by Kristen Echo
The merriment in the streets lead her to believe Joe and his team had won. At least he’d be happy. He was most likely already naked and celebrating with his puck bunnies. Her heart hurt, thinking of his large hands pleasuring all those women. His hands should have been holding hers as they figured out how to move forward with the baby news. No, she’d do this on her own. Hailey needed no one, but that wasn’t true; she couldn’t do this alone. She pulled out here phone and typed a message.
“Sorry to bother you, but I need a place to stay?” She hit send and hoped she’d get an answer soon.
She refused to return to Joe’s and watch him screw around with other women. He’d snowed her into believing he cared, but he didn’t. He was chasing his happiness. It was best she accepted that and left him alone. Hailey patted her flat stomach and smiled. She had two people to think about now.
CHAPTER TWELVE
N o dreams. Not a single haunting thought had disrupted her slumber for the past week. Her days had not gone as smoothly. For years she’d been told she’d never have babies. Her fertility issues weren’t a secret, and she’d come to terms with it. Now, she had to wrap her head around becoming a mother. It was a lot to process.
“Are you sure you don’t want pickles? My co-worker told me she ate an entire jar when she was preggers.” Mellie stood by the door with her keys in her hand.
Strange cravings hadn’t taken over her life yet. The nausea remained and refused to relinquish its hold of her stomach. Hailey shook her head. “No pickles, no ice-cream, nothing but crackers and vitamin water for me thanks.”
Her best friend smiled. “I’ll be back with groceries as long as they’re still open. Stay off your feet and put the phone down. I love you, but you’re torturing yourself by not calling him. That’s not good for you or the baby.”
After she’d reached out to Mellie, she needed someone to confide in about her life altering news. She’d called her mother’s cell phone and landline. The woman wouldn’t take her calls. She wanted her advice and a shoulder to cry on but received the cold shoulder instead. Army or nothing. She didn’t have the energy to dwell on her parent’s childish behavior.
At least Mellie had come through when she needed her. Richard had picked Hailey up from the doctor’s office and she’d been crashing in their guest room since. She hated being the third wheel in their life, but they welcomed her with open arms. Once she told them about the pregnancy they insisted she stay as long as she liked. That’s what friends did for each other and she was grateful.
“I’m not avoiding anything. We have nothing to say to each other. It’s over,” she replied, sticking her tongue out and tossing her phone on the coffee table.
“Then why are you sitting on my couch watching hockey playoffs?”
She hadn’t spoken or seen Joe since the morning they bared their souls. It still irked her she’d let him see her scars and then he’d dropped her for a harem of beauties. Whatever, she was over it. Kind of. Not really, but she refused to dwell on the past. They’d had their fun, and she’d forever have a little reminder of the erotic times they’d shared. Hailey rubbed her belly and turned away from the television.
Game five meant Joe was back in Winnipeg. His team had won the first three games and lost the fourth in overtime. The city was going crazy with Stanley Cup fever. Everywhere she turned the team colors were displayed and signs decorated the windows, showing their support. Even if she’d wanted to forget Joe, she couldn’t.
“I have nothing else to do while I wait for Blaze to call me back.” They’d been exchanging text messages, but he’d been too busy to meet. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together, but there were still too many variables for her to make heads or tails of the data. Pregnancy drama wouldn’t stop her from doing her job. She’d find those kids. “You better run if you want to make it before the store closes.”
“Whatever you say, Hailey,” Mellie snorted and closed the door.
Hailey reached for her phone again. She was checking to see if Blaze had returned her last message, but once she saw he hadn’t, she scrolled to the ones she’d received from Joe. She’d re-read his messages over a hundred times. Her first night at Mellie’s, she’d cried herself to sleep. Her phone had been off. She hadn’t expected him to take time away from his orgy sex-extravaganza to text her, but he’d sent three text messages:
“Stop running!”
“Fuck. Found the note. Where are you?”
“Why are you doing this?”
