Altercation (20 page)

“I’ll meet you at the hospital,” Hamilton said. He already had his phone out. “I’ll have an FBI agent there too. She’ll be safe now.”

Ricky cocked an eyebrow. “No one can guarantee that.”

Hamilton turned his back on the boy. His eyes met Megan’s. Moving to the hallway where she sat, he knelt in front of her. “Your father will be here soon. Let’s go to the police station. They’ll want a report from you.”

Megan nodded and wiped at her eyes. “Will she be okay?”

“I have no idea.”

“Can I go to the hospital and see her?”

“I don’t know. Where’s Seth?”

She shrugged.

Hamilton moved away.

A moment later Seth touched her shoulder, then pulled her from the wall and folded his arms around her.

Megan sobbed into his shirt. His embrace gave her permission to release the horror of what she’d just seen. Seth didn’t say a word.

“Seth. Megan.”

She looked up and tried to dry her eyes when Hamilton returned, an officer beside him. Hamilton’s brow was furrowed, his eyes focused elsewhere.

“I’m sorry; I’m going to have to leave. Emergency. This officer—” he gestured to the other man.

“Officer Patnum.”

“Patnum. He’ll escort you to the station.”

Megan frowned. “Okay.”

Hamilton stepped swiftly from the house without a backwards glance.

“Odd,” Megan murmured.

“Are either of you hurt?” Patnum asked.

She shook her head. “No.”

“Then let’s get you to the station. We have some standard witness questions.”

T
his is Gregorio Rivera. My daughter is in danger. Get in your car and catch the next flight to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.”

Carl had the engine running before he even closed the door to the car. “Why are we playing this game, Rivera?” he demanded into his phone, slamming down on the gas and leaving the police scene behind. This was the man he had been searching for for weeks, and suddenly, out of the blue, Rivera was calling his cell phone and giving him cryptic instructions? “If you want to save your daughter, why can’t you just tell me where she is?”

“I am meeting with my mole in ten minutes. Only then will he pass on the address.”

“Who’s your mole?”

Rivera gave a soft grunt of impatience. “The owner of the house where they are being held. Do you want the information or not?”

“Go on.” Carl drove toward the airport.

“As soon as I have an address, I’ll call you and give it to you. You call the police and get a unit there right away. If I beat them to the location, I will single-handedly kill every living person I find, except my daughter and her friend.”

Even with the heavy Mexican accent—or perhaps because of it—Carl had no doubt Rivera spoke the truth.

Carl made sure his light was flashing and sped through the intersection. “I’ll be at the airport in twenty minutes. But there’s no way I’ll get to Iowa in time.”

“Charter a jet. I just deposited twenty thousand dollars into your account.”

You did what?
Carl screamed out in his mind. But he bit his tongue.
Take what you can get.
“How did you do that?”

Rivera laughed. “You already know. I’ve got to go. Wait for my call.”

Wait for his call. Carl started to make a retort, but he realized Rivera had hung up. Quickly he called the chief. “Chief, it’s Hamilton.”

“Detective. What’s the situation?”

Carl steeled himself for the chief’s reaction to his news. “I’ve received an anonymous tip and I’m flying to Iowa.”

“What? Didn’t you find one of the girls?”

“Yes.” Carl kept his tone casual. “She’s in the FBI’s care now. This concerns the other two girls and it’s urgent. I’m flying to Cedar Rapids.”

There was a moment of silence. And then Chief Miller said, “How do you know this isn’t a setup?”

“I don’t. Except the anonymous tipper was Gregorio Rivera.”

Miller whistled. “Not so anonymous. He’s on our side now?”

“I didn’t say that. But it’s his daughter. I can’t believe he’d lie about her safety.”

“Give me the address.”

“I don’t have it yet.”

“As soon as you have it, give it to me. I want backup right behind you.”

“I plan on having them get there way before me, Chief.”

The call waiting beeped, and Carl pulled the phone away long enough to see “restricted” flash across the small screen. “Chief. This might be him. Gotta go.” He switched over. “Hello?”

“Hamilton.” Rivera’s thick voice came through the phone. “Thirty-four eighteen Wellington Heights.”

“Got it,” Carl said, committing the address to memory. “I’ll call the police right away.”

“Hamilton, I believe you are a good man. I hope you can help my family understand.”

“Understand what?” Carl nearly missed the car jam in front of him and slammed on his breaks. He laid a hand on his horn, wishing he had a siren. Sometimes the blue light wasn’t enough. “What is it that you do?”

