Page 2 of Jacqueline's Quest

“Thanks. If you want to follow me, we’ll get you settled, and I’ll fill you in on what’s going on.”

Murray nodded. “Sounds great. Lead the way.”

Jaq jumped back into her pickup then led the way down the trailhead they'd been on. Murray followed close behind, not wanting the dirt to obscure his line of sight. He didn’t know how long they’d been driving before they came upon a clearing with a small ranchero home. Behind it, at least forty head of cattle.

A working ranch, interesting.He pulled in beside Jaq and parked. When he stepped out, a medium-sized Australian Shepherd ran toward him from the front porch. The grey and black brindled pup shook with excitement while he stared up at Murray as though they were going to become good friends.

“That’s Bebito,” Jaq said. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

“Is this all yours?” Murray surveyed the land surrounding them. It was a great piece of land. Securing it had to have been a challenge, though. There were too many access points and not enough security for his tastes.

“My family’s,” she answered. “I inherited it.”

“How do you keep it—?”

“Secure?” She laughed. “You’ll see.” She waved him inside.

Murray followed her into the house and stopped. The place was amazing. The walls were covered in paintings along with family portraits, if Murray had to guess, came from the turn of the century or earlier. To the right, was a bookcase filled with books, some were leather-bound Spanish texts, others were paperback romance novels. Murray grinned, seemed Jaq's hair wasn't the only eclectic thing in her life.

He continued past a short hallway to a mudroom of sorts. On the left, was a washer/dryer set. A long countertop against the back wall held a few folded towels and an assortment of laundry products. On the floor to the right, a hand-braided burgundy rug. Jaq went straight to it. She pushed it back, revealing a trap door then pressed a code into the pad, before pressing her thumb to the small biometric pad. The door snapped open, and she pulled it up the rest of the way, exposing a smaller version of what he could only compare it to as Asher's C&C at the base.

He whistled. “Damn.”

“Welcome to my security system.” She motioned for him to enter.

He ambled down the stairs and stared at the equipment. Like the base, she had several screens set up. Instead of different missions being projected, the monitors showed multiple angles of her property. “Damn, this is fancy.”

“Thank you. Sit. We’ll talk.”

Murray sat in the chair she offered. “I’m not hoping for much.”

She nodded, sitting beside him. “Ten years is a long time. I can understand how you feel. I wouldn’t get my hopes up, either.” She hit a few buttons on the keyboard in front of her, and an aerial view came into view. The black and white photo showed Murray a building about three stories tall and dilapidated.

“What’s this?”

“Where your sister is,” she said. “I’ve reconned the area.”

Murray stared at the picture. “You’ve lost me.”

“It looks abandoned, yes?”

He nodded. “Very much so.”

“It’s not. Inside is a high-end club for men and women who are interested in the unique.” She showed him a few photographs of the inside. Sure enough, the inside wasn’t what he’d been expecting. Even though they were in black and white, the richness of the interior showed through.

“The unique?” His stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a fetish club, for...” She lowered her gaze. “Freaks.”

Irritation skimmed across his skin. “Okay, but I still don’t understand why my sister is there.”

“Freaks,” Jaq said. “You know, those with abnormalities.”

Murray blinked. “Are you saying?” His stomach pitched. Bile burned at the back of his throat as he gagged. He stood and began to pace, willing himself to keep from puking. “They’re using my sister as a freak? Because she had AMF?”

Sorrow filled Jaq’s chocolate-colored eyes. “Yes.”

Murray shoved out of the cramped C&C and raced outside. He heaved the meager contents from his stomach the minute his knees hit the hot sand. Tears burned behind his eyes. The idea of his sister being used for someone to get their rocks off, caused him to vomit once more. Ten years she’d been stuck in that cycle. He trembled as the first tears began to roll down his cheeks.Oh, God, Hannah. I am so sorry.

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