Trust No One

by Velvet Vaughn

  "Can you hear me?" Dante asked.

  "Loud and clear."

  "Tyler cracked into the satellite. Maggie's patching in so she can relay info."

  "Hey, everyone," Maggie said.

  "Hey, Mags. Kendall is on the line, too. I don't think you've met."

  "Hi, Maggie," Kendall said. "Thank you for all you're doing to help."

  "Hi back, Kendall, and no thanks necessary. I almost jumped in my car and headed up there yesterday when I heard about Daphne. I'd do anything to get her back safely. I'm watching you guys drive into the park now."

  "Hacking into the government satellite, Mags? That's a little risky, don't you think?"

  "Like I said, anything to get Daphne back. Besides, Tyler did the hacking. The kid's a freaking boy genius."

  "Kid?" Dante scoffed. "He's your age."

  "I'm two years older, thank you very much. That makes him a kid in my book."

  "Peter will have a coronary if he finds out," Dorian cautioned. He turned to Kendall. "Peter is a gifted computer guru but he's also very moral and kind-hearted."

  "In other words," Dante added, "he doesn't walk that fine line between legal and not-so-legal like the rest of us."

  Maggie burst out laughing. "I think he might have broken a few laws when he was helping Ben rescue Rachel and April. Besides, who do you think authorized Tyler to hack away?"

  Dorian's voice was gruff. "Thank him for me. Tyler, too. And you, Mags."

  "What's with all this thanking? You don't need to thank family."

  Kendall smiled. What an amazing group of people Dorian worked with. They were more than co-workers. They were family. She wanted to meet each one of them when this was over and personally thank them for helping.

  "Okay, you're almost at the spot," Maggie said. "There are people milling about, but none suspicious yet."

  "We're a few minutes early," Dorian noted. "What's your twenty, Costa?"

  "Coming up behind you," he said. "I'm headed to a location in the trees where I can observe."

  Dorian executed a U-turn and then stopped along the side of the road and killed the engine. "I'm not parking in the lot where we could be pinned in," he explained.

  "Good thinking."

  There were a few people jogging along the path that ran parallel to the road. Bikers whizzed past and people played with their dogs in the big open lot across the street.

  "Suspicious vehicle entering the park now," Maggie informed them. "Can you pull in tighter, Tyler? That's good. Looks like only one occupant. If this is the guy, he either didn't bring Daphne or she's in the trunk. He's approaching you now."

  Kendall spotted the car and squeezed Dorian's hand. The lights flashed three times. "That's him."

  The car stopped several feet away but the occupant stayed in the vehicle. "I guess he's waiting for us." As she reached for the door handle, Dorian grabbed her wrist.

  "No risks, nothing foolish. The first sign of trouble, get back into the truck."

  She nodded and gave him a brave smile while inside, her stomach was rolling. So much could go wrong. She said a quick prayer and stepped out of the truck.

  "He's wearing a ski mask," Dante informed them.

  The man got out and closed the door. "You got the goods?" he called out.

  Kendall held up the flash drive. "I do. How about your end of the bargain. Where's Daphne?"

  "I get whatever you have first, then I'll tell you where you can find her."

  "Not how this works," Dorian growled. "The deal was an exchange."

  Dante made his way to the back of the car without the kidnapper seeing him. He made quick work of the lock and peered inside. "Negative," he said. "She's not here."

  "You want this," Kendall shook the drive, "we get Daphne first."

  "Take him down, Dante."

  Dante stepped up behind the man and shoved his gun in his back.

  "What the—"

  "Get your hands up, now."

  The man lifted his arms. "Hey, this ain't part of the deal. I don't want no trouble."

  "Yeah, well, you got a shitload when you kidnapped a young girl." Dorian withdrew his weapon and started forward.

  "Look, there's some kind of misunderstanding. I ain't resisting."

  "Where's Daphne?"

  "I have no idea. I was paid to—"

  A gunshot rang out, echoing through the park. Someone screamed. Dorian turned and dove for Kendall, tackling her to the ground. The impact knocked the air from her lungs. Before she could catch her breath, he hauled her up and tossed her in the truck, slamming the door. He crouched beside the vehicle.

