LCR branch office
Tampa
Honor stared at her neat scribbles on the dry-erase board, a careful optimism making her heart thud harder. She and Seth had gotten in an hour ago and come to the office immediately. Aidan, Jared, and Noah had arrived a few moments later and now sat, along with Seth, at the conference table.
Everyone had significant information to share, and though they’d briefed each other on the phone, Honor wanted to get it all written down in front of them so they could begin a discussion.
“Okay, with everything we have now, let’s start over again. Aidan, you go first.”
“Mallory Roland was the young woman abducted and found dead in Pennsylvania. She was twenty years old and was last seen in an Internet café a couple of miles from the Penn State campus.”
“And the similarity to the other girls?” Seth asked.
“Age and she was a transfer. She started at Penn State this year to be with her boyfriend, who’s a junior there.”
“Anything else?” Honor asked.
Aidan nodded. “I talked to a couple of people who saw her at the café. She had a long conversation with a young blond woman. They walked out together. That was the last time anyone saw her.”
Seth grabbed one of the files for the missing girls and opened it. “Kelli was seen talking to a young woman prior to her disappearance. She didn’t leave with her, but the woman left and then Kelli left about ten minutes later. That was the last time Kelli was seen. No one knew who the woman was … just that she was a young, attractive brunette.”
“So you’re saying a woman could be responsible for these abductions?” Jared asked.
“Not solely responsible, but she could be the lure.” Seth surged to his feet and began to pace. “So let’s go back to our theory. These young, vulnerable girls are lonely and looking for friendship. A beautiful young woman befriends them. They have no reason to think she’s anything other than another college student. They’re eager to make friends, they’re not looking for a predator. She lures them somewhere, and that’s when they’re taken.”
He went back to the table and flipped through the other files. “All the other girls were seen talking to a young woman before they disappeared. It didn’t register with us because the women had different descriptions.”
“It’s easy enough to disguise yourself with a wig and a different demeanor,” Honor said.
“Okay, but how does this help us?” Jared said. “We don’t know what she looks like really, except that she’s young and pretty. There’re a hell of a lot of young, pretty women on college campuses.”
Honor nodded, not minding a bit having a naysayer in the bunch. Poking holes in their theories would keep them focused. “You’re right. But it’s not something we’d considered before. And it makes me wonder about the motivation for the abductions. Before I was thinking human trafficking. Now I’m not so sure.”
“But why did he rape and kill Mallory?” Aidan asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe something went wrong. Could be she fought back … harder than the others. Maybe the guy lost his temper. Lots of things could have happened. I’m just not willing to say this isn’t our guy, just because he wasn’t successful with this abduction.” She glanced at Aidan again. “Any evidence left on her body?”
“No, the coroner said the water washed everything away.”
Tapping her pen against the table, Honor said, “Okay, so we know that the five girls, plus Mallory, were seen talking with a young woman no one knew, prior to their disappearance. Which to me is the most telling piece of all.”
“What?” Noah asked.
“If she’s that attractive, why didn’t anyone know her? Of all the people we’ve talked to, why was it that not one of them had any idea who she was?”
The room went silent as everyone absorbed and considered her statement. Finally, Seth said, “Okay, so we’ve got that. What else?”
Noah and Jared looked at each other. Noah gave a nod, indicating that the other man should proceed.
Pulling a thick stack of papers from a small box on the floor, Jared slid a smaller stack of stapled pages across the table to each of them. Honor took hers and ran her eyes swiftly down the first page. She turned the page and again read quickly. Each turn of the page was successively faster as an ache developed in her stomach. Reaching the last page, she raised her head and saw her feelings reflected on everyone’s faces.
“How far did you go back?” she asked.
“Ten years,” Jared answered grimly.
“Okay … now wait, help me out here,” Aidan said. “I see some similarities, age and such, but the MOs are all over the place.” He picked up his stack and flipped to a page. “This girl was only seventeen, a popular high school cheerleader, and the last time she was seen was at a mall in Seattle.”
