Golden Trail

Chapter Twenty-Seven Sheer Evil

Saturday, 1:37 p.m., two weeks later

“I can’t believe Gram’s movin’ back here, that is so cool,” Tripp remarked from the back of the Suburban. He was sitting behind Layne, Keira was in the middle, Jasper behind Rocky.

They’d just seen Vera off at the airport. She was going home to put her condo on the market and sort her shit out. When she came back, she was taking over Rocky’s rental because, even though The Brendel had a waiting list, they were not fond of letting people out of their rental agreements. To get out, Rocky would have to pay through the nose. The market was good in Vera’s area but she wasn’t going to wait it out, just sort her shit, put the stuff she couldn’t pack in at Rocky’s in storage and she was going to take her time finding a place to settle in the ‘burg. The Brendel’s rent was a little steep but Layne was going to help until the agreement ran its course and Vera was in her own space.

Rocky was moving in the minute Vera returned, sooner, if Layne could talk her into it. She, however, didn’t want to move in until she’d signed the divorce papers, an event that was scheduled to happen late next week. He could see why she wanted that which was why he was letting her make that play.

Layne’s eyes went to the rearview mirror to look at Tripp then they looked out the back window to see the Calais peel off. Devin had followed Vera to return her rental car and driven her to the airport where Layne and his family met them, Vera checked in, they had a drink and they all waved her off as she headed through Security. Now, they were still on I-465.

Layne had no idea where Devin was headed and he’d probably never know. Though it wasn’t home to Ohio. Devin had stayed put on Layne’s couch for the last two weeks and helped Layne with some of his cases. He seemed in no hurry to head back to Cleveland. Layne expected there would be a conversation later on down the line considering Vera and Devin had grown tight but he was glad that conversation had not yet happened. Things were settling. Roc was seeing a therapist twice a week. She liked her. The good life was shifting to beautiful and Layne didn’t want anything to rock that boat, such as having his best friend and mother officially hooking up.

“Your Gram is cool,” Keira noted. “One of my Grams is really shy, the other one is not very nice but Joe’s Aunt Theresa is totally awesome, a complete blast. When your Gram gets home, I should call Aunt Theresa and ask her to come down. They could have, like, a bake off or something.”

Layne’s eyes slid to Rocky to see she was smiling at the windscreen.

“I thought girls weren’t supposed to like to eat because they didn’t want to get fat,” Tripp stated, Layne rolled his eyes and Jasper exploded.

“Tripp, don’t be a dick!”

“What?” Tripp asked.

“Joe says skinny girls don’t do anything for him,” Keira put in, obviously not offended in the slightest. “He says for a woman to be a woman, she’s gotta have curves.”

“Joe’s right,” Layne muttered and Rocky’s hand shot out and she flicked his bicep with the backs of her knuckles.

“What’d you say, Dad?” Tripp asked.

“I said,” Layne said louder, “Joe is right.”

“Layne!” Rocky hissed.

“Baby, a woman without a great ass?” He shook his head.

The trio in the back laughed but he felt Rocky’s glare.

“Don’t know why you’re pissed, sweetcheeks,” Layne told her over their laughter. “That’s precisely how you got your nickname.”

“Layne!” Rocky repeated on a hiss.

“What was that, Dad?” Tripp asked.

Rocky’s head whipped around to look in the backseat. “Nothing, Tripp, your father is being tactless.”

“What’s tactless?” Tripp asked.

“Indiscreet,” Rocky answered.

“Indiscreet?” Tripp sounded confused.

“Rude” Rocky said, putting great stress on that one word and Layne chuckled.

“Dad’s never rude,” Jasper put in, “he’s just honest.”

“I think boys think rude is honest and girls think rude is rude,” Keira proposed.

“Exactly,” Rocky muttered, turning to face forward again.

Layne found himself rethinking his desire to give Rocky a daughter because by the time she reached Keira’s age, his boys would be gone and he’d be outnumbered and he was still rethinking this when his cell phone rang.

He pulled it out of his inside jacket pocket, looked at the display and saw it said, “Ryker Calling”. He flipped it open and put it to his ear.

“Yo,” he answered.

“Alexis is gone,” Ryker growled in his ear and Layne’s neck muscles contracted.

“Come again?”

“Alexis. She’s gone. Lissa had a half day shift at the restaurant, got home at one and Alexis was gone. No note, no nothin’. She’s just gone.”

“I take it she didn’t have plans?” Layne asked.

“Yeah, her plans were to get her chores done, which means stayin’ at home, cleanin’ the house and then when her Mom got home, they were goin’ shoppin’ and to a movie.”

“She with a friend?”

“Negative. Lissa has called all her friends. No one has seen or heard from her.”

“Her chores done?” Layne asked.

“Who cares?” Ryker answered.

“We care, brother,” Layne said quietly. “We need to understand how long she’s been gone. Now, are her chores done and, if they are, what time does she normally get up and how long does it take her to clean the house?”

“Don’t know,” Ryker answered, “but the house is cleaned.”

“All right, talk to Lissa, let’s get a time line here,” Layne advised. “Once you talk to Lissa, you call Colt, I’ll call Devin but after you call Colt, you start knocking on doors. Did anyone see her leave? If they did, what time? Did she walk? Which direction? Was she with someone? Did she get in a car? If she got in a car, what kind of car was it? Did they see who was driving? Was anyone else in the car? Get a description. They probably didn’t get a plate but they might have seen if it was Indiana plates or something else. Did you get that?”

“Got it,” Ryker growled.

“You hear anything before I get there, report back,” Layne ordered, flipped his phone shut and opened it, scrolling down to Devin.

“Layne,” Rocky whispered and Layne felt the air in the car had changed from cheerful to tense.

“Tripp, on your phone, call Giselle, yeah?” Layne ordered, ignoring Rocky.

“Right, Dad,” Tripp replied.

He put his phone to his ear and heard Devin answer, “Miss me already?”

“Alexis McGraw is gone,” Layne told Devin and heard the hiss of Rocky taking in a breath. “She’s supposed to be shoppin’ with her mother but Lissa came home and she’s gone. No note. I’ve got Ryker started. I need to drop off Keira so I need you to get to him.”

