Altercation (17 page)

N
obody said a word to Seth in the morning. Megan stuck close to Neal and Ricky, hiding the hurt she felt over Seth’s betrayal. They left Seth alone in the hotel room and went down to the lobby for breakfast. Neal spilled milk on Ricky’s sweater, and the two of them bickered over it. Megan laughed and pretended like she didn’t see Seth sit down at another table.

They cleared their trash and Megan pulled the car keys from her pocket. Why did she care, anyway? Seth was a jerk. Why should it surprise her that he could just let her walk away without a word?

She refused to look at him. She brushed her hair out of her face and kept her eyes down, walking in front of Neal and Ricky. She stepped out of the motel and a cold wind cut through her jacket, making her shiver.

“There’s the car.” Neal put a hand on her shoulder and pointed, steering her in the right direction.

The automatic glass door opened behind them and Seth stepped out. “Wait.”

The three turned. Megan squinted against the sharp air, focusing on the tall, dark-haired boy.

Seth approached them, shoving his hands in his jean pockets. He blinked, dark shadows under his brown eyes. “Hey, I’m sorry. I was such an arrogant idiot last night. Let me help.”

Ricky crossed his arms over his chest. “You were an ass.”

Megan flinched and glanced at Seth, fearful for his reaction. But he only nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah, I was.”

Ricky exhaled and unfolded his arms. “You’re Jaci’s brother. She’d want you to come.”

“On one condition,” Neal said.

Seth tightened his jaw and nodded. “Go ahead.”

“We’re in charge.” He indicated Ricky with his head. “You can give your opinion. But we run the show.”

Seth narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“We’ve had more experience with subterfuge. Or do you disagree?”

Seth’s eyebrows shot up. “No. No, that’s fine.”

“Great.” Ricky held his hand out to Seth. “Let’s start over then. Hi, I’m Ricky.”

Seth took the offered hand. “Hi. You were close to Jaci, weren’t you?”

A shadow crossed over Ricky’s face. “I am close to Jaci.”

“Did she ever mention me?”

There was no mistaking the hope in Seth’s voice. Megan remembered he asked her the same thing the night they met.

“Yes,” Ricky answered without hesitating. “That’s why you get the second chance, man.”

Seth smiled. Megan had never seen him smile before. Not like that. “Thanks.”

“Let’s get going.” Neal nodded his head toward the parking lot. “We can chat later.”

“All right.” Megan gave a careful sigh as she started the car. In truth, she hated driving in unfamiliar cities and hadn’t minded at all when Seth drove them around.

Neal climbed into the passenger seat. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Uh-huh.”

Seth sat behind Neal. “So what’s the plan, fearless leader? And what was your name again?”

“I’m Neal. That’s Ricky.”

“We’re twins,” Ricky said.

“Yeah, no kidding. What’s the plan, Neal?”

“Megan, let’s get back to the last McDonald’s you went to.”

“Um.” Megan stared at the road in front of her. Where on earth was that McDonald’s now? She could feel her face getting hot.

Neal studied her. “Want me to drive?”

“Please.” She put the car back in park and took her foot off the brake.

Ricky got out of the car. She looked at him in surprise.

“Do you mind if I sit up front with Neal? If it’s not a big deal.” He glanced toward the backseat and lowered his voice. “If you don’t want to sit with Grumpy, I totally understand.”

Her eyes flicked to Seth. “No. I don’t mind.”

“Thanks, Megan.”

Neal waited for Ricky to close the door before backing up. “All right, here’s the plan. I’m going back to the McDonald’s. Keep your eyes open for an overpass. Anything else, Ricky?”

Ricky hooked his fingers around the handle bar above the window. “Yeah. We need a scanner.”

Seth crinkled his brow. “A what?”

“A police scanner.”

“What for?”

Ricky glanced over his shoulder at him. “To listen to the police, Rivera. Duh.”

“Of course. What a great idea.”

“Okay.” Neal drove the car over to the side of the street and stopped. “Before we go any further. Where do we buy a scanner?”

Ricky pulled on his earlobe. “Radio Shack. Someone in there will probably know the police frequencies.”

Megan worked on programming their new scanner while Neal found the last McDonald’s. He and Ricky left her in the car with Seth while they took a look around.

Seth watched her fiddle with the dials. “Ready for the first code?”

She nodded, consulting the instruction booklet again. “Yes.”

He read the numbers off to her, and she waited for the scanner to accept the programming. “This cost a lot of money, Seth.”

“Yeah. Ready for the second?”

She nodded. Seth had been very agreeable today. She wondered what brought it on. Being told off by Ricky? “How much cash did you take out of your account when we were in Wyoming?” She kept her voice low and her eyes down, trying not to seem too interested.

