The Savior: COLTER (Cover Six Security Book 6)

by Lisa B. Kamps

  "I really think you should join me, Allison. We have so much to talk about."

  She didn't think, she simply reacted. Her hand swept across the desk, scattering files and books and paperwork everywhere. She spun on her heel, her legs already pumping, trying to run. To get free. To escape from the man who was already moving after her.

  There was a loud crack behind her and the sound of splintering wood above her. Her palm smacked against the swinging door, pushing it open, focusing only on escape. If she could get into the other room, if she could run fast enough and reach the other door—

  But it was too late. Hands grabbed her from behind and wrapped around her neck, pulling her back, choking her. She stumbled, fell to one knee, clawing at the hand wrapped around her throat and blindly reaching out for something, anything, to grab. To hold onto. To use as a weapon.

  Her fingers brushed against something soft and fuzzy, curled around it then numbly fell away. The last thing she saw through her graying vision was the banked fury in the hazel eyes staring down at her—

  And the faded pink hat that had fallen by her feet.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Colter stood in the middle of the shambled room, cataloguing the destruction around him.

  The scattered and trampled paperwork littering the floor.

  The overturned chair.

  The edge of Allison's coat, tangled in the legs of that same chair.

  The fractured door frame, the top of it splintered and split from the bullet that had entered it.

  The older woman standing a few feet away, her weathered face wreathed in worry, her trembling hands curled around a wadded ball of material. Something pink, faded and marked with stains.

  Colter stared at the hat, fought against the mix of overwhelming rage and despair that threatened to suffocate him. He watched as the woman's fingers, their knuckles knotted with age, played with the hat, absently brushing at one of the stains.

  "It's Shonda's hat. I knew it as soon as I saw it. I—I was with Allison when she bought it." The woman's voice was weak and thready, a whisper that was nearly drowned out by the noise around them, of men talking and radios squawking with senseless codes.

  The police were here. Had been here when Colter arrived, his truck sliding sideways in front of the house where he had dropped Allison off this morning. Boomer was with him, and Ox. Daryl was here, too, somewhere in the other room, talking to one of the officers while sending texts to Chaos.

  The woman's hands curled around the hat as she pulled it to her chest, held it tight against her as if by protecting it, she could somehow protect the girl it had belonged to.

  And the woman who had given it to her.

  "I know who took her but I'm afraid the police don't believe me. And why would they? There's no reason for them to believe me. After all, why would such a wealthy, powerful man take Allison?" The woman, Linda Chapman, reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek. "That's why I called you. I know you'll find her. You will, won't you?"

  "Yes, ma'am, we will." It was Daryl who answered, his voice calm in spite of the tightly controlled anger on his face. He caught Colter's gaze, studied him for a long minute before turning that same gaze on Boomer. The other man was standing near the door, one arm braced against the wall, his face a reflection of the same overwhelming fury and despair tearing through Colter.

  Daryl turned back to the older woman, his voice oddly gentle. "Ma'am, why do you think Lawrence Crocker is involved?"

  "Because she wouldn't have opened the door for anyone else. We keep it locked. Always. There's a button we have to push to unlock it. Over there, by my desk." She nodded toward a battered desk then shifted her gaze to the door. "The door hasn't been forced open. That means Allison must have let whoever did this in."

  "And there's nobody else she would have let in? Nobody else who wouldn't have raised suspicion?"

  "No, nobody. We're very careful here. We have to be."

  Daryl quietly thanked her then turned toward Ox, some silent message passing between them. Anger suddenly ripped through Colter, hot and unexpected. Was he telling Ox to get him and Boomer out of here? Did he think he could force them back to the office, make them wait while someone else looked for Allison?

  "Don't even think of it, Zeus." Colter's voice was low and dangerous, tightly controlled with the last remnant of his willpower. Daryl shook his head, the barest movement, and pointed toward the door.

  "Outside."

