Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
Emi stared up at George towering over her. “What do you need from me?”
“Anything and everything you know about the compound, the people in it and Fallon.”
Emi pinched the bridge of her nose. “There was a lot of concrete. Concrete walls, concrete corridors and concertina wire on top of the outside walls. The quarters he assigned to Sara and me were pretty bare bones. We had a bed barely large enough for the two of us. We had a small bathroom attached with a one-person shower and a toilet.”
“What was it like outside?” George asked.
She stared at the open door to the bedroom, her thoughts going back to the prison she’d lived in for the past eight years. “We were allowed to go out into a little courtyard at the center of the compound. There was some grass and a couple of benches. It was the only place we could see the sunshine until he had camouflage netting strung over the entire structure. Then we only got speckles of sunshine that made it through the netting.”
George pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. “What about the vegetation and terrain around the structures?”
She scrubbed her hand over her face, tired to the bone. “I only managed to get outside the walls twice. The guards hauled me back in before I could see much.” She snorted softly. “It was after the second time Fallon had the netting installed.” She lay back, fighting exhaustion, determined to give this man enough information to help him find Sara.
“When you did get outside the walls, was it hilly? Were there trees?” George persisted. “If this is too much for you, we can wait until after you’ve rested.”
“No. I’m okay,” she lied, barely able to keep her eyes open. “It was before Sara was born, but I remember lots of trees growing up so close to the walls. Trees everywhere I looked.”
“Could you see the ocean?”
“No.” Sleep tugged at her, urging her to let herself drift off. Then she remembered. “The road leading away from the compound sloped downward steeply with overhanging trees, almost like disappearing into a tunnel.” She sighed. “The entire place reminded me of a bunker partially set back into the side of a hill.”
“Which could make it even harder to find.”
She nodded, hope draining from her. “But not impossible, right?”
“We will find the bunker and Sara,” George said. “When he took you to the yacht, did you see anything along the way?”
She shook her head. “He blindfolded me until the yacht was out far enough I couldn’t see land. When I fell off the yacht, I swam in the opposite direction the yacht was heading, hoping it would take me back to whatever land we’d left from.”
“The bastard didn’t even try to fish you out?”
She shook her head. “No. The yacht didn’t even slow.”
George’s jaw hardened. “I’m going to make a couple of phone calls to my team. I’ll let my boss know I’m working a case and contact Swede, our computer guy. He can start searching for anything he can find on Fallon Vance.”
Emi nodded, at once overwhelmed and relieved by the big man’s presence and take-charge attitude. She wouldn’t have to do this alone.
He paused, staring down at her. “For now, you need to rest and get your strength back.”
Again, Emi nodded.
After George left the small bedroom, Emi laid back against the pillow and thought through what had happened and her options.
If George was truly a former Marine, he would be her lifeline to Sara. Could she trust him?
Over the past eight years, she’d learned she couldn’t trust anyone—especially men. Fallon was an evil man who’d collected a number of people he kept against their wills, either to manage his compound or use as he willed. The men he hired to guard the compound were equally ruthless and hadn’t been allowed to talk to Emi. None of the staff had been allowed to talk to Emi without reprimand or repercussions.
She suspected Fallon had also raped the other women he’d accumulated who cooked, cleaned and cared for Emi and the compound.
The man had a god complex and had his mercenary team under tight control. They didn’t let anyone escape the compound. If someone managed to reach other people, it would expose Fallon’s nefarious operations to the outside world.
Fallon didn’t spend all his time on the compound. He would come for a week, disappear for several weeks and come back. Those weeks in between had given Emi time to heal and to live without fear of being raped or beaten. She’d had time to spend with Sara, to give her as normal a childhood as she could in captivity.
Sara was a bright and intelligent child. Emi was already teaching her how to read and write. She’d learned some Spanish words from Maria and asked a lot of questions.
Sara also knew when to be quiet and shrink back into shadows when Fallon was on the compound. She would even hide beneath their shared bed to keep from being seen by the man whose sperm had spawned her.
Emi’s heart squeezed hard in her chest.
