Dolby(28)
Author: Maryann Jordan
“Toilet.”
She blinked, still uncertain at his one-word comment. He lifted his hand and pointed down the hall. Dragging her tongue over her dry lips, she jiggled her left hand, and the chain rattled. “What about this?” She barely recognized the squeak of her voice.
With keys still in his hand, he grabbed her wrist to unlock the cuff. He stepped to the side and gave her shoulder a light push toward the door, so she hurried to step out into the hall. She glanced ahead, but other than tile floors and blank walls, the space gave no hint as to where she was being held.
Moving hesitantly in the direction he had pointed, she stopped when he grabbed her shoulder again, leaned past her, and threw open another door. It was a small bathroom with nothing more than a toilet and a sink, but she was grateful.
As she stepped inside, she wondered if he’d allow her to close the door. She was no risk to him, and without a window in the bathroom, she could hardly escape. She shut the door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief when he made no attempt to stop her. Not sure how long she’d have, she quickly used the toilet, then washed her hands. Not knowing if she’d get another chance anytime soon, she cupped her hands under the stream and sipped a small amount of water, relieving her parched mouth.
She glanced into the mirror, noting the bruising on her neck, and remembered being jabbed with a hypodermic needle when overcome at Angela’s house. She had no idea how much time had passed since then or if Angela had even returned from LA yet and discovered she was gone.
A sharp rap on the door let her know her guard’s patience was at an end, and she opened it quickly. Dipping her chin, she mumbled, “Thank you.” It would do her no good to rant and rave. This man was following orders from whoever devised her kidnapping. Staying calm was her best offense right now.
He pointed back at her closet-sized room, and her gaze continued to shoot around as they walked, looking for any clue as to where she was or what might assist her in escaping. But there was nothing. She could have been in any building anywhere in the world. And worse, her chance of escape at the moment was nil.
She hesitated at her doorway, but another slight push on her shoulder forced her inside. Her silent prayer that he’d forget about the restraint was not answered when he grabbed her wrist and fastened the cuff. He stepped outside and looked up the hall where footsteps approached. His low voice spoke a few words to someone, but she couldn’t see who was there. He turned and came back into her room, holding a paper sack in his hand.
He lifted it toward her, and the scent of bread hit her. Taking the bag, she unfolded the top and peered inside to see a sandwich and a bottle of water. Once again, she forced her gaze to look into his dark, unsmiling face, dipped her chin, and thanked him.
His expression gave her nothing. No curving of the lips. No flash through his eyes. He simply turned and walked out of the room again. This time, he pulled the door shut behind him, and the sound of keys in the lock met her ears before his footsteps faded down the hall.
The urge to scream, cry, shake her wrist to rattle the chain, and even throw the bag across the room all slammed into her at one time. Dragging in a shaky breath, she let it out slowly. For now, survival included staying strong as well as staying alive.
Dropping to the pallet on the floor, she opened the bag and pulled out her sandwich and water bottle, grateful for the trip to the bathroom and the food.
At least they don’t plan on killing me right now. She pressed her lips together at that thought, and a tear slid down her face at the memories threatening to assault her.
13
Dolby walked into the LSIWC compound along with Leo and Adam. They’d left early, flown back to California, and were now ready for the report and debrief with Carson. Marcia hadn’t answered her phone when he’d called last night, nor when they arrived back in California earlier. He knew she was busy but hated not having talked to her.
Stepping through the security panels, including retina scans, fingerprint scans, and keypads, they entered the main conference room and found the others there. It wasn’t unusual to have all the Keepers together at once, but with so many missions going on at any given time, it also wasn’t uncommon to have only a partial gathering.
Along with Leo, Natalie, Hop, Bennett, Rick, Jeb, and Adam, there were former SEALs Poole and Chris. Rick’s fiancée, Abbie, had been a former CIA operative and was now a Keeper.
Half an hour later, the report was complete, and he leaned back in his seat as Carson began going over upcoming assignments. He always looked forward to finding out what his next mission would be, but at the moment, all he wanted to do was talk to Marcia. Hopefully, she was back in her house, and he’d get there this evening.
Rachel stepped into the room, her gaze moving directly to Carson before darting over to Dolby and then back to Carson. His chin jerked down slightly at her ruffled demeanor, something rarely seen with Rachel. She was unflappable in most situations, and when she spoke, they all listened. Now, seeing the concern on her face, his attention was riveted on her.
“Rachel, what is it?” Carson asked, drawing everyone’s focus to her.
“There’s an Angela Mansfield on the phone. She says it’s an emergency. She’s a friend of—”
“Marcia,” Dolby stated, his heart now pounding. “A friend of Marcia’s. What’s wrong?”
“She’s asking to speak to you, Dolby,” Rachel said. “When I questioned her, she admitted she needed our help. I’ve got her on video conference.”
Jeb immediately turned, and with a click of his keyboard, the screen on the wall filled with the image of a beautiful, blond woman whose pale face and wide eyes gave evidence of her emotions. While they could see her, she would only have a blank screen in front of her.
“Ms. Mansfield, I’m Carson Dyer. I understand you need to speak to us.”
Her face crumpled, agony deeply visible. “Please, you’ve got to find her.”
“Who?” Dolby barked, rising to his feet, barely aware of Hop standing nearby, his hand landing on Dolby’s shoulder.
“Marcia. Marcia Blackburn. She’s missing. Kidnapped.” A grimace twisted her mouth. “Oh God, this is all my fault.”
“Ms. Mansfield,” Carson said, attempting to calm her with his low and steady tone. “If she’s missing, we need to gather all the information as quickly as possible, so I need you to take a deep breath and tell us everything you know.”