Chapter Seventeen
Charli knew without being told that the blond man across the street with a street hooker who went by the name of Candy was a Ranger. Not that he stood out. She just recognized the way he looked around, scanning the area when he was confident he wasn’t being watched.
Antony walked outside carrying a beer in each hand and offered her one. “I thought you were going to shack up with your ex until eleven?”
She took the beer. “Thanks. And I was, but he ran out of steam and another opportunity presented itself.”
“Girl, you and me are gonna get along real good.”
She knew Antony was pleased. She’d shown up with seven hundred dollars for him, which was about five hundred more than most of his girls brought in each night. She raised her beer and clicked it against his. “You do know that I held back my cut, right?”
“Your cut?”
“You don’t expect me to work for free, do you?”
Charli could see that moment of indecision in Antony’s eyes. He was a greedy little bastard and had she been five foot nothing and a hundred pounds, he’d probably have already slapped her silly and taken her money.
“Just how much is your cut?”
“Fifty percent.”
“You mean you already made—“He shook his head. “Fuck. Can you do that every night?”
“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
“I think fifty percent is too much.”
“Well, I could give you less.”
“I meant for you.”
“Oh really? ‘Cuz you’re gonna make a grand a night without me? Forget it, Antony. You’ll have a fifth of your investment recouped by the end of the night and the rest before the end of the week—everything after that is clear profit.”
“You got a point.”
“Don’t I?” She took a drink from the beer and looked around. “There’s not much action here. I think I’ll take a walk.”
He pulled out an old cell phone and handed it to her. “If I have a john, I’ll call you on this.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She slid the phone into her shoulder bag and handed him the unfinished beer. “Thanks, boss. You’re a real peach.”
With that, she turned and sauntered away. She wandered the streets for twenty minutes. There weren’t a lot of people out tonight, but then all the girls in the zone were nervous because every ten days for the last month a woman had vanished. Today was the tenth day since the last disappearance, and no one wanted to be the unlucky one who was abducted.
What girls were out were in pairs. Charli was about to turn around and head back the way she’d come when she saw the rear end of an old white sedan sticking out from behind a Dumpster at the end of a dead-end street.
A split second later a young woman came hauling ass from behind the Dumpster, nearly falling on her face in her hurry to get away. She spotted Charli and literally ran into Charli’s arms.
“That guy has Cherry! You gotta help her.”
Charli didn’t wait to learn more. “Go. Run. Find the Dude. Go!”
The moment the girl took off running, so did Charli, in the direction of the Dumpster. Sure enough, there was a big man on the other side of the car, struggling to pick up the woman who was fighting like her life depended on it.
Charli grabbed the man’s arm from behind. “Get off her!”
What shocked her was that not that he released the girl and turned toward her, but that when he did, he had a Taser in his hand. In the split second before he shoved the Taser against the side of her throat, she realized two things. The first was that the woman he had been fighting didn’t look like she’d been in a struggle at all. The second thing was that the woman was smiling.
The last thought that flew through her head before electricity sizzled its way along her nerves was that she’d been set up. Then all she could do was soundlessly scream as her body went rigid with pain and fell to the ground. When the man knelt beside her and pulled a plastic bag from his pocket, she watched as he opened it and took out a cloth.
When he pressed it over her face, she realized what it was and held her breath. Chloroform would knock her out for who knows how long, during which time she’d be completely helpless.
Charli wanted to fight, to scream and kick and tear his hands from her throat, but all she could do was hold her breath until the need to suck in air overrode everything else and she inhaled.
Then she was left with nothing but watching the darkness close in as the drug took effect. Would she die at this man’s hands before she regained consciousness, or would he wait for her to waken before he showed her what he had in store for her suffering? Would he kill her quickly, or draw it out? Could she find a way to escape?
And then everything went black and all thought ceased.
*****
“She did what?” Zeb was as furious as he’d ever been in his life. Antony had gotten one of his men to search Zeb out an hour ago when one of his girls, Cherry, used what she’d made that night on meth and spilled the story of how she made a hundred bucks without having to pull down her pants.
“That’s what she said, man.” Antony replied.
“I want to talk to her and the other one. Now.”
“Okay, Dude, don’t have a fucking stroke.” Antony got up and walked to the door. “Yo, Cliff. Bring Cherry and Leanne in here.”
A couple of minutes later, two young women were unceremoniously shoved into the room.
“We didn’t do nothing,” Cherry said immediately. “I told you everything we know.”
“Except why you set Delilah up.” Zeb rose to cross the room and stand in front of Cherry.
