Kayla’s gaze stayed fixed on the door as it slammed open, hitting the wall behind it.
A whoosh of air left her lungs as relief flooded through her. For a moment, she’d thought Nicu was back again. Instead, Levi stood towering over her like a knight in shining armor who’d just arrived to save the day. And with him here, they might actually be able to get out of here. Might be able to get to Mercy before Nicu found her.
“Hey…” He quickly tugged off the gag. “Sorry I took so long.”
“Took so long?” She couldn’t help but laugh. “I just can’t believe you’re here.”
He knelt down in front of her and began working to untie her wrists. “Did they hurt you?”
“No.” She glanced at the door, her heart still racing. If Nicu and his brother returned and caught them trying to escape… “But they will return.”
“I know.” He tugged at one of the knots with his teeth, then finally managed to loosen them.
Thirty seconds later, she was free.
She reached up and touched the side of his face. “You’ve got quite a shiner.”
He wadded up the twine and tossed it into the corner of the room. “It’s nothing. Trust me. I’ve had a lot worse.”
“Thank you,” she said. “For fighting for me.”
He pointed to his eye. “Unfortunately I lost.”
“Maybe, but I never stopped believing you’d find me. We don’t have a lot of time. We’ve got to get out of here and find Mercy.”
“So did you talk to them?” He started working on untying her feet.
She nodded. “One of them. They made me send Mercy a voice message, telling her to meet me at noon at the main train station. If I didn’t, they assured me that we’d end up in the canal like the girl from the morgue.”
“You did what you believed you had to do at that moment.”
“Did I?” She’d yet to shake the guilt she felt. “My only plan was that we could somehow find her before they do. I’m also hoping she’ll pick up on what I said between the lines and simply not show up.”
“What do you mean?”
Kayla’s mind replayed the message she’d left Mercy. “I told her I was sorry I missed lunch on Monday, which I didn’t, and mentioned that we’d gone to the station last November, which we hadn’t done, either.”
“Smart girl,” he said as the cords around her ankles finally came free. “Where is your phone?”
“They took it with them,” she said as he helped her to her feet.
She glanced at the door again, wishing she could stop shaking. Wishing she didn’t feel like crying.
“Kayla…hey…we’re going to figure this out.”
“I know. I’m just…scared. We’ve got to get to her before they do.”
He hesitated, then pulled her against his chest. “We’re going to find a way out of this, because there are no other options.”
She nuzzled her face against his shoulder, wishing she wasn’t acting like a blubbering baby. She’d always hated feeling out of control, but this was different. The stakes had risen, people’s lives were on the line and she had no idea how to stop what was happening.
She took a step back and looked at him, sucking up as much courage as she could to replace the fear. “Is there a way out of this place?”
“Not that I’ve seen so far. Whoever’s behind this clearly doesn’t want us to leave. And while I haven’t searched the entire house, all the doors to the outside that I’ve come across are bolted shut. I did see a couple of windows we might be able to get through, though most of them are barred. And then, once we’re outside the house, there are guard dogs and a large fence surrounding at least part of the property.”
A piece of cake. Right.
She glanced out the window overlooking the front drive and the neglected tree-studded yard and felt the panic returning.
How in the world are we supposed to get out of here, God?
“So do you have any idea where we are?” she asked.
“No, though we have to be out of the city, and from what I’ve been able to see, the property around this house is huge.”
The walls of the room pressed in around her, pushing her toward a full-blown panic attack. “There has to be a way out of here. We’ve got to get out before they return.”
“I know.” He brushed his fingers across her arm. “But I don’t think we can go yet.”
She caught his gaze and realized what he was thinking. “You think my father might be here.”
“I do.”
She prayed he was right, but the reminder of her father brought another wave of guilt. What if he wasn’t here? What if they didn’t find him? She’d invited him to come stay with her in order to take care of him, and now his life was in danger because of her.
“When I was looking for you,” Levi continued, “I searched a large section of the house. It’s huge, easily ten to fifteen thousand square feet, which means we need to keep looking. And on top of that, I found an office downstairs. There could be evidence that could give us leverage we need in getting back not only Mercy, but your father as well if we don’t find him here.”
Kayla nodded but couldn’t help noting the risks. They didn’t know if her father was here, but she knew without a doubt that if Nicu and his brother came back and caught them, things were not going to end well. But this might very well be their only chance to find him.
“Ok. Let’s go.”
Maybe they could find both her father and Mercy before it was too late.
