Called to Protect

by Lynette Eason

“Chapin?” Blake nearly shouted. “How did you get there? In the back of that Suburban?”

  She sucked in a breath. “How’d you know about that?”

  “Got it on hospital security footage, kiddo.”

  “Come get me, Blake—Dad—please. I’m scared. I know I’ve been rotten to you and I don’t deserve for you to come to the rescue, that I’m . . . I’m not really yours, but I’m—”

  “I’m already on the way,” he said, grabbing his keys from his pocket and heading for the door.

  Linc immediately mobilized the team and within seconds, they were out the door. Chloe headed to her vehicle and Blake stayed on her heels.

  “I’ll drive you, get in,” she said.

  He didn’t argue.

  Hank hopped in his area and Chloe cranked the SUV. She was pulling out of the parking lot before he had his seatbelt fastened. “Rach, you still with me?”

  “Yes, I’m here.”

  In the rearview mirror, Blake saw Linc fall in behind them. “We’re on the way, but it’s going to be about thirty minutes before I can get there. I’m going to send some local officers to stay with you until then, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Chloe was already on her Bluetooth with the dispatcher. She listened, then nodded. “Someone should be there within ten minutes.”

  “You get that?” Blake asked.

  “Ten minutes. Okay, Dad, I’ll be here. Dad?”

  “Yes?”

  “The house is near here. It’s where they’re holding the girls. I walked from the house to the street, but there are other girls there right now. We have to rescue them. Lindsey’s there and—” Her voice rose with each sentence, her hysteria rising.

  “What’s the address?”

  “I don’t know. I never saw a street sign. I just know it’s not too far from here. And it’s got a barn. And . . . and . . . a walking path thing that goes in a circle around the whole property through the woods. But that’s all I know. I just can’t . . . I don’t know—”

  “It’s okay, Rach. We’ll figure that out when we get there.” He needed her to stay calm. “Who’s the guy in the Suburban? Do you know him? His name is Ethan Wright.”

  “Who? No, I’ve never heard of him.”

  “Then why were you following him?”

  Silence.

  “Rachel? You there?”

  More silence. He looked at his phone and saw the call had been disconnected.

  14

  Rachel looked down at the handset, then put it back to her ear. “Blake? Dad?”

  Had his cell phone dropped the call?

  She looked back at the counter only to find no one there. Where had the woman gone?

  And the others? She swept her gaze around the store. Then moved down the aisle only to stop with a gasp.

  Two customers lay unmoving on the floor and there was no sign of the woman behind the counter.

  A chill zipped up her spine. She looked at the handset as though it would have the answers. “Dad? Answer me.”

  “He can’t, Rachel,” the voice said.

  She spun to the right.

  And screamed.

  A man with a ski mask stepped out from behind a tall display of cokes.

  “No,” she whispered. “No, I’m not going back!”

  Dark eyes gleamed at her from behind the ski mask. A cruel mouth grinned at her and advanced, the spray bottle in his right hand. “Yes, I’m afraid you are. Landlines don’t work very well when they’re not pugged in.” He held up the base. The unplugged base.

  “My dad knows where I am. I told him about you. I told him about the house with the barn and the girls—”

  He said nothing and she could tell he didn’t care. How had he found her? How had he known she was here?

  He advanced, and with a sick twist in her belly, she realized that when she’d leaned against the wall, she turned her back on the door . . . and everything that went on behind her. So stupid. How many times had her dad warned her to keep her eyes open and on her surroundings.

  Despair and fury raced through her. She could not let him take her.

  Rachel lunged at him. His eyes widened at her charge, his surprise causing him to stumble backward. She intended to use the phone as a weapon and lashed out, catching the side of his head, not with the phone but with her knuckles. Pain radiated from her fingers up her arm and she dropped the handset. It clattered to the floor and bounced off the wall.

  He cried out and went to his knees, the spray bottle hitting the floor and skidding under the nearest display rack.

