“Find the phone,” said Ham turning to Jak and AJ. He turned back to Samantha. “Don’t worry, honey. They’ll be able to track the phone based on its number and locator.”
“We didn’t have our locators on. Our father made sure to tell us to turn them off unless we were traveling.”
“We’ll find a way,” nodded Ham.
He didn’t plan on killing Arantha. He only wanted information about the girl. Why did she have to be so stubborn? He was nice about it. Asked her for help and offered favors in return. Yet she still refused and threatened him. She. Threatened him.
“Absurd!” he said out loud. He caught himself and looked around at others seated in the restaurant. No one looked his way but he shook his head, disappointed in himself.
These young women were all the same. They pretended to be your friend, to like you and yet when you asked them out or tried to get close to them, they played you. He was sick of it. He’d seen it too many times to count and the entire thing was pissing him off.
“I won’t be played,” he whispered to himself.
“I’m sorry, sir. Did you say something?” asked the waiter.
“Oh, no. Sorry. Just thinking out loud. Dangerous game,” he smiled. The waiter nodded, too busy to care or to engage in the conversation.
Crowds of Mardi Gras participants passed by the windows of the restaurant. He’d have to find a way to get through those crowds without losing his cool. He hated crowds. He hated New Orleans and he was slowly learning to despise women.
Was there not one woman out there that would obey? That would do exactly as her man told her? Arantha was the third, no fourth that refused his advances and requirements of a wife.
If he couldn’t get his hands on Willa, he’s simply move on to one of the others. Easy pickings.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“We’ve got an address!” said AJ running down the hallway. “We’ve got an address and so much more.”
“Let’s go!” said River. River, Quinn, Finn, Bone, HG, and Jak ran from the building.
The address was a small studio apartment in a not-so-great neighborhood. It had taken them days to find the address and finally got a hit at an immunization clinic. Obviously, Morris had to have his immunizations to be in the nursing program.
“Slow down, Finn. You’re going to get us killed,” said Bone.
“If it was your wife would you slow down?” he asked.
“Fair point. Go ahead.”
Just as they pulled up in front of the small warehouse building, they spotted Morris coming out, head down. Finn pulled his weapon, standing in front of him.
“Do not move you piece of shit?” he said looking at the man.
Morris looked up, his eyes red and puffy, completely shocked by their appearance. He wasn’t fierce looking. He was sad. Sad and crying.
“Wh-what’s going on? What did I do to you?” he muttered.
“Arantha. What did you do to her?” asked Quinn.
“I did nothing. Don’t you understand? Don’t you get it? I did nothing. All of this is him. It’s him and no one will believe me.”
The team couldn’t seem to escape crying today. First it was Samantha, now it was Morris, sobbing uncontrollably and mumbling in the backseat. When they brought him into the conference room, Samantha and Willa were both waiting.
“I’m sorry,” he cried. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t mean for any of this to get so out of control.”
“Did you kill my sister?” asked Samantha.
“No,” he said vehemently. “No. You have to believe me. It’s him!”
“Him? Who is him?” asked Finn.
