Chapter Nine

Darkness began to fall as Leah followed Jasper from around the side of a crumbling tenement. "That one." She pointed at a Peugeot 205 parked across the road—dented and battered but probably drivable.

Jasper winced but nodded, hurrying forward and snatching a stick off the ground on the way. He opened the driver's side door and crouched. "You keep a lookout."

"I can jack the car," she said.

"It's all right. I've got this."

"Hmm." She looked around at the desolate and deserted area as the wind spun rubbish against the forlorn buildings. At this dusky time, the neighborhood lacked any sense of safety. Weeds clogged the street, breaking through the desperate cement to seek some sort of life.

Jasper used the stick to pop off the plastic cover under the steering column, and then his fangs dropped to strip a small section of insulation off the battery and ignition wires.

"Don't forget the yellow wire," she whispered.

"I've got it." He twisted the yellow with the two red ones. The engine instantly started. Okay, so he was better at that than she'd expected.

She limped around and opened the passenger-side door, settling into the worn seat. Something poked her butt, and she shifted her weight. The car's interior smelled like burned cotton and rotting meat. She rolled down her window. Jasper hefted himself inside the tiny vehicle, shoving the seat back as far as it would go. He overpowered the entire interior.

"This thing's too small," he grunted, slamming the door. His knees still touched the dash.

"It's all we've got. Let's go," she urged.

With his overlarge hands on the small steering wheel, he drove away from the curb. The vehicle bucked a couple of times and then settled into a smooth ride. "We can't go anywhere near the front of the convention center in this thing."

"I scouted the entire building just in case," she said, her mind going over the schematics. "We can park in the alley next to the center."

He turned down an alley to reach a quieter street. "Then what?"

"Then we're taking George."

Jasper drove as quickly as the older vehicle would allow. Soon, the city lights illuminated their way. He drove around several buildings to a nice tavern area a couple of blocks from the center before parking in the back.

She stared at a pile of sequins on the dirty floor. "We need fresh clothing."

He shook his head, grunting as he shoved his bulk out of the small car. "There isn't time. The auction is letting out already."

She exited and quietly shut the door, limping to peer around the building. Swallowing, she glanced at people pouring from the convention center's front entrance, all in tuxedos, nice suits, and gorgeous gowns.

"Where is George?" Jasper asked.

She shook her head, watching the multitude of people streaming out. "I don't see him." She looked around for a better vantage point.

"Here." Jasper pivoted, grabbed her waist, and threw her into the air. She landed with her feet on his shoulders, slapping her hands against the brick building.

"Some warning would have been nice," she hissed, shifting her weight so both feet were on his left shoulder and she could turn around, positioning one foot on each side of his head. She leaned against the brick building. They were completely in shadow, just where she wanted to be.

Jasper's hands wrapped around her ankles, and a warmth shivered up her entire body.

"Do you see him?" he asked.

She looked down at his dark head. "I'll tell you if I do." She'd heard of mates working together, and she wondered if they could. His bossiness was driving her crazy—at least in the field. In bed was another story, apparently.

Although Jasper didn't seem to make the distinction.

"I see him." She finally caught sight of George. "He's in the middle there, wearing a brown three-piece suit with a vest and a red power tie."

Jasper patted the top of her foot. "I've got him." He ducked, and she fell, yelping. He easily caught her and flipped her around to land on her feet. "Stay here."

"Wait." She grasped his arm. "You're a bloody mess. You can't just walk into the middle of those people. Somebody will scream."

He looked down at his stained torso. "Good point."

Leah craned her neck to see better. George waited patiently at the curb, scrolling through something on his phone as if he didn't have a care in the world. A black town car soon drove up, the front window lowering. George leaned in and spoke with the driver before entering the back seat. "Oh, no," Leah said. "What are we going to do?"

"This way." Jasper walked briskly down the street, ignoring the stares of passersby. Leah kept her head low and followed him for a couple of blocks. Nobody approached them. Traffic crawled along, and soon they walked far ahead of the vehicle.

Jasper ducked them both into an alley. "Hold on."

She gulped as the car slowly made its way past them.

"There he is," Jasper said. "Come on." He clasped her hand and rushed toward the town car, yanking the back door open and jumping inside, pulling her along.

"Who do you think you are?" George pivoted toward them.

"Shut up." Jasper punched him in the face.

"Hey." The driver hit the brakes and partially turned.

Jasper grabbed George by the neck and sank his fingers into the guy's throat.

George clawed at Jasper's hand, his eyes bugging out and legs kicking the back of the driver's seat.

"I suggest you drive, buddy," Jasper said, "or I'm going to rip his throat right out."

Leah inhaled sharply. She'd never seen this side of him.

"Drive," George croaked. "Drive."

The driver turned back around and followed traffic, casting worried glances in the rearview mirror.

Leah thought about asking if he had a weapon, but he obviously didn't, or he would have used it.

"Turn right," Jasper ordered.

The driver turned right into a narrow alley.

"Keep going, or I will kill him." Jasper's voice remained hard and sure.

Leah shivered. George finished struggling and just sat there, tears streaming down his face.

