The place had opened up as a girl’s reformatory in the early seventies and had operated for several decades before falling into disuse at the turn of the century.
Diablo had used a holding company to purchase the property and buildings at an auction a ridiculously low cost, and the deal had allowed him to set up clandestine operations just outside of town, resulting in a satisfying profit.
Making his way into the office that had previously belonged to the detention center’s superintendent, Diablo crossed to the safe under the desk and entered in his secret code.
He surveyed the towering stack of hundred-dollar bills alongside bulging bags of white powder as he put away his new toy. The Sig Sauer handgun had replaced his old Berretta. He’d decided to treat himself after hearing the Navy Seals used the same model, and the previous night’s events had provided Diablo with his first opportunity to use it.
Eliminating Mackenzie Jensen as a possible witness against him and delivering Veronica Lee to the Professor had completed the first part of the plan. The evening had gone as well as could be expected.
And it was satisfying to know that Tenley Frost was now out of his life for good, and that his daughter would soon be with him. The cruel decision not to include him in his daughter’s life had ended up costing Tenley her own life, and Diablo felt no remorse.
She got what she deserved, and now I’ll get what I deserve: my daughter.
Closing the safe, Diablo paced over to the window and looked out at the men loading the truck. The shipment would net him another stack of cash, and it would be the first step in establishing the Diablo Syndicate as a key player in the South Florida gun trafficking scene.
Of course, he knew that wouldn’t matter if his cover was blown. After a year of hard work, his new enterprise could be destroyed with one phone call, or the testimony of one teenage addict.
Ruby Chase was at the police station right now. If she were able to provide a good description of him, it might be enough for a sketch artist to create a composite that would be recognizable to most of the people in town. His face could end up on the nightly news.
And it was even possible that Ruby could lead the task force back to his base camp. He still wasn’t sure how she’d managed to escape, and he didn’t know if she’d be able to find the way back to the overgrown road outside town.
Looking out of the office window, he stared at the big gate, imagining a SWAT team suddenly arriving to swarm over his base camp. But Diablo’s biggest worry wasn’t the runaway street kid. He had a much bigger problem than that. He still needed to fulfill the second part of his bargain with the Professor.
Or should I start calling him Donovan Locke?
He knew it had taken him longer than it should have to figure out the man he’d made a deal with was a dangerous fugitive. Donovan Locke had been in the trafficking business for three decades, and he’d been on the run from the U.S. Marshals Service for almost as long.
Reading about Locke’s past and the array of crimes he’d committed, Diablo had been impressed with the man’s ability to evade capture. He’d also realized just how dangerous Locke was, and that breaking his bargain with the killer wouldn’t be a wise idea.
Although Locke had already left town as far as Diablo knew, the fugitive’s darknet persona, better known as the Professor, would enact his revenge if Diablo failed to deliver.
I agreed to kill Ling Lee, and if I don’t, I’ll incur the Professor’s wrath.
One email sent to the Operation Stolen Angels task force would be enough to open an investigation on him. From there, it would be a downward spiral of news stories, court appearances, and jail time. In the end, once the truth came out about Mackenzie Jensen’s murder, he could even end up riding Old Sparky up in Raiford.
So, I’ve got to find Ling Lee and finish her off. But where the hell is she?
Diablo’s men had been looking for Ling Lee for the last forty-eight hours, but no one had seen her, and none of Diablo’s usual contacts knew where she had gone.
All Diablo knew was that the U.S. marshal who came to town had been tasked with protecting Ling, and that he was hell-bent on hunting down her ex-husband, Donovan Locke.
Diablo figured if Locke was captured, the trail might eventually lead back to him, but he couldn’t afford to worry about that now. His focus had to be finding Ling Lee and finishing her off.
Otherwise his life in Willow Bay would be over for good, and he’d end up spending the rest of his life in prison or on the run.
But how do I find a woman who has vanished off the face of the earth?
Sitting down at the little desk in the corner, he opened his laptop and reviewed the news stories about Ling Lee, looking for any clue that might reveal where she could be. Most of the stories centered on her run for mayor, or the Zander Greyson case.
One of the photos showed Ling Lee standing with her daughter and Hunter Hadley in the Channel Ten station. Diablo studied the reporter’s face, wondering where she was, and what her father had done with her. He imagined Hunter Hadley would be going mad about now, not knowing where his little girlfriend was.
That’s it. Hunter Hadley’s bound to know where his girlfriend's mother is hiding, and he’ll want to tell her that her daughter is missing.
Opening the door to the office, Diablo waved over the only man he trusted to do such an important job. Leading the big man into his office, he explained what he needed him to do. With any luck, he’d know Ling Lee’s whereabouts by the end of the day.
✽ ✽ ✽
The man’s call came sooner than Diablo expected.
“You found her?” he asked, before the man could speak.
“Hadley and his marshal buddy are headed toward the interstate now,” he said. “But they did make one stop.”
The man rattled off an address as Diablo listened eagerly.
“It looks like there's a plainclothes guy outside the house,” the man continued. “I'd say the woman they’re hiding must be inside.”
