Trail of Danger

by Valerie Hansen

  “The way he reacted to the reconstruction of the face of your assailant. My mistake was thinking he was more afraid of that man than he was of staying here with us.”

  Reed’s sister asked, “Do you want me to call it in as a missing person?”

  “Not yet. I need to report to Noah Jameson before I do anything else. He left the decision up to me, and I’m the one who made the mistake of bringing Dom home. If Abigail hadn’t been with us I probably wouldn’t have. Let’s assume the boy headed back to the beach and go there first.”

  “Are you going to put Jessie on his trail?” Lani asked.

  It was clear to Abigail that her presence was posing a problem when both Bransons turned to stare at her. “I can stay here with Midnight if you need to go,” she said.

  “No good. Lani’s trained in self-defense, but you aren’t. The police still have her gun, and that puppy won’t be any help. We’ll all have to go.”

  “Even Midnight?”

  “No. Lani can crate her for the short time we’ll be away so she won’t slow us down. I’ll let Jessie track Dom as far as she can, then turn her over to you two and you can bring her back here—hopefully with a police escort—and wait for me. He’s a savvy kid. He’ll probably hop on the subway. Once he boards a train, Jessie’s bound to lose his trail.”

  As far as Abigail was concerned, his plan was awful. However, this was not the time to argue. The sooner they put the bloodhound on the teen’s trail, the better. When it came time to leave Reed and come back to the house with Lani, she’d speak her piece. No way was she letting that stubborn cop track down one of her special kids without her. Period.

  Besides, she reasoned, she’d feel a lot safer with Reed by her side than she would if they parted. She might not be used to his house yet, but she was more than used to being with him. He was the glue that held her psyche together and the strength that gave her enough courage to keep trying.

  That, and my faith in God, Abigail added. Lately it seemed she only remembered to pray earnestly when she was scared to death, so her next prayer was an apology to her heavenly Father and the promise to do better at trusting Him in all things, even the smallest detail.

  Starting now, she told herself, giving thanks for Reed even if he was an opinionated, stubborn man who drove her crazy.

  * * *

  Reed felt overwhelmed and he was not happy about it. He couldn’t report the boy when all he had was a suspicion. It was going to be hard enough getting somebody to look after Abigail when Lani had to go back to work and he sure couldn’t divert the talents of his extraordinary K-9, he added. Jessie had found a trail the instant she’d hit the back door. Nose down, she was coursing back and forth, rarely lifting her head to sniff the air.

  Reed glanced over his shoulder at the women. Lani was dressed for running but Abigail was going to get overheated in those jeans and that long-sleeve T-shirt. She was already wiping her brow.

  “I can’t stop now,” he called back. “If you can’t keep up, head back to the house.”

  A breathless, “No way,” drifted back to him. He should have guessed Abigail would stick it out until he ended the search or she dropped from exhaustion. She was the most stubborn—and loyal—woman he’d ever encountered, with the possible exception of his overachieving sister. Lani had always insisted she was as capable as he was, and now she’d met her doppelganger in Abigail Jones.

  Streets grew busier and traffic thick. Trucks honked. Taxis squeezed in and out between other vehicles as if able to flex as they passed, much the way a terrier pursued a rabbit through brambles or down its burrow.

  Jessie halted, circled once, then started down the stairway into the first subway entrance they came to.

  “This is it,” Reed announced. “As I suspected, he hopped a train.”

  Lani accepted Jessie’s leash from him. “You really want us to go back home? Why don’t you come along and get your car?”

  “It’ll take too long,” he countered. “I’ll contact Transit and make arrangements for them to keep an eye out, particularly near the Coney and Brighton stops.”

  “Okay,” his sister said.

  Pulling out his phone Reed covered the opposite ear with his hand to mute the street noise and turned away.

