by Taylor Lee
The boys filled in another missing piece in Nicki’s masterful blueprint. That was how Volkov had managed to seduce party goers to secret locations that even now the boys still could not identify. They knew the city they were in only because they were either given first-class plane tickets, or taken by private jet to the party city. Once they arrived they were led on a lavish scavenger hunt going from one location to another only learning the succeeding location when they arrived at the interim stop. Every stop was unique and unexpected. In one city it included a ride on a Ferris wheel, a trip to an aquarium where they were given a plastic shark trinket that held the finest coke either of the boys had sniffed, followed by a seven-course dinner in a five-star restaurant, with a final stop at a BDSM fetish club. The ultimate location of the actual two day drug ridden festivities was almost an anti-climax. Neither James nor Rob could do more that give a brief travelogue description of the actual party venue. They insisted that their brains didn’t clear until several days after they returned home. They attributed their virtual amnesia to the quality of the hallucinogenics they imbibed. At this point in their broken state, nothing in Daniel and Cameron’s persuasive bag of tricks elicited additional information. Rafe was reasonably confident the boys—so far their only witnesses to the actual events—had revealed everything they knew. Two days with Cameron and Daniel would ensure that the naked and terrified degenerate pair were busted and broken by pros who had interrogated the best of the worst. Then Rafe would send them home, much worse for the wear and not able to do a damn thing about the abuse they’d suffered. For once, all their money and powerful connections were of no value. Worst of all they’d know that at any moment, for any reason, the videotapes of them naked and crying for their mamas would become an overnight YouTube sensation for the entertainment of their peers.
Not surprisingly Nicki’s interviewing style was radically different. She and Katya had spent the better part of two days interviewing young women who were friends of the kidnap victims. Finally they got a break. The chatter in the Cave ground to an immediate halt when Nicki signaled for silence and flashed the webcam picture of the young girl she was interviewing up on the screens.
In a quiet comforting voice, Nicki drew one critical fact after another from the sobbing girl.
“Okay, honey, so you didn’t go to the party with Sophie as you’d planned because you got sick that morning, is that right?”
The young girl held her face in her hands, crying bitterly. After a long moment her tear stained face filled the screens.
“It…it’s my fault. I…I was the one who convinced Sophie to go. She didn’t want to. She was afraid her mom and dad would be mad if they found out she was lying. And now, now she is hurt…and gone…and it’s all my fault.”
A fresh torrent of tears drowned out her words.
Rafe marveled at Nicki’s presence, as she waited until the girl regained some composure then pressed on.
“That’s right, Mindy, you and I both know that Sophie is in serious trouble. But because you were brave enough to tell me what happened you can help us find her and bring her home. Will you do that, honey? Will you help me find Sophie?”
“Do I have to tell my parents what happened?”
“Yes, Mindy we do need to tell your parents and Sophie’s parents. But remember you may be the only person who can help us find her. Now tell me again about the invitation you received to the party this Saturday.”
The silence in the Cave was deafening at the grenade Nicki calmly tossed into the conversation. “Party?” As she continued her gentle, perceptive interrogation, Nicki calmly split the screen and typed in the address and profile of the young girl and her parents. After a quick conversation with Rafe, Grayson began organizing a team of agents to blanket the area surrounding Mindy’s home.
Nicki continued in her calm comforting voice.
“No honey, I won’t be coming to your house but in a little while another woman who will look like a cleaning lady will come to your house. She is going to help you tell your mom and dad what happened and what we want you to do next. Remember, you are not going anywhere. I want you to stay at home where you are safe. In a little while a landscaping truck will pull up at your house. All those men in the landscaping uniforms are actually people who work with me. They are going to keep you and your family safe and help us figure out exactly where the party will be on Saturday night. For right now, before the nice lady comes to talk to your mom and dad, let’s go over what you told me before.”
Between sobs, Mindy recapped the instructions she’d received for the previous party, before she got sick and Sophie ended up going by herself.
Within minutes, the technical crew had tapped into Mindy’s cellphone and were downloading her latest text messages.
Nicki recapped her conversation with the young girl to bring the team up to date.
“They told you last night that Sophie missed you, and hoped you would come to the party on Saturday night because she was going to be there, is that right? Okay, and they said the party would be in New York or in Washington, correct? Mm hmm. Okay, honey, that’s great. Now, for the last party, they didn’t send you the location until the day of the party, correct? Okay, and if you hadn’t gotten sick, a limousine was going to pick you and Sophie up at her house and take you to the party. But Sophie ended up going by herself, correct?”
A fresh flood of tears stopped the interrogation for several moments, then Mindy sobbed, “It sounded like so much fun. We were going to get to wear our new dresses and a limousine was going to pick up just the two of us. We told our parents that we were going to a weekend party at Sarah’s aunt’s house in Connecticut.”
Nicki interjected, “And your parents were okay with that?”
For the first time the spoiled little rich girl crept into Mindy’s narrative.
“Of course! We’re seventeen, you know. And we have been going to weekend parties, like forever!”
Nicki kept her tone free of judgment.
“Do the parties always have drugs and alcohol available?”
