Caribbean Rescue (Coastal Fury Book 16), Matt Lincoln [best book recommendations .txt] 📗

presence of law enforcement with aggression as well. Fight or flight was a natural survival response, after all. Some people chose to fight.

“I wish I’d been able to stay here with them,” Olivia muttered anxiously. “Stupid gunshot wound. I hope none of the cops did anything to upset them.”

I was surprised to find two officers stationed outside the main entrance door as we pulled into the parking lot.

“Tight security,” I noted as the three of us got out of the car. It made sense, considering one of the suspects had managed to escape. He would most likely report back to his superiors, so we couldn’t be too careful about the women’s safety.

One of the officers blocked our path as we approached.

“Can I help you?” he asked sternly. He was a very tall man, a few inches taller than I was, and broad-shouldered. With his imposing stature and unwavering gaze, he made for a good guard.

Before I could reply, the door opened, and Officer Crowley stepped outside.

“Agents, you’re here,” he greeted us before turning to the two men on guard. “It’s okay. We’re expecting them.”

The officer who had blocked my path nodded and stepped aside to let us through. As we walked inside, I noticed that there was an unusually tense atmosphere.

“Everyone’s on high alert,” Crowley informed me, as though reading my thoughts. “I know it sounds cliche, but none of us ever thought anything like this could happen in our town. It’s the kind of thing that only happens in movies. Most days, the most exciting thing I do is collect the drunks and bring them in to sober up. But this? And right under our noses… Everyone’s in a bad mood right now.”

That much I could tell as we made our way down the hall. All the officers we passed had grim, almost pained expressions on their faces. It must have come as quite a shock to them to discover that their peaceful slice of Caribbean paradise was hiding such a dark secret.

“We gave the women the main conference room,” he explained as we came to a stop outside a closed door, also guarded by an officer. “It’s the largest room we have in the station. We offered to call a doctor, but none wanted anything aside from some food and water. I think they were waiting for you, actually.”

“Me?” Olivia asked as he nodded at her.

“That girl from earlier,” he replied. “Jenny. We brought her here a little while ago. When she heard that the other women were here, she asked to come. We thought it would be safer to have them all together, anyway. I’m not sure what all they talked about, but I think she spoke well of you.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” Olivia smiled at him. “We’ll go in now if that’s okay?”

“Of course.” Crowley nodded as he took a seat in a chair just outside the door. “I’ll be out here if you need me. I’ve noticed that they tend to get nervous when the other officers or I linger around too much. We’ve been trying to give them space.”

So Olivia’s assumption had been correct. They had developed such a negative association with men that even the police officers were causing them to be wary.

I could hear the faint sounds of chatter from beyond the door, but it died down as soon as Olivia cracked it open.

Several pairs of eyes turned to look at us as we stepped inside. I could count about a dozen women at first glance. Most of them had pulled the chairs away from the large conference table and sat together at one end of the room. I spotted Daniela almost immediately, standing just behind the group, as though watching over them.

“Olivia!” one of the women exclaimed. It took me a moment to realize that it was Jenny. The first time I’d seen her, her skin had been a sallow gray color, and she’d barely been able to lift her head. She looked much healthier just a day and a half later, her cheeks rosy and her sleek brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail.

“Hi Jenny,” Olivia smiled at her as Jenny came to greet her. “I’m so happy to see you again. How are you feeling?”

“Good.” She nodded enthusiastically before turning back to look at the other women. “Much better now that I know everyone else is okay.”

“I’m glad,” Olivia replied before turning to look at the other women as well. They were watching the interaction with curious, albeit wary, eyes. “I was hoping we might be able to talk a bit. We think maybe some of you might know information that could help us catch the rest of the men responsible for this.”

“We already know that,” Daniela replied curtly. “We’ve talked it over. We agree that it’s fair after what you did to help us. On one condition, though.”

“And what is that?” Olivia asked cautiously.

“We stay together,” she replied with finality. “None of us are going anywhere with anyone alone. We stay together.”

Behind her, the women muttered amongst themselves, some of them nodding along in agreement. It was clear that Daniela was acting as the spokesperson for the group.

“We can work with that.” Olivia nodded slowly as she stepped toward the group. Holm and I followed behind her. Olivia and Holm pulled the remaining chairs to sit in, while I opted to just sit on the table itself.

“So, what do you want to know?” Daniela asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“First,” Olivia started, “I’d like to know what you all knew about Cat. Did any of you see her the day she fled?”

“Cat?” one of the women immediately piped up. She looked young and had dark skin and thick black hair. “Why? Do you guys know what happened to her? Is she okay?”

I watched as Daniela’s lips set into a hard line. She’d learned the truth of Allison’s demise yesterday, but obviously, she hadn’t gotten around to sharing the information with the rest of