“I know, Mike. We will find her. We have to.” He wasn’t sure if it was Mike he was trying to convince or himself.
He clicked the phone shut and shoved it in his pocket. He skidded to a stop in front of Abby’s house. The street was littered with cars parked haphazardly, his included. He jumped from the SUV and headed toward the door. He knew time was the enemy in cases like this. This wasn’t the first time he’d been in this position, but it was the first time it was personal.
Abby came running out the door and grabbed his shirt. “She took my Beretta and my car. She left me a note saying she went to meet Ben at his office. He said he had information on Roger.”
“Have you tried to call her?”
“Yeah. I tried to call Ben’s office too, but no one answered, and I think her phone is turned off.”
“Damn. Is Briggs here yet?”
“He just got here.”
He grabbed Abby’s shoulder and leaned down close to her face. “Abby, how good are you and Claire at shooting?”
“Mike taught us. What do you think?” Emma would kill him if he put them in danger, but he knew it was futile to try to exclude them. Emma’s sisters were the definition of stubborn. They would just try to find her by themselves and might really get hurt. At least that was the logic he would use when he told Emma and Mike.
“I think it’s going to take all of us to find her,” he said as he entered the house.
Briggs was in the kitchen. He had several papers spread out on the island counter and a map spread open on the table.
“Talk to me, Briggs, what’ve we got?” he said as he approached the table, more concerned as the minutes ticked by.
“Ben has four properties.” He pointed on the map as he explained. “One is a rental that’s occupied. His main residence is a house on Sutter Hill; he lives there. He also has a cabin on the lake and a condo downtown near his office. He drives a 2011 Silver Mercedes. Mike has an APB on his car, Roger’s vehicle, and Abby’s. I’ve called in a few favors and have men posted at the airports, the bus stations, and all four major roads heading out of town. He isn’t getting out of town with her. He has no known family in town but several influential friends from what Claire’s told me.”
“I don’t think he would want them to know his dirty secrets. He won’t call them for help. He would use thugs like Roger. What do we have on Roger?”
“Vivian broke up with him, and though it was her house, he refused to leave. He owns a Dodge Charger but no property. I already told you about his rap sheet. This guy plays dirty. We need to watch out for him.” Briggs pulled out a picture of Roger from an envelope.
Abby grabbed it out of his hand. “That’s him. That’s the guy who chased us with a knife.”
Mike hurried through the door, slamming it shut behind him as he entered the kitchen. He blurted out what they already knew. “Ben called Emma, using his cell.” He confirmed the APB and that he had a unit headed to Ben’s office.
“Well, we can rule out he would have kept her at his office since you have patrol headed there, and I think it’s safe to rule out the rental property. That only leaves his house across town and the lake house.”
Jake gazed around the room, doing a count. They needed weapons. “I brought my gun. Who else is packing?” he asked the collective group.
He knew the answer he would get from his guys and Mike, but he didn’t expect the females to start pulling out weapons they had concealed under their clothes. Claire had an ankle holster with her gun in place, and they all gawked as baby sister Abby reached down her shirt between her breasts and pulled out a tiny gun. Butch leaned over to take a peek, trying to shift her shirt. “What else you got down there, Abby?” He smiled.
Abby punched his arm, which was sure to leave a bruise. “Stay focused, idiot.” She removed her own ankle holster and then rolled her eyes at Butch’s expression. “I also have a full gun cabinet. Who needs one?”
Jake was pacing. Abby could almost see the wheels spinning as he formulated a plan. The testosterone-filled room would generally have been too much for her, but she was worried sick about Emma, so she barely noticed it. The other Neanderthals were still staring at her little gun. Then it hit her. “Wait, I know how we can find her!”
Jake stopped in his tracks and turned to her. He crossed his arms over his chest. She could see the skepticism in his eyes. One day they would all figure out what she and her sister were capable of. “All I need is five minutes and a cell phone.”
Cell phones were thrust at her from all directions. “I can call from the car; we need to leave.” She replaced her tiny gun in her bra holster, reattached the ankle strap and practically ran out the door.
