Eric narrowed his gaze and folded his arms over his broad chest. “You and Harper both need to get past what happened in Austin.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” He shoved the picture he’d been studying into a file and stood. “Let’s get this over with.”
They walked shoulder to shoulder down the wide corridor in silence. A sense of foreboding loomed inside him the closer they got to Harper’s office. Eric was right, he needed to get past the part he had played in Austin, but knowing that didn’t make it any easier. Guilt was his constant companion these days, and nothing he did made it go away. Hell, he wasn’t sure he wanted it to.
A large hand came down on his shoulder and Eric pulled him to a stop outside of Harper’s office. “Harper wants a briefing, and then we get back out there.”
Graham nodded and followed Eric into the large corner office. His fingers curled around the edge of the file folder as it hung loosely in front of him. He stopped in front of Harper’s massive walnut desk. Harper’s gaze didn’t lift from his computer screen, and Graham shifted his weight as the awkward silence dragged on. The muscles in his mouth tensed and he fought every instinct to roll his eyes. Leave it to Harper to call them in here and then make them wait until he was ready to speak.
Eric cleared his throat, and Harper held up one crooked finger, signaling for them to wait.
Graham glanced at Eric out of the corner of his eye, and Eric pressed his lips together to hide an amused smile. How could he find this funny?
Harper finally looked up and shifted his body so he leaned back in his black leather chair. The wheels squeaked until he stopped moving and his muscles relaxed. His brown eyes hardened as he asked, “What have you found out about the Stanley girl?”
“She was last seen with Pete Bogart at a frozen yogurt shop down the street from her apartment.” Graham set the file folder on the desk. Harper flipped it open, but his gaze stayed locked on Graham. “I pulled the footage from a traffic camera on the corner and was able to get a picture of the two of them together. The mother hasn’t heard from either Becca or Pete since nine a.m. this morning. She was supposed to be home by ten.”
“Why did the mother let her daughter go with him?”
“Pete had been dating the mother’s best friend for the past few months,” Eric said. “The friend is Becca’s godmother and she has a standing date with the girl every week. Pete often tags along for these outings, and the girl wanted to see him after the friend canceled today. The mother thought there was no harm in them spending an hour together.”
“Have you talked to the friend?” Harper asked.
Graham’s blood warmed as his mind went back to his meeting with Mickey. If he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her after seeing her on the plane, there was no way in hell he’d get the image of her in those tight black pants out of his mind.
A sharp elbow to the ribs brought his focus back to the present. “I talked to her earlier. As I wrote in my report, she’s the same flight attendant that worked on the plane I followed the hijacker on. Her connection with both the plane hijacking and Pete Bogart was a red flag for me, and I wanted to gauge her reaction to the news about her goddaughter.”
“That’s one hell of a coincidence,” Harper said. He drummed his bony fingers against the hard wood of his desk. “Did Sanchez mention anything about a woman helping Bogart when you questioned him?”
Graham shook his head and curled his hands into fists at his sides. It had taken all the self-control he had not to pummel Sanchez’s face to a pulp when he’d questioned him. The bastard had almost succeeded in crashing a plane and killing hundreds of innocent people just to escape capture. And that would have been on his head, too. If Sanchez hadn’t spotted him, he wouldn’t have gotten spooked and resorted to such drastic measures.
“Yes, but he didn’t have any information on her. The only name he gave was Pete’s. He said he didn’t know much more about what was happening in Chicago. He didn’t even know the location of the girls. His role in this is limited to training the girls in Mexico, the sick fuck.”
Harper raised his eyebrows. “Did you believe him?”
Graham shrugged. “Yeah. He shook like a leaf the entire time he was in the box. He would have given me anything to lessen his sentence.”
“But we still have our eyes on the friend,” Eric interrupted.
“Any other reason to suspect her besides the connection to Pete, the girl, and the plane?”
“Isn’t that enough?” Graham asked with a snort.