“Copy that, out,” Devin said and disconnected.

“You can take me wherever you need to go, Mr. Layne. I can get Mom or Joe to come pick me up,” Keira offered quietly from the back. “I’ll call them now and they can meet me there.”

“That’d be good, honey,” Layne replied. “It’s thirty-four Easton Street.”

“Okay,” she whispered and he heard her digging through her purse.

“Hey Giselle, what’s up?” Tripp said into his phone and Layne held his breath. “Oh, cool. Yeah, we got Gram off okay…” he went on and Layne let his breath go.

Rocky’s hand came to his knee and squeezed, he covered hers with his and squeezed back. Then he drove carefully with precious cargo, the whole time his foot itching to press down the accelerator.

The minute they got to Lissa’s house, doors opened, all of them on his truck and the front door of the house. Ryker prowled out first, followed by Devin, Colt, Sully and Merry, Lissa coming out last to stand on the little stoop. She didn’t look good; she looked terrified out of her mind.

Rocky hustled Keira to Lissa; Layne, Jasper and Tripp went to the men, Jasper stopping a few feet away. He was on his phone, Layne didn’t know why and he was focused on the matter at hand so he didn’t pay attention.

“Around noon,” Ryker stated before Layne even stopped. “A silver BMW. That bitch was behind the wheel.”

Towers.

Fuck.

“Who saw?” Layne asked.

“Neighbor across the street. Bitch is nosy as hell, ugly too, but, swear, bro, her info helps, I’ll fuckin’ kiss her,” Ryker answered. “Said she didn’t think anything of it because Lexie walked right up to the car, seemed excited to see her, got in and they went.”

“No one else in the car?” Layne asked.

“Nope,” Ryker answered.

Layne’s eyes slid through the group. “What else we got?”

“Not much, man,” Colt muttered, his eyes on Ryker, his body alert for Ryker to blow. “Lissa’s been calling Alexis’s friends. No one knows about any plans. This is a sneak attack.”

Layne’s phone rang, he pulled it out, saw the display said, “Dave Calling”, he flipped it open and put it to his ear.

“Dave, I’m in the middle of –”

“Somethin’s goin’ down,” Dave cut him off. “I’m on duty at your office, listenin’ to Rutledge. He just had a conversation with someone, tellin’ them it’s too hot, he was freaked, though he didn’t provide details. Whoever it was, they didn’t listen. Now I got silence and I’m watchin’ his car move. Looks like he may be headin’ out of the ‘burg.”

Devin had planted the bugs and then Layne had planted a tracking device on Rutledge’s car. Even though things had cooled down to the point they were ice cold, both were still monitored in the office twenty-four seven.

“Where?” Layne asked.

“He’s on Green and looks to me he’s on his way to 74,” Dave answered.

“Right, two hours ago, Alexis McGraw got in a car with Nicolette Towers,” Layne told him.

“Shit!” Dave hissed.

“Keep an eye on him,” Layne ordered. “Got some of the boys here, we’ll get someone on his ass.”

“Right, out,” Dave said and disconnected.

Layne flipped his phone shut and looked at Merry. “Was anyone sitting on Rutledge?”

“The investigation is ongoing but wrapping up since we don’t have enough. Just shitty police work so he’s not gonna get a good performance evaluation but it looks like he’s gonna be cleared. He didn’t bolt which looked good for him. Cap rescinded the unit on his tail,” Merry explained.

“You need to call it in, he’s headed to Indy, looks to hit 74. He needs to pick up a tail on his way. He just had a conversation with someone, tryin’ to convince them it’s too hot then he took off,” Layne told them and Sully had his phone out before Layne was done speaking.

Sully stepped away and Layne heard Jasper’s phone ringing behind him. He turned and swept his son with a glance to see Jasper was still hanging back, body partially turned away, eyes to the ground, focus intense.

Before he could ascertain what Jasper was doing, he sensed Ryker was on the move and he turned to see Ryker heading toward his bike.

“Ryker,” Layne called, moving behind him.

“I’m headed to I-74,” Ryker grunted.

“Ryker,” Layne put a hand on his big arm but Ryker shook it off and kept moving.

“Call me, you got info on where he’s goin’,” Ryker swung a leg over his bike, settling as he put his key to the ignition.

Layne’s hand shot out and he yanked the keys from his friend.

Ryker’s head turned to Layne and he had that scary look on his face.

“Not a bright idea, bro,” he growled.

“Not a bright idea to get on your bike, pissed and lookin’ to do damage. We can hope nothin’s happened yet. It does, it doesn’t, Alexis and Lissa are gonna need you right here, not have to find their time to visit you and talk to you through glass,” Layne returned.

“She has my girl,” Ryker growled.

“I know and it isn’t helpin’ matters, us spendin’ time havin’ this conversation. Get off your bike,” Layne ordered.

Ryker glared at him.

“Dad,” Jasper called, Layne took a chance and turned his back on scary, pissed off Ryker to see Jasper was jogging up to him.

“Tiffany’s not answering her phone,” Jasper told him when he got close.

Fuck!

“I got her number after the last thing and I’ve been callin’ her. Know someone who’s got some of her friends’ numbers and her home number and they called. She’s not at home, parents said she was goin’ to hang with some of her girls. None of her friends have heard from her and they didn’t have plans.”

“I’m on that,” Colt muttered, pulling out his phone.

“Dad,” Jasper called his attention.

“What, Bud?”

Jasper looked funny and Layne knew that look. He hadn’t seen it from Jas in years. It was hesitant, unsure, like Tripp looked when he had to say something he thought might sound stupid.

Jasper sucked it up and said softly, “Okay, Dad, stick with me, yeah?”

“I’m with you,” Layne spoke softly back as he felt Ryker getting off his bike and Tripp, Devin and Merry got close.

“I know we don’t have a lotta time but will you let me talk this out?” Jasper asked and Layne nodded.

“Okay,” Jasper whispered then took a big breath. “I’ve been thinkin’ about all this stuff and somethin’ never sat right with me ‘cause that Youth Group guy has been around for ages, like, months, right?”

“Right,” Layne agreed.

