by Regan Black
“Stand up. Turn around.” The thug grunted at her but didn’t move from his hunched position. Familiar steps on the gravel behind her were followed by a sense of security she’d never experienced once she saw their source.
Rob.
“You heard her. Turn around and put your hands up. I will shoot.”
The thug lifted his arms and turned. Trina went cuffed him. He swore in Russian that she was hurting him.
“Stop being so melodramatic.” She pushed him toward the front of the lot, away from the trucks.
“That’s right, Minsky. Get ready to dish it all to the cops. As you can see, Vasin didn’t hang around to save you, did he?” Rob said in Russian.
The high pitch of sirens filled the night as several SVPD vehicles arrived on scene, followed by an ambulance.
She looked at Rob. “I had Binnie and Chuck call them in.” She wished they’d be able to get all the girls out of the club, off the streets, safe from the horrors of a trafficked life. But that was a job, on a more regular basis, for other law enforcement agency like FBI and ICE. Trina was grateful to help even two of the girls. She secretly hoped she’d be asked to help rescue more of the women, though. Maybe TH would call her to.
“Good work. You want to read him his rights?”
“No.” She nodded at a Silver Valley PD officer who approached. “Hey, Nika. I’ve got this guy cuffed, and he needs his rights read.”
“Sure thing, Trina.” Trina had worked with Officer Nika Pasczenko on a few cases, and they’d hit it off. Nika had promised to take her and Jake kayaking now that Trina lived in Silver Valley.
She walked over to Rob, who was briefing Chief Todd. The chief assessed her with sharp eyes. “You okay, Marshal Lopez?”
“Yes, thanks. I appreciate your officers coming in and cleaning up. There’s still one on the loose, and I have no idea where the girls went. I’m going to search the trailer lot now.”
Colt nodded. He was fully briefed on all TH ops in the area that could involve his department, so he didn’t ask any questions. He knew the deal—all TH ops were need-to-know only. And a lot of his officers had no idea about the Trail Hikers’ existence, so it wasn’t something they could discuss in such a public place.
“You’ll get it done, you two.” As the chief walked away, Trina looked at Rob. And it hit her that she would do whatever it took to keep him here with her. Behind her. Having her back.
Even risk her heart. Again.
“We’re going to need to split up.” At his shocked expression, she quickly added, “No, not us. I mean break the surveillance of the lot up amongst all of the LEA here, including us.”
“Right.” Relief registered on his face before he said more. “As much as I hate it, you’re correct. I’ll stay out here, in the truck I just drove. I’m sure the owner won’t mind if I tell her it’s for everyone’s safety. You head toward the rear of the lot. We’ll have a better chance if we can see two levels of activity.” Rob’s response reassured her. Everything about him, about them as a couple, as Jake’s parents, made sense to her.
“What?” Rob must have seen what was in her heart.
“I love you, Rob.”
“I know. I love you, too.” He pulled her against him at the same moment she lunged for him. The kiss was hard and fast, the promise of their future in the warmth of his lips on hers. He lifted his head a half inch. “Now let’s go get the bad guy.”
When he let her go he swatted her butt, and Trina smiled.
They’d survive this and they’d go back home. Together.
* * *
Trina waited in the field beyond the paved lot, no more than a hundred feet from where the nearest trailer rested. It seemed peaceful, the hum of the engines to support the electrical systems in the truck cabs, the vast majority of which were privately owned and came complete with bunks behind the seats, where the truckers took their overnights. In the ninety-degree night, air-conditioning was a must. It was a safety precaution, too, as the truckers had to keep their windows up and doors locked while they slept. Many had dogs, like the woman Rob had borrowed the truck from. That had been brilliant on his part. Trina wondered if she would have thought that quickly. She was a well-trained and experienced marshal, but still a newbie as far as the Trail Hikers went.
