Rescued (15 page)

Chapter 28

Satisfied they had all the proof they needed to close this entire operation down, Rose asked, “What else do we have?”

Oscar left the medical files and moved on to the emails housed on the doctor’s computer. “Do any of these numbers ring a bell with you?” He pointed out an email box containing phone numbers of the sender. Pictures of the kids attached along with the arrival times so the receiver would recognize them. Each kid’s picture, their medical file, and any personal info obtained were compiled in a folder under their name.

“That’s an Alabama area code. Can you Google it?” Rose shook her head. This situation was going full circle now. Right back to their starting point.

“M. Fisher?” Oscar sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest to give the cougars a better view of the screen.

Marty searched the air above his head. “Fisher. Fisher. Why does that name sound so familiar?” He turned to Rose. A flicker of recognition lit up both their faces.

“Mrs.
please, call me Margaret,
Fisher? From the bus station?” Rose waited for confirmation from Marty.

He huffed out a breath. “That old con artist. She never let on she knew Vinny other than from a few visits to the bus station, or that she was anything more than a little ol’ granny, and she was in on it the whole blasted time.

“Makes perfect sense now. Vinny didn’t have to hang out at the bus station day in, day out, and scope out potential victims. He just had to wait for the call from Margaret that a prospect had come in and he’d swoop in to seal the deal. Her hands would appear completely clean.”

“Then she emailed a picture to the house parents and the sponsors at the compound along with their arrival times. Vinny made sure no one was suspicious by making friends and helping people who worked there, too.

“I’m calling Kelli, so she can meet with the detectives as soon as possible and pick up that old bat for questioning. Oscar, can you forward some examples to Kelli of the emails and pictures sent by Fisher?” She continued to circle the table deep in thought, facts slamming through her head. She put two and two together and filled her friend in on the details.

“Kelli?”

“Rose, please tell me you caught a break.”

“You are not going to believe what we did find. Margaret Fisher from the bus station is the one who scoped out the prospects and called Vinny to complete the task. Oscar is sending you copies of emails between her and the office here along with pictures of the kids Vinny
helped
. Wendy is one of them. Kelli, I’ll let you read the files. This set-up is unbelievable. It reaches a whole new depth of sick and twisted.”

“Checking now. Got ‘em. Oh my. I see what you mean. I’ll start matching these emails with our copy of the video from the bus station. The email from her phone with Wendy’s picture is enough to go pick her up. Rest assured, she’ll be in custody in less than twenty minutes.”

“Thanks, Kel.”

“Hey, let’s have lunch and catch up when you get back in town.”

“Yeah, we should wrap up here in a day or two. Lunch sounds great. See you in a couple of days.” She pressed the end button and ran down her mental list of things to do to make sure none of these monsters escaped.

Daily led the way into the kitchen with the local authorities close behind. He continued his briefing on the evidence the group had uncovered. “We have coordinated with every agency and department involved to make the arrests and seize all computers and cell phones from the locations in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. As soon as you check out the evidence and give us the word, we’re ready. We want to be in sync and hit all compounds and individuals at the same time so they can’t tip off anyone else involved.”

The detective studied the records for a few minutes, his head moving side to side. “I can’t believe anything like this could be happening right under our noses. Everything’s ready here in Santa Fe as well as the warrants in Texas, Wyoming, and Utah. I just need to make one call and all the facilities will be shut down.”

“And the kids will be safe? All of them?” Roxie’s eyes eagerly searched the detective’s face waiting for his answer.

“We don’t intend for anyone else to be hurt. Now, if you all will excuse me, I am going to be in the lead vehicle when we go into the compound here. I’ll make sure this goes down without a hitch. No one responsible for this slaughter will be allowed to escape.”

The detective retrieved his phone and made the call to set the entire operation in motion. “All agencies confirm raids on the four compounds in the west to take place within the hour.”

