Page 2

The wind was trying its hardest to blow me off the rock face. Due to the high winds, I wasn’t doing this from a helicopter. It was too dangerous for the helo to be up here. Instead, I was repelling down the rock face to the hurt man below. He was on a stony outcropping on the face of a steep rocky mountainside. We were told we’d have trouble getting to him when the call came in. That was why I was the dope on the rope. Of those on the team, I had the most experience in rock climbing and doing this type of rescue, so I was the one to go down after him.

In addition, I had extensive paramedic training and would be able to assess his medical needs, provide treatment to stabilize him, and get him to the nearest hospital. The rest of the team was above us on standby. At that moment, they were lowering me with the stretcher attached. Usually, I’d have them send it down after I got to him, but with the way the wind was blowing, it would become more of a hazard if we did that. My weight was helping to hold it in place.

My winter clothing was keeping me adequately warm. The crampons attached to my boots helped me to get purchase on the rocks. Thank goodness for those spikes on the bottom. The climbing harness I wore was securely held in place by the hip and leg loops. My hip loop was where the gear loops held my other equipment. They were tied down as much as possible so as not to bounce. You didn’t want to get where you were going and find out you didn’t have what you needed. Quickdraws, an extra belay, extra rope, and carabiners were just a few items I always took. In addition, I had a rather large first aid kit with me.

My gloves protected my hands from the rope, but they made it slightly more challenging to feel. Stretching my left leg down to get another toe hold, I gasped as a strong gust made me lose contact with the rocks. I stayed calm and let myself blow back toward it before finding purchase again. Those above belayed me down, but I still had to do some of the work.

It was totally different from the free climbing I loved to do. With it, I climbed using my hands and feet. The rope, harness, and helmet were just for safety. They were there to catch me if I fell—not to help me climb. I loved using only my skills and strength to reach my goal. Other than climbing shoes and some chalk, I couldn’t use any other gear to help me. However, I sometimes did free soloing, which involved climbing without a rope or safety gear. My coworkers told me I was insane for doing it, but I loved the thrill of just me and nature competing. They said I needed my head examined.

Finally, I reached the man. I informed them over the radio that I had made it. I didn’t waste time dropping next to him to check him over. He was moaning in pain and was barely conscious.

“Sir, can you hear me? If you can, I need you to open your eyes and look at me.” I shouted to be heard over the moan and whistle of the wind.

His head turned toward me, and he cracked his eyelids open. His face twisted into a grimace.

“Good. My name is Keeley. I’m here to help. Can you tell me your name?”

As I questioned him, I was busy taking out my equipment to assess his vitals. I knew his name but asked to evaluate his alertness and see if he was oriented. I had no idea how long he’d been here. Hypothermia was only one threat to his survival.

“N-Neil, Neil Brock,” he whispered.

“Good. Now, I need you to stay very still. Don’t move unless I tell you to. I need to assess you, and I need you to answer me as best as you can. First, can you tell me where you are and what day it is?”

As he answered those questions, I peppered in others to get an idea of his pain and where he might be injured. I did it quickly. I kept my comm line open to those above so they could hear what was said. They’d relay my findings to the hospital so they’d be on standby for us.

When I was ready to get him on the stretcher about ten minutes or so later, I wanted to swear a blue streak. It wasn’t because of him. Sure, he was injured and needed help and to have tests to see if he had internal organ damage or bleeding. What made me want to curse was the update I got.

“ Keeley, there’s a storm coming in fast. It’s gonna be a furious one. Get your ass up here with that man before we’re all stuck ,” my chief growled.

“Sure thing, Chief. Give me five,” I said calmly.

It took work to roll Neil over and then onto the stretcher. I worked fast to secure him to it. There would be no bringing him up and then retrieving me. We’d have to go together, which meant I’d hook the stretcher to another rope secured to my harness. He’d be closest to the rock, with me on the outside as a buffer.

As soon as I had him set, I sent the command to start pulling us up. It would be a slow process since we didn’t want him crashing into the rock face and sustaining more injuries. With me on the outside, I’d take the brunt of the wind and protect him. As we rose, he began to panic and tried to struggle to get free. I tried to calm him, but he wouldn’t listen.

