The woman held a handkerchief delicately to her nose, which was red and swollen as if she'd been crying. She stared into the cameras, her expression desperate and pleading.
"My name is Suzanne Wilder and twenty years ago, my daughter, Jenna Wilder, was violently taken from me. Her father tried desperately to save our daughter, but the kidnappers shot and killed him before running to a black van with Jenna in one of the kidnappers' arms. She was screaming and crying for me as they shut the door and drove away with my only child," the woman said, her voice breaking as a sob welled, and she pushed her fist into her mouth in a visible battle to control her emotions.
"I've searched for my daughter for the last twenty years, never giving up hope of her being returned to me. Despite the many investigators I hired and the investigation I launched myself, I never knew where the cult had established their compound, where they lived or were located," she said, stumbling over the words as though she wasn't sure what to call the place where Jenna had been a prisoner for nearly her entire life.
"It wasn't until I saw the news story last week that reported the mass killing of what was reported to be the entire cult at a compound north of Houston that I realized this is where my daughter had been held, where she'd been raised. I wondered if she even remembers me or knows who I am," she said tearfully.
"Two of the men identified and pictured on television I instantly recognized as the men who'd murdered my husband and kidnapped my precious daughter."
She bowed her head for a long moment, seemingly too emotional to continue.
Jenna stared in stunned silence, simply unable to comprehend what she was witnessing. A warm tear rolled down the side of her face, but she didn't lift her hand to wipe it away. Her breathing became even more rapid. It didn't make sense. What was she afraid of? The truth?
"I viewed each and every one of the bodies, hoping to find answers, something that would tell me if my Jenna was still alive or what might have happened to her. She wasn't among the dead, but I found a photo of her. It was my daughter! There is absolutely no doubt. I'm pleading with anyone who has information about her whereabouts or any information leading to the discovery of Jenna Wilder to please come forward. And Jenna, if you're out there, I have never given up hope of one day being reunited with you."
Jenna continued to stare blankly at the screen as suddenly her mind shifted to a long-ago event. The birthday cake and the four candles. Her father's proud, smiling face, filled with so much love. She reached farther back, closing her eyes as she strained to bring the memory into focus. A woman holding a gift-wrapped box, a strange smile on her face as she watched Jenna's father toss her into the air while she squealed with laughter.
"Mama?" Jenna said, her voice higher pitched, sounding more like the child twisting circles in Jenna's mind.
Her chest felt as though it was on fire and the rapid inhalations had halted for some reason. Why wasn't she breathing? The room blurred, moving in and out of focus as the press conference droned on and on, the only sound registering in Jenna's ears a loud, persistent buzzing.
TWENTY-THREE
"SHOULD we go rescue the remote before the batteries die and she beats the shit out of it because she doesn't know it takes batteries to operate?" Shadow asked Isaac in amusement.
Isaac chuckled. "I've been up in her grill twenty-four seven since . . . well, hell, basically since I pulled her out of my SUV she'd stolen and decided I was keeping her. I couldn't imagine any situation where I didn't want to be as close to her as possible, but she's like a kid with a new, obnoxiously loud, annoying toy who plays it over and over and over again."
Shadow cracked up while Knight and Dex, who'd entered the kitchen just as Shadow suggested mounting a rescue mission to retrieve the remote, both snickered. Then Dex stopped and turned one ear in the direction of the living room, standing silent for a moment.
"I dunno, it might be safe to go back in. The channel hasn't changed in the last minute or so-it's the same newscast I heard on my way to the kitchen," Dex said in a hopeful voice.
"I'll believe it when I see it," Shadow grumbled as he ambled toward the door leading into the living room.
He came to an abrupt halt, his body language putting Isaac on immediate alert. He was about to demand what the fuck Shadow was looking at when Shadow said, without turning around, "Isaac, you need to get in here fast."
The edge in Shadow's voice made Isaac's stomach plummet and he shoved by Dex and Knight, breaking into a run. He shoved Shadow so he'd move to the side, and then Isaac saw what Shadow meant.