Logan was working with the department to pick up the other adults in the holding house in Memphis. Kelli and her team would raid the bus station and take Mrs. Fisher in for questioning. The clean-up that now encompassed seven states would soon be wrapped up.

Everything, except for the kitchen of course. Rose shook her head. Elected for the task once again, she cleared the table, washed the coffee mugs, and turned to Marty. “Why don’t you go back to bed? You’ve still got some healing to do. I’ll be along in a minute.”

He was still studying the files from the office, trying to spot any connections they may have missed. He eased up from his chair and stretched. “I think I will. Sounds like everything’s under control here. See you in a minute?”

He slid his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck. The warmth of his body seeped into hers. She grasped the edge of the counter to steady herself, leaned her head back into his chest, and closed her eyes. How would she live if she lost him?

Satisfied the kitchen was in good enough shape, Rose turned in his arms, circled his waist, and walked toward the bedroom to indulge in some much needed snuggle time. She paused in living room where Roxie and Nelson sat on the couch. “Are you gonna be able to get some sleep now?” She pointed to the couch since there were no spare bedrooms.

“This is fine, Rose. I’ll sleep better on the couch than I have for the past week at that place. I don’t have to worry about anyone chopping me into pieces in my sleep. You need sleep too. Go. I’ll be fine.” She smiled a tired, sleepy smile but at least it was genuine.

Several hours of restful sleep later, Rose was wide-awake and packing to leave Santa Fe. She was glad to wrap this case up at last. One final report to tie up all the loose in a neat package, and she and Marty could hit the road.

She dropped her bag by the kitchen door and turned toward the living room to check on Roxie. She was asleep on the couch as Rose anticipated but she had not expected to find her snuggled in Nelson’s arms. Her hands settled on her hips and her unmistakable
what the
hell
expression formed on her face.

He raised his free hand in a defensive manner. “Rose, we just talked until she fell asleep. She needed some support,” he whispered as he glanced down at the sleeping girl curled at his side. “She didn’t deserve to be left alone . . . again.” He brushed her face with his fingertips.

Rose had only known Nelson a short time but from what she’d learned, he was an honest person. He was only a few years older than Roxie but he set goals for himself and had stuck to his life plan.

“What time is it?” Roxie raised her head, yawned, and rubbed her eyes.

“A little after noon. How are you?” Rose propped herself on the arm of a nearby chair.

“So much better. It was nice to sleep and feel safe for a change.” She glanced up at Nelson who returned a smile and rubbed her arm.

“Marty and I are leaving for home later today. Have you thought about where you’re going? Can we take you to some family or friends?”

“Rose, Nelson and I talked a long time this morning and he offered some suggestions of programs I can get into in Memphis. I like what I see all of you doing . . . helping people, really helping people solve their problems and better their lives. I would love to make a difference in someone’s life. Kids, teens, abused women. I want to save lives like y’all saved mine, so, I’m going back to Memphis and make something of myself.”

Rose blinked a tear away and smiled at the starry-eyed teen who had grown up overnight. “So you two have all the details worked out?”

“We do Rose. We talked about goals and plans. We’ll take it slow . . . one step at a time and June is a major mother hen. Lord knows she guided me through some rough patches. I know she’ll help us out.” Nelson spoke to Rose but directed his attention to Roxie.

He had become good at making plans in his own life. He’ll be good for Roxie.

A thud behind her drew her attention. Marty had deposited his bag beside hers inside the doorway. “Did we get a final report?”

“All the compounds in the western states have been closed. The entire staff of each facility is in custody. Legitimate programs willing to help the kids get settled in the real world are stepping up to help. The authorities have all the info they need from the computers and cell phones to track down every single person involved in this operation.” He handed envelopes to Marty and Rose. “These are reports on the kids you were each hired to find. All in all, I’d say it’s a wrap.” Oscar propped himself against the kitchen door and took a long sip from his coffee mug. “I made coffee since morning can come at any time around here.”

“Thanks Oscar. Rose and I are gonna take ours to go. I still have to break the bad news to my client about his son, and I’m not looking forward to that part of my job.” Marty studied the floor as he spoke.

