“The longer we stand here, we’re risking getting caught,” Jameson warned, glancing at Julio.
“We’ll contact you soon. I will provide you with my name and my bank account information. You’ll say these two quarreled and shot each other. Scrub the video and blame it on one of them. You can make up the rest. It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve ever lied. If you try to set me up, I’ll kill your family,” Julio said low, letting his threat sink in. “And I’ll make you watch.”
Jameson held the curtain back as Julio slipped out the door and into the night. They listened as Darren shouted orders, telling them to disengage the alarm and clean up the bodies. Jameson led the way back to their original entrance to the property.
“Did you place the tracker on him?” Julio asked as he got into the truck.
“Of course, I did,” Jameson grumbled. “The idiot will waste no time getting out of dodge. Tell me why you let him go again.”
“Because he has connections to the man who holds Rebecca. You saw the last records. Darren Garfield will run to his boss or he’ll help us. I imagine his boss won’t be pleased we made it this far, and Garfield doesn’t want to be on the receiving end. The only way to save his ass, will be to work with us. This man can pave my way to her, and I’m tired of waiting.”
Jameson merely nodded. The unspoken words rang loud and clear in the truck. Rebecca must be suffering and every dayprolonged it. If they lost one of their own, how can they even begin to save the people Kassie Winters set them out to do?
“I’ll call Leo. We’ll need the funds,” Julio said, breaking the silence. “We need more hands on deck. He may send us his team. Matthew has gotten us this far, but Leo and the team assure me they’ll come when we need them. I can’t explain it, but I feel like we’re on to something.”
“We must be. They’ve tightened the circle in Jasper’s nightclub operations. I can barely get into his office these days. You need to get some clothes reeking of money and a new identity. Keep the beard, it’ll throw off your facial recognition, and we can change your eye color. I’ll send the drive to Matthew and see if we can stop any oncoming shipments and discover the new locations,” Jameson informed him.
“What happened to the woman, Caroline? Have you seen her lately?” Julio asked, pulling into the seedy motel they called home for over two weeks while they waited for the details of the party to become available. Matthew Cartwright guessed the correct location based on the last clues they discovered, but the day and time weren’t disclosed until the last minute.
Jameson sighed deeply. “She returned a week after her disappearance. They beat her because another woman accused her of hitting on all the men. Caroline won’t even glance in my direction. I want to tell her, we’re close to getting her and all the women out of there. I know I can’t, but every time she leaves, Caroline returns, appearing more haunted than before. It makes me sick.”
“Yeah, partner, I’m with you there,” Julio commiserated.
Jameson pulled out his phone. “They cancelled the auction tonight and rescheduled it for tomorrow. They conduct business in the room where you found Garfield. You didn’t even lock the door. Then, you get burned with a cigar. He might’ve shot you. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I lost my focus for a second,” he lied. His thoughts strayed to Rebecca as he watched the drive load the coveted information. He never saw the cigar coming for him. The burn throbbed as if it knew Julio relived the moment in his head. He welcomed it. It made him come to life after discovering Rebecca missing, and each day his body grew numb, protecting itself against the harsh reality she might be lying in a shallow grave somewhere. The reddish orange ashes may have seared his skin, but they served as a reminder of why he must stay vigilant. If he must, he’d burn the whole damn place around them if it leads them to Rebecca.
CHAPTER TEN
Jim led Rebecca back to her cell with the two women from the kitchen and Kara. Her eyes scanned the area, checking the darkened corners for the little girl. She coddled her bruised arm as she turned toward Jim.
“Where’s Megan?” she asked angrily, fury blinding her. She wanted to claw the man’s face apart with her fingernails.
“What did I tell you about your attitude?” Jim said smugly. “She’s busy at the moment.” He turned to leave when she launched herself on his back, choking him with her arm.
The other women sank into the wall, screaming as Jim tried to buck her off, slamming her against the hard, cold concrete. The pain jolted down her spine, but she refused to give up and hung on for dear life.
Another man, hearing the commotion, ran inside, pulling Rebecca from Jim.
“You bastard,” she spat as the man wrenched her arms behind her back and held them high, making it feel like they were popping out of their sockets.
Jim laughed. “Let her go, Sam.”
The man holding her loosened his grip and kept his eyes on her as he left the stall. He barely walked out when Jim backhanded her across the face, sending her to the floor.
“Because of you, none of these hard-working girls will get supper tonight. You can think about that while you try to stay comfortable,” he said, pointing to her blanket and mattress and snapping his fingers. Kara jumped to do his bidding, dragging it to the cell’s entrance. “Next time, maybe you’ll think about your actions.”
Rebecca sent the women a glare. “Have any of you heard about strength in numbers? You missed the opportunity to free all of us. The others are still above.”
“Why should we help you?” Kendra exclaimed. “You caused enough trouble and we don’t get to eat. I haven’t eaten since breakfast. You know they don’t always feed us in the morning. We’ll have to wait all day tomorrow and hope for dinner.”
“Listen to yourself,” Rebecca chided. “A little girl may be traumatized and you’re worried about your stomach. What about survival? If we got out of here, we wouldn’t have to worry about being fed like a pack of dogs. You stood by while I attacked him and didn’t lift a finger. If you want out of this, you have to fight for it.”
“Lady, we have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting out of here except for a body bag,” Ebony spoke up. “You keep talking like this, and we’ll tell him you’re planning on escaping. I’m tired of getting punished because of you.”
“Don’t you miss walking outside in the fresh air? Or walking in the rain? You can’t do it anymore if we stay in these damp basements. Do you want to spend the rest of your life like this?” she demanded.
“We don’t have a choice,” Kara said, sighing. “You talk all big and brave for a woman who’s locked up like the rest of us.”
