Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

Four Years Later

Indianapolis, Indiana

H uddled beneath a thin blanket, Jazz peered out the window into the inky darkness. It was well past midnight, and though the streets weren’t empty, the people who occupied them now either walked furtively or drunkenly. In this neighborhood, being outside at this time of night was dangerous.

Brody was out there somewhere. Was he trying to get home to her? He had been gone for over twenty-four hours now. He’d left yesterday afternoon with over a hundred dollars in his pocket to buy food. She was used to being left alone for long periods of time, but this was the longest he’d ever been away.

Had Arthur found them? Two years ago, they’d snuck out in the middle of the night and had traveled as far as they could with the money they’d managed to pilfer from the jar Arthur kept above the fridge. Seventy-seven dollars didn’t take them very far. Two bus tickets to Indianapolis had used up half their money. The rest had been spent on a skanky motel room, along with a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread.

Over the past two years, their circumstances had improved. Brody had gotten a job as a bouncer at a strip joint. Even though he was still technically a minor, his size gave him an advantage. Well over six feet, with broad shoulders and an impressive scowl, he had managed to finagle his way into various jobs. Getting paid in cash was the ideal way when you were in hiding. No messy paperwork or identification needed. Show up, do the job, and keep your mouth shut. Brody had become an expert at that.

This last job, at the strip joint, had come with less money, but as incentive, the owner had given Brody an apartment on the top floor. It wasn’t much more than a room with a single bed, a ratty sofa, and a small fridge and microwave, but it was more than they’d had before.

No one knew that she lived here, too. Brody wanted to keep her as hidden as possible. She didn’t fully know the reason why. She knew his employer might not want a teenage girl living above a nudie bar—at least that’s what Brody had said. But Jazz knew it was more than that.

Why they’d snuck out of Arthur’s house in the middle of the night was still a bit of a mystery. Brody had woken her up, told her to grab her clothes, put on her shoes, and to be as quiet as possible. She hadn’t questioned him. She never questioned her big brother. He was the only one who looked out for her. She owed him everything.

She knew Brody had overheard something that scared him. And though he never said, she knew it had something to do with her. She had asked him numerous times, and he had skirted the issue, telling her that he’d just had enough. That was understandable. In the two years they’d been with Arthur, Brody had received the brunt of his abuse. She’d taken some, but there was something about Brody that made Arthur enjoy hurting him.

There was more to the story than Brody would give her, though. On occasion, she’d seen Arthur’s friends give her looks that creeped her out. She didn’t quite know what those looks meant, but she did know that they made her scared and uncomfortable.

A strong breeze rattled the window, and icy air crept through the windowsill. Jazz pulled the blanket tighter over her body and continued her vigil. She tried to will her eyes to see Brody’s tall, athletic frame amble down the street, just as she’d seen it so many times before. A sick feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that wasn’t going to happen this time.

Where could he have gone? The grocery store he usually went to was only three blocks away. With their limited funds, it rarely took him longer than half an hour to purchase their food and come home. So making herself believe that something awful hadn’t befallen him just wasn’t going to happen.

Wiping the tears streaming from her eyes, she knew she had no choice but to face the facts. Something terrible had happened, and her brother wasn’t coming back.

Covered from top to toe in black, Jazz opened the apartment door and stuck her head out. She rarely walked outside this door. She knew Brody only wanted to protect her, but the fear of stepping outside sent nervous sweat rolling down her back. Everything looked so dark and forbidding. She had waited until the strip joint had closed down and the streets outside were mostly empty. As small as she was and in dark clothing, she hoped to be able to sneak out without being seen at all.

Not going out was no longer an option. She had finished the last of the bread this morning. There were maybe a couple ounces of milk left, a half sleeve of saltines, and a dented can of tuna. That was enough to get her through another day, but after that, there would be nothing left. Brody had taken most of their money with him, but she had found a twenty-dollar bill he’d given her for her birthday last year. Since she never went out, there had been nothing to use it on. Now it was all she had.

