Page 38 of Babe's Bounty
“Dr. Vance sold the practice after the FBI investigated allegations against his wife and son. Supposedly, they were part of a human trafficking ring. They hid the women as patients in the hospital. After all, where better to hide groups of women than in a secure wing of a hospital known for patient privacy? Dr. Vance would never have been involved in something like that. Maybe whoever is kidnapping these women wants to know about the trafficking.”
“Maybe. You didn’t know about it until after the fact. Do you think others knew more?”
Cicely nods her head. “I do. The FBI came in and searched through all the files and compiled enough evidence to clear Dr. Vance and indict Vivian and Colin. Although, they both fled the country before the FBI could arrest them.”
“So, the men who killed Angie are looking for information about the trafficking, or for the two doctors?” I ponder these notions and realize they are the best ones I can come up with right now. Maybe we’ll get more information once the police arrest Jordan and his men.
“Can I ask you something?” Cicely asks. I nod for her to go ahead. “Why did you become a bounty hunter? I became a nurse because I wanted to help people. Did something terrible happen that made you want to hunt down criminals? If I’m being too nosy, you can just tell me it’s none of my business.”
I chuckle. “Nothing terrible happened. Except for a cop burning down my father’s business with my father inside. He’s one of four men that Babe and I are hunting down here in Chicago. The two we caught today and two others. He’s also the one that helped the others escape jail. I guess Billings burning down our dojo played a part in me accepting Babe’s suggestion of going into business together to hunt skips.”
“I’m so sorry. Is your father okay?”
I nod. “He is. A gang member rescued him. If you can imagine. The guy was trying to talk to his ex-girlfriend when he saw Billings go inside and attack my father before setting the fire. He saved several lives that day.”
“Aren’t you afraid of the men you’re chasing? Although, you faced off against those guys today better than I did.”
“I had a counter between us and backup,” I remind her. “However, I also have several black belts that give me confidence when confronting men like them. Billings ran off when he saw me. He might have recognized me from the dojo. He set the fire after I left that day. I can hold my own against most. Men who rely on their size to intimidate others underestimate those who are smaller. Especially if they’re women. Besides, most criminals aren’t particularly smart. Like the guys we caught today. If they had stayed hidden, we’d have had a harder time finding them. But they went into a public place to hunt and focused on their prey rather than their surroundings.”
“I hate being called prey, but I get your point,” Cicely says with a grin.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it as an insult. There were three of them. At least one should have been standing guard to protect the other two or create a distraction. Billings was outside, but not until later. I think he showed up to see what was taking the other two so long.”
“I’m just grateful you came to my assistance,” Cicely says. “I was scared.”
“Of course you were. We both saw what those assholes did to Angie. Although, I don’t think the men we’re hunting hurt Angie. Not that they aren’t capable of it. The two me we caught today are guilty of hurting women. Besides Billings, there is also a doctor who killed several women in San Diego.”
“He’s like Vivian and Colin. Doctors are supposed to help people, but they used their skills to ruin lives.”
Her words make me consider Blankenship and where he might be hiding.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: BABE
Mode’s video has the club members reconsidering the option of leaving Jordan and his men to the cops. None of us would refuse to go into battle because we’re scared, but we didn’t have a death wish. We’re outnumbered and outgunned.
“We could attack the building. We have several men who can snipe, and we have access to smoke bombs and explosives. But my biggest concern is the women. They’re stuck inside with no way out unless we go in first and remove them,” Chrome says. “If we attack from the outside, we can’t guarantee their lives. They could kill them or use them as shields.”
“They’d do the same if the cops took the offensive,” Piston reminds us.
“Two of us could sneak in and barricade the room with the weapons and drugs, while another group frees the women before we open fire on the men furthest to the back. We’d have to time it so we can move the women out just as the battle starts,” Bush suggests. “We have bullet-proof vests we could put on the women for extra protection.”
As we throw out additional suggestions to the scenario, I can see how we could take on these bastards and win. While I’d like to have more manpower working with us, especially the men I’m used to going into battle with, I can see how we could take them by surprise and come out the victors. The biggest problem I’m seeing is Min. She’ll want to join the fight. As the man who fucked her earlier, I don’t want her risking her life. Because I want to fuck her again and again. But as her partner and someone who has seen her fight, I know she’d be an asset on this mission. We need someone stealthy for the first half and she’s stealthier than a cat stalking its prey.
We’re ready to take a vote when someone pounds on the door. Bush rises and opens it with a glare for whoever is on the other side. “What the fuck, prospect?”
“I’m sorry, but I thought you’d want to know. We just left the community center. They vacated it,” the prospect says. Bush opens the door to let him into the room. “We tried calling to let you know what was happening, but we couldn’t reach anyone. They loaded up everything into SUVs and trucks and moved out. We tried to follow, but they spotted us and shot out our tires. So we took a taxi back here. We thought you’d want to know right away.”
“Son of a bitch!” Chrome shouts out, making the prospect cringe. “Did they make you? Is that why they packed up?”
“I don’t think so, sir,” he says. “We were leaving when I glanced in my side mirror and saw an SUV hightail it out of the parking lot. We circled back and hid amongst the trees to watch. The guy in charge was shouting orders about taking the drugs and guns first and coming back for the women. He said they didn’t know how much time they had.”
“Did they take the women?” I ask.
He nods. “Took them last. Loaded them into a truck. That was the one we were following when they shot at us.”
“Good man. Okay, grab a truck and retrieve your bikes. Take backup. Can’t be certain that they won’t try to ambush you,” Scorch says before turning to Chrome. “What do we do?”
“What can we do? Mode, check out the footage, see if you can find a clue about who or what tipped them off and then do your thing with the traffic cams. See if you can track them down again,” Chrome orders.