“ Mills, get him to stay still ,” my chief snarled.

“I’m trying. I’ve got to sedate him, or we’re both going to be smashed to smithereens,” I told him.

“ Do it ,” he ordered.

I already had the syringe with the medication out of my pocket. I always carried it in my coat in case I had to get to it immediately. I removed the cap with my teeth and injected it into his bicep right through the cloth. It was rapid working and had him slipping into unconsciousness in about a minute. It was a short-duration one, so he’d be coming out of it in five to ten minutes, but by then, we’d be at the top.

I heard a booming peal of thunder. I glanced around, praying that I wouldn’t see lightning. That was the last thing we needed. So far, so good. I gasped as icy rain began to pelt me. I hunched over Neil as far as I could, trying to protect him from it. It was the longest few minutes until we were pulled over the edge and onto solid ground. I unhooked myself and rolled out of the way. There was an ambulance waiting to transport him to the hospital.

By the time he was taken away, my head was soaked, and my teeth were chattering. My team hustled me into our truck. The heat was put on full blast. They’d been able to put on head coverings.

“Get dried off,” Chief Becerra ordered gruffly. He tossed me a towel.

Luckily, I only had to dry my hair and face. However, I’d gotten over being shy of others seeing me mostly or even fully naked. The guys were good about averting their eyes, but if I had to strip completely, I would’ve done it without a thought.

It took us an hour to get back to our offices. By then, I was warm, and my hair was mostly dry. As we walked into the building, we greeted our main dispatcher, Percilla. She returned it and then turned to me. Her smile changed to a look of concern.

“Keeley, while you were gone, I got a call from someone looking for you. He said he called and left messages on your phone, but I explained you were out in the field. He left his name. He said you’d have his number. Honey, he claimed it was about Kensington.” This made everyone stop talking.

“Who was it?”

“His name was Reed Dallia. I tried to get more from him, but he hung up,” she said in a rush.

My tension increased on one hand, but on the other, I tried not to smile. It sounded like Reed. He didn’t care much for talking to people, especially on the phone.

“Percilla, don’t fret. It’s fine. I have his number. Reed doesn’t like to talk to many people. Don’t take it personally. Chief, do you need me for anything else?”

I hoped he didn’t say yes. It was technically after my shift, but we didn’t usually end up working a straight eight hours anyway.

“No, we’re good. Go. See what he has to say. If you need us or find out something, let us know.”

Everyone knew how worried I was about my sister. She’d been missing for two months, and the police were no closer to finding her than they were when Detective Chase called me the first time. Neither was I, which pissed me off to no end.

It was all I could do to stow my equipment away correctly. I waved as I ran out the door. I waited until I was in my truck with the heater on before I made the call. My whole body shook as I waited for Reed to answer.

When he did, I was greeted in classic Reed fashion. “Girly, what took you so damn long? I called and spoke to that damn nosy woman over two hours ago,” he grumbled.

I smiled. “Reed, Percilla told you where I was. I was hanging off the side of a mountain, rescuing someone. I literally got in five minutes ago, and before you bitch why it took me five minutes to call you, I had to check with my boss and stow my gear. My ass is in my cold truck, waiting for the heat to kick in. Tell me what you found.”

“You’re gonna kill yourself one of these days. Just like your daddy,” he muttered before he answered my question. “I have a contact who I asked to do some digging. He’s in the know about all kinds of stuff. It seems there were a bunch of women and young girls over the past three years who have gone missing all over the US. Nothing new about that. However, what is new is the rumor circulating. Seems there was a motorcycle club in North Carolina that got involved with another club.”

“Why would I care about two motorcycle clubs? Unless you mean they have her,” I said impatiently.

“They don’t have her. The one called the Pagan Souls in Cherokee, North Carolina, had trouble with another club called the Black Outlaws in Spartanburg, South Carolina. No one knows for sure what it was about, other than a woman was involved. What they do know is that not long after it happened, the Outlaws’ clubhouse burned to the ground. Seems the bulk of the club got drunk and high one night while they partied, and no one paid attention to the lit candles. The candles burned the place down. They all died.”

I knew rushing him to get to the part I wanted to know would do me no good. I thought over what he was saying. “You said the bulk of them died. What happened to the rest?”

