Authors: Karen Rose
‘When you take Stephanie in, you’ll find a guy named Dave Burton with her – he was Reuben’s second-in-command and was acting as Sweeney’s security head. His hands are dirty too. Sweeney told me to kill him, so I hid them together. Sweeney thinks they’re mush in the pit. As far as I know, he doesn’t suspect me. Yet.’
‘Got it,’ Kate said. ‘Let’s find Sweeney. I want to end this.’
Cincinnati, Ohio
Wednesday 5 August, 11.20
P.M.
Marcus crept down the stairs, stowing his fear at leaving Scarlett alone at the top. She could take care of herself. The knowledge left him free to focus on listening and watching – for Gayle and for the trap he was sure waited somewhere.
The basement was largely underground, but there must have been a couple of small windows somewhere, because a faint light filtered into the dark space below. Marcus put off using his flashlight, aware that it would make him a target if someone was waiting for him. It had been too easy to get into the property, too easy to get into the house.
He made himself go as still as death, listening for inhales, exhales. He heard a sniffling. Not a sob, but more than a sigh. It was coming from the far corner of the basement, the location consistent with that of the cage in the video that Sweeney had sent.
Gayle
. She was alive. Relief had his heart racing and his knees going weak.
He crept up to the cage, barely able to make out the outline of her body in the darkness. ‘Gayle,’ he whispered. ‘It’s me.’
He heard a swiftly indrawn breath, then a muffled sob that broke his heart in two. Quickly he pulled the bolt cutters from the backpack and, going by touch, snapped the lock off the cage and carefully set it aside. He pulled the blanket from the pack and opened the cage door, wincing when it squeaked. But no bullets came flying and he heard no other sounds except Gayle’s sobs.
Again using touch, he found the places where she’d been bound and quickly cut the ropes, wrapping her in the blanket and pulling her into his arms. ‘Sshh,’ he whispered, because her sobs had increased in volume. Gently he worked the duct tape from her face, allowing her to drag in a deep breath. ‘You have to hold on,’ he said in her ear, his words mostly exhaled air rather than spoken. ‘Don’t cry. We can’t let ourselves be heard.’
He felt her body stiffen and shake as she valiantly controlled her tears. Shouldering the backpack, he rose with her in his arms and went for the stairs, making it to the top with barely a sound.
He found Scarlett where he had left her, fiercely guarding his safety. Relief filled her eyes when she saw Gayle, but she didn’t say a word. She opened the kitchen door and signaled for him to bring Gayle out. Leading the way, she headed for the exit, pausing in the laundry room to fish the keys to Sweeney’s van from his pocket and give him a quick, bright smile.
Marcus couldn’t smile back. The hairs on the back of his neck were still raised. This had been too damn easy. The other shoe was poised to fall.
As Scarlett opened the door to the garage, the shoe fell. She had no sooner cleared the two short steps down when she was jerked from his view. A split second later, he heard her agonized cry, followed by the clatter of her gun as it fell to the concrete. The gun slid into view, evidently kicked away.
His mind racing, Marcus took cover behind the open door, pressing his body to the laundry room wall and gathering Gayle closer to his chest.
‘Mr O’Bannion.’ The voice came from inside the garage, to the left of the open door. It was the man who’d called him, taunting him about Gayle. The man who’d shot his brother and killed Cal. Greasy and smug, the voice sent Marcus’s stomach roiling. ‘How lovely of you to visit me. If I’d known you were coming, I’d have planned more of a welcome.’
‘Go to fucking hell, Sweeney,’ Scarlett said, her breath coming in shallow pants. ‘He didn’t come with me.’
Sweeney had hurt her
. Marcus wasn’t sure what the bastard had done, but he could hear the pain in Scarlett’s voice.
‘Oh please, Detective,’ Sweeney said. ‘Of course he came with you. I’m surprised you’re here. I’ll give you that. But whether here or at the designated meeting place, the result will be the same. I won’t be leaving any of you alive.’
‘You stupid sonofabitch,’ Scarlett spat. ‘Do you really think I came alone? This place is surrounded by SWAT and Feds who can’t wait to get their hands on you. You shot up the
Ledger
office, kidnapped an innocent woman and killed her.’