“He offered us each a hundred bucks.”
“And that was worth her life?”
“How you know he’s gonna hurt her? Maybe he just wanted to fuck.”
“Then where is he, and where is she?”
“How the fuck should we know? We ain’t her—“
The rest of her sentence was cut off. As swift as the strike of a snake, Zeb had one hand around her throat and the gun he had tucked into the waistband of his pants pressed against the side of her head.
“I’d suggest that no one in this room move.” He looked around at everyone and then at Cherry. “And you? Don’t move a fucking muscle. You hear me?”
“I— I— yeah.”
Zeb moved his hand from her throat, but kept the gun against her head as he pulled out his phone and placed a call. “Move in.”
The moment he put his phone back in his pocket, he shoved Cherry across the room. “Okay, folks, listen up. Here’s what’s going to happen. In a few minutes, this entire zone is going to be crawling with law enforcement. Now, I can either tell them you’re working for me and giving me every bit of information you can bribe, buy, threaten, suck, or fuck out of everybody who’s been here tonight, or I can let them throw you in jail. What will it be?”
“We’ll do whatever we can,” Antony immediately answered and then asked. “So, they won’t, you know, like be searching our shit or nothing like that?”
“That depends entirely on you. I’m giving you one hour to find out everything there is to be found about who took Delilah and get back to me with that information.”
Antony started for the door, but after only one step, stopped. “So, can we like, you know, go?”
“Go.” Zeb replied and looked at the others. “All of you. I want your whole crew on the street now.”
“You got it.” Antony made it to the door, then stopped again. “So, you ain’t just some drifter, right?”
“Zeb Childress, Texas Rangers.”
“Fuck.” Antony’s face paled a bit. “Everybody get out there. Spread it the word. We need the dirt on who took Delilah like yesterday.”
Zeb followed them outside, watching as they scattered like rats. With luck, they were scared enough of going to jail to do as he ordered. If so, maybe they’d catch a break and get a lead.
If not, then Charli was on her own. Zeb hoped that whatever training she’d had in the past served her well, and that the next time he saw her was not on a slab in the morgue.
*****
Grady waited for dawn before heading into town. He’d been home for less than twelve hours and had spent most of them trying to locate Charli. The deputy on duty at the police station told him he’d have to talk with Chief Greene, who would be in at seven the next morning.
So here it was, dawn of the next morning and Grady was headed in to see Tom in person. Something in his gut told him that Charli wasn’t just MIA. As he drove along, he thought about his intention when he’d arrived home.
His plan was to find Charli, tell her the truth about himself and his life, and ask if there was a chance for them to have a future because that’s what he wanted. That plan had been put on hold until he could find her and he hoped that would be soon.
He arrived at the station a good half hour ahead of Tom and was parked in the lot behind the building where the deputies parked when Tom pulled in. Grady got out of his truck and met Tom as he climbed out of his cruiser.
“Before you jump in my shit, I didn’t order her to do it and we’ve got every officer in three counties—“
Grady stopped hearing the words that came from Tom’s mouth. All he could hear was the thought in his own head. Something had happened to Charli. “I think you better tell me what you mean.”
Tom bit down on his lip and regarded Grady for a long moment. “You want to go inside?”
“Do I need to?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Then let’s go.”
He followed Tom inside to his office and waited as Tom closed the door and took a seat behind his desk. “Have a seat, Grady.”
“I’m good, thanks. Tell me.”
“There’s been a lot of women go missing and the FBI got involved by one of the Governor’s supporters or friends, I guess. His daughter is missing. Anyway, things got all stirred up and eventually when the dust settled, the Rangers were in charge with the Feds as backup and Charli volunteered to go undercover.”
“Undercover for what?”
“As a hooker over in what they call ‘the zone’ in the next town over. She and Zeb Childress, a Ranger, went in. Him as her pimp.”
“And?”
“And last night two hookers took a hundred bucks each from a man in an old white sedan to set Charli up. One of them ran to her, claiming that the other was being beaten by a man and Charli went to help.
“The girls split and no one has seen Charli since.”
Grady felt rage bubbling up like bile inside him, hot and bitter. “And you’re doing what?”
“Ranger Childress has been on the streets all night, gathering what intel is available and we have a statewide manhunt for Charli and any white 70s model sedan with no license plate.”
Grady noticed the way Tom’s eyes skirted to one side and it made his gut tighten. “What are you not telling me?”
Tom shook his head and stood. “A farmer in Texarkana bought two hogs at auction. When he butchered one of them, he found human fingers. They belonged to one of the missing women. We’re not sure, but whoever is taking these women may be killing them and disposing of the bodies at a hog farm.”
