Castle Investigations Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  Her vision swam. She struggled to stay awake. Somehow, she knew she needed to try and stay alert, take in as much information as she could.

  The door opened, and Damon walked in.

  Her eyes kept closing of their own accord. It was as if she didn't have any control whatsoever of her body. When she opened them again, Damon was sitting on the side of her bed, holding her arm and a syringe.

  "Please," she started, but her words were slurred and sounded foreign to her, as if her voice were coming from a faraway place.

  "You want this, don't you?" he asked as the band was wrapped tightly around her upper arm. She felt herself nod. Knew she shouldn't want it. Knew she would never be the same.

  A second man appeared, this one different from the tattoo man. She looked in his eyes. He didn't seem as hard as the others.

  "Please," she tried to say. "Help me."

  He glanced down her body, and the soft expression he wore turned to something else. Something dirty. He placed his hand on her leg, moving it upwards. She struggled to move her legs, but they were too heavy. Nothing cooperated the way she wanted.

  Damon slapped the man's hands away. "She's off limits. He wants a pure one."

  "He wants the redhead, too, and you're not giving him that."

  "I’m working on it."

  Redhead? Pure? Emery knew that all of this was important, but she was just too groggy. It was hard to remember. The prick of the needle caused her eyes to pop open. She found Damon's face close to hers. He pressed a kiss to her lips and said, "Happy dreams."

  A memory—a girl of about her age strung out on a bed while men had their way with her—passed through her mind. Would she be like her?

  A moment later, the thought faded as she sailed away on a cloud of ecstasy.

  * * * *

  Lucas searched Scarlett's face as she sat on the couch next to the fireplace on the first floor of the warehouse. She was wrapped up in a large, chunky-knit blanket that Isabel had bought online. She said it brought texture and warmth to the sterile, masculine vibe of the first floor. He wasn't sure about that, but was grateful he had it for Scarlett.

  She was dressed in sweats, a mug of coffee in her hands. Her hair was mussed from being taken down out of the severe ponytail, and her face was clean of makeup. He thought she'd never looked more beautiful.

  "How're you doing?" He sat down next to her, pulling her closer to his side.

  "I'm ok, I guess." She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he took her hand in his, tracing her fingers with his own.

  "Where is she?" she asked quietly. He could hear the tears that she was fighting off in her voice.

  "We'll find her. I promise." He had no right to promise such a thing. For all they knew, Damon had already sold her to a foreign trafficker, and Emery was in another country.

  "You can't promise that," she said. "I failed her. I was supposed to protect her." He squeezed her more tightly.

  "A very wise woman told me not to blame myself for things I can't control."

  "Oh yeah? And who was this wise woman?" She lifted her eyes to his, and he placed a kiss on her nose.

  "Scarlett, it's not your fault. Just as you said that Laura's death wasn't my fault. I’m trying to accept that. Trying to move past it. You need to do the same."

  She dropped her gaze, staring at their entwined hands. He felt her nod her head against his chest. Contentment flowed through his veins. He knew he had no right to care about her—knew she could do better. But right now, there was no one else for him. No one else who could heal the scars on his heart. It was all her.

  "Lucas," Zach called out from the second floor. Lucas looked up and saw him motion them upstairs.

  "I've got something."

  * * * *

  Scarlett and Lucas rushed into the computer room. Zach was already back on his throne in front of the screens on the glass wall.

  "What did you find?" Lucas asked.

  "I intercepted a message between Damon and one of our other targets for another case. An Albanian diplomat we suspect in another kidnapping case. At first, I didn't realize it was Damon—until I was able to trace the call to one of his numbers. I'm guessing he has no idea anyone's on to him." Zach pressed a few keys, and static sounded through the surround sound in the room.

  "You got them?" a heavily accented voice said, ringing out through the room.

  "I've got the flower, but I’m still working on the ginger." This voice was younger and very much American.

  "I want them both or no deal, got it?

