“Don’t borrow trouble,” I warn her. “Quickest way to find out is to go and talk to Demon, now.”
But when we reach Demon’s office, he waves us out with the explanation. “Gonna get a few heads in on this, we’ll use the meeting room instead.”
It’s been a while since a woman has entered our hallowed room where we hold church. Shayla walks in and stands for a moment, taking in the leather-seated chairs and the table with the Satan’s Devils’ insignia carved into it. She shivers as though she finds it intimidating.
Demon follows us in and points Shayla to a seat. She sits, perching on the edge, looking uncomfortable, as well as nervous.
The door keeps opening and shutting. Mace enters, followed by Beef and Hellfire. Cad arrives carrying his computer, and Thunder takes his place to Prez’s right-hand side.
Demon flashes a glance toward Shayla, taking in her shaking hands, and starts, “Won’t draw this out. No need to worry, Shayla. But Cad’s got some good news, or at least, we think he has.”
When Demon gives Cad a nod, he takes over. “Found this out and brought it to Prez. He wanted to make sure it checked out, so I’ve dug as deep as I can.” He pauses and opens his laptop. “Pretty certain I’ve found Esme’s parents. In Flagstaff of all places.”
“Flagstaff, Arizona?”
“Is there another, Beef?”
He shrugs. If the VP doesn’t know of one, I certainly don’t.
“Their kid disappeared on a shopping trip,” Cad continues. “One minute she was supposed to be with them, next it seemed she’d wandered off. They searched for her, involved the cops, but nothing ever turned up. That was four months ago, which tallies with your timeline, Shayla.”
Shayla’s head nods vigorously, but her brow is scrunched as though she’s trying to process this information. “Major took her from them? What was he doing in Arizona?”
Cad looks blank. “I’ve no fuckin’ idea. More likely to be opportunist rather than planned, or maybe he did target her, who the fuck knows? Esme’s a pretty girl.” He grimaces. It’s easy to see why Major thought she’d be worth something. “I don’t take anything at face value, and neither does Prez. A kid like Esme is bound to be challenging. I wanted to check that the parents weren’t involved, that they genuinely lost her and want her back. I’ve checked their bank accounts and recent purchases, and nothing suggests they came into money at the time. Quite the opposite, in fact. Once the cops turned up nothing, they re-mortgaged their house to fund private investigators.”
“So they’ve been actively trying to find her?”
“She’s still listed as a missing person, and from the police reports, the parents haven’t given up. They’re still pestering the cops on what is now a cold case for them. No one saw Esme being taken away, so the snatch was done cleanly and efficiently. The only CCTV available shows her looking at a window display while her parents hadn’t noticed her stop, then, she walks out of sight. No one else in the footage.”
“Major picked his moment and was clever about it,” I suggest.
“Doubt he did it himself,” observes Beef. “Probably one of his minions.”
“If she got lost,” Shayla adds to the conversation, “she’d have trusted anyone who said they’d help her.”
Of course, she would, and someone had taken advantage.
“It’s a mystery how she got from Flagstaff to Vegas, or how she came into Major’s hands, but it appears she did. It’s Esme from photos the parents posted. They’re all over social media.”
Shayla’s hands form fists. “Major had books with our pictures in there, a brochure of sorts. He showed me once.” Her face twists. “If her picture’s been plastered around, people who saw that would have known she was missed. Not one of them did anything to stop it.”
I refrain from telling her it wouldn’t have mattered a damn to men who preferred their women unwilling, or young.
“Are you on social media, Shayla?” Cad asks.
She shakes her head. “I was… before. But I’ve avoided it and any digital footprint since I got free.”
Sensible girl. She hadn’t given into temptation in case Major used it to track her.
Demon takes over. “Cad brought this to me first thing today. I asked the Tucson boys to check the home out and then called this meeting when Drummer reported back. From what they said, the house is in a nice neighbourhood and the family’s lived there for years. Lady posed as a journalist, and the parents were only too willing to talk to him to get her name front and foremost in the news once again. Obviously, the story had died over the months she’d been gone, the initial interest fading. He saw her bedroom left untouched, her drawings pinned up in the house, some framed. Her mom was upset, but proud of the work her daughter had produced. He also talked to the neighbours and heard stories of a happy, loved and cared for girl.” He pauses and looks around. “From what he said, it sounds like they’re genuine.”
“I agree it sounds kosher,” says Beef, and Thunder nods.
“So what are we going to do about it?” Hellfire asks.
“That’s why I’ve called us together,” Demon states. “If there’s a fuckin’ sniff of a chance they had something to do with Major, I wouldn’t for one second countenance handing her back. But Cad’s found no link with him anywhere. Looks like this is just how it sounds, an abduction and grieving parents who’ve no idea where their daughter disappeared to.” He glances at the only female in the room. “You know her, Shayla. Your view is important to me. Did she ever mention her home or family?”
Shayla’s lips purse and she doesn’t give an immediate answer. Then her mouth opens. “She used to cry for her mom and her dad. I got the impression she had no siblings?” Her intonation rises, and Cad interprets it as a question.
“She’s their only child,” he confirms.
Shayla nods. “Crying for her mom was one of the things that got her punished, so in the end, she stopped. Then, of course, she wouldn’t talk at all. Before that, I’d tried to ask where she came from, but all I got was 1601 River Street, which was probably useful if you knew the town or city, but…” her voice trails off and she shrugs.
Probably why she hasn’t mentioned it before.
Cad’s eyes brighten. “That’s the address,” he confirms.
“What are we waiting for?” Hell snaps. “Let’s get them here. Esme wants to go with them, she can. She indicates otherwise…”
“One sign that Esme’s uncomfortable with them, I’ll take her away.” Shayla sounds firm. “Not allowing Esme near Major again.”
“No one wants her back in his hands,” Demon growls. “Not taking any chance of that.”
“Is there a problem here?” I’ve been quiet up to now. “If Esme was going to be making Major money, and fuck knows I hate to think it, but I can understand how he could have from some twisted motherfuckers, but might he try to take her back? He might have eyes on her parents, just in case she returns if she’s that valuable to him. He was never able to cash in on his investment.”