  It took several minutes to complete his explanation and give the dispatcher a detailed description of Dominic. Since the boy owned so few clothes it was easy to tell what he had to be wearing. When Reed looked behind him, expecting to see Lani, Jessie and Abigail on their way back to his house, he was stunned. His sister and his dog were gone, all right. But Abigail Jones was still standing there, grinning up at him as if she had just won a prize.

  “What are you doing here? And where’s Lani? You’re supposed to stay with her.”

  “I decided to stick with you, instead. Your sister didn’t seem to mind.” Abigail pointed back the way they had come. “She said she was taking Jessie home.”

  “Well, I do.” He shaded his eyes to scan the busy sidewalk. There was no sign of Lani’s blond hair, and Jessie was too close to the ground to spot at a distance, given the throng of pedestrians.

  “Sorry,” Abigail said, continuing to smile. “Too late. I’m going to be there for that kid, even if he is trouble with a capital T. You’re stuck with me until we catch up to Dom.”

  Gritting his teeth and clamping his jaw, he stared at her. So pretty. So witty. And so, so...

  She gestured at the descending staircase and the crush of passengers zigzagging past each other. “Are we going to stand here arguing or get a move on? I’m sure Dominic didn’t waste any time.”

  Reed did the only logical thing. He clasped her hand tightly and started down the stairs, half dragging her behind him. There were no words adequate for this situation. None. Not even the unacceptable ones she had hinted at.

  Right here, right now, all he could do was make sure she didn’t lag behind or pull some other inane trick that made matters even worse. If that was possible.

  He felt her resist. Heard her say, “There. That one. It’s the most direct route.”

  * * *

  She was breathless and softly laughing. He was not amused.

  “You don’t have to worry about me trying to ditch you,” she said, raising her voice to carry above the rhythmic clacking of the wheels on the tracks. “I told you. I intend to be there for Dom. The way I see it, you’re my best chance of catching up to him.”

  Leaning closer, he spoke into her ear, his warm breath tickling her cheek and sending a shiver from there to the ends of every nerve.

  “I’d be more inclined to trust you,” Reed said, “if you kept your word.”

  She whipped around as best she could without staggering. “Hey, when have I lied to you?” Abigail wasn’t sorry she’d used a harsh tone, but she sure wished she hadn’t placed her face so close to his while doing it. Their lips were mere inches apart, and unless Reed straightened there was no chance she was going to be able to back away. The accidental closeness was overwhelming. Awesome. It was as if they were the only two people on that train, enclosed in a cocoon of intense awareness and emotional pull. Connected as never before.

  To her delight, Reed seemed as stunned as she felt. Frozen in time, he stared into her eyes, studying, probing their depths, asking unspoken questions she didn’t dare answer.

  A little notion formed and grew beyond her wildest imagining. If the train jerked just a tiny bit and she let herself go with it, there was a chance Reed would feel the same urge she did and kiss her. They’d had their differences, sure, but the attraction felt mutual. It simply had to be. There was no way she’d have become so enamored of him if she hadn’t sensed reciprocation.

  When had it started? she wondered. How had she managed to meet and fall for this man in such a short time? Was she deluded? Unbalanced because of the amnesia?

  Amnesia. Abigail close
d her eyes and stood stock-still, her face still raised to his. She was seeing the carousel, the night, the men who had been nothing but shimmering shadows until she’d worked through the problem with Danielle and come up with a face.

  She was in Luna Park. Alone. Frightened. And she was watching two adults manhandle a smaller person, probably a teen or preteen. Then they were after her. Someone grabbed her. Threatened her. Hurt her wrists and made her believe she was about to be murdered!

  Abigail’s lips parted. Her breathing grew ragged. She remembered!

  Her eyes flew open just as Reed was lowering his mouth to join it with hers and her noisy gasp ended everything.

  She had no time to lament the show of affection she’d missed by moments. This was too exciting. She grabbed his arm. “I know what I saw! It’s all clear now.”

  “You remembered the whole event? Really?”