‘I didn’t kill the woman,’ he said mildly.
‘Well she was dead when I found her. Why do think she’s not with me?’
‘Because O’Bannion has her.’
But Sweeney sounded unsure.
Scarlett laughed bitterly. ‘Right. Like he’s hiding behind the door. You idiot. I wouldn’t bring a damned civilian on a rescue op. Especially one who’s emotionally involved.’
‘Well if he’s not here, then your life means nothing. You hear that, O’Bannion?’ he called in a singsong tone. ‘I have no reason to keep your girlfriend alive.’
Scarlett scoffed. ‘You’re not going to kill me. Your life is forfeit as soon as you show your face, no matter what door you leave out of. I’m your ticket out of here.’
No matter what door you leave out of
. She was telling Marcus to leave her there and exit through another door. In his arms, Gayle had begun to tremble violently. She bit down on the blanket so that her chattering teeth would make no noise.
He had to get Gayle out of here. To an ambulance. She was going into shock.
‘Oh,’ Scarlett added to Sweeney, her voice cocky despite the obvious pain she was in, ‘I hope you have comfortable shoes, because we’ll be walking the whole way.’ She grunted a little, then crowed. ‘Bye-bye, keys. Hello, SWAT. Through the garage door and into plain sight.’
Marcus grinned, despite his bone-chilling fear. Scarlett had just thrown the keys to the minivan onto the driveway. Hopefully Kate was in a tree, waiting. This was her chance.
‘Go on now,’ Scarlett taunted. ‘Go get the keys. I dare you.’
Sweeney just laughed. ‘Good try, dear. Throwing your own keys? Clever. Let’s go. You can drive. I’ll be out of sight, making sure you don’t stop.’ There were sounds of scuffling as Sweeney dragged her across the concrete floor. Then Sweeney’s roar of fury when he realized she really had thrown his keys away.
Marcus knew that this was
his
chance. Trusting Scarlett to take care of herself, he eased away from his hiding place behind the door and slipped out of the laundry room back into the foyer. He took off for the front door, wrestling it open and hurling himself and Gayle into the night.
The moon was just starting to rise in the sky, giving the property a silvery look. It wasn’t as bright as spotlights, but if he weren’t careful he could be seen. Sticking close to the house, he ran around to the side opposite the garage and through the hole in the chain-link fence in the back wall. A look over his shoulder made his blood grow cold.
Kate Coppola was inching toward the open garage door, a large blond man behind her. He had a gun. Marcus’s heart sank. There were no snipers in the trees.
There was no way he was leaving Scarlett to their mercy.
Get Gayle out, then go back
. He ducked through the hole in the gate and sprinted for the hole he’d cut in the fence. He ran through, making a sharp left turn toward the main road.
‘Marcus!’
The familiar voice had him stopping in his tracks, turning to see Deacon and Diesel running toward him. Without a second thought, he thrust Gayle into Diesel’s arms. ‘Get her out of here. Sweeney has Scarlett and one of his goons has Kate.’
‘Fucking hell,’ Deacon muttered. Phone in one hand, he grabbed Marcus’s arm with his other to keep him from running back. ‘Just wait a second.’
Marcus pulled free. ‘Scarlett doesn’t have a second.’
Cincinnati, Ohio
Wednesday 5 August, 11.30
P.M.
Marcus set off at a fast run. He could hear Deacon behind him, calling in for backup. It was about time. He paused at the back chain-link gate, letting Deacon catch up. Together they looked through the fence and Marcus hissed out a furious breath. ‘Fuck.’
‘Fuck,’ Deacon hissed at the same time.
Scarlett was standing in the driveway, dimly visible in the growing moonlight, her hands on the back of her head while Sweeney disarmed her. So far he’d pulled three guns and two knives from her vest and pockets, all while holding his own gun – enhanced with a silencer – at the base of her skull. One of Scarlett’s hands was covered in blood. Sweeney had shot her.
Kate Coppola stood in the same position, hands behind her head. The huge blond guy held a pistol to her back, patting her down. He’d slung Kate’s rifle on his own back.
