Risky Return Read online

  * * *

  He was good at being invisible when needed. He’d learned it during his army training and had used it on many missions during his time with the rangers and as a covert operative for the CIA. Tonight, he needed to be invisible as he followed Dr. Rayburn from his office. The doctor drove across town and Collin followed behind, careful to remain back far enough to not be spotted but close enough that he wouldn’t lose him.

  The doctor drove for nearly an hour before he turned into a long drive that took him to a warehouse, but not one that had been on the list Rebecca’s father had given them. It made sense. David was involved in the business enough to keep a property off Bob’s radar and off the official reports. The lights in the parking lot were off but there were lights inside and Collin spotted not only the doctor’s vehicle, but also two white vans parked by the door where he’d entered, the same kind of vans used to abduct Missy from the motel.

  Collin took out his gun and checked it. Anyone who drove out to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the night had to have something to hide and he was guessing it had something to do with Rebecca’s disappearance. Whatever it was, Collin was going to find out.

  He got out of his car and approached the building, noting the Mason Industries stenciled on the outside. He scanned the area and spotted security cameras. He wasn’t getting inside unnoticed. That didn’t matter. Logic told him he should go back to his car and phone the police. He shouldn’t be going in alone with no backup, but his gut told him there was no time to bring the police in. Besides, what was he going to tell them to motivate them to come? That he’d followed Rayburn to an abandoned factory but hadn’t yet discovered anything illegal happening? No, he couldn’t wait and he doubted they would come, anyway, and Kent was too far to make it there in time. Collin was going inside and he wasn’t coming out until he had Rebecca with him.

  He moved closer to the two white vans and peeked through the window of one, seeing no one inside. When he looked in the other however, he spotted something in the back beneath a sheet. It looked like a body. His gut clenched as he noticed how small it was. Too small to be a grown man, but the figure was just right for a woman’s body. He opened the door and climbed inside. He had to look. He had to know if this body was Rebecca. He lifted the sheet and felt only a momentary relief that it wasn’t her before it registered that the body was Janice.

  Now was the time to call in the police. A dead body gave them plenty of reasons to come. He reached into his pocket for his phone, but it wasn’t there. He must have left it in his car. He stared at the body and debated for only a moment before deciding not to go back for it. If they’d killed Janice, what had they done with Rebecca? The urgency of the situation skyrocketed. He had to find her before she ended up lying beside her cousin in the back of the van.

  * * *

  Once her tears were spent, Rebecca sat up and began sawing at her binds again. It was all she could do aside from giving up and she wasn’t ready for that yet.

  She felt the hard plastic start to give and her heart lurched. She rubbed harder and noticed a spot on the bottom wearing thin. She concentrated on that area and when it gave, she quickly slipped off the zip tie and tumbled backward. She was free! Her wrists were raw and bleeding, but she was free from those restraints. Now, to get out of this room and escape from this building.

  A newfound determination filled her. Missy had escaped these people and so could she, but thoughts of Missy reminded her that she wasn’t the only one being held captive in this building. And Rayburn was making plans to leave town tonight. If she escaped on her own, these girls might disappear again, this time never to be found. She couldn’t leave without them even if it decreased their chances of escaping.

  But first she had to find a way out of this room.

  She moved toward the door and pressed her ear against it, listening. She heard nothing outside the door. She hadn’t noticed anyone standing guard when the others had come and gone. She pulled at the handle and found it unlocked. Yes! Apparently, they didn’t feel the need to lock her in since she’d been bound.

  She opened the door and peeked into the hallway. The corridor was clear. She slipped out. She wasn’t familiar with this building and had no idea where the girls were being held or where the exits were, but she would find them, hopefully before anyone realized she was missing.

  She stopped when she heard noises and slipped into a nook to hide. A door opened and a big man with a gun exited the room. Behind him, she saw a group of women huddled together, fear flashing in their eyes. The girls! They were being gathered together to leave. As he closed the door, he slipped a padlock on it then disappeared down the hallway.

  Rebecca waited for him to leave then rushed toward the door. She pulled at the lock. It was locked in place and wouldn’t budge. Without the key, she couldn’t get inside and set those women free. And she wasn’t leaving without them. She wished for a hairpin but she wasn’t sure she could pick the lock even if she had one. She glanced around and saw a crowbar on the floor. If she could jam it into the lock, maybe it would break. She grabbed it and jammed it into the lock but it didn’t budge. She tried again. Still nothing.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t break it, but she couldn’t leave without these girls, either.

  She was in a no-win situation.

  * * *

  Collin entered the factory, gun raised and ready for anything. He wasn’t leaving until he found Rebecca. He was ready to take on whoever got in his way. He spotted a camera, pulled out his knife and quickly clipped the wires leading to it. He repeated that with each one he saw as he moved through the building. Movement from a long hall grabbed his attention. He raised his gun and spun into the door. “Don’t move.”

  He stopped when he saw big brown eyes full of fear staring back at him. She was holding a crowbar and ready to use it as a weapon.

  His heart jumped. She was alive!

  “Rebecca!”

