by Angela Foxxe
“Do you have access to the camera footage?”
“I don’t,” the woman said.
“Who does? Will you call them for me?”
“No one does.”
“I don’t understand.”
The woman sighed heavily.
“The cameras don’t work. They’ve never worked. Every time we put new cameras in, they overheat and the inner workings fry within a week or two. There’s something magnetic in the mountain that makes surveillance cameras useless.”
Senora was floored. She’d never heard anything like that before. Surely, this woman didn’t believe that?
“There’s not a single working camera in this hotel?”
“Nope,” the woman said.
“Great,” Senora said, turning when Ty came up behind them. “There are no cameras, Ty.”
“I’m not surprised. I’ve heard the mountains aren’t conducive to them.”
Senora rolled her eyes at Ty, her back turned to the clerk. There was no way that the explanation was scientifically sound. She was annoyed, but there was nothing she could do about everyone being hoodwinked by a ridiculous wife’s tale.
“What about the truck?” Ty asked, and Senora’s heart sank.
She had forgotten the truck.
Without another word to the clerk, they left and went out to the parking lot. The truck’s doors were slightly ajar, and Senora knew before she reached the vehicle that it was destroyed.
All the tires were slashed. But it wasn’t the tires that filled her with dismay. The door squeaked as she pulled it open, revealing the missing computer screen that had been forcefully removed from the dashboard, along with all the hardware beneath it. The truck was gutted and useless, every working part smashed in with a crowbar.
“They even sliced open the seats,” Ty said. “They wanted to make sure that no one used this truck.”
“I don’t think that’s all. I think that they wanted this laptop, and when they didn’t find it in the room, they were certain it would be in the truck. I wonder if the people who did this know that Kaden is dead.”
“There’s no telling,” Ty said. “But we need to get out of here. Right now, we’re just two nosey people on our way out of the hotel who happened upon the truck. If they’re watching and we linger, they’ll know it’s us.”
Senora nodded, resisting the urge to look around. Ty was right. They went straight to the rental and got in. Ty drove them out of the parking lot calmly and turned the corner, heading for highway 287 via highway 70.
“Do you have the address of the group home?” he asked.
“I do,” she said, typing it into the GPS on her phone and putting her phone on the holder on the dashboard. “Boise City is only five hours away. We can get there by three and be back late tonight.”
“We don’t have to come all the way back to Denver. Etienne’s parents moved to Pueblo after their daughter’s disappearance. They couldn’t stand to live in Denver anymore. Too many memories.”
“When did you find this out?”
“While you were sleeping. I made a few calls when I couldn’t sleep, then I got back into bed. You were sleeping like a rock.”
“I must have been.” She shook her head. “That cuts our drive time by two hours. So we’ll be there by lunch if we find Etienne where I expect her to be.”
“And if she remembers them and wants to see them. From what I read on her file that you have, she’s not cooperative and has a lot of anger issues.”
Senora turned and looked at him, her expression flat.
“Wouldn’t you?” she asked.
“I am not saying that I blame her for running. I just don’t know if she’s going to be ready to just leave. I just want you to be prepared for what could happen.”
“You’re right. We’ll play it by ear when we get there. I just want to pick her up and take her home and have everything be happily ever after. I know better than that. It rarely works out that easily.”
“Maybe this time will be better. When you were found, it was a happy ending, right?”
“Until they disappeared. But the year before that was blissful.”
She recounted everything she could remember about their disappearance that she hadn’t already shared, along with all the leads she’d followed that had led nowhere. It was a lot more than she realized. Her story continued through the countryside and a quick stop in a drive-thru to get lunch. It was almost an hour after she finished her meal when she finally exhausted all the information that she had. She leaned back into the seat and sat for a moment, bogged down by the weight of it all and feeling more hopeless than she had in a long time. She had so much to go on, and still, her parents had never been found. With all the resources available to her, and her dogged determination, she should have found something by now. But she hadn’t even found their car.
Ty drove in silence, somehow anticipating her need to sit with her thoughts for a few minutes without having to talk. Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn’t cry. She was stronger than that, and crying had never gotten her very far. She just needed a few moments to collect herself, and she would be back to normal.
She was grateful for his ability to read her so easily, and his willingness to respect her silent boundaries. It was a nice change of pace from the few times she’d worked with other agents. If he worked in her office and a long-term partnership was an option, she wouldn’t be as opposed to the idea as she originally was. They were good together, and he brought out the best in her and pushed her to do her job even better than she already did. They were made to work together, and as much as being close to him was a struggle, she was going to enjoy working with him until J put a stop to it. The way J had thrust them together, she thought that there was a good chance that they would be working together for at least a few more months, if not a year.
Maybe J was trying to recruit Ty.
“When was the last time you searched for them?” Ty asked after giving her some time to sort out her feelings and regain her composure.
