Chapter 27

Planning and yet more planning, though this time I couldn't complain about having to do it. Our priority was Tricia and the baby. To get to her and make sure that she was safe. Calvert, well he could always find him later.

"We need to get closer and check the place out for sensors and alarms. The only way to do that is for someone who knows what to look for, to approach as maybe a mailman"

I got the hint and seeing Charlie roll her eyes she understood that the person wouldn't be one of us. If Calvert was inside the house then he would recognize us both and that would ensure that he knew that we were on to him. The plan evolved from there with Charlie and me assigned to a van that held the comms center and Les "Borrowing" a mail van to attempt to deliver a parcel. The parcel would have the address of a place further up the road that was equally isolated so there was no need to worry about what would be delivered.

Rider, Oakes, Corey and Rapp were assigned to work with us, men that at least I knew. I wasn't sure who was assigned to keep watch of the house because I wouldn't have known any of the Boston men anyway. An hour later we were all suitably attired, just in case, with vests, comms units and weapons. As we entered the garage, I could tell that Charlie was nervous and maybe a little overwhelmed by what was happening around her. Once inside the van with Corey and Rider, I sat next to her and began to softly sing. John Denver, Take me home, at least had Charlie smiling. Yeah, she remembered when we'd sang those songs together. It had been a way of preparing us for what we had to face, and it was no different now. We were headed into a battle of sorts. As Corey drove, they were listening as Charlie and went through those songs, Celine Dion, Queen and a few more that Rider suggested. It certainly eased the tension for where we were headed.

Corey parked the van at the side of the street further up from the gates to the house. Close enough to be able to see the gates but hopefully far enough away that we weren't obvious to anyone passing by. I had to admit that I hadn't even thought about how Les would get past those gates. A thumbs up from Rider and we could see the mail van approach. Corey turned on the central comms unit so that we could all hear what was about to happen.

"Should I be whistling? Don't answer that"

Even at a time like this Les knew how to break the tension.

"Electronic pad on the gate, crap system"

Came as we watched Les push the gate open and walk through. I had no idea how he'd opened it, but I suppose being in the security business then he'd know how.

"Seems really quiet, knocking on the door now"

We heard the loud raps on the doorcoming through the speaker and held our breaths. What if Calvert was there and it was him who opened the door?

"Err, you shouldn't be here"

I heard the soft tone of a woman's voice and immediately looked over to Charlie. The nod of her head and the tears in her eyes told me that the woman was Tricia.

"Sorry Ma'am. Is this number 278?"

There was no answer and a few moments later there was only the sound of the door closing. I was a nervous wreck waiting for Les to reappear and give us some information. He closed the gate and returned to the mail van before he started to give us an update.

"Two cameras on the house pointing down the drive and it looks like sensors fitted to the windows. The woman who opened the door looked very pale and frightened. She kept looking behind her when she opened it. Her reaction to the message on the box was shock and she definitely nodded her head. I'd say she's frightened to leave that house for some reason"

It had been a clever idea of Charlie's to have the message on the bottom of the parcel asking if she needed help to leave the house. Had a man answered or a woman who bore no resemblance to Charlie's photo of Tricia, then they wouldn't have seen the message and Les would have left.

"We've got company"

Came from Corey just before the back doors flew open. I actually had my hand on the gun that was holstered at my side ready to draw, when I recognized the smiling faces of the two men who climbed in.

"Did you think that you'd do an operation without us?"

Geez, how the hell had they found us all the way out here? I watched as Oscar and Jerome pulled themselves up and into the back of the van.

"I just knew that you were up to something when you were away for so long so put in a call and here we are, ready to help"

Came from Oscar as he looked around at who was here. Corey and Rider already knew Oscar, so I introduced Jerome and Charlie.

"What do you have in mind?"

It was Corey who was asking the question and looking at Oscar. I knew that we were already onto plan B because it was obvious that something was keeping Tricia inside that house though wasn't sure what Corey was expecting from Oscar or Jerome.

"I can override the alarm system so someone can get inside. Once in then we can assess what we're up against"

"Do it"

Came over the speakers from Les who had obviously heard what Jerome had offered to do.

"Is the rear of the property clear?"

I assumed that the team who was doing the surveillance would know that but when I heard the "All clear" I was frowning. I recognized that voice. Was Tank here?

"Charlie, you're the best one to go in and talk with your sister. I'll go in with you. Corey you and Steph stay with the van"

I knew that was coming. It had been a part of the plan. Rider would position himself opposite the gates to keep a look out while Corey and I monitored the conversations over the comms.

"I need to be closer to the power supply to do my thing"

Came from Jerome as he left with Oscar to deal with the alarms and cameras, and I suppose that Oscar would be his back up. All too soon I was sat with Corey on our own in the van while we watched as Charlie and Les walked through those gates. I hated not being there doing something. All that I could do was to listen for any talking.