  She ran to him and fell into his arms. “Collin! I thought I would never see you again.”

  “I’m here.” His heart soared with gratitude. Thank You, Lord, for letting me find her safe. He soaked in the feeling of her in his arms then pulled away, noting the new bruising on her face and the sores on her wrists. They weren’t out of the woods yet. She wouldn’t truly be safe until they were away from this place. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  “No, not yet. I can’t leave. This door... There are women behind this door. We can’t leave without them.”

  Although she was his primary concern and all his heart wanted to do was run with her, he checked that emotion. She was right. They couldn’t leave the others behind. He quickly snipped the wires of the camera he spotted above the door. If anyone was watching, they would have already seen her and be on the way, but he had to risk it. He grabbed the crowbar from her hands.

  “I tried to break it but I couldn’t.”

  She didn’t have the muscle it took. He jammed the crowbar into the lock and put his weight behind it. It took a few moments but the lock split. He slipped it off, grabbed his gun and swung open the door. The women inside squealed with fear until Rebecca hurried past him and rushed inside to reassure them.

  “We’re only here to help. We’re not going to hurt you. We have to get you all out of here. Now, we need to leave quickly and quietly before someone sees us. Is there anyone else in the building?”

  “Yes,” one girl said. “A baby. I saw them bring him inside and set up a crib down the hall when they were taking me to be examined.”

  “That has to be Matthew,” Collin said. “Lily called and told us David came by and picked him up once he heard we were looking for him.”

  “We have to find him,” Rebecca said. “I won’t leave without him.”

  Collin nodded and ushered the women out the door. “Head down the hall and turn to the right. I’ve cut the camera wires so they ca
n’t see you. Go out the door and get into one of the white vans but be quiet. We’ll be out once we find the boy.”

  The girls moved quickly and quietly down the hallway as Collin and Rebecca checked the other doors. Finally, she opened one and saw a playpen. Matthew squealed with delight at seeing her and stood up in the bed.

  “Hi there, sweetheart.” She scooped him up in her arms.

  “Let’s go,” Collin said, thankful they’d found the child, but anxious to get out before they were discovered.

  Running with a one-year-old would not be easy and Collin prayed Matthew wouldn’t make any noises that might alert David or the others. It didn’t matter. They weren’t leaving him here with those monsters.

  They hurried down the hall and found the door but as they reached it, Collin heard someone call out that she was gone.

  They’d been found out!

  Doors opened and Collin spotted Rayburn head out of the office, followed by David.

  “Run!” he told Rebecca. He raised his gun and fired, causing Rayburn and the rest of them to duck for cover.

  “Get them!” Rayburn called out.

  He spun around and saw Rebecca already through the door and hopping into the back of the van along with the other girls. He headed for the van. It was their only hope for escaping now. The girls slammed the back doors shut as he hopped into the driver’s seat, reached under the steering wheel and had the van hot-wired in a matter of seconds. Rebecca was urging him on the entire time as the girls huddled in the back. Finally, the engine kicked on and Collin pushed the van into gear and took off. He spotted a group of people, including Rayburn, hurrying from the warehouse as they roared away. Two men started shooting and the girls began to scream and cry.

  “Everyone get down,” Collin shouted as he floored the accelerator and sped away. In the side mirrors he spotted men climbing into the other van and pursuing them. They had to get to a main road and get help before those guys caught up to them. “Rebecca, take the wheel.” When she slid over and grabbed the steering wheel, he shimmied to the passenger’s seat and pulled out his gun. He leaned out the window and fired several shots at the van pursuing them. The van avoided them all. They returned fire and Rebecca swerved, nearly throwing him from the van. He gripped the window and slid back inside. He expected her to be frantic, but she looked calm and composed as she drove. She was strong. She had always been strong in the face of adversity. It was one of the things he’d always loved about her...one of the things he still loved about her.

  “I’m out of ammunition,” he told her.

  She glanced at the mirror. “They’re gaining on us. What should we do?”

  He wished for a cell phone to call for help but there was none coming. They were on their own until they could get closer to town.

  He saw her eyes widen and she tensed. “They’re coming.”

  The van swerved around them and sped up, pulling along beside them. It jerked, forcing Rebecca off the road. The girls screamed in the back and Matthew began to cry as the van left the asphalt and slammed into a tree. Collin was thrown forward, slamming his head against the dash. The world seemed to turn upside down as he glanced over at Rebecca and saw her slumped against the steering wheel, unconscious. He was helpless to do anything for her as darkness enveloped him and all he could do was plead for God to help them.

  * * *

  Rebecca’s ears were ringing as she opened her eyes. They were still in the van but it was quiet now except for the sound in the distance of footsteps approaching and the baby’s cries. Beside her, Collin was unconscious. She looked in the back. Most of the girls were beginning to stir after the accident. She unbuckled and leaned over Collin. Blood was oozing from a gash on his forehead where he’d hit his head. She shook him, trying to awaken him, but he didn’t move.

  “Is everyone okay?” she asked and the girls began to moan and move around.

  One of them looked out the window. “They’re coming.”

