Evanesce (The Darkness #2)

by Cassia Brightmore

  Marcus reached inside the gaping hole of the woman’s stomach and after a few moments, pulled out a wailing baby.

  Cradling it in his arms, waited for Dr. Daniels to cut the cord and then moved to leave, never noticing Brooke’s presence. Calling back over his shoulder, he gave his final orders. “Remove that one. I do not want employees that require this much assistance with their jobs.” Leaving behind a scene of blood, gore and death, he carried the precious infant away into a different kind of Hell.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Theo Barrington glared at Brady and wondered why he wasn’t listening to reason. The two men had been friends for years, ever since they met on separate family vacations in Vermont. At present, he was ready to beat him into submission, if he didn’t give in to what Theo wanted.

  “We need to think about undercover options. These knuckleheads,” he jerked his thumb towards the police station’s gray brick building, “aren’t doing shit to stop what’s happening around here. Gabe and I—we can be of use.”

  Brady shook his head, not in agreement at all. “I had this exact discussion with Gabe already. I know you think you can handle it, but the reality is, Theo, if something happens out there that you aren’t trained for—you’re only going to put these women and their babies at risk. You have to let the trained professionals handle this, no matter how fucking hard it is.”

  Theo threw his arms up in the air, frustrated. “Dude. I brought you in on this thinking that you would not be such a hard ass about the fucking rules.”

  Theo’s comments pissed Brady off, pricking his temper. “I’m the farthest thing from a hard ass. But what I am, is a Sheriff. Whether I’m on “vacation” or not, I still have to abide by the rules of the law. I didn’t come here just to help you break those rules and compromise an investigation.”

  “Look, Brady, there’s things about me you don’t know. Things I’ve done…and Gabe—Gabe is one of the top expert marksmen in this state. He’s going to be training all the new recruits that come on board any Sheriff’s departments in Texas. Trust me, we are not some half-cocked teenagers bored and looking for something fun to do. We can actually help…we are probably the best guys for the job,” Theo pushed harder, determined to get Brady to bend.

  “I know that Gabe’s a good guy, I figured that out pretty quick for myself. But you…what things have you done, Theo? Are you in some kind of trouble?” Brady prodded him for answers, concerned he was mixed up in some bad shit.

  “It’s not what you think. I have too pretty of a face to get myself involved in anything too fucked up. Although I have heard that the chick’s really dig a bad boy with scars. Gets them all hot and bothered,” he joked. “But seriously, dude. I’m prepared for this sort of thing, you’re just going to have to trust me on that.”

  Brady sighed and shook his head wondering how he got himself caught up in such a mess. He had a better chance of winning an argument with Gwyn than he did with these two stubborn assholes.

  “The two of you are determined to badger me until I agree to some scheme, aren’t you?” To tell the truth, after seeing the bumbling deputies in charge of such a colossal case, he was more than tempted to team up with Theo and Gabe. At least they seemed competent and reliable. This department here in Norton Springs was filled with over-the-hill deputies and a lazy ass Sheriff that didn’t know Wednesday from Thursday. The case was not in good hands and Brady predicted it wouldn’t be long before the Feds rolled in.

  Since he technically wasn’t on the clock, anything he did was considered freelance work as well. Would be hypocritical of him to not allow them to do the same. Still, he decided to let Theo sweat a little longer before agreeing.

  “You bet your ass we are. We can crack this case, Brady. These women…they are counting on someone to play the hero and save their children. I’m telling you—we are those heroes. And for once I’m not saying that ’cause I’m trying to get laid.” Theo had a way about him, he could talk the panties off a virginal nun in 3.2 seconds; Brady had witnessed it happen before.

  “Go and call Gabe and tell him to meet us down here for a cup of coffee. I’ve got a few calls to make and then we’ll see.” He raised a finger when Theo started to let out a whoop of victory. “I said, we’ll see, not yes it’s a go, you peabrain.” Brady rolled his eyes at Theo and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Meet back here in a few.” He paced several feet away, wanting privacy for the call he needed to make.

