Authors: Cindy Stark
"Fuck
you, Trasatti."
A
moment passed and Allie heard the sound of a car door shutting. Did Max intend
to leave? What did he think about her absence?
An
engine started, and then there was the unmistakable sound of a gun being
fired. She was sure a windshield shattered, and she pictured Max sitting in
his car with a bullet between his eyes. That meant her time was up. They were
certain to notice her absence now.
Just
as she suspected, the sounds of chaos followed.
"The
girl's gone," one man shouted, and Allie knew they would spread out to
look for her.
"Search
the car for the recording, and put this sack of shit in the trunk. We'll
dispose of the body later." Tommy's voice commanded his group. "And
find the girl. Now."
Allie's
heart rate shifted into triple time. There was no exit, not without slipping
past his men. She had to hide.
At
the end of the aisle, she glanced at the stacks of boxes towering over her.
Televisions, cases of Blue Ray and DVD players, and stereo equipment. A good
chance none of it was legal.
She
didn't care.
She
grabbed the metal rack and began to pull herself up the boxes. She needed to
make it higher before Tommy's men found her. Luckily, the boxes were tightly
stacked and afforded her some protection.
Three
levels up, high enough she wouldn't be visible, she crawled in between boxes of
TVs and the metal railing of the next level above it. Lying flat, she barely
had room to slide herself forward, maneuvering along the tops of the boxes,
back toward the entrance. The smell of dusty cardboard filled her nostrils,
the boxes scratchy against her cheek.
Her
only chance would be if the thugs dispersed to other areas of the building
looking for her, and she could make a run for it.
"Come
out, honey. We're not going to hurt you." The voices were distant, but
clear.
Like
hell
.
Did they really think she'd buy that after they'd just shot Max?
Down
below her, footsteps on the concrete grew closer and she froze.
"I
didn't really see the girl. You sure there was one?" The voice was very
near now.
"Yeah,
she was there," a deeper voice responded. "Tommy thinks maybe she
has the evidence, or at least she knows where it is."
"Any
idea what's on that recording? I heard it was something big," the first
man said.
"It's
none of our fucking business, John-John. You know that."
"I
know. I know. It's just—"
"Shut
the fuck up, already, and find the girl."
"Yeah,"
he whispered, before raising his voice. "Come on, honey. We just want to
talk."
Allie
inched forward, trying to place some distance between her and her hunters. She
moved onto the next box, but wasn't prepared for it to wobble.
Someone
hadn't stacked the boxes properly, leaving her in a precarious position. She
reached out a hand to the next box, steadying the mountain she was on. She
hurried forward.
"Did
you hear something?" The man with the deep voice sounded closer than
she'd imagined. "Like a rustling?"
"I
don't know. Maybe."
She
held still, praying they weren't looking upward.
"Do
you think she might be up there somewhere?" the deep voice asked.
Allie's
heart stopped.
Jase
burst through the front door of Brad's Bowling Alley and was met by an old man
with a startled expression. "I'm looking for a woman. She's barely
taller than my shoulders, short brown hair, beautiful green eyes."
The
door opened again, and Jase glanced over his shoulder to see Cates walk up
behind him. The moment Cates had parked in front of the bowling alley, Jase
hadn't wasted any time making his dash for the door.
"Chicago
Police Department." Cates flashed his badge. "We're hoping you can
help us. We're looking for a woman named Alexandra Fox or Allie Jordan."
"Uh,
uh..." The wiry old man stuttered. "Allie was here." He
glanced back and forth between his two visitors. "Is she in some kind of
trouble?"
"Was
she alone?" Jase didn't bother to answer the man's question.
"No.
There was a guy with her. Um, he had blond hair and a baseball cap."
"Was
she okay? Did she seem hurt or scared?" If Max had touched a hair on
Allie's head, he was dead.
"No."
The old man shook his head. "No. She came to collect her friend's
bowling ball. After they opened the locker, the guy disappeared out the front
door. Allie barely said goodbye before she followed him." The man
scratched his weathered cheek with a bony hand. "They did seem like they
were in a bit of a hurry."
"So,
the man wasn't forcing Allie to go with him?" Cates asked.
"Didn't
seem so."
"Good.
How long ago did they leave? And did you hear where they might be
headed?"
The
old man shrugged. "Five, ten minutes ago, and I don't know nothing about
where they might be going from here. I just thought she finally came back for
Joey's ball." He eyed Jase. "Is she going to be okay?"
"I
sure as hell hope so. Thanks." Jase didn't wait to hear what Cates said
to the man. A thought had taken hold in his mind, something that might help
him find Allie, and he needed to make a call.
Jase
sat in the police car and pulled out his phone. He dialed while he watched
Cates walk back to the car. His heart felt like it might explode. The phone
rang twice before someone in his warehouse picked it up.
"Lenny.
It's Jase. I need you to get on my computer in the office." His tension
eased the slightest bit when Lenny indicated he was already there.
"Good. Log on under my name. Password's Allie12."
The
police cruiser dipped as Cates climbed in. Jase eyed him, but didn't say
anything. Cates started the car, but was obviously willing to wait for direction
from Jase on where to go from there.
"Good,
you're in," Jase said to Lenny. "Click on the icon labeled
Allie—just do what I ask. When it comes up, I need to know the last location
it logged." He paused for a tense moment, waiting for Lenny to give him a
lifeline. When Lenny responded with his precious information, Jase allowed
himself a glimmer of hope. "Thanks, Lenny. Now logout of my computer,
lock the office and don't let anyone else in there today."
