Chapter Nineteen
As Shanna stood there, peeking through the living room window at the driveway, she realized she was shaking. She was scared to death that she might be forced to trade one form of captivity for another.
Finally, she saw a truck pull into the driveway, and inhaling an unsteady breath, she stood ready near the door.
When the doorbell rang, she unlocked and opened the door.
She couldn’t believe her eyes as she stood there, stunned.
“Shanna,” Rick whispered hoarsely. “I was afraid I’d never see you again.”
When his arms opened wide, she couldn’t help herself. She ran right into them, letting him engulf her in his warmth.
* * *
“Wes isn’t in very good shape, Shanna. He says he wants to make amends for the past,” Rick said to her, as she sat on the passenger seat of his truck during the journey to Rice Lake.
“I think I’ve been sensing that for a very long time,” she admitted softly.
“Will you explain to me what happened to you as a child?” Rick asked. “Please? I won’t record what you tell me.”
“Yes,” she finally answered. “I need to get everything out in the open. I’m hoping that Wes really means it about making amends. But I’m going to make it quick. Every time I even think about everything that’s happened during these last ten years, I get sick to my stomach.”
“It started with your father, didn’t it?” Rick asked.
She nodded, closing her eyes. “He raped me when I was very young. It happened over and over again. I never knew that it wasn’t normal until he decided to pawn me off on other men, including Wade Armstrong, which Wes doesn’t need to know about by the way. I guess I’d gotten to the age where he wasn’t interested in me anymore. I always wished I was Anya. For some reason, he left her alone.”
Giving her a side glance, Rick nodded. “I’ve heard that’s how it happens sometimes. It could be something as simple as the color of your hair that might have drawn him in.”
Shanna nodded, tears filling her eyes. “The first time, Wes was awful. He couldn’t keep his hands off me. But some of it, I think, had to do with what my dad was saying about me. I kept trying to get away from him after Dad drove me to Rice Lake that afternoon before you saw me at Dragonfly Pointe. Later, I became pregnant.” There was a sudden silence. “The first time.”
Rick stilled, slowing down the truck as he stared into her eyes. “What happened?”
She closed her eyes, responding softly, “I had a miscarriage.”
They remained quiet for a while.
“You knew that our family had to leave town? The crazy thing about it was that what happened to my mom and Aaron Mitchum might have been indirectly involved with what was going on with the trafficking gang,” Rick said, breaking their silence about five minutes later.
“Really? I’ll always be grateful for that time I had with my mom. Even though she didn’t always succeed, because Dad picked me up from school a few times when Mom wasn’t aware of it to take me to Rice Lake, she tried to keep Dad away from me because of what you said to her.” Shanna inhaled a shaky breath. “When she found out he was still getting away with it, she killed him for me, Rick.”
Rick’s jaw dropped open until he finally seemed to pull himself together. “How did she do that?”
“She drugged him one night somehow, to keep him away from me. I imagine she put something in that whiskey he liked to drink. I think Wes paid to have me, because they got into a huge argument when Dad tried to grab me from my room one night when she was home. The next thing I heard was that Dad’s truck went off the bridge into the lake. They found his body inside the car, and they did an autopsy. Supposedly, there wasn’t only alcohol in his system, but also a toxic level of cocaine. I think that it was just assumed that Dad was doing drugs, since he drank so heavily anyway. I’m sure they were right. In fact, maybe Mom found whatever stash he had hoarded and that’s how it ended up in his system. Anya was working at the mall the night when it happened, so she knew nothing about that particular argument. She was so distracted anyway after thinking she’d lost Eric.”
“But that wasn’t the end of it, was it?”
“No. Somehow, Wes found out I was pregnant after Dad died and had someone grab me and bring me to him. I was kept locked up for five years. I mean, I was kept fed and had television, movies, and my art. He didn’t touch me while I was pregnant, either time. He tried to keep me comfortable, especially after I was forced to give up my second baby, who was a boy, only a few months later. After about five years, Wes stopped wanting me physically. That’s when he moved me to my cabin, where I’ve been living for about four or five years. I’ve kind of lost track of time.”
“But he held something over you?”
“Actually, it wasn’t Wes who did that,” she admitted softly. “Although I think Wes was being kept in line too, for that same reason.”
“Maybe by his partner?”
She nodded. “Every so often, I get a message on my phone with a picture of my son. Sometimes, it’s a video with one of those computerized voices. What worries me is that I haven’t heard from the guy in a while. I don’t even know if my son is safe,” she said in a ragged voice.
“I have a feeling that Wes might know something about that, which is probably why it’s important for him to talk with us,” Rick said, as he drove into Rice Lake.
A few minutes later, Rick pulled into the hospital parking lot, parking his truck near a vehicle that he obviously recognized.
