Page 58 of The Captive Missing

The four hour drive was really more like three and a half. They didn’t stop for lunch, but kept right on going. Rolling through towns and cities, merging with other traffic onto highways and off. Val reclined on the leather seats, running her hands distractedly over the smooth surface. How many men and women had been led to their fate in this car? She didn’t know the answer.

Occasionally, the massive guard would change the channel on the radio. This happened whenever the music stopped and a news reporter began to speak.

Once or twice Val caught snippets of information. There was intense debate over the state of the captive industry, an upcoming vote of some kind, and political posturing on either side. The driver, for his part, didn’t say much of anything, save for announcing the need for a bathroom break somewhere around the halfway mark. The guard grumbled about being exposed, but what more could he say? Val too, needed to go.

At a small gas station just off the side of the freeway, the guard escorted Val to an outside bathroom located around the rear of the building. Its single door was inset into the concrete wall. While Val pulled up her uniform and balanced over the metal toilet in the corner, the guard stood waiting just outside.

It was a filthy stinking place. Without touching anything, Val bypassed the soiled sink and called through the door for the guard to open it. When he did, she saw another man standing at the far side of the asphalt parking lot. The man locked eyes with her before shoving his hands in his pockets and moving away.

“Keep your head down,” the guard grumbled. “We never should’ve stopped here.”

Back in the car, the three of them finished the drive without speaking. The thrum of music from the radio was switched off.

When they neared their destination, the guard had Val freshen up and change. She wriggled out of her uniform and into her outfit in the backseat, not caring who saw what anymore. There was a small bag of makeup, some hairspray and a brush. She smoothed at her hair, then applied a thick layer of crimson lipstick, smacking her lips loudly as she gazed into the rearview mirror. The driver glanced up at her, then away.

She knew that Cambric owned a series of homes in central hub areas where they arranged for discreet meetings between captives and clients. Val figured that’s where they were headed now. Tossing the makeup bag aside, she sighed and looked out the window. It was likely that Charlie himself frequented several of these. But then again, he had never spoken of it before. Val felt there was a lot Charlie didn’t say.

When the car pulled into a hotel parking lot, Val blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected her appointment to be at a place like this. Though, when she thought about it, a hotel made a lot of sense in her situation. If she was going to meet a different man each time, then she would probably be going to a different location, too.

The driver bypassed the valet drop off area in front and headed around back. Pointing to a rear emergency exit, the guard grunted and the driver stopped them at the curb.

“This is a high profile client who wishes to remain anonymous.” The guard twisted to speak to Val. “You will remember his name for the duration of your appointment and then forget it the moment you’re done. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Sir.” Val nodded, then asked. “What is his name? Sir.”

“Peter.”

“Alright.” Val gulped, palms sweating. “Peter.”

Stepping out of the car, the guard glanced around before opening her door. The air was warm and mild. A soft breeze picked up the ends of Val’s dress, tossing them lazily about her legs as she exited.

Following demurely behind her guard, they entered the hotel without incident. His massive hand wrapped carefully around her elbow as he guided her down a narrow hall and came to a stop at a bank of service elevators. It was quiet and dim, though the hotel itself appeared impeccably clean and fairly new.

When the doors of one elevator slid open, they revealed an extra wide space used mostly to haul furniture and equipment. The chamber itself was empty.

Closing her eyes, Val stepped into the box and worked hard to control her breathing. Whoever or whatever was waiting for her, she would submit. She would close off her mind and do what needed to be done. Not only for herself, but for Ben. So they’d never think to investigate him. So he wouldn’t end up dead, like all the others.

The elevator jolted suddenly. Then stopped.

Val opened her eyes. The guard had pressed the red stop button. She saw him retract his hand from it before jamming it into his pocket where he continued to fish around for something.

“This isn’t my normal gig,” the guard admitted with a frown. “But money is money. And I need the damn money. That said, I expect you to do your job, so I can do mine.”

“Okay.” Val wasn’t sure where this was going.

“I guess this client wants you sober, so I wasn’t supposed to offer you any pills. But if I was you, then I’d want to be high as fuck.” The guard held out his palm. In it rolled three round pills. One was white, the other two were red. “Reds make you go up, and the whites make you pass out. Which is it?”

“The white one I guess,” Val took the pill and swallowed it down without a second thought. “How long do I have?”

“About an hour, maybe less.” The guard punched at the elevator button and had it moving again.

“If I pass out, then they’ll know I took something.”

“I’ll say you must have smuggled it from another captive. Happens all the time.”

Just then the service elevator doors opened onto a well-lit hallway lined with carved wooden doors and the occasional wide window. Glancing out, Val realized this must be near the top of the hotel. From the location and decorations, she guessed this was a floor comprised only of expensive suites. In a lifetime long ago, she had frequented ones just like them with Jason. The pinch of his name in her head made her feel a bit sick. She blinked the feeling away.

They came to a stop at a door with a series of numbers fixed beside it. Room 17003. The guard located a small doorbell and pressed it with his index finger. On the inside, a bell could be heard.

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