LA? A lot. Sex Crimes found toilet cams in a bunch of Starbucks’s downtown. They caught the guy. Nasty fuck had a million notebooks filled with descriptions of urine. Marigold yellow, clear, weak flow, lasts thirty-four seconds. What the hell is wrong with people.”
John pulled out his iPhone, punched in Stacy’s number, and stood. “Go look in on Brooke. I’m going to have my technical analyst do some digging.”
EIGHTEEN
Lisette barrels through the door when Jack’s wiping vomit off my lips. She takes one look and orders him away. He argues, but she won’t hear i t and herds him out the door. “Are you okay?” She sits in the chair. “You must have a stomach bug.”
Something like that.
She ties her hair in a knot at the back of her head. “It wasn’t hard seeing him, right?”
I’ve had more demanding tasks recently, but this one still wasn’t easy. Lying is my only option, though. “No.”
Her eyes flit between mine like she senses I’m insincere. She takes my hand in both of hers. “Okay. I’m sorry we keep getting interrupted. Was this dick serious about the ‘consulting with his sponsor’ thing, or was he just being a sarcastic fuckwad?”
***
“No, don’t look at me like that, girls. He’s watching. We don’t want to let him down, right? He specifically requested ones like you.”
Abby’s breathing accelerates.
“If you keep grabbing her hand like that you’re going to give some of us the wrong idea, Abigail.”
That he knows her name—that he even uses it—is simultaneously frightening and infuriating. I can’t hold back a retort.
“You’re a sick fuck.” I ignore Abby’s knuckle-crushing hand spasm. “And you’re not going t o get away with this.” I don’t know why I bother with empty threats. Obviously I can’t back them up, but I’ve always had a hot temper. Jack says it’s the Irish blood in me, but he’s Irish too, and rarely loses his cool. “Do you get off on kidnapping girls because you can’t get one into bed without sneaking up behind and hitting them over the head? You keep us in the dark and won’t show your face because you’re ashamed of yourself. With good reason too, I bet. You’re pathetic.”
The silence that falls is thicker than oatmeal I dish out during breakfast shifts, but it’s emboldening the longer it lasts. I must be right on in my assumptions.
“That’s a pretty speech,” he finally says in a prettier voice. “But I’ve broken more willful than you, Brooke.”
NINETEEN
“How’s it going?” Stacy asked. “Did you make any new friends? Are the locals giving you a hard time? Mommy misses you.”
John rolled his neck until he felt it crack and headed bac k toward the conference room. “It’s not been too bad. The girls are being filmed while they’re held, which is worrying.”
“What a winner. Just the guy I’d want to bring home. You think he’s some freaky voyeur?”
“Voyeurs get off on spying without the victims knowing. These girls know they’re being filmed, so the voyeur thing seems null. He’s got to have some other agenda.”
“So you want me to dig into the seedy underbelly of the internet and figure out if he’s posting videos, that’s what you’re saying?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” He pushed through the hospital’s conference room and took a seat in a chair at the oval table. “The abducted women range in body type, coloring, he even crosses racial lines. I can’t imagine any one man having such vast tastes. The cameras have to be there for more than just him.”
“Hey, some men love all types of women. Variety is the spice of life, baby.”
“I’ve just heard that from another woman. Not the ‘baby’ thing. You all love to argue with me.” He stabbed the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his chair. “What I mean is I think he’s taking requests. I have no idea if he’s
John pulled out his iPhone, punched in Stacy’s number, and stood. “Go look in on Brooke. I’m going to have my technical analyst do some digging.”
EIGHTEEN
Lisette barrels through the door when Jack’s wiping vomit off my lips. She takes one look and orders him away. He argues, but she won’t hear i t and herds him out the door. “Are you okay?” She sits in the chair. “You must have a stomach bug.”
Something like that.
She ties her hair in a knot at the back of her head. “It wasn’t hard seeing him, right?”
I’ve had more demanding tasks recently, but this one still wasn’t easy. Lying is my only option, though. “No.”
Her eyes flit between mine like she senses I’m insincere. She takes my hand in both of hers. “Okay. I’m sorry we keep getting interrupted. Was this dick serious about the ‘consulting with his sponsor’ thing, or was he just being a sarcastic fuckwad?”
***
“No, don’t look at me like that, girls. He’s watching. We don’t want to let him down, right? He specifically requested ones like you.”
Abby’s breathing accelerates.
“If you keep grabbing her hand like that you’re going to give some of us the wrong idea, Abigail.”
That he knows her name—that he even uses it—is simultaneously frightening and infuriating. I can’t hold back a retort.
“You’re a sick fuck.” I ignore Abby’s knuckle-crushing hand spasm. “And you’re not going t o get away with this.” I don’t know why I bother with empty threats. Obviously I can’t back them up, but I’ve always had a hot temper. Jack says it’s the Irish blood in me, but he’s Irish too, and rarely loses his cool. “Do you get off on kidnapping girls because you can’t get one into bed without sneaking up behind and hitting them over the head? You keep us in the dark and won’t show your face because you’re ashamed of yourself. With good reason too, I bet. You’re pathetic.”
The silence that falls is thicker than oatmeal I dish out during breakfast shifts, but it’s emboldening the longer it lasts. I must be right on in my assumptions.
“That’s a pretty speech,” he finally says in a prettier voice. “But I’ve broken more willful than you, Brooke.”
NINETEEN
“How’s it going?” Stacy asked. “Did you make any new friends? Are the locals giving you a hard time? Mommy misses you.”
John rolled his neck until he felt it crack and headed bac k toward the conference room. “It’s not been too bad. The girls are being filmed while they’re held, which is worrying.”
“What a winner. Just the guy I’d want to bring home. You think he’s some freaky voyeur?”
“Voyeurs get off on spying without the victims knowing. These girls know they’re being filmed, so the voyeur thing seems null. He’s got to have some other agenda.”
“So you want me to dig into the seedy underbelly of the internet and figure out if he’s posting videos, that’s what you’re saying?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” He pushed through the hospital’s conference room and took a seat in a chair at the oval table. “The abducted women range in body type, coloring, he even crosses racial lines. I can’t imagine any one man having such vast tastes. The cameras have to be there for more than just him.”
“Hey, some men love all types of women. Variety is the spice of life, baby.”
“I’ve just heard that from another woman. Not the ‘baby’ thing. You all love to argue with me.” He stabbed the bridge of his nose and leaned back in his chair. “What I mean is I think he’s taking requests. I have no idea if he’s
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