Hailey's Truth

by Cate Beauman

  “Same as before, homie,” Mateo said, as he turned over the ignition and shot out of the bar parking lot.

  Jeremy sat back in the passenger seat, ready, more relaxed than the last time.

  Donte was getting tired of the playmates they brought him last month. He was ready for fresh meat.

  Jeremy had watched their newest picks grind against several men while they tossed back shots of tequila. He’d fought his erection for two hours, fantasizing about his turn with the eager hotties.

  Hopefully Donte would give them first dibs this time. It would be his pleasure to initiate one of the Zulas’ newest prizes. He would be sure to do it right—gentle at first—show her he wasn’t going to hurt her. Let her relax, let her get juicy, then turn up the heat.

  That’s what he’d learned to do with the ladies they had now. The girls still screamed and cried when the guards used them but he was pretty damn certain he made Angelica cum this afternoon. All it took was a little finesse; something his partner here sorely lacked.

  Jeremy shook his head, growing more intolerant of his “mentor.” Donte needed to wake up and buy a clue. He was so much better at this shit than Mateo. Maybe he would talk to Donte, convince him he was ready for more responsibility.

  “There they are.” Mateo slowed as he turned down another deserted, rundown street. “Shit. Who the hell are those two?”

  Jeremy leaned closer to the windshield, scrutinizing the men walking with the soon to be Zulas women. “Beats me. They weren’t at the bar.”

  “New plan. We’ll take them out, then grab the girls. Be careful not to leave marks. That’s for Donte.” Mateo smiled.

  That was the plan? “How’re we taking them out? Which one am I grabbing?”

  “What the hell kind of question is that? Fucking shoot ‘em. Grab the taller one. It ain’t rocket science.”

  As Mateo muttered his disdain for the ‘newbie,’ Jeremy freed his gun, struggling not to press the barrel to Mateo’s temple right then and there. If Mateo wasn’t so well-liked by Donte, he would do it; he really fucking would. The whole organization would be better off.

  “Let’s go.” Mateo traveled past the group and yanked the car to the side, tires screeching. Jeremy and Mateo stepped out, guns raised, firing, as the two men reached for their own weapons.

  “Anton! Emilio!” the girls screamed as the men fell to the ground.

  “Get ‘em in the car,” Mateo ordered, yanking on the shorter female’s arm as she shrieked for the men—their brothers.

  The tall girl crumbled between her siblings, clutching at their limp hands. “Anton!” She shook the older of the two men as his wound stained his t-shirt red.

  “Come on. Let’s go.” Jeremy grabbed her under the arms and pulled as she gripped her brother. She wasn’t very big, but grief made her strong.

  “Hurry up, homie. She’s making a fucking racket.”

  “I’ve got it. Get in so we can go.” Jeremy shoved the tall one in the back and forced the cuffs around her slender wrists before he slammed the door, quieting the din inside. “What’re you doing?” He looked over the roof of the vehicle as Mateo stared at him. “Get in. Let’s fucking go.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do, homeboy. Remember who’s in charge here. Go make sure they’re dead.”

  Jeremy glanced at the pools of blood surrounding the motionless bodies, shaking his head. “They couldn’t be any deader, man.”

  Mateo raised his gun and pointed it at Jeremy. “I said go fucking check.”

  Sweat bloomed against Jeremy’s skin, dripping in a cold line down his spine, as he stared at the barrel of Mateo’s gun. The hard glint in Mateo’s eyes made it clear he would be more than happy to pull the trigger. Anger bubbled up, roaring, pulsing in his head. Jeremy yanked his pistol from the holster and pointed it at Mateo. “No.”

  Mateo fired, missing by inches. “Go check on those bodies, or I’m pulling this trigger. Then I’ll find your sister. I’ve been fantasizing about getting all up in that pussy. I wonder if she’ll taste as sweet as she smells.” He smirked.

