“When she failed to get a kid to me the first time” —the woman jerked her chin in Ames’ direction— “I had to come up here and get the kid myself. Her and those stupid nails. I tapped into the reports. Found out that she’d gone for ‘fashionista’ instead of ‘circumspect.’ The kid remembered her nails. So I had to do some of the dirty work this time. I haven’t had to do that in a couple of months since I found Ames. Reminded me of all the fun.”
Reminded me of all the fun.
She was talking about kidnapping a child and fun.
What kind of fucked-up person…
“I have to tell you, though.” She shook her head. “After this, I won’t be able to use her anymore.”
I swallowed hard. “What? Why?”
And why the hell was I still standing there when I should be screaming?
“Whatever you’re thinking,” she said, her eyes studying my face in a bored expression. “I suggest you don’t. I’m more than capable of taking care of every single person that’s here. I don’t come unarmed.”
That made me hesitate.
“Where did you take that little girl?” I asked, trying to keep her talking.
Eventually Sin would look up, and I could make him understand.
“I took her to her new owner.” She paused. “Well, I didn’t. My husband did.”
Again, bile burned its way up my throat, and this time I didn’t stop my instincts.
I puked.
All over the woman.
She gasped and stepped back, getting caught up in her forgotten walker, and went down hard.
That’s when I tossed my bucket over her and started yelling.
• • •
“You okay?” Sin asked.
“Yeah,” I repeated.
“She already said that like ten minutes ago,” Bronx said as he tapped me lightly with his shoulder.
“Agreed,” Johnny said. “Now shut up. I can’t hear.”
All of Sin’s brothers, as well as my own, had shown up after a few phone calls.
All of them justifiably pissed.
Because after Sin had come to the rescue, the old woman had been searched, and they’d found quite a few guns on her that were illegal as fuck—silenced guns at that—indicating that she probably could’ve done quite a bit of damage if she’d tried. Just like she’d said.
After relaying everything that had gone down to quite a few very intimidating people, including my own man and Officer Tatum Briggs, she’d been questioned.
And though she hadn’t given much of anything, she had given up Ames.
Ames who was now in the back of a police cruiser as she glared hard at all of us.
Ames that had been pivotal in the role of her own daughter’s kidnapping. According to her, she’d gotten in this sick game of kidnapping a few months ago and hadn’t been able to find her way out since. She’d been the one to kidnap the little girl from the supermarket—her first according to her—and give her to the transport man that would be transporting her to the older man who would then transport her to the buyer.
But other than that small amount of information, Ames hadn’t been very helpful. The old woman knew what she was doing.
Which was so fuckin’ scary that I was still terrified.
“Where is she?” Tatum asked. “Where did your husband take her?”
The old woman, who we’d learned over the last twenty minutes was named Thelma, glared at the officer in front of her. “I’m not telling you.”
“You will,” Tatum said. “If you want me to think that you’re cooperating.”
“I’m not cooperating.” She shook her head in disgust.
“Anybody go talk to Ames’ husband?” Johnny asked curiously.
“I did,” an officer said. “He’s obviously not responsible for any of this. When I questioned him about his whereabouts, he claimed he wasn’t even at dinner with his wife.”
Everything was a complete and utter clusterfuck.
“Jesus Christ.” I groaned, rubbing my fingers over my tired eyes.
“At this point,” Tatum said to our group at large after he had an officer transport Thelma to a cruiser, “it’s best to just get eyes out there and look for the car. We have the make and model of his vehicle, the likely destination from Ames, and a description. I think that’s our only hope for now.”
That fucking sucked.
It sucked so freakin’ bad that I wanted to scream.
That wasn’t enough.
That poor little baby was probably freakin’ terrified, and there wasn’t a single damn thing any of us could do but look for her.
“Let’s go,” Sin urged, catching my hand.
And that was how we began looking for a little girl, a needle in a haystack.