Marcus wanted to run through the gate to save Scarlett, but there was no cover. Any fast moves at this point would get her killed. Instead he had to stand there and listen helplessly.
‘Thank you, Decker,’ Sweeney said. ‘I wasn’t expecting you, but I’m glad you’re here.’
‘I would have called, but I forgot my phone. It’s still on my desk at the office. I came back because I left my laptop charger on the kitchen counter.’
Marcus frowned, thinking of the spotless kitchen. There hadn’t been any charging cords anywhere.
‘Well, as I said, I’m glad you’re here. You know what to do now.’
‘What does he know to do?’ Scarlett asked belligerently.
‘Kill and dispose,’ the big blond said succinctly.
‘It’s what we do with uninvited guests.’ Sweeney gave Kate an appraising look. ‘Is this broad your SWAT team and Feds? One redhead with a rifle? Who is she?’
Kate glared at him, but said nothing.
Deftly the man called Decker fished Kate’s shield from her jacket pocket. ‘Special Agent Kate Coppola,’ he said. Pocketing the ID, he cuffed one of Kate’s wrists, then pulled her arms behind her back and cuffed the other. Kate looked pissed, and Marcus wondered how the blond had gotten the jump on her.
‘Your turn, ma’am,’ Decker said to Scarlett, and she laughed bitterly.
‘Ma’am? You’ve got to be kidding.’
‘We don’t kid, ma’am.’ Decker pulled Scarlett away from Sweeney, spun her to face the older man and proceeded to cuff her the same way he’d done to Kate.
‘Leave Detective Bishop here for now,’ Sweeney said. ‘I need her for when O’Bannion returns, because he will. He’s just made that way. Take the redhead down to the woodchipper.’
Horrified, Marcus could only stare.
Woodchipper
? He had to fight to control his heart rate. His pulse had just shot into the stratosphere.
‘I will, sir,’ Decker said politely. ‘Oh, I found Sean in the garage when I first arrived. I took the liberty of taking him down to the pit too, so you wouldn’t have to.’
Sweeney looked first annoyed, then relieved. ‘Thank you, Decker. I appreciate that.’
‘Anything else, sir?’
‘No, that’ll be all for now.’
Marcus and Deacon each drew back, pressing into the wall, waiting for the man named Decker to come through the gate with Kate. They could jump him, freeing Kate.
But noise of a struggle met their ears instead. Kate was fighting like a wildcat, trying to free herself. Sweeney stepped away from Scarlett to help Decker subdue Kate.
Seeing their opening, Marcus and Deacon started running, guns drawn, but came to a dead stop when Scarlett, Kate and the big blond Decker all pulled guns on Sweeney. Both Scarlett and Kate had their cuffs dangling from one wrist.
‘Approach slowly,’ Decker said to Marcus and Deacon without looking at them. Decker held Kate’s rifle pointed at Sweeney’s head. ‘No sudden moves, please.’
‘What the hell, Kate?’ Deacon demanded.
Kate jerked her head toward Decker. ‘Pineapple under the sea,’ she said.
‘Oh,’ Deacon said. ‘You could have told me.’
‘I was going to,’ Kate snapped. ‘I’ve been busy.’
‘What?’ Marcus demanded.
‘I don’t know,’ Scarlett said. ‘He put a gun in my hand when he pretended to cuff me. I went with it.’
Decker handed Kate’s rifle back to her and took another pair of handcuffs from his back pocket as Sweeney watched him with clear malice.
‘You had me fooled, Mr Decker.’
‘That was the point,’ Decker said. ‘Sir.’
Abruptly Sweeney twisted and leaped back, rolling toward the pile of weapons he’d taken from Scarlett. Decker stumbled, going down on one knee, shock on his face – and a knife sticking out of his side. Handcuffs dangling from one wrist, Sweeney grabbed two of Scarlett’s guns – one in each hand – and began shooting
Stunned, Scarlett staggered backward, falling on her butt. Marcus heard a roar, then realized it had come from his own chest. He began firing, only vaguely aware that Deacon and Kate had lifted their weapons as well. It was mass pandemonium for a brief moment as bullets flew. And then, as quickly as the moment had begun, it was over. The silence that followed was heavy, the air thick with the smell of spent gunpowder.