  "Costa?"

  Dante was hunkered down beside the other vehicle, gun pointed in the direction the shot came from. "Fine," he answered. "The perp is…not."

  "Sit rep," Maggie called out. "Is everyone okay? I'm trying to find the shooter."

  "We're okay," Dorian responded.

  "He's in the trees. I can't see him. Wait…a black sedan is speeding out of the park now. I'm going to try to follow him—oh fudge, we lost the feed."

  "Sorry," Tyler called out. "I'll try to get it back."

  Now that the shooter was gone, Dante patted down the man's pockets while Dorian checked the vehicle. "No identification," Dorian said.

  "By the time we get the feed back, he'll be long gone," Maggie said. "Read me the license plate of that vehicle. I'll try to track him that way."

  "Great idea," Dante said. "Unfortunately, there isn't one, and the VIN's been removed as well."

  Maggie uttered a very unladylike word. "Sorry, Kendall, and hey, you haven't checked in. You okay?"

  She was finally able to speak. "Out…of breath…fine."

  "Dammit," Dorian groaned, racing for the truck. He whipped open the door. "I hurt you."

  She shook her head. "Breath…knocked out….s'all."

  He pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, baby." He stroked her back tenderly. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

  "Um, Dante, should we be hearing this? I feel like a voyeur," Maggie remarked.

  "Try having to look at it, too," Dante grumbled.

  #

  Kendall was still holding Dorian's cell when it rang as they were leaving the park. They didn’t stick around for the cops. Maggie was going to wait a few minutes and then make an anonymous, untraceable call about the dead kidnapper…that was assuming no one in the park had already dialed 911.

  "Blocked number. This could be him." She answered, holding the phone over the comm unit so Dorian and Dante could hear both sides of the call.

  "We had an agreement," the man reminded her.

  "You broke it," she argued. "Daphne wasn't there to make the exchange."

  "To get technical, you broke the agreement first. I told you no one else. Who was the man who ambushed Slick?"

  "Who's Slick?"

  "The grease stain on the pavement in the park." He chuckled like he'd just said the funniest thing. This man was sick. "Slick Grimes. No clue what his first name is, but I'm sure you can find out, seeing as how he's been in and out of the prison system since he was fifteen."

  "You had to send someone else to do your dirty work?"

  "You don't think I'd be stupid enough to come myself, do you?"

  "I assumed you would hold up your end of the agreement. I brought what you asked, now where is Daphne?"

  "I had her with me at the park. Once the exchange was made, I was going to send her to you. But you blew that. Guess I get to have a little fun with her now. I get all tingly just thinking about that nubile young body."

  "Don't you dare touch her!"

  The line went dead.

  Dorian roared in agony.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Daphne scratched her nose with her bound hands and yawned. She'd been treated okay so far, just the one smack when she tried to warn Dorian, and that wasn't even that hard. Heck, she'd been hit harder practicing martial arts. She prayed her big brother got away from the trap they set for him. She
had complete faith in him and his abilities. He was a SEAL, the best of the best.

  How she could be tired was a mystery. She'd slept for hours after they drugged her. She woke up once in the plane and then again in a car as they brought her to wherever it was she currently resided. It was a large warehouse of some kind, vast and empty. Windows high up on the walls let in light, otherwise the space was dark and cavernous. She was currently lying on a cot in what must have once been the manager's office. It had two glass walls and thankfully a television. They'd let her watch whatever she wanted, so she chose soap operas so they would leave her alone. She didn't remember returning to the United States, but the commercials were local Chicago-area, so thankfully, she was close to home. Dorian would be able to find her easier.

  Her kidnappers weren't cruel. They mostly ignored her. There were just two of them now. Another man came to make the call to Dorian. He made her captors blindfold her so she didn't get a look at his face. He hadn't been back since. The other two occupied themselves by either texting or playing cards. They fed her fast food and allowed her bathroom breaks when she requested them. But she was getting antsy.