She put one foot outside the door and then peered over her shoulder one last time at the note she’d left for Brody on the counter. If he came home and found her gone, he would be terrified. She knew he’d come looking for her, so she’d explained in detail the route she would take to the small twenty-four-hour market four blocks over. Her hope was to get there and back within half an hour. That might be pushing it, but she figured if she ran all the way there and walked quickly back, she could do it.

Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and stepped into the dim hallway. Her eyes focused on the door that led outside, Jazz ground her teeth as she forced her trembling legs to move. The instant she touched the doorknob, a sense of dread filled her. What if Brody returned and didn’t see the note? Had she put it in a place he would immediately see? Should she wait until tomorrow to go out? She had crackers and tuna. She didn’t absolutely need anything. Maybe if she waited another day…

No. She had to go. Even though Brody had told her to never leave, his absence gave her no choice. This was her best chance to get what she needed without anyone seeing her. He would understand.

She opened the door and gasped as icy-cold air stole her breath. It was always cold in the apartment, but compared with outside, the temperature inside was downright balmy. The sweatshirt and light jacket, along with the baseball cap, weren’t going to keep this coldness at bay, but she had come this far. She refused to stop now.

Taking the outside stairway, she zipped down to the side yard and sprinted toward the sidewalk. If she kept to the shadows, she should be able to zoom straight to the market without a soul seeing her.

It had been almost two years since she’d been outside the apartment. Remembering where the market was located might have been a problem if not for her special gift. Brody had told her she was never to tell anyone about it, because someone might try to use it against her. She didn’t understand what he’d meant by that, but when Brody told her something, she rarely argued with him. Telling anyone she had a photographic memory and never forgot anything would remain her secret. In this instance, she was grateful for the gift.

She ran down the empty sidewalk. When her ears picked up a strange sound, she stopped abruptly and melted into the darkness, waiting. When nothing happened and no other noise sounded, she took off again. By the time she made it to the market, she was sweating and panting. Staying indoors, with no regular exercise had turned her into a weak-kneed, out-of-shape pansy. She promised herself that when Brody came back, she would persuade him to let her at least run around the block at night to regain her strength.

The parking lot of the store was well lit, which made her uncomfortable. Being seen by anyone was almost as terrifying as leaving the apartment. It did, however, make her feel better that she could see if danger came her way.

She pushed the door open and breathed in a sigh. The warmth of the store, along with the fragrance of fresh produce, felt like coming home. If she’d had time and wasn’t terrified of being seen, she would have liked to walk up and down each aisle and enjoy this rare experience. Since that couldn’t happen, she quickly grabbed a small basket by the door and sped through the store. Five minutes later, the basket was filled with a carton of milk, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a half-dozen eggs, two cans of soup, and a jar of multivitamins.

Carefully calculating the items in her head, she anticipated a bill of just over sixteen dollars. It was much more than she wanted to spend, but if she was careful, the food could last her at least a couple of weeks, if not more.

The sleepy-looking, young cashier didn’t seem the least bit curious about her, which was a relief. Even though she was almost fifteen years old, she had a delicate frame that had yet to produce even the slightest of feminine curves. She often lamented the lack of a figure, but sometimes, like now, it came in handy.

Should she ask him if he’d seen anyone around that looked like Brody? With his large build and distinctive green eyes, her brother would be memorable to most people. When the clerk glanced up at her with a cold sneer, she quickly changed her mind. He didn’t look as though he would lift a finger to help anyone. Besides, the last thing she needed was to call attention to herself.

Stacking the items on the counter, she felt her heart pound as her items were scanned. When the bill came to just over twenty-one dollars, her eyes bugged out. How had she miscalculated?

She gnawed her lip, knowing she had to put some items back. With reluctance, her face most likely the color of the tomato soup she’d picked up, she said gruffly, “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want the soup or vitamins.”

With an irritated glare, the cashier grabbed the items she had rejected, rescanned them, and snarled the new amount. “Seventeen oh two.”

Totally intimidated by the scowl and humiliated to boot, Jazz shoved the twenty across the counter. When he just continued to scowl at her, she said softly, “What’s wrong?”

“You ain’t got two pennies?”

“No.”

“Whatever.” He opened the cash register and counted out the change. Practically throwing the money on the counter, he sat on a wooden stool and started reading his phone.

