Mitch was a professional, and the sketch was coming along nicely. Jewel had a lot stronger memories, so everything she brought up, Nellie usually agreed with. In half an hour, they stared at a really decent sketch, and Nellie felt shivers going down her spine. She looked over at the artist. “That’s him,” she whispered.
Jewel got up from beside her and turned and walked away, but not before Nellie heard her friend’s sobs. Nellie looked over at the artist and whispered, “Thank you.”
He nodded quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“Let’s hope we can get this solved now.”
He got up, collected all his stuff to leave. At that moment in time, Corbin walked in, took one look, and asked, “Is it close?”
“It’s very close, as in scary close,” Nellie replied.
“Good. I hate to say that that’s a good thing, but, in this case, the closer we can get to IDs for your two jailers, the better chance we have of locating them.” He looked at the artist and asked, “Do you have a way to scan it?”
The artist nodded. “Yes.” He did something with his phone. Next thing she knew, he was packing up again.
She looked over at Corbin. “Now what?”
“Now all kinds of stuff. For one, our artist here is leaving, and your chicken is on its way.” He looked at Jewel.
She stared at him. “You know that I’d rather have so many more important things than chicken.”
“Doesn’t matter. If chicken makes one of you happy right now, then we’re happy. Obviously the rest is in progress, and we’re doing everything we can.” She had to appreciate that because he was right here for her, with anything that could help ease Jewel’s mind right now.
Nellie noted Corbin had his jacket on. Her heart sagged. “Are you leaving?”
He nodded, and she swallowed hard and whispered, “Do you have to?”
“No, I don’t have to, but it’s best if I do.”
She frowned at that. “Why?”
“Because I’m going back to the building where you were held to see where the kids are, before the police do their raid.”
She stared at him in horror. “Why you?”
His lips twitched. “Because that’s what I do.”
She glared at him. “Aren’t you supposed to look after us?” Nellie didn’t know why she felt so contrary, but the fact that he was leaving just sent her nerves into overdrive. “I don’t feel safe with you gone,” she finally whispered uncomfortably.
“I get that, but you will be safe here.”
She looked over at Aiden. “It’s nothing against you, Aiden.”
“Good, because I’m leaving too.” And he flashed a big grin at her.
She gasped in horror. “Really? What about us then?”
“You will have a full-time security guard,” Corbin said, his voice calm. “You will be fine. We will be back within two hours.”
“Or,” Aiden smiled, “we’ll contact you within two hours.”
“What’s with that two-hour time frame?”
“We have police coming as backup at that point, so, for what it’s worth, there should definitely be some movement by then.”
She stared at him in horror. “You guys are going in alone? These guys are out to kill. … You know that, right?”
“Yeah, we do know that,” Corbin confirmed. “We’re also after Jewel’s daughter, and you don’t want us to miss her, do you?”
Of course not, and she felt like a fool for even protesting this much. “No, of course not.” But she still glared at him. “And that’s dirty pool.”
“What is?” he asked.
But from the twitch of his lips, she knew he understood. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t like it.”
“Noted. I’ll take it under consideration, but we can’t change it now. We have to move, and we have to move now.”
At that, she realized the artist was already gone, and the door was closing behind him. “What about information on this second guy? Don’t you want background information on him first?”
“Our team is searching for him right now,” he replied quietly. “We will find him, if he’s out there.”
“Oh, he’s out there,” she snapped. “Probably causing more chaos with every step he takes.”
“Guys like this do,” he murmured. “Not to worry. We will let you know what happens.”
“Are you coming back here?” And again she couldn’t understand why, but the fact that he was leaving sent her nerves on edge. She wrapped her arms around her chest to ward off the sudden chill.
He walked over, grabbed her by the shoulders, and said in a very quiet voice, “You will be fine. Nobody will get you guys here. The security guard is outside, and I promise we will be back.”
“I don’t really have a choice anyway, do I?” She glared up at him.
“No,” he said equally firmly. “You don’t.” And, with that, he added, “Now either I can give you a hug or I can leave without one. Which would you prefer?”
She stared up at him, wanting desperately to say, No hug, and to tell him to take off and to get lost—at the same time, she didn’t know why, but she felt like she desperately needed that hug. He opened his arms, and she walked into them, burying her face against his chest. “You be careful,” she whispered.
