Buried Sins

by Bolton, Karice

He was walking slowly toward me, trying to hide his delicious grin as he made his way over to where I stood alone on the beach. There was something different about his demeanor. His green eyes looked serious, but he seemed a bit nervous.

  As I continued to dream, I watched his hand slip out of his pocket as he held a tiny box. Friends were in the distance celebrating my graduation from nursing school and things were perfect. Music washed to the shore with the waves, and I could almost feel the sand between my toes. He dropped to one knee, opened the box, and asked for my hand in marriage. As tears streamed down my cheek, he removed the diamond ring from the box, but it fell deep into the sand.

  It was perfectly imperfect as we both laughed and dug my engagement ring from the beach’s grasp. My head rocked back and forth as the images slipped to a faraway place.

  One that I wished I could follow.

  Instead, I opened my eyes and glanced around the tiny room.

  The small fortress that dared to take away my sanity surrounded me and provided no answers.

  I’d tried desperately to remove the cuffs anchoring to me this awful place, but all that left me with were raw patches on my skin and a tighter hold on my body and mind.

  The strain on my back made me move to another position, and I glimpsed the moon through the window. It was later than I thought. Maybe everyone was asleep. I let out a sigh and stretched out my legs to the sound of quiet.

  This was not going to be my final stop. I’d survived too much to let this be how my life ended.

  Seeing the evils that were produced by human greed groomed me for this. Growing up in a community where everyone turned a blind eye away from sins so wicked that people died for them, made me keenly aware of how far humans would go to get what they wanted in life. The motive had been greed. The motive was often greed. The means had been human trafficking and drugs.

  This situation was no different. So what was driving these people? Who was behind this? My chest tightened at the thought of Luke knowing more than he let on about his parents. I shook off the thought as quickly as it came. He wouldn’t lie to me about that. I was sure of it.

  And at this point did it really matter?

  My mom flashed into my mind, and I wondered if I forgave too easily. She had to have known what my father had been involved with. Yet she did nothing. And I was willing to look the other way. A shiver ran through me as I thought about where my mother was now, a psychiatric hospital in northern California. Goosebumps crawled along my flesh as I thought back to my first visit to see her. Luke drove me the several hours it took to get there. She looked so helpless, so vacant. Her eyes hollowed by the ghosts that broke her. There was no one I recognized inside her any longer. She was a shell of a human being, and I didn’t know if she’d ever come back to me.

  I guess that was why I didn’t really care one way or another. She had been punished enough.

  Maybe she really hadn’t known what the community and her husband were involved with. Or maybe that last bit of knowledge cracked her. Maybe the fact that she did nothing to stop it fractured her. I might never know.

  I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat at the last thought.

  This was ridiculous. These types of thoughts would not get me out of here. I needed to remain strong and focus on my future.

  I heard a rustling outside the door, and my body stiffened at the unwelcome visitor. I’d rather be alone for the rest of my short existence than face whoever was on the other side of the door. I pulled my knees into my chest and waited for the door to open.

  It didn’t.

  I let out a slow breath and glanced out the window again, hoping for some clue and getting none.

  A thud reverberated from somewhere in the building and my limbs went rigid. A cold sweat immediately formed as I heard a loud commotion. Not knowing the layout of the building amplified every sound, and as if it were directly on the other side of the door, taunting me. A sudden blast made the walls creak and the floor shudder, and all I wanted was to be free from these chains. Being anchored was certain death.

  I quickly scooted to the far corner of the room and curled my legs into a ball as another small explosion sounded just beyond the door. A strong metallic smell mixed with sulfur snuck into the room. Not knowing what it could be, I moved my shirt over my face and buried my nose in the crook of my elbow as the outbursts continued and the uncertainty multiplied within the walls of my room.

  I didn’t dare let myself believe help was on the way. I couldn’t afford to go there. Instead, I stayed huddled in the corner as the fumes grew stronger and the explosions continued to shake the walls. I allowed myself to become numb. I didn’t feel like I was in a city. It felt like a warzone and every part of me wanted to sink into nothingness and wait until it was over to come alive again.

  A section of the floor popped up across the room and a slow smile spread across my lips. They’d really found me.

  I was going to be okay.

  I saw the man who’d kidnapped me pop up from the floor and raise himself into the room, and I let out a blood curdling scream as I watched him lunge toward me. Tackling me deeper into the corner, he pressed his dirty hands to my lips. The salt of his skin made my stomach churn as I continued to scream into his palms.

  “Shut up,” he hissed, unlocking the chains from my ankles with his other hand as I squirmed.

  My body struggled against his as he pulled me with him to the escape hatch, my legs kicking the entire way. Trying to bite his hand while attempting to scream did nothing but make him angrier as he wrestled with me at the opening in the wooden floor. He released his hand from my mouth and tried to push me down into the floor, but I refused.

  Screaming as loud as I could, I clutched the wooden floor with my hands, not allowing him to push me into what looked like a crawlspace. I locked my knees and continued to scream. It wasn’t until someone from below pulled on my waist, and I fell through with a pained fall to the dirt. I scrambled to my feet, bumping my head on the wooden beams, as I tried to run away into the cool darkness. Anywhere was better than here.

