by Dale Mayer
Alina looked at him and smiled. “Live my life where?”
He motioned to Tracy. “Has finding her changed how you feel about not returning to your job? Do you feel better about your decision?”
She glanced down at the ground. “It helps me leave with a clean conscience,” she replied, adding, “but it doesn’t change the fact that I went through what I did. And that experience is now tattooed in my brain. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable at my place or work, but in some ways, it feels like a chapter closing. No”—she shook her head—“let me rephrase that. It feels like one has slammed shut. Even if I could go back to those two places, I don’t want to.” She turned in his arms.
“Good enough. I didn’t want to unfairly persuade you to move to Texas,” he said. “But I’m really hoping you do.”
She pushed back slightly, looking at him. In a low voice, very aware of the cops milling around and the ambulance quickly turning off the highway, racing toward them, she asked, “Seriously?”
He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. “Seriously.”
She slipped her arms around his waist and leaned in. Her heart swelled with joy when his went securely around her. She didn’t want to feel dependent on him; neither did she want to view him as an escape. Because those things weren’t good long-term. And to think she may have found somebody through this maelstrom of horror, well, that made up for a lot. He was a good man.
“We’ll get the asshole who kidnapped her,” Logan said.
With the ambulance moving toward them, they stepped out of the way. When the men loaded Tracy onto the gurney, Alina turned to Logan and said, “I should go with her to the hospital. I don’t want her to wake up alone.”
He nodded in understanding. “You’ve got your phone. Let us know when you’re ready to leave.”
She nodded and walked toward the ambulance, stopped and turned to look back at Logan. “You’ll call me if I can’t get through to you, right?” She hated the fear and tremor in her voice, but this wasn’t the time to hide her worries. She needed to know if he would be there.
His grin flashed bright. “You’re not getting rid of me that fast.” But he did ask that a policeman ride with her and Tracy.
She gave him the sweetest smile she could, then turned and climbed into the ambulance. She knew the hospital’s policies. She might not be allowed at the woman’s side, not being family. But since Alina was there at the time of Tracy’s rescue, and Alina had already gone through the same experience, she was hoping the hospital personnel might make an exception for her.
They weren’t far from the hospital. She was grateful she wasn’t on the gurney this time.
She could see Tracy’s vitals as the EMTs checked them. Her heart rate was very slow. Who knew what or how many drugs she’d been given?
The ambulance kicked on its sirens and drove as fast as it could back to the hospital. Alina realized the attendant shared her concerns too.
At the ambulance bay in the emergency area, Alina hopped out first to get out of the way while the EMTs unloaded Tracy. She was rushed into the emergency room, and Alina was left to mill around, feeling left out. She wasn’t a nurse in that department, but she’d done several stints there, so she understood the process and procedures. But she’d never been on the other side, waiting for a victim to receive treatment.
She didn’t like it one bit. It was unnerving to sit and wait, trusting in others to get the job done correctly. Part of her wanted to race in there, make sure they were doing everything they should be, and another knew she did not have the right. That was their domain. She could say she was a nurse until she was blue in the face. But she wasn’t in charge. Finally, when she didn’t hear anything, she asked a nurse who had come out of Tracy’s room, “How is she? May I sit with her?”
The woman frowned, opening her mouth.
Alina explained how she had been in the ambulance with Tracy, had been there on the spot when she was rescued, and in the same kidnapped situation as the patient. “I don’t want her to wake up alone with that nightmare in her head. Please let me sit with her.” Then she added, “I don’t know if makes any difference, but I am a nurse. I work out of University Hospital.”
The woman nodded. “The doctor is about done. When he is, you can come in a few minutes later.”
Grateful, Alina said, “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
The woman turned to look at her. “You were kidnapped as well?”
“The same human trafficking ring, different kidnapper.”
The woman shook her head. “Who’d have thought there’d be such a problem in Boston?”
Alina went in a few minutes later and sat beside Tracy’s bed. She reached out and covered her coworker’s hand with her own. She knew how important it was for people in a drug-induced state to believe they had a purpose to return, a reason to live. And she wanted to make sure the kidnapper couldn’t claim another victim.
“Hi, Tracy. I’m Alina. I was there when the police found you,” she said. “Just know that you’re safe here in the hospital, and you’ll be fine now.”
There was no response, but then Alina hadn’t expected one.
She stayed where she was, occasionally talking to the comatose woman. A nurse came in to check on Tracy and asked, “Any change?”
Alina shook her head. “No, not yet.”
“Let me know if there is.” The nurse left her alone again.
That happened several more times. And finally, after the silence shifted in some almost imperceptible way, Alina looked to see Tracy opening her eyes.
“Tracy,” she exclaimed. She leaned over and explained once again why Tracy was here. Then Alina said, “I’ll be right back.” She raced to the curtains and called to one of the nurses, “She’s awake.”
Within minutes a nurse and doctor walked in.
With a smile the nurse said to Alina, “I need you to step out into the waiting room.”
Alina understood what was coming next. She still wasn’t prepared to separate from Tracy. She smiled at Tracy and said, “I’ll be right outside.”
