Profile of Fear: Book Four of the Profile Series (Volume 4) (25 page)

“Where are you taking us?” Hailey’s tear-smothered voice whispered behind him. A chill ran up her spine. He was going to kill them both. She was sure of it. They could identify him. It was too dangerous for him to let them live. “You’re going to kill us, aren’t you? We’ve seen your face.”

“Think that worries me? Before this day is done, I’ll be so far away, it won’t matter who knows my face. Money has a way of erasing memories. Money will enable me to start a new life. Don’t worry. This will be over soon, Britta.”

“Who is Britta? Why are you calling me that?”

Carlos glanced at her through the rear-view mirror. “You look so much like someone I used to know. Britta was sixteen, beautiful, and full of life, just like you.”

“What happened to her?” Asking the question, she feared the answer.

“Britta was a runaway when she met me. I told her I was in love with her, but I wasn’t. But she loved me and would do anything I asked her to do, even things that hurt her—things that put her life in jeopardy.”

“What do you mean?”

Through the mirror, he shot her a glare. “Aren’t you listening, or are you that clueless?”

Hailey stiffened with shock by his sudden change in mood. She must keep him calm to buy time until she could think of a way out. “I’m sorry…”

“I made her a whore. I sold her on Craigslist and Backpage as an escort. I ordered her to do whatever her buyers wanted her to do, and hand over the money they paid her to me. I told her it was for our future. I would have said anything to get her to do what I wanted.” His words were laced with guilt, but his tone suggested Britta’s fate was her own fault.

Fear knotted inside Hailey as she realized that was what he had planned for Niki and her. There were no modeling jobs. He’d sell their bodies online to strangers, over and over again, as they endured a living nightmare. Money was what mattered to this man. Not their lives.

Where was he taking them? Had he already sold them online and was delivering them to buyers? Panic like she’d never known before welled in her throat as the houses they passed became sparse, as he drove out-of-town. But what town? Where were they? Hailey glanced at the door handle and back at the speedometer. He was driving sixty-miles-per-hour. What were her chances if she jumped out of the car? And how could she leave Niki behind?

Carlos began talking again in such a way that Hailey questioned if he were talking to her, or to himself. “It was Britta and me against the world. Then Juan Ortiz came back to the states from Mexico and took over my territory. The sick sonofabitch had all my girls, including Britta, marked with his tattoo. Property of Juan Ortiz. I’ll never forget the look of betrayal on Britta’s face when she lifted her skirt to reveal Ortiz’s tattoo. She knew I’d lied about building a future with her, and realized she was no more important to me that any of the other girls. I’d lost her to Ortiz, and then later to meth.”

Carlos slowed the SUV and turned onto a desolate gravel road that coiled within a thicket of trees. It was so dark, the only glimmer of light was from the car’s dashboard. He stopped the vehicle and removed his handgun from the console. Sheer black fright swept through Hailey as Carlos opened the back door and pulled Niki from the car. She eyed the door handle, her heart pounding painfully hard. Niki was unconscious and helpless. How could she leave her with Carlos? Unable to evade, she went still as a cornered animal.

Carlos opened her door, and brandished the gun before her, aiming it at her chest. “Get out.” He led her to a ditch at the road’s edge. Horrified, she saw Niki curled up in a fetal position below and couldn’t tell if she was dead or alive.

“Get on your knees. Face away from me.” Carlos commanded.

Goose flesh rippling up her back, Hailey bent down and thought of her mother. If only she could get lost in one of her mom’s hugs one more time.

A white bolt of agonizing pain shot through her brain as she slid to the hard ground, and the world turned black.

Chapter Fifty-seven

His ringtone sounded and Cameron yanked his cell out of his pocket, hoping for word about Hailey. The more time that went by, the less likely they were to find her alive. He had to find her.

“Hey. This is Deputy Sawyer.”

Cameron turned on the cell’s speaker so that Robynn could hear. “What’s going on, Gail? Are you at Carlos Rodriguez’s place?”

“Yes, sir, and it’s quite a mess.”

“Are we talking house cleaning issues?”

“No, the place was ransacked.”

“Seriously?”

