Golden Trail (71 page)

“Yo,” Ryker answered on the first ring.

“Alexis safe?” Layne asked.

“Yeah,” Ryker answered.

“How sure are you of that?” Layne asked.

“Sure enough, since I been callin’ my babe
probably every fifteen minutes since I heard that girl was missin’.
Alexis is at home. Ticked. She’s grounded because she mouthed off
bad when Lissa cut her off from Youth Group.”

Every fifteen minutes and cut off from Youth
Group. Layne believed it. Proof Ryker was the man Layne thought he
was.

“Right, they’re keepin’ an eye on the girls.
Don’t know why but they’re followin’ them. You need to brief your
babe and you got a friend you can trust, you put a man on her
house.”

“Shit,” Ryker muttered then said, “roger
that.”

“Gaines sweating?”

“He’s tied to a chair watchin’ your man
clean his gun. He’s findin’ it fascinatin’, bro.”

Layne didn’t laugh.

“All right, Ryker, I need you to get me four
things from this guy. One, why’d he go after Giselle last night?
Two, are Towers and Rutledge still in town? Three, are they lookin’
for Giselle? And four, if they are, why’s he gettin’ a blowjob from
Tina Blackstone?”

“You got it,” Ryker replied.

“I’ll want more later, start with that and
anything else you wanna know.”

“Ditto on the you got it,” Ryker
repeated.

“Keep listening to the apartment. If he’s
gettin’ head from Tina because they’re not tweaked by Giselle
running then the woman might go back to the apartment. We’ll need
to hear what she has to say.”

“Devin’s all over that,” Ryker told him.

“Right,” Layne replied. “Tell Devin he’s on
clean up. He needs to make sure the Reverend doesn’t talk. Youth
Group is suspended for the time being, no explanation, that’s it.
Nothin’ else leaks.”

“I’ll tell ‘im.”

“Later.” He closed his phone and flipped it
open to call Jasper.

Jasper answered on the second ring.

“What’s up, Dad?”

“We have Giselle. She’s fine.
Totally
fine. Tripp with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell him now.”

He listened to Jasper say, “Dad’s found
Giselle. She’s cool, Tripp-o-matic. It’s all good.”

“Where is she?” Layne heard Tripp ask.

“Her parents are coming to pick her up.”
Layne answered but didn’t wait until Jas relayed this information
before continuing. “You boys finish gathering intel from Giselle’s
friends. We need everything we can get on Gaines. When you’re done,
you can go home to your Mom’s. And Jasper, I need you to locate
Tiffany Emmerson. If you don’t have her number, find someone who
does. I want you to call in to me when you know she’s safe then I
want one of your boys glued to her until I can get to her
parents.”

“Another favorite,” Jasper muttered.

“You got it, Bud,” Layne muttered back.
“Closin’ ranks, son.”

“Gotcha,” Jasper replied. “Later.”

“Later, Jas.” Layne flipped his phone shut
and looked at Merry. “I need your Dad. We’re spread thin and I
gotta have ears on that apartment. Can you call him and get him to
the office?”

Merry nodded, pulled out his phone and
stepped away.

Then Rocky walked into the room.

“They didn’t change clothes,” she announced
when she got close. “They told them what to wear to the shoot. It
was skimpy and Giselle doesn’t do skimpy. Alexis told her she could
borrow something but Giselle wouldn’t do it. She told me Alexis and
Tiffany did but the woman, the photographer and Gaines didn’t make
a big deal out of it that Giselle didn’t.”

“Good kid,” Layne muttered.

Rocky got close and slid an arm around his
waist so he slid his around her shoulders.

“She’s feeling a bit foolish, sweetheart,
thinks she made a big deal out of nothing. Worried her parents are
going to be angry, Tripp… I didn’t know what to say.”

Layne had looked down at her while she was
talking and when she stopped, he asked, “What did you say?”

“I said always go with your gut, you get a
bad feeling, you get safe and then you find someone you trust,
which was what she did. I didn’t get into Gaines, I just told her
she did the right thing and everyone would understand.”

Layne squeezed her shoulder and muttered,
“Good answer, sweetcheeks.”

“Probably be a good idea you get Tripp to
text her, say he heard she’s all right, he’s glad and she should
give him a call when she can.” Rocky pressed closer and whispered,
“She likes him, baby, like,
a lot.
”

Merry moved back to them, he was off the
phone, his head tilted to listen to the car pulling into the drive
and then he looked at Layne. “Parents,” he murmured then started to
the front door.

