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Bess
I had spent a frustrating few days waiting on judges, waiting for a foster placement for Alexis, and waiting for the next shoe to drop with my custody proceedings.
Chris and I were not speaking except through attorneys. Henry’s pick up and drop off were now as icy as Lake Superior in February.
I had so many things to worry about that I should not have been thinking about Sawyer. During the day, honestly, I could go long stretches of meetings and paperwork and looking over foster situations for Alexis with Cassidy, that he didn’t enter my mind.
At night, though, that is all I could think about.
As I puzzled over Alexis’s case, I wished for not only his arms around me but his mind. He had a unique combination of street-smart and common sense that could have helped me.
He didn’t want to help me anymore. He didn’t want me anywhere near him and I had to accept that.
When my phone finally rang from Detective Murray, it was not the news I was looking for.
“What?” My social skills were deteriorating as my problems mounted.
“It’s not what you want to hear?” Murray was a good man. I knew that and I knew he was about to crush me.
“The judge let Georgie go.”
“On bail, go on bail.”
“No, as in no charges.”
“The prosecutor said they didn’t have enough, the judge agreed that a single i.d. in a lineup from a girl who was recently on heroin wasn’t enough. He also had a decent attorney I might add.”
“Son of a bitch, so not only is he going free you also didn’t press him to give up the rest of his crew.”
“You can’t press a man who doesn’t have prison time hanging over his head.”
“Shit Murray what the hell am I supposed to tell that girl. You met her. You know she’s reliable.”
“Tell her I’m sorry.” Murray was defeated and I just did not have it in me to reassure him. I felt the same way and so frustrated I could scream.
“Yeah, that will help.”
I hung up. Murray would have to make his own peace with a system that let Georgie walk around scot-free. Just as I had to make peace with the hundreds of kids that I didn’t make one bit of difference to.
I grabbed my coat and popped in on Cassidy.
“I have some bad news to deliver to Alexis and I think you should be there with me. Got a bit of time?
“Of course.” Cassidy and I drove over to the group home and she got to experience the same outrage I did over the fact that Alexis’s positive identification had not done a damn thing in the eyes of the law.
“While I’ve got you here...something’s been bugging me.”
“What?”
“Alexis told me she didn’t run away. She said she was just out when Georgie grabbed her.”
“Who told you she was?”
“Norm, he was the one who worked on her file before.”
“And Kirstin, what if she didn’t run away?”
“Her foster parents believed that she ran away.”
“Yes, and they’re good foster parents. Still, what if she was snatched the same way as Alexis? When the parents think it’s a runaway, they don’t report it.” I pointed out.
“Who worked on Kirstin’s case?” Cassidy had not worked on that one and was not as well versed in the details.
“Norm said he was handling it.”
“What about DeAndra?”
“Same thing Norm says she ran away. He said from all the evidence on her social networks and her case history, that’s what he told her foster placement as well.”
“Hm. Well, I will talk to him again. Maybe we are missing something in all the files. He’s a master at tracking these cases.”
“Yes, good idea.” I put a pin in the idea that I needed to go over things with Norm again. Maybe we could put our heads together and come up with a new lead. I so often let Norm handle this aspect of the department and took for granted that he would get it done. He always did.
But maybe there was something that connected the girls that we all missed. It could be the break we needed.
As we approached the group home, I saw a car that made my blood run cold. A maroon sedan. It was rounding the corner away from the house. Shit.
“That’s Georgie’s car!” I said and Cassidy saw it too.
“Oh my God. We need to get in there.”
I pulled in and we ran up the walkway. We blew by Mrs. Williams.
“Where’s Alexis? I shouted as I ran to her room.
“She’s up there ladies relax.”
We ran down the hall and I burst open the door without a knock. Her bed was made and for a second, my heart sank.
Then my eyes found her. She was in the corner, reading a Nora Roberts title.
“Jesus, what is the problem?” She said.
“Nothing. Nothing. I just thought I saw something.”
“Yeah, I saw it too.” She closed the book. I needed to get her something more age appropriate. Nora Roberts?
“What did you see?” Cassidy asked her.
“Maroon sedan. Georgie. He’s out and he’s going to get me.” I wanted to scoop her in my arms and reassure her, but Alexis was not a warm fuzzy. She was tough and honest. She was right. If Georgie was driving by, it was not a coincidence and it was not to say hi.
She was in very real danger.
“We’re getting her out of her. Now. Pack your bag Alexis.”
“I don’t have an emergency foster placement for her yet,” Cassidy said under her breath.
“We’ll figure it out.”
We loaded Alexis and thanked Mrs. Williams. I hated to be so abrupt but I was not going to leave her where Georgie could find her.
I was also done playing this one by the rules. I didn’t give a damn if Sawyer didn’t want to see me anymore. He was going to.
Right now, the safest place I could think was to go to the office. We were on the fifth floor of a secure building. Just try to fuck with us there Georgie. Though part of me thought he probably could.
We could, at least, look at placement options for her there.
If all else failed, I would take her in. The problem with that, of course, was the brick that had been thrown through my window. The Bratva knew me all too well.
I needed Sawyer and the Great Wolves. If the police could not protect these girls, I would turn to someone who could.
Sawyer
We had just about every aspect of the operation figured out. Or we thought we did.
The Bratva was transporting, at least, six to twelve girls in and out of Grand City on a weekly basis.
We knew the route, we had the vehicles' make and model, we had the time of day, and we knew where they were setting up business.
Thanks to Raleigh, we also knew what websites the sickos were using to connect with The Bratva and book their time.
I owed Raleigh a lot. I also knew this was payback to the Russians on her own account.
When the time came, we would use a fake account online to set up a meeting.
The M.C. also had plans for the chain of transportation that was hauling human cargo. We would shut that down too.
The only thing I didn’t know for sure how they were working the original kidnapping.
That is where I needed more information. I needed to know how they knew Alexis was in the mall. She was alone, she was vulnerable, and they had grabbed her.
I suspected a similar story was playing out across the state. The problem was the business model. They were using these girls as inventory. There was no way any organization could survive without a steady stream of new inventory. In this case, the vulnerable girls and boys of Grand City.
They had to have an in. They had to have a sure way to predict who to snatch.
They had to have a way to know when to strike.
They had dozens of girls in and out of the state but there was not one story on the news about mass kidnappings. There was not one article about girls going missing.
How were they pulling that off?
This was where I needed Bess.
I had been an asshole. I would cut her off. It was to keep her safe but to wipe out the Bratva I would need her one more time.
My only fear was if I saw Bess again, she would see through to my heart and I could not push her away again.
I was afraid I would be selfish and pull her into a world where violence could erupt no matter how legitimate the M.C. was these days.
I would figure out another way around it. I had to.