The following day he’d called, but never left a voicemail. Instead, he’d texted every hour:
“I’m exhausted searching for you.”
“There’s a punishment coming your way.”
“Are you alive?”
“Is difficult your middle name?”
“Dammit, Hailey, stop shutting me out!”
Her favorite was the last one. He hadn’t sent another.
“You win.”
What had she won? A bun in the oven. A week of pining over a man who shoved his cock into everything that moved? She didn’t feel like a winner. Her fingers hovered over the delete but closed the screen instead.
Mellie was right, she was torturing herself. Shutting him out, solved nothing. Eventually, she’d open communication with him again, but she wasn’t ready. All his fancy words had wiggled into her heart and made her care about him. He wasn’t a bad man, he just wasn’t the man for her. Still, he deserved to know about the baby. One day. For now, it would remain her secret. The only people she’d told were Mellie and Richard. Once she was further along, she’d tell Joe. Maybe.
She turned up the volume as the announcers described what the players were doing on the ice. Only a minute remained on the clock and they were tied. Both sides were on the offensive, attacking hard and scorning three goals. Martin Thomas looked rattled in the net but shoved his pads together in time to stop the puck. A close call. Using his stick, he tossed the puck sideways to Nicolas Ivarsson who passed it down the ice to Joe. An opposing player raced next to him, tried to check him into the boards but missed. Joe hustled past the centre line. All the players crowded the net. Using fancy stick work, he slipped it to Cameron Smith who slapped it past the crease.
Lights flashed, horns blared, and the arena exploded with cheers. The men huddled together in celebration. Hailey jumped to her feet, tossing her hands in the air. The ref dropped the puck for one last face-off as the last seconds ticked by. The game ended with a victory, and they made it through to round two.
“Way to go,” she yelled into the empty room.
She laughed to herself and sat back down. A moment later her phone buzzed. A text from Blaze.
“In the mood to celebrate. If you’re still looking for a place, meet me at the warehouse.”
Her heart pounded faster. Not because she was excited to be mauled by him. In fact, she couldn’t stomach the prospect of his hands on her, but she’d been waiting for this break. It was show time. She grabbed her rain coat, and a backpack stuffed with the bare necessities. She was ready and replied as she closed the door behind her.
“See ya soon.”
Once outside, the fresh, spring air reinvigorated her. She rode the bus and riffled a text to Caroline and Sylvie, letting them know she was moving ahead with the plan. They didn’t like her methods. Meeting with gangbangers scared them. They wanted her to pass the information onto the cops. She had, and they’d done nothing so far. Those kids needed help. Nothing scared Hailey, other than motherhood. She pushed those fears aside.
For the rest of the ride, she stared at Joe’s messages. She powered down to save her battery and arrived at the warehouse within the hour. Frank sat on the steps, smoking a cigarette and talking with Renee. Her heart sank, knowing the danger the girl was in. He waved as she approached.
“Princess. What brings you by tonight?”
Renee lowered her gaze and picked at an invisible thread on her jeans. “Hi, Hailey.”
“Hi guys. Looks like the pa
rty started without me. Frank, I haven’t heard from you in a while. What’s up?” Hailey sat on a lower step and looked up at the pair. Frank had returned none of her messages and she’d wondered what happened to him. Looking at him closer, she saw the faded bruises.
His hair hung loose over his shoulders and he flipped it back. “Wasn’t sure this was a good place for you to hang after the fights here last week. I was just telling Renee she should head home.”
“I’m a tough chick. Don’t worry about me; I can handle my own.”
“No doubt, but…” He straightened his posture and his lips thinned as he looked past her down the sidewalk. Hailey followed his line of vision. Blaze and the same trio approached. A white truck idled at the curb. She looked back at Frank and he closed his eyes. “This won’t end well,” he murmured under his breath.
Blaze’s eyes lit up when he saw her and widened even more as he assessed Renee. “Damn, it’s a good night,” he said, rubbing his hands together.