He just held her for a long moment, then released her, as he stepped back and smiled. “Now you two be good.”
She snorted at that. “Why do I have to be good? After what I’ve been through, I should be able to kick up my heels.”
He grinned. “Hold that thought. I promise I’ll be back.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Yes, I can promise to do my best to return. And, while we are gone, no phone calls, no nothing until we get back.”
“What about my father?”
“He has been notified that you’ve been found. Nothing else has been said to him, except that you’re alive.”
She sighed. “Well, at least that’s something.”
“It is, indeed. He is clamoring to see you, so we won’t hold him off for long.”
“I still don’t quite understand why you’re trying to hold him off.”
“Because all communications could endanger you. Until we have these guys in custody,” he explained quietly, “it’s all about keeping you safe.”
She shivered, but she couldn’t argue with them. She watched, her heart heavy, as he walked out the door. With the door open, she saw the guard standing there, talking with him. It was such an odd feeling to think that they had a guard, but, at the same time, she knew she was supposed to be grateful because it would help them. One way or the other, it would be to their benefit.
All she wanted was Corbin back, safe and sound. When the door closed with a finality, she couldn’t argue further, as she turned and headed to the kitchen to the coffeepot. And then she got a whiff of the aroma coming from the bag on the table. She called out to Jewel. When she didn’t answer, Nellie walked into the bedroom to find Jewel lying on the bed, curled up in a fetal position.
Nellie walked over, dropped down beside her, and picked up her hand. “I know you don’t want food, but right now the men are gone. We’re on our own, except for the guard outside, and anything we can do to keep up our spirits is important.”
Jewel just stared at her, dry-eyed. “I just don’t care. All I want is my daughter back.”
“They’ve gone to get her, and I know that probably doesn’t make you feel any better, but they have gone to see if they can find her.”
She stared at her hopefully. “Do you think they’ll succeed?”
“These guys? A definite yes,” she said, with conviction. “I don’t think very much gets in their way.”
Jewel smiled at that. “Well, you have been right so far. I guess it won’t hurt to stand by your optimism a little bit longer.”
“Nope, it sure won’t. Remember. When your daughter gets here, you need to be in much better shape than you’re in now.”
She snorted that. “I don’t think my daughter would have any trouble with me. No matter what way I am.”
“No, and I agree with you there.” Nellie rose. “Come on. We’ve got fried chicken, and, while we’re eating, you can tell me why you asked for fried chicken, when we could have asked for the world.”
At that, Jewel gave her a teary smile. “It brings back memories of my happy childhood.” She slowly stood. “My brother worked in a fried chicken restaurant, and every morning I would race downstairs, hoping against hope that he brought leftovers home. More often than not he had, and we would sit there in the morning and happily eat them.” She gave a bright smile. “Memories of a happier time.”
“You know something? That’s a hell of a good reason to enjoy fried chicken. Come on. Let’s go try it out.” With that, the two women headed to the kitchen.
Two blocks away from the kidnappers’ warehouse, Corbin quickly loaded up his weapons and prepped for what lay ahead.
Aiden looked at him and smiled. “This life suits you.”
“Maybe, but I was also thinking that maybe it was time to get out.”
“I think we all wonder that.”
“Even you?” Corbin asked his friend.
“Absolutely.” Aiden laughed. “I like how there’s one unattached captive, and she turns to you.”
“Jewel is single,” he replied.
“Jewel is a different case. She doesn’t want anybody right now, except for her daughter back,” he murmured. “I was talking about Nellie, and you know it.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I absolutely do know it. She’s pretty special.”
“Have you noticed how she turns to you each and every time?”
“I can definitely see that an attraction is there. I mean, hell, I’m human, so why wouldn’t I?”
“Of course.” Aiden gave an eye roll. “You’re human, so why wouldn’t there be but …” He grinned at his friend. “It is interesting to note how much she has responded to you though.”
“Maybe,” Corbin replied cautiously. “Regardless of how she’s responding, she’s in shock. She’s just been through a hell of an ordeal, and let’s not forget that she’s pregnant.”
“And I think I heard something about problems with her father, but I don’t know what it was.”
Corbin nodded. “Let’s get this show happening. There’ll be time for tying ups bits and pieces afterward.”