She’d grabbed a pair of night-vision goggles from Nika and used them to check underneath the trailers, between the large truck tires. A slight movement caught her attention, near a large fuel trailer. The cylindrical carrier had pulled in within the last few minutes and parked on the far edge of the lot, nearest to her. As she watched, the driver seemed to drop from view. One second he’d been sitting behind the wheel of his cab; the next the spot looked vacant. As she watched, her heart hammered in her chest; her instincts told her to run to the truck and see what was going on. Her training made her wait. It paid off when she identified the silhouette of one woman, and then another, as they climbed into the truck cab. They each disappeared, and one more figure appeared in the driver’s seat.
Vasin.
Trina spoke to Rob on her headset, standard gear that she carried in a small fanny pack, as she ran in, weapon drawn. “It’s him. He’s got the two girls who stopped for food in the oil tanker on the far side of the parking lot. I think he may have shot the driver.”
“Do not go in alone. I’m driving around.” She saw the headlights of the truck Rob drove in the distance, saw the truck move toward her.
“I’ll wait for you.” She ran to the back of the oil carrier, careful to stay low and out of the reflection of the rearview mirrors. To her dismay the truck began to move.
No, no, no! She ran faster, and calculated how many tires she’d have to blow out to stop it. Impossible.
The truck increased speed too quickly. Vasin was getting the hell out. No way was Trina going to let him get away with this. The girls had to be scared out of their minds. They couldn’t defend themselves, not against Vasin’s physicality or his weapon.
Vasin put the vehicle into the wide turn it needed to leave the truck stop and head out onto the main highway. Trina didn’t think but instead relied on pure instinct. She shoved her weapon into its holster as she ran. She closed the distance between herself and the back of the tanker, willing her legs to move faster, faster. As she came within an arm’s reach, she tried to grab for the ladder that went to the top of the round end, but the truck was picking up speed, widening the distance between rescuing the girls and their certain death.
A mental image of what Vasin would do to the girls flashed in front of her, and she dug deep, reached for the last of her reserves.
Instead of putting her arm out to catch the truck, she jumped. Her palms slammed against the steel rung and instinctively gripped, holding her to the back of the rapidly accelerating truck. Trina couldn’t risk looking over her shoulder to see if Rob knew what was happening. Her entire mission was to get to the truck’s cab and take out Vasin before he hurt the girls.
* * *
Rob thought if hearts could rupture, his would at the sight of Trina hanging on to the back of the fuel tank, her body no more that a third the height of the trailer. He worked his truck’s gears, grateful that Rosie had gone with her owner this time. His gut told him this was going to get ugly.
“Trina, hang on. Do not climb that tanker.”
“Too. Late.” He heard her breathing deepen as he trailed behind Vasin and saw her ascend the narrow ladder. There were overpasses and bridges and umpteen other ways she could be killed while traversing the fuel tanker. And he was powerless to stop her.
“Talk to me, babe.” He had to hear what she was thinking.
“I’ll get him to stop. If you take him out, I can drive the truck.” She’d been trained to operate heavy machinery and trucks just as he had. He’d learned a lot of it in the SEALs and knew that Trail Hikers covered it, too.
�
�It’s too dangerous to fire a weapon. The fuel.”
“Gas. I just read the label on the side.” Her voice was strong, but the wind interfered with their comms. He had to strain to pick out her words.
“Get in the cab and stop him if you can, Trina.” Rob wanted to scream. No, not scream. He wanted to get Trina and take them far away. Where they could live safely with Jake. Nothing else mattered.
“Damn it!” He knew it was his primal resistance flaring, knew that he’d complete this mission to the best of his ability. But he didn’t know if he’d survive, or worse, if Trina would. He’d never stared into such desolation.
* * *
Trina made it up to the cabin. This was a fancy rig, complete with a sunroof over the sleeping compartment. She looked into the back of the cabin through the glass and saw Oxana and Ekaterina, huddled together. It wasn’t easy hanging on to the top of the cab. She preferred the ladder. At least the rungs were sturdy. The slippery top of the cab was nothing but treacherous. But this was also the only way she’d save them.