“So, I don’t know how they think or how they work but to work three girls, it doesn’t seem like it would be worth that investment, takin’ that long to do it,” Jasper went on and Layne’s eyes moved to Devin whose jaw was tight.

His eyes went back to his son. “Go on,” Layne prompted.

“So, it just seemed funny to me but I don’t know how they work so I didn’t think about it much until you told us to go to Giselle’s folks’ house and get the list of her friends. We worked our way through that and none of her friends had much but one of the names on it was Tara Murdoch. I thought that was weird ‘cause Giselle doesn’t hang with Tara, no one hangs with Tara. She’s weird, a goth, loads of piercings, black lipstick, total attitude and not the good kind. She’s fourteen, Dad, and she’s got tattoos.”

Fuck.

Layne looked at Tripp. “Tara Murdoch a goth last year?”

Tripp shook his head.

“She tight with Giselle last year?” Layne continued.

“Yeah, Dad,” Tripp whispered. “They were best friends.”

Fuck!

“Giselle tell you why she’s not Tara’s friend anymore?” Layne went on.

“We never talked about it but Tara went goth, that’s not Giselle’s scene. That kinda thing happens with girls all the time. One day they’re tight, the next day they’re not,” Tripp replied.

“You guys talk to her when you were doin’ the rounds?” Layne asked Jasper.

“No, we went to her house and…” he shook his head, “she was there, standin’ in the front window, watchin’ us with this weird look on her face. Just standin’ there watchin’ us. We rang the bell and knocked but she didn’t move. Just stood there watchin’ us. I thought it was some goth shit and I knew she wasn’t tight with Giselle so I figured she didn’t have anything for us so we walked away.”

Layne nodded at Jasper. “You got anything else?”

Jasper nodded, sucked in breath and replied, “Summer Collins and Hannah Blair. Mitch had clocked both of them at a party, end of school last year. Giselle, Tara, Summer and Hannah were known to be the talent comin’ up from junior high. All the guys knew about them. Giselle was shy. Tara turned goth. Summer is more shy than Giselle, she doesn’t go to games, doesn’t go out for pizza, she just goes to school, doesn’t have any friends that I know of, and she goes home. Sometimes she also doesn’t wash her hair. Just kinda tries to fade, you know?” Jasper asked but didn’t wait for a response, he continued. “But it’s Hannah. Hannah disappeared.”

Layne turned to Merry. “You get a report on Hannah Blair goin’ missin’?”

Merry shook his head but Tripp spoke. “She’s in the hospital Dad. Everyone knows about it, she wigged out this summer. Word is, she’s, like, catatonic. Doesn’t talk to anyone. Not her parents, her friends quit visiting her. She’s just like, gone.”

Fuck, fuck, fucking hell. Devin was right. They’d missed something. Nicolette Towers had already thrown a party.

“They all go to Youth Group?” Layne asked Tripp.

“Don’t know for sure but I think so. I know Tara did,” Tripp answered.

“Brunette, blonde, redhead?” Layne asked.

“Tara was blonde, but now her hair’s black,” Tripp answered. “But yeah, Summer’s got red hair and Hannah was dark.”

Layne looked at Merry but he was already pulling out his phone, muttering, “Got it.”

“I take it, it wasn’t stupid,” Jasper mumbled and Layne’s eyes went to his boy to see he was not looking good. He was looking sick. He thought he fucked up.

“Jasper, shake that off. You couldn’t save them but now they may be able to save Alexis and Tiffany. Focus on that. Yeah?”

“I should have said something.” He was still mumbling but he was doing it looking sicker.

“Shake that off Jasper, I need you to think,” his eyes cut to Tripp, “I need you both to think. Any other girls? A trio. Blonde, brunette, redhead. They were normal girls last year, attractive girls, and did an about face over the summer. They could be Freshman or Sophomores, they went to Youth Group but they don’t go now.”

Tripp shook his head. Jasper was thinking.

“Jas,” Layne prompted.

“No,” he replied. “But to be sure, I’d need my yearbooks.”

“Where are they, our place or your Mom’s?”

“Mom’s,” Jasper answered.

“You think of someone, you call Merry right away, not me, Merry. Yeah?” Jasper nodded and Layne looked at Devin. “Take the boys to their Mom’s.” Devin nodded, moving to the Calais and Layne looked at Tripp. “You too, Pal. Seventh and eighth grade last year, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Tripp muttered and jogged after Jasper and Devin.

Merry and Sully came up to Ryker and Layne.

“Tennessee needs a call, Sul, they need to yank Goulding,” Layne told him. “He held out on us. He delivered at least three girls to a party, maybe more. If he didn’t deliver them, he primed them. We need to find out everything he knows. We need to know if there are more girls. We need him broken.”

Sully nodded and again stepped away, flipping open his phone.

Merry said, “I gotta get to the Station.”

“Right,” Layne replied but Merry was already on the move.

“What’re you thinkin’ you can get from these girls?” Ryker asked low from Layne’s side and Layne looked at him.

“Maybe a location, though I doubt she’ll double up. Definitely cause for a warrant,” Layne answered.

“Obviously none of them talked,” Ryker noted.

“Probably too scared,” Layne replied.

“So maybe they won’t talk now,” Ryker observed, his face and body tight. He was a man who liked to be on the move, in the thick of things, with Alexis on the line, this was killing him.

“Marissa Gibbons was hard as nails, Ryker, and she talked because she didn’t want another girl to face what happened to her. They’ll talk.”

“It’ll take time, they’ll –” Ryker started.

“Patience, brother,” Layne whispered and Ryker got scary again.

“Your girl isn’t right now keepin’ company with sheer evil, bro,” he whispered back.

Layne held his gaze. “Stick with me, big man.”

Ryker held his eyes and a muscle danced in his cheek. Then he looked to the house and muttered, “Gotta check on my babe.”

Then he walked to the house.

Layne looked at his shoes, thinking, fuck, we fucking missed something.

Then he looked up when Joe Callahan slid his truck to a halt in front of the house, Vi’s Mustang sliding in behind him. He watched Vi get out, she pushed back her seat to get to Angela’s baby seat in the back. Cal jumped down and walked to Layne, his face intense.