Grady didn’t need to hear any more. Charli was out there, somewhere, and doing all she could to survive. But sometimes even an Operator needed a team and that’s what he was. Her team.
And her team was going to find her.
“I need to talk to Ranger Childress. Where can I find him?”
“I’ll call and set it up. He’s got a command post in the old liquor store.”
“I’ll find it.”
“Grady, you can’t—“
“I think we both know I can. Thanks Tom. I won’t get in your way. Please, don’t get in mine.”
“Wouldn’t think of it, buddy.”
Grady tipped his hat, turned and left. As he drove, he placed a call. “Hey, bro.” he said as soon as the call was answered. “How’s it going?”
“Same as always, brother. How ‘bout you?”
For one second, Grady considered what he was about to do. Calling on the Navy to help him on a personal matter was not something he would do, but calling on contacts in other sectors of the government was a whole other ballgame.
Like Doug Eubanks, who happened to rank high in the CIA and who owed Grady more than one favor. “I’m in need of a favor.”
“Off-site?”
Grady knew what Doug was asking. The CIA wasn’t sanctioned to operate on home soil except in very select circumstances. This wasn’t one of them.
“On.” Grady answered.
“Give me what you have and I’ll let you know if I can help.”
“I need the location of every hog farm within a three-hundred-mile radius of Taylorsville, Texas.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep.”
“Then you’re in luck. I’ll call you back in an hour. I need to call in a favor of my own.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
“You bet. Talk to you in an hour.”
Grady ended the call and turned his mind to seeing the end of his mission, namely visualize him and Charli together with her safe and sound. He needed to see that clearly in his head so that he could make it happen.
When he pulled up in front of what was once the liquor store in what was now called The Zone, he saw the curious and the suspicious looks he received. Grady took a handgun from the glove compartment and when he stepped from the truck, he shoved it in the back waistband of his pants.
A tall man in a white Stetson sporting a badge of the Texas Rangers walked out of the building. “Grady Judd?”
“That’d be me.” Grady stepped forward as the man extended his hand.
“Zeb Childress.”
“A pleasure, Ranger.” Grady took Zeb’s hand. “I’m guessing Tom let you know I was on the way.”
“He did.” Zeb gestured to the building. “Come on in.”
They walked inside. Zeb gestured toward an old foldout table with four equally old metal chairs placed around it. “Excuse the digs, but we thought it best to set up here where we can get intel from the locals.”
“And?”
“So far, nothing. We’re waiting on a report of all the farms in the area that raise hogs, along with all the butchers and slaughterhouses.”
“I might be able to help with that.”
“Oh?
“I’m waiting on a call. I’ll share what I find out, but you need to know that I’m going to find Charli and bring her home. No matter what it takes.”
“I’m with you on that.”
“You know her?” Grady was surprised and even a bit jealous until Zeb explained how he came to know and befriend Charli.
“So, here’s the deal, Grady. I’m aware of who you are and what you can do. And I don’t doubt that you’re probably the most qualified man in this state for such a mission, but in this we’re partners and I need to know I can depend on you if shit goes south.”
“You have my word.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
Grady nodded and checked the time. “Within the next ten minutes, I should be hearing from someone with a list of every slaughterhouse, auction, or pig farm within a three-hundred-mile radius. Once I get that, I’m going to ask for a satellite sweep. If there’s a white sedan with no plates parked at any of those locations, I want to know it.”
“You’ve got the pull to make that happen?”
“Let’s just say I’m calling in favors. The point is, the minute we have the Intel we’re looking for, we have to be ready to move. You and me. Arrange for backup, but they’re to hang back. We’ll go in. I’m not taking any chances on sending the cavalry and getting Charli killed.”
“You’re betting she’s still alive,” Zeb said and then raised one hand. “And before you go and knock me off this chair, let me add that I hope she is, but you seem to be counting on it, so tell me what you know that I don’t.”
“I know she’s smart, strong, and fast, and that if the perp is taking a woman every ten days, the odds are that he’s keeping them alive for at least a couple of days after he takes them, so the odds are she has twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
“And the first twenty-four will be up at half past eleven tonight. You better hope you get what you need before then.”
“We’ll get it.” Grady wasn’t as certain as he sounded. He had no doubt that Doug would come through with the information, but would he be able to retask a satellite? That remained to be seen.
*****
Charli stretched up on her toes, extending her shackled arms as high as she could to wrap her hands around the chains attached to the thick metal bands. Above her, the chain was hooked on a thick nail that had been driven into a wooden post.