Appearing a little older than the last time Shanna had seen him up close, Jake Loughlin gave them a wave from inside.
Rick nodded back as he stepped out from the truck, meeting Shanna at the passenger door.
“Be careful,” Jake whispered, rushing them toward the hospital entrance. “We’re worried about this silent partner of Wes’ showing up to stop him from saying or doing whatever he’s planning.”
Soon, they were inside the hospital.
“Let’s walk upstairs and avoid the elevator,” Rick said, steering her gently toward the staircase. “He’s on the second floor.”
As they hurried up the staircase, Jake lagged behind. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you here, Shanna. I only wish that your mom could have survived to see this day.”
“Me too,” she answered softly.
When they got to the room, the nurse pointed them down the hallway instead. “We had orders to switch him to another room,” she told Rick softly. “He’s in two-twenty-six.”
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I gather someone’s been enquiring?”
“More than one person.”
Jake glanced around. “I see that my security detail is here in place inside the hospital. We should be safe. I’ll let the two of you go in and talk with him first before we get a formal statement.”
Shanna noticed a man standing at the end of the hallway, obviously keeping an eye on what must have been Wes’ room.
Rick nodded, steering Shanna through the hallway toward room two-twenty-six.
“You’re looking better today,” Rick said to Wes as he followed Shanna inside.
Wes was sitting up in his bed, looking at Shanna with definite regret.
She went to Wes, reaching for his hand.
Wes looked down, staring at the hand covering his. “Can you ever forgive me, Shanna? Please don’t ever tell Johnny about how he was born.”
“Will you tell me where Johnny is?” Shanna asked.
“Yes, I was finally able to get him away from my partner,” Wes admitted. “There was a reason that he wanted control of Johnny, Shanna. When he was born, I put all my legitimate holdings in his name. They’re pretty vast. Wade was already proving to be a screw up, so I wanted Johnny to have half a chance. I knew I wouldn’t be around to see him grow up.”
“Where is he, Wes?” Rick asked.
“With my mother, living in Northern Michigan. She’s a good woman, Shanna. She enrolled him in school, and he’s been doing well. But he’s proving to have too much energy for her. She doesn’t know how long she’ll be able to take care of him. She’s not in the best of health herself.” Wes squeezed Shanna’s hand, which was still resting on his. “You know, there’s a sickness in me, that I could never control. It’s a sickness that my father had too. I need for you to promise me that you’re going to keep a close eye on him and do everything you can to make sure he grows up right. I named him Johnny after my grandfather, who was a man I admired very much.”
Shanna looked puzzled. “But why would Johnny be valuable to your partner, if everything was in Johnny’s name? Your partner wasn’t named as his guardian, was he?”
Suddenly, a low-pitched voice echoed from inside the restroom. “Because as his next of kin, I would automatically be his guardian, once I got rid of you and Anya, along with Wes’ mother. All it would take is a blood sample while we laid low in another town, or another state, to prove who I was.”
Shanna stared at the hollow-eyed man who was aiming a Glock at them in shock. The lines in his face had become more pronounced, although he appeared to have had some kind of surgery that had altered his face since his skin looked unnaturally smooth.
But it was his eyes that gave him away.
“ Daddy? How is it possible? They did an autopsy.”
He sneered. “You or your mother never knew about my brother, who was more of a con artist than I was. He showed up on our doorstep one day, wanting a handout. Getting rid of him was the perfect opportunity for me to make your mother think that she’d succeeded in drugging me.” He snorted. “Like I wouldn’t be able to figure out what was going on. Killing myself off was probably the most brilliant plan that I’ve ever come up with. Everything became so much easier once everyone but Wes thought I was out of the picture.”
“What are you planning on doing?” Rick asked. “Killing us all?”
Shanna’s dad shrugged. “Why not? All I would have to do is assume the identity of my long-dead twin brother, Johnny’s next of kin, which none of you even knew about. I figured if I hung around long enough, I’d get the information I needed, not to mention access to you, Shanna, since I never knew where Wes had you hiding. It really didn’t matter until I found out about Wes’ fortune. I kidnapped the kid years ago to make sure that nothing ever got out about the locations where we were operating. Later, Wes seemed determined to hang onto you, and said you could be trusted. But that money will give me everything I’ve ever wanted and make it easier for me to move up in the organization. I didn’t have a clue about what Wes was worth until Wade shot off his mouth about it one night when he got drunk after he discovered he was being removed from Wes’ will. Now that I know where Wes stashed the kid, an accident in that beat up truck would be perfect for getting rid of my lovely slutty daughter and whoever you are,” he said, glaring at Rick. “It’ll be easy to take care of you Wes, here and now. I’ve got a silencer attached to this Glock. In fact, I could easily take care of all of you, since I’ve got my escape route set up to avoid all the security guys stationed inside the hospital. I’ve already checked for video cameras, and there are none throughout the entire hospital. I love small town life. It’s so easy to get away with murder.”