She pounded on the window twice and the girls looked up, their faces full of fear. A shot rang out and she realized that Vasin had heard her, too. He was shooting at her from the driver’s-side window. No concern about the probability of nine thousand gallons of liquid natural gas behind him. Trina had to get the girls out. She clung to the top of the cab, flattening herself against it as they neared another overpass. The three they’d already cleared had been so close, so tight a fit that she’d thought she was dead. This was no different. She looked up after her ears popped from the harrowing passage and saw where Vasin was headed. Silver Valley View Road.
* * *
Vasin turned the gas rig onto the four-lane country route, and Rob knew it was now or never. He had to draw alongside the tanker or he’d never catch up in time to make a difference. The road had wide enough shoulders for other vehicles to use as needed. Thankfully it looked clear for the next mile or so.
It was all he’d need. He engaged his engine full throttle and eased into the left lane. Vasin immediately tried to edge him off the road, but Rob’s truck was more maneuverable that the huge can of gas. Within thirty seconds he was parallel with Vasin’s cab, and was rewarded by a bullet shattering his passenger-side window.
Rob had ducked, anticipating the shot. When he risked another look, Vasin appeared to be distracted, and the criminal fired a shot into the air. Trying to get to Trina. Rob kept one eye on the road and one on Vasin. He had to keep his truck in the right position. He had to trust Trina that she’d paid attention during the moving vehicle portion of her Trail Hikers training, when she learned how to keep her balance while atop a truck going sixty miles an hour. Except at Trail Hikers they never practiced with trucks going faster than thirty miles an hour.
* * *
Trina saw Rob’s cab, and her training kicked in. All she had to do was get the girls over to his truck. They’d hang on until he stopped the trailer. She motioned at them through the window to break the glass and follow her, glad that at least she didn’t have to worry about overpasses on the country road. But the frequent hills made keeping her balance difficult.
Oxana held up a fire extinguisher. Good girl. Trina crawled back six inches and held her breath. It took three hits but the sunroof shattered, the tempered glass disintegrating into clear shards that smarted as they whipped against her face. She waited for Vasin to shoot, but heard nothing. Reaching down, her hand was immediately grasped by one of the girls and she pulled, then up came Oxana.
“Stay flat, right here,” Trina shouted as she moved forward again and reached down. Ekaterina followed Oxana’s example and was flat on the cab in seconds.
“You have to jump onto the other truck.” Both girls looked at her like she spoke the gospel truth. It was the shock and fear. Pure survival mode.
Trina lifted her head and then crawled backward until she could reach the ladder in the back of the cab. Standing between the cab and fuel tank, she grasped Oxana’s ankle and squeezed. Rob was next to them, far enough back that Vasin couldn’t get off a good shot with his weapon, but close enough to the tanker that they could drop onto his cab.
Trina was loath to leave the girls alone and exposed on the moving truck, but there was no other way. She’d have to catch them once on Rob’s truck. Trina saw the top of the cab, knew that Rob was in it. All she had to do was trust.
She jumped.
* * *
Rob heard the first thud on the cab’s roof and hit the ceiling with his fist. Yes! Trina had made it. He listened for the next two thuds, which came surprisingly quickly, one after another. He immediately slowed the truck down, praying all three women would hang on.
“We’re all here.” Trina’s shout rang through his headset.
“It’s just another couple of minutes, ladies.” The truck shuddered and shimmied on the weathered road as it slowed down. He watched Vasin continue to drive off and figured the crook was going to take the truck as far as he could as a means of escape. Rob would call it in to TH as soon as he stopped his truck. His speedometer read thirty miles per hour, falling.
“Rob! Trouble!” Trina’s scream broke through his training protocol. He looked out at the road and saw that the tanker had made a U-turn at the only place wide enough in three counties to do so, a median pull-off area. Vasin was headed back straight toward them. Rob reached for his weapon, but he’d never get a good shot off, not from inside the cab.