  Colter opened his mouth to argue, quickly shut it when he noticed the determination in the other man's eyes. He moved through the door, unlocked now by the police, and stepped outside into the cold air. The first flakes of snow that had been promised for the last several days swirled around him, stinging his cheeks.

  It was the first thing he'd felt since receiving the phone call more than two hours ago. Since hearing the elderly woman's voice on the other end, her ragged words filling him with cold fear.

  I think someone has taken Allison.

  Daryl pulled the door closed behind him, motioned for the three men to follow him. They moved along the sidewalk, along the side of the house to the curb.

  "What are the police going to do?"

  "The lieutenant said they'd look into it but as far as they're concerned, they think it was a break-in and abduction by someone known to Allison."

  "Bullshit. We know it who it was. You heard the woman—Allison wouldn't have let anyone else in except that bastard."

  Daryl held up one hand, silencing Boomer. "I know but they aren't as inclined to believe her. This is Lawrence Crocker we're talking about. The man's connected."

  "Then use your connections to unconnect him."

  "I'm working on it but it's going to take time. The police plan on talking to him but—" Daryl shrugged, leaving his words unfinished. Yeah, the police might talk to him but they already knew he'd have an alibi. The questioning would end there and the investigation would stall—

  And Allison would be the one to pay for it.

  "This has to have something to do with the trafficking. The bastard is involved somehow." It was the first time Colter had spoken and his voice was raw, humming with his fury.

  "I think you're right. And Chaos is looking into that."

  "He needs to do more—"

  "He's also looking into Crocker's financials. His properties. Anything that might be tied to him, no matter how small. But it's going to take time to sift through all that information."

  "We don't have time—"

  "And we're not going to wait. Chaos will start feeding us the information as he gets it. He's pulled Lee into it along with some of her colleagues. Turns out there's a small group of Feds who've been interested in Crocker for some time."

  "You mean they've known? Those sons-of-bitches have known?"

  Daryl grabbed Boomer, pushed him back before the other man completely lost it. "That's not what I said. I have no idea what they know and don't know and right now, I really don't give a fuck. All I care about is getting their help. We can deal with everything else later."

  "Then what are we doing here? We need to get moving, start looking—"

  Daryl's cold gaze moved from Boomer to Colter. "And we will, as soon as Chaos gives us something to move on. Until that happens, we're going back to your place to regroup. I've called everyone in, they're meeting us there while Chaos does his thing."

  "And then?"

  Daryl's eyes grew flat and cold as his lips curled in a brittle smile. "Then we go door-to-door until we find Allison and make the fucker pay."

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Cold, penetrating through skin and muscle, into bone and marrow. Beyond that a sharper pain, lightning hot, slicing through the darkness that threatened to swallow her. She welcomed that darkness, begged for it. The darkness took away all feeling, numbed her body. Her mind.

  But the darkness drifted away, fading to a deep gray. Fading even more until the gray turned to milky white, until only the edges of her visi
on remained cloudy.

  Allison blinked, shook her head to clear it then hissed as pain exploded in her skull. She tried to move, to lift her head, but even that little bit took more strength than she had and rewarded her with pain so sharp, her stomach clenched and rolled.

  She squeezed her eyes closed, waited for the nausea to pass then slowly opened them again. Shadows surrounded her, varying shapes and sizes, different shades of black and gray. One of the shadows separated itself from the others, came closer with steps that echoed like loud bells in her ears. Closer. Louder. Finally taking shape, the details coming into sharp focus.

  Allison opened her mouth, screamed in pain as something hit her before she could speak. Her head snapped back then bounced forward and she thought she would fall, prepared herself to hit the ground because she knew she didn't have the strength to catch herself. Something tightened around her chest, stopping her before she could topple forward. She sucked in a ragged breath, tasted blood in her mouth and gagged from it.