“We won’t stay longer than we have to, but we still need to search the rest of this wing,” Levi said, heading out the door. “And while we search for your father, we’ll look for a way out.”
She rubbed the backs of her wrists where the cords had rubbed against her skin as she followed him out of the room. Her entire body ached. She was thirsty and hungry, but none of that mattered at the moment.
“What kind of leverage are you hoping to find?” she asked.
“Anything thing that might tell us who these people are, including finances or some kind of paper trail that would prove they’re holding girls against their will and forcing them to work as prostitutes.”
Which in turn might make a way for them to save both her father and Mercy.
Kayla followed him down the long hallway, queasy from worry and exhaustion. Black-and-white portraits hung on vintage gold, textured wallpaper. Antique wall sconces helped light the otherwise darkened hallway. On any other day, she would have loved the chance to explore the old house. But not today. Not now. Every second that passed meant a second closer to their abductors’ return.
“Is there anything else you can tell me about the men?” Levi asked as he opened the next door that led to another bedroom.
She drew in a slow breath before answering. “The one who spoke with me was Nicu, the man Ana mentioned. The second man was Andrei, who has to be his brother. They both sounded like they were from eastern Europe.”
“And what did they want besides for you to call Mercy?”
“Apparently he’s convinced I know where Mercy is and he decided that kidnapping my father wasn’t enough motivation. They have pictures of us outside the morgue and accused us of going to the police. And the girl we saw at the morgue…” A shiver ran through her. “He told me she was one of theirs. Another stab at motivating me to give him Mercy.”
“I’m so sorry.” He stopped in front of her then rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “You’re freezing.”
“I’ll be okay.”
Except it wasn’t the temperature outside or the dampness inside that had her shivering.
“When you were looking for me, did you see any signs that people were living here?”
Levi started walking again, and she hurried to keep up with him. “No.”
“Like you said, though, this is the perfect location. It’s off the grid, and the dense vegetation and hedges surrounding the property keep it private. Who would think about a bunch of girls locked up in a place like this?”
“Unfortunately, all I saw was some food in the kitchen fridge. Nothing else.” Levi opened the next closed door and took a step inside the empty room. There was still no sign of her father. “Back to Nicu and his brother… Do you know why they left?”
“I think maybe they got a phone call. Andrei was clearly angry. The two of them started fighting. And while I’m not sure what it is, there’s something else I noticed. There is something personal about all of this. Nicu’s relationship with Mercy. I got the impression it’s not just about money.”
“What do you mean?” Levi stopped in front of the next open door, which led into a library with eight-foot bookshelves. “Are you saying he loves her?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. In his own twisted way.”
“Even someone like Nicu has to have a weakness. You said they were fighting. Do you know what they were fighting about?”
“No. They weren’t speaking English.” She quickly scanned the room, feeling the urgency to find her father and get out. “But Andrei was clearly upset, and whatever he said upset Nicu as well. It was obvious Nicu didn’t want to leave, but he checked my wrists to make sure I wasn’t going anywhere, and that was the last time I saw him.”
The wind had picked up outside, its eerie howling growing louder as they reached the end of the wing, where there was a large sunroom filled with an assortment of wicker chairs and small tables.
Levi stepped up to one of the windows that was secured with an iron bar and let out a sharp sigh. Below them, the overgrown property with its tangled brush and trees stretched out as far as she could see. To the east was a tennis court next to an outdoor building. From this vantage point, she could see the opposite wing of the house, its brick exterior covered with ivy.
She glanced back at the tennis court. It was possible there were more buildings on the large plot. A garage or maybe a shed. From what she could tell, the property covered several acres. How in the world were they going to search the entire plot? But if her father wasn’t in the house, he had to be out there somewhere.
“We need to keep moving,” Levi said, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“Where else is there to look?” Kayla followed Levi back down a staircase.
“There are still a few more rooms down the other side of this hall and then the office downstairs. Then after that, I don’t think we have any options other than to try to leave.”
“Levi, wait…” She grabbed his arm, unwilling to give up. “My father has to be here somewhere. Where else would they have taken him? There could be other buildings on this property.”
“I know.” But it could take hours to search the property, and he was pretty sure they didn’t have hours.
“If we don’t find my father soon—” she tried unsuccessfully to hide the panic in her voice “—they will kill him.”
