Stranded (25 page)

“True, but they are going to have to move fast, because once the
Bering
leaves here, they're headed straight for Russia, which makes this entire situation very precarious.” Gage clamped a hand on Landon's shoulder. “At least knowing you're on board will make me feel better about Darcy staying.”

“All right.” Landon nodded. “Let's get on board and see what the status is.”

Gage approached the check-in point and handed his card to the guard. “This is Deputy Landon Grainger. Mullins has requested his assistance with a situation.”

“I'm afraid I can't allow him on without Mullins' or the head of security's specific order.”

“Mullins said she would call it in when I left her office”—Gage glanced at his watch—“nearly a half hour ago.”

“I'm sorry, but I've received no such orders.”

“Then you need to check with your superior. Obviously the order wasn't properly relayed.”

The man looked over at his fellow guard, gesturing for him to take over while he checked into Gage's claims. He stepped off to the side and conferred with someone over his radio.

Minutes later, another man—no doubt his superior—arrived. “I just spoke with Mullins, and she gave the go-ahead. You can let them through,” he instructed the check-in guard.

“Thank you,” Gage said as they stepped through.

“Mullins said to tell you she's waiting in her office.”

Gage entered Mullins' office expecting to find Darcy waiting and Security most likely present, but he found only Mullins.

She sat behind her desk, glancing over a file in hand.

“Where's Darcy?” Had she already gone to Security to speak with the detained men?

“I have no idea. I returned to my office and she was gone.”

Gage tried to ignore the horrible sinking feeling in his gut. “But the men have been detained.”

“I'm afraid not.”

“Why not?” Landon asked before Gage could.

Mullins arched a brow. “The deputy sheriff, I'm assuming?”

Landon stepped forward, his hand extended. “Deputy Landon Grainger.”

She didn't bother standing. “Thank you for coming.”

Gage raked a shaky hand through his hair, trying to ward off the fear nipping at him. “I don't understand. When I left, you said you were going to Security, Darcy said she'd wait here, and—”

“I cannot vouch for Ms. St. James' actions, but I pulled the employment files you asked me to and took them to Security.”

Gage swallowed. “Did you have them search Clint and Ted's cabin?”

“Yes, and they found nothing.”

“They checked the ceiling tiles?”

“Yes, and there was no lockbox.”

“Where are Ted, Clint, and George now?”

“I have no idea. They weren't in their cabin. We paged them, but none of them showed up to Security as requested.”

“You announced over the loudspeaker they were to report to Security?” Gage asked, incredulous.

She'd given them warning to jump ship, whether she'd intended to or not.

“But you have their employment files?” Landon asked.

Mullins lifted the stack of files in her hands. “Right here, but I see nothing of concern in them.”

“Other than the fact Clint, Ted, and Jeremy Harnett all worked the Bowen excursion,” Gage said.

“How are you aware of Jeremy? He left before you joined the
Bering
.”

“We've been talking to people. And what about the clinic records relating to the rescue crew that was deployed for Abby Walsh?”

“There are no records of that rescue.”

“What? How can that be?”

“Looks like they've been erased.”

“Erased?”

Mullins typed on her screen, linking into the clinic's records, and showed the record empty for the date in question.

“Do any of them have authority to access that report?” Landon asked.

Mullins sighed. “I'll ask IT to take a look, see if they can figure out if the records have been tampered with.”

“They were tampered with,” Gage insisted, his concern mounting. If the men hadn't been located and Darcy was missing . . . He turned to Landon. “We need to find Darcy. Now!”

“Something's wrong,” Piper said, pacing the pier, the sun rising in the sky.

Jake studied the restless excursion passengers huddled up at the meet-up spot. “It shouldn't be taking this long. I agree with Piper—something's not right.”

Heath stepped from the group and moved toward them. “What's the deal? We were supposed to have left by now, and we're all getting sick and tired of waiting around.”

Piper addressed him. “Sorry for the holdup. We need to wait for Gage before we head out.”

“Why?”

“Because he's the leader.”

“Well, the supply crew obviously didn't feel like they had to wait on Gage, so I don't see why we do.”

Jake stepped to him, his stomach sinking. “What?”

“Clint and George left with the supply ship while you were all jabbering over there with Gage.”

“Are you certain?”

“Positive. I chatted with them as they loaded the last cooler on. They took off from the south side of the ship.”

Piper's eyes widened. “We need to let Gage and Landon know.”

