Captive

by Donna K. Ford

  “I’ll watch the road. The next big curve, we all slide to one side. When we make the turn, I’ll give the signal, and we’ll all rush to the other side and push against the wall to try to flip the van.”

  Ruby let out a long breath. “You’re crazy.”

  “Maybe,” Greyson agreed. She looked to Olivia. “But we have to try.”

  Olivia nodded. “I know.”

  Greyson kissed her tenderly on the lips. “Trust me.”

  Olivia attempted a smile. “I do.”

  Greyson turned back to the window. The guard was playing on his phone, not bothering to watch the back. The driver was changing the radio station. The road had no shoulder and there was barely room for two cars to pass on the narrow road. They were fast approaching the next bend.

  “Everyone shift to the right side,” Greyson said, moving quickly to the other side of the van. The women were crowded together, pressed against one another.

  “Now,” Greyson yelled as the van entered the turn.

  Everyone rushed to the other side of the van, hitting the wall with the force of their weight and momentum. The van rocked to the side, then jerked as the driver tried to correct for the shift. The van swerved.

  “Again,” Greyson ordered.

  The shift this time was enough to send the van out of control. The back wheel slid off the pavement, hitting gravel, then sliding off an embankment.

  Olivia screamed, her voice mingling with the terrified cries of the women around her. They were being thrown around like rag dolls as the van rolled and crashed through the brush. The van was on its side, the women piled on top of one another like flying debris. They jolted to a stop as the front of the van crashed into a tree.

  Olivia tried to get up, but someone was on top of her. “Greyson? Are you okay?”

  The women started to shift, helping each other out of the pile.

  Olivia gasped when she saw Greyson’s face. Blood trailed from a gash above her eye. “You’re bleeding.”

  Greyson pressed her hand to the cut. “It isn’t too bad. I’m okay.” She called out to each of the women. “Is everyone okay?”

  Olivia pushed herself up, wincing at the pain in her wrist.

  Ruby was holding Nikki. Nikki held her arm to her chest, and blood streamed from a gash on her hand.

  “No,” Vinny cried. Greyson helped a couple of the women shift and sit up, pulling them out of the pile of twisted bodies. Audrey wasn’t moving. Greyson cradled the girl’s head and felt for a pulse. The woman’s head was twisted at an odd angle and her eyes stared blankly at nothing.

  The women were crying and screaming, beating against the walls trying to hammer their way out with their bare hands.

  Greyson peered through the cracked glass into the cab. The guard had been thrown on top of the driver. She could see blood on the side of his face. He wasn’t moving. The front of the van was a mangled mess that looked like it had been eaten by a tree. They wouldn’t be able to get out that way.

  She climbed over the others, pushing her way to the back of the van, stumbling over the bodies of two other women. “We have to get out of here. The other van had to be right behind us. They’ll be on us in a minute. As soon as these doors open, run. Split up the best you can, but stay in pairs. They can’t chase us all. Get to the houses and call the police. Tell them about the prison and the girls. Make them understand.”

  Greyson grabbed the arm of one of the women she had rarely heard speak in their time together. Her English was not great, but Greyson had to convince her she had to try. “You can’t be afraid to tell them who you are. You have to speak up or we can’t stop this from happening to more women like us. What if they come for your children next?”

  The woman nodded.

  Greyson slipped her hand inside a small access panel on the back door, praying this was like the vans at work. She wrapped her fingers around a flat metal bar. “Get ready.” She pulled, and to her relief the door popped opened. She pushed the door up enough to release the other door. The instant she pushed through the opening, she was struck from the side. She fell, rolling to her back, ready to defend herself.

  Ruby was the second one through the door and was on the guard before he could hit Greyson with the baton he held over her head.

  Olivia scrambled from the wreckage, falling to her knees at Greyson’s side. Greyson pushed her away. “Run. You have to get out of here. Run!” Greyson yelled.