They were all dead. Vasin was going to run right over them, obviously not caring if he died along with them. It was a matter of honor to ROC. The truck finally came to a halt, and Rob put it in Reverse. The two Ukrainian girls climbed down from the top of the cab and got in via his passenger door.
“Ladies, you need to make a run for it. Now!” The girls didn’t argue but slid out of the truck. There were plenty of trees to hide behind until backup arrived.
“Trina, come down. I’m backing up. There’s no time!”
“Rob, stop the truck. I’ve got the perfect shot from here.”
“Damn it, Trina, get down.” He put the engine on idle and opened his door. If she wouldn’t listen, he’d go get her himself. Before he got a foot on the running board, he heard the sound of Trina’s gun firing. Two seconds later the night lit up with a light brighter than Fourth of July fireworks as the propane truck Vasin drove exploded.
* * *
“You okay, Trina?” It had been an hour since Vasin’s fiery death and there hadn’t been time to check in with each other until now.
“What?” She looked at him like she’d seen her life pass in front of her as she watched EMTs tend to the girls. They’d already checked Trina out and save for a few bruises from climbing onto a moving fuel truck, she was fine.
Rob wrapped his arm around her shoulders, willing his body heat into her. “Come here, babe.” Maybe she needed to sit down. Shock could affect a law enforcement agent at any time, no matter their level of experience. He lifted her chin with his finger and peered into her eyes. Under the glare of emergency spotlights, her pupils were dilated, but no more than would be expected.
She shook him off. “I’m fine. Thanks, by the way, for the truck bit—you got me out of an awfully tough spot.”
“You did it on your own.” As she always did.
“No. Rob, this time I was in a pickle, really. Did you see how he was driving it?” She nodded to where Vasin had breathed his last breath. The charred frame of the rig was still on fire, the Silver Valley Fire Department smothering it with foam.
“If one of his shots had ricocheted and hit his tanker before I got the girls away, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“ It’s okay, Trina. You’re safe, and you saved the girls. Vasin got what he deserved.”
“I never like seeing someone die, no matter how awful or downright evil they are. And for the record, Rob? We saved
the girls. Did you know they belonged to him, to ROC?”
“Yes.” He told her what he knew about the tats, and what he’d overheard in the bathroom.
Her eyes widened. “Rob, both of the girls have tattoos behind her left ear. It looks like a crescent moon to the untrained eye, but I heard them say in Russian that it was a sickle. When you look really closely the line of the hammer is there—it has to be what you overheard. It must be the symbol of Ivanov’s girls.”
He brought her in for a hug. “You can put it in your after-action report. All I care about is that you’re alive, and my son’s safe from a very bad man. We also have two young women we know will have a chance at true freedom, if they want it.” Trina knew the women would be offered witness protection if they wanted.
Trina’s phone vibrated with a text from SVPD.
“It’s SVPD. They’ve verified that the truck driver is dead. Vasin isn’t ever going to hurt another girl or woman.” She looked up at him. “But Ivanov is still out there, Rob. He could come after us, or punish the other girls as an example.”
“Not likely. ROC will lie low, at least for a while. Ivanov doesn’t even get briefed on all of the awful things his subordinates do. It’s unlikely Vasin ever told him about us, period. It would only make Vasin look bad.”
“I’d say Vasin had a lot more power than we thought, then.”
“That’s not our problem any longer, Marshal Lopez. We solved our part of the case.”
She looked bemused. “My first Trail Hikers op. Our first one together since the Navy. But Ivanov will be back, we know this. We’ll have to fight him again, Rob.”
“Let’s celebrate completing our first TH op together. We can’t control what happens next with ROC. No one can.”
“We can control what we do together, Rob.”
He couldn’t wait any longer—he kissed her. It was in the middle of a truck stop, in front of first responders and the church volunteers, but Rob only cared about Trina’s reaction. Which was getting as heated as his.
