Free Ultimate Cowboy by Rita Herron Page A

right about their abductor being the same unsub.
    And that he understood the boy’s terror.
    So why wouldn’t he help them?
    He’d said he didn’t have family, suggesting he lived on the streets.
    That would be motivation for him to steal. He and Tray could have escaped together.
    But she didn’t think that was the case. Kyle seemed terrified when she’d mentioned calling his parents, meaning there must be someone where he lived that lorded over him.
    Someone who wouldn’t be happy the TBI had him in custody.And thanks to the damn press, he probably knew.
    Kyle shifted and continued to stare at his feet, the bruises on his face more stark under the fluorescent light.
    Agent Cord’s phone buzzed, and he snatched up the file. “Think about that little boy Hank and how frightened he is, and how much his folks miss him and want him back while you spend the night in a cell.”
    The boy cut hiseyes toward her, his silence thick with fear.
    Julie stood, anxious to comfort him, but she couldn’t. He was under arrest and had held a girl at gunpoint. Besides, judging from his body language, he wouldn’t welcome being coddled.
    A beating he would probably understand.
    But she didn’t intend to let that happen to him again.
    “Please, Kyle. I really do want to help you,” she said.“I also want to save Tray and Hank and however many boys this person stole from their homes. But you have to open up to me, trust me.”
    His handcuffs rattled as he twisted in his seat. “Just put me in my cell.”
    Julie stared at him for a long minute, willing him to change his mind. But he remained motionless, determined to keep his silence.
    Finally she swallowed back her frustration,then nodded and headed to the door. But she paused and glanced at him one more time before she left the room. “The offer stands, Kyle. Whenever you’re ready to talk, just tell the guard you want to see me, and I’ll come as soon as I can.”
    He didn’t respond, and she left the room, her stomach rolling as she went to see Brody.
    When she entered the room, worry and pain etched his face.“What do you think?”
    Julie wanted to lie and tell him everything would be all right, but they’d been through too much the past few years for her to do that. So she told him the truth.
    “I think he’s lying, that he knows where Hank is. That he and Tray were both abducted by the same man.”
    Brody cursed. “Then why won’t he tell us who kidnapped him and the others?”
    Julie didn’tlike the answers that crept into her mind. “Either he’s suffering from Stockholm syndrome. It’s when a kidnapped victim—”
    “I know what is it,” Brody said, cutting her off.
    Julie nodded. “Or he’s afraid that if he talks, his abductor will hurt the other boys he’s still holding hostage.”

Chapter Seven
    “What do we do now?” Brody asked.
    Julie sighed. “Unfortunately we’ll have to leave him locked up for tonight. Maybe spending the night in a cell will convince him to talk.”
    Brody shook his head. “I doubt it. A night in a cell may be a reprieve from what he’s endured these past few years.”
    Julie winced. “I hate to say it, but you may be right.”
    Brody scrubbed a hand over his face. “I can’t stand to see him like that, handcuffed and in a cell, not after all he’s suffered. I always thought when I found him, he’d be glad to see me and I’d bring him home.”
    Julie rubbed his arm in a comforting gesture. “I know it’s difficult, but at least he’s alive, Brody. That means you have a chance to bring him home someday.”
    Brody turned toher, praying that he could do just that. “What happens if he doesn’t talk?”
    “I’m going to insist on both a physical exam and a psych evaluation,” Julie said. “Hopefully we can use that in court to avoid going to trial until we know all the details about Kyle’s abductor and catch this maniac.”
    Brody latched onto that hope. If he could just take the teenager to the BBL, maybe he