“Go out to the Escalade,” he whispered. “Open the back and bring me the gym bag I put there when we left the house.”
Rachel followed his directions without a word. Nick grinned as Joe stopped moaning and began cursing him. Suzan waited next to the chair she’d brought from the kitchen, hugging herself to control the trembling.
“Spread three of those bags out on the floor, Suzan, and then put the kitchen chair on top of them.”
Suzan did as she was told. Rachel came in from her task with the gym bag and closed the door behind her. Nick pulled Rachel over to him. He positioned the weapon in her hands, keeping it pointed at Joe, who had begun looking around him, just the way he wanted it.
“If good ole Joe here moves when I don’t want him to, you fire another round into his knee,” Nick directed. “We need him, so aim carefully.”
Seeing the grim look on Rachel’s face as she trained the weapon on Joe’s exposed left knee, Joe rolled over with a grunt of pain. Nick dressed hurriedly. He shook his head when Rachel looked at him.
“That’s okay, just shoot him in the ass if he moves,” Nick directed, tying his shoes.
Nick opened the gym bag and took out the roll of duct tape he had placed inside. He tore off eight foot-long strips, hanging them on the kitchen chair. He walked over to Joe, grabbed his belt at the back and dragged the cursing man over in front of the chair.
“You’re going to get into the kitchen chair the easy way or the hard way, Joe.” He made eye contact with the big man. “But in the chair, you most assuredly are going.”
“You son of a bitch! The kids are as good as dead! You hear me?” Joe cried out in rage as Nick propped him up against the kitchen chair and took up a position behind him.
Leaning against the chair back for leverage, he reached over and grabbed Joe under the armpits. With a powerful yank, he pulled Joe up into the seat, eliciting a scream. Nick quickly trapped and duct-taped each of the Joe's struggling wrists to the chair arms. He taped around the chair back and Joe’s waist, following with a wrap at shoulder level to the back of the chair. Taping the ankles and adding extra strips completed the task. Nick put one last small strip over Joe’s mouth. Then he undid Joe’s pants and pulled them down along with his underwear. Nick reached into his gym bag and took out the stun gun he had stored there. He fired off an arc in front of the red-faced Joe, whose eyes widened in abject terror.
“Now then, partner. I know you’re just itchin’ to tell me everything you know. Ladies, leave or stay, but this won’t be pretty. I need to show our friend Joe how important his telling the truth is going to be. That will take a rather painful demonstration just to get him on board.”
Nick paused. Rachel stayed where she was, her fingers curling and uncurling nervously.
“I’ll be upstairs in my bedroom.” Suzan glanced at Joe before nearly running to the stairs.
Nick bent toward Joe, putting a foot on the horizontal brace attached to the two front chair legs. He fired off an arc into the man’s exposed testicles. Rachel looked away as the chair jumped and Joe passed out. Nick went into the kitchen. He returned with a towel and glass of water. Placing the towel over Joe’s groin area, Nick slowly dripped the cold water over the man’s contorted face and head. Joe woke up screaming, a high pitched keening from his throat, muffled by the tape.
“Joe… you see, there are things worse than death. Once you calm down, I’ll take the duct tape off your mouth. Then you’re going to answer some questions, and we’ll start working together to get the children home safe and sound, right?”
Joe’s head bobbed up and down violently in agreement.
“That’s the spirit.” Nick pulled the tape off.
For a moment, Joe mouthed words without sound. Nick held up a hand in a stopping gesture in front of Joe’s face. He allowed Rachel to move closer. He could tell thoughts of Jean in the hands of some guy like Joe were eating her up from the inside out.
“Wait for it, Joe, wait for it. I don’t want you wasting your breath on what you think I might want to know. Tell me how this plan started.”
“Suzan…Suzan recognized…Hunter and her kid. Christ…give me something for the pain!”
“Concentrate, Joe, or you’ll be nostalgic for the pain level you’re at now.”
“Her husband…had the photo. She only knew someone was…looking for them. Carl knew the story already.” Joe closed his eyes, mouth clamping shut, his head rolling in an attempt to control the pain. Nick slapped Joe’s face lightly, bringing him out of it. “When…Suzan told him she saw them at the pool, Carl brought us the photo.”
“You knew about the safety deposit box. Do you know where it is?”
“We…we heard Florida.”