“Take a look at the other two girls who went missing that same year,” Jared said. “Look at their last known location.”
Aidan turned another page. “Shit. A mall,” he murmured.
Noah stood and went to a two-sided whiteboard. “Jared and I worked on this last night.” He flipped the board over to reveal a map of the United States. “We’ve tagged the states where the girls have gone missing, using a colored pin to show the year and the last known location.” He shook his head. “I’m the biggest doubting Thomas there is, but it’s hard for me to say there’s not something there.”
As Honor drew closer, she could feel everyone else come up behind her. All eyes were glued to the map and the horrifyingly numerous and different-colored pins dotting it.
Seth’s deep voice broke the stunned silence. “So what we’re looking at is at least ten years’ worth of abductions. Each year, he changed the MO and the number of victims he took.”
“Exactly,” Jared said from behind them. “And, as you can see, they’re all over the map, which is probably the reason no one’s ever connected them before. The year a girl went missing in Nevada, he took another one in Tennessee and the next in New York. None of them close enough in location or time frame that the authorities would suspect that the disappearances could be related.”
“A video arcade, fast-food restaurants, coffee shops, malls, movie theaters,” Noah said. “Anywhere young adults hang out a lot.”
“Okay, I’m willing to concede that the disappearances have some similarities,” Aidan said. “But how are they related to this case? The girls we’re looking for have gone missing from a lot of different places.”
Honor nodded. “True; the similarity is each girl is a college student and a young woman is the lure.”
Seeing that a smattering of doubts still lingered, she said, “Okay, let’s see where this takes us.” She repeated all they’d learned: “He never hits the same state twice. One year, he hit four states; another year, two states. In a ten-year time frame, that’s forty-three states. Let’s rule out Hawaii and Alaska simply for remoteness and difficulty of travel. This year he’s hit Iowa, Oregon, and Indiana. And most likely Pennsylvania. If he continues this pattern, there’s only one state he hasn’t hit.”
She pointed to the state without a pin. “Wyoming.” She turned back to the table and sat down. “That’s where we need to concentrate our efforts.”
“That’s a damn big state,” Jared said.
“True. But it’s a much smaller area than we had before. And we know to look at college campuses.”
“So we’re going to go to colleges in Wyoming and search for good-looking women who talk to other women?” Aidan asked.
“When you put it like that, it does sound hopeless and far-fetched. But that’s exactly what we’ll be doing. Except we’re going to have LCR females do that. This creep isn’t looking for guys.” She glanced over at Noah. They’d discussed this on the phone this morning after he’d given her the bare basics of what he and Jared had learned. “Noah is bringing in eleven female operatives to help.”
Sitting across from Seth, she saw his jaw clench, and the rigid set of his shoulders became even tenser. They hadn’t talked about this yet; he was learning about the plan along with Aidan and Jared. By the look on his face, he disapproved.
Apparently picking up on Seth’s feelings, Noah asked, “You got a problem with the plan, Cavanaugh?”
Instead of answering immediately, Seth gave Honor a hard, searching look. He wasn’t an easy person to read, but she knew something had disturbed him. However, his answer to Noah was “No, this might be our only chance of catching the guy this year.”
Noah stood and addressed them all. “Exactly. That’s the biggest concern. Look at the dates of each abduction. He’s never taken anyone after mid-November or before mid-March. We’re two weeks away from the window closing until next year. If the Pennsylvania case is related, and I think we all agree that there’s a strong possibility, he failed at his last attempt. And—”
Seth finished his statement: “And if we don’t get him in the next two weeks, our chances of finding Kelli and the other girls this year are almost nonexistent.”
Silence permeated the room as everyone absorbed that grim statement.
Doubt suddenly washed over Honor. Either way, their choices sucked. If they were wrong and none of the previous disappearances had anything to do with this case, then they were wasting valuable time. Time they couldn’t afford. And if they were right, their odds were even suckier. A two-week time frame to cover an entire state filled with several large and small campuses looking for one pretty woman who was being used as a lure to attract lonely young girls.
