Page 31 of Bringing Chelsea Home

Anticipation curved his mouth into a devilish smile. “I’m gonna put some ice on my knee and keep my leg up for a bit. After that, we’ll wire up and put on our disguises. So, come on, Miss Hottie. Let’s go have some fun with Silas Clark.

CHAPTER15

3:45 pmthat afternoon

“Okay,we’ve got two undercover officers wearing UT toboggins, patrolling the area,” Grant Miller told them via their phones as Samuel Trent, their security guard, drove them to The Main Place. “But I still think this is a bad idea. How’s your knee?”

“An hour with my physical therapist, an hour in the whirlpool, ice, and some good over-the-counter pain killers and I am a man reborn,” Griff declared. “Not ready for a marathon, but good for this.”

“So why do you want to play it like this?” Miller argued. “You gave us a copy of the tape fromSapphire’syou made. That’s enough to bring him in for questioning.”

“If Clark wants to do a meeting today, then something’s up,” Griff said. “If we can get him to admit the girls are underage, then you can arrest him today. If he’s stupid enough to keep working against Big Daddy, he’s gonna be glad he’s in police custody.”

“Is he really stupid enough to do that or just greedy?” Beneath the same silky jacket and dress that she’d worn toSapphire’s, Elaine’s heart battered against her ribs, making it hard to breathe evenly. They were getting close to finding Chelsea and the others. So close.Please Lord, after all this time, let us find her and bring her home.

“I’ll take one or both if it helps us find those girls,” Griff said grimly. “Elaine’s wearing her locket with the recording device, and I have one in my watch, so we’re going to get the bastard dead to rights. Patrick is already down there. Again, code word to move in is, ‘Go Vols!’”

“Got that,” Miller acknowledged. “I’m just glad the Vols have an away game today otherwise The Main Place would be more crowded. Ready?”

Griff looked at Elaine. “Ready, Miss Hottie?”

“You call me that again and I’m going to stab your other knee with my hat pin.” Elaine patted her black fascinator. “It’s hidden pretty well, don’t you think?”

“Never know it was there,” Griff agreed. “Let’s go get that creep. Signing off, Miller.”

Samuel stopped the car on Summit Hill near the old TVA towers overlooking The Main Place. It made it a bit of a stroll to their rendezvous spot, but it would give them time to compose themselves before meeting with Clark.

“We’ll text you when we’re ready, Samuel,” Griff said as they got out of the car. “We shouldn’t be long.”

“I’ll park in that garage around the corner,” Samuel told them. “I don’t like the idea of being too far away if you should need me.”

“We’ll call at need,” Elaine told him, and the man gave her a quick salute.

The afternoon had turned cool but with a kiss of warmth still in the air. Heady, mouth-watering aromas from nearby food trucks wafted around them and in the distance, the great Smoky Mountains blazed in autumnal shades of russet and gold. To all appearances, it was a typically beautiful November day in East Tennessee, and they were a strolling couple without a care in the world.

When just ahead was a man who might hold the answer to ending Elaine’s four-year search, and she tried to focus on the task at hand.

She put her hand on Griff’s upper arm and wished she’d practice walking down a flight of stairs in the stilettos before they left the safehouse. Through the soft fabric of his jacket, she felt a coiled strength in his upper arm and realized how very safe she felt with this man. “Are you packing?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am. Smith and Wesson, and I do have a permit to carry,” he said as they approached the steps leading down to The Main Place. “Big enough to make a difference if needed but small enough not to be noticeable under the vest and jacket.”

She stopped and looked at him. In the heels, they were almost equal height. “How’s your knee?”

“It’s fine, Elaine,” he said. “Marines bounce back quickly. And we can go dancing later if you don’t believe me.”

“You dance? Really?”

“Ms. Prescott,” he drawled, “this Southern boy can out fox-trot and out-lindy any man you know. And don’t get me started on my Charleston.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” she chuckled. “But let’s still take it slowly.”

They continued their descent to the large square that was The Main Place. In front of the boutiques and restaurants, booths lined the sidewalks, their vendors doing a brisk business. As they approached the Burn Memorial, Clark spotted them and half-rose from his place at the picnic style table. Bile rose in Elaine’s throat at his open-mouthed study of her, filling her with revulsion.

“If he touches you, I’m going to kill him,” Griff murmured.

“You can have what’s left when I finish with him,” she answered, and forced herself to give Clark a saucy smile.

They sat and Elaine turned to the side and slowly crossed her lacy stockinged legs, despising Clark’s continuing lascivious stare. But if it got him to talk, tell her where Chelsea and the others were, so be it. She would need a long, hot shower to scrub away the sensation of something slimy crawling over her skin. Maybe Griff could join her. Heat scalded her cheek, and she shook her head at his sidelong questioning glance.

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