“Okay, keep watching the house. I want to know who goes in and who comes out,” Diablo ordered. “And if the guy out front takes a break, you go in and take her out.”
The man laughed.
“Yeah, right,” he snorted, laughing again. “You think I’m going to off some broad under the nose of the U.S. Marshals? I’m not crazy, and you aren’t paying me enough to kill anyone. Why don’t you leave the lady alone? We got a big shipment to handle and-”
“Enough!” Diablo barked, irritated by the man’s laughter. “Just tell me when the coast is clear, and I’ll take care of it myself.”
He thought of the shiny new gun in the safe and decided he might as well keep it with him. He’d need it if he got the call that Ling Lee had been left unprotected. And it could come in useful during his next errand. He would finally be taking back what was rightfully his.
Donovan Locke now has his daughter, and it's time for me to go get mine.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The semi-truck rumbled on and on without end as Veronica sat in the trailer’s hidden compartment, her back against the wall, her knees raised, and her head resting on her folded arms. She lifted her head to glare up at the little camera mounted on the wall, then dropped it again, trying to push back the anger and fear so she could think more clearly.
She knew the camera allowed her father to watch her and Tenley on his phone as he drove the big rig. Most likely he wanted to make sure they weren’t trying to escape, although Veronica suspected he might also be worried about Tenley’s condition.
The media relations officer was slumped beside Veronica, her auburn hair spilling out over the floor, and her face pale and motionless in the dim overhead light.
Reaching out to put her finger on the woman’s delicate wrist, Veronica could feel a slow, erratic pulse. Whatever her father had given Tenley had knocked her out, and she showed no sign of waking.
Veronica’s eyes kept returning to the cup of water on the floor next to her,
but she resisted the impulse to drink from it, even though her mouth was dry and her throat tight.
If she allowed herself to be drugged, she would be as helpless as Tenley now was, and she’d never be able to figure out a way for them to escape.
The urge to close her eyes grew stronger as the monotonous hum and vibration of the tires on the road lulled her into a state of sleepy despair. It would be so easy just to close her eyes and forget about everything that had happened.
But the fear that she would wake up in a locked room somewhere, and never again have a chance to see the light of day, kept Veronica from giving in to the release that sleep would offer.
Turning her head so that her long, dark hair fell over her left boot, Veronica slowly moved her hand down, slipping it inside the boot and feeling the hard edge of her phone.
The last time she’d dared to check her phone, she’d been devastated to see that it had no service. She’d quickly returned it to the hiding place in the lining of her knee-high boot, hoping that the truck had been moving through a dead zone, and that Locke hadn’t done something to purposely block the cell signal.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried again. Pulling the phone toward her in a smooth motion, she glanced down, tapping a finger on the partially exposed display.
The phone flashed to life, and Veronica could see from the time shown on the display that it had been almost twenty-four hours since she’d been abducted from Mackenzie Jensen’s house.
The memory of the journalist’s dead body caused Veronica’s empty stomach to clench. She thought of the man who had taken her, wishing she’d had a chance to get a glimpse of his face behind his mask. His voice had seemed so familiar, and the way he had spoken made her think he knew her, and that he’d enjoyed scaring her.
Pulling the phone out further, she saw it now had a weak signal. She forced herself to stay still. If Locke was watching her, he might notice any little movement.
The truck suddenly came to a stop, and Veronica quickly pushed the phone back inside the boot, careful not to show alarm. She kept her head resting on her folded arms until the door to the hidden compartment swung open, and her father stood above her, staring down at her with eyes the same color green as her own.
He held out a plastic bag.
“Got these at the rest stop for you.”
He dropped the bag on the floor by her boots, and Veronica could make out a plastic-wrapped sandwich and a bottle of water inside the bag. She turned her head away, ignoring the offered meal.
“Go on,” he said, using his foot to nudge the bag closer to her. “It’s safe to eat. It’s all still wrapped and everything.”
“I’m not hungry,” Veronica muttered, knowing she’d have to talk to him if she hoped to find a way to escape.
“You best eat while you have the chance,” Locke said, his voice hardening. “It might not be safe to stop again any time soon.”
Looking back up at him, Veronica tried to gauge his strength, wondering what he would do if she tried to tackle him. He appeared hard and weathered, and while he was lean, she thought he still looked strong for a man that must be nearing sixty.
“Where are you taking us?” she finally asked.
She decided the cramped compartment wasn’t the right place to try to overpower him. She’d need to take him by surprise, and she’d have to have a place to run in case she did manage to get away.
“I’m taking you back to my ranch,” he said, folding his arms over his chest. “Where you should have been all these years.”
“Is that where Skylar is?” she asked, watching his face.
His stern expression didn’t change, but Veronica thought she saw a glint of surprise in his eyes. Maybe he didn’t know about the message Astrid had sent after all.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said. "Now stop asking questions. All those questions will just get you in trouble."
“They’re going to come after me,” she warned, unable to help herself. “Ma won’t let them ever stop looking for me.”
Narrowing his eyes at her words, Locke shook his head.