  Punching in a series of numbers, he waited patiently for the call to connect and the man he was looking for to pick up. “Sergeant Sieders? It’s Sheriff Brady James calling. Good, good, how about you, Sir? Glad to hear it. I need to ask you some important questions, do you have a few minutes?”

  Gabe had just dropped Nora back off at the ranch when the call came in from Theo to meet him in town. Frowning, he opened up his messages and sent a quick text to Bobby to keep an eye on both places until he got back. Heading into town, he replayed the shower scene with Nora. The fact that she came to him pleased him so damned much. He knew that he’d fucked up when he hurt her, but losing her was the hardest thing he had ever gone through. Living without Nora was not something he wanted to repeat; she was his once more and it was going to stay that way.

  Parking his truck outside of Macy’s diner, he strolled inside, intrigued at what the Sheriff had to discuss with them. Theo and Brady were already seated at a booth a few rows back from the door. Calling out a friendly hello to Macy, the woman behind the counter, he joined them—sliding in beside Theo.

  “Fellas,” he greeted them. Taking off his cowboy hat, he set it to rest on his knee. Macy arrived and plunked a white china mug down in front of him, filling it with steaming hot coffee. Being a regular had its perks.

  “Theo, Gabe. Who’s your friend?” Macy asked, nodding in Brady’s direction. Brady smiled and offered his hand.

  “Sheriff Brady James, ma’am. Pleasure to meet you.” Macy assessed him with intelligent eyes. Satisfied that he wasn’t in her diner to cause any trouble, she ran down the day’s specials. When the men declined to eat, she turned to leave, calling over her shoulder, “Oh and I’ve got rhubarb pie warming in the oven, boys.”

  Theo let out a whoop and hollered, “Two! I’ll take two slices, Macy love.” Macy nodded and disappeared behind the swinging wooden door leading to the kitchen.

  “Alright, you two,” Gabe started. “What have you been up to? I know something has changed. Please don’t tell me it’s another kidnapping.”

  Theo shook his head. “Brady made some calls,” he told him, pointing at the Sheriff. “He’s going to fill us in on what he found out.”

  Macy came back to the table with the pie and deposited in front of an eager Theo. “You boys need anything else?”

  “Just a bib for our toddler here,” Gabe joked, shaking his head at Theo’s enthusiastic eating. Macy left with a smile, saying to holler if they needed her.

  Theo grinned. “What? I’ve always liked pie. Warm and delicious, what’s not to like.” He shrugged.

  “I met with the locals. Asked a few questions, got a feel for the investigation.” Brady filled Gabe in on his progress. “While I’m sure they are doing their best, I think there is more digging that can be done. All it takes is the right resources. Theo here,” he glanced over at him, frowning at the boy-like man covered in pie crumbs, “Has convinced me that the three of us would make a good team.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, Sheriff. With your expertise and Theo’s, uh, skills…we definitely can add be assets to this investigation,” Gabe replied, pleased that Brady had come around. “You mentioned something about new information?” he prodded.

  “I reached out to some of my old contacts from my days on the force in New York City. Tracked down the number of a former Black Market undercover cop. He was deep for several years and his cover is still intact. There was a time we thought we had lost him to the other side, but he was extracted successfully. He’s our best shot at getting som
e concrete answers about their involvement,” Brady told them.

  Theo wiped his hands and face on a napkin. “That’s the best damn news I’ve heard since Amber Maple stopped wearing panties under her skirts.” Gabe rolled his eyes. Amber was a gas attendant over at the main freeway stop, a looker with loose morals; she was always up for a good time.

  “I’ve set up a meet with him in,” Brady checked his watch. “About an hour, just outside of town here. A secure location,” he added.

  “We’d better head on out then. Get there first and do a sweep of the area. Sheriff, thanks for working with us on this. I know it isn’t exactly the straight line, but I think it’s the right decision,” Gabe’s tone was serious.

