Trail of Danger

by Valerie Hansen

  “L-lots,” Kiera blubbered.

  “All young and mostly girls?”

  The frantic teen nodded.

  “Can you lead us back there?”

  “I—I can’t go back. If they catch me they’ll kill me.”

  The puzzled expression on Abigail’s face told Reed she was not yet seeing the whole picture, so he explained. “Human trafficking. We’ve suspected as much for months but haven’t been able to gather enough evidence to make arrests. This could be the breakthrough we’ve all been praying for.”

  He pulled out his cell phone to report to his boss and saw light dawning in Abigail’s eyes. Awareness was rapidly replaced by anger and determination.

  She grasped Kiera’s shoulders and forced a face-to-face confrontation. “Listen to me. This is what’s going to happen. You are going to tell the police what you know and where the prisoners are being held. And then, if they have trouble finding the hiding place, you and I are going to lead them there. Understood?”

  “Noooo!”

  “Oh, yes. Somebody has to stand up for these other kids. Dominic risked his life to free you. Can you do less for him?”

  Reed stayed out of it. He watched the girl sink to her knees, then saw Abigail lift her back up. They both had to be scared to death, particularly since both had been victims of similar attacks. It was only by the grace of God that Abigail had managed to outwit her pursuers and develop into a valuable ally.

  He could not have been prouder of her if she had been his sister or a fellow police officer. All he had to worry about now was keeping her in the background while the NYPD handled the assault on the kidnappers’ stronghold and freed their prisoners.

  He huffed. That should be about as easy as turning the tide at will.

  The best he could do was shoot a prayer toward Heaven and leave it to God, because no way was Abigail Jones going to listen to any other warning.

  * * *

  One element of the morning’s operation was driving Abigail crazy. She hated waiting. However, she was also smart enough to realize that a Lone Ranger approach was foolhardy.

  As patrol car after patrol car rolled up to the staging area along Surf Avenue and angled into the curb, she was astounded at the number of regular officers, SWAT team members and K-9s with their partners.

  The only person she recognized for sure was Brianne, the one who had delivered the replacement SUV to Reed after his was wrecked. All business, the K-9 officer was accompanied by a golden Lab who looked more mature than the second dog of the same color who trotted along beside a male officer.

  After shaking hands with many of the assembled police, Reed stepped back to listen to their incident commander issue instructions. As soon as assignments had been parceled out, Reed returned to Abigail, accompanied by the others with K-9s.

  “Brianne Hayes you know,” he said. “This is Stella, Midnight’s mother. She’s a former patrol K-9 being cross-trained at present.”

  Abigail nodded. Her arm remained firmly around Kiera’s waist so the teen couldn’t flee. “Yes. Hello again.”

  “And this is Finn Gallagher with K-9 Abernathy. His specialty is search and rescue. I hope we won’t need either dog today.”

  “So do I.” Abigail managed a slight smile for the others and their amazing canines. “I’m Abigail Jones and this is Kiera Underhill. She managed to escape from kidnappers this morning and is going to lead us to their hideout, if necessary.” She gave the teen a squeeze. “Aren’t you?”

  “I guess.” The face Kiera made to accompany her response was anything but amiable. Abigail didn’t care. She couldn’t let anything stop the rescue. There were some things that took precedence over the sentiments of a pouting, sniffling, uncooperative adolescent, and this was one of them.

  “We saw your sister arrive in your car,” Brianne said to Reed. “She’s got your dog and your uniform with her.”

  “Great!” Reed looked directly at Abigail. “Stay put. I’ll go get Jessie and my gear and be right back.”

  Left with the other K-9 officers and their dogs, Abigail felt out of place. Nevertheless, she held her ground.

  “I really admire what you all do,” she told them. “I had no idea how complicated your job is or how hard you train to keep your dogs working well.”

  Brianne smiled down at the yellow Lab at her side. “Stella got off to a kind of slow start when she arrived from the Czech Republic. She was the gift that kept giving.”