  Hand shaking, Jeremy holstered his weapon. If he missed his shot, not only would he be dead, but so would Hailey—and she would suffer first. Mateo would pay for this. Stuck, Jeremy pivoted away from the car, walked to the bodies, and gave them a solid kick.

  Nothing.

  “See? They’re gone. We shot ‘em in the fucking chest.”

  Mateo opened the trunk and pulled out a machete. “Cut off their heads.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re the newbie. You do what I want, homie, and I want you to cut off their heads.”

  Why did everything have to be so damn gory? Jeremy yanked the knife from Mateo’s hand, holding the handle like an ax. Using his rage, he bent over and hacked until the head rolled from the body. “You satisfied?” he spat.

  “Nope. Next one.”

  Jeremy crouched over the next corpse, chopping, listening to the muffled screams and pounding from the sisters in the backseat. “They’re gonna break the fucking glass, man. We’re gonna to get caught.”

  “You let me worry about that. I’ll let you worry about dealing with Donte when I tell him his newest member doesn’t know how to take orders.”

  Jeremy’s eyes snapped to Mateo’s. “What, you worried, homeboy?” He spit one of Mateo’s words back at him. “Donte wants my sister. He’s not about to hurt me, not when I can help him get her. Hailey thinks he’s fucking prince charming.”

  “Just finish.”

  Jeremy made his final slice, then stood, covered in blood. Staring down at himself, he smiled. “Looks like I’ve done all the dirty work tonight. Wonder what Donte will think of that?” He leaned down again and cut the shirts off the men. “If we’re doing this, we’re gonna do it right.”

  Crouching, Jeremy carved deep, branding the chests with a huge “ZU.” The stench of raw, bloody flesh choked the air, and he struggled not to gag. Finished, he stood back and examined his work. “Hell, yeah. The Zulas were here. Let’s go.”

  Jeremy tossed the knife in the trunk and looked once more at the mess he made before opening the passenger side door to the shuddering gasps of the bereaved girls.

  Had to do what I had to do. Gotta stay alive.

  Jeremy took his seat, free of the guilt that typically plagued him. He stared at the smaller sister in the rear mirror, horror in her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was his tonight; he would demand it.

  Chapter 21

  AUSTIN SHUT THE DOOR AFTER the last member of his group walked into the air conditioning. Damn, it had been a long one. Fifteen hours of manual labor in ninety-five-degree temperatures left everyone weary and eager for their turn in one of the three showers.

  Austin walked to the fridge, pulled a water from the shelf, drained the entire bottle within seconds.

  “Feeling better?” Jackson asked, standing on the other side of the counter.

  “I might feel human again after my turn in the shower.”

  “Hot day today. How’s the rebuilding going on the northern point?”

  “Good, considering…” He glanced around the room at members of their two teams lazing about in front of the television or sleeping where they had dropped on the rug. “Where’s Hailey?”

  “Do you have a minute?” Jackson gestured to the glass doors leading to the porch.

  “Sure.” He tossed the plastic bottle in the trash.

  They stepped outside. Jackson shut the door.

  “What’s up?” Austin could already tell he wasn’t going to like it. “Where’s Hailey?”

  Jackson leaned against the rail and casually folded his arms. “She’s in the bedroom. Jeremy stopped by again. He’s been here a couple hours.”

  Yup, he definitely didn’t
like it. Austin steamed a breath out his nose. “Why? Twice in a week? What does he want?”

  Jackson shrugged. “Hell if I know. I’m assuming he came by to visit his sister.”

  “That fucker doesn’t do anything without an angle.”

  “He’s pretty slick.” Jackson cleared his throat. “There’s more.”

  Austin waved his hand in a “go ahead” motion as he stared out at the bold pinks of the setting sun, his shoulders tensing by the second.

  “Two more girls disappeared last night.”

  His gaze snapped to Jackson’s. “What?”

  “Two more girls. Seventeen. Locals. Same physical features as the others: long black hair, nice bodies. Pretty. Their brothers were murdered—carved up, decapitated.”