“Serious as a heart attack. Looks like a tornado hit. Drawers tossed, cabinet doors open, the whole nine yards. If I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on someone other than us is looking for Mr. Carlos Rodriguez.”

“Did you call dispatch to send the crime scene technicians? There’s a chance we could get fingerprints or DNA from his apartment that could lead us to Hailey and Niki. We also might find evidence that will lead us to the perp that tossed his place.”

“Already called. They’re here now.”

“Good job. Any signs Rodriguez might return?”

“Doubt it. His closet is empty and there are no suitcases to be found. Just heard one of our state troopers found his car at the Indianapolis International Airport. We’re calling the airline. I’ll let you know if we get a hit on his flight.”

Disconnecting the call, he turned to Robynn. “Any theories on who might want to toss his apartment?”

“I think someone is looking for something of value. It could be a damning piece of evidence that connects him to a crime, or it could be money. We know that Carlos is working for Juan Ortiz. It’s not a stretch to think he could be skimming money off of Juan’s profits. In addition, he knows too much.”

“Which would put Carlos in a world of trouble.”

“If I was Carlos and I had stolen money from Juan Ortiz, I’d get out of the country.”

Cameron shook his head in disappointment. “Which means we lose our most important lead to the girls.”

Chapter Fifty-eight

There was an explosion, as if a bomb had detonated, hurling Hailey into consciousness. Teeth chattering, she was chilled to the bone, and pain exploded at the base of her skull. Water soaked her clothing, and an instant chill flooded her skin with shivers. Her eyelids heavy, she tried to open her eyes. A blast of wind whipped her hair, stinging her face as rain pelted her body. She blinked as water ran into her eyes, blurring her vision, thunder vibrating in the distance. It was dark, the moon and stars blotted out by thick storm clouds. Her heart raced, nearly bursting out of her chest.

Where was she?

Easing her body into a sitting position, she looked around and discovered she was not alone. Niki was lying next to her, curled in a fetal position, looking pale and lifeless. Oh, please, God. She can’t be dead. Leaning closer to Niki, Hailey could hear her taking slow, shallow breaths.

“Niki, wake up. We can’t stay here. It’s storming, and we’re not safe out in the open like this. Please wake up, Carlos could come back any minute to kill both of us. Please, Niki.”

Pulling Niki’s limp body onto her lap, Hailey shook her friend to wake her, but to no avail. Something was very wrong with Niki.

Why couldn’t she remember what happened to them? Hailey’s memory ended when she entered the back seat of Carlos’s car at the mall. The water! He must have put something in the water. She remembered taking a drink, but was unable to recall what happened after that, until she regained consciousness in the basement of Carlos’s house. It was as if she had amnesia.

Carlos had drugged them. Of course he had. What better way to get them to do what he wanted? There was a black hole in her memory, and she shuddered to think of what may have happened to Niki and her during that time.

What she
did
remember was how Carlos had loaded them into his car and had driven them out in the middle of who-knows-where. He’d rolled Niki’s body into the ditch as if she were garbage he was tossing. The pain lancing through her head made her nauseous. He’d hit her with his gun, and must have placed her next to Niki in the ditch.

But that was then, this was now. The wind picked up and the ditch was filling with rainwater, inching up to Niki’s head. She had to drag Niki to a higher level, before she drowned. Towing Nikki out of the ditch and onto the highway’s edge was a daunting task, even though Niki was so small. It seemed every time Hailey got a good grip of her arms, Niki slid out of reach.

Finally they reached the road, and Hailey searched both ways for headlights. She had to get help, and soon. Niki’s body was so cold to the touch, and her clothes were dripping wet. Her body started to tremble in jerking movements. Hailey took off her cardigan and wrapped it around Niki’s shoulders. She hoped that even as damp as the sweater was, it might still bring some warmth to Niki’s body.

Driven by urgency, Hailey had to get help before it was too late. Her cell! Her cell phone was in her purse. She could call 9-1-1. But where was her purse? She searched for her purse in the darkness of the ditch, then hunted along the highway, but couldn’t find it. Carlos must have kept it, along with any means of communicating to the outside world.