Rose stepped to his side. He faced the absolute worse part of his job, but whatever she could do to ease his burden, she would. That’s a mate’s duty.

Telling his client that he would never see his son again would be hard enough but the man would want all the details and Marty would be obliged to give him the entire story. The only detail that might help is that all responsible would suffer the full extent of the law. She prayed that would be a source of comfort and closure for Marty’s client as well as their entire group.

Chapter 29

A road trip of a thousand plus of miles gave Rose time to think. Think about all that had happened between herself and Marty and to the people they came to know. Lives had changed.

They covered the distance in near total silence. They stopped on two occasions to sleep after a long and relaxing run through a nearby wooded area and made a point to revisit the same area where they had observed the wild cougar family. Rose let out a relieved sigh as they watched the young kits play in the field. They had survived the poachers, at least for now. The wild cougar’s instincts served them well.

Back on the road, Rose reflected on the outcome of recent events. “These situations are so similar, one in the same really. Human greed and a lust for easy money placed the cougar family as well as the kids in Santa Fe in serious danger.” Her chest tightened as she fought with the realization she would never be able to save the world but she could certainly try . . . one situation at a time.

The truck pulled to a stop in front of Rose’s house. Marty cut the engine and blew out a tired breath.

Rose’d had time to think. She had so many regrets. Her mouth was dry. Her stomach was one big knot. She sucked in a ragged breath and forced out the words she had decided would insure his safety.

“Marty, I’m not happy with my performance on this job. I don’t know why I made so many blunders. Falling for that stupid drunk diversion, getting drugged, and almost taken by Vinny myself. So many errors in judgment and timing but . . . getting you almost killed . . . that was the worst of my mistakes.” She shut her eyes tight as flashes of his near lifeless body lay bleeding on the ground. She relived every pounding step she made as she ran through the woods holding him in her arms to get to the car and back to the house for help.

“Rose, things happen. You can’t blame yourself for that. It just happened. Is that why you’ve been so quiet for the past few days?” Marty reached out to rub her shoulder.

His touch was warm and tender, sending shock waves zinging through her body. Rose desperately yearned to lean into the contact, climb into his lap, and hold him but she had to stick to her guns.

She couldn’t take the chance she’d put him in danger by making yet another stupid mistake and get him hurt again. “Marty . . . I can’t be with you anymore. I can’t take a chance with your life.” She couldn’t face the oncoming conversation. Her breaking point was near. She opened the door, slid from the truck, and retrieved her bag from the back seat.

“Rose. Wait. You’re just tired. You’re not thinking straight. I need to go speak with my client. I’ll come back in a few days and we can talk again. It’ll be okay, Rose.”

“Good bye Marty. I’m so sorry.” Rose turned, avoiding eye contact. She couldn’t. If she made contact with those crystal blue eyes, she’d lose all resolve. She had to stay in control of this situation.

She forced her feet to move, made her way up the walk, and inside the house. Her choice was difficult. Her heart was broken but it was for the best. If she had lost her edge, her ability to size up a situation, and carry out a plan, she may as well get a job at the bank and waste away behind a desk.

Rose spent the next three weeks wrapping up older cases, seeing prospective new clients, training both at the gym, and on the firing range. She had to be in top shape for every client she agreed to help. She refused to accept a job if she couldn’t give her client everything she had.

Her schedule was the same every day, meetings with clients in the mornings, training in the afternoon, shopping or errands afterwards, and home by six. Exhaustion was the plan. If she drained herself, there’d be no energy left to remember. His touch. His scent. The desire in his blue eyes.

His presence engulfed her the moment he arrived back in town. He had been near every night for nearly the past three weeks but kept his distance as she requested.

The bond could never be broken and his need to protect her was as strong as ever. She was determined to keep him safe even if it meant keeping her distance.