  “You mean her puppies?”

  Brianne’s smile grew to a grin. “Yes. They’re adorable, of course, but she couldn’t work when we first got her and I don’t speak her language so she had to relearn everything in English. If it had been German, one of our bilingual trainers could have taken over, but there’s too much difference in the commands in Czech.”

  “It’s probably harder for her than it is for us,” Abigail guessed.

  “I’m not sure of that. She’s really smart.” Fondness in the female officer’s expression made it clear that she truly admired and loved Stella despite the obstacles they’d had to overcome.

  “I hope Midnight takes after her,” Abigail said. “She’s so adorable. I’d love to see her succeed at something, even if she doesn’t have what it takes to be a police dog.”

  “Don’t feel bad. They don’t all make the cut,” Brianne said. “At least one pup from her litter has already washed out.”

  “How disappointing. Maybe they can become service or therapy dogs.”

  The officer was nodding. “Maybe. We only accept the best of the best in the NYPD.”

  “Dogs, you mean?” Abigail felt her cheeks warming.

  “And men and women,” Brianne replied, obviously enjoying the brief moment of shared amusement. “Reed Branson is one of the best.” She paused before adding, “In and out of uniform.”

  “Are you and he...? I mean is he...? Oh, never mind.”

  Brianne laughed. “Relax, I do have someone special who used to be in the K-9 unit. Gavin Sutherland and I are engaged.”

  “I’m happy for you.”

  “I imagine there are personal reasons you’re glad it’s not Branson,” Brianne teased. “Head’s up. Here he comes. He’s all yours.”

  In the background, Finn gave a cynical chuckle. “Better not let him hear you giving him away like a lost pup.”

  Abigail had been so enthralled by her conversation with the other K-9 officer, she’d forgotten that they weren’t alone. The blush she’d sensed before probably developed into a crimson that washed out her freckles and clashed with her red hair.

  To distract herself, she scanned the distant beach in the direction opposite of where the cops were gathering. All breath left her. She froze, barely able to speak. Finally, she managed to point with her free hand and say, “Look! Way over there by the steps. Are those the guys you’re looking for? One is limping. Maybe he’s the guy that was shot.”

  Everyone within hearing distance swiveled and stared, including Reed. “I can’t tell exactly what you’re seeing but I’m going to find out.” He grabbed his radio and broadcast the possible sighting. The pair had already reached and were crossing the boardwalk.

  Shouting, “Stay here,” Reed took off at a run rather than wait for backup and lose sight of his quarry.

  Worried, excited and acting on impulse, Abigail thrust Kiera at Brianne and yelled, “Watch her,” as a surge of adrenaline overpowered her usual common sense and convinced her to follow.

  Struggling across the soft beach, she made a dash for the closest stairway leading up from the sand. This was her territory, the place where she’d felt most at home until she’d been attacked.

  Once on solid footing, she didn’t join the rush of police officers heading for Reed’s last known position. Instead, she managed to stay parallel with him and Jessie, arriving at the junction of a street and an alley b
ehind some concessions just as the other pursuers appeared down the block to her right.

  Abigail felt like cheering until she noticed she was about to come face to face with the thugs they’d been after. “Oh, no!”

  The two miscreants skidded to a stop and one pointed a gun at her. The thin-faced weasel was supporting his limping companion. That man fit the build of her second attacker. When he stared at her and said, “I should have killed you when I had the chance,” she was positive it was him. The hair on her arms prickled. Her mouth was suddenly so dry she couldn’t swallow, couldn’t speak, couldn’t move a muscle.

  The larger man shook off his partner and faced her. She saw his eyes begin to squint. He pointed the muzzle of his gun at her, ignoring an ever growing cadre of armed police officers approaching with caution.

  Abigail didn’t know what to do so she simply stood there. Men were shouting over each other in the background, their individual commands lost in the din.

