Risky Return (Covert Operatives Book 3)

by Virginia Vaughan

  That stinging in his gut came again. This was wrong. This was so wrong. It was more than a communication blackout. She wasn’t petty enough to put herself in danger or risk the lives of the foster kids she helped. She was gone.

  He slipped the necklace into his pocket and went back downstairs. “All of Rebecca’s things are still here.” He turned to the nanny. “When you saw her last, did she mention anything about leaving town?”

  Lily shook her head. “No. In fact, she said she was looking forward to spending time with Matthew. She loves this little boy.”

  “What about David and Janice? You said you saw them today?”

  “Yes, just a few hours ago.”

  “Both of them?”

  “Yes, they were both here when I arrived. David was loading the car. They apologized for the short notice and even offered to pay me double for keeping Matthew.”

  “What were they driving?”

  “Janice’s SUV. David’s car is still in the garage.”

  “Have you tried to call them?”

  Kent nodded. “I just tried. No answer. I also had Lily try to call from her phone. I thought they might answer if they thought it was about their child.” He turned to Lily and handed her his card. “Let me know if they call or return home or if you hear anything else about Rebecca. It’s important that we find her.”

  They walked out and Lily closed and locked the door behind them.

  A terrible thought struck Collin and he glanced back at the house, spotting Lily with baby Matthew through the open curtain.

  Kent obviously saw his concerned expression. “What is it?”

  “I’ve seen terrible things while I was overseas. Things that still make me shudder when I think about them. There is evil in this world, Kent.”

  “You think David and Janice are involved in this?”

  “Rebecca is trying to expose a baby-selling ring, and her cousin and her husband just adopted a child a year ago. Now, they’ve all disappeared. That’s too coincidental for my taste.”

  Kent nodded and pulled out his phone. “I’ll have their phones tracked. If they’re turned on, we’ll find them.”

  Collin nodded. “I’m heading over to Rebecca’s dad’s house. I want to know everything he knows about Matthew’s adoption.”

  Collin climbed into his car and started the engine. As Kent sped away in his car, the gravity of what was happening hit him. Rebecca was in danger and it was his fault. He’d promised to keep her safe and, once again, he’d failed her.

  He may have blown his second chance at forever with her, but he would find her and bring her home safely if it was the last thing he ever did.

  * * *

  Rebecca stiffened and pulled away when the door swung open and Dr. Jack Rayburn stepped inside. She wished she could get free and scratch his eyes out. This was pure evil standing before her—a man who traded women and children like products instead of living beings, a man who had sent people to try to kill her.

  He stepped into the room, David and Janice following behind him. “Well, well, well. Rebecca Mason, you’ve caused me and my operation a lot of trouble.”

  “Good.” She was glad he’d suffered even if it was only monetarily. “Tell me this. Why kidnap these women? Why not just wait until the babies are born and snatch them then?”

  He shook his head. “People notice missing babies more than they notice missing girls. We will snatch a child if necessary, if we need to fill a specific request, but ultimately, this is simpler and creates less police presence. After all, who cares about a bunch of missing teenaged girls?”

  She pulled at her restraints, seething at the emotionless manner in which he spoke. “I do,” she told him.

  “I know you do, Rebecca. I’ve seen how much you care and it’s unfortunate. It’s the reason you’re here. It’s the reason I had to send my best asset, Joanne Pierson, away and send my men, Jimmy and Devo, after you. Now, their faces are all over the police’s radar. I had someone in the sheriff’s office helping me with things like that, but thanks to you and your friends, he’s been exposed and is on the run. We’ll have to relocate, too, but that’s okay. We’ll start over again in a new place. You see, you can’t stop us, Rebecca. You’ve been chasing after something that’s too big for you to stop.”

  She looked at Janice, trying one last time. “Please don’t let him do this to me.”

  “You were trying to take my baby.” Janice started to come at her, but David held her back.

  “He doesn’t belong to you.”

  David pushed his wife away as she lunged for Rebecca again. “Matthew is our child,” he told Rebecca. “You had no right to imply otherwise.”

  She motioned at Dr. Rayburn. “If you’re doing business with him, then you’re wrong. He steals children from their mothers.”

  Dr. Rayburn kneeled beside her, his eyes still cold and unfeeling. “I provide a valuable service that you can’t possibly understand. I’m not the only one, either. I’m only one spoke in a wheel operating all across the country.”

  Janice had hinted at the same thing. That meant Missy could be anywhere by now if she wasn’t already dead. “What are you going to do to me?”

  He reached for her cheek and stroked it, an act that caused her stomach to curdle. “You, my dear, could be useful. You’re still young enough to bear children for us.” He sighed. “But I suspect you’ll be more trouble than you’re worth. Still, I’ll leave your future up to my business associates. Once you’re locked away on the other side of the country, you might not be so stubborn. But you’ll be someone else’s problem then. Not mine.”