“If you say so. But I think it would impact your chances. I mean, obviously if she’s got a partner waiting in the wings …”
“I’m assuming she does, unless some asshole just dumped her. Yet she’s not really the kind who an asshole would dump.”
“According to these women, all kinds of men do shit like that.” Aiden exited the vehicle, closing the door silently. “I can’t say it’s ever been my particular system, but hey …”
“No, but you know something? In all the years that we’ve been doing this work, none of us have ever had a long-term relationship.”
“I know, and of course we understand the reason for that too.”
“Absolutely. Our careers are hard on everybody.”
“Is that another reason why you’re looking to get out?”
“It’s just one of the questions I was pondering. You want something else in life, then you have to make a change. And, in this case, to support the kind of lifestyle I want afterward? … Well, of course, we’re getting well paid to work for the Mavericks.”
“We are,” Aiden confirmed.
“The question is though, are we getting paid enough to retire soon, with the money we sock away?”
“I don’t know. I guess it depends on what happens at the end of this op to the Mavericks. Do we have any more ops after this one?”
“I pretty well have enough to retire already, not that I’ll stop working, but I might change things up. Yet I have to admit—when a chance to go out on an op and something like this comes up—it’s not hard to accept.”
“No, it sure isn’t. So it’s something that we’ll just have to keep in mind.”
Corbin nodded. As they were all geared up, he said, “Check in every ten minutes.”
“Got it.” Aiden grinned. “Just like old times.” He headed to the right, while Corbin took off to the left.
Corbin watched his friend leave, hoping that this would not be the last Mavericks mission he was part of, where he had to say goodbye to somebody he trusted and cared about. The two of them went way back, but the Mavericks had partnered them up again. However, Corbin also knew that things went wrong plenty of times in life. He called out, his voice low and soft, “Watch your back.”
Aiden lifted a hand and murmured, “Always.”
As Corbin was about to head in his direction, Hatch texted him.
We’ve got an address for the one guard. We’ve got the second guard’s face going through facial recognition right now.
Good luck with that, and we’ll talk to you in two hours or less. And then Corbin shut down communications and went dark. It was one of the precautions that they always followed on missions to block any access of the enemy.
Did these guys know enough about how to track other phone calls?
Did they have technology that would allow them to see an approach coming?
Did they have heat-sig cameras out here?
What else did they possibly have which would put him and Aiden in danger?
Corbin believed the devil was in details because he had been serious about possibly retiring. He could. He was wondering about setting up a training center for people like him. Or even for law enforcement because he’d worked with a lot of them too.
But those were all ideas milling in the back of his brain. His agreement with the Mavericks was to do this job and potentially no more. Although Corbin understood, if he did this job, he would then be helping Aiden on the next. And that would be fine with Corbin. He wouldn’t want just anybody else watching Aiden’s back.
Corbin hoped that he could convince his friend to retire with him, and they could settle down and maybe go into business together.
He smiled at that idea because he didn’t know the first thing about horses. So maybe not horses. Maybe dogs. He loved dogs, but he had to get through this job, and he had to find a reason to not accept the next. With that, his thoughts immediately went to Nellie. And back to the job at hand.
The darkness was all-encompassing at this hour of the night. It helped that a storm converged above and that the north wind was coming in fast and hard. It would also make it easier when he shut down the power inside. The storm would get blamed, unless these guys were watching out for them, in which case, … well, all bets were off.
He smiled at that because that was his way of doing things. All bets off was the best way in the world. You had to be prepared for everything, and he hoped that these guys wouldn’t be prepared in the least. Not everybody who pulled a con like this had any idea what to do when shit hit the fan.
Although, if the kidnappers were smart, they’d be a long way away by now.
Corbin had to ensure that he took out the main players, and then law enforcement would pick up everyone else. There was always a chance of missing somebody. It was a fact of life that shit happened, and you did the best that you could but no way to guarantee that the good guys would get every one of the bad guys involved.
As Corbin slipped along the outer wall to the power meter, he quickly cut the electricity to the building. He waited to see if anybody came out. Worst case scenario for Corbin was that he and Aiden got more captives out but none of the men responsible for kidnapping them. He wanted the perpetrators of this, so they couldn’t do this again.
If he found just a couple kids, Corbin could snag them and run. But if half a dozen toddlers were inside, that would make this a whole lot more difficult. He couldn’t even imagine the logistics of setting up something like this on short notice. Did the children come first, and then they found buyers; or did they have buyers, and then they go looking for children?
