by Lora Ann
His strained, “Fighting for his life,” brought on another wave of tears. Through it all, he simply held me.
I pulled back to look up at his face and saw that he, too, was crying. “S-S-Sorry,” shuddering as I tried to force back the emotions, “I should be the one comforting you.”
“You are,” he confirmed. His voice gave away just how worried he really was.
We stood like that for what seemed hours, though it was most likely several minutes. Aimee and Lacey eventually joined us as we did our best not to focus on the worst case scenario. I had learned that Nik was taken to the police department for further questioning. Alex had phoned in for another attorney to be present with him just to stay on the safe side since he had a record. Aimee and Lacey were now sitting on the ground. Aimee was doing her best to console a rightfully out of her mind Lacey. I broke away from Alex to join them. As I knelt down, both women hugged me from either side. I wished for the thousandth time there were words to say that would bring hope to this dire situation. Shock filled me as Alex got down on his knees behind me and reached for Lacey. She willing went into his arms as Aimee and I held on to each other.
Not a word was spoken for quite some time, but the compassion and solidarity was ever-present. This family’s devotion and love for one another left me beyond incredulous. Never had I been consumed with such a feeling of absolute caring. Plain to even the untrained observer that they were a solid unit, no matter the circumstances they were there for each other. Something I had always yearned for, yet thought only existed in fairy tales. How wrong I was. Overwhelmed, I offered to go find food and drinks.
I returned to an ashen faced Alex. Oh no, please Lord, please let Even be okay. When he met me at the curb, I knew what he was about to say had nothing to do with his brother. I dropped the bags in my hand and clutched his shirt tightly. “Tell me.”
He swallowed hard. “Lilly is missing.”
“No.” In vain I willed it to not be true and then I screamed, “NOOOOOOO!” Beating against Alex’s chest as the tide of anguish washed over me. How did this happen? Who had her? Why did they take her? All of a sudden clarity struck as I gasped, “James.”
Alex shook his head. “He was in his chambers. There are witnesses.”
I looked up into his eyes and insisted, “He wouldn’t have done it himself, Alex. We have to go.” I felt guilty as he turned to Aimee and Lacey, explaining why he was leaving. As we approached the car, Aimee ran up. “There’s been another complication.”
Alex roared, “FUCK!”
“You stay here, Alex.” I pointed out, “Your family needs you.”
“You need me,” he fired back.
Aimee grabbed his hand. “Listen to me, Even is your brother and fighting like hell to live right now. You can’t go!”
He stood his ground staring down at the little spitfire who dared to challenge him. “Sofie is my life. She doesn’t leave here without me.”
I patted his chest. “Look, I’m a big girl. I can handle this. Besides, what’s James going to do to me? I’m just going to ask some questions.”
“Not alone,” he growled.
Aimee gave a mischievous grin as her head slightly tilted. “That’s your concern?”
He leveled a look at her as his head bobbed tightly.
She looped her arm through mine. “Problem solved then. I’m armed,” tapping the purse, “if he tries anything. Your lady here is safe with me.”
“Hell no,” he spat out.
Before the disagreement escalated, Lacey howled out, “ALEX!”
We all ran back inside to learn that Even wasn’t doing well at all. Things were as touch and go as they could be, and the doctors weren’t completely sure they could do much more. The night drug on as an endless nightmare, one horror after another lurking behind each and every corner. Even was brought back twice from death’s hungry grasp. Ari had spiked yet another fever. Lilly had been missing for hours now, and the odds of finding her grew slimmer and slimmer. The young man she had been with had taken a nasty turn, prognosis of severe brain injury if he pulled through at all. Nik finally arrived. He looked haggard, as I was pretty sure we all did. Though for him, I was positive it was doubly rough. After all, he was head of this family.
Somewhere around three in the morning, I snuck away to find solace in the chapel. While I sat silently praying, hard hands grasped my shoulders. “Where the hell is she, Sofia?”
James. I guess that answered my previous question: he didn’t have his daughter. Jerking from his hold, I hissed, “I have no clue. That’s what I was going to ask you.”
