Altercation Page 17

  She quirked an eyebrow. “Neal knew the way to the park.”

  “I have a lot of questions. These kids better have good answers.”

  The concrete bench at the picnic table chilled Megan’s thighs through her jeans. She wrapped her arms around her, glad there was no wind.

  “Okay, let’s get the story.” She focused on Neal, the more serious of the twins. His brown hair had been cut short, close to his head. “What are you doing here? How did you find us?”

  Neal blew on his hands and leaned forward.

  “It’s cold,” Seth interrupted. “Can’t we do this in the car?”

  “I can start a fire if you like,” Ricky said.

  Megan kept her eyes on Neal, waiting for him to start.

  “I called Detective Hamilton a few days ago to see how Sara’s doing,” Neal said. “His answers were vague. I got the impression there might be danger, though I wasn’t sure if it involved us or the girls. So we—” he included Ricky with a nod of his head, “decided it was time to find out for ourselves.” His eyes met Megan’s. “And you know something, too, or you wouldn’t be out here.”

  She didn’t want to distract him by telling him the truth about the girls just yet. “Finish your story first.”

  “Ricky and I hatched a plan to run. A girl from school agreed to drive past the group home after lights out. We waited until the tracker was in the bathroom, and then we ran.”

  “Group home?” Seth frowned at the boys. “Are you in trouble?”

  Neal met his gaze evenly. “No. But our guardians are dead and the FBI thought a group home would be safer than a foster home.”

  “Oh.” Seth looked away.

  “Our ride showed up at the bottom of the drive and we jumped in. We were safely away before the first police lights lit up the street. She took us to the bus station with some money.”

  Seth shifted in his seat. “How well did you know this girl?”

  Ricky winked. “Well enough.”

  “Ricky!” Megan gasped, her neck warming at the implications.

  “Hey, calm down.” He laughed. “It wasn’t like that. I promised to pay her back with a nice dinner.”

  “She did all that because you said you’d take her out?” Seth furrowed his brows.

  Neal cleared his throat. “She had a crush on Ricky. Anyway. We were in New York. So we caught the Greyhound to Cincinnati.”

  “Not too pricey, as far as traveling goes,” Ricky put in. “And soon the buses will have more leg room!”

  “Yeah,” Neal said. “Anyway. We got here and I thought I’d recognize things.”

  “But you didn’t.” Ricky looked at Seth. “You have any matches? A lighter?”

  Seth fiddled with his earlobe. “Why? You smoke?”

  “He likes fire. Been going crazy for the past few days, no matches.” Neal explained his brother’s crazy obsession away with a wave of his hand.

  “Go on.” Megan raised her eyebrows. “You got here and had no idea where you were.”

  “Right. We found a kid delivering dry-cleaned laundry. He seemed pretty nice and we asked to borrow his truck. He said sure, as long as we let him drive.”

  “Not to mention, he charged us a ridiculous amount of money.” Ricky sounded annoyed.

  “Which, you might recall, we didn’t pay him.” Neal shot a glare at his brother.

  “You cheated him?” Seth asked.

  “No,” Neal said. “He got scared when you jumped us. I guess he decided the money wasn’t worth it.”

  “Wait.” Megan narrowed her eyes. The orange truck. “What was the name of this company?”

  “J&M Laundry Service.”

  “Oh!” Megan leaned back on the bench. “I saw you guys! You were the ones following us!”

  “Yeah.” Ricky brushed his hair out of his face. “We stopped at McDonald’s for some breakfast. Figured we needed fuel before staking out the city. We were just getting into the truck when we saw you. What was up with all the McDonald’s? Cravings for Big Macs?”

  Megan glanced at Seth. “We’ll get to that. Why didn’t you say something? Why take our car?”

  “I told him we should just talk to you,” Ricky said, shooting a glare at Neal.

  “We weren’t sure it was you,” Neal said. “So we took your car.”

