Chapter 12
Hearing Taryn’s story again didn’t make it any easier to bear the second time. But Jace hung on every word, catching things he was sure he’d missed the first time when he had too many other things going on in his head.
Taryn still held off giving any names or locations, but he understood why.
Hopefully, the others would be able to help persuade her to give up that last little bit of information.
He remained silent while Ryan, Danny, and even Marlee asked pointed questions like what drugs she sold, how much, and for how long.
“Did they ask you to do anything else?”
Jace’s head snapped to Danny. There was no apology in the sheriff’s eyes when he glanced at Jace.
It didn’t matter that Danny was doing his job.
This was Taryn. There might be things she didn’t want others to know, stuff too painful to speak about—like rape.
The mere thought of someone putting their hands on her had him seeing red.
Somehow, Jace pulled himself from the brink in time to hear Taryn say, “I was good at selling. I don’t think he wanted to disrupt that. At least, that’s what I assume because no one ever bothered me after the first few months.”
“And during those first few months?” Ryan prodded.
Jace told himself to remain calm, that regardless of what had happened to Taryn, she was here now. Which meant, she had survived.
Taryn shrugged half-heartedly. “The guards made lewd comments and tried to touch both me and Payton. They kept us separated from Dad and Ben. One night, the men entered the room where we were and went after Payton. I kicked one in the balls and elbowed another in the nose.”
“That’s my girl,” Jace said with a smile, recognizing some of the moves he’d taught her.
She glanced at him and grinned briefly. “The commotion caught the others’ notice. The muscle then came in and broke it up. Once it was learned what had happened, the men were ordered not to touch us.”
“That’s interesting,” Danny said.
Jace frowned. “Why?”
“Why would they protect Taryn and Payton?” Ryan asked. “Based on what Taryn has told us so far, they were nothing more than slaves. It’s been my experience that whoever took Taryn and her family wouldn’t care about what happened to them, as long as they did their jobs.”
Clayton’s face was filled with concern. “Did Payton sell, as well?”
“I told them to keep her out of it,” Taryn explained. “It was my dad’s and Ben’s problem.”
Marlee tapped her pencil on the pad of paper. “But you felt obligated to work.”
“I’ve always looked after Payton. I wanted to keep as much of this from her as I could, so I offered to work twice as hard to make up her share,” Taryn said.
Brice made a sound with his lips. “And this drug lord agreed? That sounds a bit suspicious.”
“When did they take Payton away?” Danny asked.
Jace watched Taryn’s face as her mind drifted through her memories. He hated that she had to relive all of this again and hoped it would end soon.
Taryn shifted in her chair. “They took Payton away when they killed my father. Our captor told us it was to make sure Ben and I didn’t do anything stupid.”
“The perfect leverage,” Marlee commented.
Taryn nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“How long after y’all were taken did all of this happen?” Cooper asked.
Taryn’s dark brows drew together as she thought about that for a moment.
“Within the first three months. Those were the worst. Dad and Ben were detoxing from all the drugs, but as soon as they were able, they were out on the streets with me.” She paused and looked at the floor.
“When I was out there alone, I had to work three times as hard to make up for Dad and Ben being unable to work. I was told that if I didn’t sell a certain amount, one of them would die. ”
“Fucking assholes,” Caleb murmured.
Brice, Clayton, and Cooper nodded in agreement. All Jace could think about was finding whoever these people were and ripping their heads off. It took a special kind of bastard to put people in those kinds of situations and make money off them.
They deserved the worst kind of hell for it.
“And that’s the last time you saw your sister?” Marlee asked.
Taryn shook her head. “No. Well, yes. Face-to-face anyway. My requests to talk to her were always denied, but after a while, they caved and allowed me to see her through an upstairs window.”
“How did she look?” Jace asked.
Taryn turned her head to him. “She looked well. I couldn’t tell if she’d been harmed, but rape doesn’t always leave marks.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Ryan said in a soft voice.
Danny leaned forward and clasped his hands together as he rested his forearms on his thighs.
“I know you’re scared, Taryn, but these people need to be stopped.
Tell me names. But more than that, we need you to testify once we have them in custody.
I’ve no doubt that the federal district attorney in Texas will ensure that you’re put in the witness protection program for your safety. ”
There was a moment of silence before Taryn issued a bark of laughter. “That’s not going to happen.”
