by Sam Crescent
She couldn’t go back to being the ten-year-old girl. There was no way she’d ever get that innocence back.
Nor did she want to go back. All she wanted to do was move forward.
What she hoped for more was having Lewis in her life. He was the one constant that helped to ground her, and she wished with all of her heart that she could make him happy.
Chapter Four
The journey to his island went without a hitch. Mandy didn’t talk much, and Lewis had already figured out why. She had gone to see her parents, and he was guessing it hadn’t gone that well.
She’d told him that he wouldn’t have any problems from them anymore. He wondered what was said, what she’d seen.
Entering his home, the windows were open as Cynthia, the housekeeper, had aired the house for him prior to him coming. She lived on the main island, and he’d hired her to keep an eye on his home on his island, which was surrounded by beaches and the beautiful ocean. The sunshine was a dream. He’d bought the island as a treat for Mandy after he made his first billion.
Yes, he’d purchased an island for her even before he’d found her.
He’d never been here for a long stay, just one day or two to look over the construction of the home.
“I can’t believe you own this,” she said.
“Yep. It was a rather luxurious purchase, don’t you think?” he asked.
“You own private jet pads and jets. I shouldn’t be surprised that it extended to something as luxurious as this.”
“I love the finer things in life.”
“And of course they love you.”
“After you,” he said.
She opened the main door, and once inside, he took a breath. He felt at peace for the first time.
“Wow, this is amazing,” she said, moving into the large sitting room. She dropped down and stretched out. “You really worked your ass off for a place like this.”
He’d always hoped to see her like this.
Placing their bags on the floor, he moved toward the sofa and lifted her legs, taking a seat and placing them over his lap.
“You like it?” he asked.
“I love it.” She sighed. “It feels so … serene.”
Resting his elbow on the back of the sofa, he stroked her ankle. “Are you going to tell me what happened with your parents? Or am I going to get the silent treatment?”
She grabbed a pillow, resting it in front of her chest, holding it close. “Have you seen their new place? Like stood inside it, and seen it?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“It’s like every single other house up and down that street. No character, no nothing. I didn’t like it. It felt so utterly cold. I’m sounding lame now.”
“Not at all.”
She rolled her eyes, and then he saw a tear begin. “They have so many pictures. Lots of them everywhere. None of them have me in them. They said it was too painful for me to be there. That kind of sucks. It sucked a lot.”
He leaned over and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“You didn’t have to go to them. I was happy to deal with them.”
“I don’t want you to deal with everything. It’s not fair to you, Lewis. I can handle them. I should be able to, right? I’m after all their daughter.” She sighed. “Sorry. I don’t want your vacation to be about this.”
“Everything about you concerns me. It always will.”
“You’re a good guy. One of the best.”
Silence fell, and he stared into her eyes. He rubbed her ankle and felt happy. Being home, he could finally relax and take it easy.
“It didn’t take you long to organize this,” she said, changing the subject.
“No. Cynthia, the woman I hired, she’s amazing. She checks on it every single week for me. I pay her to do this, but she knows what I like and how I like it.” He patted her knee. “Tour time.”
She groaned. “I want to sleep.”
“Not happening. It’s still light out, and we’re going to get used to this day and not any other.” He grabbed her arm, and helped to pull her up so that she was standing. Keeping hold of her hand, he moved out of the sitting room, across to the dining room.
He liked having a great deal of space, and even though the table was large, one day he did hope to have a family.
Moving from the dining room, he took her to the kitchen. From there, he made his way to the movie room, then the game room, and finally a library. “Of course, paper books are a dying breed, and it’s all about the e-book now. I love a good book, though. There’s something about opening a book, smelling the pages as you turn it.”
“I always did think you were weird.”
He took her upstairs, showing her each room. Two had been made up, both of them next to each other. His bed had black sheets, and hers were purple. The French doors opened up onto a patio for them to enjoy breakfast together, and of course to look out around them.
From there, he led her outside toward the pool.
“Because the ocean isn’t big enough?” she asked.
“Nah, and what if there’s sharks out there?”
She gasped. “Are you for real? Sharks?”
“It’s an ocean, and at any time they can go off current. You never know what you could find.”
“The pool is a fantastic idea. I love swimming,” she said.
Lewis burst out laughing. “You’re still so funny to tease.”
“You’re not funny. No matter how hard you try to be. It’s not a funny or even a cute trait.”
“It’s funny. I’m a funny guy.”
She sighed. “I am going to have a shower, freshen up, and I’ll meet you in twenty minutes.”
“Sure.”
He watched her go. She looked happy, and if coming to this island made her so, he’d gladly do it for her. He wanted to make her happy more than anything.
Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed Blake.
“You’re there safe and alive?” Blake asked.
“That I am. We’re here, and everything is set up.”