He just made it to Layne when February Colton’s VW Beetle slid up behind the Mustang.

That was the women of the ‘burg. Trouble comes, they close ranks.

Cal stopped at him.

“Talk to me,” he ordered.

Layne locked eyes with him then he talked.

Vi with Angela at her hip and Feb with her son Jack at hers rushed into the house.

When Layne could take no more, he tore his eyes from Tara Murdoch, her weeping mother, her stony-faced father, the softly-speaking Patrick Sullivan and the watchful child psychologist and he walked out of the observation room.

Cal moved with him.

Layne pulled his phone out of his jacket, flipped it open, scrolled down and hit go while he walked to the buzzing bullpen.

“What?” Ryker barked in his ear.

“Meet me at Towers’s apartment at The Brendel,” Layne ordered.

“I’ll be there yesterday,” Ryker replied and then dead air.

“Tanner,” Cal murmured and Layne stopped and turned to him.

“You can stay here or follow,” Layne stated.

“I’m with you,” Cal replied instantly.

“Tanner!” Sean O’Leary jogged up to him and Layne checked his movement and looked to Sean.

“Yeah?”

“Bad news and kind of good news,” Sean said and when Layne did nothing but stare impatiently, Sean went on. “Rutledge didn’t lead us to the location but he did lead us straight to four of her army. The cop on his tail called backup. They came in quick but cool and were there when Rutledge either pushed too hard or got impatient. Whatever reason, shots were fired, the boys moved in.”

“Rutledge?” Layne asked.

“He went down, he’s still alive, it’s bad though and he’s on his way to hospital,” Sean answered.

“Fuck, Sean, that is not good news,” Layne clipped.

“No, the kind of good news is that Rutledge took down one of her army, the cops got the other three, they were all armed and, man, it is highly likely we’ll get ballistic matches on the slugs they pulled outta you,” Sean returned.

Sean was right, that was kind of good news.

“Any of her crew know where the party is located?” Layne asked.

“They’re workin’ them now,” Sean answered.

Layne nodded and moved, Cal moving with him. They separated in the parking lot, both going to their trucks, Cal following close as Layne headed to The Brendel.

Ryker’s bike was parked at the foot of the stairs leading up to Towers’ apartment. Layne didn’t bother finding a spot and neither did Cal, they parked at the curb. They both got out and started to jog up the stairs where Ryker was waiting.

“Bust it,” Layne ordered, his head tipped back to look at Ryker and Ryker didn’t delay, he took a step back, lifted his big motorcycle boot and the apartment door crashed in.

The alarm immediately went off, Ryker and Layne ignored it, both of them moving into the space. Cal went to the alarm panel, ripped the face off, twisted some wires together and the alarm stopped.

“Shit, child’s play,” he muttered, his eyes slicing to Layne. “Rocky lives here, to do list, man.”

Layne didn’t have to think about Roc’s security. Rocky was, that night, officially no longer living at The Fucking Brendel.

“What are we lookin’ for?” Ryker asked.

“Anything,” Layne answered. “Just look.”

“Devin sifted through this place, bro, and I get the sense he’s good at what he does,” Ryker noted, pulling cushions off the couch.

Layne picked up a cushion Ryker pulled off, yanked his army knife out of his jeans and his eyes locked on Ryker.

“He had to go easy,” Layne said softly. “We don’t.”

Then he ripped the cushion open with his knife.

Ryker smiled his ugly smile, it was without humor but filled with something else which made it uglier and a fuckuva lot scarier.

Then he ripped a cushion clean in two with his bare hands.

Towers’s apartment was clean so they moved to Rutledge’s.

By the sounds of it, Cal and Ryker were tearing up the downstairs. Or, at least Ryker was.

Layne was working the bedroom when he flipped the mattress on the bed, his eyes glancing across the bottom of the mattress to go to the box springs then his eyes shot back.

Stitches.

Shit.

He walked on the mattress, crouched down to the stitches and carefully slid his knife in. Ripping the material away, he reached in and felt it, he found the edge, pulled out the manila envelope and also pulled in breath.

He knew he didn’t want to see what was inside. Still, he opened the envelope carefully, shook out the eight by tens on the mattress and used his knife to move them around as his stomach churned.

Rutledge. Rutledge and Towers. Towers with girls with Rutledge in shot, watching; Rutledge with girls Layne had never seen; and Rutledge also with Tara Murdoch.

He stood, tearing his eyes away, looking at the wall, taking a moment to pull his shit together.

Then he pulled out his phone and called Merry.

“Hope this is good, big man, ‘cause I’m –”

“I’ve just located evidence that Harrison Rutledge is a pedophile,” Layne told him.

Silence then, “Where are you?”

“Rutledge’s apartment.”

“Man, we’re still holding on the search warrant,” Merry bit out.

“Good, then we’ve assisted the Department in a time-saving measure,” Layne shot back. “We’ll finish up, leave visible what you need to see and move out. No one needs to know that you boys didn’t make this mess.”

“Fuck, Tanner,” Merry hissed.

“Merry, suck it up and work with it,” Layne advised.

“This is not your burden, brother, you didn’t let those girls down,” Merry said low.

“No, brother, we all did,” Layne returned, flipped his phone shut and kept looking.

“This is bullshit!” Ryker barked. “Time is wastin’.”

Cal’s eyes cut to Layne, his phone to his ear, he moved out of Layne’s office and into the reception area, closing the door. Cal was working through every number on Rutledge’s cell phone bill, he had half the pile, Dave was sitting at the receptionist’s desk with the other half. They’d taken pictures at the apartment of a number of hopefully useful documents and gone to Layne’s office to print them out.

Ryker and Layne were going through credit card statements.

“Focus, Ryker,” Layne advised.

“Every second we waste –” Ryker growled.

“You wanna hold hands and meditate and hope her location pops in one of our heads?” Layne growled back. “Or do you wanna investigate this fuckwad and hope he tripped up and leads us to your girl?”

Ryker glared at him. Layne held his glare then looked back to the statements.

His eyes shifted through the one in his hand, down and then back up.

Then he stopped.