The street lamp provided good lighting, and she was able to see them all. “Hey.” She smiled, cataloging all their features.
Blaze wore his hair back in a bun and his smile remained devious. The two larger men were ugly with scars on their faces. One had several all over his hands. He quickly shoved them into his pockets when he caught her staring. She diverted her attention to the skinny one who’d been hiding last time.
Her heart skipped into her throat. It was one of the missing teens. His hair swept across his eyes, but it was the same boy who’d been missing since November. Rusty Turnbull was very much alive. His face was so innocent, trustworthy and impossible to mistake. She resisted the urge to jump up and hug him.
“This place is tired. Don’t you think Rusty?” Blaze slapped the teen on the back.
He flipped his brown hair away from his bloodshot eyes. His pupils were tiny, and he swayed on his feet. “I know a better place.” He flashed a bag of drugs and smiled. “I see you’ve got bags with you, are you looking for a place to stay and have fun? We have room for two. Sorry old man,” he said to Frank.
Renee stood and smiled. “I’d love that.”
In less than a minute he’d convince her to leave with them. These vulnerable teens weren’t missing. They hadn’t been kidnapped. They were being recruited by the new gang. That explained the lack of bodies and the infrequent sightings.
Un-fucking-real.
Rusty held out his hand and Renee took it. Frank sat there with his mouth open. He didn’t say a word as his cigarette burnt out. He wasn’t a part of this gang since they didn’t invite him. She couldn’t let Renee leave with them.
“You said you have room for two. Can I come?” She stood and stepped towards Blaze. “You said you wanted to celebrate, right?”
“You’re the reason I’m here.” He grabbed a handful of her ass cheek and pressed her against this body. “I made a special trip to see you. You will love where we’re going. Trust me. All the drugs and sex you can handle.”
“Awesome.” She grabbed his ass back and smiled.
He chuckled. “You won’t regret this.”
They made their way inside the truck. It was a tight squeeze. Blaze drove, while her and Renee were stuffed into the backseat with Rusty and the man with the accent. The drive took longer than she ever imagined. They arrived at a farm outside the city. No wonder the missing teens hadn’t been found.
Hailey climbed out of the back and stretched. Blaze closed the door as someone ran up to him.
“Good, you’re back. Come with me.” The man ran off. Blaze shrugged his shoulders before following.
“You two should get into the bunkhouse. It’s getting late. Rusty show them to their room,” the man with the thick accent said.
“What is this place?” Hailey asked as they crossed through a gate towards an old farm house.
“The compound. It’s not scary in the day time. It’s a safe place to lay your head, try new things and party. Rex will come by at some point and explain everything. First off, I promised fun.” He pulled the bag from his pocket and handed them each a pill.
“What is it?” Renee eyed the drug and popped it into her mouth without waiting for the answer.
Rusty patted her back. “Candy, X, ecstasy, whatever you want to call it; it’s fun.” He turned to Hailey. “Do you like it?”
She pretended to take it. “I’ve done it a few times. Thank you. How much do we owe you? Nothing is free.”
He laughed as he opened the main door to the house. “Nothing. Your money is no good here. You’ll earn your keep like the rest of us. I’ll let you both get settled in. Drop your bags and then I’ll come around and we’ll really get this party started. We have bonfires out back most nights. This place is the best.”
“So, you want to be here?” She hovered by the door, unsure whether to go in or not.
“Yeah. I was on the verge of jumping into the river when Rex found me. He told me there were options. I figured what the hell did I have to lose, right? There weren’t too many people here back then, but we’re growing.”
Hailey was mortified by his story. “What do you mean growing?”
“A new way of life. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and you will be too.” He pulled her inside.
These kids must have been brainwashed. This guy Rex was a cult leader or something and he’d already amassed a small army of young followers. Never in her wildest dreams had she suspected anything this elaborate. Hailey followed Rusty and Renee down a long corridor of rooms. Soft music played in the background as the lights flickered overhead. It creeped her out. So did the fact that the rooms had locks on the outside of the doors.
