“All right, all right. I won’t.” I put my phone back in my pocket. The hospital would call his father anyway. I would do as he asked for now.
* * *
I followed the ambulance to the hospital. It was nearly an hour to the next city that had the facilities to care for him, but he was getting care from the paramedics, so he’d be okay.
I screeched to a halt along with the ambulance when we reached the hospital and then followed them in.
“Male, mid-twenties, dehydrated and malnourished. Multiple lacerations and contusions. Physical and sexual abuse.” The paramedics handed him off to some ER doctors.
“Let’s get an IV started,” a doctor said. “Danny, get a rape kit,” he said to an orderly.
Two police officers approached the paramedics. After they had answered their questions, the officers turned to me.
“I’m Officer Jones, and this is Officer Goldman,” one of them said. “I understand you found this man?”
“Yes, sir,” I said. “He was being held captive in a basement at this address.” I handed him the piece of paper on which I had written the address that Trevor Mills, one of the private investigators Talon had hired, had uncovered.
“Good. We’ll check it out,” Jones said. “I’m going to need your name.”
“Jonah Steel.”
“You’re one of the Steels?”
“I am.”
“So what were you doing at that address?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “I’m afraid that’s a really long story.”
“Well, we’ve got time.” Jones pointed to a couple of chairs in the waiting area that were secluded. “Let’s sit down, and we’ll have a long talk.”
After I had related my entire story, Jones made a few telephone calls. When he was done, he turned back to me.
“Your story checks out.”
“Of course it checks out. What? Did you think I had some hand in torturing this poor guy?”
“Well, he is your brother’s girlfriend’s ex. And your brother was arrested for beating him up.”
“For God’s sake. My brother has also paid his debt for that. And I’m not my brother.”
“Mr. Steel, I know you’re an upstanding citizen and business owner here in Colorado, but we have to check everything out.”
“Sure, sure.” I threaded my fingers through my hair. “But I was just held at gunpoint by one of the men—possibly two of the men—who kidnapped and tortured my brother twenty-five years ago, and then I found out they were doing the same thing to this poor guy. So my patience is wearing just a little thin. I’m sure you understand.”
Jones cleared his throat. “Sure. Of course.”
“Look, Colin didn’t want me to contact his father. I’m not sure why. But I do know how to get in touch with him. My brother’s girlfriend has the number. His name is Ted Morse.”
“No worries. We’ll figure out how to get in touch with him, Mr. Steel.”
“Sure. That’s your call.”
“Can you tell us anything else about the other guy? The one wearing a black ski mask?”
“Only that he had really bizarre blue eyes.”
“What do you mean ‘bizarre?’”