He had August’s statement. August was the month when Tara Murdoch told Sully the party was held. It started with a photo shoot where they gave the girls champagne likely laced with Rohpynol or another fast-acting, date rape drug. She’d woken up blindfolded. A ball gag with a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth. She’d described what the gag felt like and he’d seen it. She’d been tied to the bed. She’d taken five men, none of whom she’d seen, one of whom he knew. She had no idea how much time each one had with her but she reported they took their time however a girl enduring that, five minutes could seem like five hours.

When it was done, Towers had made her warnings and they were good ones. None of the girls talked for fear it would happen again. Each of them had a younger sister. Each of them was told, they talked, they’d come back and their sisters would be accompanying them. Alexis didn’t fit this profile but Giselle and Tiffany did. The girls were told to tell their parents they were with each other. They did and held their secret until Tara spilled it in the interrogation room.

Hannah lost her mind. Summer faded into herself. And Tara built a wall.

And Harrison Rutledge had ordered himself a couple of drinks from the bar prior to his turn and the dumbfuck had paid for them on a credit card.

Layne stood, grabbing his jacket as he growled, “Let’s go.”

Ryker’s head shot back then he was up with Layne. “What’d you get?”

Layne didn’t answer, he had his cell phone out and he was out the door. Cal’s eyes came to him when Layne put the cell phone to his ear. He jerked his head to the door, Cal took his cell from his ear and moved with them. Dave didn’t miss a beat and kept talking into his phone.

Merry answered, “You got something, Tanner?”

“Get IMPD to get units to every exclusive hotel in Indy, starting with The Townsend. And tell them to go in soft,” Layne ordered.

“On it,” Merry replied and then he disconnected.

Layne led Ryker and Cal down the stairs.

“Stick with me,” Layne murmured as he drove through the parking garage.

“We should get inside,” Ryker hissed.

“Stick with me,” Layne repeated.

“Shit, this is shit, this is bullshit,” Ryker muttered.

“A woman like that is not gonna revisit the scene of her crime,” Layne explained. “Rutledge had his sick fun at The Imperial. Second top spot in Indy is The Townsend. She’s there and she’s the kind of woman who can sense heat. She’s gonna bolt. She’s gotta go down, brother.”

Then he saw it and braked.

Not the silver BMW, her sporty, red Mazda.

He put the car in neutral, set the brake and turned to Ryker.

“Knife,” he growled.

Ryker didn’t hesitate, his hand went to his belt, he popped the button on his huge-ass knife, yanked it out and handed it over.

Layne opened his door, ordering, “Stay here.”

He jogged quickly to the Mazda, motioning with flicks of his fingers, communicating to Cal. Cal nodded through his windscreen and passed the Suburban.

Layne didn’t watch to see where Cal went. He crouched by the back tire, thrusting Ryker’s knife into the rubber. He moved forward and took out the front tire. He jogged around the car and did the same to the other side. Then he jogged back to his truck.

He swung in, handed the knife to Ryker, pulled out his cell, put the car in gear, released the brake, located the pedestrian entryway to the garage and scanned for a spot with good visibility all at the same time he scrolled on his phone.

He hit go and put it to his ear.

“Yo,” Merry said quietly.

“You at The Townsend?” Layne asked, seeing his spot, he started maneuvering the behemoth to reverse in while still talking.

“Yes, just got here. This is it, brother. Management says three weeks ago they had an unusual reservation. One day, big money, an entire floor of suites cleared. They had to juggle but they did it. I’m in the security room, they have cameras on the halls. She’s got sentries. Two at the elevators. One outside each room. Three rooms. Two at the emergency exit. The hotel was told it was a VIP with stringent security and that they needed confidentiality and discretion which the hotel assured them they could provide. So we got seven boys, from what I can see by the bulges in their jackets, heavily armed. We don’t know if there are more in the rooms and the hotel didn’t clock them, considering the promise of discretion and all. IMPD is pulling together a team to take the top without collateral damage.”

“Three rooms?” Layne asked as he put the truck in neutral, set the brake and killed the ignition.

“Not good news, brother,” Merry answered and Layne’s neck got tight.

“What?”

“Wherever Tiffany went, she took her sister with her. She’s thirteen, Tanner.”

Jesus, Jesus, fuck.

He didn’t want to ask with Ryker at his side but he had to ask.

“Have the parties started?”

“Ryker with you?” Merry asked back.

“Yeah,” Layne answered.

“Then I’m not answering that question right now,” Merry replied.

Layne clenched his teeth and his chest seized. Alexis McGraw had been to his house. Ryker and Lissa sat with Layne and Rocky at the dining room table drinking beer and shooting the shit while Alexis and Seth, Keira and Jasper and Tripp and Giselle all lounged on the sectional, doing kid shit. Alexis was chock full of attitude, the good kind, though it had an edge, but underneath that, she was a sweet kid.

“You got eyes on her?” Layne asked.

Merry knew what Layne was asking. “Plainclothes everywhere, big man, but no one has seen Towers. Maybe she’s in one of the rooms. They’re scanning security footage now to see if she’s entered the hotel.”

“She’s somewhere. I have eyes on her car. A red Mazda, in the parking garage, not the hotel’s, across the street and just south. I’ve disabled the car. We’re on the third floor.”

“I’ll call that in.”

“Merry, she’s not getting away,” Layne warned.

“You make a mess, Tanner, I’ll clean it up,” Merry replied.

Layne heard the disconnect and flipped his phone closed.

“Tell me,” Ryker whispered and his tone was the tone of a man broken.

Layne’s eyes went to him.

“Don’t make me sorry you’re at my side,” Layne warned softly. Ryker stared at him and the air in the cab became suffocating. “I’ll blow this to take you out,” Layne whispered. “Do not mistake me, Ryker, I’ll do what I have to do to keep you safe so you can take care of her because, brother, she needs you now. Do not fuck this up.”

Ryker’s breathing started to get visibly heavy, his huge chest moving with it.

“I can’t lock this down, bro,” he whispered.

“Yes you can.”

“No, Tanner.”

“Focus, brother.”

“Lexie,” he whispered.

“Focus,” Layne clipped.

“I can’t.”

