Against the Odds

by Tori Carson

  “Rest while you can Lexi, Fuller is an evil bastard. You’ve got a rough evening ahead of you.” Danny laughed as he closed the door behind him.

  “Baby, are you all right?” Sid asked softly, as if he was afraid of her answer.

  “He’s gone.” She’d failed to keep him there and she had no idea where he was headed. Undoubtedly, he was off to ruin someone else’s life.

  “No worries, baby. We got all the evidence we need to lock him away for the rest of his life. We’re about two minutes out. Keep talking to me. I need to hear your voice. Do you know what room you’re in?”

  “One hundred nineteen. The last room on the end.” She was oddly numb. Oh, her wrist hurt like a son of a bitch, but she felt dead inside. “Sid?”

  “We’re pulling in now.”

  “I don’t want anyone to see me like this. Can you come in alone?” She tried to curl into a ball, but the glass shards impaled her feet and sent pain shooting up her legs every time she moved them.

  * * * *

  “Don’t do it, man.”

  “No way.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “It could be a trap.”

  Pretty much every person on the team chimed in, but Sid didn’t give a damn. He knew Alexa would have found a way to warn him if it had been a set-up.

  “Of course, Alexa. Tell me something, baby. What’s your favorite color? Red?” he asked as they pulled into a parking spot a building away but with the room in clear view.

  “No, not red. Right now, it’s thundercloud gray.”

  She sounded so sad it broke his heart. He’d fucked up this mission from start to finish.

  “Dude, you can’t go charging in there alone.” Sammy put his body between Sid and the van doors.

  Sid didn’t bother to answer him, he just glared Sammy in the eye until his friend moved out of the way.

  “Can you open the door?” He assumed she’d been restrained in some manner, but the more intel he had the better.

  “No. He handcuffed me to the bed.”

  Her tone surprised him. He’d expected to hear relief or impatience in her voice instead she sounded resigned or maybe ashamed. He didn’t want to think about what Desi may have done to her over the last few hours.

  “Look around for me, baby. Do you see any cameras?” If he could help it, he didn’t want Desi to know they’d found Alexa.

  “I don’t think so. I can’t see the whole room, though.”

  Sid stalked toward the room with his Sig Sauer at the ready. As he approached the door, he was joined by two local agents and Sammy. Broken bottles littered the asphalt and fresh blood plotted a trail across the sidewalk. A new wave of anger pounded in his temples. “Do not enter the room until I give the all clear.”

  “That’s not protocol, sir,” one of the agents argued.

  “I’m ranking AIC. If you’ve got a bitch with something, take it up with the chief and get the hell out of my way.” He wasn’t budging on this. Alexa hadn’t asked him for much and he refused to let her down.

  Sid tested the door but found it locked.

  “Is that you, Sid? Someone’s at the door,” Alexa whispered in a panic.

  “It’s me, baby. You’re fine.” He pulled out a tiny but strong shim stick from the pack of tools attached at his belt and jimmied the lock. Sid gave the room a cursory glance before his attention fell to the bed. His chest constricted at the sight of her. The cast was missing and her wrist lay at an unnatural angle. Her face was scraped and bruised. Fresh tears dotted her cheeks. Red, angry marks covered most of her body and both feet were bleeding.

  He immediately went to her and wrapped her in the coverlet before yelling, “All clear,” to the waiting agents.

  In short order, the room filled with fellow law enforcement officers.

  “My sweet angel, are you okay?”

  Alexa ducked her head as if attempting to hide.

  He blocked her from view as best he could. “Get me some bolt cutters,” he snapped to the closest agent. It was imperative he get her medical treatment.

  “The key might be in there.” Alexa nodded toward the nightstand. “He pulled the handcuffs out of the drawer.”

  Their eyes locked for a brief moment before she turned away.

  Was there censure in her glance? He certainly deserved it. He’d promised to keep her safe and just look at her. He’d failed her.

  Sid opened the drawer by pulling on the bottom corner. It was filled with well used sexual instruments. His stomach revolted at the idea of any of them coming near Alexa. He pushed his anger down. Toward the back, he found two keys on a slip ring.