“These men have to be stopped,” Clayton said.
Taryn twisted her lips and shrugged. “I learned a lot while I was a slave for these people. There is nowhere I could go where they wouldn’t find me.
Nowhere. They’re very powerful, and they have their fingers in everything, everywhere.
Do you think only junkies need drugs? It’s businesspeople, housewives, congressmen, the elite you don’t suspect because they don’t look like junkies.
None of them want to get caught with drugs, so they do whatever is necessary to ensure that what they’re doing—and who they’ve gotten their goods from—remains quiet. I’ve seen it firsthand.”
“That’s just it,” Ryan said. “You’ve been on the inside. You can give us information we’ve never had.”
“At what cost?” Taryn asked, anger coloring her words. “My sister’s life? Mine? Yours? Everyone’s here? Because that’s what’s going to happen. I can guarantee it. No amount of witness protection will stop them from getting to me. That, I can promise you.”
Cooper cleared his throat. “She was followed when I found her.”
Taryn started at that revelation. She blinked at Cooper, then frowned.
“A Jeep. About ten years old, is my guess,” Cooper said. “I didn’t see inside the vehicle, but he was definitely following Taryn.”
Marlee tapped her pen on her pad of paper again.
“These people want to make sure that she does what she said she would do. They gave her the appearance of freedom, but the moment it looks as if she’s going to the authorities or leaving, they’ll come for her.
I saw it happen when I was still a cop in California. ”
“Were any of you followed here?” Jace asked. If one person was following Taryn, there are most likely more.
Ryan shook his head. “No.”
“How can you be sure?” Jace pressed. Danny and Ryan exchanged a look that had Jace pushing away from the wall. “What aren’t you two telling me?”
Cooper stretched out his legs in front of him and crossed his ankles as he linked his fingers behind his head.
“I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that three patrol cars pulled into the gas station with lights on when I was there with Taryn.
One deputy got out and started to approach Taryn as if he were coming for her, but he was called back. Then, all three left.”
“I think it’s time you two share with the rest of us,” Clayton told Danny and Ryan.
Danny blew out a breath and dropped his chin to his chest for a moment. Then he straightened in his chair. “I got a call from the FBI, stating there was an undercover agent in the area.”
“And you took that to mean it had something to do with Taryn?” Skylar asked her husband.
Danny raised his brows and nodded. “That’s what I was told.”
“Who is it?” Marlee asked. “If we can talk to whoever it is, they might be able to shed even more light.”
Jace watched Taryn during all of this. He went to her and kneeled beside her chair when he saw her face turn pale. “You all right?”
“If someone in the organization is undercover, Boyd will find them. He always does. He doesn’t do anything stupid, so the Feds won’t know he’s the one who killed their agent, but he will end their life.
Whoever this person is needs to be careful.
If they’re smart, they’ll stay away from anyone who looks even remotely like a cop. ”
Ryan caught her attention. “We sent the patrols out looking for you because Jace was worried. We weren’t going to have you arrested. The officers were simply going to ask that you remain until we could get Jace there to talk to you.”
“Not to mention, both you and Danny wanted information,” Taryn said, a hard edge to her voice.
Ryan threw up his hands. “I’m not denying it. The thought of getting a criminal such as this off the streets is too much to resist. However, I’ve got a feeling this is out of both my and Danny’s jurisdictions.”
“I can’t imagine the Feds were too happy about your interference,” Abby pointed out.
Jace put his hand atop Taryn’s. He wanted to say so much to her, but he saw her exhaustion. She was weary, and she needed some time.
“Thank you all for helping us tonight,” Jace said. “I know y’all probably have a lot more questions, but they’ll have to wait. It’s been a long day, and Taryn needs to rest.”
Audrey got to her feet. “You’re absolutely right. Taryn, I hope we girls can catch up soon. Until then, please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us if you need anything.”
Caleb brought his chair back to the dining room and waved at Jace and Taryn as he walked Audrey out of the house. The others followed one by one until only Ryan remained.
He stood and rocked back on his heels. “Thank you for sharing your story. You’ve given us a lot without giving us what we really need. I know you want out, and if you don’t want to trust me or Danny, then trust Jace. He’d do anything for you.”
“I know,” Taryn said.