Breaking Shadows (Darkness Falls Book 2)

by Melissa Sinclair

  “What information?” Bob demanded, clearly not happy that he had no clue that the address he had given him was to the safe house where the Plummers had been.

  “A letter addressed to Quinn Sanders, from Paulie Romano. A letter he snuck into Becky Plummer’s belongings at the hospital, a letter that was to only be opened upon the event of his death. Becky found it and Port Investigations owner, Cole Davenport, called you with the address. We came out and gained ownership of said letter. Davenport was in the process of moving the Plummers to a new safe house. He gave us five minutes to talk to Becky. While we were in Becky’s room, a silent alarm was triggered on the perimeter. We decided to be a distraction so they could get out.”

  “What the hell went wrong?” This time Bob’s voice was gentler as he sensed the anguish that Ethan was going through.

  “As we were walking to the car, two suspects approached from the rear. Quinn felt there was no other option and sacrificed herself to the two suspects in order to get the Plummers out safely. She did so without consulting me. Before she did, she slipped the letter into the waistband at my back. Cap, one of the suspects was our undercover officer.”

  “Was he going along with the situation because he had no other choice, or do you think there was more to it than that?”

  “If you’re asking if I think he’s switched sides, then the answer is no. I don’t believe he’s switched teams. One of the guards on the perimeter was killed, and suspect two had blood on him. I believe that the officer had no choice but to go along with the situation, especially once Quinn gave herself over to them. For what it’s worth, she walked right to him, without any hesitation or fear. She knows him and trusts him. I believe they were doing what they felt they needed to do to stop this once and for all, and he was gentle with her. It was apparent to me that he wasn’t hurting her when he took her away. Quinn did a good job pretending, though, but I know her skill. The officer is tough, but she’s slippery when being restrained.”

  “Why would Quinn sacrifice herself?” Caleb’s voice was slightly incredulous.

  “In light of the circumstances, I believe that Quinn would understand if I fill you in. We have reason to believe that the man known to us as Vance Duprey is a man from Quinn’s past, and the fact that they were here had less to do about the Plummers than it had to do with her.”

  “How are they connected?” Bob’s voice was quiet, and he quickly moved them off to the side where no one could hear them, not that anyone was listening through the commotion.

  “Understand that I promised Quinn I wouldn’t share this story and that the only reason I am is that the situation warrants it and that I don’t believe at this juncture she would care, if it means ending this.”

  “There’s no reason for it to go beyond us if it isn’t necessary,” Bob said.

  “Fair enough. When Quinn was a little girl, her parents sold her to Vance Duprey, and he kept her captive. When she was fourteen, he forced her into marriage with him. When she was sixteen, she escaped, taking with her a little girl who was also being held there. It seems that at the time, he was dabbling in selling children, that his operation was just starting up. She believes he would have been in his late twenties at the time.”

  “What happened after she got away?” Bob asked.

  “She ran and hid. I’m not willing to say more than that.”

  “You mean to tell me she’s still married to that psycho?” Caleb asked.

  “I’m going to wager a guess that they were never legally married,” Ethan responded. “I tried to convince Quinn to let me look into it, but she was adamant that I not do that.”

  “You didn’t listen, did you?” Caleb knew Ethan well.

  “I would have looked into it, but there were certain things that prohibited me from being able to find him.”

  “Like not knowing his name or hers?” Bob asked intuitively.

  “Something like that.”

  “Vanderbilt, there’s a couple things you need to learn in a hurry. One thing is that when I say that this doesn’t need to go beyond this point, I mean it. The other thing is you might be surprised to find out that I’m one hundred percent okay with people that are being abused changing their identity and running. Even if the means they do it by isn’t considered legal. You know why? Because if it was done legally, there would be a paper trail. I know that you are by the book, but sometimes it’s okay if you have to color outside the lines a little for the right reasons.” He patted Ethan on the shoulder and pulled him in for a quick hug, whispering in his ear, “You let Quinn know when we get her back that I know how to help people disappear if ever someone comes into the center and needs to do just that. Now let’s see that letter so we can get your girl back. In case you didn’t know, I really like Quinn. You picked a good one.”

  Before Ethan could say anything, Bob marched off barking orders at a couple officers to secure the scene, then ordering the rest to gather up so they could plan how to take down a monster, but as he was walking toward the group, his phone rang. A glance at the screen had his heart thundering.

  “Vanderbilt.”

  “How long until the forces are in place? I can’t keep him distracted forever, and if you can’t get here soon, I’m going to have to make a move.”

  “Don’t move without a word from us. We’re gathering the troops right now.”

  “Hurry. Not sure how much longer I can keep that asshole from visiting her. Trust me, if the rumors are true, you don’t want him to.”

  Ethan’s stomach rolled over as the meaning of those words sunk in. The phone went dead, and he pocketed it. Bob caught his eye as he joined the group. There was no turning back from this; it was now or never. As he approached the group, he locked eyes with Caleb and held them. He was going to be pissed, but it couldn’t be avoided.

  “What did he say?” Bob, always able to see what others didn’t, knew who he had been on the phone with.

