Chapter 7-Military Involvement

"You've been shot. Why didn't you say anything?" Special Agent Maitland asked, surprised.

"When exactly was I supposed to have said something? While Officer Reynolds was attempting to rape me?" Roe asked sarcastically, scowling at him. "Was I supposed to say 'Oh, Mr. Rapist, please don't, I've been shot.' Do you really think that would've accomplished anything?"

Special Agent Maitland stood there looking at her, as his mouth opened and closed silently.

It seems like I've made him speechless. Roe thought to herself with a silent laugh. My sarcasm game is better than I thought.

Special Agent Maitland finally found his voice, and turned toward the men near the door. "Pierce, bring your bag over here." As the officer walked toward them, Maitland said "She's been shot."

When Pierce got over to them, he said "Miss, please sit down so I can check on your wound." Roe sat on the bed, and Pierce started working on her arm. He was a slender man about five foot nine with slightly shaggy blonde hair.

"Okay, Miss....I don't know your name." Special Agent Maitland said.

"My name is Roweena Cavenaugh."

"All right, will you please tell me what happened?"

Roe told Special Agent Maitland everything that had happened between her and Officer Reynolds.

"So, you expect me to believe that he wanted you to have sex with him in front of the rest of us?" Special Agent Maitland skeptically asked Roe.

"No, not really, but it is the truth." Roe replied with a shrug.

"Sir, if I may?" Pierce asked.

"What is it Officer Pierce?"

"I believe her."

"And why exactly, do you believe her?"

"I've seen this before."

"Seen what before?" Special Agent Maitland asked him.

Pierce hung his head. "I've been on missions with Officer Reynolds before. There have been women that, according to him, propositioned him to thank him for rescuing them. He had sex with them in front of the rest of the team."

"Okay. What makes you think that it didn't happen the way Officer Reynolds said it did?"

"After he was done with one of the girls, I was checking her for wounds, and she asked me if she needed to pay me, like she'd paid the other guy for rescuing her."

"Why haven't you said anything about this before now?"

"I haven't had any evidence, and the girls disappeared shortly afterwards." He shrugged, then looked Special Agent Maitland dead in the eye, gestured to Roe he said. "This one is here, and you're here. I thought now was a good time to say something, since she's already told you what he tried do to her."

"Hmm. Do you remember the names of the other girls?"

"No Sir, not off the top of my head. But I wrote down what I saw as soon as I got back to the office. My notes are in my safe, though I didn't note which officer it was, just in case someone got into my notes."

"Why not?"

"Reynolds has friends, sir."

"Ah, I believe I understand. Do you know if anyone can corroborate your story about what the girl asked you?"

"I'm not sure." He said thinking about it. "I did, however write down who else was there at the time, and who may have overheard what that girl asked me."

Roe had been silent, just listening to their conversation. Well, that's interesting information. I wonder if this Reynolds jerk has something to do with the recent disappearances. I'd really like to know if the girls he's talking about were supernatural or not. It's so tempting to ask, but I don't want to give away the fact that I'm not human and that I'm paying attention to their conversation. They seem to be ignoring the fact that I was here with a vampire and a werewolf, so I guess I need to let it go for now.

"If you're really going to investigate this, you may want to ask some of the other medics. I wasn't the one to treat some of the other girls Reynolds had sex with. They may have some information, or they may have noticed something odd about the girls."

"Yes, I do intend to investigate this, since it doesn't seem to be a singular situation. Keep quiet about what she's said and our conversation until I can find out more."

"Yes, sir. What if Reynolds asks me if you believed her? What should I tell him?"

Maitland looked around the room. Everyone else had already gone outside while they were talking. "Just tell him that you're not sure. Tell him I sent you away after I asked her why I should believe her. That should get him off your back."

"Okay Sir."

"And if he keeps asking, tell him you don't think I believed her. That's what you thought, anyway." Maitland said shrugging.

"Yes sir. I will." Officer Pierce said nodding.

"All right, you go ahead and go out, and I'll stay in here for a few more minutes with Miss Cavenaugh here."

Pierce nodded his head and, after packing away his supplies, left the room.

Special Agent Maitland turned to Roe. "I do apologize for not believing you to begin with."

"I understand. You don't know me, and work with him." Roe shrugged. "I really didn't expect you to believe me."

