Chapter 10

Shooting Star Casino
4:00 PM

Sands sat in his car in a parking lot about a block from the casino. Laptop open, he was researching Harrah's casino in Reno, Nevada, only to find out it was run by some Native Americans out there, but try as he might, he could not find out any thing about its ownership. Frustrated, he stepped out of the car and walked the block down to where the Shooting Star was located. It was early in the evening, so the place was closed. Staying close to the wall and in the shadows, he made his way back to the back of the building and looked for the "hidden" back door that he'd left out of last time. Putting the silencer on his gun as soon as he spotted it, he shot the card lock open and stepped inside, gun at the ready. He had no idea what to expect as he quietly moved down the staircase that lead to the basement where Markham conducted his business. He shot the next lock open and stepped into the show room area, on the look out for anything. The place looked as if it had been cleaned out. The room where the women were kept, was empty of all clothes, makeup, anything to indicate that anyone had been there. He walked further in and saw that the bar and the lounge had been stripped bare. Looked as if Markham had moved operation.. "Son of a bitch.." he muttered to himself. No telling where Markham had moved the operation to. He frowned and made his way back up the steps and outside. Just as he came out the door, his cell phone rang.

"Yeah, talk to me".. He answered it as he walked briskly the block back to his car.

"Sands..Milano here.."

"Joe?"

"Yeah.. listen we got some new information today. We got word that Markham has skipped out of Amarillo and moved operation to Reno, Nevada.."

"Yeah, no s**t.. I just came from doing some recon there.. place is cleaned out..any idea where he's set up?"

"Not yet, but we also got a tip that he recently, as in within the last year, acquired a casino there called Harrah's. With the pattern of things in Amarillo, I'd say there would be a good place to start.."

"Yeah,yeah,yeah..ok,listen..I am going to get on a plane ASAP for Reno, but I'll need backup cause Markham is going down this time, no more fucking around. Send Terry and Lance..I don't need any rookies on this, savvy?" Terry and Lance Masters were colleagues and friends of his from his Academy days and he knew they'd be perfect to get the job done.

"They'll meet you at the airport.." Joe replied and they hung up.

Sands put in a call to the airport as soon as he got to his hotel room. As he packed, his thoughts wandered to Jessie. He missed her. He cursed himself every chance he got for not staying with her the night before. If he hadn't had to do that all too necessary recon work maybe she would still be here in his arms where she was safe. He sure as hell knew she wouldn't be married to Blaine, he'd have seen to it that she got out of could only hope that not only could he finish the job, but that he could find her. He was almost positive that when he found Markham, he would find hoped she wouldn't be dead by the time he did, if he did, No, he couldn't say that. He had to find her and God help Markham if she had one hair harmed.

Harrah's Hotel and Casino
Reno, Nevada

Sanders Markham sat in his office in deep thought when his cell phone rang. Lighting himself a cigar, he answered it.

"Markham here.."

"We got her boss, had to kill a couple people, but we got her. We're on the plane now and they said we should be landing in about an hour..You didn't tell us that little girl was such a spitfire, she fought us til I had to knock her out with my fist. Then-"

"Alright, yeah, well you know what to do as soon as the plane lands. There'll be a car waiting on the runway for you. Bring her here and put her in one of the suites on the top floor of the hotel.."

"But why isn't she going down with the rest of the women, Boss? Isn't she meant to be sold? I thought-"

"You ask too many damn questions! Right now, she isn't going to be sold, unless dire consequences occur, and likely they will. For now just do as I say.."

"So she isn't to be used either? Damn, and I thought I might get a taste of her..what do we do if she doesn't behave herself?"

"I'll leave all of that up to you. As I said before, I look for her to need to be put with the other women in a couple days if her father doesn't pay up."

An hour later...

The plane touched down and Jessie was barely able to walk from the plane to the waiting car. Her head was still spinning from the one man's fist, which had been used on her more than once to render her unconscious when she began to fight, She was lucky her jaw wasn't broken. Finally, when they''d gotten her on the plane, they'd knocked her out with some kind of drug and it had just worn off. Still she was groggy. Her head hurt from the drug and from being hit, He arm hurt from it being twisted and she felt lucky it wasn't broken. Her stomach hurt because she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Most of all though, her heart hurt because she missed Sands. She didn't know who had her or why or where she was,all she knew was that she was in a hell of a lot of pain and wondered if she'd make it out of this alive and if she'd ever see Sands..or her Daddy ever again. She half stumbled, half tripped as they practically dragged her to the waiting car and pushed her into the back seat and got in with her, one on each side. She was afraid to speak, for risk of getting hurt again. She began to cry, she couldn't help it.

"What're you crying for,woman?" the one man asked as if he shouldn't already know why.

"I...I am hungry and thirsty. I haven't eaten since way early this morning.." she answered though her tears.

"We'll feed you when we get where we're going..for now, drink this.." he tossed her a bottled water, then laughed because she had her hands tied. Jessie looked at him with a look that would've killed him on the spot if it could have. The other man opened the bottle and pretty much poured it down her throat, nearly choking her, but Jessie was too thirsty to care, though she coughed and sputtered. She wanted to fight back and escape this hell, but they were big men and easily towered over her.

Awhile later, they finally made it to the hotel and dragged her in through a back entrance and up to the top floor where they stashed her in one of the suites. Jessie ate like she hadn't in days when they finally let her. They locked her in the bedroom and only then did they untie her hands, and then left to go in the sitting room to guard her. Jessie dragged herself to the bathroom and took a shower, wincing in pain at the bruises along her jaw line and her arms and even her breasts where they had pinched them. One man, however, still had a swollen lip where she'd bitten it when he tried to force a kiss on her. When she finished her shower, she put on the robe provided and sank down onto the bed and cried herself to sleep with Sands' name on her lips.