Harper turned his sharp gaze in his direction. “Not after what happened in Austin last month. I trust you won’t make the same mistake again. I need concrete evidence about this woman, not a hunch and a gut feeling.”
Graham’s nostrils flared. “There’s also the issue of Pete only giving his real identity to her. I reviewed the case files for the other missing girls, and although Pete made connections with them and their mothers in weeks prior to their abduction, he gave each mother a different name. Why did he break pattern? Was he in a real relationship with Mickey and she was in the dark as she claims, or has she been in on it since the beginning?”
“These operations usually have a woman involved in keeping the girls in check,” Eric said. “It’s a woman who stays at the house to keep an eye on things. It’s easier for the girls to become emotionally attached, and for the selfish bitch to use those emotions to mentally break down the victims.” Eric slammed the toe of his shoe against the carpet as if to ground out his frustration.
Harper closed the file and slid it back toward Graham. “I’d say you need to find out what this woman knows as soon as possible. I’ve issued a BOLO for Pete Bogart, but chances are the guy’s smart enough not to show his face around here. Something like this takes a lot of planning. He’d have a place set up to hide.”
“If he’s still in the city at all,” Graham said. “And if he is, the chances of someone recognizing him are slim. How many blond-haired, green-eyed men with no distinguishing marks and of average build and height are walking around this city?”
“Too damn many. You two better get out there and start looking.” Harper gave a curt nod and then returned his focus to his computer screen. Meeting over.
Graham grabbed the thin file and walked back to his small office down the hall. Reaching for his phone, he glanced back at Eric. “Where do you want to start?”
“Harper suggested seeing the godmother ASAP.” Eric followed him in and took a seat on the hard plastic chair in front of his desk.
Fiery eyes that burned like dying embers popped into his head and his throat went dry. As much as he’d like to see what Mickey looked like out of her workout clothes, it wasn’t a good idea. At least not tonight. He needed a little distance until he saw her again, and she needed time to let things simmer in her brain. Even if she were completely innocent, it’d be better to let little things Pete had said or done come to her over time instead of hounding her for information.
“No, I think it’d be better to see her tomorrow.”
“Do you think she’s in on this?”
He sighed and rubbed the palm of his hand over the two-day growth of whiskers on his chin. His hip rested against the side of the desk. “My first read is she’s innocent. But dammit, she’s tied up so tight into every aspect of this investigation, it doesn’t sit well with me. We can’t look past that. In most cases, the simplest answer is usually the right one.”
“You said she didn’t fall apart.” Eric picked up a pen and tapped it against the side of the desk. “You don’t think that’s weird? If I found out someone I loved was missing, especially a child, I’d be pretty torn up.”
“She went straight for denial. It won’t be long before the truth smacks her in the face.”
If she didn’t already know the truth.
His mind went back to the small smile she’d worn when she first spotted him outside of her apartment. “It didn’t help she and I have a history, even if a
brief one. It threw her off seeing me again. I thought that might work to my advantage, but now I’m not so sure.”
“You’ve got to stop second-guessing yourself, man. I agreed with you about speaking to her alone, that’s why I stayed out of the way and talked more with Becca’s mom.” Eric dropped the pen and stood. “What’s the plan?”
“Finding Becca is our priority, but to do that we need to go back to the beginning. We need to talk to the families of the other missing girls.”
Eric nodded. “I agree. We also need to push on getting more information on Pete Bogart. We’ll be more productive if we split up on this. Do you want the desk work or the families?”
His lips hitched up at the corner. “Seriously?”
Eric laughed and stepped toward the door. “I don’t know why I even asked. Go ask the questions and meet me back here when you’re done. If you get any leads, tag me. I’ll do the same.”
“You might not be able to ride the desk on this one, old man,” Graham said with a laugh.
Eric scowled, making the lines in his face more pronounced. “Watch yourself, son. I’ll put you behind your desk. I know how much you love paperwork.”