His mind also went to motive. Did it start small and then snowball on them, as people put in requests for newborns—like in the case of Nellie. With Nellie back in his mind again, all Corbin could think about was who was the father to her child.
Where was he? Because no way in hell, if Corbin’s girlfriend were pregnant, would he have left her to deal with life all on her own. But he also knew a lot of people would. If they didn’t like what was happening, they would just walk.
With the outside parking lights shut off, and the entire area in darkness, Corbin moved swiftly forward. He hadn’t heard from Aiden, but then he didn’t expect to for another few minutes.
Right on target, he got an owl call out in the middle of the night. Corbin answered it with a call of his own. He had learned to throw his voice a long time ago to make it sound like he was off in a different direction. It came in handy at times like this. Who knew a childhood game could become a lifesaving skill?
He came to the front door, quickly disengaged the lock, and slipped inside. He waited just a hair of a moment for his eyes to adjust and flicked on his night vision goggles and started searching the main room.
It was set up into multiple rooms, with a hallway down the center. He frowned at that because it was almost like a series of bedrooms. Perfect for housing kidnapped kids. But it was so silent inside. Was anyone even here?
As he moved through the rooms, he found them all empty. So this trip was a waste of time. Corbin was getting more and more concerned, until Aiden sent him a signal, code for he’d found something.
At that, Corbin swept through the next few rooms and then reached the stairs going up. When his phone vibrated, he looked down at the incoming text. Aiden had found two children—a boy and a girl. He was upstairs at the back north corner.
With that intel, Corbin quickly picked up the pace, searched all the remaining rooms down on his level and headed upstairs. As long as Aiden had two children, he couldn’t leave them to keep looking. And Corbin would like to search the entire building before he got to Aiden.
By the time Corbin got to the far end, with still more rooms to check, Aiden popped his head around the door and whispered, “I haven’t checked any of these next six rooms.”
“And the children?”
“They’re asleep. … Possibly drugged.”
“Drugs would make sense. Send Hatch photos.”
“Already done. We’ll need medics for them.”
“I just don’t understand why nobody’s here.”
“Because the children are drugged, I would imagine.”
Corbin nodded and quickly checked the next four rooms. With only two more to go, he opened one, and his heart sank against his chest. A child’s bed was in the corner and contained two occupants. He crept closer and realized it was two little girls. Hoping against hope that one of these was Jewel’s daughter, he quickly snapped a photo, even while he checked for a pulse on each girl.
They were sleeping, but it was a very deep sound sleep. If the others were drugged, then these little girls would be too.
At the next door, gun at the ready, he opened it and stepped inside. He heard a breath, but it was slow and labored. With his goggles on, Corbin saw a large man collapsed on the floor. He raced over to the man, quickly checked for a pulse, and, from the pooling blood underneath him, knew he was badly injured. It was Frankie. Corbin gave him a hard shake. “What happened?”
Frankie groaned, obviously in pain.
“You need to tell me what happened.”
“He shot me.”
“Who shot you?”
“My asshole partner. I was trying to talk him out of selling these kids, but the money was too good, and he wouldn’t listen.”
“Of course it was. Are you the one who let the women go?”
Frankie stared at him in shock and then slowly gasped. “Did they make it?”
“They did. That’s why we’re here now.”
Frankie sagged back again. “Thank God for that.”
“What can you tell me about your partner?”
“He’ll kill you as soon as he sees you.”
“No one’s here.”
“He’ll be back.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he’s coming back to finish me off. He just shot me and left me here to suffer.”
“That shot would eventually kill you anyway.”
“You need to get the kids out. Fast. He’s coming back with reinforcements.”
At that, Corbin stared at him. “And what about you?”
“Get the kids out. I deserve whatever happens to me for these kids and for that poor woman.”
“The one you killed, Mary?”
“I don’t know who she was. And I didn’t kill her. I only found out afterward. I knew my days were numbered at that point.”
“We have the body of Mary Hennessy.”
“That could be her. I don’t think I ever knew her name.”
“Yet you started down this pathway.”
Frankie waved his hand weakly. “I know. I know. The only good thing is, I got no parents or family to give a shit, when they find out what I’ve done.”
“No, that might be true,” Corbin said, “but I don’t know that you’ll make it through this.”