“Fuck,” he ground out between clenched teeth, “I should’ve known.”
He spun on his heels to leave, and, for whatever reason, I chose to follow. Something told me there was more than he was letting on. By damn, I was getting to the bottom of this once and for all. These games, this secret he guarded, were coming to light. If that put me in danger, then so be it. Lilly was worth it. The only regret I held while starting my car and following James through the city at a safe distance: Alex had no clue. For all intents and purposes I had vanished, which would cause alarm. But I just couldn’t let myself worry about that now. One way or another James was going to answer my questions, or I’d be going down trying to gain the information necessary.
Chapter Sixteen
Alex
A niggling sensation brought me straight up in the chair, wide-eyed and alert. I searched the area noticing Sofie was nowhere in sight. Nothing to be alarmed about, Aimee appeared to be somewhere else as well. Where would they go? My first place to inspect was the ladies’ restroom. Nada. Next was the cafeteria. Zilch. I proceeded down the corridor until the chapel came into sight. Peeking inside, I was struck by the peculiar silence. Why did I find that uncomfortable? This was a place for prayer, rest and peace, not suspicions and doubts. I turned on my heel to exit when something caught my eye. The earring shouldn’t have caused hairs on my neck to stand on end. Yet it did. On closer study, I understood why. Shit…it was Sofie’s. Purpose in my stride, I went back to wake up Nik. “Do you know where your wife is?”
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “What?”
“A-i-m-e-e,” I spelled out. “Where is she?”
“Fuck, Alex. No clue,” he admitted with a hint of irritation.
Nik being perturbed with me didn’t matter. My gut told me Aimee and Sofie were together and in trouble. “Something’s not right,” I affirmed.
He stood up. “Lead the way.”
For the next half-hour we combed the hospital, all to no avail. We agreed it was time to tell Lacey. One thing I’d say about my soon to be sister-in-law, she wasn’t prone to hysterics. E had pulled through surgery and was in ICU. There wasn’t a damn thing we could do for him except pray. Lacey was unaware of the fact my little brother had taken that hit for me. I was the one being aimed at. He had distracted the gunman so Nik could get the upper hand. It’d worked. But at what cost? Even’s body had been riddled with bullets. How he’d survived was nothing short of a miracle. We learned the man who decided to use human beings for target practice had lost his wife on that very floor, therefore he held all responsible. Un-fucking-believable. As if loss of others’ lives would bring her back? I shook my head to clear the nonsense and focus on our next step.
On our way to the parking garage, Nik called out, “Who’s driving?”
“Let me so you can focus on the GPS coordinates.” Grateful he had the forethought to put an advanced tracking device on Aimee’s phone. Seemed we were headed out of the city towards Marin County.
*****
Aimee
Why the hell were we in Sausalito? What was Sofie doing? She’d apparently been following the Lexus since we had left the hospital. I did my best to stay unnoticed, parking downhill from where both cars had gone up the private, gravel drive. Deciding it was best to leave my purse in the car, I slid my Ladysmith 9 mm into the waistband of my Sevens. I popped the key fob in my front pocket
and began hiking up the steep hill. There would be no surprise on my end if the house, or whatever, set cliffside. The trees provided good cover as I reached an impressive home. Luckily, with the picture windows across the side, I was able to see Sofie inside having an intense conversation. The man who stood in front of her radiated enough heat through his anger that it was apparent even from where I was hiding. When he shoved her hard enough that she fell over a glass coffee table, shattering it, I bolted towards the house.
I came to an abrupt halt when something struck the back of my head. Had I misjudged a bough of the tree in front of me? Wow…you really did see stars. The burst of lights messed with my vision. I went down on my knees and was pushed face first into the ground. As I fought like hell to remain conscious, breathing became difficult. Who was holding me down? I couldn’t scream. I was unable to fight back. Lord, I would appreciate some help here. I heard a man’s voice coming from the direction of the house. “Who’s out there?”