“Yes. Just like our parents’ parties. Why should we be any different? Sophie and I are going away to college next year. We can take care of ourselves. Our moms and dads know that.”
“Mm hmm. One more thing, Mindy, before the lady comes to help you tell your mom and dad about what happened. Tell me again about the blond man who was in the limo that picked Sophie up. Sophie texted you his picture, correct?”
At that moment, Nicki split the screen again and a picture of a handsome blond man appeared on the screen. Within minutes, the techies had combed the FBI database and the profile of twenty-nine-year-old Aiden Franks scrolled across the screen. His rap sheet was several pages long. Early into the clipped history of rape, armed robbery, drug dealing and armed assault, it was clear that the blond-haired charmer was a very bad dude, and the palpable concern in the Cave ratcheted even higher than it had been before.
Twenty minutes later confirmation came from Cameron that Rob and James stated Aiden Franks was the last person they saw with Hillary—although he had introduced himself as Aiden Forester. A clipped note accompanied the confirmation.
R.
Additional scars applied. Rob and James agree going forward they won’t withhold info. Will continue to seek additional facts when subjects stop crying long enough to respond.
Cam
P.S. Never knew one guy had so much piss in him. Danny says we’re going to restrict liquids for a while or allow them to wear Depends. Come to think of it, diapers might add interest to the videos we’re making for You Tube.
Laughter and guffaws at their teammate’s gallows humor echoed throughout the Cave.
Within the hour Rafe had a team of six men covering Mindy’s house and dispatched agents to update Senator Chambers, Bernie Schwartz and Judge Peterson, and their wives. The rest of the day was spent organizing a team to cover the Saturday night party as soon as Mindy received confirmation of the city where it woul
d take place. A skilled internet child pornography expert assumed Mindy’s e-mail and texting persona. No one would guess that Jeff Phillips, the grey-haired, 250-pound former Army Ranger sitting at his computer reviewing specs for an armed assault on the party site was the same person who kept up a running chatter with Mindy’s friends in flawless teenage girl-speak. Jeff’s goal was to be as convincing to Volkov and his minions when they connected with “Mindy,” as he was to her girlfriends who sought his opinion on their Brazilian bikini wax, and whether they should sleep with their latest boyfriend, or make him wait a night or two to whet his appetite.
Chapter 22
Throughout the day more of the puzzle pieces fell into place as the teams reported in. Rafe now had over fifty agents working the case, not counting Vlad’s team that was scouring the Russian mob for clues to Volkov’s identity. Twenty-five agents were preparing to cover the party once they had a bead on the location. Nicki was the heroine of the day. Every ISA agent—whether in person or via email—congratulated Nicki on her breakthrough work. They crowed that it was her persistence, and her insights, that put them within range of finding the kidnapped girls. Nicki was gracious but reminded the admiring throng that while they had made huge progress they still didn’t have a clue where the girls were… or who the hell Volkov was.
Grayson and Caleb settled into the comfortable armchairs next to the sofa in Rafe’s office as Rafe rifled in his liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Glenfiddich. He plunked the bottle and three glasses on the coffee table in front of them and sunk down on the sofa with a weary grunt.
“Damn, what a day!”
Both Caleb and Grayson nodded in agreement. The three of them had not stopped working since early morning and it was nearing dinnertime. They’d agreed that they had done all they could until the next morning, when “Mindy” got the final location for the Saturday night affair.
“I don’t know about the two of you, but I think a drink is in order.” Rafe held up the bottle of Scotch and grinned when both Caleb and Grayson snatched a glass from the table and held it up to him to fill it.
Caleb gave an uncustomary sigh and grimaced, “Hell yeah, and don’t stint on the booze, bro. May as well fill it to the top. I’m gonna need a couple of these to get my mojo cranking. Can’t remember the last time I’ve sat on my ass for nine hours straight.”
Grayson chuckled in agreement and raised his glass to Rafe.
“I know we still don’t know exactly where we will be tomorrow, but I gotta tell you, we are a hell of a lot closer than I thought we would be. Thanks to Nicki, by tomorrow morning we’ll likely have the city pinpointed and be on our way to discovering the exact location. Damn, it’s gonna feel good to finally get a venue nailed down. No one can case a joint the way we can and it’s gonna be sweet to crash that party ISA style.”
Rafe nodded in agreement but cautioned, “I don’t have to tell you that even though we’re likely to have enough information to crash the party, that doesn’t mean we will find the girls. No telling where the bastards have them sequestered. There’s no way they will be at the party site. But you’re right. We had a huge breakthrough today, and once again Nicki and her instincts led the way.”
“Here, here,” Caleb shouted and Rafe and Grayson joined him in clicking their glasses in a salute to their absent colleague.
Rafe stood, his nervous energy making it impossible to sit in one place. He paced the room, unable to get Nicki out of his mind. She’d barely acknowledged his congratulations, and just shook her head when he suggested she join Caleb and Grayson in his office for a celebratory toast. Not that he blamed her. This room held a landmine of memories.