Jake was right behind her with the rest of them hot on their heels. “Abby, you’re riding with me.”
“I’m driving, Jake. It’ll be safer, and I know the area better.” He threw her the keys and hopped in the passenger seat.
Abby climbed in the car, took Jake’s cell he was thrusting at her, dialed a number, and hit the speaker button. A voice unfamiliar to Jake answered. “Hey, doll, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you on your day off.”
Jake glanced at Abby with a raised brow as he silently mouthed the word
doll
? Abby shot him an evil look then ignored him.
“Ted, I need your help. Emma is missing and in serious trouble. I’m calling in my favor.”
“You, calling in a favor?Must be serious. Whatever you need, Abby, it’s yours. How can I help?”
“I’m praying that her cell phone is still on, and the battery isn’t dead. I need you to work your magic and triangulate her signal like you did on John’s right before he called me. The guy that has her has a few properties, and we need to narrow it down. If hers is off and you can’t get a hit, then try attorney Ben Johnson’s number. He’s local.”
Jake knew what she was trying to do. He also expected the guy on the other end of the line to refuse. He knew the law, but he had his own connections to get around it. He didn’t realize she did too.
“I’m on it. I’ll call you back at this number in two minutes,” he said then disconnected the call.
Abby glanced at Jake. “What? He’s really good. If it can be done using a computer, he’s my go-to guy.” She turned right on Main. They were all looking for Abby’s car.
His cell rang, and Abby hit the speaker.
“I’ve got her. I’m not sure if she’s there, but both of their cells are in the same place. Are any of his properties you’re looking at around the lake?”
She looked at Jake and smirked. “Yep, do me a favor, keep tracking it and call me if the signal moves.”
Abby stepped on the gas as she headed toward Ben’s property on the Lake, the other cars following on her tail. He was thankful the roads weren’t too busy and most of the town had already made it to work for the day.
Jake had his fist clutched and covering his heart. “Thanks, Abby,” he said as he tapped his chest.
“Jake, I’m only going to tell you this once, so listen up. If you hurt her—”
“Abby, I know I was an ass, but I love her and I’m not giving her up. I plan to marry her.” He’d spend the rest of his life convincing all of them if he had to.
Jake knew the guys would follow their lead. They had performed so many similar rescues he had lost count. He needed this one to go smooth. His usual calm demeanor was gone. His heart raced in his chest as he sat in silence staring out the window, running different scenarios in his head, praying to God she was okay and he could get her out of this unscathed.
****
Emma woke disoriented but kept her eyes closed. Her head throbbed, and her body ached, the intense pain centered around the usual places, her head and stomach. She felt as though someone had taken a baseball bat to her head. Her stomach cramps were intense as she lay still on a hard floor, trying to remember what danger she had managed to get into. She tried to pull the elusive events from her subconscious, but they remained just out of reach, a myriad of events her brain wouldn’t let her piece together.
Her intuition screamed danger, and she struggled to remain where she was until she had a better grasp on the situation. For now, she would play possum until she had the strength to run or fight. Muffled male voices travelled to her ears. Still not sure if she was alone, she dared not open her eyes until she was certain. She saw Jake’s face in her mind. She’d been stupid for leaving him. She should have given him a chance to come to grips with her gifts.
She had expected too much too soon, but she wasn’t giving up on him, not if she made it out of this alive. Emma’s heart ached, not knowing whether she would live to see him again or be able to tell him that she loved him. She pushed that sobering thought to the back of her mind. She was strong, and she needed to figure out a plan to get out of here and fast. Her dad and Mike had taught her what to do. Observe, analyze, and execute. She repeated their drill in her head.
She didn’t know how long she had been lying there when the events of the month started to unfold in her mind. She knew she was lucky to have survived possible death twice and didn’t want to tempt fate with a third time. She tuned into her senses for information. There was a draft where she lay, and she was glad she had put on a sweater over her long-sleeve shirt. At least it helped with the chill running over her body. She took in a deep breath.