“Be her hero, Ryker. Do not make her and her mother lose more than they’ve already lost today.”

They held eyes and Ryker kept breathing heavy.

“Deep, Ryker, breathe deep, not shallow, suck in air, lock it down,” Layne urged.

Ryker nodded and took in a deep breath, turned to face front, his eyes locked on the Mazda and his fists curled on his thighs.

Layne let out a breath, leaned over, pulled down the door to the glove compartment and yanked out his .38.

“She goes to the car, I go in, you call Merry. Cal provides cover. You’re last resort. You got that?”

“What if she isn’t alone?”

“Then you provide cover too, you got your .45?” he asked even though he knew. Ryker didn’t go anywhere without his .45.

Ryker leaned forward and yanked out his .45. Then he nodded to Layne.

“This is not a shoot first and ask questions later, deal, Ryker. We are not officers of the law. We’re skatin’ on thin ice here, only so much Merry can cover for us. This is an incapacitate and incarcerate deal, yeah?” Layne ordered.

Ryker nodded again.

Layne called Cal.

“Yo,” Cal answered. “I’m guessin’ the Mazda is important.”

“It’s hers. You got eyes on it?”

“Yep.”

“She approaches, I go in, you and Ryker are cover. Do you have a gun or do you need me to get you one?”

“My wife was kidnapped and nearly shot in the head, man. I got guns everywhere.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Good call since it was a yes.”

“Right, we’re done,” Layne stated and flipped his phone closed.

Then he reached up, turned off the interior cab light, pulled the keys out of the ignition, tossed them to Ryker who caught them and his eyes went to the door to the stairs.

Layne was right, she felt the heat. They didn’t wait five minutes before the door to the stairs opened and Nicolette Towers showed, wearing sick fuck, underage gang rape party hostess gear of fancy-ass dress and spike heels, her hair out to there, her face made up to perfection. She had a bodyguard but, thank Christ, only one.

Ryker flipped open his phone and Layne didn’t look at him. He opened his door, slid around it, didn’t close it and then ran quickly and silently, moving behind parked vehicles, keeping his eyes on Towers and her goon.

They were walking swiftly but engaged in intense conversation which was a mistake. At least the bodyguard should be vigilant. They must have clocked the intensity of the operation gearing up inside the hotel. She looked pissed. He looked tweaked.

Layne slid up the side of a Pathfinder, positioning at the hood. They were walking toward him. He bent with his body behind the vehicle, his gun aimed, arms resting on the hood.

“Hands where I can see them,” he barked when they were two cars away from the Mazda.

The goon didn’t hesitate. He yanked a weapon out of his shoulder holster and started firing. Towers dashed to the Mazda.

Bullets slammed into the Pathfinder and ricocheted off, Layne returned fire almost blind then ducked. More fire coming his way but also from Cal shooting from the opposite direction.

The Pathfinder stopped taking hits and Layne bolted up, the goon was turned, returning Cal’s fire. Layne aimed and fired, connected a bullet to his calf and the guy went down to his knee. Cal kept shooting and more gunfire entered play. Ryker had made his call and was in the game.

The Mazda reversed out of the spot, Towers cutting the wheel, riding the rims. She either didn’t know or didn’t care her man was down behind her because the Mazda slammed right into him. Layne wasn’t in the position to see how she got him but he heard his howl of agony. She shifted into first and Layne moved out of cover, hunkered down and launched himself on the hood of her car.

Finding purchase on the lip of the hood by the windshield with one hand, his belly to the metal, their eyes locked.

She cut the wheel and Layne’s body went sliding, she slammed into a car and skidded through it and the next, still moving.

Then she cut the wheel the other way to make the turn through the garage, the Mazda nearly uncontrollable, riding on rims and Layne’s body flew with the car and his hold slipped but held at his top knuckles.

She righted the car and he lifted his gun, taking aim at her shoulder.

He pulled the trigger just as she cut the wheel again, his shot went wide and so did his body. He was losing his grip, he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. They skimmed down cars, metal against metal, sparks flying around his legs. Layne heaved himself back to full on the hood, raised the gun and took aim when he heard sirens.

She cut the other way but Layne got off two shots through the windscreen then let go, rolling with the movement of the car, he lucked out and rolled straight onto the hood of another vehicle rather than crashing to the ground and getting caught under her tires or smashed between the Mazda and another car.

He rolled up the windscreen then down to his back. He did an ab curl just in time to see Towers drive through two empty spots, slam into the side of a car and stop.

Layne slid off the car and dropped to his feet, on the run the minute they touched the ground.

She threw open her door and fell out, crawling. He lifted his gun, took aim and shouted, “Freeze!”

She rolled to her back, lifting a .22 in his direction, blood staining the front of her dress.

Ryker came in from the right, shoving his big body though the opening, he dropped down between floors, his tree trunk legs took the impact then he was up and he trained his .45 on her.

“Give me a reason,” he growled.

Cal pounded up behind Layne then slowed, gun drawn, aimed, head cocked to the sight, he inched forward beside Layne.

Her eyes circled the men then her hand dropped, not that she was giving up, she couldn’t hold it up anymore. Layne knew this because her body dropped too, flat on her back on the pavement of a parking garage. A bubble of blood escaped her lips and then slid down the side of her mouth.

They all approached slowly except Ryker who got there quick and kicked her gun out of her hand.

She was audibly wheezing then the blood gurgled in her throat.

Ryker crouched beside her and Layne and Cal tensed.

“Brother,” Layne whispered as units came skidding around the parking garage, screeching to a halt, sirens blaring, lights flashing.

There was a lot of noise but, even so, Layne could hear as Ryker pulled the phlegm up his throat.

Then he bent and spit, the slimy, yellow hocker hitting her smack on the cheekbone, splashing into her eye.

“Cunt,” he hissed then straightened.

“Stand down,” a uniform ordered and all eyes moved to the advancing cops.

Layne dropped his gun hand, so did Cal. Ryker shoved his in his back waistband.

The cops must have got a head’s up from Merry. They immediately lost interest in Layne, Cal and Ryker and trained their guns on Towers.

