“Hello?”
“Hi. You don’t know me, but I got your number from Sara. Are you—”
“Is this some sort of sick joke?” the woman demands, anguish lacing her words.
“No, ma’am, it’s not a joke. Are you Sara’s mother?”
“We both know I am,” she snaps. “And you are?”
“My name is Pepper, but my friends call me Peppermint. I’m calling to let you know that Sara is safe.”
It takes another twenty minutes and a chat with Sara for Sue—she finally told me her name—to believe that this isn’t a joke, and that Sara is alive and well. Sara was abducted from her birthday party, a little over a month ago, which was held at a local skating rink in her hometown just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. Her parents are driving all night so they can pick her up tomorrow.
Satisfied that at least one of the victims we rescued today will get some semblance of her life back, I make my way to the corner where the doc has his supplies set up. Nathan Claymore is officially employed by Malachi and Nico, but he always helps us out when summoned.
“Hey, Pep,” Nathan says. He nods at my hands. “Need me to take a look?”
“Please.”
“Sure thing. Have a seat and I’ll stitch you up as soon as I finish with the last girl.”
“Thanks, Nate.”
He walks over to the girl two cots over from Sara. The girl flinches and jerks away from him at first, much like Sara did, but he quickly and efficiently gets an IV hooked up and the sedative he always has on hand calms her so he can work.
While I wait, I close my eyes. It’s been a long day, and I’m beat. I want nothing more than to go to the clubhouse, climb the stairs to my room, and lock myself inside to collapse on the bed.
Unfortunately, that won’t be possible because once Nate’s finished with me, I have nine more victims to talk to and nine more families to notify.
Like I told Tahiti… never-fucking-ending.
CHAPTER4
Nico
“How’s it feel?”
I shift my gaze from the passenger window to Malachi. The last few days have been a whirlwind, to say the least, but he’s been fairly relaxed through it all. Now, though, my cousin seems tense. His knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel, and his back is ramrod straight.
“How does what feel?”
Malachi spares me a glance. “Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.”
He’s right, I do. I’m just not at all sure how to answer him. I decide on honesty because let’s face it, neither of us has had a ton of that in our lives.
I shrug. “I don’t think it’s quite set in yet.”
“It will. This is the first time you’ve been in the city in what? Ten years?”
“Eleven,” I correct. “But who’s counting?”
“Right.”
Silence fills the vehicle as Malachi focuses on driving, and I return to staring out the window. I expected to recognize my surroundings but so far, I haven’t. And that only adds to my unease. If nothing is familiar, how can I tell when something is going to have a negative effect on me? The thought is unsettling, to say the least.
I’m so lost in my own head that I don’t even realize that Malachi has turned off the main road until he stops the car next to a guard shack and rolls down his window.
“Hey, Malachi.” The woman steps out of the shack and leans in to look at me. “Who ya got there?”