  “Yes! It was—it was by the carousel. Two men, one heavy and one thinner, just like I told you before. Only now I know why they chased and grabbed me. I saw them restraining a third person. I think it was one of my kids. It had to be. Who else would be hanging around down there at that hour? Besides...”

  More details swam to the surface, giving Abigail a jolt. “Hey! I know why I was there. It was because of Kiera. She’d asked me to meet her.”

  “No wonder she was so nervous about your memories. She was involved. Do you think she set you up?”

  Abigail’s spirits plummeted from the mountaintop of success to the valley of despair. “I don’t know. I’d like to think she wouldn’t do that to me but I can’t be positive, especially after the way she made Dominic run away from us.”

  To her relief, Reed slipped an arm around her and held her close to his side while they swayed with the movement of the train. “One answer at a time,” he said. “First we’ll find him, then we’ll look for her. If we have to round up every kid on the boardwalk, we will.”

  “Can you do that?”

  He huffed. “Not out of uniform like this. But I do think I can get the acting chief of my unit to pull a few strings. We’ve had reports of a couple of newly missing teens anyway, so it’s not a stretch to do a sweep.”

  “My kids? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Simmer down. These kids were visiting from out of town and disappeared during a day at the beach with friends.”

  “That is so sad.” She leaned against Reed for support and to draw on his inner strength. “Sometimes I feel as though my best efforts are worthless. I can’t rescue all the lost kids no matter how hard I try.”

  “Then you understand how I feel,” he said with a sigh. “Only in your case, some of them actually come to you. I have to chase them down or try to outsmart them. A lot of times, my collars will make bail or alibi out and hit the streets again before I have time to grab lunch.”

  “I sometimes wish I could lock these kids up and force them to listen to good advice,” Abigail said.

  He gave her a tender squeeze. “And I wish my contacts liked me half as much as yours like you.”

  “I like you,” she told him.

  “Yeah,” Reed said. She felt his voice rumbling in his chest where her cheek rested. “Don’t tell anybody, but I kinda like you, too, Ms. Jones.”

  NINETEEN

  “We could cover more ground if we split up,” Abigail said.

  Reed scowled at her. “You have to be kidding.” It was a relief to see her blush behind those freckles.

  “I thought I should at least suggest it.”

  “No. Period. You and I are doing this together or not at all. Got that?”

  She squeezed his hand. “Yup. Got it.”

  “You’re agreeing with me? What’s wrong? Are you sick? Running a fever?”

  “Ha ha.” She held up one hand and placed the tips of her index finger and thumb less than an inch apart. “I don’t want to get even this far away from you, okay?”

  “That works for me.” Reed couldn’t help smiling. When he saw her sky blue eyes sparkling he almost embraced her again. If he could have come up with a good reason to, he would have.

  “Since you’re down here all the time and I’m not, why don’t you choose where we look first?”

  “Now you’re the one who’s acting strange,” Abigail said with a wry smile. “But I get it. I do know where the kids like to hang out, although this is pretty early to catch any of them awake. They stay up late and sleep late.”

  “Where? Where do they sleep?”

  She shrugged. “A lot of them stay on the beach in warm weather. That’ll be ending soon, and it worries me. Come on.”

  Reed followed her down a ramp that led to the sand. It was too loose for comfortable walking, but he persevered. Sky that had been clear blue with a few puffy clouds was now darkening noticeably. “We should have brought jackets.”

  “Yes. I never dreamed it would turn so chilly in September.”

  “It’s hard to imagine anybody spending the winter here, let alone a bunch of kids. That’s a recipe for trouble.”

  “Don’t I know it.” Abigail shivered. “Most of them go into the city center when it gets too bad down here. A few come to us for aid and shelter. Those are the ones I look forward to seeing because it means they’re ready to listen to reason. The state, as well as my organization, AFS, have plenty of programs to get them jobs or schooling or whatever they need. But they have to be willing to follow a few simple rules and that’s where we sometimes run into conflict.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  Just ahead, near the water’s edge, a flock of gulls took flight and scattered, screeching in protest. Reed thought he’d seen something hit the beach near them so he wasn’t too surprised they’d panicked. He did, however, inspect the wet sand where he’d seen the disturbance and he didn’t like the narrow groove he spotted.