  An image of her future flashed through her mind. Beaten, raped, forced to give birth, then have her child stolen from her. She would end up like Missy. But she had one thing Missy didn’t have. She had Collin to look out for her.

  Except that she didn’t.

  She’d pushed him away. Now, he would forever believe she’d hated him. Would he even try to contact her again after the way she’d treated him? She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t, but she needed him now. She needed Collin to find her. He was her only hope now.

  No, that wasn’t true. She had God on her side and He certainly knew she was in trouble. But one question entered her mind. Would He help her now after the way she’d turned her back? She knew He would. She was counting on it.

  “Now to the other matter,” Rayburn said, turning to the couple behind him. He focused in on Janice. “You’ve compromised my operation and I can’t allow that.” He pulled a gun from his pocket and fired. The look of surprise on Janice’s face as she realized she’d been shot faded a moment later when she collapsed. David caught her and lowered her to the floor.

  “Why did you do that?” he cried.

  “Because she was a loose cannon.”

  David looked at him. “She was my wife!”

  “Tomorrow morning, you’ll report her missing to the police. By the afternoon, her body will be found in an empty motel room along with a note explaining that she took her own life because she discovered you were having an affair.”

  “What? No. I wouldn’t do that. I love my wife and son.”

  “You’ll explain that she’s been dealing with depression and had neglected the baby. It was your intention to take custody of the child.”

  He lowered his head and shook it in despair but even Rebecca could see he would do as instructed. “How am I going to let my son believe that his mother killed herself?”

  “You won’t have to worry about that, David. I’m taking the child.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  Rebecca gasped at the mention of Matthew and the thought of Rayburn touching him.

  “Your wife has opened a can of worms for me. I have to pull up stakes here and that will cost me a lot of money. The boy is still young enough to fetch me a good profit. When the
y find your wife, they’ll also find a note saying she’s killed him and hidden his body. It won’t be found and soon enough the police will assume he’s dead, too. You’ll be devastated but you’ll move on.” He gave David a hard stare. “Can you do that, David?” He lifted his gun again. “Or do I need to make this a murder-suicide?”

  Rebecca found herself rooting for David, hoping he would rise up against this madman and end this insanity. She could see he truly loved Janice and he was about to lose his son as well. But, after a moment of staring at the weapon, David shook his head. “No, I can do it.”

  Rebecca couldn’t believe Janice was gone, but her cousin wasn’t moving. And now Matthew was going to be sold. Hot tears flooded her face as guilt moved through her. If she hadn’t pushed, if she hadn’t insisted... She shoved aside those thoughts. No, this was not her fault, no matter how David’s eyes seemed to blame her. He was the one who’d brought Rayburn into their lives. And Rayburn was the one who’d killed Janice.

  * * *

  Collin found Rebecca’s father in his office at the house.

  “Have you heard from Rebecca?”

  “Not since our blowup yesterday. She’s staying with David and Janice.”

  “She’s not there. Her clothes and stuff are still in the guest room, but she’s gone. Plus, she missed court this afternoon. Are you sure you haven’t talked to her?”

  “I haven’t.” He picked up his phone. “I’ll call David.”

  “Please try. Kent and I went to the house. The nanny was there and she said that David and Janice had gone out of town. We all tried calling and they didn’t answer.”

  Bob placed a call then shook his head. “It’s going straight to voice mail.”

  “Something has happened to Rebecca. She wouldn’t have not shown up to court today. Her job is too important to her. She takes her responsibility to those kids she mentors seriously.”

  “And David and Janice? Do you think something has happened to them, too?”

  “No, Bob, I think they’re involved in whatever has happened to Rebecca.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’ve raised Janice since she was a child. David practically runs my company. They would never be involved in anything like this.”

  “What do you know about Matthew’s adoption?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Where did they get him? Did they use an adoption agency? Do you know the lawyer who processed the adoption?”

  “I—I don’t know. He was a friend of David’s from school. I didn’t delve into their business. I was just thankful they were finally able to have a child. They’d tried for so long.”

  Collin shook his head. He didn’t like it. “You said David practically runs the company now. He would have access to all the company information. He would know which buildings were being used and which were sitting empty.”

  Bob saw where he was going with this line of thinking. “You think he provided the building where that girl was held?”

  “It makes sense, doesn’t it? Rebecca suspected someone at Mason Industries was involved. Aside from you, who knows more about the business?”

  He shook his head, clearly still refusing to believe this. “This can’t be right.”

  Collin’s phone rang and he saw it was Kent calling. “Please tell me you have some good news.”

  “Not yet. Rebecca’s cell phone is state-issued for her job so we were able to access her records quickly. Unfortunately, it’s not pinging anywhere. It’s probably off, but we’ll be watching if it turns back on.”

  “What about David’s or Janice’s?”

