Gone Unnoticed: A Kate Reid Novel (The Kate Reid Series Book 3) (18 page)

EIGHTEEN

M
artin Druseburg walked
into his spacious and pristine closet to retrieve his luggage, which was tucked beside a built-in chest of drawers made from rich cherry. He told his office he was going to Tokyo to meet with a software engineer, however, none of that was actually true. The truth about Druseburg was about to come out; he was about to be hauled into FBI custody. The attorney, who was very well paid to help hide his extracurricular activities, had many contacts, one of whom informed him of the FBI’s intent to bring charges. Of course, he immediately suggested a deal could keep him out of prison, or at the very least, ensure a lesser charge, but that would do little to salvage the wealthy man’s reputation.

He hadn’t wanted her dead. The girl took the drugs of her own accord. Druseburg had no choice but to get rid of the body when he discovered her with foam around her mouth and eyes rolled into the back of her head. Then that son of bitch, Corbett, decided he needed to brand his girls, like cattle. If that damn tattoo hadn’t been on her body, no one would have known she was linked to Corbett.
Stupid fuck.
The girl was supposed to be untraceable; a byproduct of a dysfunctional immigration system.

Druseburg fumed as he tossed his shirts into the bag. He’d already made the call to his pilot and the jet was waiting for him at the airport. A small box rested on a shelf inside his closet. He lifted the lid and opened the cylinder inside. The bump of coke would be enough to keep his nerves in check until he boarded the plane.

He zipped up the bag and headed downstairs where his driver waited outside in the car. Getting out of the country before the shit storm hit was his only chance. Extradition, if he got caught, would take years, and he had enough money hidden in offshore accounts and it would take even longer to shut them down. Those feds thought they were smart. But he was smarter.

Standing at the front door, he looked behind him, shaking his head because leaving this house was tough. Sons of bitches were driving him out and it pissed him off more. He pulled open the door and pushed his sunglasses onto his face. “Get in the car. We need to get the hell out of here now.”

The man he was speaking to raised his head. It wasn’t his driver. “Mr. Druseburg? This is courtesy of Mr. Mercer.” The man fired the weapon and Druseburg dropped to the ground.

» » »

Kate was beginning to feel that she was on the downhill slide at the Academy with only seven weeks left, and that she’d found her focus once again. This was partly due to what had transpired over the course of the investigation, and partly thanks to Nicola and the strength she and her mother had shown through all of it. Kate was starting to believe that her life could be transformed and that she could do this on her own.

She’d faced down a scared kid pointing a gun at her; disarmed him with skill and intelligence. Kate deserved to be here and she had nothing to prove to anyone, except herself.

“You ready to do this?” Will asked, securing his vest.

“I’m ready.” Kate pulled down the shield on her helmet, ready for the hostage rescue. A Hogan’s Alley training operation was about to begin.

Four members were on her team and they now stood outside the fictitious bank. Inside was a band of robbers, holding five people hostage. Armed with automatic rifles and handguns, the bank robbers were ready to take the innocent lives if it meant saving their own.

This was a cakewalk for Caison, or so Kate believed. He’d faced far worse conditions searching for Taliban in Iraq. Only they were usually armed with bombs and didn’t mind dying, and if they took their hostages with them, then all the better.

The instructor gave the signal. The mission was on.

Caison took the lead. “Diaz, Fillmore, flank the rear entrance. Reid, head to the side of the building, but stay in view.”

The team did as instructed. Will made the call to the leader inside. He would attempt to negotiate before authorizing any action.

  Kate remained at her post, waiting for the go-ahead. She felt more confident than before. Perhaps it had been because it was not a one-on-one situation; that she was operating inside a team. She would not question where her strength was coming from, just that she was grateful to have it.

One of the hostages was emerging through the front entrance. It appeared the negotiations were working. Her hands were raised and the man behind her with the gun kept it pointed directly at her back in the event someone attempted to charge ahead.

“Over here. You’re okay. Come on. I got you.” Kate moved towards the hostage once the gun-wielding man was back inside, and led her to the waiting ambulance.

She looked to Caison, who waved for her to get back into position. He continued the dialog, but no further hostages were being released.

The radio on her jacket came to life. “Diaz, Fillmore, take the back entrance,” Will said.

Kate waited at the side, weapon raised and ready to leap ahead at his command.

Once the others were inside, gunfire erupted and she witnessed one of the thieves going down.

“Now!” Will bolted to the front entrance with Kate on his heels.

They pushed through the doors.

“Get down!”

The hostages dropped to the ground while the bandits continued in a gun battle with Diaz and Fillmore.

Kate came face to face with one of the men wearing a skullcap and a bandana wrapped around his mouth so only his nose and eyes were exposed. Her heart pounded and her body buzzed with adrenaline. “Drop your weapon.” Her voice carried more weight than she had expected, but the thief still held on to his rifle. “Drop your weapon now!” This time, her demand was firm. Her resolve, complete. Not that different from the night she faced down Gregor Bjuric. “I’ve got this gun pointed right at your goddamn head. Drop the fucking weapon.”

For a split second, she believed the man was going to fire, but she watched the gun and it didn’t flinch. Not a single shift in his stance, not a movement of his fingers. If she pulled the trigger before exhausting all other options, it could mean a failure.

The man lowered the gun to the ground and when he stood, raised his arms in surrender.

“Kick it over,” she said.

Caison and the other teammates managed to either take down or get the remaining operatives to surrender. They were now working to free the hostages and Kate was facing the final threat.

