by Stone, Mary
But technology was constantly evolving, and her holding cells would be cleared out by the next day. With the advent of instant pay apps came more sinister uses. Jarrod had found a way to work around the five-hundred-dollar cap most programs had, creating a private app that enabled Katarina’s wealthy clients to pay her thousands in the blink of an eye. A few would take delivery the same day. Those who resisted the new system would miss out, forfeiting their prize to the next person in line.
Already, the first winner had paid for Noelle, adding a large bonus to have her delivered at the end of the auction. Katarina was more than happy to unload as many bodies as she could that night. Some would be dead by morning, but most would live long lives serving their new masters until they were sold or replaced.
The lucky ones were abandoned in remote locations across state lines, unable to tell police where they’d been for so long. Katarina had never been one of the lucky ones, but she’d made her own luck, and that luck was filling her bank account and making her dreams closer to being a reality.
Chains clanked as Lucky pulled and twisted in his shackles. His sweat-slick skin glistened under the spotlights. “You won’t get away with this! Any of you!” He was putting on quite a show, driving up the bids further than she’d hoped. She’d gambled when she revealed Lucky was a serial killer, and that move had paid off.
“Three hundred fifty thousand. Do I hear four hundred thousand? Three fifty, going once. Going twice.” The auctioneer glanced at Katarina, raising the gavel in the air. Katarina nodded. “Sold to bidder one-seven-nine for three hundred and fifty thousand dollars!” He slammed the gavel down with a triumphant grin.
Lucky lowered his head and let out a low moan. His shoulders shook as Brutus unchained him from the auction block and led him down the dark aisle, back to the cages.
As soon as the gavel had dropped, Katarina had received a notification from her payment app. Once she hit the accept button on the app, the money was hers. There was no way for the buyer to cancel the sale. Jarrod had made sure the days of waiting for funds to clear and hoping a buyer didn’t change their mind was a thing of the past. Trembling with excitement, she clicked the button and sent a quick thank you.
I want him tonight, came the response from the anonymous bidder.
Send me your address and I’ll have him shipped immediately.
The return message was an address in Atlanta.
Transferring a purchase by vehicle always posed a risk, but Katarina paid others to take those risks. She sent one last message, assuring the client their purchase would arrive in the next six hours, closed her phone and tucked it into her pocket.
Glancing at the list of captives up for auction, she let out a little squeal. Eleven women and five men total, and the first two had already made her nearly half a million dollars. And she hadn’t even gotten to Nick Greene yet. He was coming up after the next one. Her first night was a resounding success right out of the gate. Kingsley would’ve been proud.
He’d also want a cut. But Katarina was running things now, and the days of her giving cuts to lazy men calling the shots behind the scenes were over. If Kingsley had been calling the shots, Lucky would’ve been last on the list, with teasers being shared in between bids to pump up the perspective buyers. “Buyers disappear when the big ticket items are gone,” he’d told her before, as if the rules of an estate sale applied to selling humans.
Katarina had known for a while that Kingsley was wrong. She’d observed so many auctions and found over and over again the letdown of losing a coveted item almost always led to an easy sell on the next in line. Bidders didn’t think twice about dropping fifty or sixty thousand, when moments before, they’d had twice that on the line. Just like car salesmen jacked up their prices, so the final price wasn’t such a shock, it didn’t matter if that price was well above the MSRP. The duped were always thrilled to “win,” as if beating out others somehow proved they weren’t suckers.
The same applied to her patrons, and now she was going to prove it, if only to herself.
Brutus returned with another captive. A man almost as good looking as both Lucky and Nick, but pumped, like he lifted iron seven days a week.
Intrigued, Katarina watched the bidding war begin, the losers sad they’d lost out on Lucky and clamoring for second prize.
The man was half Lucky’s age, but he lacked the charm that seemed to ooze from the truck driver.
He was also the furthest thing from a serial killer. Had he been offered first, he would’ve fetched fifty grand, tops. But the bidders coming off the extreme low of losing Lucky had already driven the price to over one hundred thousand, and the bids were still coming in.
She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. If her buyers kept this up, she’d make over a million by the end of the night.
Another notification caused her phone to vibrate in her pocket. Expecting a message from one of the winners, she turned her attention away from the bidding still raging on. Her breath caught at the notification from her security system. She automatically touched the message, opening a video feed from one of dozens of cameras throughout the property.
Black-clad officers in full tactical gear swarmed the building she stood in now.
Shock, followed by rage, slammed through her entire body.
Somehow, they’d managed to avoid setting off any of the other cameras. She had about thirty seconds before they breached the doors. Sixty, if she was lucky. And there was no way for her to leave the building without getting caught.
Instinct kicking in, she backed to the door leading to the kennels. Once through, she took off at a run on the balls of her feet, a trick she’d learned to quiet her footfalls. Bile rose in her throat as she raced down the dimly lit hall at the rear of the building. A faded sign declared a door was for “employees only, alarm will sound” if opened. There was no such alarm. Shoving the bar on the heavy door, Katarina slipped through into the empty corridor that ran between the auction block and the cages where the captives were being held farther down.