“Save people.”

“Save who? From what?”

There was no answer and Carl pulled the phone back to look at it. Rivera had hung up.

Carl sighed and dialed 911.

“What city?” the polite voice asked.

“Cedar Rapids, Iowa.”

M
egan could not remember the last time she had cried so much. Her eyes ached from the tears, and her mascara ran down her face in tiny rivers. The officer had finished questioning her and was in the other room, talking to Seth. All she could do was stare out the glass window in front of her, watching for her father to pull up to the police station. She didn’t know what he’d be driving, but she knew she’d recognize him the instant he stepped out: the tight jaw, the smoldering fire in his narrowed eyes.

She had the feeling the rest of her senior year wouldn’t be much fun.

The door moved slightly and she saw Seth walk into the room, but she didn’t look at him. She felt so humiliated.

He stood next to her, looking out the window also. Snow flurries floated lightly to the ground, dusting everything outside. They were starting to stick. “They offered to take us to the hospital to see Sara.”

Megan gave a nod.

Seth paused. “Well, did you want to go?”

“I’m waiting for my father.”

“Okay.”

She expected him to turn around and walk out. But he didn’t. “You can go, though.”

He finally looked at her, and she reminded herself to breathe, taking in his ruggedly handsome features. His dark brown eyes held hers. “I’m not leaving you to face your dad alone. It’s my fault you’re in this, after all.”

He had a point. Megan had almost forgotten. “That’s right. You invited me along.”

“Uh-huh. And made up the story about us eloping.”

“You’re right. This is all your fault.” She gave him a weak smile. “Maybe I won’t be grounded for life.”

“We wouldn’t have found Sara without you. And Neal and Ricky wouldn’t have found us.”

Good points. Megan turned her attention back to the road outside. She hoped her father agreed.

A yellow cab glided to a stop in front of the police station. Megan clenched her fists together and held her breath. The back door opened and Agent Reynolds stepped out. He wore a long gray winter coat, emphasizing the peppering of gray in his hair. The tight jaw and hard eyes were exactly as she had imagined.

He was furious.

Megan lowered her head, the tears starting again.

She heard him asking for her at the desk, and then his heavy footsteps rounded the corner and came into the room. Megan lifted her eyes, steeling herself for his anger.

“Megan.” In two strides he crossed the room and pulled her into a hug. “Are you okay?” He pressed the palms of his hands to her face and stared at her.

She nodded, vaguely realizing he wasn’t angry with her. The hardness hadn’t left his face, but she identified a different emotion now: fear. “Yes.” She felt like she should say she was sorry, to beg for forgiveness. But she wasn’t really sorry.

He released her. “It’s over now. Let’s get you home.” He looked at Seth, his expression growing frosty. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”

Seth shook his head. “No. Listen, I just want to apologize. For letting Megan come with me.”

“Megan’s a big girl. She’ll be accountable for her actions,” Mr. Reynolds said gruffly.

Megan winced. She wasn’t out of trouble yet, apparently. “I’d like to go to the hospital and see Sara. Just to make sure she’s all right.” Megan formed her request carefully. She didn’t want to beg but she couldn’t be demanding either.

“We’ll see. Come on.”

They started out the door, Megan fighting the urge to look back at Seth.

“Sir?” Seth said.

Mr. Reynolds paused. “Yes?”

“If you go to the hospital, I’d like a ride. The officer offered to take me, and I was going to let him. But if you’re already going there . . .”

Her father hesitated. “I can take you there. But you’ll have to find another ride back.”

Seth nodded. “Thank you.”

They waited while her father called another taxi. Then they climbed into the back, Megan between her father and Seth.

“Bethesda North Hospital,” Mr. Reynolds said, strapping on his seat belt.

Megan pulled hers over her belly. The back of her knuckles brushed Seth’s jeans, and she felt her face grow warm.
Stop it!
She dropped her hands into her lap.

Seth bumped her knee with his. She stared at their legs, wondering if that had been intentional.

The taxi stopped in front of the Emergency entrance, and Seth climbed out while her father paid the driver.

“Here.” Seth offered his hand.

Megan gave him a slight frown. “Why are you being so nice?”

He shrugged and pulled his hand away. “I’m acting normal.”

Mr. Reynolds asked for Sara’s room number at the reception desk. He had to show his FBI badge before they would give it to him. Then he left Seth and Megan to take the elevator alone while he made phone calls.