“I didn’t mean it.” Graham winced and held up his hands in surrender. Being stuck behind his desk would be pure torture. Eric’s preference for following a paper trail to track down a lead made him an ideal partner. “But in all likelihood one of us will have to go to Mexico and run down everything Sanchez gave us. And the last time I was on a plane from Mexico, it didn’t go well.”
“You brought in your man. I’d say it went well enough,” Eric said with a chuckle.
Graham raised his eyes to the ceiling. “I guess it depends on how you look at it.”
Eric smiled and gave a salute before walking out the door. Graham shuddered. No way in hell he was getting on a plane anytime soon. Not unless Mickey served him a cocktail with her long, lean legs peeking out of her hip-hugging blue skirt. He shook his head, forcing the image from his mind. He still didn’t know the role she played in everything. For all he knew, the next time he saw Mickey, she’d be in handcuffs.
Chapter Five
The solid metal of the barrel pressed harder against the back of Mickey’s head. All the blood drained from her face and she squeezed her elbows to her sides, trying to make herself smaller. Not that it helped. She had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
“Put your phone down,” said the woman behind her. Her voice was full of grit, as if she’d gurgled a handful of rocks after smoking a pack of cigarettes.
Her hot breath brushed against Mickey’s ear and her stomach heaved. Saliva filled her mouth and she swallowed hard to keep from getting sick. Something told her the woman holding her hostage wouldn’t appreciate getting puke on her shoes. Slowly reaching forward, she placed her phone face up on the table.
“Take whatever you want,” Mickey said in a small voice. “I don’t have much, but take it all.”
A harsh laugh raised all the hairs on her arms. “I don’t want your shit. I’m here to make sure you keep your mouth shut.”
“About what? I don’t know anything.” Tears clogged her throat. She pushed down the panic coursing through her and tried to focus. How the hell could she get out of this? Her eyes darted to her purse sitting on the table in front of her. If she could reach it, she stood a chance. But if she moved at all, she’d probably get a bullet in the brain.
“I saw the FBI agent leave here earlier. I know he was asking about Pete.” The barrel of the gun sunk into her scalp and she winced. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him he was wrong. Pete couldn’t have taken Becca. He’s a good guy.”
Holy shit. This crazy bitch knew Pete. What had she gotten herself involved in?
The woman snorted. “He’s far from a good guy. You have no idea what he’s capable of.”
Mickey’s ears tuned in to the hint of anger in the woman’s voice. Maybe she could get her to talk, calm her down and talk her into leaving her alone. “How do you know Pete? Did he lie to you, too?”
“It’s none of your damn business.” The woman lifted the gun from her head and Mickey released a pent-up breath. “Sit down and put your hands on the table where I can see them. Don’t even think about trying anything stupid. My partner’s waiting downstairs. If you’re lucky enough to get away from me and my gun, he’ll snag your ass as soon as your feet hit the sidewalk.”
She did as she was told. Sweat gathered on her palms, making her hands slippery on the wooden table. She pressed her teeth together to keep them from chattering and kept her gaze glued on her purse mere inches away from her hand. Running obviously wasn’t an option. She had to get in there.
Footsteps fell behind her and traveled from one end of the kitchen to the other. The gun wasn’t pressed against her anymore, but she had no doubt it was still trained on her. “I didn’t sign up to kill people, but I have no choice. Pete slipped up. I told him it was too risky getting involved with someone, even if it were only to get close to the girl.”
Mickey’s stomach dropped and the queasiness intensified. Her vision blurred and she blinked to keep the room in focus. Doubt had crept in about Pete’s role in Becca’s disappearance, but now there was no hiding from the truth. Pete had Becca, and she had to pull herself together. She had to find Becca.
She had to keep the woman talking so she could come up with a plan. “How did you get into my apartment?”
The footsteps came closer and her body tensed. “Pete gave me your spare key. How sweet of you two to decide to take the next step in your relationship. It’s too bad you didn’t ask for the key back when you broke up with him.”