  A hand gripped my arm and yanked me down to the ground again. Pain radiated through my body as fabric was pushed into my mouth and tape was slapped over my lips. I struggled and kicked as I watched the man cover up the hole above with the square of wood flooring, turning our area pitch black. Despair filled me as I watched my only hope of rescue ripped from me.

  A flashlight turned on and the man by the opening pointed the beam directly on me, blinding me in the process.

  “Get her up,” he whispered. “The van’s waiting in the drycleaner’s parking lot.”

  “Aren’t you coming with us?” the other man asked.

  I refused to stand up as the guy obeyed his orders and hauled me to my feet, but my knees bowed in protest, which resulted in a punch to my lower back.

  My knees collapsed out from under me from the pain, and I fell to the ground. I couldn’t catch my breath through my nose as the fabric shifted deeper into my mouth. I used my tongue to push the fabric forward in my mouth so I wouldn’t choke and kept my head hanging. My mouth watered as it attempted to reject the foreign object and the fabric quickly became wet.

  “Not this time,” the other guy replied, flashing the light down a narrow tunnel.

  I had thought this was a crawlspace, but I was wrong. It was a tunnel between buildings. My heart sank as the man’s grip tightened painfully around my arm and he lifted me back up. Luke wouldn’t know where to look for me, if that had even been Luke or Sam.

  This time, I stood ready for whatever my fate might be as the man guided me slowly down the tunnel with only the bobbing light of the flashlight in front of us.

  If these people were this good—this ready—to outthink Luke and his team, there was very little I could do but abide by their wishes.

  I had to lower my head to avoid hitting any of the exposed wood beams and nails. Every footstep, every breath was muffled by the soil surrounding us, but I sti
ll continued to listen for any sign that someone else was behind us.

  That someone else was coming.

  For me.

  When we reached the end of the tunnel, I looked up and saw another tiny opening. The man pushed it open with his fingers and slid the cover off. He lifted his arms through the opening and hoisted his body through the hole. My pulse accelerated at the thought of running away. But to where? Back to the other place? He’d catch me before I even made it.

  “Get over here. Underneath the opening.” The man’s voice was gruff and it sent chills through me. His arms swung in front of me, and I wanted nothing more than to run away.

  I took two steps forward and saw the man’s face clearly for the first time as the light from above bounced off his features. He scowled as I looked into his dark eyes, and he gripped me under my arms and pulled me up as if I were nothing more than a child’s doll.

  The opening in the floor was right behind a counter. I looked around and saw a double-decker rack of clothes with plastic tied over each article. It was hard for me to understand how a dry cleaning operation would be part of this.

  The man slid a pistol from its holster and pointed it at me. “Don’t even think about running.”

  I nodded as the guy quickly placed the hatch in place, keeping the barrel pointed squarely at me.

  Where would I go?

  I saw the van through the window. It was parked in front of the drycleaner and a silhouette of someone in the driver’s side told me not to bother. I glanced at the clock on the monitor.

  It was four o’clock in the morning. My shoulders sank as I felt the cold part of the barrel press into my neck.

  “Move toward the door.”

  I did as the man said and wondered if that was the brave thing to do.

  Luke

  Men shouted orders, but it was too late. Hannah was already gone. I stretched my two arms in front of me and rested on the car. Hanging my head, I tried to keep my focus. They’d already moved her. I never should’ve listened to Sam. I didn’t need backup. I needed to get to Hannah in time.

  I still had no answers.

  I didn’t know what these monsters wanted.

  I didn’t know their game plan.

  I didn’t understand their ways of operating.

  “Hannah was in the backroom.” Sam’s voice caught me off guard. I straightened up and cleared my throat, turning around to see him.

  “How can you be sure?”

  “We found strands of long, blond hair snagged on the opening to the tunnel. And we found this.”

  Sam handed me the cuff I’d given her earlier in the day.

  I felt sick.

  I nodded. “Is he talking?”

  “He will only talk to you.”

  “I’m not giving him what he wants.”

  “It might be our only chance to find out what these people are after…” Sam’s voice trailed off. I knew he wanted to say more, but he was holding back.

  I shook my head. “It’s just a waste of time. The moment you track down where that van went, that’s where I’ll spend my energy.”

  “The van left the drycleaners a little after four o’clock in the morning, and we did see Hannah placed inside from a shop camera from across the street.”

  “Tell me something I don’t already know.”

  This was why I had my men hacking into the transportation system this very second.

  “I can’t. Not yet. It will take a little longer to get all the footage from the intersections. My suggestion is to talk to the guy we’ve got in custody.”

  “He’s just going to send us on a wild-goose chase.”

  “Maybe so.”

  The war between my heart and mind was exhausting, but it was nothing compared to the fear and anger that was running wild.

  “He gave himself up deliberately. He could have ran off with whoever has Hannah. He didn’t.”

  “Which tells you what?” I asked, not in the mood to play this back and forth game.

  “That whoever is behind this scares people enough to become martyrs,” Sam replied. “He knows he’s going to be locked up and he doesn’t care.”

  “Again. Tell me something I don’t know. These people scared my aunt and uncle into murdering my parents,” I snapped.

