“Yes, and all the Archangels, Jesús, and the Stray Bullets table,” she said.“Still, I feel off.”
“I can feel it too,” he said, about to say another thought when a sound made him freeze in his tracks.
The fax machine was going off in the office.Helen moved slowly, feeling wary, and arrived in the office.For some reason, Mustang followed behind, both staring at the machine.Instead of one sheet of paper, there were two.
Helen pulled both sheets, passing one to her husband.“This one is for you.”
Mustang grabbed the paper, feeling put upon by an unwanted relative asking for a hefty sum of money, as a loan.“The fuck?”
He read the sheet as did she.He looked at his wife.“We have 24 hours to find this girl and get her home.What do we need to roll out?”
“Vehicle is fueled, weapons ready,” she told him.
“And the wedding stuff?”
“Funny thing, I took everything to the house in Kentucky today, including our travel stuff for the honeymoon,” she told him.
“So, if we cut it close,” he started.
“We are in the pocket,” she replied.“Let’s move.”
“You drive.I track,” he said, reaching for the equipment issued to a Technician.His wife provided her credentials, and he went to work.First, he started with the missing girl.
Kylie Young, the rebellious daughter of a sitting U.S.Senator for the state of Indiana, went off the radar at three this afternoon.As of six p.m., concerns by the parents were noted since the girl’s cell phone was turned off and the AirPods in her bag had not moved from a food court in the mall.The AirTag was found, but not the girl.
“Thus far, no ransom demands have come in,” Mustang said.“This feels, staged, almost, accidental but now on purpose.”
“Huh?”
“They took her, not knowing who she was, but in taking her, they found out, so now it is a new mission or a game to whoever has her,” Mustang said.“It might not be politically motivated, but a potential gang bang opportunity, but one of the gang recognized her and is scared.”
“Scared won’t stop the worst one in the pack from fucking her,” Helen said.“What do you have?”
“Based on the time spread, three potential locations,” he said.
“Call them out,” she asked.
“One is out towards Lawrence, the other Clermont, the other Valley Mills,” he said.
“Clermont is out,” she said.“Lawrence is a no.Valley Mills it is to start.”
“If we are wrong, it could cost us time.”
“You keep working your magic.I will keep driving,” she said.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived in Valley Mills.Six buildings were possible.Mustang narrowed it to three, then down to one.
“Shit, that’s a squatting sight for the homeless and vagrants.I am not tucking and rolling,” she told him.
“Cranberry,” he said, using her handle, “we don’t know what we’re walking into.What is in the cache?”
“I brought the paintball guns as well as two nines with silencers,” she said smiling at him.
“Paintball high, weapons down low,” he said as they parked and geared up.
A loud scream came from the building on the upper floor.Helen’s eyes grew wide.She grabbed her weapons, but he grabbed her arm.
“Emotions stay outside.The Cranberry is going inside,” he cautioned.He patted her arm.“Let’s move.”