“I called our contact in the local force and let him know what we’re doing, and what’s going down. He’s going to keep an eye on everything on his end.” There was some movement, and Lewis paused in grabbing his bag. “He thinks there’s a snitch on the force.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone who’s paid to look the other way, and to give some information.”
“How does he know?” Lewis asked.
“He’s noticed a couple of guys have been asking a lot of questions about Anna’s case and also Mandy’s. Mostly Mandy’s, and the rumors attached to how she got out, and where the information came from. He doesn’t want me to contact him until he has more information.”
“If there’s a snitch on the force that could be how the traffickers know we’re onto them,” Lewis said.
“It makes sense though, right? They have to be able to transfer girls, Lewis. That doesn’t come without a set of eyes everywhere. I need you to ask Mandy if there are any contacts within law enforcement, and more specifically how we can get them to out themselves.”
“I’ll ask.” Disconnecting the call, Lewis made his way upstairs to his room.
If someone was asking about Mandy specifically, that could mean they knew she was their source.
Would they try to get her back simply to torture her, to make an example out of her, or would they kill her immediately?
Entering his room, he began to put away the clothes that he’d packed, several pairs of trousers, jeans, and some shorts, shirts, and sweaters, along with a variety of shoes and boxers.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, he tried to think of anything other than what was waiting for him and Mandy back home.
Until they took out the men who knew Mandy, there was no way she was ever going to be safe. They would keep hunting. They’d keep looking until she was dead or once again in their clutches.
He couldn’t lose her again.
/> There was a knock on the connecting door, and he called for her to come in.
She was wrapped in a robe. “So, I was thinking we could start this fun party with a quick dive into the pool. What do you think?” she asked. She swung one end of the belt around in a circle. “Do you want to come and play?”
Thinking about Blake’s warning, he released a sigh.
“Okay, I get the sense that you’re about to give bad news, but you know what? This is our vacation together. That bad news is not allowed unless we have some fun.”
“We need to talk.”
“And it can wait.” She rushed into his room, and grabbed his hand. “Come on! Have some fun! Teach me how to have fun.”
Seeing the look in her eyes, Lewis was a goner. “Fine, fun.”
“Yay.” She jumped up and down, and clapped her hands. “Last one in the pool is a rotten egg.”
****
Mandy didn’t know how she had gotten to be a rotten egg. She’d been in her bathing suit and near the pool. Within seconds, Lewis had thrown his shirt over his head and hit the water before she’d even gotten to the edge of the pool.
“Rotten egg,” he said, breaking the surface.
“That’s not fair. You’re not even in bathing trunks.”
“So? They’re still briefs, and they’re like trunks. It’s good enough for me.” He floated along the surface, showing his “trunks.”
“You cheated.”
“Now you’re creating rules because you don’t like the fact you’re a loser.”
She climbed into the pool and gave him a wide berth.
“Is that the game you’re going to play?”
“You cheated.”
“I did not. You didn’t mention once that there were rules. Before calling rotten egg, you should have said so.”
She rolled her eyes, but knew he was right. She was just teasing him, having fun.
He’d always tag her as a kid, and they’d run home.
Her brother often thought it was a childish game. She loved it, though. When it came to Lewis, she had loved him for a long time.
Lewis swam beside her, and she smiled at him. “I was only playing around.”
“I know. You couldn’t stay angry with me for long.” His hands wrapped around her waist, and he lifted her up, and then brought her down into the water.
By the time she broke the surface, she was laughing. She couldn’t help it. “You’re a complete nut.”
“You love it.”
She did love it.
As she splashed water on him, he did the same to her, and for over an hour, they goofed around in the pool. For the first time since being a kid, she felt carefree. It was a nice feeling, and not one she wanted to lose.
Lewis left the pool first, and when he came out from the house, he held a bottle of sunscreen. “You’re going to burn.”
“I want to burn. I don’t want to get out of the water.” She floated on her back and stared up at the sky. It was so clear, so bright, and so perfect.
She never wanted to leave this moment.
Sunburn hurt though, so she climbed out of the pool and walked toward him. Sitting down on the chair, she took the towel he gave her and began to dry off.
“I love the pool.”
“I’m glad. It’s hot out, and I don’t see it letting up for some time.”
“Nah, it probably won’t. That’s the bonus of having a pool to cool off in.” After she was dried, she sat still as Lewis rubbed the sunscreen into her flesh. She loved his touch more than anything. His fingers were gentle, and his touch aroused her in ways that she didn’t think were possible. Reality was setting in. Before coming down to the pool, he’d wanted to talk. She couldn’t shirk her duties any longer. He’d given her this time, and it was now time for her to find out what he wanted to know. “What did you want to talk about?”
“It can wait.”
“No. Please tell me. I don’t want you to be burdened by this alone. I can help. I want to help.”
She felt him pause.
“Blake called. He spoke to our contact in law enforcement. Some people have been asking a lot of questions about Anna’s case, but more about yours. He thinks someone is a snitch and is trying to find us.”