  Lawrence Crocker squatted in front of her, a cold smile on his face as he reached out with one hand and caressed her cheek. She flinched, felt bile rise in her throat when he ran the pad of his thumb over her lower lip.

  "You have no idea how much trouble you've caused me."

  She stared at him, the words making no sense. He must have sensed her confusion because he laughed, the rich sound at odds with the chill in his eyes. "All your meddling. You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you? You just had to keep going after Shonda, filling her head with dreams. Making her want more. She wanted to leave and I couldn't have that. Couldn't take the risk that she'd talk."

  He stepped away and she followed him with her eyes, watching as he paced back and forth in front of her. He stopped in front of her and leaned down, his face twisted in a mask of anger.

  "Why Shonda, of all people? She's nothing. Just a little whore, used up and worthless. Why her?"

  Allison swallowed, tried to lick her lips and almost gagged again when she tasted blood. But she ignored the pain, ignored the burning and forced the words out. "She's...just a kid. A young...girl."

  "Not young enough, I'm afraid. And not worth nearly as much as she used to be." His hand shot out, fisted in her hair and twisted until her head turned to the side. "She's worth even less now, wouldn't you say?"

  Allison stared at the bundle lying on a stained mattress several feet away. She blinked and the image of the bundle sharpened, became clearer. Tears filled her eyes, clogging her nose and throat as she realized she was staring at Shonda. One arm was twisted at an odd angle, one leg bent under her. Her braided hair was matted, damp under the harsh light.

  The wail started deep in Allison's chest, building until she thought she'd explode from it. The sound rose in her throat, spilled from her lips. Sharp, agonizing.

  Silent.

  The fingers in her hair tightened, jerked her head back until she was staring at the monster in front of her.

  "She's not dead. Not yet, anyway. Trey likes to play rough with his women and I'm afraid he may have gone too far with poor Shonda. I'm not sure she'll survive another turn with him."

  He released his hold on her, stepped back and watched her with cold, calculating eyes, studying her with as much cool detachment as if he was studying a piece of artwork before bidding on it.

  "Trey asked if he could have a turn playing with you but I haven't decided yet. You've caused me enough trouble that I might just let him have you. I need to think about it first, decide how much I can get for you." That cold hand stroked her cheek again, the touch filling her with fear and dread. She jerked away from him, swallowed a scream when the hand pulled back and hit her again.

  Then he was back, leaning closer, so close she could feel his breath on her face. "You're older than what I generally deal in and no doubt no longer a virgin. But you still might be worth something. Tell me, Allison. Do you think I could make money off you? How much do you think you'd go for? Five hundred? Maybe a few thousand? Certainly no more than that. And you'd have to be broken, of course. My clients prefer their women to be a bit more...obedient. I think I might actually enjoy taking charge of your training personally."

  Allison jerked her head forward, rammed it against his face. She felt something sharp against her forehead, heard his harsh growl of pain and surprise. Saw his arm pull back—

  And then she felt nothing as the darkness finally came to swallow her up.

  Chapter Thirty

  The three men huddled just inside the gate, gazes focused on the warehouse thirty yards away as they waited for Ox to return. The dim glow of a light played behind a dirty window set high above the front door. Other than that, there was no sign of anyone on the premises.

  The light meant absolutely nothing. It could be a security guard, sitting in his small office watching television.

  It could be nothing more than a light left to burn all night, like the last two places they'd checked out.

  Or it could mean Allison was inside, suffering pain at the hands of a monster, enduring brutality that Colter didn't even want to imagine. Refused to imagine.

  His gloved hands curled into fists, eager to feel the weight of a weapon in his palm. He wanted to go in now, mow down anyone who got in his way. The urgency nagged at him, sharp and incessant, telling him to move. Move.

  But he remained where he was. Waiting. Plotting. Preparing.

  "I don't like this." Daryl's voice was low and cold, the harsh whisper barely audible. Colter's eyes slid to the right, rested on Zeus then moved back to the warehouse.

