Page 55 of Deception

“You’ll take me to see her?”

“Yes,” Madison said.

Bri hesitated, then took his hand. Clayton released the breath he was holding in and smiled at her. “Let’s go see Dani.”

Madison visibly relaxed.

“It’s not too far. Mind walking?” Clayton asked. When both agreed, he nodded toward the Impala. “We can pick up your car when we leave.”

“Works for me,” Madison said. ”Let me grab Dani’s purse.”

He had questions he wanted to ask before they got to Dani’s room. When they passed a wooden picnic table with seats, it looked like a good place to talk. He turned to Bri. “We need to know what happened last night. Why don’t we sit here a minute where we have privacy?”

“I figured this was coming,” Bri replied. She stared down at the asphalt a minute and then nodded.

He sat on the outside of the bench next to Madison, and Bri sat opposite them. “What were you two doing in Natchez?”

She clasped her fingers in front of her on the table. “Dani picked me up at Wings of Hope in New Orleans. She was taking me to their Jackson campus.”

Wings of Hope. The place that reported Dani and Bri missing. She was so young, his heart broke for her. “How old are you, Bri?”

She dropped her head. “Twenty-one,” she whispered.

He would have guessed younger. Madison reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “It’s going to get better.”

“I know.” She raised her head. “The good thing is, I found Jesus while our pimps had me. It was the only thing that kept me going sometimes.”

“What do you mean?” Clayton had never thought of anything positive with human trafficking.

“One of the girls—she was a Christian, and she was different. Julie had a peace that I wanted.” A small laugh escaped her lips. “And she was the reason we were rescued. Her parents hired a private investigator who found her ... and the rest of us.”

Bri shook her head as if throwing off a blanket. “Anyway, we stopped in Natchez to eat and...” Suddenly she stared at Clayton. “Wait a minute—you’re the guy who paid for our supper! Why’d you do that?”

“Ah ... I...” Heat crept into his face. “I thought Dani was”—he glanced at Madison—“someone else.”

“But you were with your wife and little girl.”

“Wife?” Madison gave him a sharp look.

He held his finger up. “My sister and niece.” They all laughed, breaking the tension. “What happened after you left?”

Bri bit her bottom lip. “We stopped at this place to go to the restroom. One of the stalls was out of order, and I told Dani to go first. I thought I heard a car pull in, but nobody came into the restroom. When Dani finished, she said she was going to the car.

“When I was washing my hands, that’s when I heard two gunshots. Someone came into the restroom, but I’d locked myself in the stall that was out of order.” She wrapped her thin arms around her body and laid her head on her knees. “They found me. I’m the reason Dani was shot.”

“No, you’re not,” Madison said. “Evil people do evil things.”

“But if she hadn’t been taking me—”

“No.” This time Madison took both of the girl’s hands in hers. “Do not blame yourself for this. We have no idea who shot Dani or why. Besides, even though I haven’t known her but a few hours, I know she wouldn’t want you to feel that way. She’s very worried about you.”

The sense of being watched raised goose bumps on the back of Clayton’s neck, and he glanced around. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. He turned back to the women. They’d gotten about all the information Bri had. “Why don’t we get you up to see her?”

“Good!” The girl jumped up.

They stood as well and once more started toward the hospital entrance. “Did you see anything that would identify the shooter?” Clayton asked.

“No, I—”

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