Page 87 of Sutton's Shadow

Gasping, Sutton rolled to her side, bringing her knees up to her chest in an effort to protect herself from the blows. That only gave her assailant access to her back. Another kick hit her low, near her kidneys. The pain was unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

“Now you’ll get what’s coming to you,” the voice growled.

The breath seized in her throat. She knew that voice. Through a pain-filled haze, Sutton tried to focus on Valeria standing over her but could only make out a boot as it came at her face. She turned, the side of her head taking the brunt of the kick. The world flashed in and out as blinding pain burst throughout her body. Then nothing but the blessed relief of darkness.

Wyattrushedintohishouse, noting the people there. Emma sat at the table with her computer in front of her, Marcus by her side. Wade and Graham were talking by the counter. Logan, Finch, and Evan were studying the maps again. But the surprise was seeing Dylan involved in an argument with Ian.

He wondered what she was doing here but turned to Wade and Graham first. “Was there a note or anything?” He’d hoped Sutton had left them something to tell them where she had gone, but Graham’s response indicated he was out of luck.

Both his girls were gone now, neither one answering their phones. The pain of that reality would be crippling if he let it penetrate his mind. He slammed a door on that torturous truth, focusing instead on what needed to be done.

“Okay, I’ll say it,” Finch started. “You were pretty harsh with Sutton. Are we sure she didn’t just leave? Go home or something?”

Wyatt knew down to his soul that she would never do that, not with Bethany still missing. “No. She loves Bethany as much as the rest of us. She wouldn’t leave her. Something drew her away from the house. I just know it,” he declared.

“Anybody other than Wyatt try her cell?” Emma asked.

“I did. Straight to voice mail,” Dylan reported.

“Okay, so what could have drawn her out?” Graham asked.

“Maybe she remembered something from one of her conversations with Bethany,” Wyatt mused.

“Maybe, but we aren’t privy to that information, so it doesn’t help us.”

Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck, which did nothing to relieve the tension. “You’re right. But what else do we have?”

“I’ve got something,” Emma called. Wyatt rushed to stand behind her chair to view her screen. There was a message thread between Bethany and someone named Lia. “These are messages I found through Bethany’s snapchat account. This Lia person must be someone from that group home she was in.”

“Seems like it. They talk about their experiences and what’s happened since Bethany got out.”

“Weird. Look at this about the parties they have.”

“Shit, I think I’ve seen this before,” Dylan said, reading the messages over Emma’s other shoulder.

“What is it?” Wyatt asked.

“She mentions the amount they’re bidding on each hand. That’s not to win the game. They’re bidding on a specific product. Probably?”

“The girls,” Wyatt finished for her. “Shit, they’re running a trafficking ring through this foster house.”

“How is that possible? Aren’t there checks and balances for this type of thing?” Emma wondered.

“CPS is overloaded. Things get overlooked. Or they’ve bribed the right people.”

“Fuck,” Wyatt spat.

“Are things really that bad with the system?” Emma wondered.

“CPS does a lot of good, but there are a few rotten apples that can jeopardize everything.”

“This still doesn’t help us.”

“One thing at a time,” Graham, ever the voice of reason, directed. “We can figure out what’s going on with CPS later.”

“It looks like this Lia girl thinks they locked someone in the basement,” Emma reported, still reading the message thread.

“Kaitlyn?”

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