It was you (Completed)

Chapter 19

Sang's POV

                We exit off the highway and make our way through an industrial park to a nondescript warehouse in the back. There is a five space parking lot and we pull into the spot closest to a set of double doors. There are no windows but I see a loading bay with a roll up door further down from where we had stopped. It's as they lead me inside that I have a realization: I was never blindfolded. That definitely doesn't bode well for my chances to survive.

                The first room is a small office space with a neatly organized desk off to the right and a couple chairs next to a beat up old coffee maker to the left. There's a door on the other side of the room by a tall file cabinet. As of yet, I hadn't seen any label either outside on the warehouse front or inside the office to indicate what business owned this space.

                With a firm grip around my arm, Bennett guides me through the other door and into the main section of the warehouse. It's mostly empty with a couple of shelving units up against the far wall, the exposed rafters on the ceiling giving it a skeletal appearance. There are a couple skylights set in the roof, black holes into the night. A couple of buzzing industrial fluorescent lights provide the only illumination as we made our way over to the only other door in the space. The cement floors are chilling my bare feet and I feel a shudder roll down my spine. Through the corner of my eye I see Bennett giving me a smirk, fully satisfied with my discomfort.

                Our final destination is a small, empty storage closet that's about 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep. Shoving me inside, Bennett says, "Good night, Blondie. Pleasant dreams. The boss is so excited to speak with you tomorrow!" After he closes the door, I hear the distinctive thunk of a deadbolt being thrown on the opposite side. The sound of retreating footsteps fills my ears and then the lights are turned out.

                I feel along the door and realize there is no exposed hardware on this side, not even a knob. I know instantly that this isn't the first time that this room has been used for this purpose. I curl up into a ball, my bra and panties giving me no protection against the cold, hard floor, and it doesn't take long for me to start shivering so much that my teeth chatter. I know I'm going to need rest to face whatever tomorrow will bring but sleeping in these conditions proves extremely difficult. Instead, I picture the faces of the Blackbourne team. Is North alright? Are they out there looking for me? A few silent tears slip down my cheek and onto the cement as I stare blindly into the darkness.

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Owen's POV

                                "Mr. B, I'm waiting. Deserve to know what?" North says with deadly calm as he stares at me intensely.

                Everyone is watching me except for Sean, who is still looking up at the ceiling. I open my mouth to answer just as my phone buzzes in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see Victor's name flash on the screen. I answer and immediately put it on speaker after a quick check to verify we're the only ones in the room. "Report, Mr. Morgan."

                "I think we have a lead. They transferred Sang into a black SUV similar to the ones that cut us off during the pursuit. There were a couple cameras at that gas station that I think they knew about as it seemed deliberate that the license plate was never clearly visible from those. However, there were some recent break-ins at night in that parking lot so the owners set up a third camera from a light pole. This one gave us a clear view of the tag and we ran it through the DMV database. It was registered to Zanna Shipping. They own several properties in and around Charleston."

                "Email me the addresses, we'll check them out. What about Metcalfe?"

                "As far as I can tell, he just went home. He doesn't live too far from my parents' old house. I can run by there and rig up a camera to see if he gets any visitors while Corey continues to try to track the other vehicle's location using the Department of Transportation's network."

                "Are there any other members of the Toma team there at the house with you?"

                "Yeah, Brandon drove Corey over," Victor replies.

                "Ok, take him with you when you head over to Metcalfe's residence. There might already be surveillance on the house from the group and he could have guards. Make sure you're not seen and, if it seems too dangerous to set up the camera, just do a drive by and check to see if any of those black SUVs are parked over. Report in as soon as you've finished," I state before signing off the phone.

                I hear the alert for an incoming email and look through the list that Victor sent over. "There are 13 properties nearby that are held under this corporation's name. Several of them are by the port and then there are a few further out. One of these addresses I recognize from Sang's report as places they discovered groups of victims prior to transport. I wouldn't be surprised if they have some other unregistered property as well, but maybe one of these address will turn up something," I say before slipping my phone back in my pocket and facing the group again. "It's after one in the morning. I'm going to call in the Castle team to set up surveillance at these locations. You all go home and get some rest."

                At this, Gabriel gets up and starts shouting, although it's hard to hear him over North. Even Luke has his voice raised. None of them want to give up the search tonight. Kota stands up and raises his hand, but it takes a moment before they quiet down. "Mr. B is right. If we're going after her, we need to be rested. These men are dangerous and I don't want anyone hurt because you were too exhausted to think straight. North, you need to sleep off the rest of the effects of that drug. Go bunk over at Silas' house. Luke and Gabe, stick together. Nathan, we'll stop and pick up Amy then head to my place. No one goes anywhere alone for the time being. Any suspicious activity, I want to know about it immediately," Kota says.

                I see Nathan take out his phone to call his fiancée so she can pack a bag for them. The rest all look forlorn, knowing that the longer Sang is missing the less likely it is that we'll find her. At this point, she could already be in a shipping container on her way to the highest bidder. No, I can't think that way. We'll find her. "Anyone who still wants to be involved, meet up at Victor's house tomorrow at 9 am. We'll debrief any new information and decide our next course of action at that time."

                They all stand up to start shuffling towards the exit. Luke has his arm around Gabriel's shoulder and Silas is pushing a sleepy looking North in his wheelchair with Kota and Nathan walking behind. As they pass, North reaches out and grabs my wrist. "I haven't forgotten, we'll be finishing our earlier discussion tomorrow."

                I respond with a nod and watch them all make their way out the door.

                "You know they're expecting you to stay over at my house," Sean says. He rubs his palm across his face a few times, looking exhausted, before he glances up at me. "I'm expecting you to stay over at my house too."

                "You should get the girls and bring them here. It'll be the safest place for all of you," I say looking down at my feet.

                Sean stands up, huffing in frustration. "Damn it, Owen! I might be pissed at you but that doesn't mean I want you going off alone. It's not safe right now!"

                "Thank you, but I'll be fine. Look after your family, Sean." I walk out and get in my car, resting my head against the steering wheel for a minute. When I sit back up, I see him standing at the door of the hospital, watching me. I give him a nod and drive off into the night.