No Ordinary Cowboy (Mills & Boon American Romance) (Rodeo Rebels - Book 6) by Marin Thomas Page B

smells?” Lucy asked.
    “Not sure. Could be an animal.” Tony gripped one of the boards at the bottom and ripped it off. He got down on his hands and knees and directed the flashlight inside the cavern. “Shit.”
    “What?”
    Tony spoke rapid-fire Spanish and Lucy gasped. “Is someone in there?”
    “A girl.” He got to his feet.
    “How did she get in there if the entrance is boarded up?”
    “These nails should be old and rusted,” he said, peering closely at the planks.
    “They look new to me.” Lucy ran her finger across a shiny nail head.
    “Someone’s removing the boards then putting them back in place.”
    “What did the girl say?”
    “She’s thirsty and hungry.”
    “Is she coming out?”
    “I hope so.” Tony tore off more boards until there was enough room for a person to crawl out, then he spoke to the girl.
    Nothing happened. “She’s probably scared to death,” Lucy said.
    Tony spoke in Spanish again, and finally a pair of small bare feet appeared in the opening. Her abductors must have taken her shoes so she wouldn’t try to escape.
    Once the girl had wiggled out of the cave Lucy said, “Untie her hands, Tony.” The bedraggled female child was short and thin—Lucy guessed not more than twelve.
    Tony snapped the plastic bands, freeing her hands, then fired off questions. The girl whispered one-word answers—mostly sí ’s. The poor child looked tired and weak.
    Lucy helped her into the backseat of the truck and handed her a water bottle. Maddie jumped in beside the urchin and Lucy smiled when the girl hugged the dog. She offered the child more water, then secured the seatbelt across her lap.
    “What’s her story?” Lucy asked when Tony headed back to the entrance.
    “She got left behind when the others were taken away.”
    “How?”
    “Fell asleep in one of the tunnels and didn’t wake up when the men came for them.”
    “Amazing that her abductors didn’t try to find her.”
    “My guess is that something scared them and they left in a hurry.”
    Lucy glanced over her shoulder. The girl was filthy. “How long has she been in the mine?”
    “A couple of days.”
    “I can’t believe this has been going on right under our noses.” Lucy’s father would be livid when he heard a child had been abandoned at the mine, although she doubted he’d give Tony credit for being right about the human-trafficking ring. “How soon do you think you’ll organize a surveillance team?”
    “Depends on how much information the girl gives us.”
    “Did she tell you her name?”
    “No. Once she believes we mean her no harm, she’ll tell us more about herself.”
    By the time they arrived at the entrance to the highway, their passenger had fallen asleep.
    “Tony?” Lucy whispered.
    “What?”
    “Keep Maddie with you for a couple of days. She makes the little girl feel safe.” And darned if the dog hadn’t sensed the child needed her.
    “I suppose she’d enjoy Maddie’s company while she’s in custody.”
    The big bad border patrol agent was a softy. Lucy hopped out of the truck, retrieved the cooler from the back and set it on the passenger seat. “In case she wakes up thirsty.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Let me know how things work out for her.”
    “I will.”
    Lucy shut the door. After Tony drove off she closed the gate and secured the chain. As she walked to her truck, she rehearsed how to break the news to her father that, whether he liked it or not, Tony Bravo was going to be crowned a local hero after today’s find.
    * * *
    T ONY ESCORTED THE young girl through a back door at the station. Heads turned as they walked down the hallway with Maddie.
    “Where did you find this munchkin?” Officer Luger said when Tony stopped at the front desk.
    “Is the chief in?” Tony wasn’t giving any details to the biggest blabbermouth in the building.
    “Yeah, Romero’s in.” Luger nodded at the girl. “She a runaway?”
    Ignoring the question, Tony guided his charge through the