“Um… Can I have a bag?”

As if he didn’t hear her, he didn’t bother to raise his head.

Fighting tears, Jazz pocketed the change and then grabbed her grocery items. If she’d had larger pockets in her jacket, she wouldn’t have as much of a problem, but she had no choice but to try to carry all the items in her arms. She was halfway to the door when a voice inside her head that sounded just like Brody’s stopped her. Hey, Little Mighty, just what the hell are you doing? Tell that jerk to get you a sack, or you’re going to kick his ass.

Remembering the nickname Brody had given her caused a grin to tug at her mouth. Having no human interaction other than with her brother for two years had made her timid and afraid of everything. Once, those words— timid and afraid —had not even been in her vocabulary. The very fact that this jerk had made her feel less than human reignited the spitfire she’d once been.

Turning back, she stalked back to the counter and snapped, “Hey, dirtwad, give me a bag.”

The kid’s head jerked up, and he glared at her. “What did you say?”

“I said give me a bag. I paid for these things, and I need something to carry them.”

“I don’t have to give you shit.”

Setting the items on the counter, Jazz leaned forward and growled, “Either give me a bag, or I’m coming across this counter. You don’t want that. Trust me.”

Her glaring eyes locked with his. In spite of the fact that he was twice as big as she was and could clearly have knocked her into next year, he backed away. Grabbing a plastic bag, he threw her items into it and shoved it toward her. “There. Happy?”

Taking it from him, she replied quietly, “No.”

She walked out the door, her dignity restored. However, the instant she was outside, the anxiety returned. So much for not wanting to call attention to herself. What if he called the police on her? What if there were cameras in the store and someone somewhere recognized her? Brody had told her that Arthur was likely looking for them.

Cursing her temper, she zoomed down the sidewalk toward the apartment. It was almost four in the morning. People would soon be on the streets. If she was caught, there was no telling where she would end up. Brody would never be able to find her.

As if all the devils in hell were after her, Jazz raced home. She tried her best to keep to the shadows, but her biggest priority was getting back to the apartment as quickly as possible. Since most of her money had been used for this one small trip, she needn’t worry about leaving the apartment again. Hopefully, Brody would be back soon, and everything could get back to normal.

The thought that he might have come back while she was gone made her run even faster. Suddenly convinced that Brody had returned home, she became more excited the closer she got. He must be so worried about her.

Heart racing, Jazz reached the strip joint and flew up the steps to the apartment. Her hand shaking with excitement, it took three tries before she could get the key into the lock. When she finally turned the doorknob, she had a huge smile on her face, somehow sure that Brody had indeed come home.

The instant she stepped inside, she knew all the excitement had been for nothing. The room was empty. The note she’d put on the counter was untouched. Silence permeated the small area, and Jazz had never felt more alone in her entire life.

Ten days later, she was back at the store with her measly two dollars and ninety-eight cents clutched tightly in her hand. She had deliberately gone on a different night than before in hopes that the same clerk wouldn’t be working. No such luck.

This time, though, he seemed much more interested in her than before. She was hyperalert already, and every one of her senses was telling her to leave. Problem was, she had no food left. She told herself if she hurried, it wouldn’t be an issue. Besides, with the small amount of cash she had, she couldn’t buy much anyway.

“Anything I can help you find?”

In the midst of reaching for a pint of milk, Jazz froze. Why was the clerk suddenly so helpful?

Without looking at him, she said, “No, thanks.”

Hurriedly grabbing the milk, she figured she had just enough money for a small bag of rice. Probably not the most nutritional thing to eat, but if she limited herself to a small bowl a day with a few ounces of milk, she figured she could go at least another week before things became dire.

She put her two items on the counter and waited for the clerk to ring them up. He picked up each item and examined them as if he’d never seen them before.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.” He grinned, showing off stained, yellow teeth. “Just making sure there aren’t any defects. You never know.”

“Can you hurry up?”

“Sure. Sure.” He rang up the milk and then slowly slipped it into a bag. “You need another bag for the rice?”

“No. One bag will do.”

“Okay. Let’s see. That’ll be two dollars and twenty-seven cents.”