Thirty seconds.
She gasped, choking on the thick air filled with stale urine and filth. Dirt padded the concrete beneath her feet. Faltering, she wasted precious seconds turning back to look over her shoulder.
Her footprints were clear in the dirt, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Twenty seconds.
This aisle was identical to the one the captives were held in. With only sixteen captives for the first auction, she hadn’t needed to order Brutus to clean the thick layer of dirt that coated this part of the cement floor. This area’s maintenance was set for the following week.
Think. Think!
Katarina stepped into the first kennel run and pulled the gate closed behind her. Undoing the neat bun holding up her hair, she tossed the plastic clip on the ground and shook her hair loose. Scooping up handfuls of dirt, she smeared her arms and face, running filthy hands through her hair. The dirt smelled of animal waste, mixed with a mild sweetness that brought to mind rotting corpses. She gagged, the thought of an abused dog left to rot on the floor of the cage forcing tears to her eyes.
The lights went off, plunging the entire building into darkness.
A window broke at the other end of the corridor, in the auction room.
An instant later, there was a deafening boom and a flash of light. A flash-bang grenade.
Shrieks were muffled by another boom and explosion of light.
Closing her eyes tightly shut, Katarina dropped to her knees, covering her ears and gulping in air. From the auction room, the sound of metal protesting a battering ram that slammed rhythmically against the door added to the chaos. The police would be in the building in seconds, and Katarina was running out of time. She had one shot to make this work.
Grabbing her shirt in both hands, she yanked as hard as she could. The fabric held, then ripped until the tear exposed a little too much cleavage. She smeared more of the dirt onto her exposed skin, proud that she di
dn’t gag this time.
The door gave way with a squeal of twisting metal and a clatter. Dozens of boots hit the concrete in the outer room, and agents swarmed into the aisle.
She strained to see through the crack around the door separating the kennels from the auction area, but there was nothing but shadows and flashlight beams bouncing around the room.
“Federal agents! Hands in the air!”
Katarina lifted her hand, ready to put on a show when her gaze landed on the unlocked gate. She reached through the chain-link, twisting the open padlock until the arm lined up. Hindered by the fence, she fumbled, almost knocking the lock to the floor, yet somehow, she managed to lock it just before the first agent appeared at the end of her row.
“Help me!” she sobbed, grabbing the wire and shaking it as hard as she could.
Armed with wire cutters, the agent rushed toward her. “You’re going to be okay.” The padlock snapped easily, clattering to the concrete as the agent yanked the door open and motioned her out. He pointed to the aisle that ran perpendicular to the one she was on. “Go out that door now. Don’t stop until you get to the ambulance. Move!”
She did as he said, running as he went to the other captives.
Hitting the door full force, she flung it open and ran outside into the waiting arms of another agent. “Help,” she cried out, proud of the tears she’d been able to send streaming down her cheeks.
“You’re okay.” The agent’s voice was urgent, yet soothing. He turned her away from his chest, pointing at the ambulance, painted black to make it blend in with the other SUVs. Clever. “Go to the ambulance to get checked out.”
She nodded her understanding to the agent. But he was already focused on the door, waiting for more freed captives, and ready to take down anyone who posed a threat.
The agent at the ambulance hadn’t spotted her yet, the darkness between them shielding Katarina from view. She made a hard right, walking quickly through the field and into the trees, picking her way down a narrow animal trail in the pitch-black night.
Behind her, angry shouts rose as her people were hauled out of the building in cuffs. Sobs and cries of sheer joy rose above the chaos, the sixteen captives so thankful to be free they didn’t mind blubbering like fools.
Katarina checked her back pocket, relieved that her phone was still there. Stopping to catch her breath, she accepted the third bid, which had been paid seconds after the purchase. Using her thumb to flip to the next screen, she scheduled an instant transfer, unbothered by the three-percent fee. Having over five hundred thousand deposited in her account in seconds was worth the not even twenty grand.
Getting her bearings, she took a right, walking more carefully now that she was past the property line. Finding the right spot, she counted off the trees, starting with the old knotted oak and stopping when she reached twelve. She searched in the darkness until her hand touched the garden spade she’d shoved beneath an exposed root. Digging at the base of the tree, she moved the dirt until the tip of the spade hit something solid.
With shaking hands, she used her fingers to search for the thick cords holding the plastic bag shut. When she found them, she pulled gently, using the spade to move more dirt away. The cord stretched, the earth shifted, and the bag broke free.
Katarina landed hard on her backside, but she was smiling. Inside the plastic trash bag was her go bag, which held everything she needed to escape, along with a phony identity and a change of clothes.
Stripping down to her underwear in the dark forest, she changed, leaving her old clothes right there at the base of the tree, not even bothering to bury the evidence. If the agents came this way eventually, she would already be long gone.
Life had taught her to be prepared for anything.
It was going to take a lot more than a surprise ambush to catch Katarina Volkov off her game.
29
Ellie ran alongside the stretcher, eyes on Nick’s battered face. His eyelids fluttered open long enough to meet her worried gaze. “I knew you’d find me.”