  She saw her nemesis start to sneer, acting as if he didn’t realize or didn’t care that he was so greatly outnumbered. Then, something moved directly behind him. It was Reed!

  Reed made a grab for the man’s gun and missed. It fired, sending a bullet whizzing past Abigail’s ear. She screamed.

  An instinct for survival propelled her backward. She staggered. The gun came to bear on her once more. Was this the end? The part of her that knew she loved Reed kept insisting that her life could not end until she had told him how she felt.

  She squeezed her eyes closed and covered her face with her hands, waiting for a second shot. Unidentified hands grabbed her roughly and lifted while fingers pressed tightly at her throat, choking the breath out of her. She was helpless. Finished.

  Beautiful, colorful lights flashed behind her eyelids. Overwhelmed and overburdened she accepted the version of reality that was commanding her imagination and sank into oblivion.

  TWENTY

  Reed saw what was happening and roared with primal rage. He launched himself, landing on the back of the thug who was choking Abigail. One arm tightened around the front of the man’s neck, elbow bent, and he completed the choke hold by grasping his own wrist for leverage.

  Released, Abigail dropped limply into the arms of other officers who lowered her gently to the ground. Reed’s anger consumed him, and he tightened his hold despite orders to let go. If not for Abigail’s soft moan breaking through the haze of roiling emotion he might have continued indefinitely.

  Reed picked out her moan above the sounds of traffic, the grunts and curses of his adversary and a multitude of police officers all shouting at the same time.

  Abigail! She was still alive.

  Reed pushed the burly kidnapper toward a nearby group of patrolmen. Abigail’s eyelids were fluttering. He gathered her in his arms and began to rock back and forth.

  “Wake up. Please, wake up.” Gently kissing her hand, he prayed with an intensity of pure faith that surprised him. “Please, Jesus. Please send her back to me.”

  Blue eyes opened and looked up. Thankful beyond words, Reed forgot his macho image. It was just them. Him and his Abigail. Together. “Thank You, Jesus.”

  Unashamed, he let the tears roll down his cheeks to mingle with hers in the instant before he pulled her to him and repeated his heavenly thanks over and over.

  Abigail clung to him. Her breathing was raspy, her slim body shuddering as she struggled to take in enough air.

  Finally, she whispered a weak, “Amen.”

  That was good enough for Reed. More of his tears dampened her silky red hair and his shoulders shook.

  As others began to arrive and he was forced to pull himself together, Jessie pushed through and began to lick the salty drops off his cheeks.

  * * *

  It would have suited Abigail better if neither she nor Reed had been required to submit to a medical checkup. She kept repeating, “I’m fine. See? Standing up and breathing,” which was punctuated part of the time by a croupy cough that negated what she was saying.

  With her at the rear of the waiting ambulance, Reed was watching closely. Abigail was thankful he hadn’t been hurt and felt terrible that she’d put everyone in more jeopardy because she’d gotten involved when she should have stayed back. She would have apologized ad infinitum if Reed’s scowl hadn’t stopped her.

  Brianne had already reported that one of the two men they’d grappled with was in custody. The other had slipped away and escaped while everyone’s attention was focused on Reed and the man trying to strangle Abigail.

  Finn and Brianne showed up at the ambulance to deliver news of the latest developments. Wisely, Abigail kept silent as they briefed Reed.

  “Danielle is putting a trace on the calls made from the big guy’s cell,” Brianne said. “As soon as we get solid info we’ll mount a strike against the rest of the gang. In the meantime, precinct cops raided the place where the girl said she’d been held.”

  “Let me guess,” Reed said, wincing when he moved. “It was empty.”

  “Unfortunately,” Finn answered. “We’re checking street view cameras to see if we can get a lead. If that teenager is right and they plan to ship out a load of trafficked kids tonight, it will probably be at high tide, meaning we have until 10:00 p.m. to locate them.”

