Page 11 of Ace of Spades

“My name’s Taylor, and we’re with the FBI.” When the girl’s eyes skittered over to him, Taylor said, “That’s Nate. I promise that he won’t hurt you.”

Taylor glanced at him, and he got her message loud and clear. She wasn’t about to leave these two girls behind. Not surprised, he nodded. There was no way they could let these girls stay here, but they needed to know if their mother or father was around. You couldn’t just go and take someone’s kids.

“What’s your name?” Taylor asked again.

“Mellie.”

The younger girl sat up, and at seeing Nate at the end of her bed, she frowned. “Is he here for Mama?”

So their mother was a prostitute. If this was where Linda Harding called home, their mother would probably know her.

“Mellie, where is your mother?” Taylor said.

The girl pressed her lips together, refusing to answer. Their mother was probably in some rent-by-the-hour motel room with a john. Nate had to respect the girl’s loyalty.

Taylor edged onto the mattress. “Okay, you don’t have to tell me. I’m going to show you a picture. Do you know this woman?” She handed the oldest girl the artist rendering.

“Why do you have a picture of our mama?” the youngest said, peering over her sister’s shoulder.

“Shut up, Becky!” Mellie said.

Well, shit. Linda Harding had children.

“Third floor’s clear,” Alex said in his ear.

“I’ll give you a minute with them,” Nate told Taylor, then walked to the opposite wall. “Come down to the second floor. Taylor and I foundLinda Harding’s daughters. We’re in the southeast corner, but I think there’re some others sleeping in some of these rooms. You two check them out, make sure no one bothers us.”

“Roger.”

Next, he called Child Protective Services, arranging for a social worker to meet them in an hour at the police station. Taylor walked to him as he finished the call.

“They haven’t seen their mother in three days. Mellie said she sometimes disappears for days at a time but that she always comes back.” She glanced over at the girls. “I haven’t told them she’s dead.”

He hated the tremble in her voice. “Let’s get them out of here before you tell them.”

“I wish ...”

“You can’t take them home with you, Taylor.”

“I was thinking just for one night before they get lost in the system.”

He stroked his thumb over her cheek, brushing away her tears. “You know you can’t.”

“Yeah, I know.” She swiped at her other cheek with her fist, then inhaled a deep breath. “They’re not going to want to leave. They think she’s coming back any time now.”

“What would someone have had to say to you to get you to go with them?”

“I don’t know. Rosie didn’t give me a choice. She just dragged me home with her.”

“Then I guess we don’t give them a choice.” He nodded at Alex and Josh as they walked up. “All good?”

“Yeah. An old man threatened to gut us if we didn’t leave him alone,” Alex said. “In another room, a couple getting it on asked if we wanted to stay and watch.” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “I’m traumatized for life.”

Josh grinned. “Yeah, I need a cigarette and a beer now,” he said, getting a laugh from Taylor. He lifted his chin toward the girls huddling on the mattress. “What’s the plan?”

“Someone from Child Protective Services is meeting us at the police station. Taylor wants to wait until we get them away from here to tell them their mother’s never coming back.”

Nate was glad to see Taylor laughing. Josh and Alex could always bring a grin to her face or make her laugh; him, not so much. Yet another reason he refused to give in to his desire for her. She needed a man who could make her happy, not one who had never once made her laugh. He walked back to the girls.