Page 10 of Sackett
Sackettsatinthehard plastic seat at the airport gate, elbows on his knees as he typed out a text to Jake, listing the equipment he wanted, if they had it.The backpack he used as a go bag sitting between his feet.He put the last few things on the list that he could think of then checked the time as he leaned back in the seat and looked around the room for the first time since sitting down.
He'd deliberately chosen a seat where his back was to the wall, and while he’d been aware of movement around him and people coming and going, he’d been focused on the importance of getting the list to Jake as quickly as he could so they could gather what they had and hit the road.He didn’t know how long it would take them to get to Fort Collins, but he suspected that if they didn’t get out soon, it would be after he did.
A few minutes after arriving at the airport he’d gotten another email from Krissi, this one with the information for a rental car reservation.He was glad she’d thought about it.He hadn’t gotten that far in his plans.He’d thought about getting up there, but not past the flight.Armament and gear had been his first focus.If he’d gotten up there with no reservation, he would have rented whatever they had and used his own card, but knowing there was a vehicle waiting was one less worry and let him focus on other things.He pushed his reluctance to fly out of his mind, concentrating instead on what he was here to do and why.There was no time for him to drive.If he was going, he had to fly and there was no point in worrying about it.
As he scanned the room and didn’t see any of his brothers, he wondered who would end up going with him, and if any of them would.It was last-minute notice and how many of them would be able to drop everything and make it to the airport on time?Especially the three that Tuck had named.They all had women, who likely wouldn’t want them to drop everything to run to the aid of some woman they didn’t know.Whether each of the men would let that sway them, he didn’t know.He was torn.He wouldn’t turn down help, back up you could trust was always welcome in a bad situation.And he had the feeling this wouldn’t be a good one.But at the same time, he didn’t want other men around Selena.
He forced himself not to think about what they might be doing to her.Dwelling on how they could be hurting her wouldn’t help anything and it could hurt.All he could do was get there and get her out as soon as possible.
Sackett tried not to watch the minutes that seemed to crawl by as he waited for the flight to board but found it difficult to distract himself.He’d about given up on any of his local brothers making the trip with him when Maverick showed up.
“Hey,” Maverick said, sitting in the chair beside Sackett.“I only got the basics before I packed and ran, so you’ll have to fill me in.I was afraid I wouldn’t make it on time.”
“I’m glad you did.”Sackett glanced around, trying to gauge who was close and how much he could say without being overheard, possibly by people who they didn’t want to know their business.“What did they tell you?”
“Only that some woman was taken, they want Donna, and we have—” he checked his watch, “twenty one hours until they start removing pieces to prove they mean business.”
“That’s it in a nutshell.”
“Who’s the woman?”
“Donna’s attorney.She was in Colorado for some case and while she was there, she had an appointment with a judge to discuss whether or not Donna needs to file for divorce.I don’t know if that meeting happened or not.”
“I take it the ex that she’s not sure if she has to divorce is behind this?”
“Since he’s the one who contacted Donna, from the attorney’s cell phone, I’m going to say yes.But he’s not alone.”Sackett turned and looked at Maverick.“How much have you heard about how Savage found her?I mean, you were there of course, but did you hear why she was in Casper?”
“She was on the run from her ex, wasn’t she?”Maverick looked confused.As if that was all there was to the story.It was probably all he knew about it.
Sackett debated for a moment how much to share.It was Donna’s story, not his, but if Maverick was going to go in beside him to help get Selena back, he needed to know.
“Yes, but there’s more to it.”Sackett didn’t know if he knew more because he and Savage were closer, because they had the bond of having been prospects together, because they’d roomed together for the trip north or what, but he’d known there was more to Donna’s story from the very beginning.Well, most of it.He suspected there was more even that he didn’t know, or Savage wouldn’t be quite so protective of her, but he didn’t insist on every detail.He’d back Savage in anything.
“Wow.Just wow.”Maverick shook his head in disbelief when Sackett had finished filling him in.“I don’t know how people keep falling for that shit, but they do.”
“I don’t either.Looking at Donna, I can kind of see it.She was young, naïve, idealistic.That seems to be the type that fall for that kind of shit.At least among the women.Men?I think that’s a different story, but we don’t have time to get into it.”
Boarding was called for their flight.They got in line and onto the plane, because of the last-minute nature of their trip, their seats weren’t near each other.Sackett wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.They couldn’t have talked about what they were doing on the trip, not on the plane where people would overhear, but having someone to talk to about something else, nearly anything else, would have been a welcome distraction.Instead, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.He likely wouldn’t get any sleep tonight as they made and executed plans, so he’d get some rest while he could.He had no doubt he would need it.
10
Herwholebodyhurt.She wasn’t sure if it was something they’d give to her or something they’d done to her.She wasn’t sure it even mattered.Now, as she lay curled on her side on a hard cot covered only by a thin mattress, Selena couldn’t help but wonder what they had planned and why her?Realizing her shoes were missing, she couldn't help but be thankful she'd worn a pant suit today instead of her usual skirt.
Who were they?She didn’t think Fort Collins, Colorado was a hot spot for human trafficking, but she couldn’t think of any other reason to have kidnapped her like this.Were they going to sell her and ship her out of the country?Was she going to stay in the US?That last thought gave her a bit of hope.If she was to stay in the states, then there was hope that she could escape.
She wasn’t naïve.She worked in law, she knew human trafficking and slavery were still around, and as big as ever, even if it had moved to more of an underground movement because of the laws.It had never occurred to her that she would be on this side of it though.
Depression and defeat overwhelmed her for several minutes as she lay tied hand and foot, barely able to move.But she could only feel sorry for herself for so long before her own stubbornness kicked in.She knew she had to push the defeatist thinking from her mind, she had to figure out where she was, what they were going to do with her and how she could escape.First things first, she needed a plan.
There were some things she needed to figure out, but she could do some planning without them.Like how to get out of this room.She struggled a bit, but finally managed to sit up.With that accomplished she looked around the room, trying to find anything that could be used as a tool, first to get the tape off her wrists and ankles, then to get out of the room.But would they have bothered to lock the door after leaving her bound like this?The idea had merit, but she had to get free before she could try the door and find out.
Selena still sat on the edge of the bed, blinking and trying to move past the pain in her head when a creak made her look up.The knob on the door turned.Then it opened and swung into the room.She had enough time to wish the door swung the other way so she could see who it was, then they appeared, and she was left as confused as she’d started out.She didn’t know this man.
“I’m glad to see you’re awake,” the man said.He was dressed in jeans, a simple button-down chambray shirt and hiking boots.Nothing that told her who he was or why she was here.
“Why am I here?”She also wondered who he was, but maybe finding out why she was here would tell her who he was, if not, she could always ask later.
“You’re calmer than I expected.Most girls in your situation are hysterical, crying and begging not to be hurt.”