  “Did you get the rest of the girls out? They drugged Crissy and…” She broke down into tears.

  He worked the keys and released her from the handcuffs then immediately swung her into his arms and headed to the van. “She’s at the hospital.” Sid didn’t know which girl was ‘Crissy’, but they were all being checked out. Some of the women were in pretty bad shape.

  Sid heard the crunching of boots on the gravel keeping pace with him. He peered over his shoulder and saw Sammy was right behind him. Sid could always count on him. As soon as Sid stepped through the sliding door, he heard it slam shut. A moment later, Sammy took the driver’s seat.

  “ER?” his friend asked.

  “Yes,” Sid answered before nuzzling his cheek against Alexa’s hair. “I’m so sorry, baby. I never thought this would happen.”

  “This wasn’t your fault, Sid. I could have called a stop to it as soon as Danny sent someone else to the storage unit, but I made the decision to ride it out.” She sniffled and lowered her voice. “He’s evil, Sid. Truly evil. I’d held out hope that someone else was forcing him to do these things, that maybe he’d just got in too deep with gambling debts or something.” She shook her head. “No one’s forcing him. He’s twisted.”

  “I know, baby. Every agent on the eastern seaboard is looking for him. We’ll get him,” he assured her.

  “He was sending a man and his friends to rape me. As soon as he gets there and finds me gone, he’ll contact Danny. If my brother suspects the police are looking for him, he’ll disappear,” she warned him.

  “We have a female agent who’s going to take your place. When Fuller shows up, he’ll be arrested. He won’t have the opportunity to tip off Desi.”

  Alexa looked up at him sharply. “No. Absolutely not. He’ll hurt her, Sid. Don’t you dare put anyone else at risk. I’ll go back if I have to.”

  “Like hell you will. There will be agents just a few feet away. She’ll never be alone.” He’d promised Alexa the same thing. He’d told her he’d be just outside and all she had to do was say ‘parents’ to bring the whole team to her rescue. No way could she have any faith in his reassurances after what had happened to her. “We won’t fail her, Alexa. Not like we did you.” He gripped her a little harder.

  The van bounced over a curb and Alexa hissed in pain as it rolled to a stop. Sammy jumped out and opened the side door before rushing inside to get help.

  As carefully as possible, Sid eased them out of the vehicle. Seconds later, Sammy and an intern met them with a wheelchair.

  “I’ve got her,” Sid informed them. It was irrational, but he wasn’t ready to let go of Alexa. His strides were long as he carried her through the automatic doors. Sid didn’t know what Sammy had told them, but he was immediately ushered into a room. As much as he wanted to continue holding her, he knew he had to give the doctor some space. Reluctantly, he set her down on the exam table.

  “Sir, you can wait just outside the door or in the lobby if you prefer,” the nurse, a plump woman with a permanent scowl, informed him.

  “No,” both he and Alexa answered at the same time.

  “If he can’t stay with me then I’m leaving.” Alexa moved to jump off the table.

  Sid blocked her path. “I’m not going anywhere. You need to be checked out. Just settle down, baby.” He was a fine one to talk. He’d been ranting l
ike a lunatic most the evening.

  The nurse glared at him and pointed to the end of the bed.

  Alexa kept her attention on Sid as they peeled back the coverlet from that nasty motel. The nurse immediately covered her in heated blankets, but she couldn’t stop shivering. Intellectually she knew it was simply her body’s reaction to shock, but she saw her inability to control it as another failure.

  Two lines seemed permanently stationed on Sid’s forehead. She didn’t remember seeing them before. His lips were pursed as well. She couldn’t decide if he was angry or worried.

  She closed her eyes and tried to force her body to stop trembling. As soon as she lost sight of Sid, she became hyper aware of every touch, the blood pressure cuff squeezing her arm, someone pushing downward on her chin, forcing her to open her mouth, the doctor twisting her foot closer to the light. Without realizing what she was doing, she flailed her arms and tried to move off the bed.

