Long, Tall Texans: Hank & Ultimate Cowboy ; Long, Tall Texans: Hank

by Diana Palmer

  Julie stood, anxious to comfort him, but she couldn’t. He was under arrest and had held a girl at gunpoint. Besides, judging from his body language, he wouldn’t welcome being coddled.

  A beating he would probably understand.

  But she didn’t intend to let that happen to him again.

  “Please, Kyle. I really do want to help you,” she said. “I also want to save Tray and Hank and however many boys this person stole from their homes. But you have to open up to me, trust me.”

  His handcuffs rattled as he twisted in his seat. “Just put me in my cell.”

  Julie stared at him for a long minute, willing him to change his mind. But he remained motionless, determined to keep his silence.

  Finally she swallowed back her frustration, then nodded and headed to the door. But she paused and glanced at him one more time before she left the room. “The offer stands, Kyle. Whenever you’re ready to talk, just tell the guard you want to see me, and I’ll come as soon as I can.”

  He didn’t respond, and she left the room, her stomach rolling as she went to see Brody.

  When she entered the room, worry and pain etched his face. “What do you think?”

  Julie wanted to lie and tell him everything would be all right, but they’d been through too much the past few years for her to do that. So she told him the truth.

  “I think he’s lying, that he knows where Hank is. That he and Tray were both abducted by the same man.”

  Brody cursed. “Then why won’t he tell us who kidnapped him and the others?”

  Julie didn’t like the answers that crept into her mind. “Either he’s suffering from Stockholm syndrome. It’s when a kidnapped victim—”

  “I know what is it,” Brody said, cutting her off.

  Julie nodded. “Or he’s afraid that if he talks, his abductor will hurt the other boys he’s still holding hostage.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “What do we do now?” Brody asked.

  Julie sighed. “Unfortunately we’ll have to leave him locked up for tonight. Maybe spending the night in a cell will convince him to talk.”

  Brody shook his head. “I doubt it. A night in a cell may be a reprieve from what he’s endured these past few years.”

  Julie winced. “I hate to say it, but you may be right.”

  Brody scrubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t stand to see him like that, handcuffed and in a cell, not after all he’s suffered. I always thought when I found him, he’d be glad to see me and I’d bring him home.”

  Julie rubbed his arm in a comforting gesture. “I know it’s difficult, but at least he’s alive, Brody. That means you have a chance to bring him home someday.”

  Brody turned to her, praying that he could do just that. “What happens if he doesn’t talk?”

  “I’m going to insist on both a physical exam and a psych evaluation,” Julie said. “Hopefully we can use that in court to avoid going to trial until we know all the details about Kyle’s abductor and catch this maniac.”

  Brody latched onto that hope. If he could just take the teenager to the BBL, maybe he could breach that armor Will had erected to protect himself.

  “Let me make some calls.”

  She started to step out of the room, and Brody caught her arm. “Thanks, Julie. I…appreciate everything you’re doing.”

  Her beautiful eyes glittered with emotions. “You don’t have to thank me, Brody. I want Will home with you where he belongs, and I want the man who took him to rot in prison for the rest of his life.”

  Brody nodded, the years falling away as a hint of the old Julie returned. But the pain and guilt in her voice reminded him of the chasm between them. That losing Will had torn them apart.

  Would finding him bring them back together again?

  Julie stepped from the room, and he glanced through the window at the troubled, angry boy in the interrogation room, and thoughts of a reunion with Julie fled.

  All that mattered was reaching his brother and finding out who’d kidnapped him and turned him into a criminal.

  Then he’d make the bastard pay.

  After that, he had to help Will heal from the trauma he’d suffered over the years.

  Of course, Will—Kyle—hadn’t acknowledged that he recognized him, but deep in his gut, Brody knew this boy was his little brother. What had his abductor told him about his family?

  Brody had told Will that he’d looked for him for years, but the boy had shown no reaction.

  But somewhere deep down he had to know that Brody had never given up the search and that he loved him.

  And if he didn’t, Brody would make sure that he told him every day for the rest of his life until he believed him.

  * * *

  JULIE CORNERED AGENT Cord in the break room. “We have to get a medical and psych exam. That boy has been severely abused.”

  “I agree,” Agent Cord said. “But I’m not so sure he’s not the leader of a gang.”

  Julie clenched her teeth. “It’s possible, but he’s scared, which indicates he has someone to report to, someone he’s afraid of.”

  “You think he recognized Hank Forte?”

  Julie nodded. “He put on a face of steel, but he definitely reacted to the boy’s picture.”

  Brody curled his hands into fists. “Then he should tell us where the unsub is keeping him.”

  Julie sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “Maybe he’s afraid the creep will hurt Hank if he tells.”

  “So how do you suggest we approach the situation?” Agent Cord asked.

  “Let’s get the medical evaluations and maybe the judge will release him to a mental health facility. Counselors might be able to convince him to open up. But we have to remember, he’s undergone seven years of intense abuse. It may take time for them to earn his trust enough for that to happen.”

  Agent Cord agreed and Julie stepped aside to call and make the arrangements. Brody’s suffering drove her to take one last stab at Kyle, so she went back into the room. He was still sitting in the same chair, arms behind his back, his expression closed. Bleak.