  “Well, I haven’t actually agreed to anything yet. Let’s see what this guy can tell us and take it from there. If there is something deeper going on, and we uncover it. We do not do anything without bringing in the proper authorities first. The last thing we need is for some scumbag to walk due to a lack of protocol. This is strictly re-con at this point. It’s likely we’re going to need the Feds on this one, as much as it burns my ass to admit it.” Brady had proven so far that he had a good head on his shoulders and wouldn’t be pushed around.

  Theo waved Macy over to bring the bill. “Agreed. But you just need to know that we aren’t backing away from this. This is our town, our women this shit is happening to. We’re involved whether you like it or not.” Theo showed a splash of his stern side, not a personality trait that made an appearance very often.

  Macy dropped the bill on the table, feeling as though she was the hen entering a cock fight. “You boys behave now, you hear. Gabe, I expect to see you bringing that Nora around real soon.”

  Gabe nodded and handed Macy some bills. “Oh sure thing, Macy love. My Nora loves your lemon meringue pie so I imagine it won’t be too long before she’s pestering me to bring her in for a slice.”

  Heading out, Theo elbowed Gabe in the ribs. “My Nora, huh? So you won her back already did ya? That didn’t take long.”

  “Shut up, you moron.” Piling into Gabe’s truck, they decided it was best not to take Brady’s cruiser to the meet, would draw too much unwanted attention to themselves. When they pulled off the freeway approximately forty minutes later, it was onto a dirt road that lead them down about a quarter mile to a closed-in, remote clearing. With nothing but hills and dirt for miles to see, it was as off the beaten path as they were going to get.

  “I’m going to look around, make sure there aren’t any surprises,” Brady announced as he climbed out of the truck. Gabe and Theo agreed, spreading out to cover more of the area. When the three arrived back at the truck after determining they were indeed alone, Brady was the first to speak.

  “Okay you two, spill. You both have had some sort of training. I saw the way you canvassed the area for tracks, scanned the perimeter like pros. Hell, you’re almost as good as me.” He held up a hand at Theo’s big grin. “I said almost, don’t get too excited. Were you in the military or something?”

  “Not the military, exactly,” Theo evaded. His short, colorful history with similar lines of work wasn’t one he liked to reminisce about. The memories were still too fresh.

  “My training comes from learning more about my specialty,” Gabe spoke up. “I spent time with some ex-military, ex-cons, anyone that was willing to help me enhance my skills. No sense in being an expert shot if some asshole sneaks up and shoots me in the back of the head,” he explained. “Theo here,” he jerked his thumb at his best friend, “You’ll never get the full story out of him. I still don’t know all the details.”

  Brady processed their answers for a few minutes. “Well, I feel a lot better about you two covering my back now that I know that you aren’t complete pansies,” he laughed at them.

  Theo scoffed. “We’re the pansies?” He looked at Gabe. “This from the guy that was too shy and nervous to find the courage to talk to Lesley Loose Legs back when we were fourteen.”

  “Now, that’s not what happened,” Brady began, raising his voice to be heard over their laughter. “She was older, and experienced. I had to really be sure of my angle before I approached her. And besides—” He cut himself off when they heard the sound of tires grinding on the dirt.

  “Let me do the talking,” Brady ordered when the late model sedan pulled to a stop and a man climbed out. Gabe and Theo grumbled, but reluctantly agreed. Brady walked forward and greeted the man and the two spoke in low tones for quite a while.

  Gabe and Theo waited impatiently in the silence, annoyed at being kept on the sidelines. Just as they decided to approach the other two man, Brady clapped him on the back and led him forward.

  Gabe studied the stranger as Brady introduced him. “Guys, this is Ben Westin. Ben, this is Theo Barrington and Gabe Thornton.” Ben was a tall and lanky man with a thin build. His dark hair was trimmed short, but still managed to somehow stick up in tufts around his ears. He had piercing green eyes and a long straight nose. Gabe got the impression he was much more intelligent than he let on in a first meeting.

  “Good to meet you,” Gabe greeted him as they all shook hands. “Brady fill you in?”