  “Well, Jesus. Do they have any leads?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. The police seem to be doing as little investigating as they did the first time around.”

  “The Zulas own them—that’s why.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “I know I’m right.”

  Jackson shifted, then leaned back again. “There was also another shoot-out over by the place you got jumped.”

  “It’s like the damn wild west around here.”

  “Not far from it. I talked to Ethan an hour, hour-and-a-half ago. The Dean’s rumbling about closing down, sending everyone home. It’s not a half-bad idea if you ask me. I know the people here need help; everyone’s working for a good cause, but I’m concerned with our ratios. Six to one or twelve to two, puts us at risk. We could use another agent. I keep replaying the shooting at the school the other day. If we hadn’t been as close to the gym as we were, we would’ve had a serious problem.”

  “I’ve thought of that myself. I’ll call Ethan, see what he wants to do.”

  “Before you do, he sent us something. He’s been hacking. Said it was very interesting.”

  “Let’s take a look.”

  “I’m not finished raining on your parade.”

  Austin slid him a glance. “Oh, goodie.”

  “Donte showed up at our site today.”

  Austin jammed his fingers in his pockets. “I was waiting for you to say that.”

  “I don’t have the authority to ask him to leave, so I didn’t do much more than observe. Our hands are fairly tied here.”

  “I know.”

  “He was all over Hailey.”

  Jaw clenched, he met Jackson’s stare.

  “I know you and Hailey talked about her keeping her distance last week. It seemed like she tried, but Donte’s fucking persistent. He spent a good hour with her at our Humane Society stop, petting his fare share of puppies and kittens. Of course, he donated money, towels, and a five-year supply of dog and cat food while he was there.”

  The familiar rumble of fury snuck up to devour him whole. “Goddamn, I’ve had about all I can take of him. I need to get Hailey away. I need to get her out of here before something happens. There’re bound to be more attempts on him. I don’t want her near him when they go down.”

  “This whole situation sucks.” Jackson slapped a supportive hand on Austin’s shoulder. “Let’s take a peek at what Ethan sent us? We’ll go from there.”

  Austin nodded.

  They walked past most everyone laying around, snacking, watching a movie. Jen popped up from the floor and stepped up to Austin, smiling. “Bathrooms free. It’s your turn.”

  “Ah, I’ll clean up in a few minutes.”

  “Just so you guys know, the group has unanimously decided to have a smallish party in about twenty minutes—a couple beers, some cards, music, video games. We’ve earned one after today. I hope you’ll join us.” She smiled again, looking up from under her lashes.

  “Yeah, probably.” Austin shrugged, uncomfortable, aware that Jen was hitting on him. “Jackson and I have something to do first.”

  “Okay. See you in a bit.”

  Mumbling his assent, he and Jackson continued down the hall, shut themselves in the second bedroom, and locked it.

  “I’ll see you in a bit,” Jackson repeated in his best imitation of Jen as he batted his lashes and flounced his imaginary breasts.

  Despite the turn in their day, Austin laughed. Jackson’s sense of humor was never far from the surface.

  “You do realize she wants to tag your ass.” Jackson batted his lashes again and touched his tongue to his top lip.

  Austin grinned. “Yeah, well, she’ll have to look somewhere else.”

  Jackson sobered. “Things are pretty serious between you and Hailey.”

  “As serious as they get. She’s moving in with me when we get back.”

  Jackson’s brows shot up. “Really?”

  “She’s what I want. Why wait?”

  “Good for you, man. I’m happy for you, happy for both of you. Hailey’s a great lady—a sweetheart.”

  Austin set his laptop on the bunk and sat down. “Let’s see what Ethan sent us.” Austin hit a few buttons and read the e-mail. Wonder if you’ll find this as interesting as I do. Call me after you and Jackson have a chance to check it out.

  Intrigued, Austin clicked on the attachment. He frowned, staring at the grainy surveillance footage from a bar, dated last night. He leaned closer as Jackson crouched down next to him.