  “How?” Seth asked. “I had the keys.”

  Ricky clicked his tongue and Megan smiled, remembering the story of Neal and Ricky hijacking a car in New York.

  “I’ve got talents,” he purred.

  Seth looked Ricky up and down.

  “Now you know why we’re here,” Neal said, his eyes on Megan again. He tossed his head, even though his hair was gone. Maybe the group home wanted to be able to tell them apart. “Why are you here? Why are you going to every McDonald’s in town? And where are the girls?”

  Megan hesitated and glanced around the silent park. “You know, it’s cold. And dark. We really should go somewhere else.”

  Neal looked around also. “You mean somewhere safer. Fine. You got money?”

  “I do.” Seth leveled his eyes at Neal. “Why?”

  He shrugged. “Where were you planning on staying?”

  Seth crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin. “Megan and I plan on sleeping in the car. Just like every night. What you two do depends on you.”

  Neal paused. Ricky stood up with a shrug. “Well, we might be a bit squished in there, but Collins and I can fit fine in the back.” He strolled toward the car.

  Seth’s mouth fell open. “Hey!” He jogged after Ricky.

  Megan looked at Neal. “Looks like we’ll be working together.”

  In the end, they got a motel for the night. Seth slapped the money down at the front desk.

  “Just one night.” He jammed the key into the electronic reader and shoved open the door to their first-floor room. “Just so we can make a plan. I’m not spending that money again.”

  “No problem.” Ricky spread out on one of the beds. “It’s not like we expect to be out here that long. Right?”

  Megan glanced around the room. Two queen beds. She didn’t have to analyze their group to know that wasn’t going to work. “We’re going to need another bed.”

  Seth shook his head. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

  “I’ll call the front desk and ask for a roll-a-bed.” She picked up the black phone receiver.

  “Megan! I can sleep on the floor!”

  Neal frowned at Seth. “Is it such a big deal? If she wants to get a bed?”

  Megan withdrew her hand and shook her head, a lump in her throat making it hard to swallow. “No, it’s fine.” She coughed. “So. You had questions,” she said, trying to put Seth’s weird reaction behind them.

  “Yeah.” Neal nodded. “What’s going on? Where’s Sara? What are you doing out here?”

  Megan licked her lips and took a deep breath. She knew this wouldn’t go over well. “The girls are gone again.”

  “What?” Ricky pushed up on his elbows. “Gone? What do you mean?”

  “On the way to the rendezvous, the counselor took them to a McDonald’s. They never showed up at the rendezvous.”

  “Never showed up.” Ricky whispered the words and dropped his head in his hands. “Was it Crystal?”

  Megan paused. “I don’t remember a name.”

  Neal pressed his lips together. “That’s why you were searching out the McDonald’s in town. Find anything?”

  Megan nodded, but Seth interrupted.

  “Yeah. But it doesn’t matter. Too many people will ruin things.”

  Ricky lifted his head, his features tight. “Don’t worry; we won’t let you get in our way. I’m sure we can handle it.”


  Seth snorted. “Uh-huh. A couple of kids that ran from a group home. You think that makes you all that or something?”

  Ricky gave a short laugh. “Did your mom teach you to be judgmental, or does it come naturally?”

  “What’s your problem, kid?” Seth glared at Ricky.

  “What’s your problem?” Neal entered the conversation. “You have a missing sister. So do we. That gives us as much right to be searching as you.”

  “Yeah.” Seth rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you’re only interested in your sister. The other girls catch your eye, too?”

  Ricky shot to his feet, his fists clenched.

  Megan jumped in front of Seth, holding her arms out. “Okay. That’s enough. This is so stupid.”

  Ricky took a deep breath and unclenched his fists. “If you weren’t Jaci’s brother . . . ”

  Megan glared at Seth, willing him to calm down. “Stop being such a jerk.”

  His gaze met hers, and he relented a little. He turned back to the twins and leaned against the dresser. “How well do you know Jaci?”

