“Hey, Rafferty,” Asher greeted. “How are things going?”
“Not good. I’ve just been ambushed,” he said, trying not to let the pain from his knee show in voice. “Justus and Chaney were abducted.”
“Abducted?” Asher’s voice rose several octaves. “Where’s Rawlins? Why wasn’t he with you? Why did you have both girls?”
His questions came fast and furious.
“At a last-minute doctor’s appointment,” Rafferty replied. “I was taking them for their pretrial prep session. Didn’t Libertyget a letter requesting she come for it as well with the US Assistant District Attorney?”
“She goes later this week,” Asher said. “That still doesn’t explain why you thought you could handle escorting them alone. You should have called me for back up.”
“There wasn’t time for that. Not when Rawlins only got the call this morning,” Rafferty said.
“Explain how this happened.”
“We parked at the garage next door and I was walking the girls when this guy came out of nowhere and swept my bad leg, taking out my knee, and putting me on my back” Rafferty told him. “That’s when they got the girls. There were three of them. From what I saw I think they must have drugged them because the girls went limp before they were thrown in the trunk of a car and they sped away.”
“Shit. Have you called Hank?” Asher asked.
“No,” Rafferty said. “I called and reported the incident to the police and requested an ambulance. Then I called you.”
“I think you better let him know what’s happened. And call your brother. Doctor’s appointment or not,” Asher said, clearly angry. “I’ve got to go tell Liberty you let her sister get abducted.”
CHAPTER 14
Rafferty layin the hospital bed, replaying his phone call with Hank. He’d been encouraging, but Rafferty knew he wasn’t happy with the situation, any more than Asher had been. It was clear in the sound of Asher’s voice and how he’d said he had to go tell Liberty about how Justus had been abducted.
To make matters worse, he was having a hell of a time getting a hold of Rawlins. He didn’t know if his brother had turned his phone off because of the doctor’s appointment or if something had happened to him as well. He prayed it was the former, not the latter.
A knock came at his room door before it opened and a man in a tailored suit entered. “Are you Rafferty Grainger,” he asked.
“I am,” Rafferty said, apprehensively.
“I’m Bryson McAdams, US Assistant District Attorney. I received your message about what happened to Killion and Daniels.” He pulled out a business card and handed it to him. “I’m sorry you were attacked in the parking garage.”
“Have you spoken with the police?” Rafferty asked. “I called 9-1-1 but dispatch only sent an ambulance to my location.”
“That’s because when they called me, I directed them to pull security footage and we got the license plate of the vehicle.Captain Thompson and his men began searching for it via CTV footage around town,” McAdams explained. “We will find Killion and Daniels. Don’t you worry.”
“What about my brother?” Rafferty asked. “I can’t reach him. He has no idea what has happened. Can you help me locate him?”
“Do you think there is foul play involved?” McAdams asked.
“I’m not sure. He received a call this morning about a doctor’s appointment opening up that he was having to wait months for. That left me escorting the girls to their appointment alone.”
“I see. And then you were injured, and the girls were taken,” McAdams summed up the events.”
“That’s it,” Rafferty agreed.
“If you don’t hear from him by end of day, then call me,” McAdams instructed.
“You should also contact FBI Agent Dan Carson. He needs to know about this latest development. And if you can’t reach him, his supervisor Stewart McClain.”
“The FBI?” McAdams’ voice rose in question.
“Carson has been undercover trying to get at Warshafsky before Justus and Chaney were first abducted,” Rafferty explained. “He was with Nuchols when they were taken, befriended Justus while she was in captivity, and was at the raid. That’s when he disappeared. Last I heard, the FBI was putting Carson back under so he can get close to Warshafsky again and finally arrest him.”
“And you said Stewart McClain is Carson’s supervisor at the FBI?” McAdams pulled out a small notepad from his breast pocket and jotted that information down.