“You call him, Roc, he’ll like to hear that
from you,” Layne told her and she nodded, smiled up at him and her
arm got tight around him.

Then her head turned to the door they heard
Merry opening.

“We better talk to Adele and Wade,” she
whispered, eyes still pointing in the direction of the door.

“Yeah,” Layne sighed and he kept his arm
around his woman as he led her to the door.

* * * * *

When Layne arrived at his office, Dev met
him at the outer door.

“You got here just in time for the good
part,” Dev whispered on a scary smile.

“He talkin’?” Layne asked.

“Yeah and I’m wonderin’ ‘bout her now, she
picked this guy,” Devin answered. “First, that boy is stupid as
shit. I reckon he got by on his looks his whole life and that
worked for him so he uses about a quarter of the eleven percent of
the brain that other people use. Second, he’s scared of her, he’s
scared of us, he’s scared of everything. Last, he don’t care who he
works or who he works for, he just wants to stay pretty.”

“Pretty isn’t gonna serve him very well in
the hole,” Layne observed.

“Yeah, I explained that to him. That’s one
of the reasons why he’s scared of us,” Dev replied.

“You get my answers?” Layne asked and Devin
nodded.

“First, the woman is gettin’ impatient.
She’s got clients all lined up, a party, big money, they need those
girls but can’t get a lock on ‘em because of Giselle. The girls
have made it clear they move as a unit and Giselle’s doesn’t feel
like movin’. Towers is unhappy as in un… hap… pee,” Devin answered
then grinned at Layne. “This is not only ‘cause Giselle doesn’t
want shit to do with them but also because Giselle found herself a
boyfriend and they couldn’t find any time with her away from
Tripp.”

At that, Layne grinned back. It was a small
grin but it was a grin because Tripp had done good and because his
son would be pleased he did his part to keep Giselle safe.

Devin continued. “Now she’s runnin’ outta
excuses for her clients who are chompin’ at the bit after seein’
the girls’ photos. The two other girls are good to go, his words,
words, I’ll add, that made your boy Ryker go a bit scary, Tanner,
and when I say that, I mean he scared
me,
he got so fuckin’
scary.”

“He cares about Alexis,” Layne muttered.

“Well, that’s plain to see,” Devin muttered
back then kept talking. “Anyway, Giselle was muckin’ up the works.
Towers was puttin’ on the pressure and he was gettin’ desperate,
started followin’ her and acted on his own. He found his
opportunity, Giselle alone without Tripp at her side, and he took
it. When she bolted, he freaked, told Rutledge. According to
Gaines, Rutledge is nearly as scared of this bitch as Gaines is.
Told him he’d take care of it and keep it quiet. The woman doesn’t
know shit. Gaines, bein’ what I know now of Gaines, shrugged his
shoulders. Once he handed off to Rutledge, he went his merry way
and his way is paved with all things merry. Apparently, when he
isn’t spreading the word of God while workin’ at settin’ up
teenagers to get gang raped, he’s been bangin’ this Tina person for
months, amongst others.”

Layne nodded, thinking briefly of Tina
Blackstone. Tina would open her legs for anyone but she’d make a
world record of it if that someone was good-looking. And she didn’t
care who they were or what they did. He seriously doubted Tina
would blink if she learned she was getting hit by a guy who was
recruiting for a child prostitution racket. To be fair, she might
shiver a bit but then she’d shake it off and move on.

Devin got out of his way and Layne set aside
thoughts of Tina and walked into his office. Dev followed him and
Layne saw TJ Gaines or, as Layne knew him now from the phone call
he’d made getting his identity from his prints, Jeremy Goulding,
tied to one of his office chairs and looking about ready to piss
his pants.

“You,” he whispered when he looked from
Ryker sitting in Layne’s desk chair and cleaning his fingernails
with his huge, freaking knife to Layne.

“How’s it goin’, Jeremy?” Layne asked,
walking to his desk and leaning on it.

Jeremy’s head jerked.

“Yeah,” Layne said softly. “I know who you
are. Got solid evidence you’re guilty in the State of Indiana of
identity theft and know you got a warrant out on you in Tennessee
too.”

Jeremy’s eyes slid beyond Layne to Ryker
then to the side to take in Devin then they shot back to Layne.

“Big step up,” Layne remarked, “Movin’ from
small time cons, all women, to child prostitution.”

Jeremy’s pale face turned gray. “That isn’t
part of my deal.”

Layne’s brows went up. “No?”

Jeremy shook his head.