“Probably not.” Frankie gasped once more. “So, if there’s justice in this world or the next, I’ll have to face it on the other side.” He coughed once and then again. “Goooo, don’t waste time with me. Get them out. He’ll come back soon.”
“How many children are here?”
“There’s five now. I moved five here to this adjacent location.”
With his heart sinking, Corbin said, “I only found four.”
Frankie’s eyes opened wide, and he stared at Corbin. “He’s doing the delivery right now, … that little girl.”
“Do you know where the delivery is going down?” Corbin asked urgently. “We have to stop it before it happens.”
Frankie took a breath and then another. “He said it’s on Grundle.”
“Grundle what?”
“Grundle Road. No, Grundle Highway,” he murmured. “Can’t remember.”
“What vehicle is he driving?” Corbin had Hatch on the line, as he quickly pulled up his phone and had the injured guard repeat the information.
“It’s a big warehouse.”
“What kind of a warehouse?”
“It’s a shipping import-export warehouse. They bring clothing in from China.” And he gave the company name, but Corbin couldn’t understand, so he asked Hatch to hang on, so Frankie could spell that. He had started to choke again.
“Did he say Xiao Exports?” Hatch asked, his voice calm on the other side.
“That’s as close as I could hear. What have you got?”
“Two units heading toward the warehouse right now, plus ambulances. But I’m not exactly sure that we’ll be in time to stop the exchange.”
“Depends how much lead time he has on us.” He looked down at the dying man. “Do you know when he left?”
Frankie shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “He’s cagey, and he won’t be taken alive. That I am sure of.”
“I don’t give a shit if he gets killed in this, but I’ve got an injured mother, who’s terrified about her daughter.”
“Yes. Jewel,” the guard said. “She’ll be devastated.”
“She is devastated. There’s no will about it,” Corbin snapped. “How the hell did you think this was a good idea?”
“Drunk,” he whispered painfully, “drunk and high. My buddy set it up, and I took part in it. I didn’t even really realize that they were killing the mothers. Seriously I didn’t, not until afterward. Then, when I tried to get out of it, there was no going back.”
“How many were involved?”
“Four. My buddy and I as their guards and the two sellers, who arranged the buyouts. And some kid scout, who searched for the women, but I don’t think they are using him anymore. The sellers are at the warehouse too for the exchange.”
“Good, with any luck we’ll catch them all.”
“Not likely,” he whispered. “They’re too smart. Been doing this kind of shit for a long time.”
“How did your friend get into this?” he asked, staring down at his phone, waiting for Hatch to give him some information.
“I don’t know.”
“How did you two meet up?”
“Jail.”
“Isn’t that always the case. You come with ideas on how to make more money. Nobody ever wants to go straight. They just want to make fast money, and they don’t even think about the consequences.”
“I just wanted drugs,” Frankie whispered. “It was always the drugs with me.” Then he coughed once, twice, and fell silent afterward.
Corbin checked for a pulse, but there was nothing. This guy was gone. Into his phone, Corbin barked at Hatch, “I need an address for the exporters, and we need it now. Also get medics here at the warehouse. We’ve got four children, all drugged, and we’ve got one child in the middle of a buy going down at the exporter’s warehouse.”
Just then he got another phone call coming in. “I’ve got to go, Hatch.”
As soon as he answered the other call, it was Nellie, her voice tremulous. “Corbin,” she screamed. “Your security guard is dead.”
He swore into the phone, and then another voice came on the phone. “I hear you’re looking for me, asshole. You know women can produce kids all the damn time—for instance, this bitch. Although this one is more of a problem, so I’ll just pop her one.”
Corbin closed his eyes, swearing under his breath. “What do you want?’
“I know you want this one. I know you do from the way she spoke to you. You’ll deal or else.”
“No deal, unless you leave both women alone, and you return Jewel’s daughter,” Corbin roared. “You need to bring back the kid.”
“Too damn bad. The kid is already sold.”
And, with that, Jewel wailed in the background. Corbin heard her sob and scream. A shot rang out. “Serves the bitch, right.”
Corbin stared into the phone. “Fuck,” he roared, already racing to the vehicle.
“Yeah, well, you wanted a deal,” the shooter snapped. “I wanna deal too, but now that she’s off the table, so is her damn kid.”