"Security deactivated. Good to go"

Came from Jerome just before I heard a door opening. Les was prepared to deal with any type of lock so the pair of them were probably already inside the house.

"Charlie, oh god, Charlie"

Tricia's voice rang out through the speakers so I could imagine the emotion was at an all time high, but Charlie was level headed enough to know that they had to prioritize getting Tricia and the baby out.

"Tricia, Tricia. Listen to me. What's stopping you from leaving the house?"

This was the moment that I'd been dreading, her saying that she didn't want to leave so imagine my surprise when Tricia almost screamed out her answer.

"He has trackers inside us. I tried, honestly, I tried to get away, but he found us. He said that if I ever did that again then he'd take Charlie and sell him before he killed me"

Huh. Tricia was calling her baby by her sisters nickname. That reinforced for me that she didn't want to be here and that she hated her captor.

"What else do we need to know about before we leave?"

Les sounded extremely serious as he asked that. He must have assumed that there was some other reason that was scaring her into staying.

"Dogs. If our trackers leave the confines of the house the dogs are automatically released"

I looked at Corey questioning with my eyes if that could happen now that the security was turned off. A shrug of his shoulders wasn't what I wanted to see. The idea of dogs being lose and chasing them didn't bode well for me.

"Go get Charlie Tricia. Les has this sorted. We're getting you out of here"

There were no arguments from Tricia, and I heard footsteps on stairs so assumed she was going to fetch the baby.

"Will it work?"

A worried question from Charlie that I'm sure was aimed at Les.

"Yes. These jammers will block any signal that the trackers emit. We'll use them as we leave the house and then make sure that we move as quickly as possible. Once Calvert knows that they aren't transmitting then he'll be alerted"

I was waiting for the latest update when all of a sudden all that I could hear was a high pitched squealing noise. I looked at Corey who looked equally surprised as he tried to adjust some of the controls. Were the jammers responsible? Had we lost touch with everyone? Not everyone it seems because someone knew we were here. The sound of the glass in the passenger door breaking had me looking toward the front of the van and suddenly something was flying through the broken window. Smoke, a loud boom with glaring light overtook me. The small interior of the van intensifying the effect.

"Stun grenade"

Were the words that I managed to hear from Corey before I made a beeline for the back doors. I had to get us out of there away from the smoke. I was coughing and wheezing as I collapsed to my knees onto the gravel. My eyes were watering, and my ears were ringing. I turned in the hope of seeing Corey following me but someone grabbing hold of my hair pulled me the other way and up onto my feet. At first I thought that maybe it was Corey, that he was so close behind me that he'd just grabbed hold of anything in order to get me away from the van.

"You. You have caused us so much trouble. I've had enough of you always sticking your nose in where it's not wanted"

Not Corey, or even the voice of any of the men that I knew were here. I was half on my knees and on my feet as I felt myself being dragged along the gravel. Get a hold of yourself, I chastised myself, do something and quickly. I may not have been able to focus what I was seeing very well and my ears were still ringing, but there was no doubt in my mind who it was that had a hold of me. My hand instinctively went inside my hoodie to reach for my gun but not knowing exactly what was happening that didn't exactly go as planned. A hand came from nowhere and yanked the gun away from me. Okay, I was mad now. Finding the strength, who knows where from, I moved from the position that I was in like a sprinter when the starter pistol went off. My eyesight was getting clearer, and my ears were almost back to normal but that didn't compensate for the body that I ran into. What the hell?

"Just in time Nicky"

Nicky? Who the hell was Nicky? I looked up at the man that I'd ran into, feeling slightly smug that my shoulder was causing him some grief in his stomach, though I had no idea who he was. Where were the rest of the men? Hadn't they realized that Calvert had turned up with a buddy? No, they were focused on getting Tricia and her baby out of here. Maybe Calvert wasn't even aware that they were being rescued.

"What do you want to do with her?"

Came from the voice behind me. Oh no that wasn't happening, I was not going anywhere with them. As hands grabbed hold of my arms, I was fighting to get free, but my legs were suddenly lifted off the ground and I felt myself being carried. I screamed, of yeah, I screamed. I would say to try and get someone's attention but if the truth was known I was scared to death.

"For heaven's sake shut her up"

Was the last thing that I heard before I felt the sting from a stun gun on my neck.

I was so fed up with being stunned. I could still feel my muscles complaining and was praying that I hadn't peed myself. My eyes seemed less agitated from the smoke and my ears had stopped buzzing but there was only silence around me. Even with my eyes open I couldn't see anything. It was pitch black and felt cold and damp. My mind instantly thought of the pits that Elijah had made. Was I in one of those? The feel of the ground underneath my hand certainly felt like soil which had me realizing that I hadn't been tied up. As I dragged myself onto my knees I was looking to my side when I heard the sound of a key in a lock.

