Gem Stone (5 page)

Scared now, she faced the two men who were watching her. John ran his fingers through his hair. Confusion and the beginning of fear were obvious on his face.

Gem studied the official-looking man at John's side. Her gaze caught a smirk before it disappeared under a look of heavy disapproval. Dressed in a three-piece suit, this guy looked like an authority of some kind. The man beside him was a different story. No attempt to cover up his true character would work – it still shone through in the curl of his lip and freakin' scary look in his eye. This man was hired muscle – a thug. And it was…Humpty.

Uh oh.

She asked her question again, eyeing the strangers suspiciously. "What's wrong? Where's Misty?"

John answered – his face grim. "I don't know. She appears to be missing."

M
ark sat as close to Gem as possible on the living room couch, without touching. Plain and serviceable, the couch could hold a lot of people – uncomfortably. Doris sat in her favorite chair, a tissue to her red nose, worry evident in her teary eyes. Everyone had been roused from bed, dressed, and the whole house searched. Misty's window was found to be wide open but there was no sign of her anywhere in the house or yard.

Anger radiated from deep inside him because he knew he'd closed that window pretty tightly. And he sure as hell hadn't opened it again. Gem sat stiff and straight at his side. If he wasn't mistaken there was a little more than uncertainty in her eyes too. Her narrow gaze was ever watchful. Distrust was something they all lived with.

He'd seen the spotlight shining into his room earlier, and that brought him out of bed in time to see the girls running. He'd raced into Misty's room to give them a hand up, as he'd done several times before. He'd seen Misty slip into bed and roll over to face the wall. She'd been fine when they left her.

But he couldn't say that to these people, because he didn't think they'd believe him. The focus would also shift to the girls breaking curfew and they'd all be in real trouble then. He struggled with what to share and what to hold back.

Two of the men standing in the living room looked to be brothers. But the third guy, suited up and straight-backed looked like their boss. Standing cold and stern together, the three men studied the teens.

What did they want? And what the hell had happened to Misty? She wouldn't have gone out again on her own. She hated being alone and she hated the dark. And he was sure she hadn't left her room, even to go to the bathroom. His door had been open and he'd have seen her pass by – and spoken with her if he'd been given the chance. He'd had his MP3 playing in his ears but that hadn't dimmed his vision any.

His chin squared as the ugly truth hit him. If Misty and Gem had been seen climbing in through Misty's window, there was a good chance someone took Misty back out the same way. That could explain the open window. And these men were likely the ones that did it.

He recognized the one man's voice from earlier outside Misty's window. And, as he studied the three men in front of them he concluded it was likely the middle man who had climbed in the window. Probably slapped a cloth soaked in drugs or something worse over Misty's mouth before hauling her out of there.

Though chubby, he was tall, and leaner than the fat ass at his side and he didn't have that sense of authority the boss did. In fact, maybe while the boss was at the front door, the guy had stolen Misty away through the backyard. She was tiny, after all, and couldn't weigh more than a hundred pounds if she tried, but she had a good set of lungs on her. Once they put her out, they could have just passed her from one man to the other.

It didn't surprise him that Major wouldn't have raised the alarm unless it was a real ruckus. He was so old and deaf, he was sleeping his way through his last days. He could barely walk as it was.

But then why come to the front door, wake John and ask him to see if everyone was accounted for and in bed? Or had that been John's idea?

Lost in thought, he barely noticed the light tap on his leg. When Gem smacked him harder, he glared at her. "What?" he hissed.

She nodded to the doorway. The three strangers walked with John into the living room where the four teens sat.

"Did anyone see Misty tonight?" John asked the group at large.

Gem piped up. "Not after she went to bed."

That was the truth, or at least part of the truth. Mark almost snorted. Gem was the master of misdirection. He nodded at the three strangers. "Who are they?"

"Government authorities. From the Environmental Protection Agency." John ran a hand through his hair, worried and distraught but trying hard to keep it together. He buried his fist in his faded jeans pocket. Beside him, his caring wife, Doris, huddled lower in her chair, her purple housecoat a bright spot against the severe, dark colors of the strangers. Why did all older women seem to wear purple anyway?

Not that it mattered. Mark liked this couple. They had heart. Something he'd seen little enough of in his life.

"What about the EPA? Why would they be here?" asked Gem boldly.

Good for her.
Gem didn't take well to most authority. Or take orders for that matter. In fact, Gem didn't do well with anything that curtailed her activities. She did what she needed to do to get along, but wouldn't give an inch once her back was up.

"What?" John struggled to understand her question.

"I'd like to see their identification." She stood up, defiant as always. "For all we know," she gestured to the two hired big dudes, "Humpty and Dumpty here could have snatched Misty themselves."

Doris gasped in shock at Gemma's rudeness. John stared at her, stunned. Gem kept her eyes on the strangers. Mark did too. He immediately figured out which of the two men she'd nicknamed. The leader pulled something from his pocket, and held it up for the others to see. Gem stood and reached for it, but he wouldn't let her hold it.

Gemma read aloud, "Tom Rickets, Senior Environmental Officer from E–"

The badge was withdrawn. She frowned at him.

"Gemma, that's enough," John said firmly. "They have identification on them. I've already checked it with the sheriff. They are looking for a couple of kids that caused trouble by the creek tonight."

She stiffened then relaxed and retook her seat beside Mark. Mark felt, rather than saw the subtle shift in her posture. She raised one eyebrow but stayed silent, her suspicious gaze locked on the group of strangers. Mark observed them, noting the way they studied Gem.