The man kicked the gun towards her. With her weapon still pointing at the criminal, Kate walked towards him, spun him around, and pushed him to the ground. Once her gun was holstered, she straddled the man and cuffed his hands behind his back.

Inside the control room, Nick watched the events unfold along with the three instructors.

“Well, son of a bitch. Did you see that?” A sly smile slowly formed across Nick’s face.

Agent Hawes conveyed a reluctant grin. “Guess she had it in her all along. Just needed to pry it from beneath the weight of her own doubts.”

“I wasn’t wrong about her.”

“No. You weren’t wrong,” Hawes replied.

Nick patted Hawes on his back and left the dimly lit control room. He’d wanted to be the first to congratulate his protégé. He arrived out on the streets just as Kate was returning her gear. “Hey.”

She turned around and noticed the look on his face. “So, I guess I did all right?”

“You know you did.”

A rare coy expression masked her face because she knew he’d seen it. They both knew she passed the test.

“I couldn’t be more proud of you, Kate.” Nick squeezed her shoulders.

“Well, after that night with Gregor Bjuric, I figured it was a ‘them or me’ kind of thing. I’m never going to let it be
them
again.”

“I know you won’t. You know, it’s getting close to dinner. You want to grab a bite? I’d like to run a few things by you on the Corbett case.”

“Sure. Let me just say good night to the team. Meet you in ten minutes?” As she turned around, Will approached.

“Sound good.” Nick looked to Will. “Hell of a job today, Caison. Well done.”

“Thank you, sir.” Will waited for Nick to fall out of earshot. “You’re off to have dinner with the boss?”

“He wants to get me up to speed on the case.”

Will shoved his hands in his pocket. “That’s great. You did great today, Kate. You really did.”

“Thank you. You’re a good team leader.”

“I got my field office assignment. It looks like I’m going to be working out of Louisville,” Will said.

“Oh my God, that’s great. That’s where you wanted to go, right? They’re involved in a joint terrorism task force, aren’t they?”

“They are. It was my second choice, so yeah, I’m pretty psyched about it.”

“Well, that is really fantastic, Will. I couldn’t be happier for you.” The smile she was wearing began to diminish as she studied his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m thrilled to be going to Louisville. It’s an honor. I guess I’m just going to miss hanging out with you.”

Although he’d insisted on starting over after what happened between the two of them, she now questioned his conviction. The look on his face was telling a different story. “We still got several more weeks together. I’m sure you’ll tire of me before the end.” Kate glanced over her shoulder, feeling uncomfortable and looking for a way out. “I better get going. Boss is waiting.” She started to walk away. “See you tomorrow?”

“See ya.”

» » »

The days were growing longer and by the time they’d reached the restaurant, the sun still shone high enough over the horizon to suggest early evening, but it was approaching eight p.m.

“I asked Georgia to join us,” Nick said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“No. Not at all. It’ll be nice to spend some time with her. But I thought this was a working dinner?”

“It is. Georgia won’t mind. She’s used to shop talk.” Nick held the door open for Kate and the two stood at the host station.

“I see her over there,” Kate said.

A young college-aged woman approached the podium. “Party of two?”

“Actually, three, and it looks like the first is already here,” Nick replied. “Can we go back?”

“Certainly. Go right ahead. Enjoy your meal.”

They approached the beautiful redheaded woman whose features appeared much softer than in the harsh light of the office.

Georgia rose to greet them. “Kate. It’s good to see you.” The women embraced for a brief moment.

Kate took a seat across from Georgia and waited for the two as they exchanged in a polite kiss.

“So, Nick tells me you kicked ass today in Hogan’s Alley.”

Kate chuckled. “Well, I don’t know if ‘kicked-ass’ is the right term, but I did all right.”

“Don’t be modest.” Nick waved his hand. “You kicked ass.” He scanned the restaurant. “Where’s the waiter? I could use a drink.”

The waiter appeared as if he knew he was being summoned and took the drink order.

As much as Kate had wanted to celebrate her accomplishment, it was the middle of the week and she still had to be on the track first thing in the morning. “Just an iced tea for me, thanks.”

“What? You’re not joining us in a drink to toast to your success?” Nick asked.

“How about we hold off on any celebrations until I actually graduate?”

“She’s right.” Georgia looked at Kate. “Not about waiting to see if you graduate, of course. I have no doubt about that, but I remember what it was like at the Academy, and going in with little sleep or a hangover is not recommended.”

“You mentioned getting me up to speed?” Kate shifted the focus away from her.

“I got a call from Detective Franks in Virginia Beach late last night. We won’t be bringing Druseburg in.” Nick took in a breath that appeared intended to calm him. “He was found dead on the doorstep of his home. The housekeeper stays on the property and she got up in the middle of the night to go to the kitchen and noticed the front door was open. His body was laying across the threshold.”

Any enthusiasm she’d felt about her success today had all but faded into oblivion. This was a huge blow to the investigation. “What happened?”

“A shot to the chest. I didn’t want to tell you before you had your drill today.”

At this moment in time, she was glad he’d waited to drop the bomb. There was no doubt it would have thrown her for a loop. Nick appeared completely deflated too. “And the housekeeper didn’t hear any gunfire?”

“This was a professional job. Shooter probably used a silencer.”

“How the hell—I thought Franks had surveillance on him? I don’t get how this happened.” It took a moment for Kate to realize that her voice had raised an octave and that people were beginning to turn their attention toward her.

“The only person he’d spoken to in the past two days, according to the phone records, was his lawyer. He knew we were coming after him.”