“All of it.”

“All of it? Where is it?”

“In my pockets. Shoes. Socks.”

Static erupted from the scanner. Megan tuned it a bit more and a voice came through clearly.

“. . . breaking probation. Ankle alarm. Send unit?” The male voice paused.

“Affirmative,” a woman said. “Unit forty-two en route.”

Megan smiled. “Got it.”

The door opened and Neal popped in. “Okay. Sit tight.”

They drove nearly ten minutes from the McDonald’s, leaving behind the businesses and entering a dumpy part of town. Rusty cars flanked the street on one side, a trailer park the other side. Dull paint peeled from the only house in the area.

“Think they dumped Crystal’s car here?” Ricky said.

“Let’s take a look.” Neal pushed open the door and looked at Seth.

“Stay with Megan.” His hazel eyes tracked her in the back seat. “Megan, keep on that scanner. Anything that you think might be a lead, take note.” He looked back at Seth. “I don’t want to leave her alone.”

Seth opened his mouth like he might argue, but then shrugged. “Okay.”

The scanner continued to spout information at intermittent intervals. “Calling all units. Ten forty-two on Vine Street, National City Bank. Suspect in silver sedan, heading east.”

Several voices responded, indicating their pursuit. Megan quickly read over the ten codes the Radio Shack employee had provided. “Robbery in progress.”

“Maybe it’s The Hand,” Seth said.

“Not a chance. He knows he’s being looked for. He won’t risk it.”

Another voice broke across the scanner. “Have a ten-seven in Loveland, on Stockton Drive.”

Megan turned the sound down while she searched for the code.

“Affirmative. Anyone injured?” a female voice inquired.

“Negative. Broken window, still assessing damage. Request patrol to survey area. Second ten-seven this week.”

Burglary. Megan hoped she would be able to memorize all these codes soon.

Seth looked out the window and picked at the tinting. “I don’t know what to do. Where else to turn. Who can help us? Tell me about Ricky and Neal. I never knew Sara had brothers.”

Megan flipped the scanner to another channel. “You know she was adopted, right?”

“Jaci may have mentioned it. Can’t really recall.”

“She was. So Neal and Ricky stayed with her biological family. They met up in New York.”

“Oh. That was convenient.”

“Yeah. Especially since they didn’t know about each other.”

“Seriously?” A slight flicker of interest passed through his eyes.

“This is Gonzales,” the scanner interrupted. “I’m staking out solo, and I’ve got a ten-eight at warehouse fifteen. Three persons. Ten fifty-seven, over.”

Burglary in progress, requesting backup. Megan stopped talking and turned up the volume.

“Copy, Gonzales. This is base. Are you alone, over?” Base’s feminine voice was deep and emotionless.

“Affirmative, over.”

Another voice joined the conversation. “Young here. We’re two blocks away on McKelvey. Can be onsite in three.”

“Affirmative, Young,” Base said. “Gonzales, backup en route.”

“Copy. Gonzales out.”

“Warehouse fifteen,” Megan murmured, narrowing her eyes.

“What? Does it mean something?”

She tapped her fingers on the worn upholstery. “I don’t know. But an old warehouse might be a good place to hide someone.” Even so, there had to be more than a dozen old warehouses to choose from. If The Hand had even stayed in Cincinnati.

“Well, what do we do? How do we find warehouse fifteen?”

Megan looked out the window. Ricky and Neal approached.

“What’d you find out?” Megan asked.

“Police have been here, asking questions.” Ricky sounded triumphant. “So we found the right place.”

Neal turned around to face Megan and Seth. “A little girl saw the whole thing. She was playing on the window sill.”

Megan felt her pulse quicken. “And?”

“Said a big blue car drove up and parked. Then another car drove up to it. A man and two girls, a redhead and a brunette, got into the first car and drove away, leaving the second car behind.”

“Two girls,” Megan murmured. “But there should’ve been three.”

Neal nodded. “That’s right. Should’ve been.”

“How old was this girl?” Seth ran a hand over his short black hair.

“Six or seven.”

“Then she could’ve mixed up the details,” Megan supplied.

“Possible,” Neal allowed, sitting down behind the wheel. “But I don’t think so. She called them Ariel and Pocahontas.”

Megan threw herself against the seat, mulling over that information. Where was Sara? “What do we do now?”

Neal gripped the steering wheel. “We need to tell someone. Maybe your father.”

“Oh,” Megan said, abruptly remembering the scanner transmission. She almost hated to mention it, but she had nothing else to report. “We heard something on the scanner. Something about a warehouse. Maybe it had something to do with the girls.”