Rose went about her household chores in the evening until darkness blanketed her property. She would slip out the backdoor and charge off for her nightly moonlight run. As fast as she could go, she tried to break free of his scent but it was impossible. He was there, in the woods somewhere, running with her but hidden from sight. The bond was even more gripping in animal form.

She came to rest at the top of the hill, her thinking spot. She looked out over the forest, watched the night animals going about their business of making their homes, feeding themselves, and their families. Life. Satisfying. Simple. Complete. So why was her life so damned complicated? The human part of her had to exist in the human world. She had to stay strong, stick to her guns, and keep her mate safe. Even if it meant they could never be together.

She lowered her head to the ground and covered it with her paws. The pain ripped through her chest. It hurt like hell but it was the only way. She inhaled a deep breath to cleanse her thoughts. A valiant effort since her lungs only filled with his scent. He was near but she had to fight the intense desire to join him, to join with him.

She made her way back to the house, proud of herself for having avoided a female meltdown. Safely behind her kitchen door, she shifted back into human form, dragged on her clothes, and grabbed a bottle of water.

For the umpteenth time tonight, as well as every other night since she had been back home, she eased up the slat in the blind that covered the window by the front door. She spotted Marty as he slid back behind the wheel of his truck where he would spend the night . . . again.

He turned his head toward the house, his gaze settled directly at her peephole. Even from the distance across the road and the tiny slit she peered through, their eyes met. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach. She wanted him in every way but this had to stop. She had to make him understand this was for the best and he had to move on. She stepped into her flip-flops and opened the door.

Their eyes locked onto each other again. She could feel her strength waning.
Stay strong Rose. Don’t let those eyes get to you. You have to stick to the plan. It’s for his own good.

She repeated the words to herself over and over as she covered the distance across the yard and to the opposite side of the road. She opened the passenger side door and looked up into the eyes of her mate. The mate she must deny. “Marty, you can’t sit here all night, every night. You need your rest and you need to get on with your life.”

“Rose, honey, be reasonable. You can’t take the blame for all that’s wrong in the world and denying yourself happiness will
not
solve your problems. We can work on this together.”

She opened her mouth to set him straight on what she could and could not do when her night vision caught the reflection of a pair of eyes in the distant behind Marty’s head and sent her into high alert. Every nerve ending in her body screamed danger.

With lightning speed, she bounced onto the running board, grabbed his arm, and jerked him down onto the seat just as a gun blast exploded the silence of the night. The bullet sailed through one window and out the other only inches above their heads.

They scrambled to further safety on the ground behind the rear tire. White-hot anger spread through Rose’s body like wildfire. Her claws lengthened. She growled low. Someone was trying to kill one or both of them. This was the last straw. She motioned for Marty to move around behind the truck and she would go in the opposite direction.

They inhaled. Their sense of smell would tell them if they had ever met the gunman. Rose got nothing. She looked at Marty.

“Vinny,” he growled low and fierce.

The slippery son-of-a-bitch had eluded the authorities since Margaret Fisher, the clerk from the bus station was arrested. Now it seemed he was out to settle a score of his own.

Being able to move on near silent cat feet in human form was a positive in this situation. Marty and Rose moved in opposite directions, spotted Vinny, and crept toward their target.

Rose could see Vinny squint as he continued his search for any movement inside the cab and the area around the truck. From the line he had on them, the shot could have taken both their heads off.

The snap of a twig alerted Vinny to their close presence. He jerked right then left, searching for his target. He spotted Rose, aimed his gun, and fired, missing her by mere inches. As he pointed the gun to fire again, Marty tackled him from behind sending him sprawling onto the ground.

They rolled to a skidding halt. His gun dislodged from his hand and fell to the ground. He scrambled out of Marty’s reach and frantically swept through the dirt and dried leaves with his hands, searching for his gun. Rose stepped up and kicked it several yards out of his reach.

She had tracked Vinny for so long and now, finally she had him within her grasp. She pinned him to the ground with her knee in his back, placed one hand under his chin, and one gripping the crown of his head. She could snap his neck as easily as snapping a twig. The urge was strong to settle this.