“Shit,” Cal growled slow and Layne looked to him to see he was looking at Layne. Then he smiled just as slow. “You are one crazy motherfucker. Fuck me, you jumped on her car, man.”

Ryker strolled close, his eyes locked on Layne.

Then he said two words.

“Epic, bro.”

Layne, Cal and Ryker strode into the foyer of The Townsend as Merry was moving through it.

The minute Merry saw them he grinned huge, his gait quickened and that fist that had hold of Layne’s chest loosened.

There was no reason to smile.

Unless a miracle happened.

“Word’s spreadin’, big man, remember us little people when you’re baskin’ in LA sunshine and the glow of superstardom,” Merry remarked upon arrival.

“What?” Layne asked at this unexpected opening.

“Parking garage’s got manned cameras, Tanner, that shit’s flyin’ ‘round so fast –”

“You wanna cut the crap and tell me about my girl?” Ryker barked and Merry looked at him, his grin still in place.

“Yeah, man, I do,” he said without hesitation. “They took the floor, only blood shed was blood that deserved to leak. The team they put together was top notch. They got into the rooms and all the clients were inside. Champagne and hors d’oeuvres. The good news for you, brother, is that Alexis and the other girls had not yet regained consciousness. They’re not only untouched, they don’t even know where they are.” Merry looked to Layne. “Apparently, they wait for them to be awake. Each suite had two bedrooms and a sitting room. In each suite, one bedroom had our girls in it, the sitting room had drinks and munchies, the last bedroom had girls from her stable. Previews for the final show but they didn’t get the final show. Got some of ‘em caught in the act. Pervs are fucked, every last one of them, pants down or not.”

“She’s okay?” Ryker growled.

“She’s absolutely fine. She’s with a female officer and still unconscious,” Merry answered.

And that was when Ryker collapsed. One second he was standing, the next second his ass was to the floor, his knees bent to the ceiling, his forearms to his knees and his head was bowed between his legs. Merry, Cal and Layne all looked down at a big man brought low by a miracle.

When Ryker’s shoulders started shaking, Cal stepped away, Merry looked to his boots but Layne crouched beside his friend.

He wrapped a hand around his thick neck and got close.

“Colt told me, since they used God, maybe He’d be motivated to help out.” Layne murmured, put pressure on Ryker’s neck and released him. “Apparently, He was motivated.”

Ryker nodded to his lap.

Layne straightened and Merry and he moved two feet to Cal, giving Ryker time.

“Anything new?” Layne asked.

“Rutledge is still in surgery. Towers is bein’ transported, no clue there but we’ve got her on identity theft, multiple counts of underage prostitution, multiple counts of statutory rape, blackmail, kidnapping and, any of her boys’ guns match the bullets you took, brother, they roll and say she ordered the hit, conspiracy to commit murder. She lives after you drilled two into her chest, she’ll never take another free breath.”

“What about her other girls?” Layne asked.

“Too soon, they’re bein’ transported to the Station to get questioned. Though, one gave up the location of at least one of her stables. They’re puttin’ together a raid now. There might be more. Each of those rooms had three or more girls in it, Tanner, and early info says these girls are not all she’s got,” Merry answered. “She left some behind.”

“Jesus,” Cal muttered, the word heavy with disgust. “It’s this big, how can this be under IMPD’s radar?”

Merry shook his head. “Don’t know, outside the bitch was smart. But I reckon we’ll find out.”

“My source says she worked the foster care angle,” Layne reminded Merry.

“Yeah, and we checked that out. She did that but, like Youth Group, she recruited through a front, a fall guy, or in that case, woman. The woman who acted as her agent is currently serving a nickel but Towers never let her close enough, in fact, the woman never saw Towers. She handed over to a member of Towers’ crew who disappeared after Social Services cottoned on and started their investigation and never was located. The girls were never recovered except to surface later as prostitutes, porn stars, bikers’ bitches and equally limiting professions. That angle died seven years ago.”

Ryker’s presence hit their group.

“I wanna see Alexis,” he announced.

Merry looked at him and nodded. He turned to a uniform who was standing with a plainclothes officer and whistled.

When he had the uniform’s attention, he nodded his head to Ryker. “This guy is guardian to Alexis McGraw, the redheaded girl in room twelve oh three. He wants to see his girl.”

The uniform swept his eyes top to toe on Ryker and then they narrowed on Merry. Ryker looked like guardian of the gates of hell, not guardian to a pretty, fourteen year old redhead.

“He’s cool,” Merry assured.

“Merry, are you gonna talk to the girls now or can they go home?” Layne asked and Merry turned to him as the uniform approached.

“They wake up, they’ll be disoriented and since they were probably roofied, won’t remember much. We can talk to them in the morning,” Merry answered.

Ryker was moving away with the uniform, his hand in his motorcycle jacket but he called to Layne, “You’re our ride, bro.”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” Layne called back.

“I know, but you comin’ or what?” Ryker returned.

Layne glanced through Merry and Cal, nodded and followed Ryker. It would seem big, scary, badass, looking like a raving lunatic Ryker needed his BFF.

Fuck.

He heard Ryker on his phone when he stopped beside him at the elevator. “Liss, baby, she’s okay, she’s good. They found her. She’s all right. I’m goin’ to her now. We’re gonna be home soon. It’s all good.”

The elevator opened and Colt with a variety of cops walked out. Colt clapped Ryker on the shoulder as they switched places but his hand came up to Layne, Layne took it and looked in Colt’s eyes.

“Cal called, ran it down. Remember us when you’re a big Hollywood action star,” Colt remarked.

Layne let his hand go muttering, “Bite me,” through his smile.

Then he moved to the elevator.

Layne pulled into Lissa McGraw’s driveway and the front door on the house was opened before he came to a complete stop.

Lissa was running out but Layne saw Jasper, Tripp, Keira and Seth Cosgrove standing in the yard, each with a can of pop in their hands.

Seth broke away and slowly approached the Suburban as Ryker hopped down. Layne exited the other side and watched Rocky wander out behind Lissa, Devin on her heels. By the time Layne rounded the hood, Ryker had Alexis in his arms. She was awake but not herself. She slid her thin arms around his huge shoulders just as Lissa collided with them, her arms spanning them both, she burst into tears.

