Made for You (18 page)

Rocha grabbed her upper arm as she reached the back of the truck and dragged her down. She stumbled and would have fallen if he didn’t have a hold on her.

When they were on the straw-covered dirt floor of the building, she realized that the truck was in a large old barn with what looked like loose boards in the walls, the boards gray and splintered. Stalls ran the length of the building, a couple with doors hanging off their hinges.

As she scanned the barn, she saw eight-year-old Belle hunching over in front of an old straw bale, her knees up against her chest and her arms around her shins, her feet bare. A measure of relief went through Kelley to see that Belle was alive and on the surface appeared safe and sound—as sound as she could be after seeing her mother murdered in front of her and being kidnapped.

Rocha waved his weapon in the direction of the back of the barn. “Do your thing over there, Detective, where we can watch you.”

“Not outside?” she asked.

“Either shut up and do as you’re told or piss your pants,” Rocha said.

She’d had to do a lot of humiliating things over the course of her career in law enforcement, and right now she had to go too badly to be embarrassed or to argue. She raised her chin and avoided Rocha’s and Taynor’s eyes as they followed her to the back of the barn. As she pushed down her jeans she realized she was still wearing her purse.

The night was starting to cool and she shivered in the near darkness and took care of business in the rear of the barn. When she finished, she straightened, her body aching from all it had been through as she zipped and buttoned her jeans.

“Sit by the girl.” Taynor nodded toward the straw bale where Belle was.

Kelley obeyed and sat close to Belle. Her mind raced as she took in her barely lit surroundings, calculating her chances of escaping to get help. She could be in either Arizona or Mexico for all she knew. There were too many things working against her right now for her to try to escape, including her lack of knowledge of the territory she was in, her injuries, and the fact she couldn’t take off and leave without Belle.

“Don’t think of leaving,” Rocha said in a deadly tone, as if he could read her mind. “We’ll kill the girl if you try to escape. Understand?”

Kelley’s throat worked. “Yes,” she said.

The men moved away, speaking in low tones. Kelley tried to listen but they were speaking too quietly for her to hear.

She turned to Belle who looked terrified. “Hi, Belle, honey. Have they hurt you?”

Belle shook her head but didn’t speak.

Kelley put her arm around Belle’s shoulders and felt the girl tremble. She stroked Belle’s tangled hair away from her face, wishing there was some way to comfort her. Kelley thought about the times her mother would comfort her by brushing her hair out until it shone.

She reached into her cross body purse and dug out her small hairbrush. As she did so, she glanced at Taynor and Rocha and saw them still deep in conversation. She shifted and began brushing the girl’s hair, untangling the long blonde strands. “You’re so brave, Belle.”

The girl’s trembling gradually stopped and with her big blue eyes she looked at Kelley. “I’m not brave.” Belle’s voice shook and tears glistened in her eyes. “I miss my mom.”

“I know, honey.” Kelley continued to brush Belle’s hair. She lowered her voice. “I will get us out of here.”

Belle nodded but said nothing.

“Did you hear them say where we are?” Kelley asked quietly. “Did they say if they’ve crossed the border into Mexico?”

Belle shook her head. “One of them talked to somebody on the phone and said we’ll be crossing the border into Mexico tomorrow.”

Kelley let out a breath. “Did you hear anything else?”

With a frown, Belle looked deep in thought. “I don’t think they’re going to put us in the truck again. They’re going to find another way to take us into Mexico.”

As Kelley turned that over in her mind, she wondered what the men were now planning. She was pretty sure that the ice cream truck had been a way that Rocha could have taken them over undetected. But if Rocha and Taynor believed their method of smuggling had been compromised, they now needed to find another way. That thought gave her hope.

Belle caught Kelley’s attention as she added, “They talked about paying someone to help them get across.”

Kelley looked at the girl, her stomach dropping. “Rocha and Taynor talked about paying off a Mexican customs agent?”

With a nod, Belle said, “Yes. I remember them saying they would pay off as many agents as it took.”

Damn
. Kelley didn’t speak her thought aloud. She didn’t want Belle to know she was worried.

“People are looking for us,” Kelley said. “My partner will find us.”

