Chapter One The Tracker
Dark Heroes Trilogy
Rain
By the time we got them all back to the safehouse, the victims we saved were exhausted and in a state of shock.
They were from different cultures. One French girl, one man from Colombia and an Asian man.
Then Maya’s parents. Between Maya and I, we were able to speak to them all.
The Asian man knew some English so we could speak to him.
We gave them all bottled water and offered them food.
They were all hungry as they said the group had starved them for the last day as sort of a fast. They didn’t know why.
We guessed why that was. The blood needed to be drained and had to be as pure as it could be.
After they were fed and felt a bit better, we all sat in the living room. Henry and I sat in kitchen chairs, so that they could have the more comfortable spots. Maya looked upset by her sister being missing but she never moved from her parents’ side on the sofa.
Henry kept a careful eye on her, but there wasn’t much he could do to console her.
Finally, we pieced together what they knew about their own kidnappings.
Which was not a lot. They were each taken while on vacation.
They were not mistreated even though their captors would not let them go free.
They all admitted to being worried about their families not being able to pay a ransom and that would mean death for them.
They were lodged in a large mansion somewhere in an unknown place, though they each had a guess.
From Transylvania to Ireland. However, they never saw each other until today so they weren’t sure if they were even in the same mansion or country.
They were treated good and fed well. They had no outside communication and that seemed to bother the whole group more than anything else.
They would try to speak to the people who brought food, drinks and clothing to them.
None of these servants or caretakers ever spoke a word to them. They looked afraid to do so in fact.
Then as time went by and they were still alive, they feared getting sold into slavery or for their internal organs or into human slave rings. They were never grouped together until today. All of them had been in solitary for one to three years.
Maya’s parents told of how they did not know what happened to the other until today.
They both still weren’t sure what had happened to Lera.
They never saw her after they were picked up in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, three years back.
They had to be told how much time had passed and they had looked a bit ashen when Maya told them what the year was.
The only similarity between the victims was that they were abducted in the country of Mexico. This surprised no one due to the lax laws for tourists and resort areas.
When we told them they were to be drained of all their blood for a fountain of youth prize under the blood moon, they all stared at us in a stunned silence.
That there were wealthy people who had paid for their blood.
They had never guessed this possibility of why they had been held for all this time.
They did look happy when we told them they would be getting on a jet that would leave Mexico. Then this was when we really found out about Vega.
Vega said she had transportation for the three younger people.
She stood from her chair and told us, “The United Nations put a team together. Two years ago.” She reminded us of the men who had been with her earlier.
“Each of us is from a different country. The Netherlands, Australia, Britain and the United States. The men were undercover with the League mainly to infiltrate this ring. I am from Washington with the FBI. I worked here in Catemaco just waiting for this very night.”
I couldn’t help it… I shook my head. I had guessed Special Ops but the FBI was close enough.
I met Henry’s gaze and we nodded our heads.
Vega did not mention us or our connection as far as the Mexican and Italian mafia were concerned.
But I felt sure she would be asking about that soon.
I just hoped she would understand that we would not be outing who arranged it.
Mancini would not be named. Henry, Maya and I agreed to this on the jet before we even landed here.
No one would ever get his name out of us as the one who backed us.
Finally, we decided to let the victims get some sleep and then we would move them.
After placing them in the rooms, we met back in the living room. We needed to discuss a few things.
Maya nervously paced the room as she waited for us all to settle down with a drink.
Henry and I knew what she wanted. Her sister was still missing. Vega had stated that she knew why.
Finally, Vega came back in and sat down. She clasped her hands into her lap. Then looked up at Maya. “I understand you being upset. It is a hard thing. You waited for three years and then found your sister missing.”
I watched Vega and realized she had less of the Latino flair that she had before.
I even paused to wonder if she even was Latino.
Undercover and well trained. In reality though, she could be anyone.
But damn, was she sexy. Yes, in the middle of all this I found a woman that really stirred my blood and it had been a long damned time since that had happened to me.
“So where is she?” Maya asked as she twisted her hands together.
Vega looked over at Henry. “When I tell you all this, she is going to be really upset,” she warned him.
Henry sighed as if he were getting ready for terrible news.
I scooted to the edge of the sofa and asked, “Is she dead?”
“No,” Vega replied.
Maya’s body sagged with shocking relief as Henry rushed over to support her.
“But someone she believed was dead is very much alive.” Vega sighed.
Maya stared hard at her. “What are you saying?”
“Someone you knew very well, sold your parents to the bloodletting group.”
Maya looked confused. “I-I don’t understand?”
“Your brother sold your family,” Vega stated it harshly.
“M-my… what?” Maya’s voice rose as she glared at Vega. “Rafael?”
Nodding, Vega explained it, “He, of course, knew their blood types. He sold them to the group. But Lera had been with them when they were kidnapped. He did the right thing and kept her from dying as far as we know, but he made half a million from selling your parents and Lera knew about it.”
“S-so the cops that told me he was dead…”
“They were not real,” Vega explained. “He paid them to come and tell you of his passing. This way you would never look for him or know of his guilt.”
“How do you know all of this?” Maya asked as she looked upset and her hands shook.
“He had been under surveillance for six months prior to your family being kidnapped.”
“What?” Maya asked while looking confused and her eyes filled with tears now.
“He had been under suspicion by even the Italian government. I'm sorry Maya,” Vega said. “But your brother is the only person who knows what really happened to your sister.”
Looking concerned, Henry held onto her as he sat her down on the couch.
“So w-what can we do?” Maya asked her as she had lost most of the color in her face.
“Not we…me,” I spoke up now. “I am a tracker. It is what I do. You and Henry need to escort your parents home and keep them healthy.”
Vega looked over at me. “You can’t interfere with––”
“Look Vega,” I cut her off. “If that is your real name. Your government has known about this missing girl for three years. Do they know where she is?”
Vega bit her lower lip and did not answer.
I nodded at her. “Net, they do not and no one involved in this knows about me. I will track him down and find Maya’s sister.”
“No one knows about you except for me, Mr. Rainmaker,” Vega said.
I blinked at her. “So, you do know who I am.”
Nodding, she replied, “You aren’t a badge and you have been caught on the other side of the law many times.”
“And that’s what makes me good at what I do,” I informed her. “I don’t have to file reports or ask my boss for permission. I can break the law to do my job if the need arises.”
“No, you will not be doing that,” she said.
“And why the fuck not?” I demanded to know as I glared at her.
“Because I will be with you.”
“Holy shit!” Henry exclaimed.
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The Rainmaker (Book 3 of the Dark Heroes Trilogy)