  Sam didn’t flinch. He knew how frustrated I felt—had felt—for years. And now, I was no longer in the driver’s seat. These people had someone I loved, and I still didn’t know who they were or why they were so set on hunting down my family and picking us off one by one.

  “Listen, Sam. I just want to get my guys and find Hannah. I should never have delayed our arrival today. If something happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself. I can’t keep waiting to play by the rules. It’s never worked for me before, and I don’t know why in God’s name I tried to this time.”

  My phone buzzed and I slid it out of my pocket. A text came over from Seth, one of my tech guys, who managed to hack into California’s DOT and gain access to the footage.

  The van is headed east on CA-118

  “What did you get?” Sam questioned.

  “I’m gonna go get her back,” I said, slapping his shoulder as I hurriedly excused myself from the conversation.

  It figured that my team would get the answers before the feds. Never failed. If I’d done things my way earlier, none of this would’ve happened.

  I shook my head as I quickly texted Seth back and reached out to dispatch two teams already on standby.

  “Hey, Josh,” I hollered, seeing one of my men standing next to an officer, who happened to be a cute brunette. It was obvious he’d been trying to pick her up. “We’ve got places to be.”

  Josh gave a quick wave and pointed toward the SUV.

  “Do you think that’s appropriate?” I asked, reaching the vehicle at the same time as Josh.

  “No, sir.”

  “Have I ever given you the impression that behaving that way on or off the clock worked for my organization?” I asked, opening the passenger door.

  “No, sir. Never. I apologize,” he replied, climbing in the driver’s side. “It won’t happen again.”

  I nodded and touched the screen on my phone. “We need to get on CA-118. Do you know how to get there from here?”

  “I do. It’s just a few minutes away.”

  I buckled as Josh drove out of the gravel lot. I glanced at the building behind us where Hannah had been tucked away and noticed Sam had sent two of his men to follow us.

  My phone vibrated and I glanced down. A text from Mia slid over my screen.

  Maybe we should go to the one source we’ve never gone to.

  My grip around the cell intensified as I reread her words. We’d both agreed years ago we’d never visit my aunt and uncle. They hadn’t been helpful in the investigation and they said so little that it even made it impossible for their defense attorneys to defend them, which meant they felt safer in prison than out.

  But even with all that, the thought had crossed my mind recently as well.

  I texted Mia back.

  I’ve been debating. We’ll see how things go…

  Mia didn’t text back. There wasn’t much to say. We were trapped between two worlds and one of them we’d attempted to leave years ago, but it wouldn’t let us go. Another text came over giving me the exit the van had turned onto and I let out a deep breath. They were about fifty minutes in front of us and even at our speeds I prayed we’d get there soon enough. Wherever soon enough turned out to be.

  I looked out the window at the passing scenery, my eyes locking on the spray-painted concrete walls and the littered shoulders of the freeway. Somewhere along the way, bright green grass and luscious foliage had been traded out for high desert landscape. They were taking her inland, which provided far more possibilities to stay hidden. I glanced in the mirror and noticed we no longer only had one federal car tailing us, but that did little to console me. I knew we were falling right into their plans, but it was the only shot I had at g
etting Hannah back.

  The ruthlessness of these people even gave the government moments of unease, but not enough to solve the big question. Who were the masterminds behind all the chaos? My parents’ murders were only one part of the case. In my ignorance, when I joined the bureau, I assumed I’d have access to all the files.

  I was wrong and left the bureau with as many unanswered questions as I’d arrived with. Someday I would get the answers my family deserved, but it wouldn’t be at the expense of anyone else I loved. I would save Hannah if it was the last thing I did.

  Hannah

  Shut your eyes, Hannah.

  Keep them shut.

  Keep them shut.

  Whatever you do, don’t look at him.

  Don’t give the bald man what he wants.

  Words kept running through my head in a steady beat. I refused to be part of this.

  I felt the sting on my cheek as soon as the leather slapped my flesh again, but I kept my eyes clenched and responded to nothing.

  “Hannah, I think you’ll finally bring us what we’ve been looking for. It’s taken a long time, but we’ve been patient. Very patient,” the man’s gravelly voice was confident, certain that they held the piece to the puzzle they’d been looking for.

  The heat in the room was almost suffocating and bright light penetrated my closed lids. I’d been put in a house in the middle of a subdivision. When I saw where I was being taken, I got excited, hopeful even. Maybe someone would hear my cries for help.

  It wasn’t until the driver had pulled me out of the van when I realized that we were in the middle of a sea of homes that had been hit hard by the economy. The houses were barely standing. Most looked to be abandoned or foreclosures. The news hadn’t stopped me from trying. I made as much as noise as I could, but with the fabric stuck in my mouth, it did little good.

  The driver tied me to a pillar in the living room and took off out the front door. As soon as I heard the van’s engine turn on, I’d begun tugging and pulling to free myself, but whatever was anchoring the pillar into the floor was solid. I didn’t care. My mind drifted to Luke. Had he gotten to where I’d been? Was that him I’d heard in the building? Would he be able to find me here? And the hardest question of all… What was he involved in?