With those words, Kelley’s heart lurched. She didn’t know for sure that Reese had survived the accident. Yet somehow she felt with certainty that Reese was alive and searching for her. She didn’t know how she could feel so confident, but she did. It was better than the alternative—being afraid that Reese was dead…and that no one was coming for her and Belle.

“What are you doing?” Rocha’s voice cut into Kelley’s thoughts.

She jerked her attention to the man who had his eyes narrowed. “I’m brushing Belle’s hair. It’s calming her down.”

Rocha studied her for a long moment. “What else do you have in that purse?”

“You searched it.” Kelley didn’t look away from him. “You know all I have is the brush and my ID.”

The man held out his hand. “Give it to me.” She held out the brush but he shook his head. “The purse,” he said.

She set the brush on the ground then shifted and took off the purse. She was surprised he hadn’t asked her for it earlier.

When she held it out, he snatched it from her grasp. He dug through it again. He pulled out a tissue, two pens, and her checkbook. Lastly he brought out her wallet, which also contained her credentials, including her badge.

He flipped it open and scanned it. With a smirk he tossed the wallet aside so that it landed in the dirt. “You won’t be needing that anymore.”

She tried to school her expression. It wouldn’t do her any good to be antagonistic with him. Not after what she’d already tried and the fact that he could drug her again. She needed to stay lucid if she was going to save herself and Belle.

Rocha sneered and threw her purse in the opposite direction along with the lipstick, tissue, and pen.

When Rocha was looking away, Belle put her hand on Kelley’s arm. She leaned in close and Kelley lowered her head so that she could hear what Belle had to say.

“I have my phone in my pocket,” the girl said quietly.

Kelley’s eyes widened and she drew away from Belle. “You have a phone?” she whispered.

The girl nodded. “They’ve always had my hands tied until now, so I couldn’t get it. I was going to dial 9-1-1 like Mom told me to if anything happened. I was afraid they would find it.”

“Let’s wait for the right time and then I’ll call for help,” Kelley whispered.

Belle nodded again. “I knew you would save me when I saw you.”

Kelley studied Belle. How could the girl believe in Kelley when her mom had been killed in front of her and Kelley had passed out? Wasn’t it her fault that the girl’s mother was dead?

Before Kelley could say anything else, she saw Rocha approaching them. For a moment she was afraid that he’d overheard. But instead he tossed a bag at her and Belle.

Kelley let it drop in front of them. Cautiously, she looked into the plastic bag. Inside was a Slim Jim, a small bag of Doritos, a package of M&Ms, and a single powdered donut that was loose in the plastic grocery bag. Kelley’s stomach growled, even at the sight of the pitiful fare.

Kelley ignored Rocha and looked from the meager stash to Belle. “Are you hungry, Belle?”

The girl’s shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.

“You should eat something even if you don’t feel hungry.” Kelley opened the Slim Jim, the orange grease glistening in the package. “You need it to help give you energy.” She tore the Slim Jim and handed half to Belle. “Here. Eat this.”

Belle frowned but took it. She tentatively bit into the meat then grimaced. “It’s awful.”

Kelley managed a smile. “It’s greasy but it will give you a little protein.”

The girl was still frowning as she took another bite, but she finished it off. Ignoring Rocha and Taynor, Kelley and Belle ate the Doritos and donut, then opened up the package of M&Ms. They ate the candies one at a time, making them last. Kelley made sure the girl had most of their meager supply of food.

When they finished eating, Belle’s eyelids drooped. Kelley put her arm around the girl’s shoulders and brought her close so that her head rested on Kelley’s chest. She gently rocked Belle until the girl’s lips parted and her breathing came deep and even.

Likely Belle had the phone in one of her front pockets. Kelley wanted to get it from her, but now wasn’t the time. She needed to get the phone from Belle when Taynor and Rocha were nowhere around.

Even though she was exhausted and beat up from everything that had happened that day, Kelley was wide-awake. She watched Taynor and Rocha as they talked. Rocha was clearly a leader who was used to things going his way. He had a constant nasty and ferocious expression. Taynor was obviously intimidated and looked like he was attempting to walk on eggshells with everything he did or said.

Rocha’s phone rang and he answered, barking out the words. “Give me some good news.” He listened to whoever was on the other end. The scowl on his face faded to be replaced by a smile of satisfaction. “Good,” Rocha finally said. “Bring it to me.”

