Invisibility Cloak (34 page)

Maybe she could hold it, she thought. Shaking her head, she knew she should use the facilities now, because she really wasn’t sure when she’d get the chance later. Just as she’d secured the latch on her stall, the ladies’ door burst open. Two women were arguing in Spanish.

“No puedo creer que esto es lo que está haciendo! ¿Cómo pued!.”

“Yo no tengo una opción en el asunto. Usted sabe cómo, Alejandro!”

“No más! Tengo que ponerme la niña en el túnel. el envío es irse pronto.”

These voices sounded very familiar―they sounded like the same ones in the Country Club bathroom―but she was incredibly off that night, so she could be wrong. They were both talking so fast in Spanish she couldn’t understand what they were saying. But she couldn’t help but compare the circumstances of last night and right now. Instead of making noise, to alert the women that someone else was in the bathroom to stop their bickering―she froze. Unsure why, but she knew that was the right thing to do. Not realizing it until that moment she was holding her breath as well, she inhaled and the rancid air of the restroom invaded her lungs.

“Por favor, Sofía! Estoy pidiendo que no se participe! Es tan malo.”

“No! Suficiente. o bien ayudar a mí o dejar.”

It was Sophia Edgington and Mimi Carlyle, she was almost positive! Letting her breath out softly, she lifted her fingers up to rub her forehead and her elbow hit the side of the bathroom stall. A dull thud resounded in the tiny bathroom and she wanted to scream at herself for her clumsiness.

“Mimi, I don’t think we are alone,” Sophia said softly.

Amanda squeezed her eyes shut praying they would just leave.

Footsteps tapped on the concrete floor and the hinges creaked as the other stall doors were opened. Her stall door jiggled, but it wouldn’t open because she’d already locked the handle. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest.

“Is someone in there?” Sophia asked out-loud.

Amanda still didn’t move.

The door handle rattled again and then Sophia said, “It must be locked from the inside. A little kid must have done it. Come on, Mimi.”

Amanda held her breath again, squeezing her eyes shut until they opened the door to the bathroom to leave, shutting the light off when they left.

She let out a long breath. Way too close and scary. She waved her hands around in the dark feeling for the door handle and slid open the latch. It was pitch black in the ladies’ bathroom and Amanda’s fingertips brushed along the wall helping her find the door. After she found the round handle, she pushed open the door.

Light at last! Amanda stepped forward and Sophia Edgington’s face came into view before a sharp pain wacked her in the back of the head.

R
yder swore under his breath. Just what were Sophia Edgington and Mimi Carlyle doing here? Their appearance only confirmed his suspicions of them being up to their made-up faces in this mess. After casing out the place, he found the tunnels that were dug underneath the clapboard house. It looked like an old cellar turned trafficking route for the Cartel. God only knew where Sammie was hidden down there. Just too many damn nooks and crannies, he’d need to go back out to his Jeep where the locator device was to hone in on Sammie. He’d just checked on Nickel and he was good. Now he needed to find Amanda. Just where in the hell was she? Time to go in. Worry gripped his gut for her. Pushing open the glass door, he nodded to the attendant and glanced around the back where she’d headed earlier. She was nowhere in sight.

FUBAR!

He headed back to the passageways under the house.

With his monitor in one hand to track Sammie, he lightly treaded down the steps to the cellar, where he’d discovered the tunnels. Ryder flattened his body by the stairway as soon as he heard voices.

What the . . . ? He’d stumbled on to Sophia Edgington slapping Amanda’s pale face into alertness. Clenching his fists tight, he had to hold himself back when he wanted to rush to Amanda’s defense and pound his fist into Edgington’s face.

“Huh?” Amanda finally murmured after the fifth or sixth slap. She yanked her hands bound in back of her up and said drowsily, “Ouch, stop.”

Her eyes were closed but he did notice the faint change in her posture as she sat on the wooden chair. She fought against her bindings and her back straightened, but her eyes were still closed.

“What are you doing here? You do know your fate is in our hands, correct?” Edgington bent over and sneered in her ear, loud enough that he heard.

Edgington held a burlap bag in one hand while she pulled Amanda up and out of the chair with the other. Amanda’s eyes barely slit open before Sophia pulled the gunnysack over her head. Fury erupted out of him as he stood by helplessly watching Amanda stumble around.