"Keep going until I tell you to stop," Jasper said, almost sounding bored. The driver crossed several busy streets until they came to a quieter area.

"Pull into that parking lot right there." Jasper nodded toward a small, boarded-up bed and breakfast that had seen better days. The driver did as he was told. "Keep your hands on the steering wheel," Jasper said, "and cut the engine."

The driver twisted the key. "Listen, I don't want any trouble."

"You won't get any." With his free hand, Jasper made a fist, leaned forward, and punched the driver in the temple. The guy's head rocked twice, and then he sank against the window.

"Jasper!" Leah exclaimed.

"He'll be okay," Jasper said. "He might be out for a while and will have a headache, but he'll live. On the other hand, George probably won't." He looked at the man and then slowly retracted his fingers.

George held his throat and sucked in heavy breaths. His wild gaze swung to Leah. "I told you I would send you the address."

"I want it now," she said.

"Fine." Casting a worried glance at Jasper, he rattled off an address not too far away.

"Who's there on guard, and are they armed?" Jasper asked. "Don't lie to me, or I'll break your neck."

George paled. "I have two men there, and one is armed." George looked at his wristwatch. "If I'm not at the warehouse in twenty minutes, they have instructions to destroy the merchandise."

Leah gagged. "Are you serious? How?"

"Doesn't matter," Jasper said. He leaned over George and opened his door, pulling him out before opening the front door and letting the driver fall to the ground. Leah hopped out and ran around to try to assist the poor driver into a better position.

Jasper shoved George against the hard brick and reached down with one hand to lift the driver and plant him on his butt with his head against the building. "Is that better?"

"Yes," she said. "He might not be a bad guy. We don't know." She stared at a cowering George. Why were all bullies such cowards deep down? "Does the driver know anything about your activities?"

George shook his head and tried to speak, but no sound emerged.

"All right. Leah, you drive," Jasper said. He tossed George into the back seat and followed him in.

Leah sprang into the front seat and started driving. "I don't know exactly where that address is, but it's close, right?"

"Yes. Take two lefts and a right," Jasper said.

George remained silent. Leah followed the instructions until they reached a warehouse area and then parked at the far end of a row, which showed several dented and neglected metal buildings.

"Which warehouse?" Jasper asked.

"The third one," George croaked, sounding like he'd been swallowing needles all night.

Jasper quickly punched George in the face. Blood spurted across the back of the seat, and George flopped down, out cold. "Stay here, Leah. I'm not messing around."

Her breath compressed her lungs. While good at her job, she wasn't that effective. She hadn't realized anybody could be that casually violent. Shivering, she nodded.

Jasper gracefully exited the car and disappeared into the darkness before returning and handing her a phone. "Got it off one of the guards. Call the police." He hefted George out and over his shoulder, then turned back the way he'd come.

Leah grabbed the phone and hurried out of the car, following him. "What's going on?" She paused at seeing two men lying unconscious in front of a large garage door in a rundown warehouse.

Jasper ducked his head and let an unconscious George fall next to the other two. "The kids are inside," Jasper said, his jaw tight.

"Are they okay?" she whispered.

He looked indomitable in the night air. "Yeah, they look okay, but we need to get the police here, and we need to be gone."

She hurried toward a smaller, man-sized door and opened it to see about twenty-five children ranging from three to probably seven years old, huddled together or sleeping on thick mats. They appeared clean and wide-eyed. Nobody was crying. She waved and said, "Don't worry, help is coming."

Lightning rippled across the sky. She dialed the police and asked the desk clerk to put her in touch with Inspector Dupont, saying she'd hold on for a moment. The man had to be in his vehicle by now after leaving the charity auction.

"Inspector Dupont," he answered.

"Hi, you don't know me, and that's okay. I'm aware that you've been trying to stop a child trafficking ring, and we found the children and the traffickers." She quickly gave him the address. "The traffickers are all knocked out right now, but they'll probably come to soon. Please send medical care in case any of the children need it."

The sound of a siren came over the line as the inspector apparently flipped his on. "Who is this?" he asked.

"I'm a Good Samaritan." She used an Irish accent. "But I can't be involved with this. I'm sorry. Do your job, Inspector." She ended the call and tossed the phone on top of George's face. "I don't want to leave the children."

"We have to go. They're safe," Jasper said.

Sirens could be heard in the distance.

With Jasper on her heels, she charged toward the black town car, hurrying inside. Jasper quickly drove away, and Leah looked out the back window to see the red and blue lights already swirling at the warehouse. She heard the different sound of an ambulance as it also roared toward the kids.

Relief filled her. "We made it." She smiled, elated. "We actually made it." She couldn't believe it. She'd finally caught George Contingent. This moment had been a long time coming.

Jasper grinned. The bruises on his face had healed, and now all he had to do was wash off the dried blood so he'd look normal. Unlike her. Her body hurt from head to tail—especially her feet. Even so, she'd never felt so good. She mentally crossed George's name off the list she kept in her head at all times.

"Now, there's only one more name to get." She tiredly flipped on the heat and held her hands out to the strong stream of air.

"Are you talking about Wallace?" Jasper turned into traffic.

She nodded. "Absolutely."

He shook his head. "That one's mine."