“Now,” Jake said, rushing for the gangplank.

Darcy came to and tried to move, but she was confined. It was dark except for a small shaft of light sneaking through a crack above her. Where was she? And worse yet, what had gone wrong?

Mullins was involved—that's what had gone wrong. How could she have missed that?
Easily
. Mullins was a woman, and the thought of a woman selling another woman into sexual slavery was abominable.
How could she?

They'd handed her everything. Everything except the black book she'd stashed in her pocket, though her pocket was feeling disappointingly empty. She squeezed her eyes shut on an exhale.

They'd trusted the wrong person. She only prayed Gage figured it out before it was too late.

“Let's go to Security,” Landon said as they rushed from Mullins' office. “We need more hands to search for Darcy and the men.”

“You head there while I check Darcy's cabin.” Though he knew she wouldn't be there.

Lance Wilkinson, head of
Bering's
security, was conversing with someone at the end of the hall.
Perfect
.

He looked up as they approached. “Seems you have more people trying to come aboard.”

“What?”

“Raul just radioed. He's got another man claiming to be a friend of yours trying to board. Says he has urgent information for you.”

Gage looked at Landon. “Jake.”

They rushed down to the check-in point with Lance fast on their heels. Jake was frantically pacing at the other end of the metal detector.

“They're gone,” he said when he caught sight of them.

“What?” Gage's mouth went dry.

“Heath saw Clint and George loading a large cooler into the supply ship and taking off while you were still out on the pier with us.”

Gage swallowed. “A large cooler?”

“Heath presumed it was supplies for the excursion. Please tell me Darcy is with you.”

Gage shook his head as his world threatened to crumble.

They crowded into Security's video booth as Lance Wilkinson ordered the footage of the crew checkpoints to be played, starting from the
Bering
's anchoring in Pribilof.

“There,” Landon said, pointing to the black-and-white footage.

Clint and George wheeling a large white cooler out through the supply checkpoint.

“Where's Ted?” Gage asked. “He's not in the footage.”

“Heath never mentioned Ted,” Jake said.

After personally confirming Landon's credentials and realizing the severity of the situation, Lance introduced them to the captain—who was more than eager to get to the bottom of the matter.

Considering the remote location, and the unknown extent of the danger, the captain officially suspended all further excursions until the cruise ended in Russia—which wouldn't be until the day after tomorrow.

The
Bering
was secured with all guests inside for the duration of their anchoring time in Pribilof, but it did little to ease the fear coursing through Gage. There was no trace of Darcy. . . .

Clint and George had her. He had no doubt. They must have intercepted her in Mullins' office before Mullins returned.

“Looks like Ted was left behind,” Lance said, reentering the room after taking a radio call.

They all followed Lance to the clinic, where they found Ted, half alert on the examination table.

Gage lunged for his throat. “Where is she?”

Jake and Landon wrestled to pull him off.

“Where is she?”

“Where is wh-wh-who?” Ted said between choking breaths.

Gage slackened his hold at Ted's genuine confusion. “Darcy.”

“Why would I know?”

“Because you're part of it.”

“Part of what?”

“The trafficking network.”

“Whoa! No. I had no part in that.”

Landon rested a hand on the edge of the table. “No part in
what
?”

Ted swallowed.

The lid lifted off the container Darcy was crammed into. Bright daylight assaulted her eyes. She tried to lift a hand to shield them, but found her hands bound.

Clint bent, gazing down at her.

“You creep.” She kicked, her foot colliding with his jaw.

His head swung back with the impact, and he swore.

George chuckled from somewhere nearby. She could hear his voice, just couldn't see his face. “I told you she was trouble.”

Clint wiped the blood dripping from his mouth. “Well, she's not our problem any longer. Help me get her out.”

Darcy readied to kick again but stilled at the sight of George's gun aiming down at her.

“Why don't we just finish her off now?” he asked.

“Because”—Clint reached in a bit more apprehensively, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her out—“we have a quota to meet.”

George leaned against a wooden post, the sort you'd hitch a horse to, the gun still aimed at her. “We would have already met our quota if she hadn't messed it up. The boss is pretty upset that we've delayed the shipment for so long.”

What were they talking about?

“No matter.” Clint set her on the ground at the base of the post and adjusted her bonds, securing her to it. “One blond-haired, blue-eyed American completes the list, so they can sail tomorrow. Doesn't matter if her name is Whitney or Darcy.”

