Sweet Justice

by Christy Reece

  “The plain one needed someone to stay with her.” Her smooth brow furrowed with confusion. “She’s more scared than others have been. Having me there to instruct her on her destiny was important.”

  Alden grunted his approval. Sacrifices were necessary to ensure the health and well-being of new family members. “You will be with me tonight.”

  Her face lit up. “It would be my honor.”

  “Good. We’ll have a light dinner and then retire early.”

  She nodded eagerly and then said, “I’ve promised the girl you might come by for a visit.”

  Alden frowned, not comfortable with the unusual request. The rules were there for a reason. “That’s not the usual procedure.”

  “I know, but she’s doing so much better than she was a few nights ago, I wanted to give her a reward. What greater privilege could there be than to spend some time with you?”

  Emotion swelled his chest. How fortunate he was to have his treasure. No matter what woman he eventually took as his wife, he’d always have his Tabitha by his side.

  He took her hand and led her down the steep trail. She and two elders were the only ones allowed to visit him while he was at the top, in solitude. From time to time, he glanced at her, relishing the beauty of her slender frame. At twenty, she was a young lady, developed in her body and her mind. Alden had nurtured her from infancy and she had blossomed into even more than he had envisioned. Lois hadn’t understood their connection—had called it unnatural. One of the many reasons she’d had to depart this earth.

  On level ground now, he allowed her to lead him to the concrete building where their new members began their training. Tabitha opened the door for him and he entered the darkened, silently chilled hallway. Each holding room was small and necessarily utilitarian. The initial training began here. In the back of the building, where privacy could be had, advanced training was conducted.

  Alden made his way down the hallway, peeking inside each door he stopped at, checking on the occupants. Only three of the rooms were in use. When the demands grew greater, as he knew they would at some point, they could easily double up and have two girls to each room. It would be an interesting experiment to see how that altered their perception of their new life.

  He stopped at a room and Tabitha unlocked the door and pushed it open. The young blonde lay on the small cot, her arms and legs secure, her body nude.

  Unclothed, she was much heavier than Alden remembered. Perhaps her diet would need to be adjusted. He would confer with their healer before he made that decision. Also, since he’d yet to select her mate, he didn’t want to alter her appearance too much. A few of the men might enjoy a meatier woman.

  With his gentle, practiced smile, one he’d created especially for new additions, he gazed down at her. “How are you, my sweet?”

  She opened her eyes. Ah yes, now he remembered why he’d chosen her. Such an enchanting color of light blue, almost the exact shade of the sky in the early autumn.

  Those eyes clouded with tears as she whispered, “Please, let me go home.”

  “This is your home, my sweet.” Lowering his head till his mouth touched the delicate shell of her ear, he whispered softly, “One you’ll never leave again.”

  Feeling considerably better, Seth entered McCall’s office at exactly eight o’clock. A five-mile run and an ice-cold shower had been a necessity after his brief talk with Honor. He never should have touched her.

  At a small noise behind him, he looked over his shoulder to see Honor, Livingston, and Thorne come in behind him.

  McCall stepped around to the front of his desk and sat in the seat Honor had occupied earlier. He gestured at the floor. “All yours, Stone.”

  Her demeanor solemn and all business, Honor stood next to the screen that revealed the five faces of the young women who were missing.

  “Drenda Greene, Karen Hatcher, Anna Bradford, Missy Meads, and Kelli Cavanaugh. Drenda has been missing the longest—about eighteen months. Karen was reported missing three months after Drenda. The other three, Anna, Missy, and Kelli, disappeared this year. The police and FBI have been involved in each case. Since the disappearances are spread across the country, separated by months with the only similarities being that the women were in college, the cases are not considered related.”

  She pointed at a girl with brown hair and dark brown eyes. “This is Anna Bradford, from Halo, Arizona. She’s twenty-four and disappeared from Durrant University in Harristown, Oregon.”

