“Where is she?” Nicu’s deep voice bounced off the tall ceilings of the warehouse as he leveled his gun at them.
Kayla tried to capture the tendrils of fear wrapping themselves around her heart as Nicu’s brother stepped into the room behind him. The only thing good about this situation was that if both of them were here, they weren’t running after Mercy and Celine. But now that they’d found them, she knew they had no intentions of letting them go again.
“We still have another eighteen hours to find her,” Levi said, raising his hands beside him.
“I think you already found Mercy,” Nicu said. “I found your safe house, and now you’re only a couple blocks away? Sounds too convenient if you ask me.”
“Was she at the safe house?” Levi asked.
“No, but I think you already know that. The thing is, you can’t hide her and expect me to in turn give up your father, Kayla. That’s not how things are going to work.”
What do we do, God? Mercy’s life for my father’s? My father’s life for hers? You know I can’t do this!
She remembered what Levi had told her. Play the game. Make him believe he was winning.
“Do you actually think I’d put the life of one of your girls above my father’s?” she asked. “But Levi’s right. You gave us another twenty-four hours to find her. That was the deal.”
“Things have changed. I’m tired of your stalling and excuses,” Nicu said. “And you know too much. Which is why if you’d never gotten involved in this in the first place none of this would have happened.”
“And Mercy? What would have happened to her?” Levi asked.
“She’s mine and she always will be.”
“She’s not a piece of property you can just buy or sell or barter,” Kayla said. She was going to forget trying to make him think he’d won. He already believed he’d won no matter what she said.
“You’re wrong,” he said. “She is mine.”
Kayla glanced at Levi. Talking to Nicu wasn’t going to get them anywhere.
A loud voice echoed in another part of the building, momentarily shifting Nicu’s attention. They weren’t here alone. Without stopping to think about what she was doing, Kayla took advantage of the distraction and shoved three of the mannequins toward the center of the room where Nicu stood. A domino effect ensued as one by one the mannequins tumbled on top of one another across the room. Nicu took a step back as one of them crashed next to him.
Levi grabbed Kayla’s hand and pulled her toward the door behind them.
“Stop! Both of you!”
A bullet hit one of the still standing mannequins. Its head exploded as they ducked into the next room. Any lingering doubts about Nicu’s intentions had vanished. His solution was to ensure they were the next victims lying on a slab at the morgue.
She rounded the corner too quickly and a metal pole sticking out from the wall cut her calf, but adrenaline kept her from feeling more than a sting. Newspapers covered the front windows, blocking most of the sunlight. But at least they’d found their way out. A second shot ricocheted off the wall beside them.
More voices shouted from inside the warehouse, but she and Levi ignored them as they slipped out the front door and kept running. Kayla scanned the busy street, trying to orient herself as to where they were. If she was right, the tram shouldn’t be more than four or five blocks east of them.
“We need to put as much distance between us and them as possible,” Levi said. “How far to the nearest tram?”
“Not far if we hurry.”
Kayla glanced behind her. There was no sign of Nicu, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t behind them, somewhere in the crowd.
She heard the warning bell of the tram that was pulling up as they approached the stop a couple minutes later. They jumped on board, where Levi paid his fare while she scanned her pass, then they hurried to two empty seats at the back.
“Do you still think we should go to the houseboat?” Kayla asked, sitting down next to the window as the tram continued down the track. She hadn’t seen Nicu, but she wasn’t convinced he wasn’t still out there following them.
“Yes, I do.”
“But if that’s where Dad is, don’t you think Nicu will head there as well?” she asked.
“Maybe, but that means we need to get there first.” He sat down next to her. “Your leg’s bleeding.”
“It’s nothing.” She pulled a tissue from her bag, then wiped the blood off the cut, ignoring the sting.
“People are going to wonder what happened to us.” She let out a low laugh, though her hands were still shaking. “Between your black eye, the goose egg on my head, the cut on your arm and now this we make quite a pair.”
But any feelings of amusement quickly faded. She glanced out the window as bikes, pedestrians and buildings blurred past, with memories taking their place. Lilly’s death. Her father’s disappearance, Mercy running for her life, Nicu running after them...
How had this happened?
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“So much about this situation brings up a slew of memories I’d rather lay to rest.”
The uncertainty she’d felt after Lilly vanished. The horror of finding out what had happened to her. How throughout the entire situation she’d felt completely out of control. Like nothing she did or said could change what was happening around her.
She felt her heart tremor as he squeezed her hand. Since when did he make her heart race like she was eighteen again? But no matter how hard she tried to fight the unexpected feelings she had for him, she couldn’t get rid of them. Not completely.
“I’m so sorry,” he said.
She shoved away the questions and shifted her thoughts back to Lilly.
“My sister is why I’m here and why I get up every morning. Losing her changed me,” she continued. “You remember Lilly. For as long as I remember, she was the one with a hairbrush in her hand as a microphone performing for anyone who would listen. She dreamed of growing up and becoming the next big singing star or cover model. Anything as long as it was in the spotlight.”
It had always seemed so innocent until someone took advantage of her and with it her life.
“I remember hearing about the issue of child trafficking back then,” she continued, “but it wasn’t a problem in small-town USA. It was something horrible that happened, but always to girls living in another country, far away from our idealistic life. But I was wrong. It doesn’t matter what your race or skin color is as long as you are a girl who will listen to the lies and the promises. And that’s what Lilly did.”
Kayla watched a row of small boats bobbing in the water. “I still see Lilly as the little girl standing in front of the fireplace and singing her heart out. Not being raped a dozen times a day by men who paid to sleep with her.”