  "Yeah, I got it."

  "She's still pure?" the diplomat asked.

  "She is."

  "Keep your guys' filthy hands off my property, or no deal."

  "The merchandise will arrive in flawless condition," Damon reassured him.

  "Sunday night. The dock."

  "Nine p.m.?"

  The line went dead.

  Scarlett scrunched her nose up, confused at the conversation. She met Lucas's eyes and asked, "What was he talking about?"

  Lucas's face grew red with what she assumed was anger, the veins popping out at his temples. She could see the pulse firing rapidly beneath his skin.

  "There's more," Zach said. "After I found out it was Damon talking, I was able to track his other calls. I intercepted this one."

  "Have you seen her?" Damon asked.

  "She hasn't come back to the apartment, boss," a man with a Boston accent replied.

  "Where could she be? No one disappears into thin air!" His voice was loud, angry. She could hear something break in the background.

  "I don't know. Maybe she's staying with a friend."

  "Try her work. The girl said she works at an office during the day and a diner at night. The office would be too easy to get caught. Try the diner." Fear crawled over Scarlett's skin as she realized they were talking about her.

  "I'll go there now."

  "If you can't find her, take that Maggie girl she works with. She'll lead you to her."

  "Who's Maggie?"

  "I don't know what she looks like. Read her nametag, dumbass," Damon retorted, and a dial tone sounded as he ended the call.

  Scarlett's knees buckled as fear for her friend overtook her.

  Lucas caught her under her arms before she fell to the floor. He scooped her up and placed her in a chair. Zach jumped up and ran over to a small fridge, pulling out a bottle of water for her. She drank, replaced the cap, and rested her head on the back of the chair. "I'm sorry."

  "Stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault," Lucas said.

  "We have to help her."

  "I won't put you at risk."

  "If he doesn't get me, he'll go after her. We have to find a way to save her," Scarlett said, raising her head and leveling her gaze at him. Determination surpassed her emotions as she straightened in her chair.

  "Zach, when was that recording from?" Lucas asked, never taking his eyes off Scarlett's.

  "About fifteen minutes ago."

  "Send a few of the operatives to the diner. Tell them to be discreet. See if they can get Maggie and take her home. Post a guard there and tell her not to leave the house."

  "Got it."

  "Tell them to look out for a man with a Boston accent. If we can capture him, we can interrogate him and maybe find out where Damon is holding Emery."

  Zach picked up the phone to make the call. Sully and Ethan walked in, and Lucas filled them in on the discovery.

  "You've got men going out?" Sully asked.

  "Yeah." Lucas nodded towards the screens. "They're headed to the diner to see if they can get to Maggie before Damon's thugs do."

  "I'll go, too," Ethan said.

  "Excellent. We'll keep a watch here on this end. Be careful." Lucas shook his hand as he walked out the door.

  Sully motioned to Lucas, and they stepped aside, speaking in low tones. Scarlett couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but since Sully kept throwing glances her way, she figured she was the
topic of conversation.

  Feeling self-conscious, she stepped over to Zach's desk, watching as he pulled up maps of docks or harbors, and one that she knew was an aerial view of the diner. He was hard at work, typing in codes and directions. She wasn't sure exactly what he was doing, but she could tell that he was good at his job. It seemed that everyone at Castle Investigations was good at what they did.

  She thought about the guys that made up the team. She'd had time to get to know Sullivan, Isabel, and Zach pretty well. She'd listened to Ethan and Gabriel joke with each other on the plane, but Gabriel puzzled her. He'd yet to say a single word to her. And his intense stare was disconcerting. She had to remember to ask Lucas about him later.

  As if her thoughts had summoned him, Gabriel appeared in the doorway. His penetrating gaze met hers before Lucas drew his attention. Gabriel watched her as he walked over to Lucas and Zach, only shifting his attention once he was in front of the computers. It felt as if he didn't like her. But he didn't know her, so how could he have an opinion of her?