What was happening to her daughter now? Would Fallon have gone back to the compound after he left her to drown in the Pacific Ocean?
If he hadn’t gone straight back, would Sara be worried or scared when her mother didn’t return?
Maria had always been kind to Sara, like a second mother to the little girl. Sara would feel somewhat safe with the pretty little Guatemalan cleaning woman.
As much as Emi wanted to leap out of bed and get to work finding her daughter, she had no idea where to start and had little energy available.
The warm soup she’d consumed had relieved the ache in her belly and chased away the remnants of the chill that had consumed her body while she’d floated in the ocean.
She turned on her side, the ache in her chest fading as she drifted into a fitful sleep.
“Sara?” she called out as she moved through the stark gray hallway.
One by one, she threw open doors, searching for her daughter.
“Sara, honey, where are you?”
A faint cry sounded at the end of the corridor.
Emi followed the sound. Her heart pounded, and her steps dragged as if she waded through a thick swamp, mud sucking at her legs and pulling her down.
The cry became the soft sobs of a child.
“Sara, oh, baby. Mama’s coming,” she said, struggling with every bit of energy she could muster to get to her daughter.
As she neared the last door at the end of the hall, she fell against it, tears streaming down her face. “I’m coming, Sara.”
Her hand wrapped around the doorknob and tried to turn it.
It wouldn’t budge.
The sobs continued. A small voice called out, “Mama, I’m scared.”
Her chest tightening, Emi tried again to turn the knob. When it wouldn’t open, she backed away and kicked the door, her leg bouncing back.
The door remained unbroken, the lock holding tight.
“Mama, help me,” the child’s weak voice called out.
“I’m coming, Sara,” she said and kicked the door again.
The door flew open.
Emi fell through into a dark hole, smelling of damp earth. Though she strained to see, all was dark as she fell and fell.
Deep laughter filled the well, ringing in her ears.
“You lose,” Fallon’s voice echoed against the walls.
Emi’s arms and legs flailed, searching for purchase. She had to escape the hole. Sara needed her.
“She’s mine now, and you’ll never find her,” Fallon called out from somewhere above her.
“No!” Emi cried, her voice swallowed by the nothingness.
Then she landed on the cold hard ground. Pain shot through her as her shoulder, hip and head hit the ground.
Sobs rose up her throat. “Sara.”
Hands slipped beneath her and lifted her off the floor. “Emi,” a deep, kind voice spoke softly against her ear. “Emi, sweetheart, wake up.”
She blinked her eyes open, her body tensing. Instead of the angry brown eyes of the man who’d haunted her life for the past eight years, she stared up into concerned blue eyes.
“Sara?” she asked.
He shook his head. “You were dreaming.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks. “She was crying. I couldn’t find her.”
“We will find her,” he said, laying her on the bed, then pulling the sheet up around her. “I already have Swede looking for any properties owned by Fallon Vance. He’s usually pretty fast. It’s only a matter of time before he finds something.”
“She’s only three,” Emi whispered.
“We’ll find her,” he insisted, brushing a tear from her cheek. “Try to sleep.”
As he started to straighten, she reached out to grasp his hand. “He was there. Laughing.”
George held her hand in his big, warm one. “He’s not here. I won’t let him hurt you.”
“But he’ll hurt Sara.” More tears slipped down her cheeks.
“We’ll find her. Right now, you need rest to regain your strength.” He squeezed her hand gently. “Sleep.”
Emi shook her head, the overwhelming fear of moments before hanging in the background of her mind. “I’m afraid to close my eyes. He’ll be there.”
“How can I help you?” he said softly.
She stared up at him. “Will you...stay with me?”
George sat on the bed beside her, still holding her hand. “I’ll stay with you,” he said. “You’ll be safe with me. Sleep, sweetheart. Maybe when you wake, we’ll know more from Swede.”
“I’ll try.” She stared up at him for a few more moments. Eventually, her eyelids drooped, and she slipped into a dreamless sleep with the warmth of the man who’d saved her pressed against her side.
The next time she woke, it was at the sound of a man speaking softly in the other room.
