Page 21 of Captive

The same giddy quiet fills the interior of the passenger van. We are heading toward something rewarding. There just can't be any other explanation for the charged anticipation of the passengers. Was it possible that Clark and the others had the Lace Underground completely wrong? Was it possible that the secret nefarious society was just a group of good Samaritans helping out the homelesspopulation?

The door slides shut bathing us in complete darkness. The overhead lights twitter on. The windows are also tinted from the inside, so there is no way to see out. The occasional dim pulse of light from a headlight or passing streetlight is the only sign of life outside the van. The driver and Rowan are blocked and muted by a partition that has no windows. We are cargo being transported inside a box with no clues about the direction we're traveling. It's done purposefully, a quick conclusion that just as quickly wipes away the notion that these are just goodSamaritans.

Yoli leans her head closer and whispers like we're in a theater. "People are extra excited because it's rumoredhewill be there. Someone might bechosen."

"Who's he?" I whisper back. Yoli has been a godsend for gathering information. At the same time, she keeps clarifying bits to herself, leaving some definite gaps. She peers up at the top corner of the ceiling, and for the first time, I notice a small security camera. A cold chill runs through me at the idea that we are all being watched. At the same time, I chastise myself for not noticing something so obvious. I glance around without moving my head too much. There are three more cameras, giving a view from everyangle.

"Willy Wonka," Yoli whispers. She sits back quickly and faces the front. Whatever is about to go down, Yoli does not want to lose her place on thelist.

The van rattles over train tracks, giving me a clue to our position in the city. The nose of the van is heading up so we are traveling north, and we just passed the Pacific Railway crossing. I close my eyes and decide to concentrate on the direction we are traveling. With any luck, I can map out some of the journey in my head. I'll be of no use to the investigation if I can't even relay where they tookus.

My inner GPS tells me we are heading out of town and traveling closer toward the coast. The van is sealed tightly enough that I can't smell any of the outside air. But the inside air is most definitely fifteen people who have not had a good shower in days. Including myself. I think back to the day I sat in Clark's office, pleading with him to let me go undercover, all the while avoiding Olson's stench. That thought shoots me farther back to the moment when I got double slapped by my partner, Maddox. I wash away the heartbreaking memory to keepfocused.

A slight right turn feels like an off-ramp. The van heads into a full circle. It's the Beach Boulevard exit. It's a long ramp that takes you off the freeway and then circles you all the way around toward the beach. I'm about to silently congratulate myself for figuring out our direction when the van takes a quick left turn and then a right. Another right before veering right again. I've lost my sense of direction, mostly because the only time I've ever used Beach Boulevard is to head straight to the coastalhighway.

The van goes through another series of turns. The other passengers are getting antsy and sitting up like passengers anxious to get off a taxiing plane. A light wave of nausea passes through me, a result of sitting in an airless van with no way to predict the nextturn.

"You all right?" Yoliasks.

"Just getting a little car sick. Wish we could open awindow."

She laughs off the suggestion. An optimistic response considering she is stuck sitting right next to me. "We're almost there," shewhispers.

I peer up at the camera again. It's like a big black eye, watching us, keeping a close focus on the cargo. The van stops unceremoniously. Seconds later and much to my relief, the door slides open filling the space with fresh night air. I catch a hint of ocean fragrance, but it seems we are still several miles from thecoast.

We are parked inside an empty warehouse. The massive rolling door snaps shut before I catch a glimpse of the outside world. My fellow passengers seem to know the drill. Voices and laughter pick up along with their pace as they walk behind Rowan to a gray metal door. I peek back and by chance catch a glimpse of the driver as he climbs back behind the wheel. He's big and buff like a bouncer or wrestler. The bicep I see as he gets in the van is covered with black tribal patterns. He's wearing a blue cap, but I don't catch any other distinguishing features. I wonder if he's heading out to pick up another round of 'party'guests.