  Olivia looked stunned but jumped to her feet and bolted away. Greyson saw her look back over her shoulder as she ran. Good. She’ll be safe.

  Greyson stumbled to the front of the van, reaching inside for anything she could find that might help them. She pulled out a cell phone, and dialed 911. Something struck her in the back and her muscles seized before she could speak. She fell to the ground in a fetal position, unable to move her arms or legs. The instant the pulse stopped, she gasped for a breath, letting go of the pain. She was dazed and had difficulty focusing. She yelled out in pain as someone kicked her hard in the back. She rolled to her side.

  “You’re going to pay for this, bitch,” the guard said as he raised his foot again, this time aiming for her head.

  Greyson stared at the tattoo on his throat. She should have taken a shot at this guy when she had a chance. Just as his foot was about to crash down on her face, someone hit him in the head. He stumbled, falling to the ground with a crash. Greyson blinked against the blinding sun and the lingering pain. Olivia stood over her holding a tree branch.

  “You were supposed to run away,” Greyson croaked.

  “Good thing I didn’t. We’re in this together, remember?” Olivia said reaching for Greyson.

  Sirens sounded in the distance. Greyson wasn’t sure if they were police or medics, but they were music to her ears. The guards that were left must have heard them too. They let go of the women they’d been fighting and ran.

  “We can’t let them get back to the other van. We have to save the others,” Greyson said stumbling to her feet. She tried to run but still couldn’t get her legs to work correctly.

  The van on the road suddenly roared to life. The horn blared as the van took off at a dangerous speed, leaving the guards stranded. A black car was on fire by the side of the road. She guessed there had been more guards following them in that car. An arm waved from the window of the van as it sped away.

  Greyson fell to her knees in relief. The others were safe. “Way to go, Vinny,” she yelled.

  She crawled over to Ruby, who continued to beat the life out of the guard caught in her wrath. Nikki lay on the ground near them, not moving, blood pooled from a wound to her head.

  “Stop, Ruby, stop,” Greyson said pulling Ruby off the guard. “He’s dead, Ruby. You can let go.”

  Olivia went to Nikki. Olivia choked back a sob, clasping her hand over her mouth.

  Greyson swallowed hard. The wild girl was gone.

  Ruby slumped back against Greyson, the fight leaving her as she stared at the girl she had most wanted to protect.

  “You did your best,” Greyson said, not knowing the words that could possibly comfort Ruby.

  “No, she did. He would have had me if she hadn’t been there. She saved me.”

  “They can’t hurt her anymore,” Greyson said as reassuringly as she could.

  Ruby nodded. She slipped from Greyson’s arms, crawling on the ground to Nikki’s side. She laid her hand on the girl’s chest, speaking words in a language Greyson didn’t understand.

  Olivia kneeled next to Greyson and wrapped her arms around her, pulling Greyson’s head against her chest. “You did it.”

  Greyson sighed. “We did it.” She looked up as two police cars raced toward them. “Come on, this isn’t over yet.”

  They walked toward the officers with their hands held over their heads. Greyson explained what had happened and told the officers about the prison. The officers called for assistance. In no time it looked like the whole police force had arrived.

  Greys
on hoped it wasn’t too late for the women they had left behind.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Olivia paced the room. They’d been waiting for hours. She understood what a mess the authorities had on their hands to sort out, but she hadn’t seen Greyson in so long she was beginning to feel like they were back in the prison. She half expected the Recruiter to walk through the door at any time. She could imagine his smug expression and shivered at the thought of how he would punish her.

  Had the police gone to the prison yet? Had they saved the other girls there? Would they ever find the Recruiter? Olivia grew more agitated at the thought of him still being out there. Even if they shut down the prison, wouldn’t he just start up again somewhere else? If that ledger she had seen was any indication, there were dozens of places he could go. Had the police found the ledger? Would they figure it out and get to those women in time?