Emi came awake slowly, stretching her arms and legs, experimenting with her muscles and becoming more aware of herself and her surroundings.
She pushed the blanket and sheet aside, realizing for the first time that she wore an oversized dark gray T-shirt and nothing else.
Frowning, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
The voice in the other room continued talking in a low and insistent tone. She recognized the voice as belonging to the man who’d introduced himself as George. What had he said he was?
A Marine.
Weren’t Marines supposed to be highly trained and the best of the best? That memory gave her a little hope.
Emi wanted to know what he was saying. Was he speaking with his computer guy? Had they found any information about Sara or the compound where they were being held?
Easing herself off the bed, her feet hit the cold wooden floor. Her knees buckled immediately.
She caught herself by holding onto the side of the bed. For a long moment, she stood, letting her legs adjust and grow strong enough to allow her to stand straight and walk.
One step at a time, she made her way toward the door. As she reached it, she could see George standing at a window, staring out as he spoke to someone on his cell phone.
“Until we know more, keep reviewing the satellite images. I just got off the phone with Hawk. He and Kalea were in Honolulu. They’re flying over as soon as they fuel up. We’ll do our own search over Kauai. If we don’t see anything here, we’ll head toward the Big Island. Let us know if you find anything on the satellite images. Roger. Out here.”
He ended the call and turned.
When he saw her standing there, he hurried forward. “How long have you been awake?”
She leaned against the doorframe. “Long enough to hear what you said about someone named Hawk and Kalea on their way here.” Her brow furrowed. “How much do they know?”
“My guy Swede did a quick calculation on currents, time and distance and figured the best guess was that you left on Fallon’s yacht from either Kauai or Oahu. I had thought about taking you out on the boat to see if you recognized the shoreline. Since you were blindfolded when you went out on the yacht, you won’t be able to identify the shape of the island or the shoreline where you left. Taking you out on the boat would do very little good.”
Emi nodded, her head spinning with George’s deductions. “And what does that have to do with these people, Hawk and Kalea?”
“I called my boss, Hawk, and told him I needed to conduct an aerial search of Kauai. I didn’t want to risk hiring a helicopter at this point, not knowing if the pilot could be trusted with my reason and what I was looking for. Hawk suggested he and Kalea come in Kalea’s plane. I told him that I would fill him in on what was happening when he arrived.”
Emi blinked. “And he’s coming? He didn’t want to know more?”
“I told him I couldn’t tell him more until he arrived. He was okay with that.”
“Who is Kalea?” she asked. “Can she be trusted?”
“Absolutely,” George said with a smile. “She’s Hawk’s fiancée and the pilot. She’ll be flying us over the island. That is if you’re up to it.”
“Yes,” Emi said, even though her legs still shook, and she couldn’t shake the feeling of bobbing along in the waves. It would take a lot more time to get her land legs and equilibrium back after spending so much time in the ocean.
“They’ll be here within the hour.” His gaze swept over her briefly. “Let’s find you something to wear and a good disguise. We’ll have to board the plane at the airport.”
Emi frowned. She hadn’t thought about that. “Do we have to go to the airport?”
“We’ll meet them at the general aviation airport, not the commercial airport. We can drive right out onto the tarmac and climb aboard immediately. No security checkpoints or other passengers to wade through.” He passed her and went into the bedroom. “I have a ball cap you can use, but you’ll need more clothes than just that T-shirt.”
Heat rose up Emi’s neck into her cheeks, completely aware of how naked she was beneath the shirt. Thankfully, it was large enough to drape almost to her knees. She didn’t ask because she could guess he’d dressed her in the T-shirt when she’d been unconscious. So, this stranger had seen her naked.
Why that mattered, she didn’t know. Fallon had taken away her clothes whenever he’d had her brought to his room in the compound. She’d been horrified and terrified in the beginning.
Fallon got too much pleasure out of frightening her and embarrassing her. She’d learned to focus on anything but what was happening, as if she’d stepped outside her body while he’d done whatever he wanted to her.