The optimism she’d felt at the beginning of the meeting dwindled considerably. No way in hell was this going to work.
twenty-one
Tranquillity
Alden sat in his favorite chair, oversized for his large frame and with enough room for an additional, more slender body for those times when he wanted company. He’d had it placed at the floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over his community. Here he often sat for hours and, with the help of powerful binoculars, watched his people work. Like tireless minions, they toiled and slaved, all to make their lives better and more fulfilling.
Soon winter would arrive and they would truly become a community once again. During the warmer months, there was a separation, a disconnect. The men would hunt wild game, the women would tend the garden and fill their time with canning and freezing. The warm weather gave them the opportunity to prepare for the winter. But it also meant there were absences, and when that happened, the community suffered. All of its members were needed.
His own absence was the worst, he knew. For the last ten years, he’d had no choice. Young women were necessary to increase their numbers and keep the men’s baser needs satisfied. In turn, the women were given the opportunity for their own fulfilling destiny. What greater gift could a woman have than serving her man?
He was glad that his travels for the year were almost over. If not for his wayward son, his work would have been completed last week. And since they were running behind schedule, he was going to do something he had promised himself he’d never do: he was going to hunt close to home. Not that the authorities would have any idea of where to look, but just the idea of bringing any attention to the state where Tranquillity resided bothered him immensely. He’d learned long ago that you don’t piss in your own backyard. There was nothing he could do about it, though. Traveling to another state would take too much time. After the first solid freeze, winter would set in, and the heavy snows would make traveling difficult. Besides, he had too much to do here to be gone for very long.
John had truly made a mess of things. Secretly, he agreed that the girl had deserved severe punishment—having her laugh at his son could not be tolerated. Still, John should have had more self-control. It shamed him to realize his son had repeated the mistake Alden had made years ago. But that mistake hadn’t been Alden’s fault. If he’d had someone to guide or assist him, as John had, he never would have made such an error in judgment.
His son had enjoyed all the advantages Alden had missed out on, and still, he’d made the asinine blunder. His boy was fortunate he had a father who could clean up his messes. John better have learned his lesson. Alden wouldn’t be as lenient if anything like this happened again.
Too bad they’d had to put the girl down; she could have been useful here. There were only eight stable girls. Many of these women had been taken from the streets or strip clubs and had required virtually no training to fulfill their job requirements. The Pennsylvania girl might have needed some breaking in, but very little training was required to work in the stable. The women performed the tasks that came natural to them … it was what they’d been born to do.
Yes, another female in the stable would be a welcome addition. The last time he’d visited there, the women had looked a bit worn. Bringing in a fresh one would’ve been nice. Perhaps he would find a couple of new ones next hunting season.
But for this year, he would concentrate on bringing in the last one and then he could enter into his favorite time. Training had to begin by the end of the month at the latest. By early spring, the men who’d submitted the winning bids would be ravenous, ready to take their mates.
“Father, may I approach you?”
Smiling his welcome, he opened his arms. Tabitha flew toward him and flung herself into his embrace, as she had almost from the moment she could walk. Alden held her tightly to him, his heart overflowing with love. A surge of arousal quickly followed, and he laughed softly as she rubbed up against his hardening body. “Later, my angel. For now, tell me how your new charges are doing.”
Settling onto his lap, she gave him an update. “Extremely well. Each girl has toured our community at least twice. They’re eating well and exercising to maintain their shape and good health. The healer has checked their teeth and overall health. And the ugly, fat one has even lost some weight.”
“Don’t let her lose any more. Royce caught a glimpse of her the other day and I believe he wants to bid for her. He’s sending me his offer soon.”
“The stable girls say Royce can be quite brutal. This girl is shy and submissive. They will make a good match.”
Tabitha was such a romantic, always looking for the perfect match for each person in the community. “And what about our little runaway? How is she faring? I saw her the other day. There’s defiance in her.”