  Pointing to another photograph, she said, “Missy Meads, from Bloomington, Indiana. She has no family and, from what her file indicates, no friends. No one reported her missing until her landlady went to collect the rent and realized she was gone. It’s possible that she was missing at least two weeks before her disappearance was noticed.”

  As she went through the skeletal biography Seth had been able to dig up of each young woman, he was once again reminded of Honor’s competence. No matter his personal feelings; he was damn glad she was on the case. The compassion was there, but tempered with a fierce determination. A determination shared by him.

  “The last one to go missing was Kelli Cavanaugh, Seth’s niece.” Intelligent, golden-green eyes settled on Seth. “I’ll go over the background we have on her. After that, if you have anything to add, please do.”

  Seth nodded. “Thanks.”

  All eyes were on the screen as the photograph of a blond-haired, blue-eyed Kelli appeared. “Kelli is a twenty-year-old sophomore. Her home is in Houston. She attended Rice University last year, but transferred to a private college in Iowa this past semester. According to her parents, she’s shy and has only a few close friends. She’s studying computer science. The day she disappeared, she went to all of her classes but the last one. She never returned to her dorm.”

  Seth hadn’t seen Kelli in over a year. Joel had given him the most recent picture he had of her, but he didn’t think she’d changed a lot from the last time he’d seen her. Still that sweet, shy smile, the inevitable Cavanaugh dimple in her right cheek, and the slightly up-tilted nose that all of his sisters had lamented over when they were growing up.

  A poignant memory tugged at him. When Kelli was little, maybe about six, Seth had been teaching her how to ride a bike. She’d panicked going down a small hill, lost control, and wrecked. His heart had been in his throat, but she had been up on her feet before he could get to her. Blood had been running down her leg from a badly scraped knee and she’d had an angry-looking scratch on her chin. Instead of crying, she’d grinned and said, “I reckon I forgot to brake, Uncle Seth.” He’d grabbed her and hugged her hard, afraid it’d be weeks before she’d be willing to try again. Instead, she had insisted on getting back on her bike immediately.

  She had been a tough kid … he hoped to hell she was still tough.

  Aware that Honor had finished with Kelli’s bio, Seth leaned forward and told them what he remembered about his niece. “She is shy around strangers, but with her family or those she feels comfortable with, she’s very outgoing. She’s compassionate and loves animals of all kinds. Has a great sense of humor, doesn’t do well in sports, but is a whiz at computer games.” Realizing he’d shared almost nothing helpful, he added, “I haven’t seen her in a while. Most of these are the things I remember about her when she was younger.”

  The sympathy on Honor’s face had him swallowing hard. He hadn’t realized how emotional he’d felt until he’d started talking.

  “Stone, you have a plan you’re ready to share yet?” McCall asked.

  Moved by Seth’s obvious affection for his niece, Honor cleared her throat and turned back to the group. Focus was always an important element while on a mission … during the next few weeks, it would be even more so. Working this case was going to be hard for Seth. For the plan she was about to recommend, it was going to be hard for her, too.

  “I’d like to send Jared to both Missy Meads’s and Karen Hatcher’s homes and their last known locations. Since those places are
only a few hours apart, he should be able to cover both within a few days.”

  Aware that Seth might disagree, she nevertheless turned to Aidan and said, “I’d like for you to go to Houston and interview the Cavanaughs, talk to Kelli’s friends, former teachers, and classmates at Rice, and then head to Iowa and talk with her teachers and classmates there.”

  Reasonably prepared to handle whatever objections Seth might throw at her, she looked at him and said, “You and I will interview Anna Bradford’s and Drenda Greene’s families.”

  Though she saw surprise on his face, all he said was “When do we leave?”

  Noah answered for her: “I’ll have the jet available at nine in the morning.”

  She nodded her thanks to Noah and then looked around the room. “Any questions?”

  All of the men shook their heads. “Good. We’ll meet on the plane at nine.” She shot a look at Noah. “I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes.”

  Noah nodded and stood. “Good luck, everyone, and be safe. If these disappearances are related, whoever is doing this won’t go down without a fight. Be vigilant.”