Jase
clicked off his phone and grinned at Cates. "We've got her."
Cates'
gray brows knitted together in a frown. "What? You've got some kind of
tracking device on her?"
"GPS
on her Blackberry. Get us down to the Trasatti main warehouse by the docks,
now."
Cates
turned on his lights and siren, calling for backup as he screeched away.
It
took them another ten minutes to get there, and Jase didn't feel like they had
any time to waste. Cates killed the siren several blocks from the warehouse
and then cruised slowly to the Trasatti building.
There
was no sign of foul play from the outside. No sign of the backup unit,
either. Cates parked the car out of sight from the main windows, and together
he and Jase made their way toward the front entrance.
"I
don't suppose you have an extra gun I can use, do you?" Jase whispered as
they neared the door.
Cates
flicked a glance at him. "Now's not the time to joke."
"I
wasn't joking." If he'd have had a weapon with him, he would have gone in
bullets flying, questions later. He would only let Cates take the lead because
he was the one with the firepower.
"Actually,
I'm going to have to ask you to remain outside while I go in. I can't put a
citizen's life in danger."
No
way. "That ain't going to happen."
Cates
looked at him as they reached the door that would give them access into the
Trasatti lair. "I'm leaving you here. What you do after that is your
business." He eyed him a minute longer, and Jase understood. It was
Cates' job to warn him. It was Jase's choice if he followed the cop.
Cates
turned the silver knob on the metal door, and Jase was surprised it opened.
Poor security. Cates didn't hesitate. Gun drawn, he entered the building with
Jase right behind him.
They
stopped just inside the door and surveyed the scene, both prepared for a
hostile reaction. But no one seemed to notice their entrance. Men were
scattered throughout the building, walking the aisles with guns in their hands,
but not seeming particularly threatened.
Max's
black Porsche was parked inside, not too far from the front office, but there
was no sign of Max or Allie. Where the hell was she? Everything Jase had done
to keep her safe had been in vain. The thought made him sick. Now the
Trasatti organization had her, and who knew what they would do, or God forbid,
what they had already done to her. The not-knowing was going to kill him.
He
crept along behind Cates as he shadowed the side of the building, heading
toward the office. Jase's gaze jumped from person to rack to person, looking
for some sign of Allie.
His
heart thundered when Bones Trasatti walked out of the office and froze.
Bastard. A look of panic crossed Trasatti's face as he registered who they
were, and his gaze darted about the warehouse as though trying to gauge the
scene from their point of view.
"Mr.
Trasatti," Cates called toward the office. "You're under arrest for
the disappearance of Allie Jordan."
Before
anyone could move, a shot rang out from the back of the warehouse. Everyone
scrambled. Bones dashed for a nearby aisle as Cates and Jase took cover behind
Max's car.
"What
the hell was that?" Jase checked their surroundings as best he could from
behind the Porsche. The men had disappeared.
"I'm
not sure what happened." Cates pulled out his radio and called again for
backup. "It came from the rear of the warehouse," he said when he'd
finished.
The
cement building sat eerily silent for a moment.
Jase
scanned the racks of cardboard boxes, occasionally catching a glimpse of
movement. "What now?"
"We
wait for backup." Cates continually glanced around the massive building,
his gun ready to fire.
"What
about Allie?" Just as the words left his lips, he spied blood on the
trunk of Max's car. Oh, God. "Cates." Jase nudged the cop.
"There's blood here." He pointed at the smudge on the vehicle and
realized the trunk wasn't shut tight. Jase held his breath and lifted it
open. The thick smell of blood greeted them, but it wasn't Allie's.
Jase
hated to admit it, but seeing Max's body lying crumpled in a pool of blood
instead of Allie brought him great relief. "It's Max." From his
crouching position, Jase reached in to feel for a pulse. Nothing. "He's
dead."
"I
could have told you that." Cates went back to surveying the scene.
Smart
ass even now, Jase thought. He started to remove his hand, but stopped when he
noticed Max's gun lying off to the side. Someone must have tossed it in after
the body. Jase picked it up, wiping the blood on Max's jeans.
Jase
sat back on his heels and checked to see how many rounds were left.
Cates
glanced at him. "Where the hell did you get that?"
"Compliments
of Max." The gun might be a little bloody, but it worked. "And
don't tell me to put it away. If the shooting starts again, you'll be glad I
have it."
Cates
grunted. The radio on his shoulder crackled, notifying him backup was two
minutes out. Jase hoped they had that long.
For
a moment, no one moved. Then from his peripheral vision, Jase saw one of
Trasatti's men slink along the edge of the racks and come into view. Quickly,
he disappeared again. A few long seconds ticked by, and then from somewhere in
the back of the warehouse, a woman's scream pierced the air.
Jase's
blood turned to ice. "Allie." He had to get to her.
Now
.
"Cover me." Before Cates could object, Jase darted from behind the car
and made a dash for the closest rack.
Pandemonium
ensued. Shots rang out from every direction, some coming from the office to
his left, others being returned from the racks at the right. Bullets rushed
past as he zigzagged across several hundred feet of exposed cement, but
thankfully, none caught him.
*
* *
Allie
swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Her scream had given her away. The
sound of a stray gunshot a few moments earlier had put her on edge, but it was
the unexpected sight of someone's hand coming up over the side of her box that
had startled her.