  Only one man was watching her now. He was mid-twenties, a little on the scruffy side. She'd learned his name was Roger and the other was Reggie. She thought of them as Bevis and Butthead. Roger was bringing her a Diet Coke and a candy bar. She wanted to be an agent so now was the time to hone her skills.

  "Hey Rog. Where's Reggie?"

  He shrugged. "He had to run an errand."

  "For the big boss?"

  He snorted like Bevis, or was it Butthead? "You could say that. It was for his mom."

  Cute, Rog. He thought so, judging from the horsey guffaws he was making. "What about the other big boss, as in the one paying you to kidnap me."

  Rog/Bevis waved his hands and took a step back. "Whoa, whoa. We did not kidnap you."

  She lifted her hands and wiggled them. "What do you call this, Rog? Did you tie me up?"

  "Yes, but—"

  "Am I free to go?"

  "No, but—"

  "Well, what would you call it then? I'm not exactly a willing participant and this isn't a luxury hotel."

  "We're just doing what the man paid us to do."

  Now she was getting somewhere. "What man? Who paid you?"

  "No idea."

  "You don't know the man's name?"

  Rog shook his head. "Nope. Me and Reggie were hanging out at a park, smoking some we…uh…kicking around a hacky sack, when the man approached us and offered us a buttload of money for what he said was an easy job."

  Buttload. How much was that, exactly. A hundred dollars? A thousand. She shook her head. And apparently hacky sack was slang for getting stoned. "What did he look like?"

  He shrugged. "Couldn't tell."

  "A man offers you money for a job and you don't get a good look at him?"

  "He was wearing a hood with a baseball cap and sunglasses," he said a tad defensively.

  "And you didn't think that was strange?"

  He lifted a careless shoulder. "Someone offers you cash, you don't argue."

  "You didn't see him when he came here last night?"

  "Nope. Same disguise."

  She sighed. "White, Black, Latino? Tall, short? Skinny, fat? Give me something here, Rog."

  "White, medium build and height."

  "Boy you are loads of help. That only describes half the men in Chicago." Time to try another tactic. "How did he pay you?"

  "Cash. Half now, half when the job's over. And, man-o-man, it's more money than Reggie and I've ever seen."

  "How much?"

  "Ten grand. Each."

  So apparently a buttload equaled approximately ten thousand dollars.

  "When is the job over?"

  Another negligent shrug. Daphne was starting to get annoyed with Rog. "He said he'd let us know."

  "Do you have his number?"

  "Nope."

  "Then how do you get in touch with him?"

  Another lazy shrug. "We don't."

  This was pointless. Rog knew next to nothing. He was just a puppet. "You do realize that you're committing a felony, don't you, Rog?"

  "Nun-uh."

  "Seriously, Rog, kidnapping. A Class 2 Felony. Look it up." She had no idea what class it was, but then neither would Rog…that is, until he grabbed his cell and started frantically punching buttons.

  "Well, shee-it," he groaned, looking up at her. "I didn't know."

  "What did you think this is, Rog? I'm being held against my will. I've been tied up, blindfolded, drugged. I've been forced to sit in this musty, cramped room for hours. It's not afternoon tea at the White House!"

  "Hey, hey, hey, we ain't done nothing bad to you," he argued. "We didn't drug you. You was already drugged when you arrived. We brought you drinks and snacks and we let you have the television. That's gotta count for something."

  "Um, no. Sorry."

  His cell rang and he stabbed the button. Before the other person could talk he blurted, "Reggie, did you know what we're doing is a felony?"

  He turned his back to talk to her co-captor. Meanwhile, Dorian had taught her well. She'd loosened the bonds enough to pull her hands free. They hadn't bothered tying her legs to the cot the last time she requested a bathroom break. She kept an eye on Rog, who was now gesturing frantically. She couldn't hear what he said except something about not going back to jail. She may have swayed him in her direction so he'd let her go, but she couldn't take the chance. She picked up the board that had been propping the door open. As soon as Rog ended the call, she swung the plank and conked him upside the head. His eyes rolled back and he wobbled almost comically before plummeting to the ground.