“Warehouse? Where?”

“I don’t know. The police referred to it as ‘warehouse fifteen.
’
”

“What else did they say?”

“That they were staking it out, and some men went in. The officer felt he needed backup and he radioed for help.”

“But he didn’t give the address?”

“No.”

“But it was close to McKelvey.” Seth lifted his head. “Another officer called in and said he was two blocks away, on McKelvey. He went as backup.”

“Does this car have GPS?” Neal asked, examining the console.

“No,” Megan said, laughing at the idea. “It’s just an old Ford.”

“We need a phone with GPS,” Ricky said.

“We don’t have the cash,” Neal replied.

“I do,” Seth spoke up loudly.

All three of them looked at Seth.

He ignored their stares and reached into his sock. “I’ve got money for anything we need.”

“All right,” Neal said, turning the car on. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

Megan didn’t take her eyes off Seth as they drove back toward the business part of town. “You’re going to use all your money.”

He shrugged, not looking up from the wad of bills he counted. “That’s why I have it.”

“But all of it, Seth?”

He met her gaze, jaw clenched. “She’s my sister, Megan.”

J
aci held stock still while the old man unlocked the downstairs office. She kept her eyes glued on the molding in front of her. He opened the door and touched her forearm. Jaci flinched, pulling away from him.

“Go on,” he said, his British accent making the words softer than they were. “I won’t touch you if you go on your own.”

She looked past him into the room. Amanda lay in a heap on the floor, still unconscious from whatever the
Grandón
had done to her.

Turning sideways to avoid having any part of her body touch the old man, Jaci slid into the room. He closed the door, turning the lock. Jaci lay down, curling into a ball. She closed her eyes, willing sleep to come to her.

“Jaci. Jaci!”

She forced her scratchy eyelids to open. It felt like she had barely shut them. Her head was thick with grogginess. “Amanda?” She focused on the face hovering over her.

Amanda pushed Jaci up into a sitting position. “I’m sorry; I should have let you sleep. But I was so glad to see you.” She shoved a hand through her brown hair.

Jaci blinked again, taking in Amanda’s bloodshot eyes. For a moment she felt nothing, no fear or anxiety or relief. And then the memory of the night before descended, and a tiny convulsion shook her body.

Amanda squeezed her hand. “Did he hurt you, Jaci?”

She shook her head, exhaling. “He didn’t even touch me.” Amanda’s green eyes examined her, looking for lies. “Seriously.” Jaci tried to smile, but the horror of last night wrapped around her like a wet towel, and she shuddered.

Amanda ducked her head to peer into Jaci’s face. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Not yet.”

At least she was dressed. The Hand hadn’t brought her down here naked.

A light rap sounded on the door. Jaci shifted her head toward it and Amanda leapt to her feet, hands balling into fists.

The old man opened the door, a breakfast tray in his hands. The
Grandón
hovered behind. Backup, Jaci supposed, in case Amanda really did try to take the old man out.

“Here you are.” The man’s light blue eyes crinkled in a smile, and he put the tray on the carpet. “I hope you don’t find it too dull. There are many books you can read.” He gestured around the office. “Try to make yourselves comfortable.”

Jaci was at a loss for words. Comfortable? How exactly was she supposed to do that?

Amanda kicked at the tray, sending a plastic cup of milk flying. “Get out of here, you pervert!”

The
Grandón
intervened before another kick could fly. He grabbed her ankle and bent her leg. Amanda cried out and dropped to the ground.

The old man tsked and picked up the cup. “Now you only have one cup to share between you.” He backed out of the room.

The
Grandón
glared at Amanda before leaving them in their isolation.

“Are you okay?” Jaci moved over to her friend.

“Fine.” Amanda shoved her off. “Stupid jerks. Like I want their stupid food anyway.” She turned to the tray and picked up a napkin. “May as well see what’s here.”

“May as well,” Jaci echoed.

Amanda lowered her voice. “I’ve seen people unlock doors with a butter knife.”

Interesting prospect. Jaci went through the whole tray. No utensils, not even plastic ones. But then, they weren’t really necessary with muffins.

“They’re being too cautious,” Amanda complained, biting into her chocolate muffin.

“Absolutely,” Jaci agreed around her bite. Finishing her muffin, she began to study the office. She opened the file cabinet, examining the metal workings inside the sliding drawer. If she took it apart, could she use it as a weapon?

How much time would it buy, if she could? How many people could she take out with it?

She closed the top drawer and opened the bottom. Envelopes.

The door opened. Jaci spun around to see the
Grandón
. “Bathroom time. Just like before.” He pulled Amanda to her feet and hauled her out.