“When training day arrives, I fully expect she’ll be as cooperative as the rest.”
“And Ben and Lucy? Are they a help or a hindrance to you?”
“Oh, they’re extremely helpful, especially with the runaway. She obeys their commands almost immediately.” Something wonderfully wicked flickered in her face as she added, “I often have to use a bit more coercion.”
Alden inwardly smiled. His angel had a hint of the devil in her. This unique characteristic had revealed itself early. Lois, Tabitha’s mother, had been the first to fall victim to her creative talents, carrying bite marks, scratches, and bruises on her skin for days.
When Alden had recognized his daughter’s unique appetites, he’d taken her under his wing and shielded her. Another downfall of his first wife—she hadn’t fully appreciated their daughter’s specialness. It had been one of the many reasons he and Lois had had to part ways.
He remembered that day well. Tabitha had been there at her mother’s bedside during her last moments and Alden could still picture the little smile of satisfaction curving his daughter’s mouth. Though only twelve at the time, even then, she hadn’t wanted competition from another woman.
“So you’ve chosen the runaway as our teaching aid this time?”
She grinned. “Yes, and I think she may well be our best yet. You know that kind of defiance always makes for good teaching points. Her punishment will give the others excellent examples.”
“And give you enjoyment.”
She shrugged. “Finding enjoyment in one’s job is important. You taught me that.”
Alden leaned forward and put his mouth to her ear. “And you were an excellent student.”
“Thank you, Father.” Placing her head on his chest, she snuggled against him.
“Are you ready for our trip next week?” Alden asked.
“Yes. Having you all to myself for a few days will be a special treat.”
“Have you chosen our location?”
She nodded. “Since we have to stay close to home, I’ve chosen a small college two hundred miles southeast of here. If we can identify her early enough, we might possibly be home by the end the week.”
“Excellent. I’ll leave all the details to you.”
Shifting slightly, she put her lips against his neck and spoke against his skin. “May I stay with you awhile?”
Rarely able to refuse his angel, Alden slid his hand under her dress and then up her soft thigh. “You know that whatever pleases you pleases me.”
With a soft, gratitude-filled sigh, Tabitha’s hand went to his zipper. Alden closed his eyes and allowed her to have her way.
Seth stood at the window of the LCR conference room. The city of Tampa sprawled out before him, but he saw nothing other than the words forming in his head. Words that would no doubt create an argument. Damned if he’d keep them to himself, though. Fortunately, everyone but Honor had left—all preparing to take their plans for the stakeout and deep cover to the next level.
“What’s wrong?”
She stood behind him, all soft woman, all once his. He had no right to ask her to step back. Honor was a trained professional. In the years they’d been apart, she’d been involved in dozens of dangerous cases. But he hadn’t known about them … hadn’t allowed himself to know. Now, with this job, he was the one responsible for bringing her into danger.
“Seth?” she asked again.
Without turning, he said, “How many female operatives does LCR have?”
“I’m not sure. Thirty, maybe. I’ve never asked. Why?”
Taking a breath, he turned and tried for evasiveness and logic, at first. “Having an additional female operative on the case would be helpful.”
Her smooth brow furrowed in confusion. “Noah’s already designated eleven more female operatives, plus two additional men, Gabe Maddox and Jordan Montgomery. Along with Aidan and Jared, that’s sixteen operatives, not counting you and Noah. That’s a hell of a lot of people for one mission.”
“One more can’t hurt.”
“Why do you think we need one more?”
“Because you’re in charge of the entire operation. You need to be coordinating everyone’s efforts, not have your time split between that and working undercover, too. Your focus will be off.”
“Are you trying to protect me?”
He didn’t know which surprised him most—her soft voice, the hand she put on his arm, or the tenderness he saw in her expression. He’d figured she would be furious.
Feeling hopeful, he asked, “Would that be so bad?”
“My mom said that’s why you lied to me before. To protect me.”
“I told you that.” He blew out a sigh. Going down this road again would probably not help, but if it made her look at things from a different perspective, he’d try anything. “If I had told you what was going down with Clemmons, what would you have done?”