She’d been hanging here for hours, ever since her captors realized she was conscious. Charli had hidden that fact as long as possible in order to try to determine where she was and if there was a chance at escape.
Unfortunately, she’d made a mistake. One that had caused her captors to drag her up and hang her from the post. All in plain view of things no sane person would want to see.
Even now, she forced herself to look only at the door as she tugged on the chain. When she felt an almost imperceptible give, she felt like cheering. If she could bend the nail enough, maybe she could get the chain to slide off.
Her feet were lashed together but her captors had used duct tape, so if she could free her hands, she could free her feet and have a fighting chance. And if there was one thing she needed right now, it was some kind of a chance.
This place was the queen of all nightmares.
She heard a sound and stopped moving. It came from above. Charli knew she was underground, but that was all. Still, she could hear noises. Cows and pigs, an occasional slam of a door or the sound of a vehicle.
And the sounds of his footsteps on the rough wooden stairs. That was the sound that made her want to scream because it always preceded terrible things.
That was the sound she heard now. Heavy, slow footsteps. Thankfully, there was only one set of footsteps. Had those heavy ones been followed by lighter, it would have been more frightening. This way, maybe she had a chance to continue working what might be a foolish plan but was all she had.
She tried to loosen her muscles and hang limply. He mumbled as he walked across the room, complaining about being treated like a slave and a dumbass. Charli saw that as an opportunity.
“Water. Please,” she whispered.
“Thirsty?”
“Yes, sir. Water, please. Sir.”
“Sir?” He grabbed her chin in his hand and wrenched her head back. “Why you call me sir?”
“Because you’re in charge. You’re the boss.” That was far from the truth, but she saw the effect it had on him. He craved respect like an addict craved a fix.
“I’m the boss,” he repeated.
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m the boss. I’m in charge.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m in charge!” he yelled, then turned around and raised both arms like a prizefighter who’d just won a bout. “I’m the boss. I’m the boss. I’m the fucking boss!”
Charli hadn’t expected such a strong reaction. Nor had she expected him to suddenly run to the stairs and clamor up them, still shouting, “I’m the boss!”
She could hear him for close to a minute, then there was silence. Shit. That hadn’t gotten her anything. Or had it? She resumed her efforts, got her hands wrapped firmly around the chains and started pulling with all her might.
Charli refused to look across the room, refused to acknowledge what her captors intended to be her fate. She was going to escape. She was not going to die in this hole at the hands of these monsters.
*****
“What do you mean, you had cruisers check out the locations?” Grady didn’t care that his voice boomed loud enough to make everyone stop what they were doing and turn to look in his direction.
He was with Zeb Childress at the Cotton Creek Police station along with two other Rangers, two FBI agents, Chief Greene, and sheriffs from four other counties.
The information his friend Doug had provided prompted Grady to access and decide quickly. He asked his friend for satellite surveillance on every location on the list within a hundred-mile radius. He reasoned that the perp would not operate far from home because of the risk of getting pulled over for driving without a tag. Staying under one hundred miles from his home base would give him a better chance of sticking to back roads and thus avoiding detection.
That information had narrowed the list to twenty-three places and they’d received video from Doug of all the footage from the satellite. While Grady had been outside on the phone with Doug, the people inside had made a decision he’d just now found out about.
Police and/or sheriff or Ranger patrols had been sent to scope out all twenty-three locations to see if a white sedan was at any of the places. No vehicle had been spotted on the satellite surveillance.
Grady understood the reasoning behind the decision, but disagreed with the implementation. “If you were going to do that, you should have sent in men on foot who could have checked without drawing attention. This could alert the perp and make him act in haste.”
He knew they got what he was saying. If they spooked the perp, he might kill Charli.
Zeb spoke up. “All officers were instructed to tell residents that they’re looking for a man who escaped police custody and who has already robbed and shot someone, taken their car and it was found near the resident’s home, so they’re checking to make sure people are okay and the suspect isn’t holding anyone hostage or hiding out in a barn or garage.”
Grady nodded. “It’s as good a cover as any, but could backfire.”
“Any plan can. But it’s all we have and until we hear that—“
At that point, he was interrupted by one of the deputies manning the phones. “A Ranger just called in. He spotted a 1972 white Chrysler with no plates parked in a barn on a hog farm thirty-eight miles from here.”
The deputy hurried to the computer and keyed in the coordinates given to him by the Ranger. In moments, they had an aerial view of a farm. Grady looked at Zeb and Zeb nodded.
“Okay, people, here’s what’s going to happen…”