Hell And Back(70)
He just shakes his head no.
“You drugged them, lured them out, raped them, and then killed them.” My voice gets louder. “Then you disposed of their bodies. Where are they?” I slam my hand on the table, making him jump. “Pretty boy like you in prison, going to be rough keeping the boys at bay. Tell me what you did with them. TELL ME!”
“I get paid to find the girls and drop them off. That’s it!”
“Who pays you?”
“No clue. Calls himself Chucky, like the Chucky doll. I bring them to him. He pays me ten grand per girl.”
“How many?” I ask him, hoping he isn’t going to stop talking.
“Three so far.” He looks at us. “I wanted to stop, but he wouldn’t let me. He kept calling, said he’d dump them off at the cops and all they’d have was my name.”
“Where did you drop them off?”
“Some cheap motel off the interstate. I walked them in pretending we were going to a party, and then once we were inside, I just left. He had his guy waiting for them there.”
“So you brought those three innocent girls to the devil’s doorstep.”
“I did nothing wrong.”
Mick finally snaps. “You lured three young girls away from their families through the use of an illegal substance. You then brought them to someone who rapes and probably beats them, while you walked away with thirty grand. And you think you didn’t do anything wrong here, Ryan? If any of those girls are dead, you will be charged with accessory to murder.”
Mick leans over the table, looking him in the eye, and says, “And you better fucking believe I’ll be the one to put you in there. I’ll lead you in there like you led them in there. How is that?”
He doesn’t get to answer before my cell phone goes off with the alarm company name.
Getting up, I answer the phone. “Hello.”
“Hey, Jackson. It’s Brian. Are you home?”
“No, I’m at work. Why?”
“The silent alarm was just triggered. We called the house and nothing. Tried the cell phone and nothing,” he says and the hair stands up on my neck.
“What about Brenda?” I ask, running out of the room to get my keys.
“Nothing. We called everyone. I have someone arriving right now. I’m sure it’s nothing. He’s calling in now. Give me a sec.”
“Mick,” I yell for him, and he comes out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
“Silent alarm was just triggered at Bella’s. Someone is on the scene, but I’m waiting for an update from Brian.” I put him on speakerphone so Mick can hear.
“Jackson, where are you?” His voice is tight. It’s curt and angry.
“Give it to me.”
“They have an ambulance going there now. Brenda has been beaten pretty badly. Lilah was the one who ran and hit the alarm.”
“Where the fuck is Bella?”
“Jackson.” He exhales a deep breath. “She’s nowhere to be found.” And in that minute, my phone flies across the room, my knees buckle, and I almost fall down.
Mick looks at me. “We will get her back.”
I look at him, trying to wrap my head around all this.
“We will fucking get her back.” He grabs me by the shirt, shaking me. “You need to snap the fuck out of it and help me find your woman. You need to lock your shit down and fucking focus here, Jackson.”
I know who took her, just as I know I will find him and I will kill him myself.
Chapter Forty-Five
Bella
Our day is just like any other day: eat, clean a little, and play. It’s our normal routine. Sometimes we also add a walk, an errand or two or some other activity.
Brenda usually joins us on the walks. Depending on Lilah’s mood, we’d either put her in the stroller or one of us would hold her hand as we walked. Our route is pretty much the same, though—just a leisurely walk around the neighborhood.
Sometimes we would stop at the big park where Lilah would sit on the swings. She could be pushed on them for hours if I let her.
But, today, we sat in the backyard at the little table I picked up, drinking some lemonade Brenda brought over.
Just watching Lilah run around, chasing bubbles from the machine Jackson hooked up.
Her giggles are so loud. So carefree.
“You did it,” Brenda says, breaking our comfortable silence. I look over at her, knowing exactly what she is referring to. “The first day I met you, I was afraid it was too late. I thought you had already given up.” She takes a sip of her lemonade. “But then I saw you fight your way back. Not only for yourself, you were fighting for her.” She points to Lilah, who is now skipping after the bubbles.