The doctor was with Tracy for a lot longer this time. When he came out, he walked over to Alina. “She’s still confused and doesn’t comprehend what happened. I understand from the nurse that you are also a victim. Maybe you can help clarify things. She wants to speak with you.”
She smiled at the doctor. “She will be all right?”
The doctor nodded. “Do you have any idea how long she was held for?”
Alina gave him the time line she knew. “A police officer rode in the ambulance with us,” she said. “I’m sure he can fill you in with any further details.”
The doctor nodded. “She’s lucky. There doesn’t appear to be any trauma to the body, so we’ll take that as a good sign.”
“That’s good news, indeed.” With a smile, she walked past him and went in to speak with Tracy.
Tracy appeared a little more alert. And a whole lot more confused. Alina sat and carefully shared the details of what she knew. The two women had seen each other in the hospital before. Enough to recognize each other’s faces, but they weren’t friends. And Tracy likely hadn’t heard what had happened to Alina.
By the time Alina was done, Tracy shook her head and whispered, “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.”
“The thing to remember is, you’re safe. We found you, but I don’t know if they caught the man who kidnapped you yet,” Alina said. “I know the manhunt was underway when I came in the ambulance with you to the hospital.”
And just like that, Tracy wept. She cried and cried. Partly from the drugs, Alina knew; but also from the shock. Alina understood so much of her crying was the sheer relief of having been rescued. And that Alina remembered all too well.
She stayed with Tracy for a long moment. And then Alina’s phone went off. She looked at Tracy, patted her hand and said, “I have to take this call. I’ll be right back.” She stepped out into the hall to see by the
caller ID it was Logan. Her grin brightened, and she raced out of the hospital to answer it. “Hey, did you catch him?”
“No, not yet. With the helicopters and about twenty police officers here, he can’t get too far.”
She groaned. “Damn, I was so hoping. I can’t wait to put this to rest.”
“It’ll happen. How is Tracy?”
“She’s awake now. Shocked and grateful to be alive.” Alina shook her head as she stared at the setting light outside. “It’s going to be dark soon. If he can stay hidden until then, he could get clean away.” She wanted to scream in frustration.
“We’ll get him. You sit tight. Don’t leave the hospital.”
She froze, turned around and said, “I’m actually outside right now,” she admitted. “I had to take your phone call.”
“Get back inside and stay there,” he ordered. “I’ll text next time.”
“Why?” she asked, her fear making her nervous. “You expect him to come back after Tracy arrived at the hospital? How would he know?”
“How can he not? It’s all over the news—although the details are sketchy. They said an unidentified woman has been rescued from an apparent kidnapping. She’s in the hospital, in the emergency room. Make sure you stand at her side so she can’t be taken again. I don’t know what the hell’s going on. I imagine they must find you and Tracy to make their quota or do it some other way. Losing both of you, they’re desperate. They’ll be after her, and if they’re lucky, they’ll find you too.”
And just like that, Logan hung up. She cast a nervous glance around and bolted for the relative safety of the hospital. As she walked back to Tracy’s side, she realized what he meant. Not only could Tracy be snatched from the hospital, but with both of them here, they could be taken together.
*
Logan turned his back to the chaos around him. Harrison was still in the woods, tracking down Lingam. The cops were out there too. At the getaway car, Logan looked for any information that would lead to Lingam’s associates.
It still bugged him that nobody connected all these missing women. He understood it took several cases before anyone had any inkling something was going on, but to consider the number of women who’d been kidnapped over the last four years, and the cops didn’t know? That thought made him view the men around him in a slightly more analytical way.
Logan and one policeman had looked over the car from top to bottom; and forensics was on their way. They’d gone through the glove box where they’d found an old satchel bag, like the one they’d discovered inside Colin’s apartment. Once he explained who and what he’d been involved with, the other detectives showing up on the spot had allowed him to take part, if he shared all information. He was thankful because this was a police case, and he really had no business there.
They were currently going through the bag, emptying the contents on the hood of the car, including one smelly sweatshirt. Detective Easterly showed up and told Logan how they had cops working this from various angles all throughout the city. One at Lingam’s house, where Logan had collected the boxes. Another at the second residence, where John had driven Tracy but had left in a hurry, as if he knew Logan had been there. The question was, now where would John go? To ground?
Logan really wished they could’ve gotten this fool before he hit the tree line. But that wasn’t to be, and it was pissing Logan off.
He kept glancing around, wondering if the man was hiding in the long brush up ahead, laughing at them. He knew that, if Lingam was smart, he’d be long gone. No way he was getting his car back. And that was just another thing.
“We should check to see if he has a second vehicle registered,” Logan said. “Or whether his brother did. He’ll need more wheels to carry on from here.”
One of the cops stepped out of the way, phone to his ear. That was the good thing about having so many men about. Somebody was always available to track down information. This was the manhunt that didn’t dare accept anything less than success. Not if they planned to keep the city safe. They needed to know who was involved in this.
What he really wanted was Lingam’s cell phone. “Can we track down his calls?”
“It’s in progress. I was hoping something useful would be in the damn bag.”