Ah, obviously whoever was in that home with Sofie didn’t have security on the property. Confirmation came with, “Stupid prick needs to mind his own business.”
Oh my God, it couldn’t be him! I began to scream against the dirt, flailing around like a fish out of water. Stupid move. All I’d managed was to lose the little air left. As I faded into the blackness, I heard Caleb speak, “Yes, Aimee. I told you eventually I’d come for you. Too bad you didn’t believe me.”
*****
Alex
We found Aimee’s car parked on the street not far from a private driveway. Inside was her purse and cell phone. Nik’s anguished, “Shit!” said it all. Nik thought it’d be best to split up and cover the area on foot. Not that I disagreed with him, but it’d be faster and easier if we called the police. Of course, my brother would never see that as a viable option until all others had been tried. I followed an overgrown trail up the hill, discovering shoe prints in the soft ground. There had been some sort of struggle if the clues were accurate. Then and there, I made an executive decision phoning Shannon for assistance. I continued to scan the area, making sure not to contaminate the location too much. As I glanced up towards the home at the top, Sofie rushed by a window with some guy following close behind. Quickly sending a text to Nik as well as Shannon, I hightailed it to the house.
I hit the jackpot when a side door opened without force. Once inside I remained quiet, trying to hear anything going on. The distinct sound of running caught my attention, followed by a door slamming shut and an alarmed, “Stay the hell away from me, James.”
Sofie. And she was afraid. All my instincts went into high gear as I crept along searching for her. The door I was at had locks on the outside. Strange. As I made my way into the room, Sofie’s scream yanked me in the opposite direction. Fuck it if her ex discovered my presence. She was mine and in trouble. I rounded a corner to run head-on into another person. The collision was significant enough to throw both of us off balance. A garbled, “Ow,” told me it was Sofie. I scrambled towards her on hands and knees until she was in my arms.
“Oh my God, Alex. How did you find me?” Before I could answer, we heard several voices at once. “They sound like women,” Sofie pointed out.
“What the hell? You weren’t here alone with him?”
“Apparently not,” she huffed. “But where were they?”
Out of nowhere Nik appeared, as did James. A gun leveled at Sofie spiked my adrenaline like nothing else could. “Hey, man,” Nik rasped, “put the gun down. Let’s talk.”
“I think I’ll hold on to it,” James rebuffed.
Nik’s hands went up in a surrender gesture. James was edgy, waving the weapon back and forth in a frenetic way that made me nervous. When Nik’s gaze met mine, I learned I wasn’t the only one. We began to communicate silently. Simple eye movements and body language told me I needed to move right. Grasping Sofie’s hand, I eased infinitesimally along the wall in hopes James hadn’t noticed. Nik continued to coerce, “Listen, man. There’s no way you wanna do this.”
“Like hell I don’t,” James spat out.
“Think about that for a sec,” Nik continued, as I moved with Sofie out of harm’s way. “The odds that you can impair all of us simultaneously…slim to none.”
Reason began to alight in James’ eyes as the gun slightly lowered enough that Nik and I could move as a unit. Thanks to our martial arts training, we had him subdued without incident. Over my shoulder I called out, “Sofie!”
“Right here,” she answered from my blind side.
“See if you can find something to restrain the judge with.”
She turned to leave as a high-pitched snicker brought our attention to the doorway across the foyer. Standing there barefoot, in short shorts and a tank top, was a young woman of maybe twenty years of age. “This way,” she said, turning and walking away.
Sofie shot me a who-the-hell-is-that? look.
I mouthed, “No clue.”
She gave a solemn nod, following the girl to who knew where.
My attention was drawn to the far corner where three more young women dressed as the other stood, none had shoes on. I studied them for a moment. All were girl-next-door pretty and approximately college age. The missing piece to the puzzle finally slipped into place just as Nik gasped, “Sex slaves.” Should’ve known my brother with the jaded past would grasp what we were witnessing quicker than the average person. Sometimes I forgot how familiar he was with the underworld dealings. Though he’d been out of that life for years, Nik did maintain contacts. As did Even, lest I ever overlooked that. Both of them had skated on a very thin line of right and wrong in the past. No one was more grateful than I that they had chosen the right side of the law.