The world would be better off without the likes of this devil.
No one would have to know.
I could say he
tripped and fell. Simply landed in an awkward position.

He deserved no better for his part in dissecting so many young people and selling the body parts for profit. Her knee pressed even harder on his back as she contemplated ending this once and for all. Her fingers drew together, tighter on his head in an unyielding grip. He made strangled, gurgling sounds from the strain she put on his neck. The thoughts kept rolling through her head at a thunderous rate. All pros and absolutely no cons to Vinny’s death.

“Rose. Rose, look at me.” Marty’s voice was calm and brought her back from her dark place. He eased his fingertips under her chin and lifted her face to bring them eye-to-eye. “Cuff him. I’m calling Kelli.” Marty pried her hand from Vinny’s head and slipped something cool into her palm.

Rose blinked. What she had been thinking was right in so many ways but wrong for her to follow through on. Her daddy always did the right thing no matter how difficult. She had to follow his example.

She grasped hold of the cuffs, jerked Vinny’s wrists hard behind his back, and squeezed the cuffs on extra tight.

“Hey. Hey, that hurts. They’re too tight. You’re cutting off my circulation.” Vinny struggled against the restraints, rolled over to his back, and faced his captors. Pain etched across his face.

“Shut up, you slimy bastard. You’re lucky I don’t cut off your air supply and send you to hell where you belong.” Rose hissed her warning as she placed her foot across Vinny’s throat and pressed down.

A choking sound escaped his mouth but she didn’t ease off. She rather enjoyed the sound of his distress and pain. There was no way it could compare to the distress and pain he caused those kids and their families. Now tonight he tried to kill her mate? She stepped down harder.

The sound of sirens in the distance wailed as they came closer. Rose removed her foot and watched Vinny cough and gasp for breath, rolling from side to side in agony.

She turned to the street and stood in silence as the patrol cars screeched to a stop. The uniforms collected their prize and stuffed him in the back of the car for his trip downtown.

“Are you two sure you’re okay? Your adrenaline is pumping from the excitement. You could be wounded and not even realize.” Kelli took Rose by the arm and stepped out of the way while the officers completed their job.

“I’m fine Kel. Just make damned sure y’all hang onto him.”

Kelli nodded and hugged her friend as she headed back to her patrol car to take Vinny to be booked.

“I guess I’ll go, too. If you’re sure you’re okay? Sorry about that twig. I thought I was being more careful.”

“I’m fine.” Her voice was weak and strained.

He opened his mouth but closed it again without another word and started toward the truck.

“It’s not your fault. Things happen,” she said barely above a whisper. She had come close to taking a bullet and this time Marty made an error and put her in danger. She didn’t blame him. Things happen.

“Things happen. It’s no one’s fault, things happen.” She shook her head. His words. The very words he said to her to ease her guilt when she thought she had caused him to take a knife to the back and come so close to death. Reality hit like a ton of brick. She sucked in a breath. “Marty, wait.”

He stopped in his tracks and turned on a dime.

Their eyes met as she spoke. “Everybody makes mistakes. I don’t want to make the biggest mistake of my life and not give us a chance.” She held out a hand and hoped she wasn’t too late.

He grinned, rushed to her side, and took her in his arms.

“Marty, I was wrong. I do need you. We need each other. Can we just go home?”

She watched the corners of his mouth curled upward and the stress and fatigue drain from his face.

He swung her petite body around in circles. “We do, Rose. We do need each other.” He scooped her up and covered the distance to the house.

Safely inside, he leaned against the door, still cradling her to his chest. His heart pounded in her ears, beating in rhythm with her own.

Rose snuggled closer and let out the breath she held. “Run with me,” she said. She slid to the floor and tugged him by the hand toward the kitchen. They left their clothes scattered on the floor and stepped out the backdoor into the warm evening to shift and run.

Mates.

Bonded for life.