  Rebecca glanced out and saw two men with guns approaching. Jimmy and Devo. The girls backed up as if that would prevent them from being recaptured. “We have to get out of here.” She turned back to Collin and looked for his gun, scooping it up and checking it. It was empty.

  “Come out now,” a voice commanded from outside, then the back doors swung open and the girls were pulled from the van. Someone else opened Rebecca’s door and a big hand grabbed her and pulled her out, yanking her back to the road, where Rayburn was waiting.

  He flashed her a smug grin as his goons dragged her to him.

  “Let me go!” she demanded.

  Rayburn signaled and the girls were herded into the back of the other van.

  “You’ve caused me a great deal of trouble, Miss Mason, and now you’ve cost me a van as well.”

  One of the goons came up to him. “There’s a guy in the van. He’s knocked out from the crash.”

  Rayburn looked at Rebecca then smiled again. He turned back to the man and gave an order. “Shoot him.”

  “Will do, boss.”

  Rebecca struggled against the grip on her arm as the man walked back down the incline and toward the van. He moved to the passenger’s side, out of their sight, but a moment later, a gunshot sent her stomach plummeting. He’d just shot Collin while he was helpless and unconscious.

  “What kind of a man are you?” she cried to Rayburn. “Shooting a man when he’s unconscious. That’s low even for you.”

  “He was in my way, Rebecca. That’s what I do to people who get in my way. Unfortunately, you’ll learn that lesson as well.”

  Hot tears threatened her but she pushed them back. She would not cry, not now. She wouldn’t let Rayburn know how he’d just devastated her by shooting Collin. Besides, she had to remain calm if she and the girls had any hope of escaping again. They had to make their move while they were out in the open.

  Rayburn dragged her toward his car, opened the back door and shoved her inside. Now was her chance. She pushed the door back at him as he tried to close it, forcing him backward with all the strength she possessed. He lost his balance and stumbled, giving her the opportunity to dash away from the car. She ran to the back of the van as Rayburn shouted out for Devo to go after her. She made it to the back and managed to tackle the man before he was aware of what was happening.

  The girls gasped as someone grabbed her from behind and pressed a knife to her throat that ended her struggling. “Don’t do that again,” Rayburn sneered.

  This was it. She was going to die. He would slit her throat and toss her on the side of the road and these girls who needed her help would vanish for good, his criminal enterprise continuing on with only a bump in the road.

  Devo pushed to his feet, groaning. Rayburn turned to him. “Get up, you fool. And go find out what’s taking Jimmy so long. He should have come back by now.”

  “Jimmy’s dead,” a voice from behind them said and Rebecca’s heart leaped with joy at the sound.

  Rayburn spun around, keeping the knife pressed against her neck. Behind the van doors stood Collin, alive and aiming a gun at Rayburn.

  “Collin!”

  “Recognize this?” Collin asked him, waggling the gun he was holding. “I took it off your guy right before I shot him.”

  Rayburn dug the knife into her skin to make his point. “I’ll slit her throat right now if you don’t drop that gun.”

  Collin didn’t flinch. “You do and you’ll be dead before she hits the ground. Let her go and you get to live.”

  Devo came around the van and Collin fired, sending him to the ground before turning the gun back on Rayburn. “That’s both of your men down, Rayburn. You’re next.”

  Something about Collin’s assured manner gave her hope. He’d been in situations like this before and knew how to handle them. Whatever he did, he couldn’t give up the gun or they were both dead. She knew it and she wa
s certain Collin knew it as well.

  Blood was smeared on his face but he didn’t seem to let it bother him. His stance was firm and his eyes fixed and ready. By contrast, she felt Rayburn tense and his heartbeat increase. He was caged in and like a wild animal, he would fight when cornered.

  This was not going to end well.

  God, help us!

  She didn’t even know the words to pray. Collin had a decision to make and if it meant sacrificing herself to save those girls and end this operation once and for all, she was willing to make it. She just wasn’t sure Collin was willing to let her. He would fight until the end.

  The air stood still around her. She saw Collin fire and felt the knife dig into her throat. She couldn’t even cry out as pain overwhelmed her. Her knees buckled and she fell forward, tumbling to the ground. She touched her neck and felt something warm and wet. Blood. She watched Rayburn fall and heard the screams of the girls in the van, but it was all background noise to the sound of Collin’s scream as he ran to her and hovered over her.

  “Hang on,” he told her as he pulled off his jacket and pressed it to her.

  She knew the truth. They were out in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone and no one on the way to help them. And she saw the truth of her injury on Collin’s face. She was going to bleed out right here on the side of the road.

  He shouted something to the girls, who were now hovering over her also. But when he turned back to her there was fear glowing in his green eyes, fear of losing her. She wanted to tell him it was going to be okay. That she was okay with the Lord now, but mostly she wanted to tell him how much she loved him and had always loved him.

  He shook his head. “Don’t try to talk, Rebecca. We’re getting help.”

  She reached up and touched his cheek, her own hand covered in blood. “I love you,” she whispered to him, pushing past the pain and effort of speaking.