Corchran sent a scathing look toward the TV vans. “Make sure it’s real far back.”

“You can bet on that.”

Luke pushed the reporters back, citing concern for their personal safety as well as the safety of the emergency personnel. He endured the occasional muffled personal epithet, proud he hadn’t told one reporter to fuck himself. He’d posted a state trooper patrol to maintain the crime scene line when his cell buzzed in his pocket.

He frowned at the 917 area code on his caller ID, then remembered it was Susannah’s Manhattan cell number. Don’t let the girl be dead. He looked at Granville’s ruined house. She may be all we have left. “Susannah, what can I do for you?”

“The girl is awake. She can’t speak, but she’s awake.”

Thank you. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Ridgefield House, Friday, February 2, 8:45 p.m.

“Time to party, Ashley,” Rocky said, unlocking her door. “Mr. Haynes is-”

Rocky stopped in Ashley’s doorway, shock momentarily robbing her of thought. Then the rage came, blistering and hot, and she rushed into the room to where Ashley lay on the floor, curled in a fetal ball.

“What the fuck have you done?” Rocky snarled, grabbing Ashley by the hair she had left. “Goddammit, what have you done?”

Ashley’s lip was bloody where she’d bitten it clean through. Her scalp was red, with at least eight bald patches the size of silver dollars visible along the top of her head. The bitch had pulled her own hair out by the roots.

Ashley’s eyes were wet with tears, but full of defiance. “He wanted a blonde. Does he want me now?”

Rocky slapped her hard, knocking her to the floor.

“What the hell are you…?” Bobby stopped. “Holy shit.”

Rocky stared down at the bald spots, breathing hard. “She pulled her own hair out. Haynes won’t want her now.”

“Then he’ll just have to take one of the others.”

Bobby was not pleased. Which meant Rocky would pay the price. “You want me to give her to one of the guards?”

Bobby studied the girl, eyes narrowed. “Not yet. I don’t want her bruised, just compliant. Put her in the hole. No food, no water. A few days down there will knock some of the defiance out of her. When you bring her out, shave her head. She can wear a wig. Hell, all the rock stars are doing it, why not our girls? And, Rocky, find me some blondes fast. I promised Haynes one tonight, so I’ll have to give him a discount on whoever he does choose. I want to be able to deliver what he wants next time. A quarter of our new business comes through him.”

Rocky thought of the girls she’d been chatting online. “I have two, maybe three I can pull in now,” she said.

“And they’re blond?”

She nodded. “I’ve checked them out myself. But who’s going to pick them up? That was Mansfield ’s job.”

“You get them ready. I’ll arrange for pick-up. Get this one out of my sight before I change my mind and beat the shit out of her myself. And don’t be late for your meeting. I’ve given you a chance to earn your way back. Don’t fuck it up.”

Rocky bit the inside of her cheek. She’d known better than to argue over the “extra duty” Bobby had assigned. Didn’t mean she had to like it, though. She checked her watch. She had to get this girl in the hole or she’d miss the shift change at the hospital.

Atlanta , Friday, February 2, 9:15 p.m.

“Susannah.”

Susannah lifted her eyes to Luke’s reflection in the glass that separated her from Jane Doe’s ICU bed. He looked tired. “They let me see her for a few minutes.”

“Was she lucid?”

“I think so. She recognized me, squeezed my fingers. Her eyes are closed now, but she may be awake.”

“She’s still got a breathing tube.”

“Like I said on the phone, she can’t speak. The doctor said she has shock lung.”

Luke winced. “Oh, shit.”

“You know what that is?”

“Yeah. My brother Leo was a Marine and he had it from a battle injury. More than three broken ribs on one side of the body and the lung collapses.” His dark brows furrowed. “Did I do that when I carried her?”

His concern touched her heart. “I don’t think so. She had bruising all over her rib cage. A couple that the doctor said looked like the toe of a boot. He said she might be intubated for another few days.”

“Well, I’ve interviewed witnesses with breathing tubes before. If she’s lucid we’ll use a letter board and she can blink. But I have to find out what she knows.”

He took a step closer until he stood right behind her, the heat from his body warming her skin, making her shiver. He leaned over her shoulder to peer through the glass and if she turned her head there would be a scant inch between her nose and his stubbled cheek. This afternoon in his car, before everything had gone to hell, he’d smelled like cedar. Now, he smelled like stale smoke. She kept her eyes locked straight ahead.

“She looks younger than she did this afternoon,” he murmured.

“She was covered in blood this afternoon. She’s cleaner now. What burned down?”

He turned his head and she could feel his stare. “Granville’s house.”

Susannah closed her eyes. “Dammit.”

“That’s what I said.” He stepped back and she shivered again, chilled without his heat. “I’m going to try to talk to her.” He held out a shopping bag. “This is for you.”

There were clothes in the bag and Susannah took them, looking up at him with a puzzled frown. “How did you get these?”

His mouth quirked slightly. “We had an informal family reunion in the lobby. My mother was leaving and my brother and niece had come to pick her up. Leo had picked Stacie up from her job at the mall where she bought your things. Leo’s going to drive Mama home and Stacie’s going to drive Mama’s car home because last time Mama drove at night she got stopped by a cop for doing thirty in a sixty-five zone.” He shrugged. “Cops are happy, Mama’s happy. So it’s all good.”

Susannah felt rather sorry for any cop having to give Mrs. Papadopoulos a traffic ticket. “Um, thank you. I’ll write your niece a check.”

He nodded once, then pushed past her into the small ICU room.

The nurse stood on the other side of the girl’s bed. “Two minutes. That’s all.”

“Yes, ma’am. Hey, honey,” Luke said, his voice smooth. “Are you awake?”

Jane Doe’s eyelids fluttered, but she didn’t open her eyes. He pulled up a chair and sat. “Do you remember me? I’m Agent Papadopoulos. I was with Susannah Vartanian this afternoon when we found you.”

Jane Doe stirred and the number on the blood pressure monitor began to rise.

Susannah saw his gaze flick to the monitor before returning to the girl’s face. “I’m not going to hurt you, honey,” he said. “But I need your help.”

The girl’s pulse jumped, sending another monitor beeping. She pitched her head, growing agitated, and Luke looked at Susannah with concern as the nurse looked as if she’d throw them out right then.

“I’m here, too,” Susannah said softly. She set the shopping bag on the floor and brushed her knuckles softly over the girl’s cheek. “Don’t be afraid.”

Jane Doe’s blood pressure began to decrease and Luke stood up. “You sit and I’ll wait on the other side of the glass. Talk to her. You know what I want to know. I’ll make you a letter chart.”

“Okay.” Susannah leaned close, covering the girl’s hand with her own. “Hey, you’re all right. You’re safe. Nobody’s gonna hurt you anymore. But we need your help. The other girls, they weren’t as lucky as you. Some of them have been taken away and we need to find them. We need your help.”

Her eyes opened, her expression one of helpless fear and dazed awareness.

“I know,” Susannah soothed. “You’re afraid and feel powerless. I know what that feels like and it totally sucks. But you can help us win. You can get back at the bastards who did this to you. Help me. What’s your name?”