“Your mother’s dead,” he said. “Or at least, she soon will be. I’ve got somebody hunting her down right now. By the time we get back to the ranch, she won’t be able to betray anyone ever again.”
“You’ll never find her,” Veronica insisted. “She’s in hiding because of you. She won’t come out until you’re behind bars again.”
Locke didn’t react to her anger.
“So, your mother’s gone into hiding again?” His voice was cold. “Guess that means she's turned her back on you, too, then."
Before Veronica could respond, Locke stepped back and closed the door to the compartment. She heard the latch click into place as she slumped back against the wall.
She pulled the bag toward her and looked inside. Taking out the bottle of water, she tested it and saw that it hadn’t been opened. Unscrewing the cap, Veronica allowed herself a long swig of the water, then turned to Tenley.
Placing a hand on the unconscious woman’s shoulder, Veronica shook her gently, hoping to rouse her enough to take a drink.
“Tenley? Wake up. I have some water.”
Veronica checked her pulse again, then tipped the bottle to allow a few drops of water to drip into Tenley’s slack mouth.
Stirring a little at the feel of the water on her lips, Tenley moaned and then murmured softly, her eyes still closed.
“Avery…my…little…girl…”
“I’m sure your daughter’s fine,” Veronica whispered, although she had no idea where the little girl was, or if she was okay. “She needs you to be strong right now, Tenley.”
But Tenley had fallen back into a deep state of unconsciousness. Veronica tried tipping more water into her mouth, but it only dribbled back out onto the wooden floor.
Taking another swig of water, Veronica screwed the lid back on the bottle and set it to the side. She rested her hand casually on her boot, deciding she’d better switch off the phone to avoid running down the battery.
She would try to text Hunter once the truck had started moving again. She could tell him who she was with and that she was okay.
I’ve gotta let him know Locke has taken me and Tenley, and I have to warn him that he’s sent someone to kill Ma.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Hunter opened his eyes and looked around, surprised to see snow falling on the windshield of the Chevy Tahoe. Sitting up, he adjusted his seatback and looked over to see Deputy Santino still asleep in the driver’s seat. They’d finally pulled over at a rest stop just after three in the morning, knowing that neither of them were in any shape to keep driving.
“Where the hell are we?” he muttered, checking his phone as the events of the last few days began to trickle back into his mind.
Opening the door to the big SUV, Hunter jumped down and scanned the rest area for the nearest restroom. By the time he’d returned to the Chevy, Santino was awake and on the phone.
“We lost the signal in Kentucky,” the deputy was saying into his phone as Hunter climbed back in the passenger’s seat. “We’re at a rest stop near the Illinois border. We’re ready to roll but I’m still not seeing a signal.”
The signal they’d been following from Willow Bay all the way to the Kentucky border had been coming from Veronica’s phone.
After Veronica had been taken, Hunter remembered that Ling Lee could track down her daughter’s phone using the Find My Phone app. He’d convinced Santino to stop by the safe house where Ling Lee was staying. They’d broken the news about Veronica’s abduction, and had picked up Ling’s phone.
The men had been shocked to see the signal from Veronica’s phone was showing her on Interstate 75 driving through Georgia. Santino had immediately requested help from local authorities in the area, but he couldn’t provide them with a description of the vehicle they should be looking for, and then he’d lost the signal before any officers could be dispatched.
&n
bsp; Undaunted at the thought of taking on an interstate manhunt, Santino had arranged for the Chevy Tahoe, and he and Hunter had set out with the intention of following the signal until they’d located the vehicle. Once they knew where Locke was and what vehicle he was driving, they could call in local back-up to help them take Locke down.
The main problem so far was that the signal had been going in and out, leaving them driving blind much of the time. But neither man was willing to give up. Veronica was out there on the road ahead of them, and if they persisted, they just might be able to find her.
And throughout the last twenty-four hours Hunter had been tormented by the possibility that they might already be too late to save Veronica’s life, or worse, that he might never know what had happened to her.
Now, as he sat in the Tahoe listening to Santino on the phone, Hunter’s phone buzzed in his pocket. His eyes widened in excitement as he saw Veronica’s number on the display.
“She sent me a text,” Hunter said, putting out a hand to get Santino’s attention. “Veronica sent me a text.”
Tapping on the display, he held his breath as he read the words.
I'm okay. I’m in Locke’s semi-truck. Tenley Frost is here, too. Locke says he’s taking us to a ranch where no one will find us. Phone battery’s almost dead. Please keep Ma safe. Locke has someone looking for her. Love you.
Relief flooded through him at the realization that Veronica was still alive. But as he read the words again, fear that they may never be able to track her down took over.
“I’ve got a signal,” Santino said, his eyes bright as he looked at the little dot on the phone display. “Shit. They’re in Missouri. Looks like they’re heading for Kansas.”
Hunter tapped in a response to Veronica’s text message, then paused. He didn’t want to send anything that could alert Locke that they were on his trail.
If Veronica’s father were to find her phone, Hunter didn’t want him to know they were using it to track the truck.
Her Winter of Darkness Page 22
