Enticing Their Mate(13)
Her pulse raced. Something wasn’t right. Sarah flicked on one small bank of lights. Her mind blanked and her heart fluttered. Dear God, help us all. The women appeared to be unconscious, or else were sleeping deeply. If she’d had something in her hand other than her purse, she would have thrown it against the wall.
She stepped over to Nancy and placed a palm on her forehead. The woman was burning up. Shit. Even if Sarah had the skills of a doctor, without medicine, she couldn’t do much for her.
Shouts sounded outside the door and she rushed to see what the ruckus was about. She peeked out and spotted Statler grabbing Russ by the neck. That had to be bad news for him. As much as she wanted to listen, if Statler caught her spying, it might end up badly for her.
Both Riley and Jay would be interested to learn that Statler was now at the warehouse, though for how long was anyone’s guess. What they would do with that knowledge she didn’t know, but she needed to text them anyway. Her email to Jay read: Statler in house. A nurse and guard are missing.
If the men wanted her to do something, they’d respond. Sure enough, Jay’s text came through seconds later. Working on getting medicine. Thanks for the update. Now delete all evidence of our correspondence and stay safe. Jay.
Her stomach cramped. Sarah would be able to administer the medicine only if Nancy woke. Perhaps the reason Michelle was no longer at work was because one of the guards asked her to drug the women and she’d refused. As much as she wanted to figure out what happened to Michelle, she didn’t need to dwell on it.
The women had to be her first concern. Sarah flooded the room with light, hoping to jolt them awake. “Wake up, ladies. Rise and shine!” She clapped her hands, and when no sounds arose, she gently nudged a few mattresses. No response. Shit.
Discouraged, she headed to the second room, hoping she’d meet with more success. When she stepped into that room, the air was stale and all the girls were in the same condition. Well damn.
* * *
Jay paced the small motel room frustrated he wasn’t able to make his move even though Statler was nearby. It was taking all of his control not to confront the man, but to do so would probably end in disaster, and he didn’t want to ruin the General’s chance at ridding the world of one more evil man.
Riley was studying Sarah’s drawing when the General’s caller ID popped up on Jay’s phone. There must have been something really interesting about the map because his roommate didn’t look up.
Jay answered. “Sir?”
“We’ve had a stroke of luck.”
Finally. Jay walked over to the bed and sat down. “What is it?”
“I never knew how wonderful chat rooms could be.”
He glanced over at Riley who seemed to be in a zone of concentration. The General had never been known to drink or make frivolous calls. “Sir?”
“I found out that Statler hired three more guards, and the man handling the operation put some feelers out on the Internet. Dumb, if you ask me.”
His mind raced, trying to figure out why the General appeared to be gloating. “What is it you’d like me to do, sir?”
“I’m not sure if you’ve met them, but I asked Cam and Spence Summerville—Ford and Tyson’s cousins—to help us out. They live in Pittsburgh and were able to drive to New York and successfully intercept the truck with the three guards who were to arrive at the warehouse tomorrow afternoon.”
While that sounded great, he could think of a lot of issues that might pop up. “When the men don’t arrive, won’t Statler question why and then find others?”
“Jay, Jay, you underestimate me.” Now he felt small. “You haven’t been part of the team long enough to know how things work. Tom Hammond, the scum who supplied Statler with the three men, has been sent off on a little vacation if you get my drift. As for the three guards, let’s just say they won’t be working for Statler any time soon.”
“I see.”
“Clay Demmers and Dirk Tilton, who I know you’ve met, will be replacing two of these guards.”
The genius of the plan sunk in. “Excellent. What about the third man?” Statler had hired three men.
“I want Riley to take his place.”
A streak of jealousy raced through him, but Jay understood why he had to lay low. “What’s my role?” If the General asked him to sit idly by, he wasn’t certain he could.
“I want you to be the point man, coordinating their every move. All information will be fed through you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“The men are expected tomorrow around three. Riley will need to figure out where he’ll meet Clay and Dirk.” The General then provided him with their contact information, which Jay wrote down on the back of his hand, feeling like he was back in high school. Damn motel room didn’t even provide a pad of paper.