“You two can bunk here tonight. We’ll find you something else tomorrow. There are blankets and pillows. If you need anything else, ask.” He opened the door to a tiny bedroom with two sets of bunk beds.
“This place is so amazing. Like summer camp only better!” Renee dove into the bottom bunk and sighed. “It’s nice and peaceful here.”
This place wasn’t good. Her gut screamed for them to get out. What the hell had she gotten herself roped into? Rusty grabbed their bags, closed the door and locked them inside.
Hailey crawled onto the top bunk and pulled out her phone. The reception sucked, and she doubted her calls or messages would make it out. Either they had a signal jammer, or they were too far from a tower to get a signal. She needed to update Caroline before she freaked out. Her gut told her to hold off on contacting the authorities until she learned more. She wanted to be able to point out Rex in a court of law.
Her fingers flew over the keys. “Behind enemy lines with the missing teens. OMG you’ll never—”
The door on their room opened. Hailey hit send and shoved her phone back inside her bra. Rusty entered, holding out the bag of pills and two bottles of water. “Take another.”
She reached over the edge, grabbed a pill and water. “Thanks. Are we allowed to walk around or what’s the deal? And why did you take our bags?” She pretended to take the pill and swallow it down with a mouthful of water.
He shuffled back towards the door and looked down the hall. “I said we’d party and we will but hang tight. Something came up. Sorry for the wait. I’ll give you back your bags tomorrow. You won’t need them tonight. That pill should mellow you out until morning.” He turned back towards them and placed another two on the dresser. Rusty fixed his hair back over his eyes, shut the door and locked it.
She exhaled and glanced over the bed at Renee. The teen was humming and smiling without a care in the world. Being locked in a shoebox didn’t bother her, but it bothered Hailey. From the outside, the farm looked huge. There was a lot of ground to cover and she couldn’t do that stuck in the bedroom. She pulled out her phone and noticed her mistake. She’d sent the text to Joe.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
T o conserve the battery on her phone, she’d turned it off. She had no idea if Joe or Caroline got her messages. She hoped the latter had, so her face woul
dn’t be added to the list of missing people.
They’d been locked in the bedroom for so many hours she lost track of time. The drugs were meant to chill them out. It had worked on Renee, but she felt like a caged animal. She tried to sneak out of the windows, but they had bars, preventing their escape. Hailey searched every inch of their room. All she found was used needles and condoms in the wastebasket. A secondary bucket had been left for them to use if they needed to pee.
The place was rustic. Wood paneling covered the walls, and the linens were circa nineteen fifty with big pink flowers printed over pastel green. They were also covered in stains. Sleeping was not an option.
When Renee woke up, she joined her on the top bunk. They swapped stories, killing time. The teenager’s homecoming hadn’t gone well, and her stepfather had kicked her out. She’d returned to school but didn’t see the point in continuing. The girl needed a safe place to rest and the streets wouldn’t give her that. This place wouldn’t either even though Renee felt like she’d struck gold by taking Rusty up on his offer.
The sun was high in the sky and they hadn’t heard more than a peep from anyone. Hailey looked out their window at the farmer’s field. Prairie as far as the eye could see. No landmarks or anything noteworthy. They’d taken so many twists and turns along the drive, she had no way to pinpoint their whereabouts.
Every minute that passed Hailey’s agitation grew. “Do you think they’ll leave us here all day?” Her stomach rumbled. The nausea had subsided somewhat.
Renee stared at the ceiling with her hands behind her head. “Whatever. I’m in no rush to do anything,” she said as the door swung open.
Hailey expected to see Rusty again, but it wasn’t him. A man dressed casually in torn jeans and a plaid shirt sauntered in. He was stunning with finely cut features and bright green eyes.
“Good morning,” he said with the hint of an accent. He held out his hand to help them down.
She took his hand and jumped down. “Hi. Is it still morning?” Hailey hadn’t worn her watch and cursed herself for leaving it at Mellie’s.