After a moment, she excused herself. "I need to go to the bathroom." As she slipped past the doorway, the suit motioned to Dumpty to follow her.
Uh oh.
Mark narrowed his gaze, then stood up to follow Gem and the stranger out of the room.

He didn't know what was going on, but he had to admit, Gem's suggestion about these men being responsible for Misty's disappearance had been his first thought too.

At the doorway, Humpty, stopped him. "Where are you going?"

Mark hadn't spent four years in juvie for nothing. Staring back, eye to eye, he said, "To keep an eye on your man as he follows Gem."

Humpty's brows pulled together in a frown and the two males glared at each other.

"We're not the enemy here. We're just trying to help."

Mark snorted. "Yeah, sure. Maybe Gem had the right of it after all. Maybe you took Misty yourself." He slipped on a look of complete insolence and sauntered past.

The bathroom door was closed. He assumed Gem had gone inside. Dumpty stood outside. Pug faced, and dressed in denim, the guy looked more like a washed out boxer than anything official. "What, a lineup?" Mark asked. "There's a second bathroom if you're in a hurry, you know?"

Dumpty's gaze was ice cold. "I'm fine ta wait."

Mark struggled to keep his gaze solid, even as his insides fell. That definitely was the same accent he'd heard outside earlier when the light flashed around. Gem was almost certainly right. They had snatched Misty. And how did they know that she'd been the teen they wanted? Cause they'd seen a girl? If so, was that why they were keeping such a close eye on Gem? Had the men seen both girls outside?
Was Gem in danger too?

The bathroom door opened. Gem stopped in the open doorway, her gaze hardening as it switched from one to another. "Wow. What's this? A party?"

"He followed you here? I told him about the other bathroom but he didn't want to use it."

Gem's face darkened. "Really? And why would that be?"

"A girl has gone missing." Dumpty grinned, a horrible reshifting of the heavy folds of his face. Mark wanted to shudder. "We wouldn't want anyone else to disappear now…would we?"

Was that a veiled threat?

Gem's back stiffened and she walked toward Mark, slid her arm through his and tugged him toward the living room. Mark allowed himself to be led back to his seat calmly but his mind was racing, searching for options on where Misty might be, and what they could do to get her back.

"Have you called in the sheriff yet?" Gem asked.

Doris sniffled and gasped again. "Oh dear?"

"Well, the sooner the better. You don't want to have to explain why you didn't call them as soon as you noticed you had a girl missing, do you?" Gem said in a reasonable tone.

Humpty's lip curled. Mark's gut clenched. He narrowed his gaze, watching for signs that would help to explain what the hell was going on.

With a frown, John nodded. "I did. To ask about these men, only we didn't know about Misty then."

"No, and Misty could be just outside. Maybe she's just slipped out to meet a boyfriend," Doris suggested unhelpfully.

John glanced at her in horror. "Does she have one?"

"I don't know," Doris wailed and subsided again into the depths of her chair. "I don't think so."

Gem hopped back to her feet, worry lining her face. "That's a good idea. She could be outside. We should go search for her." She grabbed Mark's arm, pulling him up as she motioned to the other two to get up. "We can look in pairs. We have our cell phones and we'll call you every ten minutes or so."

John looked relieved at the suggestion to action. "Yes. Yes, that's a good idea. I'll call the sheriff back."

Stephen stood up. "Reid and I will go together." Everyone turned and looked at Reid, wondering what he'd say. Reid, the tallest and wiliest of them all, nodded and stood.

"Let's check the yard first."

"Stop. You can't seriously let these children go out in search of another child?" The leader glared at John. "Take charge here, man. You don't send a child to do a man's job."

Mark wanted to bare his teeth and growl. "We're almost men. Who are you to talk? You've done nothing helpful since you arrived. Now, get out of my way."

The man in the suit laughed, a sound that sent chills down Mark's back. "I'm not letting you go out there. You'll get lost. You're nothing but a city punk. The country around here will eat you up in no time."

Mark glared, but it was Gem, who spoke up. "Get out of our way. We're going to find our friend."

"So you know where she is, do you?"

Undercurrents swirled around them.

"No," she snapped. "But I'm going to make sure you don't either." She bolted past him to the front door. Dumpty stepped in her way, a big grin on his face. Mark went with his instincts. He no longer had any doubts that these guys knew what happened to Misty. He needed to find her and fast. Before these assholes took off with her.

He bolted for the big bay living room window with the missing screen. He heard a startled shout behind him. Within seconds, he had the window opened and had jumped through. He hit the ground running. He was lost to the darkness before anyone figured out what he'd done.

***

Gemma couldn't help it. She laughed. The looks on the men's faces were beyond stunned. The three goons raced to the window where Mark had jumped. That's when she motioned the other two toward the front door and as fast as Mark had disappeared, the three opened the door and lost themselves in the thickening darkness outside.

Hidden behind a Blue Spruce, Gemma waited and watched. The men streamed out behind them, but the teens were younger, faster and a whole lot more savvy than they were.

Keeping a wary eye on the men, she glanced around for the other kids. They'd scattered. Streetwise, they knew these assholes presented a bigger danger than any other night predator.

Misty wasn't like them. She wouldn't survive as easily. Naïve in some ways, yet worldly in others, she was an open, friendly girl – but almost stupid. Curiosity always got her into trouble. Gem had no doubt these men had kidnapped her friend. She didn't know why. And if they had, where could they have stashed her?

There'd been no time to take her far. Unless more people were involved. If so, Misty could be stashed in a vehicle speeding to town as they searched.