Escape

by Jay Crownover

  It would have been so easy to throw a punch, even easier to shove the barrel of my gun between his teeth and threaten to pull the trigger, but none of that was going to get me the information I needed. I had to find Bauer, that was the endgame, nothing else. Thinking about Brynn’s story, and the way my dad finally managed to control her selfish, thoughtless mother, I dragged my hands over my face and let my shoulders fall dejectedly. The last thing I wanted to do was barter with this human garbage, but I didn’t see any other option.

  “How much would it cost me for you to give up the meeting point. I’ll pay you. It’ll be enough that you can disappear.” There was no concealing the desperation in my voice. He held all the cards, and I had to play whatever hand he dealt me.

  “There isn’t enough money in the world to get those assholes in check. I’m gonna do my job, deliver the kid and keep on breathing.” He nodded his head, and I should have seen the way he was winding himself up, but I was too preoccupied trying to figure out what my next move should be. “Nothing is standing in my way this time.”

  When he lowered his head and charged I was taken off guard. The top of his skull plowed into my unprotected gut like a bowling ball and when I hit the sink behind me, I felt the impact rattle all the way up my spine. I grunted and tried to wiggle free as heavy fists started pummeling my kidneys. I laced my fingers together and lifted them above my head so I could bring them down like a hammer on my attacker’s back. A couple of guys moved to separate us, one calling out that he was going to call the cops, but none of it distracted RV guy from his mission to put me on the ground.

  He got a solid hook to my jaw and an elbow to my ribs that made me swear and had stars popping in my vision. Those tender ribs were really starting to be a pain in my ass. I managed to land an uppercut that made his head snap back, and I shoved my fist in his face, mashing his lips into his teeth when he tried to regain his footing. Blood and spit spewed in every direction, and my knuckles split open. It had been a while since I’d been in a fist fight and I had a moment where I wished I was more of a brawler like Sutton.

  I took a kick to my knee that almost dropped me to the ground but I was able to push back when he tried to body slam me into the wall.

  “Watch out! He’s got a knife!” The warning came as I was struggling to push his bulk off of me where he had me pinned. I felt the burn of the blade slicing through my shirt and cutting into the skin right before the heavy weight of his struggling form was suddenly jerked off of me by a helpful bystander. The stranger was forced to jump back as that knife waved wildly in the air, slashing at anyone who dared to get too close. I wiped my sweaty face and took a deep breath trying to assess the situation. There were too many people in the room to pull the gun from where it was stashed, and there were too many innocent people milling about for the guy to keep flinging that razor-sharp blade back and forth. I really hoped the man who had threatened to call the cops had followed through.

  A brave trucker got sliced as he tried to jump the RV guy from the back. Blood flowed freely and had most of the remaining witnesses pushing out of the bathroom. I faced my adversary, hand on my side, feeling the sticky warmth of blood flood through my fingers as I covered my new wound. The bathroom was empty enough now that I could pull my weapon, but I wasn’t sure my dominant hand was going to be steady enough to aim and pull the trigger. I wasn’t trained for this kind of thing. My good intentions only took me so far.

  “I’m walking out of here. Don’t worry, I’ll tell the kid how you tried to save him and failed. I’ll make sure he knows it was all his fault, same with whatever ends up happening to the brother, because if they don’t have him now, they will. No one who knows Goddard’s name is going to make it out of this alive.” The guy tossed back his head and laughed like a maniac.

  I was running out of options. I slumped against the wall and tried to steady my breathing as I continued to bleed.

  A voice hollered from outside, “Hey, you can’t go in there! That’s the men’s room!”

  The door swung open, and Ten marched in like she owned the place. She already had a weapon drawn, and the flinty look in her eye indicated she wouldn’t hesitate to use it. She shot me a look and glanced down at the other man on the floor bleeding as profusely as I was. Her jaw tightened, and a muscle in her cheek twitched as she ordered, “Drop the knife.”

