Page 12 of Deadly Revenge
“Hey. Kid.”
Hope snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head to see why Jake was calling her.
“I said get up.”
“It’s a little hard,” Hope answered.
“Figure it out. We’re leaving.”
Every time they moved, it would make it harder and harder for law enforcement to locate her. Hope figured that’s why they were doing it. She torqued and twisted in her chair until she was able to get to the edge and stand. How did they expect her to get to the van? Hop?
Vicki came over and untied her legs. Then she held a large knife toward Hope. “Get in and don’t mess around.”
Hope wanted to try sprinting off, but with her arms tied behind her back, she was limited in balance and how fast she could run. If Jake and Vicki really did need her, maybe going with them was best. Maybe she would have another opportunity to escape. And this time, Hope would make sure that she ran until she found someone who could help her.
Maya loaded up Juniper in her compartment, praising her dog and telling her what a great job she’d done. As she petted Juniper, some of the ash from the fire came off her coat. She’d have to make sure to wipe down Juniper tonight so that the ash didn’t stick to her.
Pulling out her cell phone, Maya checked to see ifthere happened to be service in the parking area of the campground. There wasn’t. She wanted to call the number that text was being sent to. Dispatch had notified Pops and Josh, but they were busy with the fire response. Everyone had been called in to work and Maya was worried that this message would be pushed aside. She didn’t blame them.
While Maya really suspected there was a kidnapped girl out there, it could still be a disgruntled teenager pulling an elaborate hoax. Josh had just dealt with a case in town where a teen had been grounded and made up a story about her parents abusing her. Once that report came in, Josh had to follow up on it along with Child Protective Services, but as time went on, the kid finally admitted she’d made everything up to get back at her parents. There was a chance that was the case here too, but somehow, Maya’s gut instincts told her there was more to this. The picture the lady had shown her didn’t seem like a mad teen, but rather a terrified kid.
Once she had cell service and was a good distance away from the fire, she would also contact the FBI. Agent Kessler had helped her with other investigations and was the case agent for the area. She figured with the fire response taking up other emergency resources, he might be the best one to turn to for this kidnapping.
Maya put the vehicle in Drive and turned onto the road. She knew she’d have cell phone service in about five miles. Based on the latest fire reports and wind direction, the area she was headed to would also befurther from the fire and safer. Juniper had curled up into a pooch ball and was happily snoring away in the back with the air-conditioning keeping her cool.
They came up to the pull-off where Maya knew she’d be able to make a call. Grabbing the phone she found, she opened it, found the number and typed it into her phone. Then she hit send.
The phone rang several times. Maya figured she might get a voicemail, but then she heard a click as someone answered.
“US Marshal Nick Torres.”
Maya didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t expecting a marshal and she certainly wasn’t expecting someone to answer who had the same last name as her father. She’d only recently met and connected with her father Eric Torres.
Maya had been the product of an affair when her father was still married. He had two kids with his then-wife. Maya knew she had a half brother and half sister, but she hadn’t reached out. What were the chances this was her brother? Of course, Torres was a somewhat common name. But Nick Torres? Eric had told her that was her brother’s name. This had to be a coincidence.
“Hello?”
Maya realized she’d been so lost in thought that she hadn’t talked yet. She better say something before he hung up. “Yes. Sorry. Hello. This is Officer Maya Thompson with the US Forest Service.”
“What can I help you with, Officer Thompson?”
“Sorry for the delay. The service in the mountains is iffy.”
“I understand. But I’m really busy right now. What do you need?”
Maya hesitated again. Could this really be her brother? She didn’t know what he did for a living. She’d never thought to ask her dad that. Of course, Eric was on the run as a fugitive wanted for his own crimes from when he was a police officer. She took a deep breath and continued. “I’m sorry to bother you while you’re busy... I know this might sound strange, but I have reason to believe we could have a kidnapped teenager in the National Forest.”
Now there was silence on the other end. Maya decided to continue. “I found a burner phone and there was a message typed into it being sent this number. The message never went through. Do you know of anyone who’s missing and would want to contact you?”
“Is this a joke?”
“No. Why would this be a joke?”
“Where are you?” Nick asked.
“Colorado.”
“Why would my niece be there?”