Rocky moved to him and took his hand.

“Somehow, Seth heard word. Paige is inside too. Jasper tried to get him to go but he wouldn’t,” she whispered, leaning in close.

“He’s a good kid,” Layne whispered back, eyes on Seth who was hanging back but his gaze was intense on Alexis.

“Lissa told us she’s okay. Is she okay?” Rocky asked and Layne looked at her.

“She’s good,” Layne answered.

“Totally good?” Rocky pushed, her eyes as intense as Seth’s and she was holding her body funny – guarded, alert.

“She’s fine, baby, she woke up just when we got to her. She doesn’t even know what happened but no one got a chance to touch her.”

“Tiffany?”

“Tiffany too, it’s all good.” He leaned down and put his hand to her neck. “Totally good, Rocky.”

Rocky nodded and her eyes moved to Ryker who was shuffling Lissa back while carrying Alexis to the house. Layne and Rocky moved with them. Layne nodded to Devin then his eyes cut to his sons.

Finally, he looked at Seth and stopped. “It’s good you’re here, Seth, but let me scope this out, yeah? Stay out here with Jas, Keira and Tripp.”

Seth nodded. Layne nodded back, swept his eyes through his boys and he and Rocky went inside.

Vi, Feb, Josie and Paige were there. Coffee mugs were everywhere but Vi was collecting them. Angela was asleep in Paige’s arms. Jack was sitting on his ass on the floor, sucking on something purple and edible that he’d gotten all over his face in a way that gave evidence to the fact it was sticky. Layne could see through a wide opening and Feb was in the tiny kitchen, doing something at the sink. Josie was wiping down counters. Lissa, Ryker and Alexis had disappeared, likely down the back hall.

Layne went to the mouth of the hall and waited.

Ryker came out five minutes later, walked to Layne and stopped.

“Your call, brother, you want company, they’re here for the long haul. You don’t, I’ll get them gone,” Layne offered.

Ryker stared at him, said not a word, then turned and disappeared in the room he came out of. Two minutes later, he was back.

“Liss likes to hear people in her house. Alexis is asking about Seth. Your crew is in for the long haul.”

“Right.” Layne nodded. “I’ll call Reggie’s and order pizza.”

Layne turned to move into the living room but turned back when Ryker said, “Bro.”

“Yeah?”

“She was wakin’ up when we got to her.”

“Yeah man, I was there.”

“She was wakin’ up when we got to her,” Ryker repeated.

He had something to say so Layne waited for him to say it.

Ryker finally spoke. “She had less than an hour.”

“Ryker –” Layne began.

“You hadn’t called that location, bro…” He trailed off and stopped.

“Well, I did.”

Ryker held his gaze.

Then he whispered, “Yeah, you did.”

Then he turned around and disappeared back in the room.

Layne went to the living room, his eyes going to Rocky.

“Let the kids in. We need to order pizza,” he said into the room.

Rocky’s eyes locked with his.

Then she gave him the dimple.

Layne woke to his cell phone ringing and Rocky pinning him to the bed.

Instantly, her head came up.

He reached out to the phone, his eyes scanning his clock, it was three forty-two. He looked at the display, it said “Unknown Caller” and he flipped it open, putting it to his ear.

“Layne,” he answered.

“Heard word from your man, it’s safe to call you,” a woman replied, it took him a minute to place the voice and then he did.

He scooted up in the bed and Rocky scooted with him.

“Marissa,” he said on a squeeze of Rocky who gave him a squeeze back and pressed closer.

“She didn’t make it,” Marissa stated.

Marissa was right. Nicolette Towers was dead on arrival. Layne had no problem with this.

Jeremy Goulding had flipped and copped to Tara, Summer and Hannah, but there were no other girls from the ‘burg. However, he did know of operations in other small town churches in two locations. Towers held these parties often and the girls went for top dollar. Jeremy withheld this information because he knew he was screwed and he didn’t want to be more screwed. He thought, since the girls hadn’t talked for months, this knowledge would never make the light of day. Fortunately, he was wrong.

Towers had two stables and recruited her other girls from out of state. Some were runaways. Some were sold into her operation. Some were clocked in juvvie and picked up when they got out, their disappearance put down to running away, none of them missed. And none of them originally came from Indiana, thus flying under IMPD radar.

There were so many people involved, from pimps, to recruiters, to security, it would take the IMPD some serious time to dismantle the entire operation but it was already disintegrating. Some of the men they picked up were heavy hitters, wealthy power brokers, also not all local. And they were all blabbing like old women.

Rutledge had survived and was currently handcuffed to a hospital bed. Cal and Ryker had uncovered where he hid his payoff cash in his apartment and they left it for the ‘burg PD to find. It was highly unlikely he’d be offered bail. It was also highly unlikely he’d survive his prison term.

Ballistics matched on the three guns that shot Layne. Two put bullets in Rutledge, one was found beside the man Layne shot in the calf who then had Towers run over his legs. Since she did this driving on rims, one of his legs was cut clean off.

“No, she didn’t make it,” Layne confirmed and Roc gave him another squeeze.

“Heard from your man that you took her out.”

“That’s right.”

There was silence.

Then, “Is it bad that I’m smiling right now?”

Layne felt his lips twitch. “No.”

More silence then, “Glad you didn’t get dead.”

Before Layne could reply he had dead air.

He flipped his phone closed and tossed it to the nightstand. Then he slid down into the bed, taking Rocky with him.

“She okay?” Rocky asked.

“Reckon so, considering she told me she’s smiling.”

Rocky shoved her face in his chest and he wasn’t sure what this response meant until she lifted her head then shifted her body so it was on his, her face in his neck.

“Sweetcheeks,” he murmured, his hand sliding in her hair.

Her lips went to his ear. “Never gave a hero a blowjob.”

Layne started quietly laughing.

Her head moved and her mouth came to his.

“Or… maybe I have,” she whispered.

“Well, baby, what are you waiting for? I’m not gonna stop you,” he whispered back.

He felt her smile against his mouth.

Then she took her time, working her way down his body before she gave him a really, fucking great, four o’clock in the morning blowjob.