Rafe tried to concentrate on Caleb and Grayson’s conversation, but his mind kept drifting back to the scene last night. He could still see Nicki marching through the doorway, her cheeks flushed and eyes blazing and hear Grayson’s chuckle as he got out of the way of certain fireworks. But there was nothing funny about her anger or her hurt. Remembering her anguish when she ran from the room, Rafe shook his head as if to extinguish the memory. Dragging his hands through his hair he asked himself again, as he had all throughout the day, why he had sent her that stupid text. Christ, what had gotten into him? Wasn’t he the guy everyone looked to as a master strategist? Right! And as if the text message wasn’t bad enough, he’d jumped all over her like a caveman threatening to kill anybody who so much as touched her. His gaze landed on the sofa. Remembering the sight of her gorgeous body stretched out before him he groaned out loud.
“Uh, Rafe. Back here, man.”
Rafe looked up startled to see both Grayson and Caleb staring at him.
Feeling like an idiot, he tried to wave off their obvious concern.
“Sorry. I have a lot on my mind. Uh, what was your question?”
Caleb gave him a questioning frown, but Rafe didn’t miss the twinkle in the irrepressible man’s eyes.
“Man, Rafe. You were in a different world. Hell, a different universe! I asked you three times if you were ready to go to dinner. Andre will be insulted if we don’t get over there in the next few minutes. He’s making bouillabaisse—he knows it’s one of your favorites. You keep insisting that Nicki needs to eat. Guess we’re gonna have to do the same for you.”
Rafe grimaced.
“You’re right, Caleb. For once,” he added with a forced attempt at humor.
“Come to think of it, lunch was a long time ago. Let’s get the hell out of here. We obviously all need a break.”
At his instigation, they tossed back their Scotch and dropped their empty glasses on the table with a clatter, then headed to the door.
As they walked down the hallway to the central lodge, Grayson said in a casual voice, “Speaking of Nicki not eating, she asked me if she could go into town tonight. She’s got some kind of a dinner engagement. I assumed that wasn’t a problem.”
Rafe jerked to a halt, heat flooding his face.
“What the hell are you talking about, Gray? You didn’t tell her she could go, did you?”
Gray pulled up short and stared at Rafe.
“Hell, man. Whadda you think? Of course I told her to go. She’s been working almost 24/7, at least sixteen hours at a crack, since she and Caleb got back from El Paso. And we all know if it wasn’t for her ‘instincts’ as you call them, we wouldn’t be a day away from tracking down the party site, as well as….”
Rafe broke in. “Fuck, Gray, you think I don’t know all that? This isn’t about whether she deserves a break, it’s just that I don’t want her leaving the complex.”
He quickly added, “I mean I don’t want anyone leaving the complex tonight.”
The two old friends suffered a lengthy silence. Finally, Grayson simply nodded, and the men continued on toward the great room next to the formal dining room. Several groups of men were sitting in the comfortable overstuffed chairs flanking the massive stone fireplace, toasting one another, just as Gray, Caleb and Rafe had been doing moments before. The rest of the men were lined up at the dining room entrance filing in for what promised to be a celebratory dinner. The laughter and raised voices spoke to the high spirits caused by the break in their case.
As they moved to join the crowd at the door, Caleb gave a long, low whistle.
“I’ll be damned. If someone tells me I’ll never see an angel before I die, I’ll tell them they lied. I swear if that isn’t an angel, I don’t know my ass from an AK47! Damn, will you look at that woman? How the hell can any of us get any work done with Cleofuckinpatra sitting next to us?”
Rafe heard Nicki’s low melodic laugh before he saw her, then came to a dead stop at the sight. She and Katya were walking down the hallway, giggling at something Katya had said. A steel vise gripped Rafe’s chest, forcing the air out of his lungs. A rush of adrenalin hit him the way it did before he prepared to fight. But unlike the usual calm that settled over him before a battle, every nerve ending was strung tight as a bow.
Caleb hollered out as he marched ov
er to Nicki, preparing to give her a big kiss, “Hey, hotstuff, you aren’t going out looking like that… at least not without one of us to keep the hungry wolves at bay, are you?”
“No she isn’t.” Rafe’s voice was grim, unwavering.
In that heated moment, Rafe vowed that he would die before he’d let her leave the lodge looking the way she did. It wasn’t that her dress was any more revealing than the ones she usually wore; in fact, at first glance it looked as though she was wearing a simple white blouse and slim black skirt. The blouse was sleeveless and flared at her waist accentuating the curve of her hips. But when she faced him head on, Rafe drew in a sharp breath. The blouse was cut on the bias in a way that particularly accentuated her full breasts. The high-starched collar opened to a row of tiny buttons from the top of the abbreviated bodice to her waist. What seemed demure at first glance was anything but.
The top button was low enough to reveal the swell of the pale soft mounds hovering beneath. Rafe estimated that it would take a clumsy man no more than a minute to pop open that row of buttons—and an expert like himself could do it in mere seconds. The way her breasts strained at the buttons, the man who undid them would have been doing a service. And if anyone thought that a plain black skirt couldn’t scream sex, they hadn’t seen this one on Nicki. Closing in on her, Rafe saw that like everything she wore, the outfit appeared molded to her body. What would have been an innocent combination on nearly any other woman was incendiary on Nicki.