The paramedics stopped at the ambulance, throwing open the doors. Ellie grabbed Nick’s hand and squeezed gently. “I promised I would.”
Nick was pale in the artificial light, the previously pitch-black night lit up as bright as day by portable streetlights on generators spaced around the building.
“Detective, we need to take this man to the hospital now.” The paramedic climbed into the back with the stretcher, his eyes on the patient. Sirens wailed in the distance as a fleet of ambulances made their way to their location.
Ellie nodded, releasing Nick’s hand. A second paramedic lowered the stretcher, the legs collapsed, and it rolled into the back of the ambulance where the first paramedic was already preparing an IV. Nick kept his gaze on her until the doors closed, and she stood there, helpless, as the diesel engine roared and the ambulance sped away, lights and sirens flashing.
Clay came up behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She didn’t trust herself to face him and not crumple, so she stood stiffly, watching the flashing red lights as the ambulance turned onto the road and headed toward Charleston.
“He’s going to be all right, Kline.”
“I hope you’re right.” Wiping away tears with the back of her sleeve, she turned, waving at the building. “Have they found Katarina yet?”
“They’re still clearing the building. The K-9 team is working. If she’s in there, they’ll find her.”
Ellie sniffed and shoved her hands into her pockets. It was excruciating, the waiting. Not knowing Nick’s status. Not knowing whether Katarina was in the wind. Time dragged by as another captive was taken by ambulance to begin their recovery.
It seemed like hours had passed, and she was at her breaking point when Clay tapped her on the arm.
“It looks like they’re coming out now.”
Ellie held her breath as the ACTeam’s K-9 officer emerged from the building. Their eyes met, and hope bloomed in Ellie’s stomach. He shook his head.
No.
She had to be sure. “You didn’t find Katarina?”
“The building is clear. She’s not here.”
“We’ll find her.” Clay clasped Ellie’s shoulder. “She couldn’t have gotten far. We have a perimeter set up and—”
“You’re not going to find her.”
His face hardened. “This is what we do. We’re going to look, even if finding her seems impossible. You wouldn’t believe the places we discover people hiding.”
Ellie frowned, shaking her head. “You don’t know Katarina. She’s long gone. We won’t find her until she resurfaces.”
Clay took her arm, gently tugging her away from the group of agents until they were alone, out of earshot. “Let’s focus on the win, okay?”
She forced a smile. “You’re right. Rescuing twelve women and five men is no small feat.”
“Three of them had already been sold by the time we breached the building. If we hadn’t found them tonight, they would be on their way to another location.”
The thought made Ellie shudder. “At least there’s that. Have they interviewed everyone?”
“Not yet.” Clay pointed out a young female agent who was getting into the back of one of the SUVs. “We use a trauma specialist to do an initial interview with the victims on scene. She’s almost done, but it’s a long process.” He frowned and lowered his head closer to hers. “Some of these people never recover from what they are put through. I know you understand the horror of it all.”
“I’ve experienced it firsthand. For what it’s worth, I would’ve been relieved to have someone like her interview me after I escaped from Kingsley’s warehouse. The officers who interviewed me did their best.”
“Their best is all any of them can do.” He nodded to the squad cars surrounding the building. “Charleston PD showed up in a big way tonight. That’s your influence, Ellie. This is your win.”
“It’s a win for all of us. I know Fortis was happy to send
reinforcements. It doesn’t hurt that it looks good for the department, as he always says.”
“That’s what we want. A good public image is imperative. If citizens don’t trust local law enforcement, they won’t trust us, either.”
Ellie chuckled, shaking her head. “You make a long-term collaboration between locals and the feds sound so easy.”
“There’s no need for anyone to be territorial.”
She barked out a laugh. “I’ll let the other detectives know that.”
“Good luck.” He elbowed her playfully and pointed at one of the squad cars. “Katarina’s number one man is in the car. Want to interview him?”
“Has he asked for a lawyer?”
“Nope. Won’t give his real name, either. Says he’s called Brutus.”
Ellie peered through the car’s window, lights reflecting off the glass. “He doesn’t look too happy. Let’s see how deep his loyalty to Katarina runs. Has he been Mirandized?”
At Clay’s nod, Ellie got into the back seat from the driver’s side, leaving her foot on the ground to prop the door open.
Brutus moved to scoot away from her, but Clay climbed in from the other side, pinning Brutus’s bulk between them.
Ellie smiled at him, wondering why he didn’t just shave his head completely. He was so bulky, he brought to mind the proverbial bull in a china shop.
Brutus shifted in his seat, lips turning down in a worried frown.
“Hi, Brutus. I’m Detective Kline, and this is Agent Lockwood.”
“I already told the other cop I have nothing to say.”
“That’s fine.” Ellie flashed him a brilliant smile that was a little too wide, and he recoiled into the seat, cringing. “Brutus, you can just listen if you want. Let me know if you change your mind about being silent. You see, we have video of you dragging kidnapping victims onto some sort of stage, then partially removing their clothes to show off their anatomy. Now, you and I both know that Katarina was calling the shots, but she was really careful to stay out of the camera line. Can you guess why that is?”