Page 96 of Fourth Point Of Contact

“It’s okay. I’ve got this.” She took the flashlight between her teeth and lowered herself into the small space.

“Be careful.”

I pulled my gun from my hip, suddenly on edge. Nothing about this was right, and I was terrified of what she was about to find. I knew in my gut this was bad.

“Patrick! Call 9-1-1!”

I pulled out my phone and dialed without a second thought, not even knowing what she found.

“9-1-1. What is your emergency?”

“I need the police and an ambulance at 520 Sycamore.”

It took what felt like forever for Raven to pop back up as I relayed the information she provided to the operator. When she finally did, I nearly puked. A small girl, maybe ten years old, came up with her. The terror on her face was clear, and the way she looked at me sent shivers down my spine. She was afraid of men, that much was clear. I quickly holstered my weapon and tucked it under my shirt so she couldn’t see it.

“It’s okay. He won’t hurt you,” Raven said quietly, hoisting the little girl up into my arms. I held her to me, unsure if I was doing this right. I had no idea what kind of trauma she had dealt with, or if she was even okay with me touching her.

She smelled like shit—literal shit—and her ribs protruded through her sides. The poor girl probably hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time.

“Hey, did your dad do this to you?”

She bit her lip, staring at Raven with eyes barely open as she climbed out of the crawl space. As soon as Raven opened her arms, she leapt from mine into hers. The poor girl was shaking like a leaf, terrified of being above ground. When was the last time this child saw any light?

“Police! Open up!”

“It’s open!” I called out, knowing it would be faster than if I tried to get up and make my way over to the door.

Police swarmed inside, guns raised as they saw us on the floor by the open hatch. When the first officer saw the little girl, he immediately lowered his gun, taking in the sight of her before he looked at me.

Using my crutches, I got to my feet. “My name is Patrick Cook and I’m a security agent with OPS out of Kansas. I have a weapon at my hip.”

“Step over here, slowly,” the officer directed, his eyes on me the whole time.

I did as he asked, careful not to make any sudden movements.

“What the hell happened here?” the officer asked after relieving me of my weapon.

I gritted my teeth, furious how this job turned south so quickly. How the hell was I going to explain any of this to Edu? And what the hell was it going to do to him when he found out all the details?

“You need to call child protective services.”

That was all it took to send the next twenty-four hours into complete chaos.

21

PATRICK

The police lightsflashed outside the house, sending an eerie feeling through the neighborhood. The neighbors all stood on their stoops, watching intently for what would happen next. Had they any idea that a child was being forced to live under the house? Someone had to have seen her at some point and wondered why she vanished.

“We’re questioning all of them,” the officer said as if reading my thoughts.

“What’s going to happen to the girl?”

“For now? She’s headed to the hospital. She’s severely malnourished and…” He shook his head in disgust. “To think of what she went through…I have a kid. I can’t even imagine anyone treating him that way.”

I nodded in understanding. “I don’t have kids, but this makes my stomach turn. When I opened that hatch, I already knew what I would find. I could smell the human waste.”

“Frankly, I’m glad it was you and not me. There are some things that never leave you on the job. I’m pretty sure seeing that would have nearly broken me.”

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