  “That was our guy. He said to hurry because he won’t be able to distract the subject from Quinn for long.”

  Ethan registered the surprise on Caleb’s face. Clearly, when he heard Ethan explain that Black had been one of the men that took Quinn, he hadn’t figured out that Ethan was the contact for Black. The hurt on Caleb’s face was evident, but he covered it quickly. They had been partners for a long time, and Ethan understood the betrayal he was feeling.

  “Glad to hear that Black is still with us,” Bob said.

  Caleb’s face went rigid. Shit! He didn’t have time for this discussion, a discussion he should have had with him sooner, but his hands had been tied. Bullshit! Bob would have understood if he let Caleb in on what was going on; it would have made things easier. Less sneaking around. He just couldn’t bring himself to tell him because he knew that Caleb wouldn’t react in a positive way. He’d hoped that eventually, Caleb’s feelings toward Black would dissipate, and in recent weeks, it had finally started to seem like Kara had finally gotten through to him. Yet he hadn’t said anything to him, and that was on him. Ethan couldn’t worry about that now. He had other things to worry about.

  Quinn was shoved to the ground and landed hard on her right side, but it absorbed the impact and saved her already injured arm from further harm. If she planned to get out of here alive, she needed to make sure that she was firing on all cylinders and that her body was up for the challenge. The door shut behind her. It was now night, and the room was left in pitch black. Even so, she knew that whoever had shoved her was still in the room with her. She could hear his loud breathing. Vance had always been a loud breather, and she had become adept at recognizing every sound he made.

  Why had she stupidly turned her back on the door? If her back hadn’t been turned, she might have been quick enough to turn, blitz him, and get out of that too small room. The room that reminded her of the one he’d kept her in all those years ago. It was useful to know, that while his house was bigger, his main operation hadn’t changed. He still had the small room to cage his prey in. Brea
thing in and out, she assessed herself. Other than the burning in her knees, she was fine. She wasn’t bound because Harrison wasn’t about to bind her, and she knew he could play it off because of the cast. It would be useful for them to underestimate her, and so far, they’d been doing just that, and that would work to her advantage. Appearing to be the weak little woman long enough to delay things until the police arrived was the way she would walk out of there alive.

  A light flickered on just as she was climbing to her feet. She blinked against the sudden invasion of light. The image of Becky, blindfolded to protect her eyes from the light came to her in a flash. If that light even as dim as it was hurt her eyes after being in the opaque darkness for such a short time, what had it felt like for poor Becky to finally have light hit her eyes? Once she was vertical, she could feel the heat from the other person behind her before he made contact with her body. She flinched as his body pressed up against her.

  “My, how you’ve grown. Little Jenny, my baby doll, has grown into a woman. Tiny but packing lots of curves, aren’t you? Though I’m not really into the curves as much as some of my clients.”

  Her insides went to liquid at the sound of his voice, at his proximity to her body. She had vowed to herself that she would never see him again, but if they did ever cross paths, she would never let him see her scared, and it nearly broke her that she had failed on both counts. But she could use that fear against him because even if she was scared, she wasn’t giving up, and as much as she hated his touch, she could use that, as well. The longer he wasted time with her, the more time the police would have to breach his walls and get her the hell out of there.

  “Don’t call me that. My name isn’t Jenny.”

  Careful, Quinn. She had to play this right. The question was would she buy more time if she resisted him or would that make him rush things? She would bet her car that he would get more bang for his buck if she resisted, so she made a split-second decision to go that route. She just hoped it was the right one.

  “That’s right, you changed your name after you ran from me, didn’t you?”

  “You didn’t think I would keep your name, did you? I couldn’t wait to get away from you. I’m only sorry it took me so many years to get the nerve to run.”

  His body was still pressed against hers, and she desperately wanted to take a step away from him, but before she could, he pulled her tightly against him. She had struck a nerve with that last comment. Good. Keep him unnerved, make him angry. She smiled insolently at him as if she hadn’t a care in the world, but let her eyes appear to be frightened. It really wasn’t that much of a stretch for her to do so.

  “You cost me a good employee when you ran.”

  “Really? How so?” But she thought she knew the answer to that question.

  “I don’t have room in my business for failures or troublemakers. When he didn’t find you, it was imperative that he be dealt with. Just like you will be dealt with, but not yet, not before I get to play with you for a while.”

  His hands roamed over her body, sliding up to cup her breasts, where he tugged viciously. There was no way she could hide the shiver of repulsion that ran the length of her body. With one caress, she was back in that house, the terrified little girl who was brainwashed into accepting her fate and who had endured too much before she finally was brave enough to escape. Vance inhaled deeply, laughing, and his laughter was all it took for her to snap back to the present.

  “I’m not that little girl anymore. You can’t scare me, Vance.”

  “Oh, I disagree. As a matter of fact, I think you’re pretty terrified right now.”

  “Think again. You know, I do admire the set of balls you have. The fact that you never changed your name or ran. Pretty gutsy, if I do say so myself.”

