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“We’ve got her. Ambulance is on the way. Location is secure. Drive up and onto the property. Sophia wants her father.”
End of Part 2
CHAPTER21
Alex
Red flashing lights cast shadows over sandy ground and stucco walls. Overgrown weeds sprout in pockets along the buildings. Agents swarm the ground, many in full tactical gear. An armed agent approaches our SUV and visually checks the interior, shining a flashlight over each of us and the floorboards.
Ryan flashes identification and says, “Agent Liam Ryland requested we approach.”
“Just up ahead. He’s waiting for you down the road, past the two buildings.”
The Range Rover’s wheels crunch the rock-strewn ground. We bypass an old building with broken windows and a crooked, rusted sign that reads “Temecula Storage.”
Jack cracks the door open. The dashboard lights up, and the car emits a high-pitched warning sound.
“Not yet.” Ryan’s tone brokers no room for negotiation.
From the back seat, I reach forward, covering Jack’s shoulder, holding him in place.
We round the building, passing a cluster of four agents in tactical gear. All four scan the area in high-alert mode.
The whir of an ambulance’s sirens filters through the car windows.
The storage building to our left is two stories high with countless doors, the kind you roll up and down. Judging from the vines and rust, the facility has been out of use for years. Beyond the storage facility, the narrow dirt road continues, leading to a stucco home with a tile roof. Light pours out of the windows, and the front door is wide open. A black SUV is parked out front. A red light flashes on the dashboard. There’s a man in handcuffs beside the SUV.
“Larry,” Jack grits out.
We’d suspected Larry Reyes. But he didn’t do this by himself. He’s simply the one who got caught holding the bag. Someone on his team fell for our reward scheme and turned him in. Agent Ryland stands to the side of the SUV. Jack jumps out of the car, taking off at a brisk run, and Ryan slows the car to a stop. I hop out and close Jack’s door.
“You ready?” Ryan asks me. He sounds concerned, but the worst is over. We’ve found Sophia.
I click my phone to camera mode. “Let’s go.”
Two agents in full gear chat off to the side. Ryland hovers behind Jack, who is holding a barely recognizable Sophia. Skinny, pale legs with knobby knees sprawl out across the dirt. She’s barefoot, and there are open red cuts and welts around both ankles. Her hair is matted. Her face is pressed into Jack’s chest. Her shoulders shake as she sobs. The one thin, waif-like arm clutching her father bears bruises, and her wrist is red and raw.
The ambulance sirens grow louder.
Larry Reyes’ head is down. He’s wearing a crisp white button-down, business slacks, and dress shoes. An agent shoves him into the back seat of the SUV, and the flashing lights reflect off moisture on his cheeks. His eyes are glassy, his lips pursed. The former business executive is crying. He’s already mourning the life he knew.
Meanwhile, twenty feet away, the young girl in her daddy’s arms unleashes her own torrent of emotion. Relief from being saved, no doubt, and god knows what else. It’s the god knows what else that tears at me. She spent nine days in captivity. Based on the dirt smudges, it doesn’t appear she’s bathed in nine days. The stench of urine has me wondering if they gave her access to a bathroom, or if they simply tied her up and let her lie in her own filth.
I want to approach her, but the scene before me holds me back. Jack clutches his daughter, tears flowing. My palm flattens against my sternum, pressing hard to keep the roiling emotions in check.
The ambulance comes into view, spins past us, and stops. In a flurry of activity, paramedics surround Sophia. A female paramedic bends over her, taking her pulse and listening to her heart.
Ryland talks to Jack’s back. “She’s going to be okay. She might be dehydrated, but she’ll be okay. They’ll want to do a rape kit analysis. She’s been drugged. There are track marks on her arms.”
Firm, warm pressure on my lower back pulls me out of the scene. Ryan’s presence grounds me.
“Want to go inside?” As he asks the question, the pressure on my lower back increases, directing me away from the unfolding drama.
The paramedics have everything under control. Sophia needs her privacy. She needs her father.
Agent Ryland approaches us, blocking our entrance into the home. “We’re still processing the scene. They held her in a back bedroom. Someone was staying here with her. When we approached, Reyes ran out the front door. There could be others on the loose. One man drove away before we stormed the house.”
“Did you get a look at him?” Ryan asks Ryland.