  The RV guy stopped laughing and shifted his gaze to me and the fierce blonde. She reminded me of a Valkyrie.

  “Fuck you.” He waved the knife in front of him with more vigor and narrowed his eyes on Ten. “I will go through you, bitch.”

  Ten scoffed. “You can try, but I will shoot you…bitch.”

  The man let out a roar that wasn’t even close to sounding human and lunged for the former FBI agent. Luckily Ten was blessed with nerves of steel and years of training. She didn’t flinch in the slightest as she pulled the trigger and dropped the charging man with a single shot to the shoulder. He fell to the ground in a heap, wailing and writhing in pain.

  She kept her weapon trained on him as she approached cautiously, pulling a pair of handcuffs out of her back pocket. It was easy to forget that even though her main objective was to protect the national parks that surrounded our home, she was still a law enforcement officer. Her eyes lifted to mine and flashed with concern. “You okay? Your brothers are going to kill me if I bring you home full of more holes that need stitches.”

  I nodded. “I’ll live.” My wince turned into a scowl as I pointed at the man on the ground. “He won’t tell me where Bauer is. He was supposed to pick him up somewhere, so he’s still out there on his own. The bad guys don’t have him yet.”

  She made a face as she bent to lock the man’s hands together behind his back. “The cops are on their way. He’s going to jail for kidnapping, taking a minor over state lines and aggravated assault at the very least. He’ll talk as soon as someone offers him a deal.”

  “I don’t know if we can wait that long. He says they’ll send someone else after Bauer and Mikey if he’s not already in their hands.” Frustration made every word jagged and sharp.

  “Gotta work with what we have. We need to patch you up before you bleed out.” She lifted her chin in the direction of my crimson-soaked shirt.

  I nodded in agreement and pushed off the wall, wincing as the smallest movement sent shards of pain slicing through my body.

  My phone rang, and while I wanted to ignore it, I didn’t want to give Brynn a reason to worry if I missed her hourly check-in. Using my good hand, I fished the device out of my pocket and tried to keep the screen relatively blood-free as I swiped to answer her call.

  “Hey.” I didn’t bother to look at who was calling before I answered, so when the voice on the other end replied, I was surprised when it wasn’t Brynn.

  “Mr. Warner?” The woman on the other end of the phone sounded confused by my breathless greeting.

  “” Oh, Officer Cross. Sorry. I was expecting a call from someone else. What can I do for you?”

  “I have some good news actually. I handed my card to one of the neighbors the other night when I was at the apartment. I asked her to give me a call if she noticed anything odd happening next door. I didn’t expect much, but I just received a call from her…the brother is home, and he’s not alone. Your missing teenager appears to be with him.”

  I let my head drop and exhaled long and loud. “Of course, he went to his brother’s place. Why didn’t we think of that?” We’d been too focused on his old life to consider he may very well be running toward his new one instead.

  She let loose a tinkling laugh. “Well, teenagers are unpredictable. I’m headed over there to talk to both of them, but I thought you should know.”

  I sighed again. “Go easy on Bauer. The kid has been through hell and back. He might try and run when he catches sight of you.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m good at handling men who have something to hide. I’ll be in touch.”

  I hung up the phone and let m
yself collapse on the bathroom floor, it was kind of gross, but I didn’t care.

  I met the eyes of the man cuffed on the floor. It was my turn to smirk. “You lose, you piece of shit.”

  Chapter 16

  Brynn

  All or Nothing

  “This is bullshit. I’m never going to be able to afford to replace all of this stuff.”

  The agitated young man was the spitting image of his younger brother. However, he was filled out and carried more bulk than Bauer since he wasn’t living on the streets. The older teen was alternating between kicking around the remnants of his belongings and pulling on his reddish-brown hair in aggravation. He appeared oblivious to how his actions were affecting his younger brother. Bauer was practically cowering in a corner, repeatedly apologizing to Mikey for bringing trouble his way, and shooting contrite looks in my direction. The kid was awash in guilt and regret, and the older boy’s exaggerated mourning for his MacBook wasn’t doing anything to soothe the younger boy’s ragged edges. So far, I was unimpressed with his display of brotherly concern. In fact, the teenager seemed more interested in checking out me and the pretty cop who showed up to talk to both of them than reuniting with his younger sibling. It was a typical reaction from an eighteen-year-old, but I was disappointed that he didn’t come across as the altruistic hero Bauer had built him up to be.