  “That looks like Hailey’s brother.” Jackson pointed.

  “Sure does. And look there. That’s Mateo. I wonder why they’re at the same bar but sitting so far apart. Kind of hard to have a conversation when you’re on opposite sides of the room.”

  “It’s almost as if they’re up to something.”

  Austin clicked on the next attachment Ethan had sent. It was more surveillance video, dated weeks earlier. He pressed a few buttons, displaying both images side-by-side. “There they are again, drinking beer across the room from one another. Holy shit.” Austin pointed to the edge of the screen. “Isn’t that...” he zoomed in further. “Dear God, yes…the girls that disappeared a month ago.”

  Two long-haired, long-legged young women danced to the music of the live band among the haze of cigarette smoke. After a while, the girls left the bar. Moments later, Mateo left, then Jeremy. “Those fucking bastards.”

  Austin clicked back to the newest footage, watching all twenty minutes. They didn’t see the girls that vanished last night, but they did watch Mateo and Jeremy leave in the same pattern they had the night the first two teens went missing. “The victims must’ve stayed out of camera range.”

  “Seems about right to me.”

  Through the thin walls of the next room came the sound of Hailey’s laughter, mingling with her brother’s. Austin leaped to his feet. Enough was enough. They had a fucking kidnapper in the house. It was time to end this, time to give Hailey the wakeup call she needed.

  Jackson stood. “What’re you doing?”

  “I’m going to show this to Hailey.”

  “Whoa, wait a minute, bro,” he put a restraining hand on Austin’s shoulder. “That’s not a good idea.”

  “I’ve been keeping this from her. All of it. I thought she was safer in the dark, but now I’m not so sure. I’m starting to think she’s in more danger not knowing. Maybe she’ll be willing to stay away from them if she realizes how high the stakes are.”

  “I don’t know, man. I think you’re jumping the gun. I’m thinking you should sit tight on this one.”

  Was he being rash?

  Hailey and Jeremy’s chuckles bounced into the room again. She wouldn’t be laughing if she knew her brother and Mateo were responsible for the kidnappings of four young women, and possibly the decapitation and mutilation of two men—probably more. She would be horrified.

  “Hailey keeps asking for some sort of proof. I finally hav
e something one hundred percent definitive. What if someone takes a shot at Donte the next time he comes around? What if they take her out instead?”

  Austin shook his head; he couldn’t stand the thought. This was the right thing to do. It would be easier to ask for her silence than to keep her in the dark. Hailey couldn’t protect herself if she was flying blind.

  “It’s your call, Austin. I’ll back you whichever way you want to play this, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  The jumpy bass of the stereo echoed down the hall, followed by playful hoots and laughter.

  “Sounds like the party’s starting.” Jackson reached for the doorknob. “I think I’ll go play chaperone.”

  “I’ll be down with Hailey in a bit—if she’s up to it. This is the right call.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.”

  Jackson stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

  Austin turned, staring at his laptop before he exed out of the screen. He sat a moment, putting his face in his hands, dreading the conversation he and Hailey were about to have. But it had to be done. Donte was popping up far too often. The odds of Hailey ending up in a dangerous situation increased each time.

  Sighing, Austin scrubbed his fingers against his jaw. How would he tell her? This was going to kill her. He would take it a step at a time. Be there for her. What else could he do?

  With a big breath, he stood, opened the door, and stepped into the hall just as Jeremy shut the door to the third bedroom.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m a little turned around. I thought that was the bathroom.”

  “Bathroom’s down the hall.”

  “I’m heading out. I’ll wait ‘til I get back to the yacht.” Jeremy walked past him. Austin followed, watching until Jeremy made it to the small launch down the beach.

  Hailey stared out her bedroom window as she pulled her hair through an elastic, fully intending to join her new friends for videogames and cards. The past five-and-a-half weeks had been grueling, each passing day more dangerous.