“Ah, that’s a bigger mystery. Seems they were found in an explosion that same night. An old, abandoned house several miles away from their clubhouse went boom. When the cops and fire department got there, they found more bodies and hidden tunnels beneath it. The tunnels caved in, but there were signs that people may have been kept there. There were remnants of cells like you have in a jail there.”

“Was Kensy in there!?” I asked in terror. I was afraid he’d say they found her body in the rubble.

“No, of course not. Was she ever there? I don’t know, but it seems that a bigwig man was found with the dead bikers in the house, along with some of his bodyguards. There’s a rumor going around that the man, Thurman James Thacker III, was into things better left alone. I don’t know if he had anything to do with Kensy’s disappearance, but since then, several groups all over the country and even worldwide have been arrested or disappeared. They were allegedly involved in trafficking. The theory is that someone is cleaning house. The other rumor is that Thacker was involved in human trafficking, honey, even though he was a very wealthy man. It may be he was, but we don’t know if it had anything to do with what happened to Kensy. I knew you’d want to know. My friend is trying to see if he can find anything out. It’s not much, but it’s more than what we had yesterday.”

Tears gathered in my eyes, but I held them back. I had to stay strong. I refused to let despair consume me. I would find Kensy, no matter how long it took. And those who took her and harmed her would be hunted down and exterminated.

“Reed, no need to apologize. I appreciate you asking your friend to help and letting me know. You’re right. It might not be connected to Kensy, but it could be. No matter how far-fetched they are, I’m not ignoring any leads.”

“I know you’re running yourself ragged trying to find her. Every possible lead, you’re following up. How long can you keep that up? Your bosses have been lenient, but eventually, you’ll run out of time off. You’ve got to bring in more help.”

“I do have help. I have you and others like you. I’m not alone. If my bosses want to fire me, let them. I’ll find another job eventually. You know I can survive. My sister is more important than anything.”

“I know she is, and your daddy would be proud of how you’re trying to find her. But the others and I aren’t the same as feet on the ground. I know there are other ways to track all this. You need people who can be hands-on, running down leads in person, as well as those computer whiz kids who can find and do anything on a computer. They’d find a lot more and be able to do it faster and go deeper than us.”

I knew he was right, but I didn’t have those kinds of contacts. What I had were a bunch of survivalists and my dad’s prior military friends. “Reed, you’re right, but I don’t know anyone like that. Don’t sell yourself and the others short. I couldn’t do this without you.”

“Honey, you know we’re always here for you. What I wish is you had someone more to support you—you know, like a man.”

I’d heard this from several of Dad’s friends for a while. They felt I should be settled down with a man and kids. Would I like that? Sure, if the guy was the right one. But my track record with them wasn’t the best, so I’d stopped trying. These days, I had those wanting sex hitting me up, and I turned them away. I might be horny, but no way did I want the reputation as an easy lay for anyone or everyone. No, thank you.

“Reed, we’ve been over this. Men just don’t seem to get me. I guess I’m too much my dad’s daughter. They just want sex, or they find I’m too independent. They get intimidated. I don’t see myself having a man any time soon, so I’m not counting on one.” I reminded him of our prior conversations on this topic.

“You wait. You’ll find one in the most unusual way and when you least expect it. Not all men are scared of an independent, strong, and resourceful woman. Only the pussies are, and you don’t want them.”

I laughed despite the conversation we’d started out having. “Reed, I just blew you a kiss. You make me feel good. Thank you.”

“Ah, stop it and behave. I’m too old for you, so don’t get any ideas. Alright, I’ll keep my friend digging and let you know if he finds anything else. Do you need anything right now?”

I knew I’d made him uncomfortable. He was that way about any kind of affection, even though I knew he had it for me. He’d run out of patience for being on the phone. I got longer than most.

“Just send me the names of those motorcycle clubs, where they’re at, and that man’s name they think was involved. The one killed with the bikers. I’ll do some research on them myself. Thank you, and take care of yourself, Reed.”

“You’re welcome. Take care,” he said, and then the line went dead.

