Page 17 of Wed
"Good. Remember there are cameras in the elevator, so keep your head down," Becca reminded her. They'd discussed all this before.
"In." Bryon stepped aside, letting the team enter the elevator before following them in. He hit the button for the lobby and let the door close.
It was crowded with eleven adults and one child. As big as the men were, she was surprised that they all fit. Having them all so close kept her secure and she loved each and every one of them for protecting her. Becca gave Lenora's hand a squeeze as the elevator started to descend.
"No one better fart," Xander quipped.
The group laughed and Becca smiled as Lenora burst into a fit of silent giggles, keeping her hand over her mouth to stay quiet.
As the door opened to the lobby, the group let Bryon lead them out. They stayed together as a group, but not close enough to be obvious. Becca hoped they looked like a close group of friends or family just staying together. She kept her head down, but scanned the area around her, looking for the men she'd seen with Lenora earlier. It was hard to see past the team surrounding her.
The hot desert air hit her as they stepped outside. Even at nearly ten at night, the temperature was still in the nineties. She focused on Beau's back since he was directly in front of her and kept moving until they came to the first car. The group parted and Faith climbed into the car, then turned and helped Lenora in. Becca followed, seeing two bench seats in the back. She left Lenora and Faith to the front one and moved to the back so that one of the men could sit with Lenora. Xander climbed in beside her, and Byron settled beside Lenora as the door closed.
The windows of the SUV were tinted, allowing Becca to glance around them. Couples walked by them on their way in and out of the hotel, but she didn't see anyone who looked like the men who had taken Lenora or anyone suspicious. She took a calming breath, hoping they would make it to the safe house without incident.
Bryon leaned forward and spoke to the driver, then relaxed back and smiled at Becca. "Wait until you see where we're staying." He glanced down at Lenora. "My friend has a daughter about your age. She won't be there, but she said you can stay in her room if you want. She's with her dad in Australia at the moment and they won't be back for a few weeks."
Lenora glanced at Faith. "What if I want to stay with Becca or Faith?"
"You're more than welcome to stay with me if that's what you want." Faith touched Lenora's shoulder. "We'll decide when we get there. Becca shares a room with Bryon, so you can't stay with her, but she won't be far if you need her."
Becca closed her eyes. She'd never wanted a child, but suddenly the thought of a child crawling into bed to sleep between Bryon and her had her heart yearning for it. She quickly pushed the thought back. She was too old to start a family and up until now had been content not to have one. She was just feeling maternal because Lenora needed her. It would fade once Lenora was safe.
The SUV pulled away from the curb and Becca relaxed. The chances they would be stopped on the road were slim. That would attract too much attention. While she had no doubt the traffickers had some of the police in their pockets, they wouldn't have most of them. It was attention the trafficker couldn't afford to have.
"Tomorrow, we have to do some online shopping too. Get you some clothes you like. We'll have the guys go pick it up at the store once we order it. Did you used to help your mother cook?" Faith asked Lenora.
"A little." Lenora still sounded tense and worried.
"Well, I love to cook, so you can help me. We'll have to decide on a menu for a few days. We've got to feed everyone. What's your favorite food?"
Becca was glad Faith was keeping Lenora occupied. She hoped the young girl would relax once they got to the safe house, but she imagined the girl didn't dare let her guard down yet. She'd been moved to a big house before and that hadn't ended well. She didn't know them well enough yet to trust them and had to be worried she was going to end up right back where she had been. Only time would earn her trust.
"Leave it to you and Bryon to have an adventurous wedding." Xander smiled beside her.
"You guys have had too much time off lately. We had to keep your skills from getting rusty." She nudged Xander with her elbow. The team has slowed down a lot over the last year, taking on only a few simple cases. After Trenton's kidnapping, the mood had changed, and everyone seemed to refocus their attention on their own lives instead of the team. It was bound to happen. They weren't all in their twenties anymore. They had families and other priorities to deal with. They would always be a team, but like all things in life, changes had to happen.
She watched the traffic and lights of the casinos fade as they drove away from the Strip. It didn't take long before they were in a neighborhood with large mansions and perfectly landscaped yards surrounded by large fences. She'd never seen this side of Vegas. It had to be where the rich and famous lived. She shouldn't have been surprised. While Bryon came across as an everyday man, the truth was, he was very rich and had well-known connections around the world.
"Nice." Xander whistled as they turned into a driveway and stopped at a large gate.
A guard stepped out of a small shack beside the gate and came to the window of the SUV. Bryon leaned forward to speak with him, and in seconds, the guard was back in the booth, opening the gate for them.
The SUV pulled down a long driveway and stopped at a roundabout in front of the house. Becca tried to guess who owned the place, but she had no idea. It could belong to anyone. She tried to think who she knew that had a daughter around Lenora's age but again came up blank.
"We'll meet in the living room before splitting up to take rooms." Bryon climbed out of the SUV.
As Becca followed everyone out, she noticed another guard standing at the doorway to the house. He nodded to Bryon but remained quiet.
Lenora glanced around and then moved closer to Becca. "This is like the last place."
"Where they took you after the foster home?" Becca knelt so she was face to face with Lenora.
"Yeah."
"Well, I promise you that this isn't anything like that place. You're safe here. The guards are here to keep bad people out. I know you don't trust us yet, but I promise that we are not going to hurt you. Let's go inside and see what it's like in there. Faith and I won't leave you alone until you're ready, okay? Like Faith said, you can sleep in her room if you want to." She stood, keeping hold of Lenora's hand and leading her inside the house.
The house was amazing with a large, open entryway. It appeared to be a single-level home, though she guessed there would be a basement. Off the entry sat a huge living room, with a huge piano beside three couches and several other seats. A large fireplace decorated one wall, and windows another, but it was the wall adorned with pictures that had her attention. She walked over and looked at the photos, her breath catching as she realized whose home they were in. "Danny Prescott." She shouldn't have been shocked. She'd met the famous singer several times throughout the years. Bryon had grown up in the same neighborhood as Danny and they'd remained good friends through the years.