The thought of a bathroom made Jaci’s bladder tingle. She hopped up and down, running her fingers over every piece of paper she could find. She moved her hands over the walls. Hopefully she was leaving fingerprints.

The man returned with Amanda and led Jaci to the bathroom. This door had also been rearranged to lock from the outside. At least she had privacy.

After a moment she stood from the toilet, careful not to make a sound. She slid her head behind the shower curtain. Her eyes immediately landed on a razor. She grabbed it, taking the pieces apart and shoving them in separate pockets.

The
Grandón
pounded on the door.

“I’m almost done!” She flushed the toilet and turned on the sink.

He opened the door and stood there glaring at her.

Jaci kept her eyes down, hoping he wouldn’t frisk her.

He didn’t. He deposited her with Amanda, taking the breakfast tray and leaving them alone.

Amanda looked at her and pressed a finger to her lips. Reaching inside her pants, she pulled out a comb.

Jaci pulled out the razor parts.

Amanda raised an eyebrow, giving Jaci a look of approval. Jaci put the pieces together and shoved it into her pocket. Her pants were loose enough that it didn’t even show.

She went into the closet, glancing over the book titles. Most of them were British classics.

“Anything good?” Amanda asked.

Jaci shrugged. “If you like James Joyce.” Jaci didn’t even like to read. Her finger paused on
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
. College reading material. She had tried to read it last year when her brother Seth was reading it. She would’ve preferred something lighter, more engaging.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Jaci?”

The return to this subject caught Jaci off guard. “Um, yeah.” Her face burned at the memory of last night, the way the Creep had grinned and stared at her, his beady black eyes taking in every inch of her skin.

Jaci opened the book and sat down, desperate to get that image out of her mind.

Amanda drummed her fingers on the carpet, eyes not leaving Jaci’s face. “Jaci.”

She stopped again and looked up with a sigh. “Yes?”

“Are you afraid to tell me? Because of how I reacted about Sara?”

Jaci stared blankly at Amanda before the memory caught up to her. The heat rose up to her ears, but this time it wasn’t embarrassment for herself. She remembered how Amanda had acted when they found out Sara was pregnant, and Jaci’s own defensive anger. “Why did you act that way?”

Amanda shrugged. Her green eyes dropped. “I don’t know. I felt pretty—distanced, emotionally. From everything. Like it was a movie, or worse, a joke. I was awful.”

“Yeah,” Jaci agreed.

Amanda lifted her face, her eyes shining. “I know. That’s just me. I try to go with the flow.”

Jaci shook her head. “You’re reckless and irresponsible and selfish. You have no compassion. You live in the moment with no regard for others.”

Amanda said nothing and Jaci looked at her open book. The words blurred before her on the page.

“You don’t like me, huh, Jaci?”

“I didn’t. Not really. I thought you were pretty fake.”

“Maybe I was.”

“And now?”

“Maybe not fake.” She gave a crooked smile. “Maybe still selfish and irresponsible.” Amanda took a deep breath. “I don’t think I started to feel—really feel—what was going on until we were safe in the FBI’s custody.”

“Safe,” Jaci said.

“Yeah. Ironic. But I didn’t know who to talk to.”

Jaci closed her book, giving up on it. “You’re so difficult to get close to, Amanda. You push people away, boss them around.”

“Well, you’re not perfect either, okay?” Amanda sniffed. “So. Did he hurt you, Jaci?”

She shook her head. “No, Amanda.” The Creep had licked his lips and narrowed his eyes as she undressed. But one slight move in her direction had earned him a warning look from The Hand. Neither had approached her.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Jaci put her head in her hands. “It’s so complicated.”

Amanda waited and Jaci lifted her head. “Remember I told you The Hand knew my father?”

She nodded.

“Well, I have no idea what the connection is. But apparently The Hand thinks my dad has a lot of money, or a lot of connections. Or both. He made me write a ransom note.”

Amanda’s eyes widened. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Jaci swallowed. “Four million dollars for each of us.”

“What?” Amanda gasped out. “But how will he come up with that money?”

“I don’t know. The Hand believes he will.” Her lip twisted. “I didn’t know my father that well at all. Maybe he is a billionaire. Some rich crook with five mistresses and thirty kids.”

Amanda chuckled. “I hope not. Or paying out four million for just one of those thirty might not seem worth it. Is that all?”

“Yes.” Jaci exhaled. She just couldn’t bring herself to share with Amanda everything that had happened.

“I hope your dad comes through. How long does he have?”

“Three days.”

“And then?”

“And then we’re sold into slavery.”

“Oh boy.”

“Yeah.”