  Although Abigail was listening, her mind was also spinning. If she were the kidnappers, where would she hide prisoners? They’d probably want to stick close to the shore or a harbor even though patrols would be thick now that the authorities knew what was going down. Those poor, poor kids must be so scared. And unless Kiera had lied, Dominic Walenski was still among them. So where could they be?

  There were a couple of abandoned warehouses in Brighton Beach that came to mind. Abigail knew that kind of place was a favorite of homeless kids, especially once the weather worsened. Those buildings also would provide a fertile hunting ground if the kidnap ring was short of victims.

  She cast a surreptitious glance at Reed. He was straightening his uniform, clearly intending to continue to assist with the ongoing search. If she was going to divert him, now was the perfect time.

  Waiting until he looked ready, Abigail gently touched his shoulder. “Please, don’t go.”

  “I have to.”

  “But...” She looped her hand through his arm and urged him to step aside. “I have an idea.”

  “Uh-oh. The last time you had an idea we got shot at.”

  Not about to be deterred, she tried another approach. “I think I may know where the kidnap ring stashed those kids.”

  “What took you so long to say so?”

  “I didn’t say I was positive. I just have an idea. What will it hurt to go with me and see? You’ll hear about any new leads over the radio in your car wherever you are.”

  “I gather you want me to drive you somewhere?”

  “Not just anywhere. To a couple of places where homeless kids tend to gather in the winter. What can it hurt?”

  “My job,” Reed quipped. “I’d like to keep it.”

  Abigail ignored his cynicism. “We won’t be going far. You’ll be close by if and when these other officers nail down a location.” She pulled a face and directed it at the bevy of squad cars along the street. “Personally, I think it would be a lot smarter to try to sneak up on these traffickers. Look at all those cops. You’d think they were going after the mafia.”

  “This is organized crime, whether it’s a worldwide organization or a hometown operation,” Reed said. “Chances are, unless these kids get sick and die on the voyage, they’ll be sold to the highest bidder. Think about it. They leave home looking for freedom and end up a prisoner in the worst kind of jail.”

  The weight of his words settled in her heart and left a bleeding wound that might never heal unless they rescued the helpless young teens. Then she spied something in his expression that she could only hope she unde
rstood.

  “You’re going to take me, aren’t you?”

  Reed gave her a cynical look and shook his head as if disgusted with himself, not her. When he said, “Yes, God help me,” Abigail couldn’t hold back a grin. Okay, they might not be successful. Other searchers might have better results. But that wasn’t the takeaway here. Reed was trusting her. Completely. She felt like cheering, and would have, if she wasn’t afraid of triggering another coughing fit.

  Jessie trotted along beside Reed, tail waving like a flag, nose up, testing the air. On his opposite side, Abigail felt as much elation as the K-9 was demonstrating. Only Reed, bracketed between them, seemed morose.

  It wasn’t until they were back in his car and halfway to Brighton Beach that his mood lifted. A radio call was asking their location in relation to the block of empty warehouses she had already pinpointed.

  Abigail was ecstatic. “That’s it!” she shouted across the car. “That’s where we’re headed. And we’ll get there a good ten minutes faster because we have a head start.”

  Reed radioed their position, then glanced over at her, his eyebrows raised. “How did you figure that out?”

  “Logic,” she said, pointing to her temple, “and brains.”

  “Ha!” For the first time since that morning, she heard him start to laugh. Really laugh. From her crate in the rear, Jessie joined in with a howl.

  Abigail would have enjoyed the moment a lot more if Reed’s laugh hadn’t sounded so sarcastic.

  * * *

  Pulling up a block short of the designated warehouse, Reed parked in an alley and got out.

  As he released his K-9, he gave Abigail a stern glare. “You are not going.”

  “Yes, I am. I’ve been inside before. You need me.”

  “Only if I want to complicate everything,” he countered. “This time somebody might aim at me instead of you.”

  “Have I mentioned lately how sorry I am for getting in your way?”