"I don't want to talk right now."

He ground his teeth in defense against the pain radiating in her voice. "Fine."

The last thirty-five minutes of their ride pa.s.sed in brutal silence. Thank G.o.d they had less than ten to go. Jackson counted down the miles as they traveled the Bay Bridge to the island. He glanced Alex's way again. She hadn't moved. He drove through the quiet town, turned into the sleepy neighborhood he'd grown up in, and sighed as he pulled into his parent's drive.

Alex reached for the door handle as he shut off the engine.

He grabbed her hand before she could make her escape. "Hold on."

"I don't want to hold on." She wouldn't look at him.

"Alex, we had to-"

"We left her!" she exploded. "We left her there! I saw her. She saw me. She watched me walk away. My G.o.d! What must that have been like for her?" Alex flung her wig to the floor as her breath tore in and out. She yanked herself free of his hold and rushed from the car.

He whipped his door open and headed her off at the front of the vehicle. "Wait." He pulled her against him. "We're going to get her, Alex."

"Oh stop it!" She shoved at him. "Just stop! She was right there, Jack."

"So were fifteen bouncers. She had two handlers all her own. How were we going to get her past them? Do you think they were going to let us take her hand and walk away?"

"I don't know." She freed herself from his grip and hurried toward the docks. "All I can think of is the way she looked standing next to those horrid men and the way her eyes held mine. She's a prisoner. You promised me, Jack. You promised me we would do whatever it took when our break came. That was it. That was our shot to get my sister the h.e.l.l out of this."

He took two steps after her, and she whirled. "Don't follow me."

"Of course I'm going to follow you. You're upset."

"I don't want you," she spewed and kept walking.

Jackson stopped short as her verbal sucker punch hit the mark. He turned and headed back to the house but hesitated when her quiet sobbing echoed on the early morning air. He closed his eyes and jammed his hand through his hair. "G.o.dd.a.m.nit." Guilt and regret were eating him alive. He'd wanted to take Abby away from that h.e.l.l too. If she had been in the alley with the two men as he'd hoped, he would've grabbed her. How could he make Alex understand that they had to walk away? Even with his weapon, he'd been no match for more than a dozen bouncers.

He stared into the dark, listening to her quiet agony as a boat motored by in the distance. Despite what she said, he couldn't leave her. Sighing, he walked to the end of the dock and stared down as Alex hugged herself tight and rested her forehead against her knees in the moonlight. Her gentle, m.u.f.fled weeping destroyed him. He sat next to her and hesitated, then hooked his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Alex. You have no idea how sorry. I tried to think of a way to get Abby out of there."

She leaned against him and wrapped her arms around him, clinging. "Oh, Jack, I know that. I do."

He pressed his lips to her hair.

"What are we going to do?"

He stroked his fingers along her spine and stared into the dark. "Call Ethan. Talk to Tucker, the former detective I work with."

She swiped at her eyes as she looked at him. "What about Detective Canon and the taskforce? They can get her now that they know where she is."

"I don't know." He hadn't even wanted to call Canon after the meeting they had several hours earlier. His instincts had been dead on when it came to the officer's priorities-Abby's rescue wasn't one of them.

Alex sat up, breaking their embrace. "They can get her, Jack."

"I'm going to talk to him as soon as he calls me back, but this whole situation is pretty d.a.m.n complicated. They want Zachary Hartwell, CEO of Starlight Entertainment. All of Hartwell's establishments, from the cla.s.sy to the trashy, are under constant surveillance, including Lady Pink. My gut is telling me that unless they can run another raid and nab some of Hartwell's bigger players, Abby's going to wait."

"But she's being victimized right under their noses. How can they let that happen? They're supposed to protect and help the innocent."

"ICE-Immigration and Customs Enforcement steps in from time to time when they're certain they can rescue a few, but the small potatoes they arrest in the operation are taking the fall instead of the people higher up in the feeding chain-the guys they want. Every time the authorities run a raid, the ring gets smarter and sneakier. They learn from their mistakes and become more cautious, making it even harder for law enforcement to crack the ring wide open. It's a catch-twenty-two: help one or two verified victims or save several, maybe even hundreds, by waiting and hitting the organization where it hurts."

"What does that mean for Abby?"

"It means it's time for me to start making things happen myself. No more waiting around. Now that we know where Abby is, I'm going to see if Tucker can come out for a few days and give me a hand."

"Abby can't wait that long. She needs help now."

"She may have to. We'll only have one chance." He pulled her against him, needing the comfort as much as he wanted to give it. "If we don't do this right, Alex, you'll never see her again."

Her lips trembled as she stared up at him.

"d.a.m.n that's harsh, but I don't want to lie to you." He held her tighter and traced the wet trail her mascara left along her cheek. "I know Abby sounded awful on the phone, but she's hanging in there. I saw her, touched her, talked to her."

She closed her eyes and clutched his hand against her face. "What did she say?"

"Nothing, but her eyes told me volumes. She might be afraid, but she's tough. She knows, Alex. Abby knows we're coming. That'll keep her going until we can get to her."