Seth raised an eyebrow. “He still trusts you? He doesn’t think you’ll jump in the elevator and disappear?”

“And go where?” she scoffed. “He knows me better than that. He knows I only left Idaho because you asked me to.” Dang it, she was blushing again.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you come?”

She looked at him, considering the question. “I don’t know. It was pretty impulsive.”

“I’m glad you came.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. There’s so much you couldn’t have done without me.” She smiled and rolled her eyes.

“Not just that.”

“What then?”

The door pinged and the elevator jolted to a stop on the fifth floor. Seth stepped out. Megan hung back, disappointed that their conversation had ended. She wanted to know where Seth had been going with that last statement.

“This way.” Seth led her past the nurse’s station and knocked on a door.

“Oh, you’ll have to call in for that room,” a woman’s voice said.

Megan turned around as a middle-aged nurse with short blond hair approached. “It’s locked. High security. Do you have a code?”

Megan shook her head. “No.”

The nurse led them back to the nurse’s station and picked up a phone. “IDs?”

Megan and Seth dug around and handed over their licenses.

The woman looked them over while speaking into the phone. “I have a Megan Reynolds and a Seth Rivera here to see the patient. Okay.” She handed their IDs back. “Okay, the door’s unlocked. Go on in.”

A bit unnerved, Megan followed Seth back down the hall.

A police officer met them at the door. He nodded and opened it, letting them in.

Megan’s face broke into a smile when she saw Ricky and Neal. “Hey, guys.”

Neal nodded at her. “Hey.” His eyes moved to Seth. Another nod.

The two boys stood against the sink, arms crossed over their chests. Megan’s gaze wandered to the bed. Sara’s eyes were closed, sunken into gray pits in her skin. An IV dripped into her left arm.

“Is she okay?” Megan whispered.

Neal scratched his eyebrow. “Dehydrated. Starving. Exhausted. She’s been out since we got here. But she’s not drugged. When she wakes up we’ll be able to see her mental state.”

Megan remembered the screaming, psychotic girl back in the house. The girl with the knife. “Do you think she’ll be all right?”

Ricky shrugged. “They have a psychiatrist on hand in case she’s not.” He said it lightly, but his hazel eyes were grim.

“Megan’s dad’s here,” Seth said.

“Oh.” Neal looked at her. “So you’ll be leaving soon.”

“Are you in trouble?” Ricky asked, eyes flicking over her tear-stained face.

She gave him a brief grin. “Yeah. But I don’t know the details yet.” Feeling tears under the surface again, she blurted, “I’m going to the restroom.” Without waiting for a comment, she left the room.

From the privacy of the girl’s bathroom, she examined her pale face, the streaks of mascara on her cheeks. She looked awful. Turning on the warm water, she washed her face and reapplied mascara.

She returned to the others just as Seth asked Neal and Ricky, “What are your plans now?”

“I don’t know,” Neal said. “They contacted Sara’s parents. They’ll fly her home as soon as it’s safe. We’re hoping we get to go, too.”

“What about you?” Ricky asked. “Are you going to keep looking for Jaci?”

Seth nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I am. You want to help?”

“Yeah. I do.”

Neal looked at his twin. “I guess I’ll go with Sara.”

“Sorry, Collins,” Ricky said, meeting his brother’s gaze.

“Don’t be. I understand.”

Seth lifted his chin. “I don’t. What’s your interest in Jaci?”

Ricky’s fingers twitched and he shifted his weight. “It’s hard to explain.”

“You like her?”

Ricky paused and then said, “Yeah.”

Seth didn’t take his eyes from Ricky. “All right. We’ll work together. But get this: I will protect Jaci. From whatever isn’t good for her. Got it?”

Ricky rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. “I got it. That’s all I want, too.”

Seth turned to Megan. “Ready to go down?”

What he meant was, of course, “ready to go home?” She put on a fake smile and nodded.

“All right,” Seth said. “I’m going to take Megan to her father. Then I’ll be back.”

Ricky bobbed his head. “I’d like to wait for Sara to wake up.”

“We’ll talk about it when I get back.”

The hospital room door swung open so fast that the police officers both unholstered their guns.

It was Mr. Reynolds. His face was flushed, brown eyes gleaming.

“Daddy,” Megan said, startled. “What is it?”

“The other girls,” he said, voice excited. “They’ve been found.”