As soon as I got home, I began to pace. Tiredness had been replaced with nervous energy. I didn’t have to wait long before Reed sent me the names. As soon as I had them, I sat at my computer to research. I didn’t have mad skills, but even I could do a basic search. Even if I couldn’t find anything on the motorcycle clubs, I was sure a wealthy man like Thacker would have something online about him. I’d start there.

???

For the past three days, I spent all my free time researching everything I could find on Thurman James Thacker III, the Pagans Souls of Cherokee, North Carolina, and the Black Outlaws of Spartanburg, South Carolina. I wish I’d found more, but it was the luck of the draw. I was lucky I got as much done as I had. Work had been super busy, and I was being called out even on my days off. Exhaustion had become my middle name, but I refused to give up.

My sleep was punctuated with nightmares of what was happening to my sister. I tried not to think of the what-ifs, but I couldn’t stop them. I knew if she was taken, and I was sure she had been, she was most likely being used as a sexual slave, not a domestic one. She was young and beautiful. Men were often attracted to her. As much as I prayed it was for domestic reasons, I knew it was unlikely.

The police in Billings had been no help. Sure, they said they’d follow any leads they got, but once they found nothing, her case was just one of numerous unsolved cases they had. I stopped calling Detective Chase to see if he had anything new. Initially, he believed that she hadn’t been taken and that she was someone who had disappeared on her own. Her trashed apartment was something she did to throw the police and me off the trail. It took me a few weeks to convince him she wouldn’t have run off. Unfortunately, he had no idea who took her or where she was.

My research showed that the Black Outlaws were said to be a one-percenter club. I had to look up what that meant, and I wasn’t happy when I did. Those kinds of clubs did just about anything illegal to make their money, and selling people or participating in prostitution was among them. Admittedly, there were a lot of one-percenter clubs in the States, so it didn’t mean they had anything to do with Kensy, but I wasn’t willing to walk away until I knew for sure.

The Pagan Souls were a different entity. I saw they owned what appeared to be legitimate businesses all over Cherokee. They participated in and often supported charity causes. There was more than one chapter in the country. One was in Georgia. There was speculation that, in the past, the club had been less than upstanding. I wondered if they had gotten away from those tendencies or were better at hiding them and fooling those around them.

Thacker III was much easier to find information on. However, it was confusing. He’d been extremely wealthy. He had owned numerous businesses, was seen to support many charities, and was often in the spotlight for one thing or another. He was thought to be a wonderful person. Everything I found suggested he was a great man. So how did someone like that die in an explosion with a bunch of bikers like the Black Outlaws? Something didn’t add up.

The more I found, the more confused I became. I was itching to go to North and South Carolina to see for myself. I knew there were no Outlaws left there, but like the Pagans, there were other chapters in the States. I was torn. Should I go to Spartanburg or Cherokee first?

I knew my boss might deny it if I asked for more time off. They were short-handed, and I’d been picking up extra shifts. But it wasn’t my job to always be the one to cover when they needed someone. I had three days off in a row coming. Could I get there and back in time for my next shift? Hmm, let me see what plane tickets were like. I’d have to fly so I wouldn’t waste valuable time.

Dad might’ve been a survivalist who lived frugally, but he did work and had money. Over the years, he let it grow. When he died, Kensy and I inherited it. We left it alone to continue to grow. We worked for what we wanted or needed. I could more than afford to fly multiple times and stay for a while. If this clue about the Pagans and Outlaws led to something, I’d have to choose to either pass it to the police or follow it myself. If I did the latter, I’d have to quit my job. However, I’d do it for my sister. I began making plans and calculating potential costs in my mind as I searched flights and dug further into these clubs and Thacker.

A few hours later, I had my plans in place and a flight booked. I’d have to wait almost a week. Starting tomorrow, I was on the schedule for five days straight. Then I’d be off for three. I’d fly out on a redeye the fifth night after I got off work. Surely, we wouldn’t work over that late. I’d fly back the night of the third day off so I’d return in time to work the next morning. I’d have to live on caffeine since sleep would be an unnecessary extravagance. I’d do as much investigating as I could cram in.

With that plan in place, I took a shower, warmed up leftovers to eat, and then crawled into bed for some shut-eye. Morning would be here before I knew it. I hoped tonight I might sleep without dreaming.