Stand down.

His hands curled into fists as he waited. Sophia had to leave before he could go get Amanda.

“So! What are you doing here?” Sophia’s snakeskin-shoed foot pushed on Amanda’s back until she stumbled forward. “How did you find this place?”

“Oomph,”
Amanda lurched over. Her bagged head hit the floor and he heard her grunt. His hands clenched, he was so ready to go in.
Stand down
. He wanted to rip Edgington’s head off. Hang on Amanda. It looked as if she was balancing herself on her toes, steadying herself with her shoulder that rested on the dirt floor.

“I do not know how much I will get for you, but your daughter will bring a good sum.”

“No!” Amanda cried out, her voice garbled by the sack over her face. “Why? Why are you doing this to me? To my children?”

“Your husband’s stupidity,” Sophia hissed out before she walked away. Edgington’s shoes crunched on the gravel and stones as she walked further into the cave-like cellar. He needed to wait a few seconds more―to make sure Edgington or anyone else wasn’t coming back.

Ryder listened intently for any other movement other than Amanda’s as she maneuvered around to a sitting position before she pushed herself up from the ground, and shakily stood. Not hearing anything, he started toward her.

But then she hollered, “Sammie? Sammie! Are you here? Sammie? Sammie!” Her yell turned into a cough. “Sammie!” Half-crying and half-yelling, she shouted for her daughter as she stumbled ahead.

Shit.
Ryder faded back, worried that her yelling would cause others to come running.

“Mom?” A confused reply came from down the way.

Ryder’s head tilted up. Good girl. For all it was worth, Amanda’s yapper found Sammie. But now, she needed to be quiet. He could definitely locate Sammie now. He stalked closer.

Amanda held her arms out and felt along a roughened wall yelling to her daughter, “Talk to me, Sammie. I’m here.”

“Mom!”

Knowing the direction Sammie was now being held at, he really needed Amanda quiet. Checking the perimeter, he darted closer to her as she stood in the middle of four hallways that led in different areas in the cellar. Edgington went to the southern-most entrance, while Sammie’s voice came directly north of that. His gaze narrowed at the other two openings that scattered perpendicular. Just where did they lead?

Amanda leaned against the wall as she walked. “Sammie?”

“Mom! I’m over here!”

Stumbling a few times, Amanda followed her daughter’s voice as it echoed through the underground room and Ryder stepped out of the shadows and reached out for her.

“
Cállate!”
A stocky man came out of nowhere and grabbed Amanda by the arm.

Shrinking back against the rock wall, he stood perfectly still with gritted teeth.

The man thrust her down another hallway yelling at her to be quiet the whole way down. Ryder swore viciously under his breath. He’d been this close at grabbing Amanda! Now, he’d have to go in for Sammie first; then haul Amanda out.

Stalking silently down the dark, dank hallway muffled feminine murmurs and cries reached his ears. He stopped to listen, intent on hearing any lower, male voices before he sidled up to a corner and looked both ways. A man dressed in grungy jeans and T-shirt stood in front of an opening to the right. His dark head curved down as he played with the rifle slung over his shoulder. Young voices radiated out from behind the guard; from the room he patrolled. As soon as the guard turned away from him and took a few steps in the opposite direction into the hallway, Ryder crept closer and peered inside the opening. The dirt-floored, windowless room was filled with young girls. A murderous rage seeped into his body.

Scumbags! He ground his teeth together. Six little girls all around Sammie’s age or younger cowered in the back of the room. Most had tear-streaked dirty cheeks. He easily picked out Sammie; she was the only blond-haired, green-eyed little girl in the room. Her yellow shorts and white top were covered in dust and grime. With her arms around her drawn up legs, she sat on the filthy ground with her head down on her knees. The other little girls with big dark eyes surrounded by long dark hair were in the same position as Sammie, but their shoulders jerked from their soft sobbing.

Rage boiled in Ryder’s head as he crept up behind the guard. Thrusting out one hand, he pressed his thumb against his temple while jabbing the man right under his kidney with the other. The guard withered to the ground soundlessly. His movement caught the children’s eyes across the room. As soon as Sammie saw him, her brows flew up and she opened her mouth as if to squeal.