  He didn't like it either. The back of his neck was tingling, instincts shouting that they were running out of time. They'd been moving from place to place for the last four hours, checking out each address that Chaos relayed to them. They'd divided up into three teams of four, separated to cover more ground. Only now, they were so spread out that each team was on their own, with no backup available if it was needed.

  Mac, Wolf, Flare, and Bull were in Sparrows Point, checking out a warehouse on the grounds of the old steel mill.

  Reigs, Zen, Shock, and Cowboy were in Jessup, investigating yet another warehouse that Chaos had dug up.

  And Colter, Boomer, and Zeus were here, sitting on their asses as they waited for Ox to finish his recon of the exterior. Colter twisted his wrist, peeled back the edge of his glove and glanced at his watch. Where the fuck was he? He should have been back by now, he was taking too damn long—

  "I think we found her."

  Ox's low whisper came from the right. A second later, he drifted into view, as silent and elusive as smoke. He leaned closer, his gaze focused on Daryl when he spoke. "Two vehicles around back, both empty. One dark van, tinted windows." Ox's gaze slid to Colter's. "And one Mercedes, like the one we saw the other day."

  "Crocker. It has to be."

  "That's what I'm thinking."

  Daryl studied the warehouse, turned back to Ox. "Anyone inside?"

  "Couldn't tell. I thought I heard something but I couldn't pinpoint it and there aren't any convenient windows."

  "Points of egress?"

  "Two large roll-ups on the right side. Another roll-up and a small door at the rear. Front door in front of us. That's it."

  Boomer shifted and for a split second, Colter wondered if he'd been ready to take off and spill blood, consequences be damned. The man had been unusually quiet the last two hours, unnaturally still as they had moved from one location to another.

  Boomer settled back down, turned his head and met Colter's steady gaze. With that one glance, Colter knew that Boomer felt it, too. The certainty that this was the place. The knowledge that Allison was inside.

  The urgency propelling them into action, telling them they needed to move now, before it was too late.

  Daryl closed his hand around Boomer's arm even though the man hadn't moved other than that small, momentary shift. His cold gaze rested on Boomer's for several long seconds then slid to Colter.

 
"We're going to get her but we need to work together. Is that clear? I need you both with us. No going off script."

  Colter's jaw clenched but he silently nodded. A second later, Boomer did the same. Daryl reluctantly released him then sat back on his heels and studied the warehouse again as the clock ticked around them.

  "Ox, you and Boomer take the front. Ninja and I will take the rear. Counterclockwise sweep to clear it out and no firing unless we know what the hell we have. There's at least one more person in there besides Crocker but we need to verify first."

  "Are you going to call in the other teams?"

  "No, there's no time and I'm not waiting for them. And I can't risk pulling them only to have this turn out to be a false alarm."

  "It's not." Boomer's clipped words hummed with emotion, cold and lethal. Daryl studied him for a few seconds but said nothing, just gave a short nod.

  And then they were moving.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Allison jerked awake, consciousness descending suddenly and painfully. She moved her hand, vaguely surprised that she could. She was no longer tied to the chair, no longer bound hand and foot, unable to move, helpless to defend herself.

  She rolled to her side, swallowed a sharp cry of pain as she pushed to one elbow and studied the shadows through the fall of hair covering her face. The floor was cold beneath her jeans, hard and unforgiving. The chair that had been her prison sat a few feet away, empty now yet mocking her dreams of freedom. She was no more free now than she had been when she was tied to the chair.

  Crocker stood several yards away, his back to her as he talked in low tones to another man. She couldn't see their faces, could barely hear their voices, but she thought they might be arguing. She didn't know why she thought that, wondered if maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part that they'd start fighting and kill each other.

  Allison wanted them dead. Both of them. She had never wished death on another human being before, not even after she had learned what the Millers had done to Katie. The Millers had already been dead, there was no need to wish for it to happen.