George chuckled, kneeling to look her in the eye. “Yeah, where you're going, no one cares about names, sweetheart.”

She fought the urge to kick again. If they were taking her where Abby was being held, there was still a chance she could find her friend.

George stepped into the boat and started the motor. “Let's go. We can call the boss about picking her up once we're on our way.”

“Sorry it had to go down this way,” Clint said. “I really liked you. You should have minded your business like I said, and then all of this unpleasantness could have been avoided.”

“Unpleasantness? You're selling human beings into slavery.”

“I'm not. The boss is. All I do is make the drops.”

“And that keeps your conscience clear?” Was he insane?

“That, and the money helps.” He laughed and joined George in the boat. They pulled away, leaving her stranded.

“So, you're seriously claiming you had nothing to do with smuggling women or drugs between America and Russia?” Gage pressed.

“No, man, I swear.” Ted held up his hands. “If I did, do you think they'd leave me here?”

“Someone slammed you over the head with a metal pole. I don't think they were trying to leave you behind; I think they were trying to kill you,” Gage said.

Ted looked down.

“You know more about what's happening than you're
letting on.” Landon leaned on Ted. “We
are
going to get to the bottom of this. So the way I see it, you have two choices. You tell us what you know and aid in the rescue of a kidnapped woman, or you hold out and we tell the Feds when they arrive that you were uncooperative.”

“I don't know how it works. Seriously. I just know Clint and Jeremy—” he shook his head as if trying to clear it—“Clint and George now, work the ring.”

“Ring?” Jake asked from the doorway.

“That's just what I call it. Look, I know what they're into is no good, but I've made it my business to not make it my business. I do my job and—”

“And ignore the fact they are kidnapping women and selling them into the sex-slave trade,” Gage said.
Real nice guy
.

“I didn't know anything about that. I thought they were just dealing drugs.”

“Oh, come on,” Gage roared. “You can't be that dumb.”

Ted's jaw tightened and he shifted uncomfortably. “Until that chef lady came around asking questions about missing women, I thought it was just drugs.”

“And then?”

“And then she went overboard.”

“So now . . . ?”

“I still don't know.”

Gage slammed his hand on the table beside him. “That's not helpful, Ted. They've got Darcy out there somewhere. Where? Where would they have taken her? There were a bunch of coordinates in the black book we found in your room. Where do they lead to?”

“Black book?”

“Yes. It had descriptions of women, location points, and other numbers we hadn't figured out.”

“I've never seen any black book.”

Gage inhaled, fighting the fear threatening to overtake him. They were losing precious time. “Did Clint or Jeremy ever leave the excursion islands at this port stop to your knowledge?”

“Yeah. A time or two.”

“Any idea where they went?”

“I figured to one of the outer islands.”

“Outer islands?”

“There's a whole series scattered around here, heading up toward the Bering Sea.”

“These trips. How long would they be gone?”

Ted pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “An hour, maybe.”

Gage looked at Jake. “That gives us a place to start.”

He stepped into the courtyard to take the call. Clint better be calling to say they were set to go with the blond woman's drop tonight. “Yes?”

“Change of plans,” Clint said.

“Excuse me?”

“The reporter went to Mullins.”

“And?”

“Mullins played the good soldier. She called us in and helped us get rid of the evidence. We took the reporter to the drop spot.”

“She's there now?”

“Yes.”

“Good. You and George wait for me there.”

“I don't think so. We're blown. We're taking the backup plan and heading out.”

“That contingency exists when I say it exists.”

“Seeing as how you're not the one
Bering
's security and the reporter's cop friend are after, it's no longer your call. We kept you out of it. Now we're leaving.”

His jaw tightened. Who did the vermin think he was? “And Ted?”

“We took care of him before we left the ship.”

“You're certain?”

“Yeah, George took care of it. Besides, it's not like he actually knows anything.”

“He's seen me. And you said he's figured out quite a bit about our operation over the years. That's enough to bust us all.”

“He's too stupid to even go there, and besides, it's a moot point. The guy is dead. George whacked him good.”

The line went dead.

He gripped the phone so tightly, the plastic casing cracked. He called his men to him. “You.” He lifted his chin at Jason. “George and Clint think they're flying the coop. Meet them at the locker.” They'd no doubt go there for the new IDs and cash he'd promised would be stashed there if anything went wrong. “Take them out.”

The man nodded.

“And you . . .” He pointed to his brother, Steve. “Go get the girl.”