Ghostwalker 03 - Night Game

Comeaux cabin, why would she have pictures of the area?”

    “Maybe they were going to grab her then and something went wrong,” Tucker offered.

    “Or that sleazy kid got high just bringing her close to the cabin, knowing what was coming,” Kadan said. “He’s really screwed up and he’d savor the idea of showing her around, all the while knowing what he was going to do to her.”

    Flame felt sick. Joy was caged up with monsters torturing her. She had no hope left by this time and she would be sick and confused. “If we pull Joy out of there, she can tell us who else is involved. She won’t be as afraid of me. I can check out the Comeaux cabin and if she’s there, go in quietly while you all…” She hesitated, glancing at Nonny.
    “Secure the place.”

    “She’ll have to go to the hospital,” Kadan advised.

    “We’ll notify the doctors and her family when we have her,” Gator said. “I don’t want to wait until dark.”

    “If Vicq Comeaux is guarding her out there, he’ll kill her and dump the body if he hears you coming,” Wyatt said.

    “He won’t hear us,” Gator assured. “We know what we’re doing.”

    “I’m coming with you.” It was a declaration and Wyatt looked every bit as stubborn as Gator.

    Gator shook his head. “You can wait nearby, Wyatt, but you’d be a liability we can’t afford. This is what we do. One mistake and it’s all gone to hell.”

    “How could something like this be goin’ on in our't backyard, Raoul, and we not know it?” Nonny asked. “Do you think they took that other poor woman?”

    “I don’t doubt it for a minute,” Gator said.

    “Don’t worry, ma’am,” Tucker said. “We’ll do our best to get a lead on finding her if she’s still alive.” Gator’s grandmother appeared very agitated, wringing her hands together, her back ramrod straight and her features very set. Flame rubbed her hand over Nonny’s ann. ‘We’ll bring her back to safety, Nonny,” she reassured gently. “I’ve seen your grandson in action. He’s very good—and so am I. We’re not leaving her there and we’re not messing this up.”

    “Should I call her family?”

    Nonny’s thin body was trembling. Flame put her arm around the woman and led her out of the kitchen to the more comfortable couch in the sitting room, mouthing the word tea over her shoulder to Gator. “No, I don’t think that would be a very good idea. No one can know what we suspect until she’s safe.” She helped her to sit down and Gator put a cup of tea in front of her. “We’ll do this. I promise you, we’ll do this.” Flame pushed the tea into her hands. “Will you be okay until we get back?”

    “I’m fine, cher . Just a little shaken up to think this could happen here.” She parted Flame’s arm. “Don’ worry about me. You just make sure Joy is safe.”

    Flame stood up, feeling tears burning behind her eyes and clogging her throat. Joy would never be the same again. She would be forever isolated, eventually smiling and talking and walking around with her friends and family, but deep inside, deep where it counted, she would be forever cold and scared and filled with rage.

    She looked at Raoul because she couldn’t stop herself. She knew he would see the shadows and the demons and she would feel even more vulnerable for turning to him for comfort, but she couldn’t help it. Why did it always seem as if evil prevailed? Life wasn’t anything like the fairy tales and just once, she’d like a damned happy ending.

    Gator’s heart nearly stopped when he saw Flame’s expression. He pressed his hand to his chest to make certain it was still beating. She could knock his legs right out from under him when she looked so sad, so openly fragile. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold her close to him, where nothing could ever hurt her. Flame was a woman who kept one hand on her knife and would scoff at his notion that he had to protect her, but that didn’t stop his need to do so.

    He flung his arm casually around her neck, drawing her to him, pretending not to see the tears so close, pretending her body didn’t tremble against his. She’d kill him if she cried in front of the others, so he was walking a fine line, using his body to shelter her while taking care that he didn’t trigger a flood of tears. “Let’s go to work,” he said gruffly. “I know where the Comeaux trapper cabin is located.”

    Flame walked close to him, allowing the brush of