  “Restrain her,” the doctor ordered, after being kicked in the face. He slid his wheelie chair a few feet away, holding his right cheek.

  “No.” Sid moved to her side. “Just give her a minute. She’s been through a traumatic experience.”

  “We have to be able to work. I won’t risk my staff being injured,” the doctor countered. His dark brown eyes glared at her as if she’d kicked him on purpose.

  “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Alexa hated the pleading tone in her voice.

  Another man, about twenty-five years old, with shaggy blond hair and dressed in hospital attire, entered the room with a camera and began taking photos. The flash sent another round of panic coursing through her. She looked up at Sid through teary eyes and tightened her hold on his hand.

  “It’s for evidence, baby.” Sid crouched beside her. “Just focus on me.”

  “They photographed us,” she whispered to him in explanation.

  Something gripped her ankle and instantly she was back in the tunnel. She jerked away, needing to get free before Danny could hit her again.

  “Look, asshole, don’t you see the welts on her leg. They weren’t put there during a walk in the park. If you aren’t capable of even a modicum of compassion then get someone else in here.” Sid was standing at full height and leaning protectively over Alexa.

  The doctor looked as if he’d eaten something sour. “I’m almost finished. Just keep her still for a few more minutes.”

  Sid cupped his hand around the back of her neck and scrunched down to her level. “Just relax, Alexa. I’m here with you. It’s all over.”

  But it wasn’t. Danny was still out there and until he was behind bars, she’d never be safe.

  The warm blanket was pulled off her and the nurse began cutting away the shirt she was wearing. She could feel the stares of the hospital staff then the flashes of the camera started going off rapid-fire.

  “Alexa, look at me,” Sid ordered. “Keep your focus on me.”

  “We need you to turn over, Alexa,” the nurse told her as she began lowering the head of the table.

  Once the table was flat, the nurse supported the board strapped to Alexa’s left wrist. “Let me hold this above your head so you don’t try to put any weight on it. Now roll toward your friend.”

  Alexa felt the sheet underneath her be pulled at the same time she moved, keeping her in virtually the same spot. Someone removed the shirt shortly before the camera started clicking again. She wished the earth would open up and swallow her whole. She could just imagine what she looked like. There wasn’t a place on her body that didn’t ache.

  Sid moved to the head of the bed and fed her ice chips. Until they could ascertain the extent of her injuries, they wouldn’t allow her to eat or drink anything.

  “Are you still in touch with the team? Do you know if that man showed up yet?” She couldn’t stop thinking about the female agent taking her place. It didn’t feel right to allow someone else to put themselves at risk.

  Sid turned his head slightly and showed her his earpiece. It was larger than hers since there was no reason for secrecy on his part. “Not yet. Everything is set-up and ready. There won’t be any mistakes this time. Put it out of your head, Alexa.”

  Alexa felt something cold being dabbed on various parts of her back. As uncomfortable as that was, she preferred it to them taking photos of her. “I can’t, Sid. He’s going to run and we’ll never catch him.”

  “We’ll catch him, Alexa,” Sid assured her.

  “Okay, sweetie, let’s get down to imaging. After a quick scan we’ll get this wrist set.” The nurse put her hand on Alexa’s shoulder and helped her turn over. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a gown. “Let me help you guide your arm through.”

  Sid took one arm and the nurse took the other. Once she was covered she felt a little better.

  “Come with me, Sid.”

  “I’m right beside you, babe. You’re not getting rid of me.” He linked his fingers through hers and caressed the back of her knuckles as they rode the elevator down to the basement.

  “You’ll have to wait outside while they take the scan, but it won’t take more than a minute or two. We have the latest and greatest model,” the technician advised them.

  Sid started to say something but Alexa gripped his hand harder. “It’s okay. I don’t want you exposed to the radiation.”

  “I don’t mind, Alexa. If you need me, I’m there,” Sid offered.

  She shook her head. She could do this. As soon as she let go of his hand, they wheeled her through the doors.

  “You’re so brave, baby. You make me proud.” Sid used their link to talk to her.

  “I’m not allowed to talk. Shhh.” She giggled.