When he’d had her delivered back to her quarters, she’d stood for a long time in the shower. No matter how long she’d stood there, she hadn’t been able to wash away the filth of his abuse. So many times, she’d wished he would beat her to death and put her out of her misery.
Until Sara.
Then she’d focused on her daughter and prayed for Fallon’s death instead of her own, figuring he’d have to die for her and Sara to be freed.
Now, she was free, and Sara was still stuck in that horrible place with that monster. Her belly clenched, and she nearly doubled over.
George emerged, carrying a pair of sweatpants and a ball cap. “These will be big on you, but you can tie the string tight enough to keep them up. And if you tuck your hair up into the cap and pull the bill low, no one will recognize you.”
She took the two items from him, her heart swelling at the fact this stranger was helping her.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have shoes that will fit, but I can dig out some socks.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I haven’t worn shoes in so long; it doesn’t matter. He wouldn’t allow me shoes. It's just another way of keeping me from escaping. I wouldn’t have left. Not if I couldn’t get Sara out at the same time.”
George’s lips thinned. “As soon as possible, we’ll come up with shoes for you—and clothes that fit properly.”
“I’m not worried about how I look.”
He nodded. “You’re worried about your daughter.” George tipped his head toward the bedroom. “Go get dressed. We’ll leave as soon as you’re ready. It’s a little bit of a drive to the airport. If we leave soon, we should get there about the same time as Hawk and Kalea.”
“Do I have time to rinse off?” she asked.
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“I won’t be long,” Emi said and hurried as best she could into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She relieved herself in the bathroom and then ducked under the shower to rinse off the salt sticking to her skin. She took a moment to lather her hair and rinse it thoroughly, feeling so much better despite her sunburned skin and cracked lips.
After drying off, she stepped into the sweatpants and pulled the T-shirt over her head. She tucked the shirt into the pants and pulled the string tight. The elastic around the ankles kept her from tripping on the length, and the string helped to keep them from falling off.
She figured she looked like a clown in the oversized garments but didn’t care. The man didn’t have to do anything. He could have taken her straight to a hospital and dropped her there, ending his responsibility there.
Emi was grateful for all he’d done so far and had promised to do. She wasn’t sure how she could rescue her daughter, much less find her.
She found a comb in the bathroom and worked the tangles out of her hair. When she’d been captured, it had been a chin-length bob. After eight years without a chance to cut it, it had grown past her waist. She gathered it into a loose bun at the top of her head and pulled the cap over it, tucking in the stray strands.
When she was ready, she stepped out of the bathroom to find a pair of men’s socks on the bed. She perched on the edge of the mattress and pulled the socks onto her feet, appreciating the warmth. As she straightened, she heard George’s voice in the other room.
“Thanks, Swede,” he said. “I’ll let her know.”
Emi emerged from the bedroom as George turned toward her.
His lips pressed together for a moment. “That was Swede. He searched the internet for a Fallon Vance in Hawaii.” George shook his head. “I’m sorry to say that he didn’t find anyone with that name. He checked real estate records for the state of Hawaii, the Department of Motor Vehicle registration and the Division of Boating and Ocean registration databases and didn’t get a single hit. When he expanded his search to other states, he only found one Fallon Vance. That man was an eighty-one-year-old stroke victim confined to a nursing home in West Virginia.”
Emi’s heart sank into her belly.
“Did you ever hear anyone else refer to him by any other name?”
She shook her head. “No. The guards and the boat captain who worked for him called him Mr. Vance. Though most of the cleaning and maintenance staff in the compound didn’t speak English, they called him Mr. Vance.”
“Then Fallon Vance isn’t his real name,” George said. “It’s probably an alias he only used on the compound.”
She pressed her hand to her chest. “If I don’t know his name or where the compound is located, how will we find Sara?”
“We’ll start by conducting an aerial search of Kauai. It’s not as populated as Oahu and presents a better opportunity to hide a bunker-style compound.” His gaze swept her briefly. “Ready?”
Emi squared her shoulders and nodded, praying she could spot the compound quickly.
Only then would she worry about what came next.