Where was Carlos? Would he come back to finish the job? She was a witness that he overdosed Niki. Why had he hit her with the gun instead of shooting her? Why hadn’t he killed her? It made no sense.

The storm continued to rage overhead, lightning piercing the sky, and trees bending in submission. The angry rain pelted her body.

Hailey remembered the times her mom talked to her about the dangers of being out in the open during a storm and being struck by lightning. Fear tightened inside her, and she struggled not to panic. If she was going to save their lives, she had to remain in control, think clearly.

Chapter Fifty-nine

From his office desk, Lt. Patrick Lair threw a Nerf ball into the basket mounted on his closed door. “Two points.”

“You said you had something important for me?” asked Robynn.

“It’s more like a gift.”

Her eyebrows rose inquiringly. “Gift?”

“One of our troopers, Bob Raines, stopped a car on I-65 for a broken tail light. Trooper Raines asked the driver for his license and registration. When he opened the glove compartment, the trooper noticed a fat roll of money and a small handgun in there. Bob then went back to his patrol car, where he checked our state computer system for outstanding violations, and called for backup.

Once the second patrol car arrived, Trooper Raines asked the driver whether he had any drugs or weapons in the car. The driver said that he did not. The officer then asked for and received the driver’s permission to search the car.

During the search, the troopers seized five plastic baggies containing cocaine from a grocery bag of diapers in the trunk. He also seized an unregistered handgun and $1,000 from the glove compartment. The driver was placed under arrest and transported to the station.”

“Good arrest, but why would you think this was a gift to me?”

“The driver is Diego Santiago, a known associate of Juan Ortiz. He broke down when he was arrested and told the trooper he couldn’t be away from his invalid mother. Says he has info about Ortiz he’d like to bargain with.”

Robynn’s face split into a wide grin. “When can we get him transferred to Shawnee County to be interviewed?”

Chapter Sixty

With the road snaking ahead of her and only corn fields on either side, Hailey stopped to rest on the grassy shoulder. Her arms and back ached from dragging Niki, and she didn’t know how much farther she could go before she collapsed herself. Niki was still unconscious, and Hailey worried she could die if they didn’t get help soon.

She’d never felt so alone in her life; she would have given anything to be in the safety of her mother’s arms. If she hadn’t lied to her mom, she wouldn’t be in this situation. She prayed for a second chance.

Above the horizon rose a blurred and red-blood sun. Soon it would be light. The rows of corn made a snapping sound in the wind, and an earthy smell assailed Hailey’s nose.

Hailey spotted a pair of headlights down the road, heading toward her. Moving to the middle of the road, she stood waving her arms, praying that the driver would stop to help and not mow her down. But a warning voice whispered in her head. The car rushing toward her could be driven by Carlos, back to finish what he started. Her pulse began to beat erratically. Her mind was a crazy mix of fear and hope. Should she take Niki and dive into the ditch for cover? It was then that a flashing bar of brilliant lights atop the car pierced the early light.

With a screech of brakes, the vehicle stopped and an Indiana State Trooper cautiously emerged from the car, his hand resting on his gun.

“May I help you?” he called out.

Compulsive sobs shaking her body, Hailey ran to him and threw herself into the trooper’s arms.

Chapter Sixty-one

Hailey awoke in a hospital bed, bound to an IV running from the back of her hand. In the room was a woman in a white lab coat talking quietly with a tall, handsome, blond-haired man with compelling gray eyes. The doctor was a stranger, but the man looked familiar.

Questions bubbled from her mouth. Her voice nothing more than a broken whisper. “Where am I? Where’s Niki? Is she okay?”

The man rushed to her side. “Hailey, welcome back. I can’t tell you how many people have been looking for you.”

“Where am I?”

“You’re in Lafayette at I.U. Health Arnett Hospital. One of our troopers found you and your friend on Harrison Road outside of Battle Ground. He brought you two here. You’re dehydrated, but the docs are giving you fluids to make you feel better. You’re going to be okay, Hailey. You are one lucky girl.”

She didn’t feel lucky. She hurt all over and felt stupid for being duped. “Where’s Niki?”

The man flashed a glance at the doctor. “Niki is here in the hospital, too.”