“Or find me.”
“Did they pay men to look the other way?”
She sighed. “Yes. Sometimes it wasn’t money either. They’d loan girls out to them for an agreed period of time. They, erm, they sometimes didn’t come back.”
“They killed them.”
Mandy nodded. “They would … the agreement was that the girls they picked belonged to them. They could do with them as they wanted. Some of the men were violent, and they would beat the girls. Others did not. There’s someone in every single town or city. It’s a black market that pays a lot of money, but again it comes with risks. You get to find out people’s weaknesses. If someone is asking questions, then they’re probably working for the traffickers.”
“How do we find them? Stop them?”
“If they’re paid with a girl, unless you have someone following them, you can’t get that information. The guys that I knew would pay with cash as well, which could be traced back. Especially if they were dumb enough to put a large sum in their bank, or even an offshore account.”
“Were you ever given to a cop?” he asked.
Mandy sighed. This was her past. “Yes.” She turned to look at him.
“Son of a bitch.” Lewis stood up, and she watched as he grabbed a potted plant and threw it across the garden. It smashed on the ground. “I can’t … I want to protect you.”
“You are protecting me.”
“No. I want to take everything that they did to you and fucking obliterate it. I don’t want you to remember. I should have run harder. Fuck! I shouldn’t have turned my back on you. I was watching you, and for a split second I was focused on something else.”
Getting to her feet, she moved toward him and gripped his face. Pressing her forehead to his, she tried to get him to focus.
“What happened is not your fault, Lewis.”
“I should have saved you.”
“You did save me. I’m right here. I’m in front of you now, and we can work together to help others. You’re not a monster. You’re a wonderful, hardworking man. No one can ever take that away from you. You’re amazing.” She pressed her lips against his. “So amazing. I can’t even put into words what I think. You never gave up. You’re a fighter.”
“Your memories.”
“They’re my own, and not for you to think about. You gave me my freedom. Don’t let me see you suffer for helping me. I couldn’t bear to see that.” She wrapped her arms around him, needing him more than anything in her life.
After a few seconds, he finally wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
Closing her eyes, she counted to ten, then to twenty. Opening her eyes, she was still on Lewis’s island. He’d given her everything. She wished that she could give him just as much peace as he did her.
“I was sitting at a dinner several years ago. A group of the guys who sold and dealt in girls were talking about the best way to ship girls and get cops to look the other way. They described the men that they were interested in. There were two types of men. The ones that had nothing, a bad reputation on the force, who would do anything for money. They were the best kinds to bring in for a quick fix to a problem. Most of the time they didn’t like working with them. They always betrayed you, and always went to the highest bidder. There’s always someone around with more money who could buy them out. The people they loved were the ones with morals. Men who struggled with the decision to look the other way but were getting a bit on in years, and realized that their jobs were not going to give them a great retirement. The guys who had kids in college, were struggling, and could use the extra cash. They hated what they did but had no choice. In doing so, they had a lot more to lose.” She pulled away and looked at him. “Get your guy to look for those
two kinds of men, then to look at them closely. See if they’re the ones asking a lot of questions.”
Mandy pressed a kiss to his cheek and stepped away. She picked up her robe and made her way toward her bedroom.
Pulling out a notebook, she opened the page, and stared down at her last words.
“I don’t want to do this. I’ve got a wife, kids, grandkids. So much money, and I can’t earn that in a year.” Those were the words he spoke to me as if it made everything that he was doing okay.
He’d not touched me.
It was like he needed me to see that he wasn’t a bad man.
Anyone who could look the other way was a bad man. Anyone who could take money while women and children were sold off like cattle didn’t deserve respect. He’d helped to take my life away from me. Why should I help him?
Closing the book, Mandy released a sigh she hadn’t even realized she was holding. The cop she was speaking of had been a complete no one to her. She’d been with her kidnappers for five years by then. Fifteen years old, forced to sit and listen to a man justify his actions.
He didn’t last long. His conscience had gotten to him, and she later found out that he’d committed suicide.
So much hate in the world.
She wasn’t going to get away.
The threat was already there. She didn’t know if Lewis saw it. They knew she was alive, and they were going to come for her.
If they ever got her, she’d not survive it.
Running her fingers over the notebook, she knew it was important for her to tell her story.
Chapter Five
Jamie looked through every single man on the force that could match that description. Running a hand down his face, he tried to wake himself up. The threat to Mandy and the club was a real one.
Russ and the guys had all agreed that Lewis and Mandy needed to disappear so that they could find the people who’d hurt their friends.
“Any news?” Blake asked, coming to sit beside him. They were working in Blake’s house, where most of the communications were coming through.
“Not a whole lot. I’ve narrowed it down to ten possibilities. It depends on what you consider desperate, though.” He pulled up the files and waited as Blake ran through them. “A history of violence, the chance of a suspension without pay. Would that drive a man to look the other way?”
