Reid - Maddie Wade Page 0,52
much for anyone to bear. It was not his to take, it was mine, but he never forgave himself for what happened. As soon as he was able, he left and joined the Forces.”
“And do you still see him?”
Elvira nodded slowly as if the weight of it all was too much to bear. “He visits twice a year and always stops in to see Milla at the facility.” Again, she looked at them with guilt and sorrow in her pale blue eyes. “I couldn’t cope with all the care after my heart attack and had to put Milla in the facility. Gunner pays for all of it, even though I tell him not too.”
“When did Milla go missing and why wasn’t it reported?” Blake inquired softly.
“About six months ago, I had three men arrive here. I knew right away they were not nice men. They had guns, and were rude to me.” She sounded affronted, and he saw the hint of spirit in the woman.
“They said they were taking Milla elsewhere and that if I reported it or contacted the authorities, then not only would they kill Milla, but they would kill Gunner too. I was frightened, but I agreed, and they left.”
“What did you do then?”
“I called Gunner, and he came straight away. When he got here, I knew it was bad. He looked awful, so full of pain. He asked me to trust him, and I have. My boy is capable, and he is good to his core. He would never let anyone hurt Milla, so I trust him to do what he needs to keep her safe.”
Elvira looked at them with defiance as if daring them to say differently.
“Can you tell us what the men looked like? What their nationality was?”
“Three white British men. They were all tall and had muscles like you two.”
Blake twisted to look at him and lifted his chin. They had all they could get for now. Blake and Waggs rose, and so did Elvira. Blake offered her a card with just a telephone number on it that would go straight through to Lopez. “If you hear from Gunner, will you call us? He may not think he needs help, but he does, and we want to help him get his sister back.”
Elvira hesitated before she nodded. “I will do this.”
She walked them to the door, and Waggs realised the sun had started to set while they’d been inside the house. His instincts told him nobody was watching, but he remained cautious as they approached the car. Once inside, he waited for Blake to get them back on the road towards real civilisation before he spoke.
“You mean what you said about us helping him?”
Blake glanced across the car to him, and Waggs caught the uncertainty in his friend. “I hope I do, but honestly, I don’t know how to feel. This entire thing has fucked me up a little.”
Waggs nodded in agreement. “I think it’s shaken us all more than we want to admit. But he put Pax at risk and she got hurt, so I can understand you not feeling very forgiving.”
“It isn’t just about forgiving him, if that’s even an option. It’s about trust. He broke the bonds we share by doing what he did.” Blake sighed audibly, and Waggs watched as the sky darkened further and hoped they’d get a flight back to the UK tonight. “But, and it’s a very big but, would I have done whatever it took to protect my sisters?” Blake shrugged. “The answer is yes, I’d do whatever it took. So how can I sit in judgement on that?”
“Except we can’t forget the huge question of why he never came to us with this. We’re brothers, he knows damn well we would’ve had his back and helped him.”
Blake shook his head. “That I don’t know, but as soon as we find him, I’ll be asking.”
“Me too, brother, me too.”
Waggs lifted his phone and found he had a signal, and called Jack, updating him on the situation.
“I’ll have Lopez look into it now and see if we can get CCTV from the facility and anything from the airports.” Jack sounded like he was in a hurry.
“It wouldn’t be easy to move someone with complex needs like that so she’d probably have needed a nurse or carer.” Waggs thought it over in his head. “We should also see if we can access her medical records and find out exactly what her needs are. We might be able