“Give me the plan you guys hatched, short and sweet.”
“Ta…take Hunter down to Florida and get the stuff…sell it to the highest bidder.”
“And the rest of us?”
Joe hesitated, but after a glance into Nick’s eyes, he went on. “Dead…the moment I… had Hunter on the way to Florida.”
“Suzan and her kids too?”
Joe nodded.
“Did you contact anyone else about Rachel or your plan…maybe some investors?”
Joe shook his head in the negative, grimacing as waves of excruciating pain continued to rip through him.
“Good, now what were you to do next with your partner?”
“Tell him when…when I had you two wrapped up…and found out about Carl. He…he was to drive the kids back over in our van…and -”
“Stay here while you and Rachel headed for Florida?”
Joe nodded. “Then he would…drive out in the desert…with the rest of you.”
“Your partner must be a real piece of work. Okay, so you call your partner, tell him we’re all bound up and ready. Have him drive the van into the garage when he gets here, and come in through the kitchen. Rachel, see if you can find a pen and paper.”
Rachel checked the kitchen first. She returned with pen and paper, handing them to Nick.
“Give me the address where your buddy’s holding the kids, Joe.”
Joe gave him the address.
“I…I can hardly talk…he’ll know something’s wrong.”
“I’m going to find something to help you deal with the pain.” Nick grabbed Joe’s ears, his face inches away. “If you mess up, Joe, I’ll still get those kids back, but when I’m done with your partner, I’ll take you out in the desert and keep you alive for four days. When the four days are done, you’ll embrace hell with open arms. Are we clear?”
“I…I’ll do it… Just give me something to take the edge off,” Joe promised fearfully.
“You have chosen wisely. Rachel, go see if Suzan has any heavy duty pain killers.”
* * * *
Rachel ran to the stairs, hope driving her with energy and purpose. She found Suzan huddled up on the bed, fists pressed against her mouth. When Suzan heard Rachel, she leaped quickly from the bed, her face a mask of misery and concern.
“We need pain killers. Do you have anything that won’t knock somebody out, but might take the edge off the pain?”
Suzan looked at Rachel blankly for a moment, and then hurried into the master bathroom. She pulled a bottle of pills off the top shelf and handed them to Rachel.
“They’re OxyContin. Two will take the edge off, and then it would be guess work.”
“Thanks,” Rachel turned to go. Suzan grabbed her arm.
“I…I’m sorry, Rachel. If I’d had any idea what -”
“Forget it. Joe told us you didn’t know.”
“Is there any chance we can get the kids back?”
“Oh yeah.” Rachel patted Suzan’s shoulder. “If it can be done, that cold-blooded bastard downstairs will do it. You can come down if you want. Joe’s helping.”
Suzan followed Rachel downstairs. Nick was binding Joe’s wounded knees with towels from Suzan’s kitchen, using duct tape to hold them tightly in place, staunching the blood flow. He had already cleaned up the mess from his interrogation of Joe, stuffing the refuse into another black plastic bag. Joe suffered in silence, enduring anything so as not to draw Nick’s attention. Rachel handed Nick the bottle.
“OxyContin,” Rachel told him. “Suzan says two will take the edge off, but it gets flaky from there.”
* * * *
Nick emptied two from the bottle. He picked up the water glass he had used to wake Joe up. He stuck the tablets into Joe’s mouth, and held the water glass to his lips until Joe sipped enough to get the tablets swallowed.
“Is the garage empty, Suzan?”
“Yes…Joe had me park my car along the street.”
“What kind of vehicle did they come in?”
“A van…ah…dark blue,” Suzan answered. “It was one of those old beat up Dodge Tradesman vans. They checked to see if it would fit in my garage before Joe’s partner took the kids. What can you do about his partner without getting the kids hurt?”
“Let me worry that through, Suzan.” Nick looked closely at Joe’s face. Some of the pain lines were fading and Joe had relaxed his jaw somewhat. “Talk to me, Joe. Time’s running out.”
“I can do it!” he cried out, as Nick picked up the stun gun again when Joe was slow answering. “Bring me my cellphone. It’s on the stand near the couch. The number’s on speed dial under Craig.”
Rachel picked up the cell-phone and handed it to Nick. After finding and entering the number, Nick held the cellphone for Joe.
