Ben nodded. “Clear.”
Jocelyn rushed in, then came to a hard stop. “That’s a—”
“Box on a table.” Looked like a coffin. Ben tried to keep his voice steady but rage made it vibrate.
Someone on Gary’s payroll put a living, breathing woman in a box. Cut off her air and waited for her to die. What kind of sick bastard did that?
“Get it open. Now,” Ben ordered.
“No, no, no.” Kent’s wail bounced off every wall. It was a high, keening cry like something a wounded animal might make.
The sound was so desperate and raw, Ben wanted to cover his ears. At least grab Jocelyn and run her out of there. Anything not to watch that level of intense human pain.
Kent tripped over something in his walk across the room and would have fallen if Connor didn’t catch him. “Okay, settle down. I need you to stand here.”
Ed stepped up and let Kent lean on him. “I got him.”
He shook his head as the tears ran down his face. The pain was so obvious, so palpable, Ben couldn’t even watch him. His gaze went to Jocelyn’s pale face, and the terror mirrored Kent’s.
Ben was ready to do the one thing he could do. Rip the damn box apart with his hands if necessary. “I have to get to her.”
Joel joined him and they grunted and shoved. They tore the top of the box off, ignoring the nails and the bites of wood and stabs against their hands. The wood creaked and snapped. After a few yanks they had the top completely off.
The scene inside didn’t give Ben one ounce of comfort. A woman, blonde and still, wearing a shirt and pants lay there unmoving. Ben guessed the shirt had once been white. Now blood stained it a dull red.
Joel shook his head as he stepped back, as if he couldn’t look one more minute.
“Is she breathing?” Jocelyn shoved her way to the front and put a hand to the still woman’s throat. “I’ve got a weak pulse and blood.”
Kent had his fingers wrapped around the side of the box as he stared down at his wife. “Take her out.”
“No, leave her there. There could be broken bones.” Jocelyn pushed all the hands away and went to work. She listened to her heart and shifted her clothing. “Let me check her.”
Connor tried to move Kent away from the box. “Why don’t we—”
“You are not going to stop me from checking on my wife.” Kent turned on him, throwing out his arms and ready for battle until Connor nodded.
“Is she alive?” Ed asked as he peeked around Joel.
A beeping started somewhere near Jocelyn. She spun around with her arms up and Ben aimed his gun. He just didn’t know what was attacking this time.
“Ease up. She has my phone.” Joel reached over and slid it out of Jocelyn’s back pocket. A couple of clicks and he looked up, his mouth even more grim than before. “We’ve got company.”
“What?” Jocelyn’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”
“Willoughby, I bet.” That man showed up at the wrong places at the exact wrong times. Ben didn’t trust him and certainly didn’t want him sneaking in from behind.
“Being here will get you in trouble,” Ed said. “That detective might fire first. Go meet him and I’ll stay with Kent and Sharon.”
No way was Ben agreeing to that. “We’re not afraid of Willoughby.”
“But she can identify her attacker, which means it might not be safe for her to see the detective.” Ed glanced at Kent, then back to the team. “If she wakes up.”
“You think the police detective is the partner?” Kent shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense with what Gary said about his partner.”
“Meaning?” Connor asked.
“He talked about resources in the police department but made them sound low on the food chain. Not his partner.”
A loud intake of breath cut off whatever came next. Ben heard whimpering and saw Jocelyn lean over the box. She whispered something as she tried to hold down the arms flailing around her. The woman kicked and slapped as the high-pitched screams, shrill and terrified, filled the room.
Ben looked to Connor and Joel. They both frowned as the horrifying sound wound up and got louder.
“It’s okay. You’re safe.” Jocelyn kept up the soothing words as she held the men back with a stiff shake of her head. “Take deep breaths.”
Kent stood still as if frozen in place as soon as the pained screams started. “Sharon.”
The yelling subsided, decreasing to sobbing. She hiccuped and sniffed. “Kent?”
“You can move your hands and feet.” Jocelyn nodded to Ben and he came in closer. “He’s going to help you up. Kent’s here, too.”