“Yeah, I’m okay,” Ephraim sat up, his head splitting and his balance crap. “Where is Sophie?”
“Gone.” Reed replied stonily.
“Gone?” Ephraim put his feet under him and stood then swayed and took a step away from Reed then vomited.
“Wood’s got her. I saw them get in a car and pull out.”
“Why didn’t you follow him?” Ephraim croaked.
“I was on foot,” Reed reminded him. “I just hope the tag we put on Sophie works.”
Ephraim didn’t bother to nod. He just started walking toward Sophie’s car. “Where’re you going?” Reed asked and when Ephraim replied he shook his head.
“We’ll take my jeep. He doesn’t know it.”
They made it to the jeep with only an additional stop for Ephraim to throw up. Reed didn’t bother to suggest Ephraim remain behind. They both knew better.
The tracking tag Sophie had sewn into her shirt hem came through when they turned on the receiver. Ephraim breathed a sigh of relief then frowned at the direction the tag was heading. “Looks like they’re going west.”
“What’s out there?” Reed asked as he navigated through town and toward the main road.
“Hold on,” Ephraim fought double vision and focused in on his phone. His stomach roiled and for a minute, he was afraid he’d have to stick his head out of the window and vomit. Heclosed his eyes and took a deep breath then opened them again and saw his vision had cleared a bit. “Looks like businesses and some oyster processing houses.” He turned a dark gaze on Reed. “Sophie told me the oyster fishing business bottomed out after some hurricane a few years ago. There are probably empty buildings there.”
Reed nodded and pushed the gas for more speed. “We’ve got the tag, remember.”
Sophie watchedthe familiar businesses and houses of the west side slide by as Wood drove toward the old fishing area. She wondered why he’d not bothered to blindfold her then put it out of her mind. She didn’t want to think of the consequences of that.
She hoped the tracking tag she’d sewn in her t-shirt would do the trick, though they’d only done it as a safety measure. She’d argued that she’d not need it, as Ephraim wouldn’t let her out of his sight, but she hadn’t bargained on Wood needing her more than he did Ephraim. Why hadn’t he just taken him? She asked the man driving and smoking the noxious cigarette.
“In downtown? Would have drawn too much attention. I know the man, he fights like a wildcat when he’s cornered. You were the easier way to get to him. All neat and tidy, tied up in a bow for the boss.”
She took a breath and asked about the boss again. ‘Nope,” Wood said and, rolling down his window, tossed the still smoldering butt out. “Not gonna tell you. You’ll find out eventually, anyway.” He glanced at her. “You don’t seem like Collins’ type.”
“What type is that?” she asked, determined to keep him talking.
He shrugged. “Come to think of it, I never saw him with anybody. But he’d like flashy women, I bet. You, you ain’t flashy.”
No, definitely not flashy, Sophie told herself. But I am resourceful.
CHAPTER 14
The building looked exactlylike you’d expect an old oyster warehouse to look. Rusted corrugated tin made up the walls and most of the windows facing both the bay and the parking lot were broken. Sophie eyed the dock and boardwalk above the bay with trepidation. They’d be lucky if they didn’t end up in the water.
Wood opened her door and held the knife he didn’t bother to conceal out. “Let’s go, sugar. Just a little ways.”
Sophie stood and suddenly felt the whole thing wash over her, enveloping her in chills and weakening her legs. She caught the side of the door and held on for a minute, trying to force strength in her legs. “Come on, don’t mess around.” Wood prodded her side with the knife and she glared at him.
“Give me a minute. I’m not used to being held at knifepoint.”
“You’ll have more than that if you don’t move.” He snarled and the affability that he’d put on before was gone, replaced by a man who had a nasty job to do.
He pushed her and she took a couple of steps on wobbly legs then headed toward the building at his prodding. He opened the stiff door with a curse and one hand, his other holding her securely. Sophie, thinking he may have his attention more on thedoor, tried to pull away, only to yelp when he yanked on her arm, pulling her into his solid frame.
“Do that again, and you’ll end up in the drink. I only needed to nab you, don’t need to keep you alive,” he growled and pushed her through the now open door. Sophie tripped over a loose board and went sprawling onto the dusty concrete surface.
She looked around. Any unbroken windows were covered with sandy grime from years of neglect. The broken ones offered light but had also allowed debris, animals and trash to be blown into the large room, covering the area nearest them with small piles of refuse. Long deep metal tables with troughs ranged around the edges of the room, and a larger door, big enough for ships to transfer their catch to the house, remained closed with padlocks rusting along the edge. Any equipment that could have fetched money had been removed long ago.
A stained mattress lay in the corner of the room where someone had squatted. What had happened to that person, Sophie wondered. Wood, watching her, saw where she was looking. “Had to evict a couple of people when I found this place.”