  “You would know a thing or two about having guts. It was pretty brave to run away from me. I figured you would go to the local police, and since I had the sheriff in my pocket, it wasn’t really a threat, was it? Of course, when you didn’t go to him, I remembered that you had seen the sheriff and were wise enough to go somewhere else. Of course, it wasn’t like you knew what a cop was, but I still wanted to be careful. Then days turned into weeks. There was really no need for me to run. I did lay low for a bit, though.”

  “Glad to hear I scared you.”

  “Only for a blip in time, then I was more confident than ever that I wouldn’t get caught. Though, I’m still really pissed at you. Not only did you cost me the money I would have made for you, but you took Megan from me. She was going to be my new play thing, but you stole that from me. The way I see it, you owe me a replacement.”

  “I would rather die than do any such thing.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, it’s only a matter of time, but I guarantee you’ll be begging to do anything I ask by the time I’m done with you.”

  “Don’t bet on it.”

  With a vicious shove, she flew into the cement wall. Her head cracked against it, and she slumped to the ground, blinking back what at first, she thought was tears, but then she smelled the coppery scent of blood. With every fiber of her being, she knew she was going to kill the son of a bitch standing in front of her. It was only a matter of time.

  29

  They were in position in the woods outside the luxurious house that Vance Duprey called his home. Currently, Stuart was working to take out the hi-tech security cameras that were placed around the perimeter before they entered. Ethan was pacing back and forth waiting for the all clear to breach the walls and go inside and get back what was his. If he had to kill a few people on the road to getting her, then so be it. He wouldn’t feel one second of remorse for any of the assholes inside that building. They had made their bed; now, they had to sleep in it. His only concern was getting Quinn out. Helping Harrison was secondary; the man could take care of himself.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that you were his contact. We’re partners, we’re supposed to tell each other everything,” came a voice from behind him.

  “Shit, Caleb, we can hash this out later. Now is not the time.”

  “I know, I…Well, I just wanted to say I would have been pissed, but I would have understood. I get what you’re going through right now, and I just wanted to say, no hard feelings. You did what you had to do, and I wasn’t in the right place to hear what you had to say anyway. For what it’s worth, I think Black is in there because of what went down with Kara and the fact that I wouldn’t lay off him.”

  “Yeah, you’re right that he’s in there because of his guilt over how he handled everything with Kara. However, you didn’t play into his decision at all.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “I am. What the fuck is taking so long? Why can’t we just go in there and freaking get her out?”

  “You know how this goes, Ethan. We can’t just go storming in. Right now, they’re trying to figure out where she is in the building and if there are any other innocent people inside. It’s entirely possible he has people in there against their will.”

  Shit! Ethan had such a one-track mind that he never even considered the possibility that there might be other victims in that house. But it would stand to reason if he took Quinn’s story into account about how he had both her and Megan at his house at the same time. Not only did the man sell children, but he also liked to partake in his own business dealings. If there was ever a moment that Ethan didn’t want to kill the man, that moment was long gone. He knew they needed him alive if they wanted a chance in hell of taking down his network, but Ethan just wanted him pushing up daisies. His phone vibrated, and he answered on the first ring.

  “You better have good fucking news.”

  “Are you assholes in place?”

  “Oh, yeah. Just waiting for them to take out the eyes inside that palace.”

  “I’m about to help you with that problem.”

  Black was still speaking when a voice came through the comm in his ear—Stuart’s voice telling them that the camera
s had gone out and that they were blind inside, and then he mumbled something about it being their lucky day, and he wasn’t sure if he liked that the cameras blinked out.

  “We just got a little help,” Ethan responded through his comm.

  Black’s voice was there again. “That should be better. Wait for my signal, it won’t be much longer. I’ll clear you a path to get inside undetected.” Ethan wasn’t sure what that meant, but he liked the sound of it. He motioned Bob to come over.

  “That was Black. He said he’s clearing us a path to get inside undetected and to wait for his signal. Not sure what that means, but—” He was cut off by his comm again.

  Stuart’s voice came over the comm, cursing under his breath. “The gate just opened; more help from the inside?”

  “I’m guessing that’s our signal. It’s go time,” Bob said wryly and motioned for everyone to converge on the house.

  It’s about damn time, Ethan thought. He hoped she knew they were coming for her and hoping that she could just hold on a little bit longer. With a quick glance at his watch, it was his turn to curse under his breath. She’d been inside that house for longer than he wanted, and if one hair on her head was harmed, he wasn’t sure how he would handle it because he had let her go with them and it was on him if anything happened to her.

  After the waves of dizziness passed, Quinn lingered on the ground longer than necessary. Waiting for Vance to approach her, lulling him into a false sense of security. She didn’t have to wait that long as he couldn’t keep himself from wanting to touch her, to harm her for getting away and she had been counting on that very thing. Curled on the floor in a fetal position, Vance couldn’t tell that she was conscious, much less the fact that she was reaching for the ankle holster that Harrison’s nimble fingers had managed to hide under her jeans. Her fingers slid around the handle of the gun just as Vance crouched down to drag her to her feet.