So far the secretive van ride, the spying cameras and the bleak, empty warehouse location are not screamingyayparty in my head. Then Rowan opens the gray door, and glowing light pours into the shadowy warehouse. Music is thrumming through a narrow passage as we head toward more light and the rich aroma of food. My mouth waters and my stomach tightens to attention. There is such a variety of fragrances, I have a hard time untangling them. Cooked beef of some kind and something that smells like deep fried onions. Onion rings maybe. And there's even some sweet, cakey smells tucked in between the savory. My head spins with the idea of a hot meal. The aroma seems to give everyone a burst of adrenaline. We move like hungry cattle through the passage but instead of turning toward the yummy smells, we turn away from them. I'm shocked at how close I am to tearing up about the prospect of heading away from the food. It seems I'm a spoiled, pampered kid compared to the other women in thegroup.

My shock increases tenfold when I realize we are being led down another corridor to a massive bathroom. But it's not just any public bathroom. It is gleaming with clean white tile. Shiny chrome fixtures arc out from at least a dozen open shower stalls. Fluffy white, five star hotel style towels have been mounded near to the ceiling on dressing benches and vanities, vanities that are set with baskets of brand new cosmetics of every type and color. There is even perfume, expensive from the looks of it. Though I'm not much for smellingflowery.

Before I can take in all the surroundings the other women are shedding their clothes and hopping into the showers. Rowan has left the room and the door is closed, seemingly giving us all someprivacy.

Yoli is already naked as she grabs my hand. "Isn't it wonderful. And the hot water never runs out like those crummy sinks at the park. You can pick out any shampoo and soap you like from thebasket."

Fragrant steam is already clouding around me as I tentatively take off my clothes. The dirty clothes are left in piles on the floor. I heap mine in a corner to make sure I can find them again in the chaos. Laughter and excited conversations bounce off the wall. It seems the main topic isfood.

I've lost my partner. Yoli is standing under a showerhead, with her eyes closed and smiling from ear to ear. I walk over to the basket at the end of the line of pretty vanities and search through the bottles for some nice smelling shampoo. I decide on something citrusy and lift my face to the mirror before turning away. Instantly, it's as if the frivolous ambience and lush steam in the room fall away and are suddenly replaced with a grim, harsh silence and painful spray of ice water. In my career I have stood in front of a one way mirror often enough to know when I'm looking into one. The thin porous metal backing of the mirror allows light through one direction but only provides reflection on the mirror side. The side I'm standing on. Hair stands up on the back of my neck when I can sense a pair of eyes looking straight at me. I'm now hyperaware of being stark naked. The opaque steam clouding the room isn't enough to provide cover. I regain my composure quickly. Only a cop would know a one way mirror. Hopefully, I stunted my reaction enough not to let on that I spotted the creepy invasion ofprivacy.

I turn away from the mirror and walk briskly along the other vanities. I spot only two more one way mirrors. I find an available showerhead at just the right angle away from the stationary mirrors. Voyeurism or not, it has been several days since I enjoyed something other than a sponge bath in the park restroom sinks, and I'm not going to pass up theopportunity.

Many of the other women have finished their showers and are standing naked and utterly exposed in front of the vanities as they brush their wet hair and try on new cosmetics. Yoli is standing directly in front of one of the peeping tom mirrors, but there is nothing I can do. Yoli has been so friendly and generous, I feel traitorous not mentioning it to her, but doing so would be dangerous. It would blow my cover. And considering I am unarmed and naked in a big public bathroom and unaware of my location, I am in no position to expose my identity. One thing is certain, this is no innocent party thrown by a group of do-gooders.

14

Kane

Her large browneyes stare through the glass, locking with mine. Only that is impossible. "She sees me," Isay.

"Just looks like it," Rowan says quickly. "She's new at the park. Told you I had something special thisweek."

Her gaze pulls away from the mirror. My eyes drop to the smooth skin of her shoulder, the seductive line that ducks in gently at her waist before rounding into the curve of herass.

"What do you think?" Rowan asksanxiously.

"Let her eat with the others. Then bring her tome."

15

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