Page 9 of Delivering David

“Oh dear,” she murmured. “I hadn’t even thought of that. And Mercy didn’t say.”

“You’ve had a lot on your plate in the past eighteen hours,” Kristopher said gently. “We’ll ask Miller when he calls how that should be handled. Did Mercy know the Clark sisters’ case manager?”

“She didn’t say if she did,” Suzanne said. “And she probably didn’t ask that couple at the shelter any questions to keep from arousing their suspicions. And before you ask, the Campbell sisters were the only kids Mercy had at the shelter.”

“That’s a relief,” Kristopher said thoughtfully. “I have a feeling Erin and Joey are wherever the Clark sisters are. The million-dollar question is, where? And why were the Clark sisters taken as well?”

The Cadre. The Cadre wants them.

Suzanne’s phone trilled from the holder on the dashboard. “It’s Grant Miller,” she said. “Are we ready?”

“Have you worked with him before”?” Kristopher asked.

“No, but I’ve met him,” Suzanne said. “We sometimes do volunteer work at one of the local food banks.”

“What if he says ‘no’ to your request to talk to Mercy’s neighbors?” Kristopher asked. “It’s one thing to help look for her address book but considering someone tried to kill you last night, he might think it’s too dangerous for you to be involved in this investigation.”

“I’ll decide when I hear what he has to say,” Suzanne Bennett’s scowl rivaled his grandmother’s when she was annoyed at him.

“Okay.” Holding back his chuckle, Kristopher tapped the phone’s screen and hoped this was the last time he was on the receiving end of Suzanne Bennett’s scowl. Hopefully, Grant Miller had faced it before and knew how to handle it.

CHAPTER 8

A meeting roomin Knoxville at the same time

“Doyou want those girls or not?” Bogdan asked. “I can find others who want them, others who will not make such mistakes as not telling me about David Phillips.”

“I apologize,” Samuels, his Cadre contact said smoothly. “A mistake on the part of someone new to the organization. It will not happen again.”

“I would have preferred to do that myself,” Bogdan told him. At least Samuels was high in the ranks of The Cadre and not like that little pissant Kraft. Bogdan had no doubt that Samuels was not the man’s real name. No matter. In businesses such as his, secrecy was often required. As long they were honest with Bogdan and paid him what he was due, they could call themselves anything they liked.

“I think we may have a way of compensating you for your trouble,” Samuels said, taking several stacks of money from the desk drawer and sliding them forward. “Payment for killing the Taylors this morning. It was only a matter of time before they talked to the police.”

“More money is always acceptable,” Bogdan replied, picking up one of the stacks and thumbing through it. Smart of The Cadre to recognize he needed to be compensated. “What else?”

“There is an organization that has caused problems for The Cadre since we arrived in East Tennessee earlier this year,” Samuels said. “They call themselves Brotherhood Protectors, largely made up of ex-military men and women who hire out their services for those who are in danger. It is likely that one of them will be hired to protect Suzanne Bennett, and even David Phillips when he is found.”

“And you want me to kill him as well as Suzanne Bennett?” Bogdan asked. He had no intention of sharing with The Cadre his own plans for David Phillips. That would make up for the earlier disrespect.

“Yes,” Samuels said simply. He turned to the silent masked man beside him. “Is there anything you wish to ask?”

“No,” the man said after a moment. “Just that I am hearing from more clients every day about the purchase of the girls you’ve provided. Can you possibly acquire more at this late date?”

“Perhaps,” Bogdan said. “But that will also cost.”

Both men nodded and Samuels said, “I will send you a dossier on the Brotherhood Protector when I have confirmed his identity. There will be no more mistakes, I assure you.”

“There better not be,” Bogdan warned, staring at the silent man. Only a coward would wear a mask to such a meeting. “I will be waiting for your information.”

He gathered the money and stuffed it into his coat’s inner pockets before leaving the room without saying goodbye. After the door closed, the other man asked, “Just how dangerous is he?”

“Very,” Samuels said. “If this gets fucked up again, he’ll kill us without mercy and vanish before we get to enjoy what we’ve worked so hard to make happen. Be careful who you send to deal with him.”

“Then we’ll just have to kill him after he delivers the merchandise,” the man said removing his mask. “You can do that, can’t you?”

Samuels smiled. “To paraphrase our greedy friend, for a price.”

“You’ll have the first pick of the girls?” the man offered.

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