“Craig…we’re all set. Drive the van into the garage. Come in through the kitchen,” Joe said, and then listened for Craig’s acknowledgment. “Okay, see ya.”
Nick closed the cell phone and pocketed it. He went to his gym bag. Nick motioned for Rachel to follow him over. Nick removed an odd shaped gun from the bag. He held it up for her to see.
“Here’s what we do. Suzan, you trigger the garage door open, but leave the connecting door to the kitchen closed. When Craig comes in the kitchen this Taser gun will stop him. Rachel, after Craig’s down, I’ll give you the gun while I duct tape him. Zap him any time he moves.”
“You’re like the Inspector Gadget of Assassins,” Rachel joked, when Suzan went into the garage through the kitchen to open the door.
Nick smiled.
Damn, good recovery lady. You’ll do.
“Just hold the gun in your hand, and hit the trigger if Craig has any life in him after the initial zapping. I need Craig alive though.”
Nick turned to Joe, who looked noticeably better. “If you have anything to add in addition to what you’ve already said, now’s the time, Joe. If your partner’s story doesn’t match yours, it’ll go badly for you.”
Shock registered for a moment on Joe’s face as he frantically tried to think of anything he might have left out. “No, that’s it. Honest to God.”
“Better hope so.” Nick took out two more OxyContin and helped Joe get them down. “Sit quietly. When I hear your buddy, I’m going to tape your mouth temporarily.”
“Stay in the living room,” Nick said when Suzan returned from the garage. “Keep an eye on Joe, Rachel. Put the tape over his mouth when I tell you to. If he even looks like he’s going to make a sound, give him something to make sounds about. I’ll leave the stun gun with you. You two stay cool. The hard part will be over shortly.”
Nick went into the kitchen after checking that the main entrance was locked, carrying the Taser gun and Joe’s silenced automatic. He placed a chair to the right of the connecting door from the garage. With Joe’s weapon in his left hand, and the Taser in his right, Nick waited. Ten minutes later, he heard the ragged exhaust sound of the
Dodge driving into the garage.
“Put the tape on Joe, Rachel,” he called out.
Two minutes later, the kitchen door opened. A huge man with carefully trimmed black beard and hair entered. The Taser needles struck the man’s left breast. Craig cried out, his arms flailing wildly as Nick gave him burst after burst until the man fell first to his knees, and then pitched to the floor on his face. Nick kept up the charge until Craig moved only spasmodically. He could smell the unmistakable odor of singed flesh.
Ah…smells like…victory.
“Come in, Rachel,” Nick called out. “Suzan, you keep an eye on Joe.”
Rachel hurried in. She took the Taser from Nick. Setting the automatic on the kitchen table, Nick quickly duct taped Craig’s crossed wrists behind his back, relieving the man of a 9mm Glock he had in his waistband. He then taped the man’s ankles together and, bending them upward, Nick taped the wrists to the ankles. Lastly, Nick put tape over Craig’s mouth.
“Put the Taser gun down right where you are, and come search this clown, Rachel. Empty everything out on the floor. I’m going to drag Joe in here before I get the kids.”
“Nick,” Rachel caught hold of Nick’s wrist as he passed by, her lip trembling. “I -”
“It’s not over yet, Wonder Woman. Hang on a little longer.” Nick jogged into the living room.
“Grit your teeth, Joe. I’m dragging you into the kitchen.” Nick applied duct tape to keep the black plastic bags attached to the oak chair. He tipped the chair backwards. With the plastic bags making the quick slide easier into the next room, Nick dragged Joe out of sight in the kitchen.
Nick went into the garage carefully, having picked up Joe’s silenced automatic, and some scissors from the kitchen counter before going out. The front seat was empty. Nick breathed easier. He heard the kids squirming in the back seat as he opened the door. Garth, Kelly, and Jean stared back at him, wide-eyed with fear. Nick made a shushing sound, setting the automatic down under the van for the moment. Using the scissors, Nick cut away the plastic ties Craig had bound the kids with.
“Go easy pulling the tape off your mouths, kids,” Nick urged.
The kids pulled the duct tape off with some difficulty and muffled cries. Jean was the first to get hers off. She dived into Nick’s arms.
“I knew you’d come, Nick,” Jean sobbed, tears streaming down from her eyes. “I told Kelly and Garth you wouldn’t let them get us.”