Drained (Edgars Family #6) - Suzanne Ferrell Page 0,20
led to a doorless loading dock area.
Pulling the pup to a stop, Aaron squatted down to pet him and calm his barking while he assessed the situation. The little guy trembled and whimpered, apparently still wanting to dart into the building. The streetlights shone on the artistic graffiti decorating the brick retaining wall behind him separating the drive and dock area from the street one level above. Less accomplished graffiti that looked like gang tags laced the building’s brick walls. Some old trees and scraggly weeds edged the driveway, but didn’t block the entrance. The smell of urine and feces irritated his nose, but he’d learned years ago working as a beat cop to blot those out.
“Is this a good idea?” Brianna asked, right behind him, slightly out of breath. “We don’t really know who or what is in there.”
“True, but Stanley here, is acting like we need to go inside.”
“Need?” Skepticism edged her voice.
He didn’t blame her, the moment he uttered the word it sounded weird to him, too. Holding his finger to his lips he signaled her to remain silent. She nodded. Blotting out the sound of passing cars, the low whistle of a passing train in the distance and finally the whisper of wind through the newly budding trees, he strained to hear inside the building.
No movement. No talking. No whimpering. No coughing. No snoring.
Faint scratching.
Rats.
Fuck. I hate rats.
“Do you have a flashlight on your phone?” he asked, staring into Brianna’s big blue eyes. Damn, they looked just like they had that night he carried her out of that mansion, wide open with fear. He laid his free hand on hers. “You don’t have to go in with me. You can go back to the car and wait.”
She blinked and resolve replaced the fear in her face. “What? I let you go inside here alone? Despite what you might think, I’m not that much of a coward,” she said and flipped on the flashlight on her phone. “Besides, I’m the one that got you involved in all this. I’m not letting you go in there without backup.”
Aaron wisely kept the retort that backup usually meant armed, trained police officers, not a lone woman with a cellphone. Besides, keeping her with him, meant he could protect her from any dangers that might be prowling this area of town in the dark.
He gave her a nod, then set Stanley back on the ground. “Keep close so we can see what’s around us and be careful where you step. I heard rats.”
She stood so close he felt her shiver of creepiness at the mention of the rodents zip through her.
“Great. Is it too late to rethink the wait in the car option?” she said as they headed into the building.
Aaron chuckled, but said, “Stay right behind me, and flash the light in front of us, okay?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be so close to your backside, you’ll think I’m a thong sneaking into your butt crack.”
He whipped his head around to find her inches from his shoulder, a wide-eyed innocent look on her face that he wasn’t buying for a moment. But sassy beat scared shitless in his book any day.
They moved forward, letting Stanley lead the way. The pup had settled down and didn’t pull on his leash as hard, perhaps knowing the people with him needed his guidance into the dark abandoned building. Old, dried leaves from last fall or later crunched beneath their feet. In the shadows outside the flashlight’s beam of light old shopping carts, lumpy plastic trash bags and some cardboard boxes littered the walls. Nothing big moved, and only the scurrying of rodents broke up the stillness around them.
“Find Art, Stanley,” Aaron encouraged the dog, who seemed to be leading them to a doorway in the far corner.
“What’s in there?” Brianna asked as they neared the spot.
“Don’t know. Flash the light inside.”
She did and saw a flight of stairs leading to the next floor.
“I guess we go up,” he said, scooping up Stanley and leading the way upstairs.
“Do you think we’ll have to search the whole building?” Brianna asked right behind him. “It looked like there are four stories of windows from the outside.”
Good observation on her part. He was learning that Brianna was not only smart but took the time to be aware of her surroundings and what was going on at all times. Had she been like that before she’d been abducted?
“I don’t know, it’s gonna depend on what Stanley here tells us.”