  “Pretty well,” Neal said, his tone cautious. “We traveled with her for several weeks. How do you not know someone after that?”

  Seth crossed his arms over his chest, studying both of them. “How well?”

  “We didn’t kiss her, if that’s what you mean,” Neal said with a dry chuckle.

  Megan noticed Ricky’s ears turn pink. As if feeling her gaze on him, Ricky lifted his face and met her eyes. “Why are you here, Megan?”

  She glanced at Seth. He watched her from the dresser, arms across his chest, dark eyes brooding. Yet something about the curve of his mouth gave her the impression that at any moment he might cry. “We couldn’t just sit at home and do nothing. Seth wanted to look for Jaci. I came too.”

  Neal cracked his fingers. “Well. Have they talked to Crystal—the counselor?”

  “No. She hasn’t been found. The last McDonald’s we went to told us which way the car went. So, we haven’t figured out anything new. We’re just following the same trail the FBI has.”

  “Where does the trail end?”

  “Soon. The car was dumped under a bypass.”

  Ricky’s shoulders sagged. “We’re not going to be able to find them.”

  “See, that’s what I mean.” Seth spoke up again. “You don’t know where to look. You’ve just been following us. Why don’t you guys go on home—in fact, take Megan home too. I can do this myself.”

  Megan looked at Seth incredulously. “Excuse me?”

  He blinked, the skin around his right eye shiny and swollen from his fist-fight with Neal. “You never wanted to come anyway.”

  She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “And so, um, that gives you the right to send me away?”

  He shrugged, lowering his eyes. “You’ve helped me all you can.”

  She couldn’t even think of what to say. So she just stared at him.

  Neal cleared his throat. “Whose car is it?”

  She turned to face him, blinking back the angry tears that pricked her eyes. “Seth’s girlfriend’s.”

  Ricky arched an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Does she know he’s with you?”

  Definitely not. Megan shook her head.

  “Then let’s call her and tell her.”

  Seth narrowed his eyes at Ricky. “That’s blackmail, even if you knew how to reach her.”

  Ricky yawned and stretched. “Finding phone numbers is easy, Rivera. Or you can let the three of us do what we want and you get your own car.”

  Seth grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it on the floor. “No problem. I’ll get my own car.” He lay down with his back to them, hugging the pillow.

  November 7, Cincinnati, Ohio

  There was no question that Ohio was more pleasant than Alaska. Still, Carl felt some frustration as he unpacked his bags. He was no closer to finding anything out about Gregorio Rivera than he had been a few weeks ago. Two more people from the photographs had been identified, and just as Carl suspected, both were involved in illegal activities. More importantly, one of them was dead while the other walked free.

  He didn’t know for sure, but Carl was pretty sure Rivera had killed the dead man. Agent Purple had been at the same place, at the same time, as the other guy.

  Carl threw his suit on top of the floral bedspread in the hotel suite. Why didn’t Rivera at least call someone and tell them what was going on? His daughter was missing! Again! Surely he knew about this.

  Just in case he didn’t, Carl’s last email had been more detailed. He’d also outlined his suspicions that Rivera was hiding because his own illegal adventures were about to catch up to him. Carl hinted at working out a plea bargain if he would turn himself in. But even that hadn’t prompted a response.

  He shook his head. He needed to focus on Ohio. First on the agenda was to call the FBI and let them know he was situated so they could bring him a car. After that, dinner. He put his hand on the hotel phone, about to pick it up, when it rang. Too startled at first to answer it, Carl got it on the second ring. “Yes?”

  “Detective Hamilton?”

  “Speaking.”

  “Agent Banks. We have a lead on an empty warehouse downtown. The police are planning a raid in twenty minutes.”

  Excitement coursed through Carl’s veins, driving out the jet-lag and hunger. He hadn’t even started investigating yet, and already a break. “What’s the address? I’ll be there for the aftermath.”