  “I’ll help you replace everything. It’s my fault it all got broken.” Bauer’s voice was shaky and thin. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week, and he was jumping out of his skin every time the police officer directed a question at him. She assured him she wasn’t going to haul him in as a runaway. She only wanted information on the men who had taken him. She explained that they had the man from the RV in custody and they wanted to coax him to lead them to the men behind the website and abduction. She promised him that Jonathan Goddard was never going to get his filthy hands on him.

  Wyatt Bryant finally landed, so Webb took off a little while ago to pick him up from the airport. The DEA agent was already in touch with his contact in the FBI looking into what they could do about Goddard’s involvement. Apparently, the politician was in the middle of a shit storm back home already. His stepdaughter had come forward with irrefutable proof of sexual assault, and an anonymous source had to uncover the fact that Goddard was using a nonprofit funded entirely by donations for nefarious deeds. The man was a slimeball, and he was going away for a long time, and Wyatt wanted to see if they could get federal charges thrown at him as well. They wanted the wheels of justice to grind the crooked politician up and leave nothing but corrupt dust behind. Right now, the scumbag was in custody back in his hometown, and his downfall was slowly starting to hit the media.

  Officer Cross explained gently that Bauer was going to have to be a witness against the RV guy, which made him balk. He didn’t want to see the man who had spent days violating him, and abusing him again. I thought he was going to break down in tears when he explained to the officer just how awful his time locked in the RV had been. He seemed embarrassed for his brother to know the intimate details of the last few months of his life, but the tall young man, still seething about his trashed apartment, seemed oblivious to his brother’s discomfort and suffering.

  Unable to stomach the dejected look on Bauer’s face anymore, I moved across the room and pulled him into my arms. I kept my back to the rest of the room, blocking everyone else out as I tried to pour every ounce of relief and support I could into him. I rested my cheek on the top of his head and whispered, “None of this is your fault. They’re just things. They can be replaced…you can’t. When he has a second to calm down, he’ll remember that.” At least I hoped he would.

  I turned my head when the other woman in the room asked, “Why didn’t you respond to any of the messages Cameron sent you, Mikey?” The cop was scribbling notes and watching the scene between the brothers play out with a sharp eye. It was clear she wasn’t any more impressed by Mikey Bauer than I was. “You had a lot of people worried about you.”

  The redheaded young man pouted and crossed his arms over his chest in a purely petulant pose. “A friend hooked me up with free lift passes. I hitched a ride up to the mountains so service was spotty and I don’t have very many minutes. Mom and Dad cut me off when I moved out of the house because I told them I was going to find Cam and let him live with me now that I’m eighteen. They aren’t speaking to me which means I’m on my own for everything. Money is tight.”

  I gritted my teeth to keep from snapping that he had been on his own for a few months, while his younger brother had been on his own for years at a much younger age. It wasn’t fair to gloss over that making it on your own at whatever age was a struggle, but I was feeling fiercely protective over the emotionally fragile boy in my arms. All he wanted was to be loved by his family, to be cared for by the people who were supposed to do so without question, and yet, there was no mistaking his older brother was alluding to the fact that Bauer was going to be a burden on his already limited means.

  The thin body shook against me, and I heard him sniff noisily. “I’ll help you with the bills.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

  Finally, Mikey shook himself out of his shock and anger, looking over at where his brother was huddled against me like a wounded animal. “You’re too young to get a job, Cam. And there is no way in hell Mom or Dad would sign off on a work permit. But thank you for the offer.” He shoved his hand through his hair again and shifted his gaze over to the cop. “We’ll figure something out. We can make this work. Hey, if he’s going to be your main witness against some big sex trafficking ring shouldn’t he be compensated for that? Isn’t there some kind of reward in it for him?”