A pocket was in the front. Logan reached in and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper on the bottom. It looked like a hamburger wrapper. But as he spread it out and held up his cell phone to use for light, he could see some notations on it. “A phone number’s here,” he said.
He quickly turned his phone around and dialed the number. With the men listening, the phone rang and rang; then a man’s voice snapped, “Where the fuck are you? Better get your ass here. You’re going to be in deep shit if you can’t get that damn girl here fast.”
Logan coughed several times, then in a gruff tone, deliberately masking his voice, he said, “Sorry,” and coughed again.
“Goddammit, you sick again?”
Logan held the cop’s gaze with his as he said, “Just a little.”
The man’s voice was disgusted. “You better not be on the goddamn drug again. Your brother was a loser that way too. If you want to keep working for us, you’ll keep your nose clean and not stuffed with powder.”
Holding his shirt half over his mouth, Logan continued to mask his voice as he said, “Be there soon.”
The other man snorted. “I don’t have time for shit. Things have blown up here. The exchange is tonight. I need the girl, and now. Tell me where you are, and Bill or I will come pick her up.”
Logan smiled at the name. This was likely Barry Ferguson. One of the four ringleaders they’d come to check out. The cop held up the name of the mall around the corner. “At the mall. Had to get air in a tire.”
“Goddammit, I’ll be there in twenty minutes. I don’t care how flat your tires are. Make sure you’re at the rear right-hand corner where the restaurant is. A gas station is off the main street.” Then the line went dead.
Logan held out his phone and said, “Well, that changes things. See if you can track that number.” He looked at the car. “We need the suitcase back in the trunk, and we need the car at the rendezvous spot, so he recognizes it.”
At that the police galvanized into action.
“It would also be damn good if we had a policewoman inside the stupid suitcase,” Detective Easterly said in irritation. “But I doubt I can find one that size that fast.”
One of the men said, “Iris. She’s small.”
Detective Easterly looked at him. “Can you call her?” Then he shook his head. “We don’t have time. I have to go through official channels to get this set up.”
But the cop was already talking to Iris on the phone. He came back and said, “She’s calling her supervisor. We’re trying to get this organized. She’s on the way in case it’s a go.”
The men quickly put the car back together again.
Logan realized he was certainly not the physique of the driver. He motioned to one of the cops. “Can you get out of uniform and take the driver’s place? You’re about the same build as the man we’re looking for in the woods.”
The cop’s gaze shot up, but he nodded and said, “Can’t take off my uniform.”
“Grab this guy’s sweatshirt and pull it over your shirt. Hopefully it’s dark enough it won’t matter. Besides, we’re planning to be there before he shows up anyway. If we’re lucky, we’ll get more than just him and capture the rest of his network.”
The cop did as instructed and turned toward Logan.
Logan nodded. “Rough up your hair and try to look like you’ve been on coke for the last twenty-four hours.”
The guy rolled his eyes. “Great. Just what I need. To copy a drugged-out kidnapper.”
“He was angry and pissed at life. Looking to score. Mad that his brother seemed to have found a way to make easy money and took his place from what I can gather. This may be the first time he’s taken a woman, and they only used him because Colin was killed
.”
The cop nodded.
“Let’s get going, everyone,” Logan said. “I’ll take my car to pick up my partner, and we’ll meet you there.” He pulled out his phone and called Harrison. “Where are you?”
“Heading back to the car. I can see a lot of activity. What’s happening?”
Logan quickly brought him up to date.
Harrison whistled. “I’ll be there in five. Warm up the car so we can get moving.”
Logan ran back to the car and fired it up. They’d been driving through a lot of long grass. The last thing he needed was to have it not run. It was only a rental, not exactly the jeep and trucks he was used to driving. He turned on the headlights and saw Harrison racing toward him while the other men spread out and combed the woods. Logan urged Harrison to go faster. He had the car turned around and his foot on the gas pedal, ready when Harrison bolted into the front seat.
“Let’s go.”
Logan took off, following the cops. He punched in the location on the GPS. He figured they had about three minutes to get there so nobody saw them arrive. At the same time, he wanted to make sure they wrapped this up tight.
Levi hadn’t exactly known what they would get into on this case. Sometimes life wasn’t so easy.
Besides, if Logan ended up having a relationship with Alina, well, he’d be more than happy to take her home with him. So he’d considered this an extremely good trip. He knew the guys would bug him constantly, but that was life. He was okay with it.
Up ahead was the turnoff to the mall. He slowed down and headed toward the restaurant. The gas station was at the back, and he made sure they were in position.
The last thing he wanted was to get involved in any more wild car chases tonight with his rental.
Chapter 14
Back in the hospital emergency room, Alina walked into Tracy’s room.
Tracy looked up in relief. She reached out a hand and said, “I have to admit, I’m really grateful you’re here.”
Alina grabbed her hand. She sat on the edge of the bed. “I checked in with Logan, and so far, the man who kidnapped you hasn’t been caught. There is quite a manhunt for him right now. But they want us to stay alert, and hopefully they can catch him and the ringleaders before anybody notices you are here in this hospital.”