“You’re the one who made the guys who worked for Wes at the marina disappear,” Rick muttered.
Dad’s face was momentarily arrested.
Finally, he growled, “How would you know that? Who are you?”
Even though Rick seemed to be preparing to attack her father somehow, when Shanna’s dad lifted the Glock and aimed it at Rick, a shot resounded through the room.
Dad dropped the Glock since his hand appeared to be nearly severed, hanging from his wrist.
“What the…?”
After dumbly staring at his hand, bleeding profusely, her father collapsed onto the floor, looking like he was ready to pass out.
Rick blinked, glancing at Wes, who was holding a pistol.
“Damn you, Russ Weldon. He’s the law,” Wes growled. “ I’ve been wanting to get rid of you for years . Especially after you threatened to sell off Johnny, just like you did your own daughter.”
Shanna kicked the Glock on the floor away from her father, even though he was in no condition to grab it and try to use it again.
Her father laid there groaning as Rick bent over, reaching for the Glock. “I’m not sure how you made it past the FBI operatives who’ve been sitting in the parking lot. You would have never gotten away with it, by the way. I’m wearing a wire. Wes made me promise to record our conversation.”
The nurse who had assisted them earlier came running into the room, holding her hand over her mouth momentarily before moving into action to try and stop her father from bleeding.
While Shanna just stood there, feeling absolutely nothing for the man whom she’d once adored as a young child.
At that moment, Jake Loughlin appeared at the door. When he saw what had happened, he rolled his eyes upward.
“It took you long enough,” Rick muttered distractedly. “I gather you were listening.”
“I always underestimate these guys,” Jake said grimly. “You’re trained to handle a situation like this, so I let you. I figured if any of us made an appearance too soon, the odds were even greater that someone was going to get shot. What I didn’t count on was Wes somehow managing to smuggle in a weapon.”
“How did Weldon get past you?” Rick asked.
“Actually, he didn’t completely get away with it,” Jake admitted. “We knew something was up when someone transferred Wes to a different room, and it wasn’t anyone on my team. So I moved some of our team back outside. What we weren’t expecting was him to attack in broad daylight with a room full of people.” Jake approached the window. “There’s a fire escape ladder leading down to the ground from here. I guess he prepared his plan of escape after our guys were all inside, listening to their new assignments.”
By that time, two men and a gurney had arrived to transport Dad into another room.
The nurse stood, glancing at Dad’s face. “He came in last night, supposedly to visit someone else in the hospital. It was shortly before your protected patient arrived.”
“He must have heard that Wes collapsed and figured we’d end up bringing him here. I guess he was hiding in the hospital all night to hear what you had to say, Montgomery.” Jake heaved a sigh, shaking his head. “Our security team must have come in after he was already inside. I’d better be waiting downstairs to handle the police who were more than likely called because of the gunshot coming from Wes’ pistol, which he somehow managed to keep on him, even after we took him into custody.”
“I’ll take that pistol, Wes,” Rick said, holding out his hand.
Wes hesitated but handed it over to Rick. “I don’t like the fact that Weldon is still alive. He’s not operating alone.”
“We’ll figure out a way to protect you. After Weldon is stable, I’ll have him transferred,” Jake said.
“I’m not exactly worried about myself,” Wes admitted, glancing at Shanna. “It’s like he has nine lives.”
Jake pursed his lips, nodding his obvious agreement. “And now that he has the information he wanted, what he could do with it could be devastating if anyone else is involved, which could very well be. I’m not exactly sure how that fire escape ladder was put into place outside your window.”
“All he knows is that the boy is with his grandmother, but I never really mentioned where my mother was living now, except that it was in Northern Michigan,” Wes admitted.
“That should buy us some time,” Rick said, turning to Shanna, who nodded her head in agreement.
“There’s one more thing you should know,” Wes said, looking grim. “Russ Weldon has several fake IDs and one of them is in my name. In fact, he was arrested for having something to do with Tom Ashford’s death. I’m not exactly sure what it was all about, except for some missing funds. It’s just the kind of scam he’d get mixed up in. But it was the woman he was dating who was watching Johnny after he was born. I think she was Tom Ashford’s widow. Her father had money, and that’s all Weldon’s ever wanted. I wouldn’t be surprised if he killed her.”
Jake stilled. “I was notified about that. And I assumed…”
“That it was me?”
Jake nodded.