“I’m so, so sorry that Lilly and your family had to go through all of this. Slavery should have been abolished centuries ago. To see it firsthand like this is sickening.”
She looked up to him and caught his gaze. “I can’t let them get Mercy, Levi. She’s always reminded me of Lilly with her charismatic personality. They couldn’t break Mercy’s spirit. Not completely. But if Nicu finds her again...”
“Then we have to do everything in our power to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being here, so I don’t have to face this alone.”
* * *
Levi heard the pain in her voice, but there was something more than that—he also heard her determination. He’d seen firsthand how she’d taken a tragedy and turned it into a way to help other girls so they didn’t end up like her sister. And yet he was certain even that knowledge didn’t always help erase the pain she still harbored.
“I’m glad I’m here as well,” he said. “Not because of what’s happening, of course, but because you shouldn’t have to go through this by yourself.”
The last twenty-four hours had pushed both of them to the limits, and unfortunately it wasn’t over yet. But suddenly—for one brief moment—everything that had happened managed to slip away, until all he could see was the woman sitting next to him.
“Do you remember that time I gave you a ride into town?” he asked, realizing the risk he was taking in changing the topic.
She let out a soft laugh. “How could I forget? I was on my way to a job interview. It was pouring down rain and I got a flat tire. You stopped to pick me up in your father’s BMW. You have no idea how stressed I was getting into that car and knowing what a dripping mess I was. And knowing what your father would say—”
“I have a confession,” he said. “I almost asked you out that day.”
She glanced up at him, her eyes wide with surprise. “Really?”
He nodded, wondering what would have happened if he’d actually gone through with his plan. He hadn’t told anyone, but he’d been thinking about it for weeks. Having her in the car with him had cemented the idea, but for some reason, in the end he’d chickened out.
“Why didn’t you?” she asked.
“I decided you’d probably say no.”
“You were wrong. I would have said yes,” she said, her grin widening. “And since we’re confessing, when Adam asked me out the first time, I said yes to him for all the wrong reasons.”
“And what reason would that be?” he asked.
She ducked her head slightly. “I was...hoping you might get jealous and ask me out.”
How had he missed that? There’d always been something about Kayla that had made him want to get to know her better. Something that had in turn managed to tangle up his tongue whenever he was around her.
Her freckled cheeks reddened slightly. “Makes me wonder what might have happened if you’d asked me out.”
“Me, too, though apparently I was young and stupid.”
“Hardly. I always looked up to you. You were the one who had it together. Then you went off and joined the military and I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“And Adam kept asking you out.”
How could he have been so stupid? But now...was he somehow being given a second chance?
“I should have asked you out.”
“Except I know your father. He would never have let you go out with me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He was grooming you for the role of CEO of his company your entire life. Adam told me that you were supposed to go off to college, then take over the company. Which was why he totally flipped out when you joined the military.”
“I know he did, but that didn’t stop me. Just like I wouldn’t let my father dictate who I date.”
“Maybe, but I remember hearing grumblings at the plant. Your father wasn’t always the easiest boss to work for. And I have a feeling it wasn’t always easy to be his son, either.” She pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No. You’re right. And yet in the end, he still got his way. I’m back in Potterville heading up the family business. But maybe that is a good thing.”
All the feelings he’d ever had toward her rushed through him. Before he could think about what he was doing, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. His heart pounded at her nearness as she pressed her hand against his chest and kissed him back. For a few brief seconds there were no concerns or worries about someone trying to kill them. Because right now, none of that mattered.
The loudspeaker announced another stop.
She pulled away from him and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Levi, but I can’t do this.”
“Kayla, I—”
“We need to get off.” She stood up as the tram slowed to a stop.
He glanced up at her. Worry lines had settled across her forehead. Had he totally misread her? He followed her off the tram and toward the canal, regretting what he’d just done.
How had he been such a fool?
Three blocks away, they found the houseboat bobbing gently in the canal. He glanced around them, trying to focus. Trying to forget what it had felt like to kiss her. Despite the extra precautions he’d taken to ensure they hadn’t been followed, he knew he couldn’t be sure. Which had him worried.
He studied the nondescript boat that was painted a light tan with wooden trim around the windows. A couple chairs sat on a small deck next to several neglected potted plants. It looked as if no one had been here for quite a while.
“Are you sure this is the right house?” she asked.
“It seems to be the correct address.”
Whether her father was onboard, though, was an entirely different question.
“A place like this is actually prime real estate,” she said, standing beside him. “Permits to moor a home—especially in certain locations—can raise the value of the houseboat substantially. Though apparently I’m not the only person in the city lacking a green thumb.”
There were no signs of anyone on board, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t left Kayla’s father here.
“If he’s here, he’s somewhere inside,” Levi said.
He glanced around. The last thing he wanted to do was get arrested for trespassing. But that seemed like the least of their worries at the moment. While Kayla walked in the opposite direction, Levi stepped onto the boat and started walking around the deck, trying to see if he could see inside. But each of the windows was covered by dark gray blinds.
“Levi?”
“There’s no way to see inside,” he said, stepping back onto the dock where she stood.
“I found an unlocked window,” Kayla said.
He hesitated before following her, praying they didn’t attract any attention with their search. But if it meant finding Max, he wasn’t sure they had a choice. He slid open the window, then stepped into the houseboat. Inside, the cabin was small but efficient, and it only took a few seconds to search the entire space.
He stepped back into the center of the room and shook his head.
Another dead end. There was no one on the boat. If her father had been here, he was gone.