“It’s been a while, as much as I hate to admit it. I’m so bogged down with cases, and every time I feel like I have a little breathing room, J hands me a few more.”
“Have you asked to take vacation time to work on it?”
“I haven’t. I don’t have time to take a vacation. I get a few days in here and there, but I get called back in or there’s just too much to justify time off.”
Ty looked away from the road for an instant to look at her. She knew what he was going to say before he said it.
“You need to make a vacation priority. Even if it’s just a week. You have to have time to refresh. You’re going to burnout, and then you’ll be no good to anyone. J should know that. That’s one of the things that they make clear in high-stress jobs. How much vacation time do you have accrued?”
“Four months.”
Ty laughed, but the sound was almost humorless.
“That’s funny and not funny all at the same time.”
“I know. I just don’t have the time.”
“You need to make time.”
“And what about getting called back in?”
“If your phone isn’t with you, they’ll move onto the next agent. You’re not the only one in the entire FBI doing what you do.”
“I am in my office. I only pick up certain cases.”
“But you travel for work, and another agent could travel just as easily.” He paused, reaching out to grab her hand and giving it a squeeze. “We can spend this entire drive arguing over all the reasons why you can take a vacation, and I’ll win in the end. Because I’m right, and you know it. Why not cut to the chase and we can plan a vacation?”
Senora’s stomach lurched, and her heart started pounding in her chest. Was he proposing a vacation together? There was no way she was going to-
“Before you come up with a million reasons why we can’t take a vacation together, I’m not talking about a romantic one. You need to decompress and ge
t away from all this craziness. I’m talking about a week in the wilderness. A nice cabin in the woods, two bedrooms if you want some space. A few neighbors but otherwise nothing but the sound of your own thoughts and our footfalls as we hike through the forests.”
“That sounds like heaven for you. I’m not sure that I’m okay with roughing it.”
“I think you can manage,” he teased. “I bet you’ll find out that you like the fresh air and the complete lack of wireless signal.”
“It’s tempting.”
“But?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then, say yes.”
She looked at him, then she looked away. They were passing another wooded area, the smell of the evergreen trees coming through the vents and swirling around her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, imagining what it would be like to spend some time in the woods when her life wasn’t in danger, and they weren’t looking for a missing hotel clerk.
“Alright,” she said. “Let’s do it.”
“You mean it?” Ty asked.
“You sound giddy.”
“I am. I haven’t had a vacation in a long time, and there’s nothing like taking one with someone you admire. It will be nice to go adventuring on a level playing field.”
Senora laughed.
“I think that you’ll always have an unfair advantage no matter what,” she said, still laughing.
“But as humans go, you’re a tough one. You’re going to love it. I promise.”
“As long as it’s just as friends.”
“I’m up for whatever you are,” he said, squeezing her hand one more time before he let her go. “I think the time will pass quicker than you think.”
“You do? Based on what?”
He pointed to the sign, and she was surprised to see that they’d talked their way through Colorado, and they were only twenty minutes from Boise City.
“Did you call ahead?” he asked.
“No.”
“Good plan.”
“If anything is going on there that I need to know about, I don’t want to give them a head’s up. They won’t deny me taking Etienne. From the sound of the report, they’ll probably push her out the door with her things.”
“That’s really sad.”
“It is, but at least we won’t have to jump through the normal hoops to get her. And she’s nearly aged out of the system. Her situation isn’t ideal, but it will help us get in and out quickly.”
Ty nodded, guiding the car off the highway and following the prompts from the GPS. Senora watched the street ahead, eager to get to Etienne and take her back to her home.
They turned down a peaceful, tree-lined street, and the GPS announced that their destination was on the right at the end of the road. Senora didn’t need to be told; she could already see the quiet, unassuming house that served as a children’s home and the upheaval that was taking place as Senora and Ty made their way down the block.
In the middle of the road stood a girl, barefoot and defiant, her body rigid as she faced off with the caretakers that had come out of the house to corral her. Her long, blonde hair reached her waist, falling in tight ringlets of gold that shone in the Oklahoma sun. Senora knew without seeing the girl from the front that this was Etienne.
And she was angry.
“Let me out here,” Senora said, opening the door before Ty could stop all the way.
He did as she asked, and Senora hit the ground running, flashing her badge at the caretakers and waving them back.
“Go inside!” she shouted at them.
“You have no idea what you’re dealing with,” one woman said, her face smug. “You can’t handle this child alone.”
“She doesn’t need to be handled,” Senora said, slowing down a few yards from Etienne. “She needs you to go inside and let me handle it.”
The caretakers looked at one another, and the first woman shrugged, her expression so haughty that Senora itched to slap her.