  “What’s that from?”

  “My guess? A bullet trajectory.” He began to scoop with his hands until he turned up a piece of lead-colored metal.

  “That’s impossible. I didn’t hear any big bang.”

  “You wouldn’t be likely to recognize the sound from this small a caliber. It would be like listening to plinking at a shooting gallery.” Placing himself as a human shield between the boardwalk and the young woman, Reed scanned inland. All looked peaceful. A few folks were sweeping spots in front of food stands, and carts were delivering supplies for the upcoming day, but other than normal activity, there was nothing going on. If there had been a shooter he was either hiding or had left after firing the warning shot.

  “Okay,” Reed said, “we’re getting off this sand and back to where we can take up defensive positions if we have to.”

  “But the kids...”

  “Come on. We’ll find a seat close to Kiera’s favorite hot dog stand, watch and wait. If Dominic is around he may go there looking for her. Being in a crowd is smarter than wandering around like a row of lone ducks in a shooting gallery.”

  “So much for letting me take the lead,” she muttered as they crossed the sand again.

  “It’s not your fault.” He held up the tiny bullet. “I just have an aversion to ending up with one of these in me.”

  “I’d hate it, too.”

  “That’s comforting.” Reed told her.

  Staying alert, he continued to scan the quiet stretches of boardwalk on either side of them while choosing chairs that backed up to an enormous menu sign. If the shooter was hiding, he or she would have to step into view to get a bead on them, giving Reed a chance to mount an effective defense.

  The sigh Abigail loosed was almost as noisy as the wind off the Atlantic. Reed saw her shiver. “Cold?”

  “A little. We left in too big a hurry to plan well.”

  “I know.” He made a face of disgust. “My fault. Waking up and not finding Dominic rattled me. That’s unacceptable for a c
op. I know better.”

  “Yeah, well, when you care about somebody your emotions can take charge of your brain.” She chuckled wryly. “I should know. I’m down here with you, just as unprepared.”

  He patted the concealed holster at his waist. “I’m not exactly unprepared. Underprepared is more like it.” He glanced at the gray sky. “Once the sun comes out it’ll warm up so much we’ll be complaining of the heat.”

  “I suppose.” Abigail had been fidgeting. She stood. “I can’t just sit here, okay?”

  Reaching out, Reed stopped her by touching her arm. “Wait. Look.” He pointed as surreptitiously as he could. “Isn’t that the girl?”

  Abigail twisted around, squinted. “Yes!”

  “Easy. It looks like she’s coming to us. Let her.”

  “You’re right.”

  As Reed watched, the teenager spotted them and broke into a run. She was approaching so fast he expected to see a pursuer. There was none. The boardwalk behind her was empty.

  Abigail opened her arms and the girl collapsed into the embrace. She was weeping. Gasping. Trying to speak.

  “He got me out...” Sobs interrupted.

  “Who did?” Reed asked.

  “D-Dominic. He was supposed to be right behind me, but he didn’t make it!”

  “Okay, slow down and explain,” Reed said. All the response he got was more weeping, so he turned the job over to Abigail. “Get her calmed down. We need details.”

  “Right.” Abigail shepherded the teen to the chairs she and Reed had been sharing. “Here. Sit with me and take some deep breaths. We need to know what happened. Where’s Dominic?”

  “They have him,” Kiera blurted. “And they’re going to put him on a ship.” A gasp. “Today!”

  “A ship? Why?” Abigail asked.

  Speaking louder to be heard above the gut-wrenching sobs, Reed was hoping against hope that he was wrong. “How many kids do they have?”