  “It’ll be harder to get a warrant for their cell phones, but I’ve issued a BOLO for Janice’s SUV and am monitoring their credit cards. We’ll find them.”

  Collin wondered if it would be in time. “What’s happening with your Deputy Seaver? Has he given you any information? Can we use him to find Rebecca?”

  “No, we haven’t been able to locate him. He cleaned out his bank accounts and skipped town.”

  As they ended the call, Collin felt like screaming in frustration and anger. How had he let this happen? David and Janice had taken Rebecca and they’d been right under his nose the entire time.

  Logic began to seep through his anger and he tried to think rationally. David and Janice were the all-American couple but it seemed unlikely they were behind a trafficking ring that abducted women and sold children on the black market. They didn’t have the connections to build an operation like that. But Jack Rayburn did and Collin was banking on him not only being involved, but also deeply invested in the operation.

  “I have to go,” he told Bob.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Following up on the only lead I have—Dr. Rayburn. If I can find him, he’ll eventually lead me to Rebecca.”

  He knew it was a long shot, but it was the only one he had left.

  * * *

  Rebecca had no idea how long she’d been locked up but it seemed like days. She was exhausted and stiff from sitting in one position and she was thirsty and weak with hunger. She’d spent hours rubbing the hard plastic zip tie against a sharp piece of metal piping she was bound to with no success. But it was the only thing she could do—that and pray.

  And she hadn’t stopped praying. This couldn’t be the end for her. This couldn’t be the end for her and Collin. And the bad guys could not be allowed to win.

  She pressed the zip tie against the metal and continued to rub for as long as she could then fell against the wall, exhausted.

  Collin, where are you?

  TEN

  Collin drove to Jackson and staked out the doctor’s office. If anyone could lead him to Rebecca, it would be Rayburn. He phoned the office and checked with the receptionist to confirm Rayburn was seeing patients. He parked and waited, his mind circling around all the evidence. Rayburn was the key to it all. He was the one who could find the girls, teenage girls with pregnancies. As a doctor, he would also have access to their background and would know they were in foster care. Few people would miss a pregnant runaway foster child. They would be the invisible victims in Rayburn’s sick scheme.

  But the problem with a stakeout was that it gave him time to think, time to mull over the past several days and all that had transpired. He’d gotten Rebecca back, his Rebecca, only to lose her again. He’d been foolish enough to believe that he could make up for how he’d failed her, but now he’d failed her all over again.

  It was a vicious circle.

  He thought he’d long ago given up the need to control everything, to shoulder the blame, but this time he was to blame...wasn’t he? Everything that had happened had happened because of that horrible decision he’d made twelve years ago. It wasn’t fair that Rebecca was still paying the price for his sins.

  His phone rang and he answered it. Kent had news. “Lily the nanny called me. She spoke to David and told him we were looking for them.”

  “You talked to him?”

  “No. By the time I reached the house, he’d already picked up the baby and left again. They’re gone, Collin. Now that they know we’re on to them, they’ll have to disappear.”

  And now baby Matthew was caught up in whatever was going on, too. Rebecca would hate that more than anything.

  “Call me if you hear anything else.”

  * * *

  Rebecca had no idea how long she’d been trapped in this room. Hours? Days? But she knew her time was limited. She was so tired and weak from hunger, but she couldn’t give up. If she did, her life—whether Rayburn killed her or sold her into the baby business—was over. She had to keep trying to escape.

  She rubbed the zip ties against the metal again. It was a slow process and her wrists were more frayed than her binds, but she had to keep going. Escape was her only option.

  Tears slipped from her eyes but she didn’t e
ven know if they were from frustration or fear or for what she’d be losing if she didn’t break free. She stopped sawing and hung her head.

  She hated feeling so helpless and alone. She’d been alone for years, afraid to take another chance with anyone. Afraid to confide in anyone, even God, for fear of being hurt again in the way she’d been with Collin. But the past week, reconnecting with Collin, had reminded her of what living really felt like. She’d wasted so much of her life protecting her heart. Now, all she wanted was to risk it. To give Collin a second chance and to be happy.

  Now, she’d probably lost that chance.

  She would disappear and Collin would be the one left alone and abandoned, believing that she hadn’t loved him, that she’d never forgiven him. It wasn’t the future she wanted for him. She wanted to tell him the truth—that she’d never stopped loving him and that she did forgive him. It didn’t matter anymore that he’d taken money from her father. He’d said he’d felt like a failure for not being a good provider, and she believed him now that it had been for the hospital bills. She was such a fool for pushing him away.

  She may never get the chance to tell Collin those things, but she could tell God. She’d kept Him at a distance for years, protecting herself even from her faith for fear of being overwhelmed by her emotions. She’d allowed bitterness and resentment to wiggle their way into her soul and she’d lost out on so much life because of it.

  “I’m so sorry,” she cried. “Please forgive me.”