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Mommy always said prayers at night. Shaking all over, she buried her head against her raised knees and prayed the lady wouldn’t find her.
Ninety-Nine
Longneck Creek
Derrick and Ellie crept up to the house and he peered through the window. A tall man with a goatee and angular face stood arguing with a rail-thin woman who wore her hair in an austere bun. Serena. Her cheekbones were so stark the bones practically poked through her pale skin. The black pants and black jacket made her look even more imposing, as she shook her finger at the man.
“I told you I had a bad feeling about that couple,” Serena said. “I thought I’d seen that woman before.”
Dammit, in spite of the wig Ellie had worn, the woman must have recognized her from the news.
Ellie nudged his arm. “The man is armed.”
Derrick gave a quick nod.
“Where’s Daisy?” the woman asked.
“Buck went to retrieve them. I received a text. He should be here soon.”
“I don’t like this.” The woman paced back and forth, her heels tapping on the old oak floor. “We’re going to have to lie low for a few days until the dust settles.” She tapped her phone. “I’ll call Yates about changing our security and delete recent correspondence with potential clients.”
Derrick gestured to Ellie that they should move before the woman had the chance. Releasing his weapon, he eased open the door then stormed inside, gun drawn. “FBI,” he shouted.
The man spun around, reaching for the weapon on his hip.
“Don’t do it,” Ellie snarled. “Raise your hands.”
Serena startled, then started to run toward the back, Derrick shook his head, eyes piercing her. “I won’t hesitate to shoot,” he said coldly.
Serena halted with a grunt, and the man’s fingers wiggled as if he was going to make a play for his gun. “Put your hands in the air,” Ellie ordered, her Glock trained directly on him.
Serena raised her hands and the man went still, before he slowly lifted them.
Ellie removed handcuffs from her pocket, crossed the room in two angry strides, and grabbed the woman’s arms.
“I didn’t do anything,” Serena said shrilly.
“You’re selling children,” Ellie growled, then shoved the picture of Ava in front of the woman’s face. “Have you seen her?”
“No. She’s not one of ours.”
Ellie flashed Autumn’s picture next. “How about this woman?”
Serena’s lips compressed into a thin line.
Ellie jerked her again. “Do you know her?”
“Yes,” Serena said. “She brought us Daisy. I told her we only accepted homeless kids,” she admitted. “We were trying to help them. Give them real families.”
“Don’t pretend like you care. You took homeless kids because no one would look for them. And so you could make a profit.” Ellie jerked her around to face her, seething.
Derrick was going to throw the book at her and Autumn. But for now he kept his attention on the man who looked like he was going to run.
“You have the right to remain silent…” Ellie began.
While she read the woman her Miranda rights, the man suddenly bolted. Derrick sprinted after him, his boots pounding the floor, cold air slapping him in the face as he made it to the kitchen. The back door flew open and the man barreled down the steps.
“Stop!” Derrick yelled as he raced after him. But the bastard kept running around the side of the house, heading to his van. Derrick’s shoes dripped with thick sludge as he ran to the front. The man jerked the van door open and started to climb inside, but Derrick shouted at him, then fired his gun at the car tire.