  Her head hurt. It was too much to think about, and she didn’t have any control over any of it. She needed to see Greyson. She wanted to call her family and let them know she was okay. She needed a connection with someone she trusted.

  The door opened and Olivia jumped, turning quickly. “Greyson,” she called the moment Greyson stepped into the room. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay.” She wrapped her arms around Greyson, stopping to brush her fingers across the bandage above Greyson’s eye. “Is it bad?”

  Greyson shook her head. “A few stitches, no big deal. They checked me out pretty good. I had a few X-rays and they even took photos of the bruises and Taser burns.”

  “How are the others?” Olivia asked.

  “Ruby and a few of the other girls were at the hospital. The police were asking a lot of questions and the FBI showed up. Vinny and Raquel and the others are okay too. I saw them come in on my way back here.”

  “That’s good news. I’m glad one of us knows something. The most I can get out of these guys is that they know we are who we say we are.” Olivia sighed. “Why won’t they let me call home?”

  Greyson shrugged. “Maybe they don’t want any of this to get out too soon. Maybe it’ll buy them time to get these guys before they can get away.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Olivia agreed.

  “I’m sure they’ll let our families know soon,” Greyson said, brushing back the hair from Olivia’s face.

  A man entered the room. He cleared his throat the moment he saw them. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but would you ladies like something to eat? We ordered pizza—it’s the best we could do for now.”

  Olivia let out a relieved sigh. “Yeah, we’d like that.”

  All of them murmured excitedly as the food was brought in. The smell filled the room, making Olivia’s mouth water. In that moment her freedom felt real.

  A few moments later Vinny and the rest were brought into the room. Vinny grabbed Greyson in a hug. “We did it. We pulled it off. I thought for sure I’d die in that place. But we did it.”

  Greyson patted Vinny on the back. They went around the room exchanging hugs. The room buzzed with their barely contained joy.

  Olivia’s heart swelled. It was the first time she had seen most of these women smile. The distrust and fear that had hardened their features had lessened and she could see the shimmer of hope begin to grow in their eyes.

  Olivia nodded toward Raquel, who was seated at the end of the table clutching the photo of her children. “You should go talk to her,” she said to Greyson.

  Greyson nodded. “Yeah.” She stepped away from the group, taking a seat across from Raquel.

  “You okay?” Greyson asked.

  Raquel shook her head. “I don’t know what will happen to them. I don’t know where they live. The authorities said they will do their best to find them and keep them safe, but what if the Recruiter gets to them first?”

  Greyson wrapped her fingers around Raquel’s hand. “That won’t happen. If he knows what we did he’ll be in save-his-ass mode. They have some of the guards too, remember. Maybe one of them will know where your family is, or where they can find the Recruiter. This is a long way from over.”

  Raquel nodded.

  “You did the right thing,” Greyson continued. “He’s a lying bastard. You know your girls were never safe as long as he had anything to do with their lives. There was never any promise he wouldn’t hurt them. This way you can do everything you can to stop him.”

  Raquel brushed aside a tear with a swipe of her hand. She straightened. She squeezed Greyson’s hand. “I hope they get him.”

  Greyson nodded. “Me too.”

  “Ms. Danner,” an officer called.

  Greyson met Olivia’s gaze. Her eyes were wide with fear.

  “Come with me, please.” The officer gestured for Olivia to follow. Olivia turned to Greyson, her eyes pleading. Greyson’s heart broke at the sight of fear once again marring Olivia’s face. She hated every moment Olivia had endured in that hell, but at the same time she was thankful for her. Without Olivia, she might have given up—she might have given up on all of them.

  Olivia reached for Greyson’s hand. “Can she come with me?” Olivia asked.

  “Of course,” he answered.

  * * *

  They were led down the hall to another small room. “We sent someone for your parents. They should be arriving any moment now.”

  Relief almost took Olivia’s breath away. “Oh, thank God. Thank you,” Olivia said with tears welling in her eyes.

  “Is there anything else you need?” the officer asked.

  Olivia shook her head.