A sharp clink ricocheted beside her and the spare key bounced on the table. She’d been so excited when they’d exchanged keys. It had been the first time she’d ever taken that step and it had cemented their relationship in her mind. Things had progressed quickly for them, but they both had believed their meeting was fate.
What a mistake that had been.
Even when the excitement of their whirlwind romance had died down and Pete’s temper had flared, she had told herself everyone had flaws. Maybe Suzi was right, maybe she’d kept him around too long because it was better than being alone. Now the decision to make him a part of her life might cost her everything.
The gun came back to rest against her head and she sucked in a sharp breath. “Breaking up with him really set him off, you know. He hates when people make decisions for him, especially women. He might have even spared poor Becca if you’d kept on screwing him.” Moist lips rested against her ear and she choked back a sob. “He said you were an excellent lay.”
Mickey gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. Fury burned the blood flowing through her veins, heating her from the inside out. Every muscle in her body screamed to turn around and knock the bitch on her ass, but she couldn’t act yet. She needed to be smart.
The barrel twisted against her head, winding her hair into a painful knot. “Now I have to make sure you don’t ruin everything. You said Pete didn’t say anything, but he had to have slipped up at some point. You two spent months together. I don’t see any other way to make sure all the loose ends are tied up before we leave town.”
“Please don’t kill me.” Mickey hated the frantic sound of her voice. “Pete didn’t say anything. I don’t know a damn thing.”
“I wish I could believe you, but your time’s up.”
Mickey squeezed her eyes shut. At least it’d be quick. A soft rattling sound followed by muffled curses came from the door. Her eyes flew open and her heart clutched in a vise. She glanced at the clock.
Shit. Lydia’s home.
Her heart pounded in her ears. She held her breath and bit into her bottom lip as her focus returned to her purse. The rattling stopped and the door creaked open.
“Who’s there?” The gun left her skull. Now was the time to act. She jutted her elbow backward and slammed it into the soft stomach of
the woman behind her. The woman grunted and stumbled backward, staggering to stay on her feet.
“Get out of here, Lydia! Now.”
The door slammed shut. Mickey’s arm shot out and her hand plunged into her bag. Her fingers found the hard handle of her taser and she pulled it out. Turning on the balls of her feet, she lunged at the woman, tackling her to the ground. A primal scream tore from Mickey’s mouth and the gun fell to the floor. The woman twisted around, but not before Mickey saw a flash of sapphire eyes and the hard lines of her face.
Long bleach-blond hair trailed down the woman’s back as she stretched out, reaching for the gun. Mickey’s reach was longer, and she swatted the gun away. Mickey’s arms wrapped around the woman’s waist and she pulled her back. Keeping one arm in place as the woman clawed her way forward, she pressed the taser to the back of the woman’s neck and pulled the trigger. Yellow sparks jumped out and the woman convulsed beneath her before falling limply to the floor.
Mickey jumped to her feet and grabbed her phone. She turned toward the gun on the floor. She didn’t know how long the woman would be down and couldn’t risk her waking up and grabbing the gun. Reaching down, she grabbed the butt of the gun and then ran toward her room. She couldn’t risk running into her assailant’s partner downstairs. Her fingers trembled as she unlocked her phone and pressed send. Agent Grassi’s number flashed across her screen before she pressed it to her ear.
Come on. Answer the damn phone.
Her heart raced as she waited for him to answer. She closed and locked her bedroom door, and then sat on the floor with the gun pointed at the door. If the bitch came after her again, she’d be ready.
“Agent Grassi.”
“Someone’s trying to kill me! I need you to come to my apartment, or call the police, something. Just get someone here fast.” Her voice trembled and she whispered into the phone as she squeezed it between her shoulder and ear.
“Who is this?”
“It’s Mickey.” She sucked in a deep breath to calm her shaking nerves. “Please come here. She jumped me in my apartment and put a gun to my head.” Her words tumbled out faster and her beating heart slapped harder against her chest.
Bound by Danger Page 4