To Die For

by C. M. Sutter

  Rory barked out orders. “Tie her right hand, check all the ropes, and tape her mouth. We don’t need an escapee on our hands when we get back.” He walked to Hanna’s side as Wes secured her. Rory knelt in front of Hanna and grinned. “We’ll tell your boyfriend goodbye for you.”

  She squirmed and fought against her restraints, but she wasn’t going anywhere.

  With a head tip toward the door, Rory said it was time to leave.

  “Come on. We have to get there before the detective does.” Rory pocketed the gun and gave Hanna a final look before slamming the door and leaving her alone in the dark.

  She heard the car doors open and close, and then it drove away. She tried with all her might to free herself, but it was an impossible task.

  Chapter 58

  Rory turned in at a drive-through restaurant and ordered two burgers, two fries, and two soft drinks. They would be waiting for the detective to show up for at least a half hour, and they hadn’t eaten for a while. They continued on, munching their meals as they closed in on their destination.

  Wes finally broke the silence. “Do we actually have a plan?”

  “Of course we do, dumbshit. We put on our masks and—”

  Wes interrupted. “He probably knows what we look like by now.”

  “They’re for intimidation. Plus, he won’t know which of us is which. Then we wait, headlights on and pointing at the only way in. When he shows up, we tell him to get out of his car, drop his phone and car keys to the ground, kick them toward us, and then strip down to his underwear.”

  “Why?”

  “To make sure he’s unarmed. Do you think I want to get that close to him?”

  “But we have a gun.”

  Rory huffed. “I know, and I’ll use it when the time is right, but I still want to know he’s unarmed from a distance. Of course, he’ll ask about the bitch, and I’ll say she’s in the trunk. He’ll want proof, so I’ll tell him to come and take a look.”

  Wes grinned. “And that’s when we pop him?”

  “Exactly, and throw his ass in the trunk. We’ll take his car back to the house, gather our shit, kill the bitch, and be on our way. Seems simple enough to me.”

  “Humph, I’m getting excited. Don’t even think you’re getting behind the wheel of that Camaro either. That baby is all mine.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Rory turned down the abandoned road with the Keep Out and No Trespassing signs posted every thirty feet. He stopped before arriving at the silos and removed the chain that crossed the road. He stared ahead.

  Wes frowned at Rory. “What are you doing?”

  “Just making sure.”

  “Of what?”

  “That nobody is out here.” Rory clicked on the high beams and continued to take in the surrounding landscape. “Looks okay, I guess.”

  “You do know that kids come out here to party and spray their graffiti art everywhere, right?”

  “Just being cautious, that’s all. I don’t see any fresh tire tracks.”

  He continued down the cracked asphalt and dirt road then glanced at the clock on the dash—11:36. After making a wide circle, Rory positioned the Corolla to face the only way in so McCord would be blinded by their high beams. They watched the clock and waited.

  Chapter 59

  “Yeah, I have everything I need. My sidearm is under the seat, I’m vested, and I’m wearing the wireless earbuds so I can hear everything SWAT tells me through the handheld radio in the car. I’m good to go, partner. Don’t worry.”

  Lutz cut in. “We’ll be stationed two miles out and waiting. As soon as SWAT says it’s all clear, our team will head in with squad cars to haul those pieces of shit to jail.”

  I let out a deep breath. “Sounds like an easy enough takedown as long as nothing goes sideways. Before I agree to anything, they’ll need to show me that Hanna is okay.”

  “Don’t become combative, Jesse. Those guys are punks but dangerous ones. Don’t forget, they didn’t hesitate to kill two innocent women, and that’s just what we know of in Chicago.”

  “Well aware, and I’ll watch my words.” I checked the time. “I should be there seven minutes early. They can’t fault me for that.”

  “SWAT said the perps have already arrived. They have an older, light-colored Corolla, and it’s facing where you’ll come in from. High beams are on and will be pointing at you.”

  I chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less of them. Any sighting of Hanna?”

  “They’re scoping the car, but the windows have limo tint on them. They can’t see movement or get a head count at all.”

  “Then I’ll stick to the plan and hope for the best. They’ll have to step out of the car, so SWAT can make the call then. I’ll be listening for a cue.”

  Reaching the location, I turned right down that desolate road. The SWAT team leader did a radio check to make sure I could hear them, and I could.

  “I’m all good, Captain Cole, and I’ll be following your lead.”

  “Remember to keep within range of the radio, and if we say to hit the ground, hit it hard and fast.”

  “Roger that.”

  “Good luck, Detective McCord.”