Do you know what the first thought was that went through my head? Not where was I, or who would be on the other side of that door. No, it was relief that there was a door at floor level and not above me. How sick was that? I'd managed to get up onto my feet when the door finally opened allowing a sliver of light to illuminate the dungeon that I was in. I could see Calvert stood there, staring at me. I had never seen him close up before and judged his age to be similar to mine, so older than Isaac and Elijah. He wore his cheap suit well and certainly passed as an FBI agent, though I have to admit that he was better looking than I'd imagined. It was the look on his face that brought out the Jersey girl in me. Arrogance and smugness.

I had to inwardly talk myself down from going all rhino on him, something that I really wanted to do but had enough sense to know that it wouldn't get me anywhere. Calvert was stood in the doorway giving me nowhere to run. So I went with the next best attribute that I had. No, definitely not my body or looks. Talking.

"It must have been lucky for Isaac to have you as a friend. A man with the same sick mentality about women"

Oops, hadn't meant for that to come out as sarcastically as that and I took a step back as he stepped forward.

"Look, I know you want rid of me, but at least tell me how you came to know Isaac. I mean you lived poles apart from him"

He laughed as though what I'd asked was funny or maybe how he met with Isaac was funny.

"Met in a titty bar here in Boston and found that we both had the same taste in woman and what we wanted them to do"

My breath hitched as I considered what he might mean by that, did that mean that they enjoyed hurting them?

"I was the one to see the potential of those women that his stupid brother kept taking to his place. It was clean and very profitable with some side benefits for the both of us"

Which meant that Elijah had continued to take women, maybe they were from the streets. Homeless girls that no one would ever miss. They'd started trafficking unknown women because no one would ever know or care.

"What about the three that were found at that settlement where Isaac grew up?"

Curious as to why they had been murdered and buried there.

"Isaac had what you would call a predilection for going too far, a family trait, so to say"

I suppose I'd always assumed that it had to be Isaac that had killed and buried those three women. Losing his first love in such a gruesome way and knowing that his mother had condoned it had set him on a path of destroying women's lives. No doubt meeting Kiera. Hold on. I would have kicked myself if I could, if it wasn't Isaac that she'd come across, was Calvert?

"You must have been upset when he killed Kiera like he did"

Yeah, that got a reaction but not one that I expected. The shrug of his shoulders implied that he was upset about it, but not overly annoyed. Maybe the whole relationship between Isaac, Kiera and Calvert had been a pure and simple businesses agreement.

"Her! Isaac met her over on the east coast but she soon pushed her way into what we were doing. She said that she wasn't going to waste her time with the training when she could work earning real money"

Kiera had been enthusiastic about working with pregnant women but I'd never imagined that she could be so arrogant as to think that she was anywhere near qualified.

"That must have been a piece of luck for you then"

Hoping that Calvert would embellish on how the three of them had worked together.

"He never really appreciated Kiera's vision for cashing in on selling babies before we trafficked the women, then again, she could be an annoying woman to work with. There was too much to organize for him and he was more of a hands on man. Managing the nightclub and overseeing the bidding was more his style"

Which implied what I'd thought before. Calvert saw himself as the mastermind with Kiera being the one to come up with surrogate babies for sale and Isaac doing as he was told. Only Isaac was difficult to control. I considered asking about Tricia but decided not to bring her to his attention. Hopefully by now she was ensconced safely inside Rangeman, and the trackers had been removed.

"Jimmy, what the hell are you doing? Just get rid of her and then we can get out of here"

Oh no, now we had company, and I recognized the accented voice from when I was being carried. As this new man stepped in beside Calvert, I must admit that I was at a loss as to who he was. Dark hair that to be honest looked too perfect which meant that it was probably dyed. He was a tall man with a rugged look about him but in no way was he good looking. I honestly thought that I was doomed but then I remembered the devices that Les had made me wear. Okay the ear comm had got lost somewhere along the way, probably when that grenade went boom inside the van, but I still had my trackers hidden on me. Les would know where I was.

"Does anyone know about this place?"

Was asked of Calvert by the man. That had me wondering where we were and how far from Calvert's house we'd travelled.

"No. We're in a basement underneath what would have been an outbuilding on the property. Look, I need to check on Patricia and the baby. I'm not normally this late home"

A basement close to his house! We must have come in through another entrance that was further away from the house or he would have realized that the security was down, and Tricia and the baby were missing. What was with him that he had kept her here? Hold on, wasn't there a team watching the back of the house or was this old building too far away? Where the hell were they when you needed them?

I had a terrible feeling go through me as Calvert disappeared and left me alone with this man. As he stepped toward me, I stepped back, now so unsure of what to do. I saw his hand go into his jacket pocket so expected him to produce a gun, not the knife that glinted from the light coming in through the door. I had nowhere to go.

I was up against the wall deciding how to avoid being stabbed to death when a shadow passed across the door. The man obviously didn't see it or worse, he was expecting someone. As the dark shadow materialized, I had to force myself not to look, not to give him away.