Jazz quickly placed the money on the counter and then went to take grab the bag. The clerk held it away from her and said, “Let me get you your ticket.”

“Not necessary.” She grabbed the bag from him and ran out of the store. His helpful attitude had been way too weird. She hadn’t wanted to wait around to see how much weirder he could get.

She took off at a run and immediately slammed into a giant, hard chest. Bouncing backward, she looked up into the face of the scariest-looking man she’d ever seen.

“Hey there, little girl. Where you going?”

She took in his appearance all at once—beady brown eyes, pockmarked face, thick lips, his body the size of a gorilla.

If he got hold of her, she wouldn’t be getting away from him. She did the only thing she knew to do—what Brody had instructed her to do if any man ever grabbed her. Thankful for her thick running shoes and her ability to move quickly, Jazz backed up and gave his crotch the hardest kick she could manage.

Agony on his face, the man dropped like a stone. Jazz didn’t wait around to see what he would do next. She zoomed around the corner and stopped short. Two men stood before her, blocking her way.

This was no random attack. These men were here for her .

She knew if she turned around, the man she’d kicked would have recovered enough to capture her. With nowhere else to go, she darted to the left.

Heavy feet pounded behind her. Grateful for her speed, she sprinted away. She was deliberately going in the opposite direction of the apartment. If they found where she lived, she would never be able to go back. She would find a place to hide for a few hours and then head back home.

She rounded a corner, sure that they were no longer behind her. Spotting a giant garbage bin, she took a step toward it. Agony seared her scalp, and her body jerked backward. One of the men had grabbed her braid and was pulling her toward him. She knew she’d have only one chance to get this right. Pulling the knife from the sheath at her waist, she struck out, slicing the braid in two. A few months ago, when Brody had given her the long, slender knife, she had laughed at the ridiculous thought of ever having to use it. Now, she couldn’t be more grateful. Free again, she took off, faster than she’d ever run before.

She had no idea where she was going, but if she stopped, they would take her. Was Arthur behind this? Was this what had happened to Brody? If so, what had they done to him? The wild thought hit her that maybe she should let them catch her. If they took her to where Brody was, maybe they could escape together, like they had from Arthur. She discarded the thought immediately as insane and then poured on the speed.

When the sound of footsteps behind her dimmed, she knew she had lost them, if only temporarily. Breath wheezed from her lungs, and her legs were shaking. She couldn’t keep going. Daring a glance over her shoulder, she saw no one, but when she heard a shout, she knew they hadn’t stopped chasing her.

She was in a residential area now. Cars were parked on the sides of the road in front of houses. Doing the only thing that made sense to her, Jazz scooted underneath one of the vehicles. Barely a second later, she heard their footsteps again and saw two pairs of legs. Whoever these men were, they were persistent.

Thankful for her dark clothing and small body, she lay still, determined to wait them out. As long as she remained hidden, she was safe. They would eventually give up and go away. Once she was safe, she would return home and decide what she needed to do.

The last man joined them, and as if a higher power were giving her the information she needed, they stopped beside the car she was hiding under and began to talk. As she listened, ice entered her veins.

“I can’t run no more, man,” one of them panted.

“We can’t stop now,” another one said. “I know it’s the girl they’re looking for.”

“Maybe so,” his companion wheezed, “but she’s gone now. We can come back.”

“Okay, yeah,” another one said. “But I ain’t giving up. I don’t care if I have to walk these streets day and night. She must live around here somewhere. She’s gotta come back out sometime. We see her, we grab her. Understand?”

“Yeah,” his friend said, “we won’t give up.”

Knowledge set in, and Jazz knew one immutable truth. She had no choice but to disappear. That meant leaving Indianapolis and going somewhere no one could find her. Not even Brody.

A couple hours later, she was on her way out of town. A few minutes after she’d heard the men’s conversation, they had departed. She had waited another half hour, and then, just before the sun rose, she’d found her way home. How she’d done that, she wasn’t quite sure. Nothing had looked familiar. After roaming around for a while, she’d just happened upon the strip joint and known she’d never seen a sweeter sight. With no time to waste, she’d dashed upstairs and gathered her meager belongings. Other than one of Brody’s favorite sweatshirts and one of his ball caps, she had left his things alone. She prayed he would return home soon, but she had little hope that he would be able to find her. She hadn’t left a note this time. Even though she had no idea where she was going, she’d wanted to leave no evidence that she had been here, just in case they somehow figured out a way to track her.