“I don’t know. I only know that you took the choice away from me.”
Seth nodded grimly and turned back to the window. She was right; he had taken that choice from her. And if he had the same decision to make again? He’d do the same damn thing. She said she didn’t know what she would have done with the truth; Seth had known. Honor would have stuck around, tried to help, gotten involved. And in the process, she could have become a target, trained professional or not. He had loved Honor, and the need to protect her overrode everything else.
“Seth, look at me.”
He turned to her again. With an expression of earnest resolve on her beautiful face, she took both of his hands in hers. “Let’s put what happened in the past behind us and look at it from today’s perspective. I won’t go into boring detail about the number of cases I’ve worked, the arrests I’ve made, or the commendations I’ve received. When we were together before, I was green, I admit. Maybe I would have screwed everything up back then, I don’t know. However, what you need to remember is that now I am a trained professional, with lots of field experience under my belt. I can do this job. What I need from you is to not only believe I can handle the job; I need you to promise that you’ll let me do my job.”
Seth held back the words of protest clamoring to get out. What was the point? She just didn’t see it, would never see it. He knew she was a trained professional, even deadly when necessary. But when he looked at her, he saw the sexy, beautiful, freckle-faced woman who’d stolen his heart years ago. The softly, vulnerable woman he’d held in his arms, the sweetly fragrant woman he’d licked, tasted, and savored. He’d felt the delicacy of her satin skin, knew the vulnerability and softness of her slender body.
To the rest of the world, Honor might be a tough, hard-nosed, no-nonsense woman with a gun. To Seth, she was simply his heart.
If he told her those things, he knew what would happen. She would suggest that he work with another team. No way in hell was that going to happen. Honor didn’t believe she needed his protection. Whether she needed it or not, she was going to get it. No matter how this case went down, whether they saved Kelli and the other girls or not, Honor would be safe. This he swore.
“Seth, can you do that?”
“Yes, I can do that. I have all the faith in the world in you.”
Giving him the smile he’d fallen for long ago, she leaned forward and kissed him softly. “Thank you. Now let’s go find Kelli.”
As Seth followed her out the door, an odd sense of inevitability washed over him. Fate had brought Honor back into his life for a reason. He was beginning to comprehend what that reason was, and in his gut, he knew that what was about to take place was meant to be.
Two days later, Honor stood in front of the room again, this time facing a much larger group of people. Along with Noah, Jared, Aidan, and Seth, two other male LCR operatives had been added to the mix—Jordan Montgomery and Gabe Maddox.
Prior to coming to work for LCR, she had worked with both men, but hadn’t had a chance to do so again since she’d become an operative. Both Jordan and Gabe had taken several months off to handle some personal matters. Jordan and his wife, Eden, had recently adopted a little boy from Thailand. And Gabe, who’d reunited with his wife last year, had spent most of his time in Tennessee, building their new home. When Noah had told her they’d be on the case, she’d been happy to have two such seasoned operatives added to their numbers.
Of the eleven female operatives Noah had called in, none were familiar to her. Though she would have preferred to know at least a few, she wasn’t worried. All LCR operatives were well trained, and she knew Noah McCall; he wouldn’t assign a job to anyone unless he had full confidence in that person.
“Okay, here’s what we know.” Honor turned to one of the boards and pointed at their list. “We figure he’s been at this for ten years. He never hits the same state twice. Each year, he uses a different venue to grab his victims, and he’s not consistent in the number he takes. The first year we’ve tracked him back to, he took three; the second year, five; the third year, three again.”
“How is it that he’s not been targeted by the authorities by now?” Gabe asked.
“For one thing, his preferences are all over the place. Though he does seem to like them in their late teens or early twenties, he doesn’t target one particular race, background, or even body type.” She shot a glance at Seth. “One of the things Seth noticed immediately before he contacted LCR was how there were so few similarities.”
“So, all totaled, how many women has he taken?”