Page 95 of Rescuer
Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. “It was.”
“The next day, when we were getting ready to leave, a couple guys showed up and attacked us. We fought real hard—I even hit one with my hunting knife. He bled a little. But they still put us into their truck and took us to this building. It was cold and smelled funny.”
Jackson’s head lifted. “Dylan texted Cynthia. Said he was safe.”
“That was them. They sent texts so our parents wouldn’t report us missing.”
Mia pressed her lips together, holding in her angry words.
“There were a bunch of people there—mostly kids like us—being kept in cages. That girl Zoe, from camp, from the other high school, she was there too.
“Last night, when they were letting us out, they forgot to lock the door on the cage they kept me in. I couldn’t get the other cages unlocked. Dylan told me I needed to run and warn people. As I was sneaking out, I heard a couple of the guards talking. They said that in thirty-six hours, everybody was going to be shipped out of the country.”
Mia clenched her hands on the railing at his bedside. Jackson’s face went ashen.
Mark said, “You’re doing great, kid. What else did they say?”
Reggie looked right at Mia. “They were talking about you, Miss Turner. They said you were causing problems for the boss and needed to be taken care of—that it had to look like an accident.”
She blinked. Then she understood. “I’d been asking questions about the foundation.”
Jackson shook his head. “So that’s why.”
Mia looked at him, confused. “Why what?”
“I wondered why two women who resembled you were attacked. Remember, one was close to your aunt’s house. They must have gone after those women thinking they were you.”
She shivered.
Reggie looked at Jackson. “I did hear them say something about the boss being so mad at their mistakes.”
Jackson nodded.
Reggie spoke again. “Dylan’s okay, sir. But he’s scared. They’re all real scared.”
Mark nodded. “Reggie, how did you end up getting shot?”
“I was in the cage next to the one Dylan was in. I got out as soon as I knew it wasn’t locked. But before I could get any of the other cages open, I heard them come back.” He dropped his eyes. “I should have stayed, Jackson. Dylan told me to get help, but I don’t know if I did the right thing.”
“Reggie.” Mia spoke up. He looked at her. She spoke around the rage burning her throat. “If you hadn’t left, we’d have no idea about any of this. Right now, you are the only link we have to finding Dylan and the others.”
“She’s right,” Jackson affirmed, his voice rough.
Reggie swiped at his eyes. “I tried to sneak out, but I knocked a bottle over. It broke. I ran—the door was unlocked, they chased me. One of them shot me. I don’t know which one. When I looked back, I saw I was in some kind of abandoned building. Like a warehouse. It was near the woods where we camped.”
Mia crossed an arm over her stomach. They finally had a break.
“I need you to work with someone who does drawings,” Mark said, “to see if we can get an image of the men who took you. And if I get you a map of the area, maybe you can help me by pointing out familiar landscapes or things that might help us find and rescue those kids.”
Jackson took Mia’s hand and held tight. “Reggie, you said Dylan was okay. Have they hurt him?”
“He’s a little bruised, but otherwise, he’s okay.” Reggie opened his mouth to speak, but a loud yawn emerged instead. He shook out of it. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine, Reggie. You’ve been through a lot,” Jackson murmured.
Reggie rubbed his face. “So tired.”
Reggie’s eyelids fluttered. Soon he fell asleep. Mark sighed. “The nurse warned me he’d recently had his pain medication and it would make him sleepy.”