  His bruises had darkened to an ugly purple. Those were the ones she could see. He had so many others inside, ones maybe even deeper and more painful than the visible ones on his body.

  Her heart ached for him. Had he had any kind of affection the past few years?

  Probably not, she thought sadly. His only physical contact had most likely been at the other end of the kidnapper’s fist.

  “I want to explain what’s going to happen,” Julie said matter-of-factly. “You’ll spend the night in the cell,” she said. “In the morning, you’re going to be given a physical exam by a doctor, then a psychiatrist is going to speak with you.”

  A belligerent look twisted his face.

  “Remember, I’m on your side,” Julie said. “I’ll do whatever I can for you. And if you help us find the person who kidnapped you, who took little Hank Forte from his mama and daddy, then we can make these charges against you disappear.”

  For a hairbreadth of a second, he looked at her as if he wanted to talk. Then that hardened look passed over him again, and he stared at the floor.

  Julie sighed then reached for the doorknob. “All you have to do is ask for me and I’ll come to your assistance. Any time of day or night.”

  She waited another second, hoping, praying he’d talk to her, but he didn’t respond, so she left the room, her heart heavy.

  If this boy had been severely abused as she strongly suspected, the last thing he needed was to be locked up, to be caged like a wild animal. But her hands were tied.

  And like she’d told Brody, earning his trust would take time.

  And poor little Hank…What was happening to him right now?

 
* * *

  BRODY FROWNED as Agent Cord ordered Will—he had to call him Kyle for now—to stand up. “Let’s go.”

  Kyle kept his head down, but his body was tense, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. Kyle was upset, scared. Maybe worried about the other boy who’d been with him.

  They exited the room, and Brody did the same. He was only a few feet from his brother. Dammit, he wanted to haul him up for a bear hug and assure him everything would be all right.

  But when he took a step toward him, Kyle stiffened and gave him a look of pure hatred. Then suddenly the elevator opened and a man and woman rushed into the hallway, looking harried and frantic.

  Hank Forte’s parents—Brody recognized them from the newscast.

  “Is this the boy?” the woman shrieked as she and her husband raced toward Kyle.

  “It is, you’re the one who robbed that store,” the man shouted.

  Kyle jerked his head up, for the first time since he’d been arrested, real emotions flitting across his face. Panic. And…something else. Pain.

  Mrs. Forte grabbed at him. “The officer in Amarillo said you might know where our little boy is.”

  “Please, son, tell us,” Mr. Forte said.

  Julie suddenly rushed toward them. “Mr. and Mrs. Forte, please—”

  “Please what?” Mrs. Forte whirled around at Julie. “Don’t ask him about our child?”

  Agent Cord cleared his throat and placed an arm between Kyle and the couple to keep them from grabbing him. “Let us handle this.”

  Mrs. Forte slapped at Julie’s hands, tears streaming down her face. “But if he knows, why won’t he tell us? Why would he protect a monster who’d steal a child from his parents?”

  “Do you know where he is?” Mr. Forte asked harshly.

  Kyle’s jaw tightened in reaction, but he jerked his head to the side to avoid looking at them.

  Julie cut her eyes toward the other agent. “Take him to his cell now. I’ll handle this.”

  Both the Fortes lunged toward Kyle. “Tell us, have you seen our boy? Is he alive?” Mrs. Forte cried.

  “Is he hurt?” Mr. Forte asked in a broken voice. “Who took him? What is he doing to him?”

  “Please,” Mrs. Forte pleaded as she burst into sobs. “Please, we miss him so much, he’s just a little fellow, so innocent, we want to see him grow up…”

  Brody’s lungs squeezed for air. The questions, the pain and grief, the fear in the parents’ voices, that desperation…he’d felt it for years.

  “Will, please,” Brody said, causing the boy to flinch again. “Tell us who took you. And if he has this little boy Hank, for God’s sakes, speak up. These people want their son back just like I wanted you back.”

  Another tormented look crossed Kyle’s face, his shoulders so rigid that Brody sensed his turmoil.

  But then he sucked back any emotion and shuffled forward. “Take me to my cell.”

  Agent Cord took his elbow and herded him down the hall. Mrs. Forte began to sob, and her husband started to chase after Kyle and the agent.

  “Stop, please tell us where he is. Don’t protect that monster!”

  Brody had stood in the background long enough. Mrs. Forte started to run after her husband, but Julie caught her. “Mrs. Forte, let’s go sit down and talk.”

  Brody caught up with the man and stepped in front of him to keep him from attacking Kyle. “Mr. Forte, we need to talk. Come on back here with your wife.”

  “Do you know where my son is?” Mr. Forte screeched. “Because if you don’t, let me talk to that kid.”

  Brody ached for the man, but he also hurt for Kyle. Something was keeping him from telling the truth. Fear. Trauma. Maybe he’d been brainwashed….

  Kyle and the agent disappeared through a set of double doors, and Mr. Forte bent over, heaving for a breath.

  Brody patted his back. “I understand what you’re going through, I really do.”