The smell of stinky fish assaulted her nose as she held back her gag reflex. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. The trees that scraped against the window and the fishy smell had her mind racing to determine where she might be.
Not in the city
.
The last memory she had was of Ben. He had called her and sounded worried. He had told her that he knew where Roger was and wanted her to go to the police with him. She wanted to bang her head against the floor for believing his lie. She remembered walking into his office. He’d had a stupid grin on his face before her head exploded in pain, and her world faded to black.
Momma Mae’s voice startled her, but she held back her gasp of surprise, not wanting to let her captors in on her deceit. The sound of Momma’s voice offered her comfort even though Momma Mae wouldn’t be able to help her.
“Baby girl, you can open your eyes. They’re in the other room and can’t see you.”
Emma opened her eyes to slits, cautious of her surroundings. Her thoughts were cloudy, and the glare from the sunlight streaming in through the window hurt her eyes.
Hot damn, there’s a window. Now that’s something I can work with
. She made a mental note to check if that was a viable option of escape. The room started to spin as Emma sat up slowly and blinked in rapid succession to gain her bearings.
Her throat was dry as she swallowed the moan that threatened to escape. When the dizziness passed, she used all the strength she had to push herself up to a standing position. She didn’t want to be vulnerable on the floor if they happened to come back in for her. The room was bare. Just an empty closet, nothing she could use as a weapon. Emma scanned the area for her purse. If she could just find her purse, she would at least have a gun. It wasn’t in sight. Her shoulders slumped.
She whispered to Momma Mae, not wanting her captures to hear. “How many?”
“Two.”
“Shit,” she whispered.
She was glad she had left a note for Abby. She knew her sisters would find her.
“Emma, your man is coming for you.”
Emma thought back to how she had left things with Jake. “Momma, if I don’t make it out of this, please find a way to tell him I loved him.”
“Baby girl, your man has already met me. How do you think they found out you were missing?”
Her eyes opened wide, and her mouth fell open. Had the old lady actually shown herself to Jake? Emma closed her mouth and smiled. She would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when that happened.
“How?” she whispered.
“Now, Emma, you’re smarter than that. I materialized in front of him and told Jake that he needed to find you. I promised you I would help you prove it to him when the time came for him to understand, and I did. I kept my promise.”
Emma wanted to throw her arms around the ghost. Emma didn’t think Momma Mae had realized the importance of what she’d done, but Emma did. Emma had more questions for Momma but knew she'd need to wait for a better time to get the details.
Emma scurried to the window and couldn’t believe her luck.
What morons to leave me alone with a way to escape.
She checked to make sure it wasn’t nailed in place. She scanned the creases to make sure the paint wouldn’t hinder her from trying to pry it open. The sun was high in the sky and glared on the lake that stood in the distance. At least she knew where she was.
Ecstatic she could use the window as a way to escape, she shifted the lever to unlock it and quietly raised the glass. There wasn’t a screen to deal with so she shimmied her way out, careful of the bush outside. With her luck, it was bound to have poison ivy or thorns.
After the successful climb, she was ready to do the happy dance but decided it could wait. Ben might be a good attorney, but he sucked at this kidnapping stuff. Her heart raced as adrenaline pumped through her veins, which worked to stave off her stomach pains. She crouched low, scanning the area to figure out the best way to run.
Jake watched from the back of the house in fascination as Emma climbed through the window. It had taken them extra time for the short hike so they would have the element of surprise. Jake gave the hand signal for everyone to stop.
“Come on, Emma, you need to run,” he whispered.
She had started her sprint toward the woods for cover when a huge bald man came at her from the front of the house and tackled her from the side.
Ahh, this must be Roger
. Jake wanted to charge the man but knew he needed to keep hidden if he was going to get her out alive. His team had the house surrounded. No one was leaving here without them knowing it. He wasn’t sure how the other men were able to keep her sisters quiet as he watched the scene unfold. He was surprised none of them had rushed out of hiding.