I approached the tiny redhead peering at me from under her bangs. Good God, she appeared younger than Ari. I held out my hand and introduced, “I’m Alex Strand, an attorney.” When she backed away more frightened, I comprehended my error. She was accustomed to men of prestige and power, though it was obvious the girl had yet to be purchased. The thought alone brought bile bubbling up my esophagus. Damn motherfuckers preying on the innocent. The need to take justice into my own hands raced through my bloodstream, causing my heart to drum at a deafening tone.
“ALEX!” Nik bellowed, pulling me from my rage filled haze.
As I met his eyes, knowledge flooded into the forefront of my brain. Holy hell. I was standing directly over Nik and the judge with a blunt object in my hand. Where? How? When? Raced through my mind, yet there was no recollection. So it was true. The fog or flood of strong emotions did block one’s ability to be logical. A gentle hand removed what I could now identify as a pewter candle stick. My gaze roved to the person standing there. “Sofie,” I breathed out heavily.
“Yes. It’s me,” she confirmed, placing her free hand in mine.
Horror struck, I released her hand and backed away. When my back met the wall, I slid down to my haunches. Running my hands over my face as reality set in: I almost killed a man. If Nik hadn’t intervened, I would have succeeded, or, if Sofie had not thought to take the weapon from me. The young woman I had attempted to speak with knelt by my side. “It’s okay,” she whispered, stroking my shoulder. “You’re a good man.” I shook my head as she continued, “Yes, you are.”
Another one of the women stepped into my line of sight. “I personally wouldn’t have been upset if you had done it,” she spat on the judge for emphasis.
In the meantime, Sofie had handed the cable ties to Nik. With the judge properly restrained and propped up further down the wall, Nik began to ask questions of the women who were now surrounding us. We learned they were all nineteen and college students. When the red head who had stayed by my side told us she attended USF, Sofie asked, “Do you know Lilly Hoffman?”
Her eyes lit up. “Yes. We have a couple of classes together.”
Sofie walked over to the judge and hissed, “Where the hell have you taken her, James?”
His eyes widened. “I have no ide
a what you’re talking about.”
Then and there, she snapped and began beating him with her fists, screaming, “Give me back my daughter.”
I hauled her off him. “Shh…this is not the way to find her.”
James licked his bloody lip and cackled, “She was never yours, bitch.”
Before another word was spoken, the house was surrounded by police. I had learned the red head’s name was Olivia. She went reluctantly with the female officer once I promised her we would speak again. I had meant it too, and not for legal reasons either. Olivia seemed to be a sweet kid and I wanted to make sure she would be okay. Sofie was still trembling with worry as I wrapped my arm around her and vowed, “We will find her.”
As she leaned into me, James added, “Lilly belongs to Reynolds,” from the backseat of the police cruiser. An officer slammed the door closed on his shocking revelation. Fuck me. If Caleb had Sofie’s stepdaughter, I couldn’t guarantee her safety. He was unstable and vengeful. How had I not seen the similarities? Lilly was blonde and petite. So far, the only female who had not fit in the height requirement was Ari. At that moment the epiphany hit: they all looked like Rachel. Even the missing prostitutes bore a resemblance to her. Quickly releasing Sofie, I jogged towards the house to find Shannon. I shared my suspicions with her.
She nodded, “Alright, Alex. Sit tight and let me see what I can uncover.”
I kissed her cheek. “Thank you, Shannon.”
“If you’re right, you’ve just cracked the biggest case of the decade.”
“Let’s save the celebrating for when we bring the sicko to justice.”
Out of nowhere she hugged me and then placed a light kiss on my lips. “I pray you’re right, counselor.” She grabbed her phone, walking away.
I chuckled as my eyes met fire. Sofie stood in the doorjamb, and by the heat she was throwing with her gaze, she’d witnessed that kiss. Shit! I couldn’t catch a break. “Hold on, Sofia, before you jump to conclusions.”