Brett Battles - Little Girl Gone

Like the rest of the property, it was rundown, with several windows broken out and many of its bricks missing. Logan quickly figured out that they could use this to their advantage.

He whispered his idea to Daeng, then started up the side of the building, using the holes where bricks had been as a makeshift ladder. Soon he came up beside one of the broken second-floor windows, and peeked in. The room beyond looked like it hadn’t been used in years.

He slipped his hand through the break, and undid the latch. A few seconds later, he was standing inside.

Except for several chairs piled up against one wall, the room was empty. The only exit was a closed door directly across from the window.

Stepping lightly, he made his way over to it, and inched it open. As he did, Daeng enter the room, and came up behind him. Logan took a peek through the slit in the doorway. On the other side was a wide room that took up much of the rest of the floor. It, too, appeared empty.

The others had probably contained their activity to the ground floor, having no use for anything more. Logan led the way in, intending to find a staircase that could take them down.

“Wait,” Daeng whispered. “What are those?”

Logan wasn’t sure what he meant at first, but then he saw the holes. There were dozens of them, each about the size of a soda can, cut into the floor about every six feet. He guessed that the place had once been used for manufacturing of some kind, and the holes, though empty now, had served as conduits for cables and wires.

He knelt next to one, hoping he would be able to see down into the first floor. Unfortunately, the only thing he saw was darkness. He moved to the next one. Black again. He checked three more, all the same.

Standing up, he decided the stairs were still their best bet, but before he could start looking for them, Daeng motioned for him to come over.

Logan crouched beside him, next to another one of the holes.

“What is it?” he asked.

Daeng held a finger to his mouth, then pointed down.

Logan looked into the hole, and wasn’t surprised to see it was dark like the others. He was about to say as much, when he realized that while it did looked like the others, it didn’t sound like the others. There were voices coming up through it.

He leaned down, turning his head so that his ear was only inches from the opening.

“…out of here,” a male voice said.

“I tried to find out what they want, but I don’t think any of them speak English,” a second replied.

“Find someone who does, and get rid of them!”

There was a lull, then a third voice spoke up. “Does it really matter? They’re not doing anything. Just standing at the gate, playing a few songs. Have you tried giving them money? Maybe that’s all they want.”

“We tried that,” the second voice said. “It just made them play more.”

“I bet if we ignore them, they’ll go away.”

“They can’t be there when we head out.” This was the first voice again, the most authoritative of the three.

“That’s not for another four hours. More, if we haven’t heard from the woman by then. It’ll be fine.”

There was a pause, then the first voice said, “It better be.”

Silence again. Logan looked at his watch. It was almost 11:00 a.m. If the four hours was an approximation, that meant they would probably be leaving anytime between 2:30 to 3:30.

He had to assume the ‘where’ was wherever this hand off Aaron had mentioned was to take place. Time was rapidly running out. If Elyse was in the building, Logan needed to get her out now.

He pushed himself up.

“Where are you going?” Daeng whispered.

Instead of answering, Logan turned toward the back of the room. Along the far wall were several doors, including the one to the room they’d entered through. He figured the stairs would be at one end or the other, and since he was closer to the door on the right, he went there first.

Bingo.

Daeng caught up to him just as Logan entering the stairwell. “What are you doing?”

“If she’s here, we have to get her.”

“Are you kidding? You go downstairs, they’ll catch you. That’s not going to do anyone any good.”

“It’s the only way we can find out if she’s here or not.”

On that point, Daeng had no argument, and he knew it. “I’ll go,” he said. “If they catch me, I’m just an unlucky local who stumbled into something he shouldn’t have.”

“That’s not going to make it any safer for you.”

“Maybe not a lot, but it’s better than them finding you. They’ve pretty much all seen your face now.”

“Those two from the train know what you look like, too.”

“I’m Thai, remember? There are millions of us here. They won’t recognize me.”

“You’re Thai with a bandage on your ear,” Logan said. “Besides, that whole we-all-look-the-same routine is never really true.” He paused. “You can lead, but I’m still coming.”

Daeng shook his head. “Your stubbornness is predictable.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I didn’t mean it as a compliment.”

Logan shrugged, then said, “Let’s go.”

They moved quietly down the stairs to the door at the bottom. Daeng then opened it just enough so that he could look through.

“Well?” Logan whispered.

“Hallway. Looks empty.”

“No reason to stay here then.”

Not hiding his annoyance, Daeng pulled the door open.

The hallway was maybe fifteen feet long, with doors at either end. The one to their left would lead further into the building, and the one to their right, if Logan’s sense of direction was still intact, would lead outside.

Daeng looked at him, asking which way he wanted to go.

Logan pointed at the door on the left first, then at the one on the right, marking them off in order.

The good news was that his sense of direction still worked, and the first door lead to the outside. It would be handy if they needed a quick means of escape.

They moved down to the door at the other end of the hallway. If Tooney’s granddaughter was in the building, she would be somewhere beyond it.

Daeng reached for the knob, but then paused, and looked at Logan. “If someone sees me after I open this, I’ll pull it shut and hold it while you get out, okay?”

Reluctantly, Logan nodded.

Daeng opened the door a crack. Immediately, they could both hear voices, but none distinct enough to make out what was being said.

He eased it open wider, then stuck his head through the gap. Suddenly, he pulled back and closed the door. The only thing that kept Logan from heading for the exit was that Daeng hadn’t slammed it.

“What?” Logan whispered.

“We need to leave.”

“Did someone see you?”

Daeng shook his head. “No.”

“Then what?”

Daeng hesitated, then said, “She’s there, but there’s no way we can get to her.”

“Let me take a look.” Logan tried to get by him, but Daeng pushed him back.

“She’s tied in a chair, either unconscious or drugged. Maybe both.” He paused. “There’s blood on her shirt, too.”

“Are you sure she’s alive?”

“I think so,” Daeng said. He held Logan’s gaze for a moment. “Logan, you were wrong.”

“About what?”

“This Mr. Bell isn’t just working with the men who came with him. There are at least half a dozen others in there. All farang .”

Logan couldn’t believe it. Elyse was right beyond that door. If there had only been the two men he’d expected, he and Daeng would have had an excellent chance at getting her out. But the two of them against eight? The only chance now would be one of total failure. “I need to see.”