Page 95 of Girl Lost
“Stryker?” Luna asked, her gaze fixed on Summer. “Is he here?”
“I ... I’m not sure,” Summer said. “But if he’s been kidnapped ... like you said ... then ... yeah. He’s probably here.”
“We can’t leave him.” Trinity started to cry again. “I won’t go without him.”
Corbin inhaled, trying to steady himself. A shot at rescuing Stryker. That was something. But escaping this facility without backup and two teenage girls who needed him? It felt impossible.
“We won’t leave him,” Corbin said. “Summer, if he’s here, where would he be?”
“I overheard Dr. Forest arguing with one of the guards. They were talking about moving someone, a man, somewhere more secure.” Summer pulled up a map of the facility on her tablet. “I think they might hold him in this area.” She pointed to a section on the lower level. “There’s a network of access tunnels down there, probably to move patients discreetly, stuff like that. I’ve seen those electric carts around that wing. Why else would they need them unless they’re transporting people who can’t make it on their own.”
“Someone who’s been drugged or restrained,” Corbin said.
“I might need one of those carts myself. I’m already exhausted,” Trinity said, rubbing her chest. Her body shuddered with another wave of chills.
Luna moved to Trinity’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get you out of here. And we’ll get you the help you need to get through this, whatever it is.”
He knew this was a gamble, relying on a teenager to navigate them through a high-security facility. But they were out of options. He turned to Luna. “We need to figure out what to do about collectingevidence. We need proof. Something to show the world what’s going on here. Something to shut them down.”
“Isn’t finding Stryker and Trinity held here enough?”
“That’s second-degree kidnapping,” he said. “These guys would be out in less than ten years.”
“What about one of those ... hearts?” Luna gestured toward the door. “One of the bioprinted ones.”
“Or Trinity?” Summer looked up from her tablet. “She’s evidence, isn’t she?”
“I never gave anyone permission to do this to me. To ... to Frankenstein me like this.” Trinity’s breaths were rapid. Shallow. “He cut me open. Took out my heart. Put in this ... this fake one.”
Corbin’s chest tightened. He couldn’t imagine the terror, the violation. “Yes, but that’s medical malpractice. We need more. Something more concrete. More incriminating. Something that proves Carlie and the other victims were here when they had their organs harvested.”
“There’s the data vault,” Summer said. “But I’m not sure where it is. I’ve never seen it.”
“Think, Summer. Where would they put it if they wanted to keep it safe? Cloud storage? Something we can hack?” Harlee and Jett could figure it out, he was sure of it.
“No, not the cloud. Too risky.” Summer’s brow furrowed, her lips moving silently as she processed the information. “Besides off-site, the safest place would be ... down here. Somewhere secure. Hidden.” Her gaze darted around the room, then settled on Corbin. “There’s a room two floors down. It’s filled with computer equipment. Servers and networking. I’ve only peeked inside.”
Corbin nodded. The data vault. It had to be there. “If I could get inside, I could find a way to download the patient list, the financial records. All the evidence we need to expose the whole operation.”
“I’ve got a flash drive,” Summer offered.
He turned to Luna. “I’ll go after the data vault. You guys find Stryker.”
“What?” Luna’s eyes widened. “No. We need to stick together. It’s too dangerous to split up.”
“We don’t have a choice. We need proof Carlie and the others were here. For their families. We can’t risk them moving or deleting the evidence.” He met her gaze. “You help Trinity and focus on finding Stryker. Summer can guide you. Once you’re clear, radio for backup. Medical support. The works. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point.”
“Corbin, no.” Luna shook her head. “Don’t leave me again.”
He could hear fear in her voice for the first time since ... since she’d been in the hospital. With Summer. Their daughter. There was conflict in Luna’s eyes. He felt it too. That pull between his paternal instincts, the need to protect all three of them, and the need to do his job. Solve this case.
“It’s not like that.” He reached for her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. “The Commissioner needs closure. You saw the anger and despair in his eyes.”
She nodded.
He continued, “And ... what about the others? There could be more out there, with these ... these hearts or other organs, not knowing.”
“Come on, Trin.” Summer’s gaze softened as she turned to her. “Let’s get you out of that gown and into some real clothes. You’ll feel better, I promise.”
