“Knew it as soon as I saw you,” the voice said into the room. “Quiet and stealth, like a mouse who can hide in sneaky little places. Calling you a mouse before wasn’t a criticism. If I’d called you a mosquito, you could have taken offense. Of course, I quite like mosquitoes. Deadliest animals on Earth. Even more deadly than humans. Well, not all humans.”
She gulped. What on earth did he mean by that? That he was deadly? Or that someone else in this room was?
Addie had no idea, but she decided not to ask.
“Then before I could get up the courage to leave, the pickup started, and we were driving.”
“So, you guys had no idea that she was in the back?” Ink asked.
Cash shook his head. “No, not until we got home and found her there. We took her inside, warmed her up, and put her phone on charge. Addie tried calling her sisters and tracking their phones, but their location showed as still at the bar, and they weren’t answering any calls or messages.”
“So you went to their hotel room, saw that message, and decided that you needed some help from us,” Ink said. “On your way here, you pulled over to the side of the road because Addie got sick, and then these guys set upon you.”
“That’s it,” Cash said.
“So why was she in trouble?” Brody asked.
“What?” Cash asked.
“You said that she was in trouble, and Addie thought you were talking about the man with the body, but what were you actually talking about?”
“I told her to hide when those guys attacked, and instead of hiding, she went to the back of my truck and tried to get to the crowbar. Putting herself in danger.” Cash frowned at her
“Without my help, they might have hurt you, and then where would I be?” she said.
It might have been her imagination, but Batman’s voice even sounded annoyed.
“Oh, so you only helped me to help yourself, did you?” There was an amused look on his face that she didn’t appreciate.
“Yes,” she told him, before crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a stubborn look.
Cash just smiled.
“So these guys had nothing to do with the people that trashed Addie’s hotel room, right?” Ink asked.
Cash shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. They just were driving by and saw an opportunity to steal Crystal.”
“Crystal?” Brody asked, looking confused.
“My pickup.”
“Right. Here’s what we’re going to do,” Ink said. “Brody, I need you to find out if there are any cameras in the lot where Cash’s pickup was parked by that bar. Can one of you help Brody figure out where your pickup was parked? You guys might have to do a physical run by the place.”
“I can help him with that,” Ralen said, sitting up straight.
“Good. The guy with the body worries me, but he isn’t our main focus. The message in the hotel room likely has something to do with Addie’s sisters, and we need to find them. Butch, can you head out to that bar and see what’s going on? Get insideit, check for any missing phones, handbags, women. You’ll need to call Stone and get him to go with you. I don’t want anybody going anywhere on their own, not with a man going around carrying a body. I’ll get Sable to see if there are any police reports on what happened at that bar.” Ink turned to her and Cash. “Addie, do you know the name of Monroe’s husband?”
She nodded.
“Good. Write it down for me. I need to see if we can find him.”
“His name is Vextar Lime. Do you think he had something to do with my sisters disappearing?”
“I don’t know, but it’s a place to start. First priority is finding your sisters. Second priority is discovering what that guy with the body was doing. I’ll also get Sable to check if there are any missing person reports, although it might be too early for that.”
Everyone left except for her, Cash, and Ink.
“I need your sisters’ phone numbers,” Ink said. “And then I really think that you need to get some rest. You look pale and shaken. I’ve got a safe room here where you can stay.”