With determination and absolutely no skill, she had grabbed a pair of scissors from the kitchen drawer and cut what was left of her hair. Her scalp was sore from having had her hair almost pulled out at the roots, and though tears had welled in her eyes, she had refused to shed even one of them. Losing her long hair was a small thing compared with all the other stuff. When she’d finished, she had only a few inches left and looked like the young boy she’d sometimes been mistaken for. She told herself that was a good thing. They were looking for a girl, not a young boy.

Then with a heavy heart, she walked out the door without a backward glance. The pawnshop a couple of streets over gave her two hundred fifty dollars for the only piece of jewelry of monetary value she owned. The dainty diamond and ruby necklace had been a gift from her mama and Papa Mac on her tenth birthday. She had treasured it and sworn she would never let it go. Though it broke her heart, she’d had no choice but to sell it. She was sure it was worth much more than the amount she’d sold it for, but she hadn’t had the heart or the time to haggle.

Her only other piece of jewelry was a heart-shaped locket with a photo of her mama, Papa Mac, Brody, and herself. It didn’t have as much value as the necklace, but to Jazz, it meant everything. She swore she would die before she ever let it go.

She now stood in the middle of the busy bus station and weighed her options. Even though she had identification, she couldn’t risk using it to purchase a ticket. Not only was she a minor traveling alone, she wanted no record of where she was headed. She had no idea how difficult it would be to gain access to a passenger list, but if they found out she’d left the city, she would never be safe.

The station was huge, and there were dozens of people going to and fro, all seeming to know exactly where they were going, without all the doubts that seemed to be crashing upon her. She took note of a group of people lining up to get on a bus. A man stood at the doorway and took each ticket as the person boarded. Sneaking onto a bus seemed almost impossible.

And then, once again, her prayers were answered in the noisiest way possible. A group of rowdy preteens, accompanied by only two adults, came dashing into the station. The kids acted as if they’d been let out of a zoo, and the adults wore expressions of defeat and weariness. From their backpacks and chatter about their trip, she discerned they were headed to Chicago for some kind of school-related event. That there were only two adults with them seemed odd, but for her purposes, they were a prayer answered. If she could finagle her way into the group, she could pretend to be one of them until she was on the bus.

Going back to Chicago, where Arthur lived, was admittedly dangerous. But if the goons who’d almost nabbed her earlier reported that she had been seen in Indianapolis, then Chicago would be the last place they would look.

Okay, yes, it seemed chancy at best, but it was her only option. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her cap down tighter and stood behind the group. When one of the kids made an off-color comment, she, like all the other kids, joined in the laughter. They all moved as one toward the bus, and Jazz went right along with them. One of the harried adults in charge shoved a handful of boarding passes at the ticket-taking man. He gave an eye roll at all the kids and then, with a slump of his shoulders, moved aside. The group moved en masse onto the bus, shoving at one another and giggling as they made their way down the aisle. Jazz was right there with them.

As they filtered into seats, she separated herself from the group. She would have liked to stay with them, because not only did they give her cover, she’d feel safer in a group. However, someone at some point was bound to notice that she didn’t belong and would start asking questions. She preferred not to take that risk.

She moved to the very back of the bus and scrunched into the corner. Since the bus was only half full, she was one lone figure in the dark, and she wanted to stay that way.

About ten minutes after the bus pulled away from the station, Jazz began to breathe normally again. With that relaxation came the grief she had buried. She looked out the back window at what she was leaving behind. It wasn’t the city, the ratty little apartment, or even the few good memories she and Brody had made there. It was the sorrow of leaving behind the only person she loved. Her beloved brother was somewhere out there. What had happened to him? Had he been taken by the same men? Had something awful happened to him? She didn’t know. But as the bus moved down the highway and her heart solidified into stone, Jazz swore with all the fervency she had left inside her, that someday, some way, she would find Brody again. He was all she had left.