  Ben nodded and sighed. “Yeah, he gave me some background. Sounds like a hell of a mess.”

  Theo rubbed his hands through his hair, anxious to get some answers. “What can you tell us that might be helpful? Have you seen these types of cases before in your days under—um,” he looked at Brady, unsure it was appropriate to continue his train of thought. At Brady’s slight nod, he finished. “Your days undercover in the Black Market?”

  “Unfortunately, I have. Newborn infants are a gold mine, each can be worth upwards of 5-6 thousand dollars. More if they know the parentage,” Ben explained. His confirmation was not shocking to any of them, he only confirmed what they already knew.

  “In your experience, would the mothers be sold as well?” Gabe asked. Ben shifted, uncomfortable.

  “I’m not going to sugar-coat this for you guys, it won’t do you any good to have false hope when it comes to dealing with the people that buy and sell on something as sinister as the Black Market. No, the mothers would not be sold unless there was a slavery master interested. In cases with pregnancy, there is a low interest rate in the mother and an extremely high one in the child. The mother is usually disposed of after providing them with the product they desire.”

  There was a few minutes of silence while everyone let Ben’s information sink in. It was not the news they wanted to hear. The thought of all those women just being killed, it was unimaginable.

  “One more question, Ben,” Brady stepped in this time. “What’s your gut feeling on this? Are we dealing with someone from the Market arranging these kidnappings? Or is it more likely that they have hired an outside source to take care of that part for them?”

  “Without a doubt in my mind, I will tell you that they have hired someone. These people…they like to keep their hands as clean as they can. They acquire the product, they secure the buyer and make the transaction happen. That’s it, that’s the extent of their involvement. For you to have as many missing women and children as you do in your small town—well that’s too much heat for them to get involved in. They prefer much less attention on them and their dealings. It seems to me that this town has been picked for a reason.” Ben finished his explanation and looked at his watch. “I should get going, I don’t want to be missed.”

  “Of course, Ben. And thanks for meeting with us, you’ve given us a lot to think about. I owe you one,” Brady told him. Theo and Gabe moved forward and shook hands with him in thanks.

  Ben gave them a grim smile and headed back to his car. Pausing with one leg in and one leg out of the door, he called back to them. “I really am sorry you’re dealing with all this. Hope it works out and you can shut this thing down.”

  “Thanks, Ben.” Waiting until his car had disappeared down the lane, Brady turned back to Gabe and Theo. Gabe was the first to speak.

 
“Well, that pretty much confirms our suspicions. But what do we do with that information? We still don’t have any leads,” he pointed out.

  Brady was thoughtful for a moment. “Actually, Ben gave us a very big lead. We know now that there is someone interested in this town for a reason. That they have been hired by the Black Market to acquire these infants for sale. So who is interested in Norton Springs…and why? We need to start running big name criminals and see what their origins are. Let’s dig a little deeper into who may have left here in the last few years and may have the resources to carry out these acts. These guys are pros…they’ve done crime before.”

  “I’ll grab Quinn and start going through records at Town Hall, there may be something in Norton Springs past that’s connected somehow. Your sister is a whiz at research,” he told Gabe. Gabe laughed, “She’s all yours, dude. I’ll be glad to know you’re keeping an eye on her.”

  “Nora and I can talk to my parents, some of the locals, see if they remember seeing anything the night of the abductions or if they know of anyone that left town in a bitter way,” Gabe offered.

  “That’s a good start, guys. I’ll run like crimes and see if I can get a few names to pop,” Brady told them.

  “We’re coming for you, you fucker.” Gabe stated what they were all thinking. With the three of them working together, they had a good shot at shutting this kidnapping ring down for good.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  A light trail of kisses up her left arm woke Nora from a peaceful slumber. Laying perfectly still, she feigned sleep, curious to see what Gabe would do next. When he reached her shoulder, he moved her thick black hair to the side with a gentle hand and suckled lightly on her neck. The scruff from the stubble on his chin tickled her, causing her to shiver.