  "Sorry, Rog," she said, meaning it. She didn't want to hurt him, but he'd made a nice profit holding her against her will. And, he upset her mother. That almost had her picking up the board and whacking him again. Instead, she grabbed his cell phone so she could call her brother. She'd even be nice and return it to him when this was over since she would know where to find him…the county jail.

  She looked around the cavernous area, searching for a way to escape. Her captors had been coming in from the left, so she took a chance and darted right. She heard a door slam and she plastered herself against the wall.

  "What the hell? Roger? Are you okay? Oh, no, she's gone. Wake up, Roger…where is she?"

  She didn't stick around to hear Roger's answer, or to find out if he was even conscious yet. She spotted a hallway up ahead with three identical doors. Before she could reach it, something in her path tripped her and she tumbled to the ground, the sound echoing through the hollow space.

  "Hey! Stop!"

  Daphne pushed to her feet, ignoring the burning pain in her knees and palms. She said a quick prayer and chose one of the doors. God was looking out for her…it led outside. She gulped in lungs-full of fresh air…well, fresher. She was in Chicago, after all. Even pollution was better than the musty, dusty warehouse.

  She sprinted across the concrete, dodging potholes and puddles. She'd just reached the next building when she heard the door smack open behind her. She slipped inside and saw that it held several large containers. She ducked between two and held her breath as the door opened and a shaft of light breached the darkness.

  #

  Dorian had to pull over when the man made his threat to touch his sister. He was afraid he was going to hurl the bagel he ate for breakfast. He hadn't protected her and now she was at the mercy of a madman. "Dammit." He pounded the steering wheel. He couldn't look at Kendall. He knew tears were pouring down her cheeks. He was afraid if he saw them, he'd join in. Dante was on the phone with the office, mobilizing all available resources to track Daphne down.

  His cell rang and he did glance at Kendall now. She was staring straight ahead, the phone forgotten in her hand. He eased it from her grip and checked the display. Roger Priddy. He didn't recognize the name or number and almost let it go to voicemail. He was pretty s
ure it wasn't the kidnapper since his number came up as blocked, but it still could be about Daphne. "Demarchis."

  "Dorian?"

  Dorian gasped. "Daphne? Is that you, baby? Are you okay? Where are you?"

  "I'm fine…I escaped."

  Dorian's body sagged with such relief, he collapsed against the steering wheel. Kendall was gripping his arm, Costa his shoulder. "Dorian?"

  He grabbed Kendall's hand and squeezed. Pulling the phone away, he told them, "It's Daphne. She escaped."

  Kendall cried out in relief and threw her arms around him, which was hard to do with the console in the way. Costa let out a yell and relayed the information to the office.

  "I'm so damn proud of you, Daph. Where are you? We'll come get you right now."

  "I have no idea. I do know I'm in Chicago…I can see the Willis Tower in the distance. It's some kind of industrial park with a bunch of warehouses."

  "Have her stay on the line," Dante instructed him. "Pete's tracing the call."

  "Did they hurt you?"

  "Just the one smack when I tried to warn you about the trap, and the guy hit like a girl. It didn't even hurt but I wanted them to think it did." Doran chuckled. "Actually, they treated me pretty good. I had a TV, plenty of food and snacks."

  "Were you at the park earlier today?"

  "No, I wasn't at any park. I've been here the whole time…wherever here is."

  "Did you see the man who called me last night?"

  "No, they blindfolded me so I wouldn't. He hired two flunkies to watch over me."

  "Got it," Dante said, reaching over the seat to power up the keyboard attached to the console. A program opened, showing a blinking red dot. Daphne. "Let's go."

  "We've got your location," he told her as he started the engine. "We'll be there in a few and then you can tell me all about how you managed to escape."

  "I'm hanging up," she whispered. "I hear voices."

  "Stay hidden," he ordered. "We'll be there as soon as possible."

  Dorian blew out a heavy sigh of relief. Daphne was safe. Thank you, God.

  "I need to make a quick call." He dialed his mom to give her the good news. She cried out in joy.