“I don’t think we should leave anything to chance,” I said. “What if someone walked back and covered the tracks?”
“It’s possible. All right. Let’s go in.”
I walked up the cracked concrete stoop and tried the door. It was locked, but I easily executed a side kick and knocked it in.
“Bryce,” Talon said. “That’s not exactly being quiet.”
“You got a better idea?”
He shook his head, and we both walked inside.
“Marjorie?” I yelled. No need to be quiet after kicking in a door. “Are you here?”
Nothing.
I followed Talon, who had the light, as we searched every inch of the unit.
Nothing.
On to the next one.
Nothing in the next four units, either.
Finally, we came across what looked like tire tracks and footprints.
“This could be the one,” Talon whispered.
This door was padlocked and had been recently replaced. Not a great chance that I’d be able to kick it in. I tried, though, and got a nasty charley horse in my thigh.
“Maybe both of us together,” Talon said.
We kicked on three. Nothing.
“No one’s there, apparently, or they’d have heard us kicking,” Talon said.
“We still have to try,” I said. “What if she’s in there? Tied up and gagged?”
I could hardly bear the thought.
Talon nodded. “Let’s check the windows.”
We walked the perimeter of the unit, Talon shining the light in each window. “A-ha,” he said. “Beakers and Bunsen burners. This is a meth lab.”
“So that’s why it’s locked up, and why there are tire tracks. Still, what if Marj is in there? She could have easily been taken by meth heads.”
“We’d have gotten a ransom demand if that were the case,” Talon said. “My gut tells me she’s not here. We shouldn’t waste the time.”
“We can’t take the chance. We have to know for sure.”
He nodded. “You’re right.” He pushed his flashlight through a window, breaking the glass. “Give me a boost.”
“You need a cloth. What if a shard gets you?”
“I’ve been through worse than a cut from broken glass,” he said.
I nodded and made a scoop with my hands. He pulled himself up to the window.
“You stay here and keep watch,” he said. “I won’t be long.”
“Roger.”
I heard faint noises of Talon tussling around inside, looking for clues. A minute passed. Then another. Then ten more, until—
Crash!
Shit! I hoisted myself up quickly and landed, not gracefully, on the floor of what appeared to be the kitchen. I didn’t have a flashlight, but my eyes adjusted quickly. This was a meth lab, all right, but it had long since been abandoned.
I followed the noises Talon was making, my weapon drawn. “Talon! I’m coming.”
“This way,” he said.
Soon I came upon him. His light was shining on a skinny sandy-haired man. He held his gun aimed at the man’s heart.
“He came in the back way after I got in,” Talon said.
I moved to Talon’s right to cover the guy from the back. I aimed my gun at his brain.
“Start talking,” Talon said.
“You better have a good reason for breaking and entering,” the man said.
“And you better have a good reason for having a meth lab in your kitchen,” I retorted.
“It’s not mine,” the man said.
“Sell it to someone else.” Talon cocked his gun. “We’re looking for three people. An older woman with brown hair and eyes, a younger one, same coloring with long hair, and a young man with light brown hair and hazel eyes. Hair’s real short.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “Put those guns down, please.”
“Not on your life,” I said through clenched teeth. “You’re holed up in a meth lab. Even if you don’t know where—”
A slight movement to the man’s right.
Then, a woman’s voice.
“Brad? Is that you?”
Chapter Sixteen
Marjorie
Slit her throat.
The words rang in my head.
Could I? Was I capable of doing harm to another human being?
I was certainly capable of harming myself. With the slight thought, my fresh cut itched and tingled, and the steel blade grew hot against my breast.
My friend…
Would I get in trouble? I’d been kidnapped. Taken against my will. Surely this would be a case of self-defense.
If only Jade were here. She was an attorney. She could tell me for sure.
Alex rustled around in the other room. Until she fell asleep, we couldn’t do anything anyway.
Still, the blade burned against my flesh, as if it were branding me.
“What now?” Colin mouthed to me.
“We wait, I guess,” I mouthed back.
We should be exhausted, but energy rolled through me. My heart beat rapidly, keeping me on edge. No way would I be able to sleep. No way.
I just hoped Alex could. Apparently, she was used to doing these sorts of things for a living. If so, she should be able to sleep through anything by now. Or she slept lightly. I prayed it was the former.
Come on! Fall asleep, damn it!
Still, she rustled around, sounding as if she was having a difficult time getting comfortable. Served her right, though I wanted her comfortable at the moment.
I wanted her damned comfortable, dreaming about pink clouds and unicorns and sleeping like a baby.
I lay down on the bed. “Lie down,” I said barely audibly to Colin. “In case she comes in here.”
He nodded and took his place on the floor.
Normally I’d have resisted lying down, afraid I’d fall asleep. Not tonight. My beating heart wouldn’t let me succumb to slumber anytime soon.
I sat up in bed and checked my watch. Shit! Forty-five minutes had passed in the span of two. So much for not falling asleep. On the floor next to me, Colin had succumbed as well. Maybe this had been a good thing. If Alex thought we were asleep…
I moved slowly, cringing every time the stupid bed made a creak. I didn’t want to wake Colin. Not yet. The less sound, the better.
I tiptoed to the door and peered into the other room. I squinted to try to see better. Alex was a dark lump on the bed, her chest rising and falling in a regular rhythm. Did that mean she was asleep?
So far, she hadn’t heard me. Did I dare actually walk into the room?
No.
I had to wake Colin first. But how to do that without alarming him? He might cry out, and that would wake up Alex.
I walked back to where Colin lay on the floor. I nudged him gently.
He opened his eyes. “It’s okay. I’m awake,” he said, mouthing more than saying the words.
Relief swept through me. “I think she’s asleep,” I mouthed back.
He nodded and sat up. “Let’s do it.”
Again, the blade burned against my flesh. Take it out of your bra, Marj. You need to have it in your hand.
I drew in a deep breath, gathering my courage.