He walked away from Kelley until she could no longer hear what Rocha was saying. She had a feeling he was giving directions and didn’t want Kelley to hear.

After he disconnected the call, Rocha shoved the phone into his pocket. “Darrell,” Rocha called out and Taynor reappeared. Rocha inclined his head to Kelley and Belle. “Tie them up and do a better job this time.”

Taynor and Rocha walked toward Kelley and Belle. Kelley gently shook Belle. “Wake up, honey,” she said right before Taynor grabbed Kelley by her upper arm and jerked her to her feet.

He practically dragged her toward a support beam. Several feet away she saw an old pickaxe. Could she get to it and use it to get away with Belle from Taynor and Rocha?

Taynor shoved her down next to the support beam with such force that she landed hard on her tailbone and jarred her head against the beam. She had the fleeting thought that when this was all over she really did need a vacation.

I will escape,
she said fiercely in her mind.
With Belle…and we’ll both be safe.

Rocha dragged a sobbing Belle to the support beam and then Taynor was tying Kelley and Belle back-to-back with the beam between them.

Eventually, Kelley pretended to fall asleep while the men spoke to each other. Or rather, while Rocha did all the talking. For a long time she watched them from beneath her lashes. She thought again of the pick and wondered if she could get it whenever the men fell asleep. But it would be unwieldy and the men had at least one handgun.

Most of the time Rocha spoke too quietly for her to hear anything. Every now and then, he would go on a rant, raging about the men who had snitched on him, and who he was going to have killed once he was in Mexico. He planned on sending an assassin to do his dirty work. Apparently he wasn’t planning on returning to the States for a while, choosing to remain hidden in Mexico until the dust settled.

While the men thought she was sleeping, Kelley worked at the rope around her wrists that were tied behind her. When Taynor had bound her, she’d done her best to push her arms outward so that the rope would be at least a little loose when he finished. However, he had tied it so tightly that having any slack was impossible and the rope was nearly cutting off her circulation.

Still, Kelley worked at the rope, ceaselessly trying to remove it. Her wrists had already been rubbed raw from her earlier efforts and her eyes watered as the pain turned into a fiery burn. She was certain they were bleeding by now. Gradually her body numbed from the pain. She was exhausted and her head pounded, but she couldn’t give up.

With her head still bowed as if in sleep, Kelley kept an eye on Rocha and Taynor. Eventually they fell silent and she saw that they had fallen asleep. Taynor was on the ground and leaning up against one of the truck’s tires, his head to the side and his mouth open as he snored. Rocha was sitting on the ground, too, his back to a hay bale, his arms folded and his chin resting on his chest.

Kelley was nearly overcome with exhaustion but she couldn’t give up.
Wouldn’t
give up. As the rope started to give, new life flooded into her. She glanced again at the pickaxe. She was so exhausted, her aches and pains screaming, that she didn’t know if she could wield it well enough to save herself and Belle.

She felt Belle stir as her elbow brushed Kelley’s. “Belle,” Kelley whispered. “Are you awake?”

“Yes.” The girl sounded sleepy.

Kelley was nearly out of the rope, adrenaline making her heart beat faster. “Which of your pockets is the phone in?”

“My front pocket,” the girl said. “The left one. But I can’t get it ’cause my hands are tied.”

“I’m going to put my hand in your pocket in a moment and take it.” The rope slid off Kelley’s wrists as she spoke. “Then I’m calling my partner.”

“Okay,” Belle said.

With her eyes still on Taynor and Rocha, Kelley scooted a few inches to her right, Belle’s left. She reached around the support beam, groping for Belle and finally touching her leg. She moved her fingers up until she felt the lump in Belle’s pocket. She found the opening to the pocket and eased her fingers inside until she touched the cool, hard shell of the phone.

In moments, Kelley had her hand wrapped around the device and brought it up to her side. She opened the flip phone and keyed in Reese’s cell number as she continued to glance at the two men.

She heard a faint ring and brought the phone to her ear, praying that Reese was alive.

Chapter 19

Reese and John maintained their vigil at the border, watching every vehicle that passed by. Many trucks had crossed the line but none that were refrigerated. Every time a truck approached the border, Reese had to hold back from going to the Mexican agents and demanding to search every vehicle himself. It wouldn’t do any good—the agents had already refused his help.