"It's just, I should have been there. If I had been there—"
"He would have taken you, too. And then no one would have been able to help us find you." Scarlett knew it was the truth, but she couldn't get the guilt to go away.
"You're having a little bit of survivor's guilt. It should have been you—that kind of thing. It's normal. And it will pass. But don't keep it bottled up inside. Talk to me or Lucas. We're here to help." Isabel dropped her hands and squeezed her arm, turning back to the file on the table.
Scarlett thought about her words. She was right. She couldn’t blame herself. Her connection with Lucas was what would save Emery's life—if only they could find her in time.
* * * *
Lucas wrote the facts they knew on the board.
Damon Lopez was a sex trafficker.
He took girls to a halfway house in Baltimore to "break them in." He cringed as he brought up the memory of Emery's beautiful, innocent face. The thought of what these guys did to break them in was horrifying. Not something Emery should ever be exposed to.
He continued writing.
Maryanne knows about the girls.
Who else knows?
Is Damon our big fish?
He paused while writing and looked over his shoulder, catching Scarlett's eye as she finished her talk with Isabel. His attraction was growing into something more than physical. She was so strong. Most women her age would have crumbled already at all she'd experienced in less than twenty-four hours. Her sister's abduction. The information about sex trafficking. The scene with Maryanne and the thug at the townhouse. She shouldn't have to be exposed to any of this. He wanted to protect her, but he knew he had to find her sister first. And she refused to stay put while he went looking.
Sullivan and Gabriel walked in, their hair still damp from the shower. He'd seen the appreciation on Scarlett's face, and he was angry at himself for his primal reaction. He knew Sully was just getting under his skin, trying to ferret out his feelings for her. But he wasn't even sure what his feelings were yet. He'd be damned if he'd share those with Sullivan.
"Ok, what've we got?" Sully started.
"Ellis Lane in Baltimore. I have Zach researching the exact location and any other information we'll need before we go in."
He glanced at Scarlett, recognizing the hope in her expression. If they were lucky, her sister would be home tonight.
"How many guys will you need?"
"I figure we'll take the helo, so I can only fit five of us in there. I say we contact the local authorities and work with them. Let them know we'll be going in undercover, and then once we're out of there with Emery, they can rescue the girls and arrest the men holding them."
"Sounds good. I'll contact the police. We have close connections in Baltimore, so it shouldn't be a problem."
Lucas agreed and faced Isabel. "Isabel, you're coming with me undercover. We'll go in and rescue Emery."
"No," Scarlett said, speaking up.
"What do you mean, no?" Lucas asked.
"Emery is my sister. I'll go in after her."
"Not going to happen. You'll just be a liability. Isabel is trained for this."
"Then give me a few lessons before we go, but I'm going, Lucas. She'll be scared. She's going to need me. And she'll be put at ease if I’m there."
Lucas looked to Sully, and he shrugged his agreement. His responsibility. Right.
"Ok, I'll give you lessons on how to use a gun before we leave. We'll practice before we go." The thought of Scarlett’s being in harm's way was almost more than Lucas could handle. But ultimately, he knew Emery would feel safer if Scarlett was there.
"I'll take Gabriel and Ethan with me."
"I’m going, too," Sully said. "If Damon is there, we'll get two birds with one stone. Catching the big fish as well as rescuing Emery."
"What do you need me to do, Lucas?" Isabel asked.
"Man the radio with Zach. We'll need someone who can call in the cavalry if we hit a snag." Isabel made a couple of notes in her file and then closed it.
Lucas said, "Ok, then. Let's take a couple of hours to prepare, and then try and get some rest. We leave out of here at eighteen hundred."
* * * *
Scarlett spread her legs wider. "Like this?"
"Exactly." Lucas stood behind her, his hand resting on her side. His arms came around her and placed the gun in her hand. With his hands on top of hers, he helped her aim.
"Now, see the big target in the middle?"
"Yes," she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I’m not stupid, Lucas."
His husky chuckle in her ear sent shivers down her spine. "I know. Ok, aim for the middle. Keep in mind that when you shoot, the gun is going to kick back a little, so you'll need to compensate for that."
Scarlett squeezed one eye shut, staring down the barrel of the gun in her hands. She tried to stop the nervousness that caused her hands to shake just a little. Taking a steadying breath, she closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. The loud noise made her jump, as well as the gun recoiling in her hand. Her head shot backwards, knocking Lucas hard in the face.
"Ouch," he muttered, followed by several curses.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she said loudly. She pulled the earmuff off one ear and realized she was practically shouting at him. "Sorry," she said again, this time a little more softly.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, and, when he moved his hand, she could see the redness and swelling.
"Did I break it?"
"No, it's just a bruise. Damn, you have a hard head." He laughed, and she relaxed a little.
"It was my fault. I should have known better than to stand so close to you. Now, let's try it again." He tilted his head towards the target, pressing a button that made the target come closer for inspection. There, on the outside of the body, but still on the paper, was her first shot. Excitement coursed through her, and she turned to Lucas. "Let's do it again!"
Laughing, he sent the target back to its place, and showed her how to chamber a bullet. "This time, don't close your eyes, and keep breathing."