* * *
Levi hurried down the hall toward the next door, uncertain how wise it would be to search the entire property. On foot, a search would be tedious, and that didn’t even begin to take into consideration the guard dogs waiting for them as soon as they found a way out of the house. But they’d have to deal with that problem once they found a way out.
Something creaked on the other side of the hall. He glanced down the passageway. In an old house like this, noises could come from anywhere—expanding ductwork, rodents, water heaters or pipes. But still, they couldn’t be too cautious.
He started walking again. Maybe he’d just imagined the noise.
“Levi…what is it?”
He glanced at Kayla, not wanting to worry her any more than she already was, as he opened another door. “I thought I heard something.”
She followed his gaze down the hallway behind them.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said. “This place is old.”
He could see the fear mixed with disappointment in her eyes. Fear from the situation they were in. Disappointment from not finding Max. He easily could have missed a section of the house, a basement or, for that matter, even a hidden room. From his earlier search he knew that the two-story house had a kitchen, a bar, a library, half a dozen or more bedroom suites, plus a small reception hall. Plenty of spaces to hide.
He shut the door behind him and turned to her. “Anything?”
She shook her head. “Just a few pieces of furniture. Nothing personal at all.”
“We need to get out of here, but let’s look through their office first. Five minutes, tops.”
He trod softly against the tiled floors, listening for any noises, while they started down a narrow, winding staircase. He’d been impressed by the way she’d dealt with the past twenty-four hours, because he knew it hadn’t been easy. It was clear she’d invested herself completely in her job, in women like Mercy and the others who she dealt with on a day-to-day basis. She’d do anything in her power to keep them safe.
Now it was up to him to keep her safe.
Inside the office, he started going through the desk drawers, trying to find some clue as to who was behind this, but so far nothing stood out.
He glanced at one of the file cabinets. He needed to get inside.
“I didn’t know they taught you to pick locks in the army,” she said as he started working on the lock.
He looked up at her unapologetically. “Let’s just say that you never know when covert-entry training might come in handy.”
He started pulling out file folders and setting them on the desk.
“What have you got?” Kayla asked, stepping up next to him.
“I’m not sure exactly, but it looks to me like it could be some sort of a financial paper trail.”
Kayla opened up one of the files and glanced at the stamp at the top of one of the papers. “This word, inzet, means ‘auction.’ I used to go to them in the States all the time and have gone a couple times here. It’s definitely possible to purchase a house far below market value this way.”
“So they bought this property in an auction?”
“About six weeks ago, it looks like,” she said, moving back to the file cabinet. “But it makes sense. Like any big business, they need banks and property in order to operate.”
“So if they’re not already, they have to be planning to use this house for the girls.”
“What’s that?” she asked, turning around toward the door.
Levi’s attention shifted toward the hallway. He’d heard something, too.
“Someone’s out there,” she said, glancing at the door.
“If they’re back, it’s not going to take them long to find us.”
He stared toward the hallway. They should have run when they had the chance. A dog started barking. Something must have alerted them.
He heard a door slam.
“Do you think they’re back?” Kayla asked.
“I didn’t hear a car drive up, but someone’s in the house. We need to get out of here.”
Another door opened and closed.
A chill swept over her. “Someone’s doing a systematic search.”
Whoever was here had to know they’d managed to escape.
“And my father, or the girls? If they’re here somewhere?”
“We’ll send the police back, but we can’t do anything if we’re tied up.”
He glanced at the files he’d just found and wondered if they were risking giving Nicu time to destroy the evidence if they ran. Staying wasn’t a risk he was willing to take, but they could bring the evidence with them.
He grabbed a small backpack from the floor, quickly dumped out the contents and began filling it with the financial papers and files.
“You said all the outside doors were bolted shut,” she said.
“They are, but there was one bathroom window with no bars. I think we should be able to crawl through it.”
He stepped out into the hallway with the backpack over his shoulder and the fire poker he’d been carrying this entire time, pausing only for a moment to orient himself to where he’d seen the bathroom.
“Are you sure you can find it?” Kayla asked.
“Yes. It was on the main floor, on the other side of the house where they had me locked up.”
They walked through a large living area he’d passed through while looking for her. While most of the rooms looked neglected, this one retained some of its former glory with heavy gold drapes on the windows along with an eclectic mixture of antique furniture. But it wasn’t the decor that held his attention. He heard another door shut. Whoever was in the house was getting closer.
He signaled at Kayla to head toward the bathroom ahead of him. He’d almost lost her once. He wasn’t going to let that happen again.