“Saw you kiss Tiffany Emmerson’s neck. Saw
Alexis McGraw put her hand on you. Heard you shared gum with
Alexis, mouth to mouth, after it had been chewed,” Layne noted and
he felt the sudden wall of rage coming off Ryker slam into his
back, just as he’d intended.

Jeremy felt it too and he bucked his body,
scooting his chair back, his eyes locked on Ryker.

“Sit still, Jeremy,” Layne said quietly as
Dev moved in behind Jeremy.

Jeremy’s eyes didn’t move from Ryker but he
did as he was told.

“I didn’t... I didn’t,” he stammered, “I
didn’t do that.”

“You callin’ Alexis a liar?” Layne
asked.

Jeremy’s eyes darted to Layne. “No!” he
cried.

“So you
did
share gum with her,”
Layne pressed.

“I… no, she shared gum with me,” Jeremy
amended.

“Okay,” Layne said then lied, “I see the
difference.”

“It’s just a job,” Jeremy explained quickly
as Layne heard and felt Ryker move behind him. “I didn’t like it,
I’m not into girls, I’m into women, you know, like your lady.”
Layne’s back straightened and his face changed and Jeremy’s body
bucked again. “No! No! I mean, she’s pretty. I’m complimenting her.
I’m just saying I’m not into girls. But that was my part of the
job. And Nic said she’d take care of the girls, she said she always
takes care of the girls.”

“Takes care of them how?” Layne asked.

“Every way. Money, clothes, attention. Girls
love that shit and Nic loves them. She’s good with them. It isn’t
as creepy as you think,” Jeremy explained and Layne had trouble
controlling his sneer and the urge to open up the flesh of Jeremy’s
face with his fist.

“You’re wrong,” Layne whispered. “You are
way
wrong. It’s as creepy as I think. Fuck, Jeremy, it’s
creepier.
”

“They’re not as young as you think either,”
Jeremy quickly went on.

“Sorry, man, but you’re wrong about that
too. Giselle’s datin’ my son and she’s fourteen, she’s exactly as
young as I think,” Layne told him.

“Yes, I mean with Giselle, yes, she’s… she,
I’m sorry about her, okay? She wasn’t the right one. Nic told me
who to pick and I knew Giselle wasn’t the right one but I had to do
what Nic said. But the other two, they’re fourteen and sixteen
goin’ on thirty,” Jeremy replied.

Ryker moved again, Layne knew he’d been
standing, now he was making his way around the desk.

“Ryker, stand down, brother, he can’t talk
if he’s got a broken jaw,” Layne said quietly not taking his eyes
off Jeremy who was staring, eyes-wide, body inert, at Ryker.

“That’s my girl,” Ryker growled.

“I… I know, but you gotta know what she’s
like,” Jeremy replied, proving just how stupid he was because that
wave of rage burst out of Ryker again and Layne stood.

Layne turned to Ryker and whispered, “Focus,
brother. This guy is not our end game.”

Ryker’s eyes didn’t move from Jeremy and
Ryker’s body also didn’t move. He held it taut. He was struggling.
And Devin was right, Ryker pissed was pretty, fucking scary.

Finally, his gaze slid to Layne and Layne
watched as Ryker forced his body to relax.

Time to move on.

Layne turned back to Jeremy.

“You’re goin’ down,” he informed him and
Jeremy’s eyes cut swiftly to Layne. “Now, though, now you gotta
decide how far down you’re goin’.”

“I –” Jeremy started but Layne cut him
off.

“I’m not done talkin’.” Jeremy snapped his
mouth shut and nodded. “We’re workin’ with the cops on this and now
you’re workin’ with them too.” Layne watched Jeremy gulp and he
kept at him. “You’re gonna leave this office and you’re gonna
convince Towers and Rutledge that everything is just fine. You’re
gonna tell them you’re close, Giselle is breaking, they gotta give
you some time. A week, they don’t go for that, a few days. In the
meantime, you gotta know, you’re blown. Pastor Knox is changin’ the
locks on the church as we speak. The Speakmon and Emmerson families
know what you did and they’ve both agreed to hold fire and wait for
Towers and Rutledge to go down. You’re blown but you convince your
partners you’re not even though you don’t get near any of those
girls, any kids from Youth Group or anyone under the age of
eighteen in this town or out of it. You work with us, you don’t go
down all on your own and trust me, man, Towers and Rutledge get a
whiff that their scheme is goin’ south, they’ll bolt and they’ll
leave you to swing.”