This time, after helping her set up her shot, he stepped back, dropping his hands from hers. She squinted, aiming the gun for the bull’s-eye in the center. Adjusting her aim from the last time, she squeezed the trigger, anticipating the recoil and the noise this time.
Lucas pressed the button, and the target sailed towards them. Right there, in the center of the target, was her second shot. Not dead center, but close enough.
She jumped up and down. Turning and facing Lucas, she threw her arms around him. "I did it!"
His eyes were smiling as he gazed into hers. He pulled the ear protection off his ears, and placed the goggles he was wearing on the ledge. He slipped hers off as well, and then pulled her up against his body.
"I've been wanting to do this for weeks. I just can't wait another moment. So, if you don't want this, you better tell me now."
Scarlett smiled up at him, the butterflies in her stomach dancing around. "I want this."
He lowered his mouth to hers, his soft lips molding to hers. She moaned as the pleasure hit her, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer—deeper. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she parted, tangling her tongue with his. He tasted like mint with a hint of coffee, but there was a spiciness there, too. Something she knew instinctively was all Lucas. He drew her closer, lining her body up with his. She could tell he was aroused, and the knowledge increased her passion. His hands made their way to her backside as he pulled her hips against his own. Desire clouded her thoughts, and all she could think about was how much she needed Lucas. Needed him to make her feel. Needed him to make her forget.
A throat clearing sounded close by, and she thought it strange, in her desire-filled haze, that she could hear someone in the next room. Another cough startled her out of her fog, and she sprang away from Lucas. Glancing behind him, she saw Zach standing there with an amused—and maybe even embarrassed—expres
sion on his face. She met Lucas's eyes and saw the same amusement, with a hint of frustration, reflected there.
Lucas pulled her in front of himself, and placed his hands on her shoulders as they faced Zach. "Can I help you?" Lucas asked him.
Zach cleared his throat. "Um, yeah. I've got the information. I tried texting you, but it seems you were—occupied." He snickered and turned to walk out the door.
"Ass," Lucas said as he took her hand in his. She could feel the warmth on her face from the embarrassment of getting caught. She wondered just how far that little scene would have gone if Zach hadn't interrupted. She hardly knew Lucas. And yet, she'd never been more comfortable with a man in all her life. True, she didn't have much experience. She didn't date much in high school or college, and then her parents had died, leaving her with the responsibility of raising her little sister.
The thought of Emery sobered her, and she felt the guilt rise to the surface. She shouldn't be enjoying Lucas's attentions so much when her sister was out there, terrified and alone. Maybe when this was over, she and Lucas could date, but until then, she needed to keep her hands and lips off him.
* * * *
Lucas stood behind Zach, gazing at the wall of screens in front of him. There were several where he had no idea what he was looking at, but his eyes were drawn to the photo of a man who looked familiar.
"Who's that?" Lucas asked.
"That's Bruno, Damon's brother. He's nastier than Damon himself."
"I remember him from the neighborhood. He's the one that got Damon into the drugs and women, yes?"
"Yes. Damon could have usurped his brother, but we will have to see. Bruno is the property owner of a halfway house in Baltimore, off Ellis Lane."
"Our halfway house?"
"Looks like it."
"Any police activity there?"
"Yeah, cops have been called over the years for suspected drugs and prostitution. The cops come, raid the house, arrest the women, and then release them. We've never had a connection indicating that this was part of a sex trafficking ring. Someone always tips the guys off before they raid it, and there's never more than three or four girls there at a time."
"So what makes us think this has anything to do with Damon, then?"
"The reports always claim there's as many as thirty girls in there at one time. Probably a guilt-ridden customer who grows a conscience once he leaves. The last raid was two weeks ago."
"So they would have had time to move girls in and out of there since then. Security?"
"Not much. Looks like there's a couple of guys who stand guard at the doors, and maybe a guy that makes rounds on the roof—images suggest that he's mainly up there for a smoke, but he takes a cursory glance around while he's there."
"Ok, so a couple of guys at the doors and a guy on the roof. Got it. Can you pull up an aerial shot of the surrounding area?"
"Yeah, already got it." Zach clicked some keys, and an aerial map came up, spreading across several of the screens.
Lucas examined the area, looking for rooftops nearby that the team could land on. "There." Lucas pointed. "Is that a firehouse or a hospital?"
"Firehouse. And yes, they have a chopper pad there. I'll make the call so you can land on the roof, then you're only a mile to the house."
"Perfect. Ok, I'm going to head upstairs. Can you share the plan with the others? I need to give Scarlett a couple of lessons in undercover work."
Zach snorted and under his breath muttered, "I bet." Lucas punched his arm, and turned to face Scarlett. She'd been so quiet the entire time, he'd almost forgotten she was there. Her face was as white as a sheet, and she looked dead on her feet. Damn it! He should have thought about how all of this would hit her.
He took her hands in his. "Look at me, Scarlett. You don't have to go. You don’t have to put yourself—"
"Thirty girls, Lucas. Thirty girls just like Emery. We can't leave them there. We have to—"
"We will. I promise. The FBI will swarm them as soon as we're clear with Em, ok?"