  Banks rattled off the address, and then added, “I’m also supposed to inform you that Florence and her daughter were spotted on security cameras.”

  Carl ripped the top page off the hotel notepad and started in on the next one. “Where?”

  “At the Chicago O’Hare airport. Boarding a flight to Argentina.”

  Some of his excitement sank. “Did she leave a forwarding address?”

  “No such luck. I’ll brief you more at the raid.”

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  There had been no sound in the other room since nightfall. It was pitch black in the little closet. Jaci focused her eyes where she knew Amanda knelt in front of the door.

  “Damn.” Amanda’s whisper filled the closet. “I broke the bobby pin.”

  Jaci fought back the crazy urge to laugh. “You broke it? Do you have another pin?”

  “Uh-huh.” Her jeans scraped the floor as she fished around in her pocket. “Good luck.”

  Jaci felt blindly in the dark until she touched the cool smoothness of the bobby pin. They shifted positions, and Jaci prayed silently. Help me get this door open. Our chance to get out is now. She knelt on the hard concrete and felt the metal doorknob. Jaci pushed and prodded the pin, twisting it around, trying to slide it between the door and the wall. No luck. The pin bent under the hard lock, defying Jaci’s best efforts to use it like a wedge.

  She sank down. “I can’t get it.”

  “I know.”

  A loud clanging echoed in the warehouse. “What’s that?”

  Amanda used Jaci for leverage to get to her feet. “I have no idea.”

  In the other room, the door hit the wall so hard that the closet rattled. The girls barely had time to back away before the closet door flung open, a flashlight shining in their faces.

  “Move. Now.” The Grandón wrapped his fingers in a crushing grip around Jaci’s forearm and hauled her out.

  She struggled to get her feet under her, whipping around as the Creep got a hold of Amanda. The Grandón didn’t wait. He switched his light off and dragged her through the warehouse, her shoes catching on broken glass and wires. Her arm throbbed where he held her.

  She blinked as they stepped into the street. A lamplight flickered above them and cars drove down the
road. He yanked her arm, forcing her to keep walking.

  The familiar SUV sat in a parallel parking space in front of a bookstore. The Grandón shoved Jaci inside. Amanda stumbled in right after. The doors slammed and the car took off, turning right down a narrow alley and climbing a hill.

  The Hand was at the wheel. Was he finally going to collect his money and get rid of them?

  The SUV bumped over a curb and drove into a wooded park at the top of the hill, barely missing a bench and a barbecue grill. The Hand stopped the car and only then did Jaci realize they’d been driving without lights. No wonder he’d almost taken out the park bench.

  The Creep lit up a cigarette. The black, acrid smoke drifted to the top of the SUV, making her cough. Dancing red and blue lights in her peripheral vision attracted her attention. She watched as several police cars surrounded a white-top, one-level building below their hill.

  The warehouse.

  Jaci slept off and on while they drove. The night grew dark as they traveled through small cities, interstates with no street lights. Periodically, The Hand would get on his cell phone and she always tried to be alert to listen to the conversations.

  “Yes. Got it. Block two. Uh-huh.”

  The last one was pretty much as helpful as the previous ones.

  The Hand pulled the SUV up to a gated community. A glance at the digital clock in the car showed it to be just after three in the morning. Rolling down the window, he punched in a code and the gate rolled sideways. The Hand entered the community, driving the car to the end of the cul-de-sac.

  A man waited in front of a three-story brick mansion. His graying hair blended into his white robe, his hooded eyes awake but sleepy. The garage was open, and The Hand pulled the SUV inside. Jaci felt the Grandón’s familiar fingers close in on her arm. She wanted to shake him off but didn’t.

  The man was in the kitchen when The Hand led his little band inside. “This way,” he said, his voice soft with a British accent. His gray eyes roved over the girls before turning back to The Hand. “I have a room for the girls.”