  She shook off the thoughts and took a seat across the room, watching the guys as they planned and plotted. She closed her eyes for just a moment. The events of the day had left her drained. The disappointment of not finding Emery and the fear for her safety were too much, and she let sleep take away her problems for just a moment.

  Gunshots roused her from her sleep. She shot straight up in her chair and looked for the threat. She realized the shots were coming from the speakers in the room. Zach had a headset on as he talked to someone on the other end.

  "What's your location, Ethan?" he asked.

  "Shots fired. There're three of them. They have the girl."

  "Where are they now?"

  "Loading her in a car. I'm going to take a shot, see if I can take one of them down." Ethan's voice was low, hushed, as if he were trying to stay quiet.

  "Roger that."

  Silence settled over the room. Lucas stood by the computers behind Zach. Scarlett got up and walked over, her legs shaking so badly that she could hardly stand on them.

  She put her arm around Lucas's waist, and he slipped his own around her, drawing her close.

  "What happened?" she whispered.

  "Ethan and his team arrived shortly after Damon's men did. They waited for them to come outside instead of putting others at risk in the diner. As soon as they came out, Ethan’s team stepped into view and told them to stand down. The men refused and fired their weapons. No one was hit."

  Scarlett bit her nails as she waited for word from Ethan.

  The pop-pop-pop of a gun resonated throughout the room.

  "Man down. Got him in the knee. Two more left."

  Gunfire exploded through the speakers. A woman's scream was heard, and then quiet.

  Seconds felt like hours as Scarlett waited for news of her friend. Lucas squeezed her arm, and she realized that Ethan and the men with him were friends of his, too. He would be worried as well. She pressed herself closer to him, hoping to give him support, just as he had done for her.

  "We got her." Ethan's voice was music to her ears. A cheer went up around the room, and she saw that Isabel and Sully had joined the group.

  "Everyone all right?" Zach asked.

  "Our team is safe and sound. Theirs—not so much. Have Sully call it in. We'll need some assistance out here. I've got the Boston guy in our custody. The other two didn't make it. I'll bring him in for questioning."

  "Clean-up is on its way," Zach replied. Scarlett watched as Sully walked over to a phone in the room and made a call.

  Isabel caught her eye and smiled before she disappeared down the hall. As she glanced away, she saw that Gabriel was staring at her again. She gave him a tentative smile, and he looked away abruptly, meeting Lucas's hard glare. Her smile faded as she watched Lucas, his jaw tense as some sort of silent conversation passed between them. Gabriel's lip curled in disgust before he turned and walked out the door. Scarlett wondered what had just happened.

  "What was that about?" Scarlett asked.

  "I'll tell you later."

  "He doesn’t seem to like me very much."

  "It has nothing to do with you. You just remind him of something he'd rather not remember."

  Well, that was certainly elusive.

  Scarlett stepped away from Lucas and walked closer to Zach. She hated to interrupt, but she needed to make sure her friend was ok.

  "Zach? Maggie—is she ok?"

  Zach passed the headset to her and said, "See for yourself." She placed the headset over her ears and said, "Ethan, it's Scarlett. Is Maggie ok?"

  Zach must have turned the overhead speakers off, as she could hear his reply only in her headset. "She is. Want to speak to her?"

  "Please." Commotion was heard, like the rustling of material against a microphone.

  "Scarlett?" Maggie's voice sounded strained, not like her usual light-hearted lilt.

  "Oh my gosh, Maggie. Are you ok? Did they hurt you?"

  "I'm fine. Have you found Em yet?"

  "Not yet. We're hoping to soon."

  "There's two dead guys out here, Scar. And one with a bullet in his knee. Who are these guys?"

  "The good guys are with Castle Investigations, the firm Lucas works for. The other guys work for a guy named Damon Lopez. Know him?"

  "I've heard of him, yes. He grew up around here. His brother Bruno was my age. Nasty son of a bitch. He's gone underground. Looks like Damon followed in his footsteps. Why did they want me?"