  With a howl of rage, he dove for it while Rachel raced out of the front of the store.

  Heart pounding, she headed for the woods, spurred on by the sound of the back door of the building opening. A glance over her shoulder sent panic racing. It was him and he’d spotted her.

  She tripped over an exposed root and stumbled. Tried to catch herself and failed. She fell to her knees. Scrambling, crab crawling, she tried to get to her feet while moving, but lost her momentum. A foot caught her in the ribs, and with a gasp of pain, she rolled to her back to get away from another kick.

  And felt the liquid hit her in the face.

  “No.” Tears leaked down her cheeks even as the darkness closed in.

  Fifteen minutes out, Blake’s phone rang. “Yeah.”

  “This is Chief Sharpton. Two of my officers responded and are currently at the address you reported your daughter to be.”

  “Is she all right?”

  “We’re not sure. She’s not here.”

  “What do you mean she’s not there?” Though his voice was low and even, Blake seriously thought his head might explode.

  “Two people are on the floor unconscious. No visible wounds, but none of them resemble your daughter. We’ve got EMS en route and officers searching the perimeter. We’ve also got tire tracks at the back of the store that are fresh. The rain hasn’t washed them away and the mud has left a good outline. I’ve got a crime scene unit on the way. We’ll get a cast of that tire print.”

  “They got to her,” he whispered. “They got her again. How?” He punched the dash. Ignored the pain that shot up his arm.

  “Sir?”

  “I’m going to need any security footage you may have.”

  “I don’t think we’re going to have much. I’ll have to check with Deb when she wakes up.”

  “Deb?”

  “Deborah Mann. She’s the owner and was hit with whatever stuff this guy is using. Chloroform, is my first guess. I see two cameras. One facing the gas pumps. The other one facing the front of the store. We’ll see if we can get anything, but don’t hold your breath. This is a sleepy little town and this gas station is literally in the middle of nowhere. Not much goes on out here.”

  That he knew about anyway. Blake pinched the bridge of his nose and prayed silently while he tried to corral his fear. “Any idea where they could have gone?”

  “No. Unfortunately, we weren’t looking for anyone, so they could have passed us on the way here and we never would have known it.”

  Blake ended the call and started tapping into the notes section of his phone. He wanted to get down the conversation he’d just had with Rachel to the best of his ability. She’d given clues. A few anyway. A house with a barn and a walking trail that went in circles. How common could that be?

  Several minutes later, they pulled into the middle of organized chaos. Two ambulances sped out of the parking lot. No doubt headed to the nearest hospital. Blake jumped out of the SUV before Chloe even had it in park. He ran to the officer who looked like he might be in charge. “Chief?”

  “Yeah.” The officer turned. A man in his early sixties with sharp blue eyes peered at him.

  “I’m Blake MacCallum.”

  “The dad?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The man nodded. “This way.”

  Chloe slipped silently up beside them and followed them inside. Linc did too. Blake paused at the entrance. To th
e right was the counter.

  “That’s where we found Deb.”

  He pointed to the other side of the counter in front of the register. “Maya Manning was paying for her goods. Krissy Austin was in here as well, in the aisle across from the register. He got her last. She said her back was to him, but when she heard the other two drop, she turned and he sprayed her.”

  “Wait a minute, she’s awake and talking?”

  “Yep. But still on her way to the hospital. Bobby, her husband, broke her nose. Which was why she was in here looking for some pain medication.”

  “And she didn’t breathe in the spray because she couldn’t.”

  “Right. Completely clogged. She got a little through her mouth, but not a full dose. She went ahead and dropped to the floor so he wouldn’t realize the spray had almost no affect.”

  “Quick thinking.”

  “She’s had to learn to think on her feet.” The man scowled.

  “Can’t talk her into leaving him?”

  “Nope.”

  “So, she heard everything that went on with Rachel?”

