They gently cleaned her wounds and covered her. As they completed caring for the wounds to her back, her eyes fluttered opened, and she cried out.
“Shh, shh, shh, US Special Forces, you’re safe. We are going to get you home.” Gently, Wes rolled her to her side. “I’m Wes. I’m giving you some blood, fluids and antibiotics. I’ve cleaned your wounds. Let me give you something for the pain?”
“Don’t leave me.” Her hand gripped his wrist.
“I’m with you all the way to Bagram,” he said with a soft smile.
Wes jumped, his eyes opening to find Kip crouching in front of him. “We need to talk.”
* * *
Troy watched Gwen pace a tight circle in front of him; the normally reserved operator was in a frenzy. “I screwed up. She begged me not to tell anyone. She thought she was telling a friend…wait, I am her friend. Mr. Bremen, how do I choose?” Tears dropped from her eyes.
Troy stood and, without a thought, pulled Gwen into his arms. His hand cupping the back of her head, he placed his lips against hers. She inhaled and parted her lips to make room for his insistent tongue. Together, they hungrily explored each other’s mouths, their tongues dancing.
The sound of a slamming door stopped them both. Troy released her, his chest heaving. “Gwen…I’m sorry.” He saw her expression fall. “I took advantage of you.” He took a deep breath. “I wanted to kiss you, but it’s not fair to you. I can’t give you what you deserve. Forgive me.” He cupped her hand between his. “Forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” she said, her cheeks flushed from their kiss.
Troy sighed and made his way back to his chair. He ran his hand through his hair. “Okay, take a breath and listen to me. Ellie is lying unconscious in our clinic. There have been at least three attempts on her life. What you are not aware of is she is the only known survivor of a ring that is responsible for the disappearance of at least forty-eight women, including her sister. If she told you something that may help us find her sister...”
“Why is this so hard?” Gwen wrung her hands, then handed Troy her phone. “I feel guilty I recorded her. But…”
“You knew sometimes being a friend means hard decisions.” Troy played the recording, then reached for his phone and called Kyle. “Coop, get over to the office.”
* * *
Large lights illuminated the cabin and the woods surrounding it. Wes and Kip watched as Chad Thorn and his squad dug up the floor. “They never looked,” Kip said.
“And if I had looked?” Wes asked.
“You would have checked to see if there was historic significance, and when you found none, you would’ve bulldozed the site. You wouldn’t have found this.” They stared at the skeletal remains of five newborns.
“We’ve secured the entire perimeter of this cabin. Do you want us to secure the other two?” Chad Thorn asked.
“Yes. Go back to the remains of the first two and take a more detailed look,” Kip instructed.
“Do you think any of them belong to Ellie?” Wes asked.
“No. These people thought these would never be found. Someone screwed up, and Ellie got involved in this mess again. If we start at the beginning, we go to the Coventry School. She was working for them when she and Belinda lived in Leesburg, when they were kidnapped, when she returned to work, and when she applied here,” Kip began to spell it out.
“Tuck said he’d call me if there’s any change. We need to head back to the office and plot this out,” Wes said after doing one more survey of the scene.