  The policewoman lifted one of her rust-colored eyebrows, and her dark eyes flashed in annoyance. It was amazing how similar our coloring was. Everything about how she looked was a shade or two lighter than how I looked. Her hair more strawberry than fire, her skin more honey than gold, and her eyes were a warm, chocolate brown instead of nearly black like mine. Aside from those small differences, we could almost pass for sisters. The way she was clearly frustrated with Mikey also mirrored my current emotional state. I liked her instantly, and I was so relieved she was the one who had shown up to handle Bauer’s case. I didn’t get the impression she was willing to throw the disaffected youth to the wolves in favor of her career.

  “I think your brother’s reward will be in making sure these bastards can’t do what they did to him to anyone else. By testifying against these guys, Cameron is taking a stand against anyone victimizing children for profit. He’s going to be a hero.” I rubbed a hand up and down Bauer’s arm as he shook violently at the policewoman’s words. “I think I have what I need from you boys for now. We’ll need to be able to contact you both as we move forward with charges. If you’re going to change locations, please be sure you inform me, and if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. You’re a very brave young man, Cameron Bauer.”

  She gave me a grin as she walked to the door. “It sounds like you have yourself the kind of guy who finds himself in trouble even when he isn't looking for it, Ms. Warner. I have one of those myself, complete with a southern accent that makes everyone who gets near him act stupid and goofy. Keep an eye on your man. Your cowboy seems like a good guy.”

  A surprised laugh tumbled over my lips. “He’s the best. I’ve had my eyes on him since I was five years old. He just now started looking back.” I couldn’t imagine the kind of effect Lane Warner would have on the unsuspecting female population if he had a southern twang. He was already dangerous, that would make him deadly.

  The cop chuckled, and we shared the kind of smile that only women who loved difficult, shortsighted men could share. “I wish you all the best. It’s a good thing you stumbled across that kid out there in the desert. This story could have had a much sadder ending. He needed you so badly.”

  She slipped out the door as her radio went off. Once she was out of the room, Baue
r seemed to relax marginally. He shyly returned my hug and took a moment to pull himself together while I was still acting as a shield between him and his brother.

  “Is Lane okay?” It didn’t take a genius to know he was blaming himself for the injuries Lane had sustained in the truck stop bathroom as well as the wreckage of his brother’s belongings.

  I nodded. “He’ll be fine. He needed a couple of stitches, and the fight didn’t do his cracked ribs any favors, but he’s okay. Ten said he didn’t even want to go to the hospital, but the police made him so they could get his statement and take pictures of his wounds for evidence. He’s more worried about you than he is about a little ol’ knife wound.” That was glossing over the damage my cowboy sustained but Bauer didn’t need to know the grisly details of Lane’s wound.

  I got a wobbly smile for my efforts to lighten the mood and moved back as the teenager stepped around me. His brother was watching our interaction with open curiosity but for once remained silent, which was a good thing. I already wanted to scream and yell at him to have some compassion for everything he’s learned about his little brother’s past today.

  The older Bauer boy cocked his head to the side and asked, “You’re still gay, right?”

  I gasped as Bauer blustered and tripped over his words. “What? Of course I am. Why would you even ask me that?” He stalked to the middle of the room and started absently moving piles of junk around in a futile effort to return order to some of the trashed belongings. “It’s not something you randomly grow out of, Mike.”

  The older boy shrugged. “I was just wondering. If you suddenly decided that you liked girls, it would make things a lot easier. Dad might not ever get over himself, but I bet Mom would lighten up a little. It’s hard to do this day in and out every day without any help from anyone.”

  I saw Bauer’s jaw clench and watched as his hands curled into fists at his sides. “I know that. I’ve been on my own since the night Dad put you in the hospital. I haven’t had anyone to ask for help in over two years.”