  Honor deliberately didn’t look behind her as Seth, Aidan, and Jared left the room. Hearing the door click behind her, she allowed herself one small, relieved breath.

  “Everything okay?” McCall asked.

  Honor turned to her boss. It had taken two years and a near-death experience for her to decide to come work for Last Chance Rescue. Known for her professionalism and coolheadedness at the Bureau, she wanted to bring those same qualities to the first op she was leading here.

  “I just wanted to reassure you that my past relationship with Seth won’t interfere with this mission.”

  “If I thought it would, Honor, I never would have assigned it to you.”

  She had known that, but had felt the need to reassure him. Hell, maybe she was just reassuring herself.

  And yet she continued to explain: “I assigned him to work with me. I know Aidan’s and Jared’s abilities and training. I don’t know Seth’s.”

  McCall’s mouth relaxed into a half smile. “Again, Honor, you don’t need to explain your actions or how you make your assignments. I trust your judgment.”

  “Any hope of getting Dylan’s help on this one?”

  Something odd flickered in McCall’s expression. Most LCR ops were done on a need-to-know basis. However, it had been months since she’d seen Dylan Savage. She’d worked with him on a couple of rescues before she’d started with LCR, but none since. It was almost like he’d gone into hiding.

  “He’s working a case that’s taking most of his time these days.”

  She nodded, knowing McCall would reveal nothing else. Changing the subject to something she’d meant to ask him this morning, she said, “How’s Samara feeling?”

  “She’s doing great. Morning sickness is over, thank God.” A full-fledged grin brightened his face. “Now she’s driving me crazy with names. Since neither one of us wants to know the sex of the baby, she’s got double the names she can’t decide on. And since Shea and Ethan’s baby girl was born, Shea’s giving her suggestions, too.”

  She laughed softly at the slightly bemused expression on her boss’s face. The tough-as-bullets Noah McCall loved his wife and son to distraction, and it was obvious he was thrilled about the new addition to the family. One of the many reasons she had wanted to work for Last Chance Recue was the humanity she’d seen in McCall.

  “Any last-minute suggestions on finding these young women?”

  “Trust your gut. I followed the cases when each of the girls disappeared. Based upon the number of young women who go missing each year, I agree with the FBI’s assessment that these particular cases have few similarities.”

  “Then why are we treating this case as if they are related?”

  “Finding missing persons is our job. Even if they aren’t related, if, in our investigation, we can find just one, we’ve accomplished a lot.”

  “But if we find them all …”

  McCall’s eyes gleamed. “Then we’ve accomplished a miracle.”

  Seth stepped onto the Gulfstream G650 and took a moment to gaze around at the surprising luxury of LCR’s jet. Ten chairs plus a couple of narrow sofas, all covered in cream-colored leather, were scattered throughout the cabin. A small table against one wall held coffee and pastries; another table in the corner held a large-screen TV.

  He turned to see Aidan Thorne coming down the aisle toward him. Carrying a cup of coffee in one hand and a doughnut in the other, Thorne flashed a grin. “Nice ride, huh?”

  “Very.”

  Downing half the doughnut with one bite, Aidan shrugged. “LCR has some wealthy benefactors. This particular jet used to belong to a prince in the Middle East. Last year we rescued two of his children. This was his thank-you gift.”

  Seth had done his research on LCR. Not only was their organization’s rescue success phenomenal; cases were never turned down because of an individual’s inability to pay. In his opinion, whatever they received, money, gifts, or special favors, they deserved.

  After more than a week of dead ends in his own investigation of Kelli’s disappearance, he’d realized he would have to go for outside help. He had the experience to find her, but not the resources he knew it’d take. After a couple of days of researching rescue organizations, Last Chance Rescue had been his first choice.

  Seth handed his bags to a smiling flight attendant and then helped himself to a cup of coffee. Taking a seat across from Aidan Thorne, he eyed the seemingly laid-back LCR operative. Yesterday, he’d observed a warm camaraderie between Thorne and Honor. Were they something more than co-workers or friends? A couple of times they’d finished each other’s sentences, as if they had some kind of connection or special bond. Was he not only going to have to work with Honor but also be subjected to seeing her with a lover? Another degree of hell he hadn’t expected.