"Do you think so?"

He nodded. "I told her I'd be thinking about her and that I'd be back. She understood what I meant."

Another tear spilled over. "I'm sorry, Jack. You've done nothing but help me, and I've been so unkind."

He caught her tear with his thumb and shrugged. "I can handle it."

"But you shouldn't have to." She touched his cheek as she stared into his eyes. "Thank you," she whispered and feathered her lips over his. Alex held his gaze and moved in again.

He wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight. The shock of her mouth warm and willing on his was exactly what he'd been waiting for. He knew he should pull away and stop Alex's advance, but he was a prisoner to his own needs. He needed Alex.

Groaning, hungry for more, he deepened the kiss, relishing her flavor as her tongue sought his. He tightened his grip around her waist and helped her move until she straddled him, his legs dangling off the dock. He ran his hands up smooth thighs, skimmed the edge of her denim skirt, and continued up, kneading her firm a.s.s through her silky panties, tugging her closer.

She gasped and clutched at his shoulders. "Jack," she murmured. "Jack," she repeated while she peppered kisses along his jaw and neck.

He tilted his head back and closed his eyes as her fingers played through his hair. He'd missed this-the way they were together when nothing but emotion ruled. Alex forgot to be shy and serious when she was in his arms. He eased her back and held her face in his hands. "I've missed you." He kissed her forehead. "All this time, I've needed you."

She curled her fingers into the waist of his shirt as their gaze held, and her small b.r.e.a.s.t.s heaved against his chest with each rapid breath.

He pulled her mouth back to his, starving to taste her again. Would he ever get enough? A purr escaped her throat as he tugged the loosened elastic from her hair and threaded his fingers through long shiny black locks, surrounding him in the familiar scent of flowers and vanilla.

"Jack. Jack, we have to stop. We have to go in," she said against his lips.

He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. "Come to my room the way you used to." He nipped her chin. "I want to be with you."

She shook her head. "I need to get in to Livy. We've been gone for so long."

He physically ached from wanting her. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her again, but she was right. They'd been gone for hours and were both exhausted. He didn't want their first time together to be a quickie at four in the morning. When he had Alex again-and he would have Alex again-he planned to make up for every second he'd been away for the last four years. He'd waited this long; a few more days wouldn't kill him-probably.

He touched his lips to hers. "Let's go in and check on Olivia. I'll give Tucker a call." He scooted back from the edge of the water and stood with Alex still wrapped around him.

She dropped her legs to the dock and stepped away, breaking their embrace.

"We should try to get some sleep." He held out his hand, waiting, testing, studying her in the moonlight. Where did they stand now that the heat of the moment pa.s.sed?

"I'm tired." She hesitated ever so slightly before she reached out and took the hand he'd offered.

They were definitely getting somewhere. For the first time since he watched her vanish into the dark February cold, he believed he might get back everything he'd thrown away so carelessly.

"What are you doing, Carol?"

Carol glanced over her shoulder toward her husband's deep, sleepy voice in the dark as she walked to the open window. "I'm just making sure everything's all right. I hate hearing them argue so. They used to laugh. She made him so happy, George. They made each other happy."

"They'll either work this out or they won't. Meddling won't help. It'll probably make things worse." He rolled to his side.

"Oh, phooey. A mother's worry isn't meddling." She peeked around the edge of the curtain as Alexa shouted that she didn't want Jackson and he turned and started toward the house. "Go to her," she murmured. "She doesn't mean it."

A small smile touched Carol's mouth when he stopped and shoved his hand through his hair-a gesture of frustration she knew well. Her poor baby. He was hurting. They both were. They loved each other; it was plain as day, but Alexa was leery. She had every right to be. And Jackson was fumbling and unsure-understandably. He'd messed up.

Carol pressed her lips firm in frustration when Jackson didn't budge from his spot. They weren't going to get anywhere at this rate. This was his chance to change everything. She wanted more grandbabies. "Come on, son," she whispered. "Don't make the same mistake twice." She sighed her relief as Jackson walked to the docks and sat down beside Alexa, who was curled up with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her quiet, painful crying tore at Carol's heart.

Jackson hesitated, then put his arm around her. Within seconds Alexa clung to him and Carol pressed her hand to her chest, to the swell of hope. She knew she should give them their privacy, but another second couldn't hurt. It'd been too long since she'd seen her son at peace. He'd been a fool to push Alexa away all those years ago, but she was here now with their precious little girl. Perhaps with some time...

She clutched at the curtain and sighed when Alexa kissed Jackson. He dove in, pulling her into his lap. She drew the fabric over the window and turned to her husband. "I think it's going to be okay, George. I think everything might be all right."

"They'll find their way, Carol." He held out his hand. "Come back to bed now. Livy will be up with all of her sparkle before too long."

She got in on her side and held George's hand as she looked at him in the shadows the moon cast about the room. "He hasn't been happy without her."

He kissed her forehead and made her smile. "I know. Close your eyes now."

CHAPTER 12.