  “Probably. I tried to get it out of her, but she was in so much pain, she just kept asking for someone to make it stop. Figured I’d let her get on to the hospital and get that nose taken care of. You can question her once she’s seen to.”

  “I’ll plan on that. One more question.”

  “Sure.”

  “Do you know of a property around here that’s got a barn and a walking trail that circles the property?”

  Chief Sharpton rubbed his forehead. “Not right offhand. I can ask around, though. I’ve got a friend who’s a realtor. She might have some suggestions.”

  “Good. Try her and let me know.”

  “Will do.” The chief’s phone rang. “As soon as I get this. Excuse me.”

  “Of course.”

  Linc stood looking at the back door.

  Blake stepped over to him. “What is it?”

  “How did he manage to incapacitate three people without Rachel seeing him or you hearing anything on the phone?”

  Blake’s eyes landed on the device resting on the floor near the wall adjacent to the checkout counter. Rachel had been on that phone. And when her attacker had overpowered her, she’d dropped it. He wanted to grab it but knew CSU would need it for evidence. He curled his fingers into fists.

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I need to get to the hospital to talk to this Krissy person.”

  “We’ve got officers going door-to-door, checking homes around here. Not sure how big of a radius to cover though,” the chief said.

  “Do at least five miles,” Blake said.

  Linc nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Maybe even six or seven.”

  The chief nodded and went back to his phone.

  Blake raked a hand through his hair. “We need a chopper in the air. See if they can spot a property that sounds similar to what Rachel described.”

  “Yeah. Let’s do that. They can cover more area faster.” He walked off, phone pressed to his ear.

  A soft hand landed on his bicep and he turned to see Chloe looking at him with those blue eyes of hers. “I want to ask if you’re okay, but I already know the answer. I guess I’ll ask what’s going on behind the tough cop facade.”

  “I’m terrified.” His voice shook and he cleared his throat. “I’m scared I’m not doing enough, that I’m missing something, that I’m never going to see her again because we won’t figure everything out before it’s too late.” He needed to stop talking. Airing his fears wouldn’t do him or anyone else any good.

  “Yeah. That’s kind of what I figured.” She squeezed his hand. “Don’t give up. We’re going to find her.”

  “Like you’ve found Penny?”

  She flinched and stepped back.

  He moved forward and grasped her arm. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

  “No, I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand what you’re saying. And this situation is very different from Penny’s in a lot of ways.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like we haven’t heard from Penny in almost six months. You talked to Rachel today. We have video footage of her getting into the back of a vehicle. We’re tracking down Ethan Wright, who could be a very good lead. We don’t have anything like that with Penny. Except for the fact that Rachel had on her blouse. I find that encouraging in some weird way. Like if we can find a dumb shirt, we’ll find Penny.”

  “You’re right. Very right. It’s just, that’s twice now that I feel like she’s been within reach and then . . . she’s not. This shattered hope is killing me.”

  “I imagine she feels the same.”

  He blinked, then groaned and dropped his face into his palms. “I’m a selfish pig, aren’t I? Only thinking about myself and how this is affecting me.” He looked up to find Linc striding toward him.

  “We’ve got a chopper in the air. Should be in the area within the next five minutes or so.”

  “Good. Let’s figure out where Rachel was trying to send us and get there.”

  “Wait a minute,” Chloe said. “I have an idea. It’s been forming since we found out Rachel was missing, but I wasn’t sure it would be possible. I mean, it’s a long shot, but . . .”

  “What?” The sparkle in her eyes sent hope surging.

  “Do you have anything that belongs to Rachel?”

  Blake’s eyes narrowed. “No, not with me. Why?”

  “Because Hank might be able to follow her trail.”

  “But they took her in a vehicle.”

  “Yes, but she arrived at the store on foot. It’s possible Hank can trace her steps back to the place she started walking from. Like I said, it’s a definite long shot, but I think it’s worth a try.”