  "To get to me. Damon took Emery. And it seems he wanted me as well."

  "This is crazy. It's like something out of a movie."

  "Tell me about it. You'll never believe what I've been through in the last twenty-four hours. Listen, Mags, the guys there are going to take you home. You need to stay there until they catch this guy, ok? Promise me you won't give the guard any trouble. I won't be able to live with myself if I think you're in danger." She knew the days off without pay would be hard on Maggie, just as they were going to be hard on her.

  "I won't go anywhere, but Ron is not going to be happy with both of us gone."

  "Ron can kiss my ass."

  Maggie's hoarse laughter broke through the line.

  "Love you, Mags."

  "Love you too, Scar. Be careful, and find that sister of yours."

  Tears stung her eyes as she replied, "I will."

  Chapter 12

  Peace. No pain. No worries. Just peace. Every time the serenity started to fade, someone would come in and give her another shot that would help her feel good once again. Emery opened her eyes, looking around the room. Her vision faded in and out, images swirling and separating as if being seen through a kaleidoscope.

  Two men came in the door. She'd never seen them before. At least, she didn't think she had. She giggled, and the men smiled. They were nice, then. Not like the bad man with the tattoos. She thought about the tattoo on the man's arm of the girl burning in fire. And then she was there in front of her, burning and writhing in pain. The woman's screams pierced her ears, and she tried to put her hands up to cover them, but her arms were cuffed to the bed above her head.

  The men came over, speaking to her in angry tones. Telling her to be quiet. Was she the one screaming? She stopped, as she understood she must have been. The vision of the burning girl was gone, and now she could see a little more clearly the two men that had entered her room.

  One man came over to the bed, releasing her hands from the chains above her, and her arms tingled with a warm sensation. She didn't feel any pain, but they didn't work like they usually did. They were heavy and loose, as if they had no muscles or strength—dead weights hanging off her shoulders.

  The first man was tall, with dark hair and eyes, his skin a warm mocha color. He didn't look as if he was from here, and when he spoke, Emery couldn't understand the language. He said something to the other guy, and suddenly it struck her as funny. She laughed, gaining his attention.

  He walked over to her and
pulled her up off the bed. He ran his hands down her body, touching her in places she'd never been touched before. It felt good. In the back of her mind, she had the thought that this wasn't right somehow. That she shouldn't feel good. But she pushed it away.

  She leaned in again, hoping he would caress her once more. He laughed and turned her around to face the other man. He was similar to the first man in looks—dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin. He said something in that funny language again, and she felt the laugh building inside of her, but then his eyes changed, taking on a hard look.

  He jerked the negligee over her head, leaving her exposed as he took in her naked body. He turned her around as both men examined her. She knew she should be embarrassed, cover herself. But the feelings of euphoric pleasure overwhelmed any shame she might feel.

  The first man pulled out a long white gown and slipped it over her head. She glanced down at the sheer gown that hugged her every curve. She could see the curve of her breasts and the roundness of her hips. The silky softness of the material raised goose bumps on her arms, and she couldn't help but run her hands over her body as tingles radiated low in her belly.

  The two men stepped back to observe her, then smiled as they walked away and out the door. She went to follow them, but her feet didn't work like they were supposed to, so she lay back down on the bed instead. She curled up on her side, basking in the glow of the pure bliss that seemed to be her constant companion.

  * * * *

  Lucas watched Scarlett as she handed Zach the headset. Tears stained her face, her eyes red from crying. She'd held up well, better than he'd expected. It was a testimony to her strength and perseverance. He admired her.

  Scarlett had overcome the odds. Instead of falling into a life of drugs and prostitution like so many others living in D-town, she'd risen above it, landing a steady office job and working shifts at a reputable diner. It wasn't fancy, and he knew she couldn't possibly make enough to adequately cover their needs, but she worked hard. He wished there were a way he could make her life easier.