  “How could you know?” he said angrily.

  Brody swallowed hard, then gripped the man’s elbow and guided him back toward Julie and Mrs. Forte. “Because my little brother was kidnapped seven years ago,” Brody said.

  The man turned tear-stained eyes up toward him. “He was?”

  “Yes.” Brody stopped in front of Julie, and Mrs. Forte reached for her husband, obviously needing his support.

  Then she looked up at Brody with wide, imploring eyes. “Your brother,” she said, her voice cracking, “did you ever find him?”

  Brody and Julie exchanged concerned looks, then Julie gestured for them to go into the break room with them. “Sit down, and I’ll get you some water,” she said gently.

  Mrs. Forte stumbled into a chair and her husband sank down beside her. “Did you find him?” Mrs. Forte asked again.

  Julie rushed to get them some water while Brody sat down and began to explain.

  * * *

  THIRTY MINUTES LATER, the Fortes had calmed from anger to shock to resignation. But the fear lingered, cold and so real that it tainted the air with the realization that a little boy had been ripped from his home and wouldn’t be sleeping safely in his own bed that night.

  Julie had to offer them hope.

  “If Kyle was abducted by the same person who took your son, then the fact that he is still alive is a good sign.” She patted the woman’s shoulder.

  “You mean that Hank is still alive?” Mr. Forte asked, wiping at his eyes.

  “Yes.” Julie knew it wasn’t much, just a crumb, but they needed any positive encouragement they could get.

  She glanced at Brody and offered him a sympathetic smile. He’d poured out his heart to soothe the couple yet he was also hurting.

  Mrs. Forte turned to Brody with a pleading look. “You think that teenager is your brother?”

  Brody hesitated, then gave a clipped nod. “I don’t know what he’s been through, but I’m going to find out.”

  “Why won’t he talk to you?” Mr. Forte asked. “If some monster kidnapped him and hurt him, it seems like he’d want to turn him in. That he’d want to help our Hank from suffering like that.”

  Pain slashed across Brody’s chiseled face, and she decided not to point out the hard facts she’d learned in the bureau. That sometimes abused kids turned out to be abusers themselves.

  Instead, Julie explained about Stockholm syndrome, then focused on another theory. “It’s also possible that Kyle is not talking because he actually thinks he’s protecting the other boys. And maybe he is. Maybe his abductor threatened to hurt Hank if he didn’t come back with money for the family. And he most assuredly threatened to hurt him or any other children he’s holding if Kyle talked.”

  “Oh, my God.” Mr. Forte’s eyes widened in horror. “How many do you think this monster has kidnapped?”

  “We don’t know yet,” Julie said, an image of the other ten boys on the bulletin board in the conference room taunting her. “But I promise you that we will do everything we can to bring your son back home to you.”

  The couple clung to each other, nodding, accepting the hope she offered because they had nothing else to do. Because they wouldn’t give up, just like Brody hadn’t. Julie thought about other cases she’d worked, about her and Brody and the night Will had gone missing.

  A large percentage of couples who lost children fell apart.

  Just as she and Brody had.

  She hoped this couple made it. If they found Hank, and she was determined that they would, he was going to need both of them to recover from his ordeal.

  Just like Will needed Brody now. All the more reason Brody had to remain strong.

  And all the more reason she had to remain focused on the case.

  “You’ll call us the minute he talks, the minute you know anything about our son?” Mr. Forte as
ked.

  “Of course,” Julie said. “I promise you I won’t give up until I find him.”

  The couple stood, both trembling and holding on to one another, and she and Brody walked them to the elevator.

  As soon as the doors closed behind them, Brody sighed, a pained sound that tore at her heart.

  She looked over at him and wanted to take him in her arms and hold him, promise him everything would be all right.

  But they’d both learned long ago that wishes didn’t always come true, that bad things happened.

  The fact that Will had disappeared proved it. The bruises on him and his cold, closed demeanor only reinforced that he’d suffered a severe trauma.

  “I need to see him again before I go,” Brody said.

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Please, Julie. He’s my kid brother and he’s been through hell. I just want to make sure he’s all right.”

  Normally Julie would refuse, but this was Brody and she felt his pain as if it was her own. So she led him down the hall through another hall and an elevator that led to the holding cells.

  Julie explained that Kyle would be confined until they finished interrogating him and then he’d be moved to a regular prison. Still, Brody tensed as she escorted him through security and they reached the cell.

  She tried to see the place through Brody’s eyes. To her, the TBI was business.

  But she’d never had anyone she cared about locked inside, and she knew that could be unnerving.

  Then she spotted Will in the cell and her stomach clenched. He was lying on the cot facing the wall, his body tucked almost in a fetal position.

  “Will?” Brody said quietly.

  But Will showed no response.

  “I’m here if you want to talk.”

  Brody lingered, his tormented expression tearing at Julie.

  “We’re both here if you need us,” Julie said.

  “She’s right,” Brody said. “I won’t let you down this time.”

  But Will still remained motionless, his face turned away from them.

  Finally Brody released a deep sigh and Julie walked him back toward the elevator. He paused at the door, then wiped perspiration from his brow.