  This time hope ruptured. He grabbed her and planted a kiss on her lips, then pulled back. “You’re a genius.”

  With bright red cheeks, she blinked at him. “Um . . . thanks?”

  Blake didn’t even care that Linc was looking at him with equal parts amusement and exasperation. “I need a glove and an evidence bag.”

  Linc cleared his throat. “Why?”

  “Because I’d be willing to bet my next paycheck that Rachel used that cordless handset sitting over there near the wall. I’m also willing to bet that she was the last one to use it and dropped it when she was attacked. If I’m right and she did, it’s got her scent all over it.”

  Chloe nodded. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s touched anything since the incident. I think that handset would make a great scent-article.” She walked to the back door, opened it, and stepped outside. Hank followed her. “Not much wind. That’s helpful. We’ve got cooler temps and it’s damp, which hold the scent closer to the ground. As long as the wind stays dormant, I think we might actually have a chance.”

  “All right,” Linc said. “Let’s get Blake here fitted with an earpiece in case Hank needs to travel a bit.”

  They followed Linc back to his vehicle and he pulled out the equipment needed for Blake. Chloe made sure she had her own earpiece on the right channel with the others. Once Blake had the earpiece in and verified it was working, he gave her a short nod.

  She turned to Hank, who’d settled on the ground next to her, his eyes never leaving her. “Hank, you ready to get to work?”

  His ears perked and he leaped to his feet. She looked at Blake. “We’re ready.”

  With the phone in her gloved hand, Chloe held it out to Hank. “Hank, zoek!” The well-trained dog knew what to do and took a whiff. His nose immediately went to the floor and then the air. He trotted to the back door and waited for Chloe to open it for him. “Good boy, Hank.” Chloe wrapped her fingers around the toy rope and Hank pranced ahead, anxious to find the person attached to the scent so he could play. He went straight to the side of the building and sat next to an item lying on the ground.

  “That’s a horse blanket,” Blake said. “She said there was a barn. She must
have used it for warmth while she was walking and left it here when she went into the store.”

  Chloe threw the rope and let Hank chase it. When he brought it back, she praised him, took him from the area away from the scent of the blanket, and let him have another whiff of the phone. He went back into work mode and took off.

  She trotted along behind him and Blake stayed right with them. A police cruiser rolled at a slow pace in the lane closest to them. Hank pulled on the leash, wanting to run full out. Once again she congratulated herself on investing in the top-notch equipment for the animal.

  As much as he may pull on the lead, he couldn’t hurt or choke himself. The large draft-horse-style leather harness allowed the force of resistance to spread over the dog’s chest. Using this style of harness rather than a simple collar cut down on fatigue and kept him from experiencing irritation around his neck. Especially if they were going to be going for a long stretch of time.

  And this looked like it might be one of those times.

  Blake carried the phone in the bag in case she needed to let Hank take another sniff, but so far, the dog didn’t look close to slowing down.

  When they’d gone at least two miles, Chloe glanced at Blake. “This is a thirty-foot lead, but he’s raring to go. The conditions are just right for him to track long distance. Can you run faster?”

  “Of course. I can do about four miles alternating between flat-out running and jogging, but after that I’ll have to slow.”

  “I can do five.” She tossed him a grim smile. “On a day when I’ve had a good protein shake anyway.”

  He nodded. “Let’s pick up the pace.”

  After about a mile, Hank sped up and swerved right into a driveway, bolted around the back of the house and to an old storage shed.

  “Rachel!” Blake swerved around them and yanked the door open.

  “What’s going on out here?”

  A woman in her forties stood on the back porch, eyeing them. The officer who’d been trailing them in the vehicle came around the corner. “Just hold tight, ma’am, we’re looking for a girl who was kidnapped. Do you mind if they continue?”

  “Oh my stars. Of course. Is she in there?”

  “No,” Blake said. “She’s not. But there are crackers, a peanut butter jar, and some banana peels in here.”