No!
He jerked his index finger in front of his mouth and shook his head. They had to be deathly silent if he was going to get them all out of here. Sammie clamped her mouth shut immediately and looked around at the others silently telling them not to talk either.

Ryder walked over and placed his hand on Sammie’s shoulder, crouching down to whisper in her ear. “Make sure no one speaks, squirt.”

Her little blond head nodded before he got up and motioned for everyone to follow him. Sammie held his hand and he led them out. A lone light bulb dangling a few feet away from the ceiling caused the corridor to cast an eerie glow as they went through the long hallway before they reached the larger space that eventually led to the stairs. He glanced back at all the little girls and put his finger up to his lips before he peered around the corner. The coast was clear and he led them all the way to the stairs. Hunkering down again, he said quietly, “Sammie, take the girls out to my Jeep. Nick’s sitting in it. Walk casually. Don’t draw attention to yourselves. Got it, squirt?”

Her smile lit up her dirty face and she whispered back, “Aye, aye, captain.”

“Good girl.” He brushed his hand over the top of her head. “Oh, and take this back to my Jeep, will you?” He handed Sammie the small monitoring device he took from his car.

“Okay.” She nodded.

“Go.”

He watched her scamper up the stairs with the other girls right behind her and hoped like hell that none of the Cartel’s goons were up there. But he couldn’t worry about that now. Flipping his wrist over, he saw ten minutes had already passed. He needed to find Amanda and took off down the tunnel she was pulled into earlier. A few yards down the dark, dirt-etched passageway, it split into two different directions. He swore silently. Which route should he take?

Pressing on the side of his Army-issued watch, a small flashlight glowed from the illuminated face and he bent down and looked at the prints on the loam floor. Crouched in the middle of the split hallway he studied the ground for any signs to compel him to go down one corridor over the other. Holding the light up high over his head, a glint caught the corner of his eye, and he turned around quickly, but he lost the location. So he walked in a bigger circle and rotated his small light hoping to pick up the flash of whatever was on the floor, again.

Ah, there was the sparkle―half buried in the dirt
.
He knelt down and rummaged through the soil and dust on the floor until he finally found the round sparkle. His fingers were so damn big; it took him numerous tries to pick it up. Holding it in front of his eyes, it looked like it could be part of Amanda’s circle bracelet. Smart girl. Now he knew which way to go. Moving smoothly against the rocky tunnel, he stopped every so often just to listen for voices or sounds. A few feet out, the ceiling dropped significantly, so Ryder hunched over as he crept down the tunnel. Another few feet down there was the choice of two ways to go―an opening carved into the rock to his left or straight ahead to a metal door. Once again, he hunkered down and pressed on the light on his watch and lifted his arm in a wide arc. A faint glint near the arc way of the corridor that veered left caught his eye. He kept his small flashlight on as he walked down the hallway because it was so damn dark.

When he saw a lone bulb’s light swinging from the ceiling that illuminated a doorway up ahead of him, he switched off his tiny light and assessed the situation. One guard packing a submachine gun draped across his chest stood outside the opening. Ryder didn’t visibly see any other weapons, but that didn’t mean squat. The lookout could still have a few knives or pistols tucked in his boot or front-side, but he hoped to hell the SMG was all he had as he approached him from the side. The guard wouldn’t even know what hit him. Reaching behind the guard, Ryder squeezed his nape and dug his other hand into his side and the man crumbled to the ground. Edging around the large form on the dirt floor, he gazed into the opening. There was no light inside the room, only the light bulb hanging from a wire in the hallway lit the small space. Amanda’s backside faced him and her bagged head was lowered, her arms tied up behind her. Ryder ground his molars. Damn it! He wanted to maim the person that did this. Sophia. Walking silently up behind her, he snaked an arm around her waist, turned her around, and pulled her into him.

She immediately stiffened and cried out, “No!” Kicking out her legs, she brought her knee up and kicked her foot out.

Ah shit.

“Oomph.” Ryder rubbed his thigh. Feisty woman and her well-placed kicks. He’d barely missed her knee when he saw her pull it up.

“Wait, honey, it’s me.” Ryder’s low voice breathed in her ear. “Come over here with me, you little tiger.”

“Ryder?” She sagged against him.

Seconds later he pulled off the bag from her head. “You okay?” He ran his hands down both her arms.