They left, leaving Senora in the street with Etienne, who was still standing with her back to Senora. A dozen tiny little faces were pressed to the windows in the front of the house, and Senora was not surprised to see the faces of the caretakers join them. They would be watching her every move and mentally patting themselves on the back for being better than Senora.
Senora ignored them. She was focused on the girl and the slim shoulders that were set so rigidly, her feet spread wide and planted on the hot asphalt as if the heat didn’t faze her.
“I know who you are,” she said quietly. “I know what you are. I know when you get angry that your body changes in ways that you can’t control. And I know that you can’t remember where you’ve been or how you got out. It’s amazing that you remembered your own name. I didn’t remember mine. I still don’t.”
The girl’s shoulders moved, and Senora knew she’d gotten over the first hurdle. Etienne didn’t turn, but raised her voice instead so that Senora could hear her.
“You were taken?”
“I was.”
“Did you ever find your parents?”
“No. I got new ones, and they loved me like I was their own.”
“No one wants me,” the girl said, the pain of that declaration so heavy in her voice that Senora had to fight back her own tears.
Her heart ached for this young woman who had been victimized twice in her short life. Once when she was kidnapped, and once when she was convinced by people that didn’t understand her that she wasn’t worthy of a new home and a loving family. When she was done reuniting Etienne with her family, she was going to have a long talk with the social worker in charge of this group home.
“I know of two people who want you very much. They never gave up hope, and they never stopped believing that you would come home.”
Etienne did turn this time, her pretty face streaked with tears, bright green eyes shining in the afternoon sunlight.
“You found my parents?” she asked.
“They were never lost,” Senora said. “We found you, and we want to take you out of here and back to your home where you’re safe and loved.”
Etienne looked up at Ty, then back to Senora as if the mere sight of the large, muscle bound man terrified her.
“Is he a cop? I don’t want to go to jail.”
Senora closed her eyes, trying to keep it together as her heart broke a little more with each question. What had happened to this teen since she’d been found was almost as bad as what had happened before. It was all Senora could do not to shoot angry glares at the caretakers who had failed this young woman so thoroughly. Was this how Addie had ended up so troubled?
“He’s a special kind of cop. He’s like you, but he knows how to control the changes and he doesn’t have to hide who he is.”
“He’s a dragon?” she whispered, looking around as if the mere mention of the words terrified her.
“He’s a wolf,” Senora confirmed. “Look, we can leave here right now, and you never have to see this place again. Your parents are three hours from here. You can be home tonight if you’re ready to see them. If you’re not, we can-”
“I want to see them. I want to see them now.”
Senora nodded.
“Then, get in the car, and I’ll have Ty get your things and-”
“Those aren’t my things. They can have everything that I had in my backpack. I don’t want anything from them.”
“What about your shoes?”
“I don’t want anything they gave me.”
“Fair enough,” Senora said.
She held out her hand to the girl, and Etienne eyed the offer with some suspicion.
“I’m not going to make you go anywhere or do anything you don’t want to do,” Senora said.
“You promise?” her voice trembled.
“I promise.”
Her soft hand slipped into Senora’s then, and the two of them walked hand in hand to the car. The head caretaker came out and hollered in their direction, but Senora could
n’t make out the words, and she didn’t care. They had failed Etienne big time; they could deal with the mess of paperwork that would come with explaining where the girl had gone. Or they could claim she’d run away and wash their hands of it. Either way, Senora didn’t care.
They got into the car, Senora climbing into the back with Etienne and opening her arms to her when the girl leaned against her, her thin body shaking like a leaf.
“You’re not even going to sign paperwork?” Ty asked, sounding more than a little amused.
“I’ll call it in on Monday,” she said. “Right now, I only have one job.”
“Sounds good to me,” Ty said, turning around and heading back the way they came. “Where to next, Boss.”
“Eighteen hundred and three Main Street, Pueblo,” Senora said. “Let’s take Etienne home.”
*
Senora and Ty quietly let themselves out of the two-story house, their hearts filled from the hours they’d spent with Etienne’s family. After making sure that Etienne was ready to be reunited with her family, Senora had placed a call to the shocked parents, letting them know that they were a little over two hours away. By the time Senora and Ty showed up, the house was filled with family members and the smell of dinner cooking in the kitchen.
Senora had been worried that it would all be too overwhelming for Etienne, but to her delight, the family stayed in one side of the house, letting Etienne and her parents have a quiet, tear-filled reunion for almost an hour before the siblings were brought in. She could tell from the look on Etienne’s face that she was remembering some things, but many of her memories were still a blur. What Etienne did remember was how home and family felt, and she fell into sync with these people so quickly that Senora was left in awe of her resilience. She expected it to take far longer for Etienne to feel at home, but she guessed that anything was better than the place she’d been in this afternoon.
The door opened quietly behind them, and Etienne’s father, Francis, stood on the stoop for a moment, then raced down the stairs to where they were.