  A sound to his right brought his head around. Jared Livingston came through the door like a dark, ominous cloud. Wordlessly, he handed the flight attendant his bag, grabbed a cup of coffee from the table, and then sat down several seats away. Without acknowledging anyone, he lowered his head and proceeded to read the documents in the folder he’d brought with him.

  Seth got the impression that the black-haired, silver-eyed operative was a loner. In yesterday’s meeting, though he’d asked pointed questions and offered intelligent observations, he’d engaged in no small talk or joined in conversations with anyone. Solitude surrounded him like an impenetrable shield.

  “We set?”

  Seth watched as Honor made her way down the aisle to them, and swallowed past an immediate dryness in his mouth. He’d spent five long years trying to forget that loose-hipped walk that somehow exuded both competent professionalism and gorgeous, sexy femininity. Dressed in another pantsuit, this time navy blue and just as serious-looking as the one she’d worn yesterday, paired with a white blouse with ruffles. One of the many things he’d loved about her was the paradox between her professional persona and the woman outside the job. As his lover, she’d not only been feminine and sweet, she’d been the sexiest and most giving woman he’d ever known.

  “All set,” Aidan answered.

  Jared Livingston lifted his head, offered a grim nod, and went back to reading.

  Seth gave her a nod, too, and then, forcing himself to look away, pushed the past where it belonged. Last night, he’d spent considerable time lecturing himself about working with Honor. A lecture he fully intended to remember and abide by. And her behavior yesterday was an indication that she’d put the past behind her, too. She’d been professional but pleasant. Seth told himself he could do the same. Okay, so the pleasant part would require some work, but dammit, he would try.

  Lifting his gaze from the folder whose contents he had memorized, Jared Livingston turned to the window to watch the building’s blur as the jet taxied, then zoomed down the runway for takeoff. This was his favorite part of flying … the exhila
ration of speed. Damn, he loved that belly-dropping moment when the wheels went up.

  Though he enjoyed that moment, he was also aware of what the other occupants of the plane were doing. Aidan was pretending that flying didn’t bother him by cracking a wise-ass comment. Jared had come to work for LCR six months ago, and one thing he’d learned about Aidan Thorne was that you should never believe the surface of the man. Behind that cocky grin and bad-boy demeanor lay secrets. But that was Aidan’s business. Digging deeper and knowing the man better wasn’t on Jared’s agenda. Who didn’t have secrets?

  Eyes still on the blurring view outside the window, Jared turned his attention to Honor Stone. He’d met her a half dozen times and had worked one rescue with her. She seemed competent, if a bit too soft. Since she’d been an FBI agent and had dealt with some seriously dangerous criminals, he assumed the softness was a façade. Again, everyone had their secrets.

  Seth Cavanaugh sat to the right of Stone and was doing his best to act as if he wasn’t totally aware of her. They had a past. Didn’t take a genius to see that or to know that the chemistry was still there. Jared saw past the chemistry to the hurt both of them refused to acknowledge. Their story wasn’t over.

  The jet leveled out. The small jolt of excitement over, Jared returned to the file for Missy Meads. He’d be interviewing her employer and people who knew her in Indiana before he went on to Michigan to interview Karen Hatcher’s family and friends.

  Last night, he’d spent hours on the files … knew them by heart now. However, Missy Meads’s story continued to draw him back to her. Each time he read it, the details made him angrier. How the hell could a young girl be gone for two frigging weeks and no one report her missing? He knew the answer, but it only infuriated him more. Truth was—nobody gave a damn.

  No family; she’d been raised in an orphanage. Had few friends, if any. Lived alone in a small, cheap apartment off campus. Worked at a pizzeria that had closed down for repairs about the time she went missing. Hell, even her professors didn’t notice when she didn’t show up for class. Apparently no tests had been given during that period. The girl had been invisible.