Special Agent Maitland shook his head. "Sadly enough, it works that way a lot of places."

"Yeah, it does." She agreed wryly.

"I promise you that I will fully investigate Reynolds, and what Pierce said." He paused, then said "It would help me immensely if you would not mention what happened here until I can finish my investigation."

"I understand. You don't want him to catch wind of it before you have all of your evidence together."

"That's correct."

"Okay, I won't say anything, at least for a while. I would like to know what's going on periodically, though."

"I'll see about that."

"Okay." Roe said as she thought, You think you'll never hear from me again, but you just may be surprised. I have no intention of letting this go, and you have no idea who I really am.

Special Agent Maitland looked at his watch. "It's about time we went out there, and when we do, stay quiet."

Roe smiled at him. "Like you've just chewed me out?"

He smiled back at her. "Yes."

"Sure." Roe said, getting up off the bed. "I guess I lead the way?"

"I would handcuff you, but I'd rather not with your arm hurt. Don't try anything, or I'm going to forget about you being hurt."

"I'd appreciate not being cuffed, and don't worry, I won't try anything."

"I should've asked this before, but do you have a phone on you?"

"Yes, I do." Roe answered.

"I'm going to need to take it."

"Why?"

"Prisoners aren't supposed to have phones." He said, giving her a hard look.

"Am I going to get it back?"

"After the trial, you can have it back."

"Am I going to be allowed to make a phone call, to tell someone where I am? Or am I just going to disappear?"

"No, you're not going to disappear, you'll get your phone call."

"Why are you taking me, anyway?"

"To make sure you don't disappear before the trial. We need your testimony as to whether you were here voluntarily or not."

"Fine." Roe said, slightly pouting. She took her phone out of her pocket, and handed it to him.

"Ladies first." Special Agent Maitland said, gesturing towards the door.

Roe smiled at him one last time as she walked towards the door. Then she put a serious expression on her face as she looked down at her feet.

As soon as Roe and Special Agent Maitland cleared the doorway, she could see that there was something wrong in the parking lot, she could feel the tension in the air. She didn't know how right she was until Agent Maitland exclaimed "What the hell?"

Roe looked around and saw that the entire parking lot was full of cars. Some were black SUVs, and others looked like they were unmarked cop cars. There were also a couple of vans, and a box truck. She noticed that the officers she had seen in the motel room were standing off to one side with some men she hadn't seen before. They were loosely surrounded by a ring of men who were dressed in army fatigues. The army fatigue men were also scattered around the parking lot.

She quietly hissed at him, "What is it?"

"I don't know who those guys are, and they have my men surrounded." He quietly replied.

A man in fatigues stepped out of the stairwell. He was tall, and muscular with buzz cut hair. "I have already taken possession of your other two prisoners, and I'll take this one from you now."

"What do you mean, you've taken my prisoners? Who are you, and under whose authority are you taking my prisoners?" Agent Maitland demanded.

"Savage, under the command of Major Marsden. Here's the paperwork for the transfer." The man in fatigues said, handing Agent Maitland some papers. "Now, I will be taking the girl with me." He grabbed Roe by the arm, and started towing her toward the staircase.

Agent Maitland was just standing there, watching Savage pull Roe away.

Roe snatched her arm away from Savage right before they started down the stairs, and walked quickly back to Agent Maitland. She got close enough to him to whisper in his ear. "If you don't know what's going on, please get in contact with Joe Rogers, he owns Blood Moon Rising. Tell him what happened, and that they took me. He'll help you figure out what's going on."

Agent Maitland started to say something when Savage snapped "Get over here. You're leaving with us."

"Fine." Roe said walking back over to him.

Savage grabbed her arm again, forcing her to walk with him down the stairs. When they got to the bottom, he led her to the back of the box truck where two of his men were standing guard outside the doors. As they got close, the guards opened the doors. Roe looked into the back of the truck, and saw Shane and Adrian chained to benches along either side of the truck.

"I'm not going to bother chaining you up." Savage said as he looked Roe up and down. "You can't do anything, anyway." He said dismissing her.

Roe looked back at the second floor of the motel, and saw Agent Maitland standing there scowling, while watching everything that was happening in the parking lot.

"Get in." Savage snapped at her.

Roe scowled at Savage, then got into the back of the truck and sat down next to Shane. As soon as she was seated, Savage slammed the doors behind her, and locked them in.