Leave the jokes to your partner.”
“No joke,” I told them. “Remember, Luci was an activist in Venezuela. Maybe she’ll go back home, maybe not. I don't know. Right now, though, she wants to do everything she can to help us, and that includes flying back to Barbados despite the trauma. That’s one of the reasons she wants to bring Emily.”
Diane slapped the table and stood.
“Are you out of your damned mind? This is an operation, and you know how dangerous these bastards are. What are you thinking?”
Holm held up a hand.
“Wait, wait,” he said. “This friend of hers. Is that this Emily Meyer? The appraiser’s daughter you just met?”
“She’s an expert on the Caribbean and has studied trafficking.” I held my palms outward in supplication. “Look, Luci was alone, and Emily went to visit. Emily used to counsel trafficking survivors. Now they want to work together, and Luci feels safer with another woman close by.”
Diane closed her eyes and mouth, raised her palms almost to her shoulders, breathed in deep through her nose, and then squeezed her hands shut into fists. The room went silent. Oh shit.
Diane released that deep breath and opened her eyes. “Ethan Marston, you are either the most arrogant frogman the Navy ever put to water, or you are the luckiest.” She put her hands on the edge of the table. “That suggestion goes against more regulations than I care to count. I want nothing more to do with this conversation.” She gestured to the other three on the team. “I’m allowing you discretionary fuel spending. Don’t be idiots.”