Jackson plopped down in his father's office chair, utterly drained. The quick shower to rinse off the cigarette stench from Lady Pink helped a bit, but not enough; the last two and a half weeks were starting to take their toll. He needed sleep-a couple of solid hours to take the edge off, but first he had to talk to Tucker. The return call he'd received from Detective Canon seconds after he said goodnight to Alex still boiled his blood. The f.u.c.ker.

Abby was in dire straits, yet Canon's big concern was Jackson blowing the investigation by interfering in police business. It had been tempting to tell the good ol' detective to suck a.s.s right then and there, but that wouldn't help the situation. He needed to keep the lines of communication open with the authorities for Abby's sake.

Scrubbing his hands over his face, he leaned his elbows on the desk. G.o.dd.a.m.n, this was frustrating, and, if he was honest with himself, completely overwhelming. Alex was depending on him to bring her sister home, and now that the writing was officially on the wall with Canon, so was Abby. He could no longer wait around for the detective and his taskforce to act. She didn't have that kind of time. The ring would move her before long. He hadn't had the heart to remind Alex that the traffickers would shuffle their 'product' around to new cities and even new countries to keep the authorities off their tails. Abby was officially in a now-or-never situation.

With a weary sigh, Jackson shrugged against the uncomfortable weight compounding on his shoulders. Abby was hanging in there, but for how long? He had to make something happen immediately or nothing would happen at all. Abby would soon be lost in an endless h.e.l.l of prost.i.tution, p.o.r.nography, and everything else that came along with the injustice of s.e.xual exploitation.

He sat up and struggled to gather his sluggish wits while he stared at the phone. Call Tucker, then sleep. At this point, he was useless to everyone without a few hours of shuteye. He picked up the receiver and winced as he glanced at the time. Tucker wasn't going to be happy. He listened to the first ring, then the second, and faced the bay, staring out at the dock he and Alex had been sitting on half an hour before.

"h.e.l.lo?" Tucker answered groggily.

"Did I wake you?"

"Jackson?"

"Nothing gets by you."

"What the h.e.l.l, man? It's two in the morning. I just got off duty forty minutes ago."

The movie premiere. He was supposed to have worked that. "Sorry. We found Abby."

"What?" The sleepiness in his friend's voice vanished. "She's home?"

"I wish." He stood, teeming with frustration. "Alex and I saw her at some s.h.i.t hole strip joint on the southeast side-Lady Pink. She gave me a lap dance for my trouble." He squeezed at the back of his neck, still sickened by the memory.

"Wish I could say congratulations. What can I do to help?"

He knew he could count on Tucker. "I'm hoping you can give me a hand out here for a couple of days and help me figure this out. I met with Detective Canon earlier this morning. No. Wait. s.h.i.t. What the h.e.l.l day is it?" He shook his head, gathering his jumbled thoughts. "Earlier yesterday morning. The taskforce still isn't doing much more than surveillance. I called him about Abby and another possible victim called Strawberry. She had to've been sixteen, possibly seventeen, and that's a stretch. Of course Canon jumped up my a.s.s about procedure and messing up the investigation, but he didn't have a whole h.e.l.l of a lot to say about getting Abby out of there."

"In a nutsh.e.l.l, what's the status?"

"I got the official bulls.h.i.t runaround-Vice will check it out and they'll keep the area monitored. Basically, they aren't budging until they have Hartwell wrapped up with a pretty red bow."

"Sounds about right."

Jackson sat back down, watching black fade to dull pink along the horizon as predawn began to chase away the night. "I also think there may be a potential luring situation going on at one of the clubs Alex and I were at. That probably needs to be looked into, but I left it alone. If Canon's taskforce is monitoring, they're aware."

"Let me talk to Ethan. I have a few days off coming up. I'll be on the next available flight out."

"I had to leave her, man. With the f.u.c.king sc.u.m of the earth." He balled his hand at his side as he relived the last few minutes at Lady Pink. "Alex saw her. She begged me to bring Abby with us." He squeezed his eyes shut as Alex's pleading to help her sister echoed through his head. "I don't know what this'll do to her if we missed our opportunity." He didn't know what it would do to him.

"We'll talk when I get there and figure everything out."

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No. I'll get a rental and directions when I land."

"I don't know how to thank you."

"I'll think of something expensive."

Jackson grinned when the phone buzzed in his ear. Thank G.o.d for great friends. Having Tucker in on this for a couple of days would be a relief. He twisted the chair around to the computer and fired off an e-mail to Ethan, attaching a copy of a dark, poorly shot picture of the man he and Alex had seen talking to the young girl at Club Jericho. Hopefully Ethan would be able to clean up the image and search the data banks. Maybe he could dig up something on the sleazeball. He couldn't be certain there was a connection to Abby's disappearance, but no potential lead was worth overlooking.

Jackson blinked his blurry, tired eyes and got to his feet, more than ready to turn his mind off. He craved his bed and oblivion. He opened the office door and stopped short of knocking Olivia over.

"I'm awake now." Livy rubbed her sleepy eyes.