  “I’ll be just outside if you think of anything,” he said as he turned to leave.

  “Wait,” Olivia called, just as the door started to close. “Could you leave the door open, please.”

  He nodded, his lips pursed in understanding. “Sure.”

  Olivia turned to Greyson. Greyson smiled. “Thank you,” Olivia said burying her face against Greyson’s shoulder.

  “For what?” Greyson asked.

  “Everything.”

  There was a gentle knock at the door. Olivia looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway, her father behind her, his hands on her mother’s shoulders.

  “Momma.” Olivia ran to her mother, almost knocking her over with the force of her embrace. Her father wrapped them both in his arms and they cried. “I’m so sorry, Momma. I was afraid I’d never see you again.”

  Her mother’s hands trembled as she held her. “Thank God. I knew he would bring you back to me. I just knew.”

  Greyson watched Olivia and her parents, a bit uncomfortable with being an outsider in the room. Olivia’s mother looked up at Greyson. “Who’s this?”

  Olivia swiped at the tears flowing down her cheeks. She stepped back, turning to Greyson. “This is Greyson Cooper. She was in that…place with me. She saved us.”

  Greyson wanted to argue that last point but was overwhelmed when Olivia’s mother crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “Thank you. Thank you for bringing her back to us.”

  Greyson lightly wrapped her arms around her, allowing her to cry against her chest. Greyson looked up at Olivia’s father, who was also crying. He smiled at Greyson and nodded.

  Greyson understood Olivia’s parents in that moment. Whatever conflict had been between them in the past was swept away. They might still have differences, but their love for each other would endure anything.

  Greyson stepped aside. “I’ll be down the hall if you need me.”

  “You don’t have to go,” Olivia said, grasping her hand.

  “It’s okay. You need a little time together. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Olivia smiled. She kissed Greyson lightly on the lips. “I’ll see you later.”

  Greyson smiled. “I’m counting on it.”

  Greyson left Olivia to visit with her family, happy to know Olivia had her life back. She knew they all had a long road ahead of them, but she didn’t care. They were free. She had a life worth living again.

  * * *

/>   Greyson was met in the hall by a tall man in a black suit. “Hello, Ms. Cooper. I’m Special Agent Piper. I need a word with you, if you don’t mind.”

  Greyson nodded and followed the agent into a small office. She had the feeling she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

  “I’m sorry to have to do this. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, but we have a development and we need your help.”

  “What kind of development?” Greyson asked.

  Agent Piper cleared his throat. “We raided the prison. We have several men in custody and we were able to uncover a lot of information that is going to take a while to process. As I’m sure you understand, this is a time sensitive matter. We need the location of this death match you told us about if we’re going to be able to intercept the other cells.”

  Greyson sat down in a leather chair, fatigue settling over her, making her feel weak. Her head hurt and her other injuries were becoming harder to ignore. “How can I help you with that? I’ve told you everything I know.”

  Agent Piper nodded. “One of the men we apprehended has proposed a deal.”

  Greyson frowned. “What kind of deal?”

  “In exchange for leniency, he says he can give us the information we need, if he can talk to you first.”

  Greyson leaned forward. “Who?”

  “We’ve identified him as Adam Polk Sr. He said you’d know him as Uncle Dan.”

  Greyson blew out her breath. “What does he want?”

  The agent clenched his jaw. “No idea. I know this is unusual, and normally I wouldn’t allow it, but there are lives at stake.”

  Greyson nodded. “I get it.”

  “An agent will be in the room with you at all times. It’s up to you, Ms. Cooper.”

  Greyson swallowed. She didn’t really have a choice. If there was any chance she might be able to save others and put a stop to this sick underground world, she would have to do it. She blew out her breath. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  Greyson was led into another small room. Uncle Dan sat at a table. His hands were cuffed and shackled to a ring in the floor. Greyson had a moment of satisfaction at the turn of fate. But there was no joy in any of this.