“I heard the authorities let him go, thinking they could keep track of him, but I’ll bet they dug deeper after releasing him because he disappeared. He’s always been good at that. I’m sure if they took prints, they would never actually lead back to Weldon. My son Wade betrayed me. I never had a clue he was working with Weldon. And now it’s too late. Although he didn’t have many redeeming qualities either. That’s why I want Johnny’s life to be different,” Wes muttered, closing his eyes. “For a while, I was being surveyed by the FBI, I believe, until they took a close look at me and realized that I wasn’t the guy they really arrested.”
“And that’s why you don’t have a record,” Jake muttered. “We’ll talk more about this later.”
Wes nodded.
“You probably still have things to talk about, so I’ll leave the three of you to discuss how you want to handle the situation with the boy,” Jake said.
“You’d better do something with these.” Rick handed over both the Glock and the pistol to Jake as he prepared to leave the room.
“I’ll stick around to talk with all of you once you’re finished,” Jake replied, heading through the doorway with both weapons in hand.
“There are a few other things that I need to say,” Wes said after Jake left the room. “All your proceeds for your paintings are in the safe at the big cabin and everything is itemized and accounted for. That property has also been deeded to Johnny, and you’re named as his executor, Shanna. There are no skeletons attached to the property. It belonged to my grandmother and grandfather, my mother’s parents.”
“What about funds from trafficking?” Rick asked.
Wes snorted weakly. “Russ Weldon kept everything. I think you might have figured that out by now. I’m sure you’ve had me checked out thoroughly, so there’s nothing to confiscate. And as long as you and your boss go along with making sure that my son Johnny’s inheritance is kept intact, I have something that could prove to be very valuable to you two. I’m glad I didn’t say anything when Weldon was here, because no one knows about this but me.”
“So, what do we do next?” Shanna asked, sitting on the bed and reaching for Wes’ hand.
It was strange how Rick had come to accept this man as somewhat of a friend, despite his shocking confessions. And despite her rape and kidnapping, during the past four years, Shanna had come to think of him as the closest thing to a father that she’d ever had. If it hadn’t been Wes, her father wouldn’t have had a problem selling her to someone else. And Shanna knew for a fact that what she’d been through hadn’t been nearly as horrific as the majority of victims that her father had trafficked.
“You can bring Johnny back to see me one more time. Hopefully, I’ll be able to hang on until the two of you get back. I’m not sure if my mother wants to see me. She knows about everything. I promised that I would never try to have contact with Johnny for as long as she was taking care of him. I told her that I would be sending his mother to him sometime soon, so she’s expecting you,” he said.
At that moment, Jake Loughlin returned to the room. “Let me know when you’re ready to talk, Montgomery. I think we can work out a deal if you give me a hint of what you have that’s so important.”
Wes looked at Rick. “I gather you’re still recording?”
Rick nodded his agreement. “Everything.”
“I’m not sure if I trust him, but I do trust you,” Wes said to Rick.
Rick nodded brusquely. “I’ve gotten to know you Wes, during these last four months. And I believe you.”
“I’ve got two notebooks. From what I can tell, they’re filled with the names and locations of every current customer located in the Eastern U.S. along with the Midwest. I found them at one of the trafficking stations. I didn’t even realize what I had until I got them home and studied them.”
“If they prove to be legitimate, I’m positive we can come to an agreement,” Jake said firmly.
“I think the reason that I haven’t seen Russ Weldon until today is because they think that he’s the one who has them, so he’s been in hiding. More than likely, they fell out of one of his coat pocket in the tunnel where I found them, last winter. I haven’t been involved in the trafficking itself for years. Russ handles the meetings with the organization and is the only one who has access to whoever’s being trafficked. He’s probably been frantic, not realizing where those notebooks are because I’m sure that he had to be the one who stole them—more than likely from one of the big guys on top. Russ has done so many things that could get him in trouble, like skimming off the top of the proceeds he collects.” Wes looked at Shanna, clearing his throat. “And other things, I’d rather not get into here and now. He probably doesn’t even know for sure if they’re after him, but I’m willing to bet he’s had some close calls that would have put him on alert.”
“So, how should we handle this, Jake?” Rick asked.
“We get the exact location of the boy, and I loan you and Shanna my private plane so you can go and collect him,” he said.
“Just like that?” Shanna asked, her eyes going wide.
“Just like that, Shanna,” Jake said softly. “I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through, but I’m going to have to ask you to remain missing for a while longer. The three of us have some work to do, as long as you’re willing.”
Shanna looked at Wes, who nodded encouragingly.
“Okay.” She looked at Rick. “Let’s go get Johnny.”
Rick stood, walking up to Wes. “Hang in there. Hopefully, we’ll be back in a day or two.”
“You two get going. Don’t worry. I won’t call it quits until after your boss and I hash out a deal and I get to see Johnny again.”