  She lay perfectly still while the machine moved over her. The bright light reminded her of all the life after death stories she’d heard and jogged her memory on something Danny had said.

  “You’re worth more to me dead than alive. I just have to set the scene first.” Danny didn’t want her to quietly disappear. He needed her body to be discovered.

  Once she was wheeled back to Sid, she sat up on her right elbow. “I know how to catch him.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “What the hell kind of scam are you trying to run on me, Desman?” Fuller shouted into the phone as he sat at a table with Sid, Sammy and Alexa in the motel room at the Little Dick’s Inn. “Not only do I want a refund, you better include a hefty bonus since you’ve stuck me with doing your dirty work.” He smirked at the NBIA agents sitting around the table with him.

  “Fuck you. You ain’t getting your money back.” Desi sounded indignant.

  “I ain’t no necrophiliac, asshole. I’m not sticking my dick in a corpse. You absolutely will give me my fucking money back,” Fuller demanded, his enormous face taking on a ruddy hue as he got into his role. “And people saw me coming in here so now I’ve got to make her disappear. That’s your job. Since I’m doing your shit work, you can bloody well pay me.”

  “Son of a bitch. You killed her already? Motherfucking, cocksucker, what the fuck? I didn’t want her dead yet. I haven’t got my money’s worth outta her. You owe me, big time,” Desi countered.

  Sid’s stomach rolled at the casual way they were discussing Alexa’s supposed death. He had the desire to pull out his Sig and end Fuller here and now. It didn’t matter that Alexa was alive and sitting beside him. He’d come way too close to losing her to listen to shit like this.

  “Whoa, I didn’t kill her. I found her that way. Here I was expecting a weekend of fun and now I’ve got a mess to clean up. You owe me for that, Desman. As soon as it’s dark, I’ll make sure she disappears for good. Ain’t nobody gonna find that body, but I want a full refund and a freebie,” Fuller argued as he wiped the sweat dotting his forehead

  “She was a little worse for wear, but very alive when I left her. Don’t think you can fuck me over, Fuller. Yeah, I see what you’re doing. You’re gonna make her disappear all right. You’re gonna keep her all for yourself. Well, bullshit
.” Desi was clearly furious. “I’m on my way and she better be there when I get there or I’ll be coming after you next.”

  The line went dead and Fuller sat back in his chair. “That went well. Now what else can I do for you?” he asked while he ran his fingers up and down his lighter.

  “Stand up and put your hands behind your back,” Sid informed him.

  “Now wait a minute. I did exactly as you asked. So I’m gonna just walk outta here and we’ll both forget we ever saw each other.” Fuller tensed and scooted closer to the exit.

  Sid had searched the bag Fuller had brought with him. The implements he’d found inside had made his blood run cold. Fuller, and every man like him, deserved a special place in hell, and Sid would be more than happy to send him straight to it.

  Alexa placed a hand on Sid’s biceps. He wasn’t sure what exactly he’d done to broadcast his thoughts, but Alexa’s touch helped him breathe away a little of his anger. “Fuller, you have two choices.” Sid lifted his index finger. “You can stand and put your hands behind your back or”—he added his middle finger—“I can tie you to the bed and test out some of the toys you brought in that bag of yours and we can carry you out of here tomorrow on a stretcher. Honestly, I hope you choose the second.”

  Fuller lost a shade or two of his spray-on tan. “Look, this was all just a bit of fun. I wasn’t going hurt anyone.”

  “So, your choice is number two.” He nodded. “Sammy…”

  “No, no way, man.” Fuller stood and looked longingly toward the door.

  Sammy hit Fuller squarely between the shoulder blades with enough force to send him into the wall.

  Alexa scurried into the restroom.

  Sid covered Sammy while he cuffed Fuller and handed him off to two local field agents.

  “Come on out, baby. It’s just me and Sammy.” He hated having her out of his sight and didn’t expect that to change anytime soon. She really should be in the hospital, but she had been adamant about seeing this through.

  Alexa opened the door and hesitantly walked to him at the small table. Her delicate body was covered in bruises and bandages.