Her head bobbed up and down in agreement, and he squeezed her hands. "Ok, let's go upstairs, and let me fill you in on how this is going to go down."
Taking Scarlett by the hand, he led the way to the elevator. He knew that the next twenty-four hours would forever be etched in her mind. It would change her to see what she was about to experience, and he needed to prepare her as best he could.
Chapter 9
Em awoke with a start. She tried to straighten out of the tight ball she was curled into but couldn't. The darkness was overwhelming, with light spilling from small holes in the walls next to her. She realized she was in a dog crate of some sort. She tried to move around a little to see if she could get free, but there wasn't enough space. She peered over her hips and saw a padlock on the door. She was locked in.
She peered through the holes in the crate and saw that she was still in the same hotel room. She couldn't see Damon or the other man with the tattoos, but a girl was lying on the bed.
"Hey!" she whispered. "Hey, can you let me out? Please, help me." The girl moaned and rolled over. Emery couldn't see her face, but she saw red hair, the same color as her sister's. "Scarlett," she cried out. "Scarlett, is that you?" The girl moaned again and pushed her hair out of her face. Relief rushed through Emery, and she exhaled. Not Scarlett.
Emery tried to straighten her legs. She wasn't sure how long she'd been missing. A day? Two? The cramps in her legs and side meant that she'd probably been in this crate for at least a couple of hours.
The girl moaned again, and Emery tried again to get her attention. Suddenly, the door burst open, and the man from before stepped inside. Behind him was Damon, the bastard.
"Who told you to talk?" the man said, his voice ricocheting off the walls of the small room.
Emery didn’t answer.
"You want to see what happens to girls who talk? Who give me problems?" A needle appeared in his hand. He walked over to the girl and inserted it into her forearm. She sat up straight on the bed, her eyes bloodshot and ringed with dark circles. A look of horror and pain crossed her face and then relaxed into a drugged euphoria. She slumped back onto the bed, her arm hanging loosely over the edge.
The man stood up and unbuckled his belt, pushing his pants down to his knees. He stared at Emery through the holes in the crate as he climbed on top of the girl. Emery closed her eyes, sobbing quietly. She put her hands over her ears, not wanting to hear what was happening to that girl. She peeked again to see if it was over as her gaze fell on the girl staring at her through glazed eyes, tears running down her face.
Damon's face appeared at the side of the crate, and she could feel his breath through the holes. "Like that? Now you know what's in store for you." He laughed and unbuckled his pants, climbing on top of the girl. She put her hands over her ears once again and cried quiet tears. The hopelessness consumed her as she begged God to save her.
* * * *
Scarlett sank into the couch, its softness surrounding her like a hug. She closed her eyes as she waited for Lucas to join her. He walked over with a glass of wine in each hand.
"Here." He gave her a glass. "This will take the edge off." He set his own glass down and came back with two sub sandwiches. At the sight of food, her stomach growled. She was so programmed not to eat that it wasn't until food was in front of her that her body recognized its own hunger.
"Hungry?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I guess so." She dug into the sandwich, the buttery bread and tart mayonnaise the perfect complement to the saltiness of the ham.
They ate in relative silence, her attention solely on the delicious meal she was eating. She realized how much she’d taken for granted before her parents had died. Things like three meals a day were never an issue for her. She had more than enough food and could eat any time she wanted. Now, the constant hunger was an unwelcome companion, but one she'd learned to live with.
Lucas wiped his mouth with a napkin and turned to fac
e her. She finished the last bites of her sandwich while he explained their role.
"You and I will go in as customers. They'll assume we want to enjoy one of the girls together." Scarlett blanched at the thought.
"That right there—you can't do that inside, understand?"
"It's just so hard. Those women, those girls, they're slaves."
"I know, but you have to act like you're one of them. You have to act like this is something you've done before. Otherwise, they'll see your reaction, and our lives will be in jeopardy. If you can't do this, I can ask Isabel." Lucas stood up, pacing back and forth in front of the coffee table.
"No, I can do it."
"We'll go in and say we want to see the girls first. They won't like that and won't show us every room. We'll choose a room and walk inside. Once our escort leaves, we'll wait until we're sure he's gone. Then we’ll search the rooms." Lucas sat back down, placing his hands on hers.
"Once we find her, that's when it gets tricky. And you need to be prepared." She closed her eyes, imagining finding Emery in the same condition as Maryanne. She opened them, resolved to hear the rest.
"She may be high on heroin. They like to get them dependent on drugs so that they can take advantage of them, keep them under their thumb. Once they're hooked, they'll do anything for the drug, including working as a prostitute. All the money goes back to the pimps."
Scarlett choked back a sob, hearing her worst fears for her sister uttered aloud.
"You need to know I will say and do anything to keep us out of trouble, understand?" She nodded. "I may grope you, say nasty things about you. You have to remember it's all an act, ok?"
"Ok, I've got it. I'm not a baby. I can handle it." She stiffened her spine, putting up a shield around her heart and emotions. She had to be strong—for Emery.
* * * *
Castle Investigations Box Set Page 7