  “Thanks, and please keep Hanna Bradley safe.”

  “That’s what we do.”

  I left the radio engaged and continued down the road. The silhouette of the silos was evident against the backdrop of the city lights six miles to the east. Making the left turn around the first structure, I was blasted in the face with high-beam headlights. With my hand shielding my eyes, I tapped the brakes and slowed to a crawl. My cell phone rang, and I stopped. Looking at the screen, I saw the number matched the earlier text. I put it on Speakerphone and answered.

  “McCord here.”

  “Come closer.”

  I squinted, trying to see through their windshield, but the visors were lowered, and the lights were too bright. “Who am I talking to?”

  “It’s none of your concern. Bring the Camaro fifty feet closer, shut down the engine, and step out. Stand at the nose of the car with your keys and cell phone and wait for instructions.”

  “Where’s Hanna?”

  The call went dead.

  “Shit. Did you hear everything, Captain Cole?”

  “Loud and clear. We have our weapons on the car doors. Go ahead.”

  I shut down the engine, pocketed my keys, and grabbed my cell. I stepped out of the car and stood at the front bumper, then my phone rang again.

  “Throw the keys toward the Corolla, and it better be a hard toss.”

  I did as told, and from what I could tell, the keys landed twenty feet in front of their vehicle.

  “Now put your cell on Speakerphone, lay it on the hood, and take off your clothes.”

  “What? You’ve got to be shitting me.”

  “I assure you I’m not. Do it now, or the woman dies.”

  Now what the hell am I going to do? I’ll have no protection since I won’t be vested.

  Being told to disrobe was the last thing I had anticipated. I couldn’t look toward the structures, and I didn’t know where SWAT was positioned, anyway.

  “Hurry up, and don’t make me say it twice.”

  “I need to know that Hanna is okay. Show me proof.” I shielded my eyes with my forearm, hoping to see more, but the bright headlights blinded me. I could barely make out the car. I held my ground until a bullet whizzed past me. I ducked and took cover as dirt sprayed my clothing.

  “Do what I said, or the woman’s death will be on you. Now undress!”

  I stood up cautiously and disrobed down to my briefs.

  Laughter sounded through my phone. “Thought that vest was your safety net, huh? Well, think again. Now do a slow turn so I can see your back too.”

  “Where’s Hanna? I want to see her.”

  “Then you need to throw your phone this way and walk backward toward us. She’s in the trunk, and she’ll stay there for now.”

  I picked up my phone and tossed
it over my shoulder in their direction. I knew I’d lose the radio signal to SWAT if I got too far from my car, so all they could do was watch our actions. I’d wing it and hope to hell Hanna was okay. The sound of the trunk opening and then the creak of a car door caught my ear. I continued walking backward. “What do you want from me? Why am I here?”

  “We’re taking your ZL1, Detective. That’s what we want.”

  Relief swept over me, and if the situation wasn’t still extremely dangerous, I would have laughed at their stupidity. I couldn’t forget they were armed and had Hanna, but the idiots wanted my car, not a hostage. They would release Hanna, take my Camaro, and be on their way, and within seconds, they’d be surrounded and taken into custody. I continued toward their car as I called out her name.

  “Hanna, Hanna. Why isn’t she answering me?”

  “She’s tied and gagged but alive. See for yourself.”

  I reached the side of their car and glanced to my right. In the darkness, all I could make out was that the man held a gun on me, and his head was covered with a stocking mask. He was crouched on the driver’s side of the car. The back door opened, and the second man slithered out and crouched down as well. They couldn’t possibly know anyone was in the silos with rifles aimed our way, so I assumed they were just being cautious.

  The second man shoved a zip tie at me and ordered me to secure my wrists together. “Make sure they’re good and tight.”

  I did as told. “I want to see Hanna now.”

  The man with the gun jerked his head toward the trunk then stood. With my body in front of him and the gun pressed against my back, I knew SWAT wouldn’t have a clear shot. The second man raised the lid, and I looked to my left to see an empty trunk. The sound of a round being chambered at my back made my heart thump, then I heard a yell to hit the ground.

  I flattened myself on the dirt, and an explosion of gunfire went off and then silence. Both men fell within inches of me. I kicked away the gun and pulled myself up by the car’s bumper. I heard yelling, then a half dozen SWAT units appeared out of nowhere and ran toward me. Captain Cole’s familiar voice called out commands.

  “Secure those men. If they’re wounded, cuff them, check for other weapons, and get a bus out here. If they’re dead, make damn sure they’re good and dead.”

  Cole rushed to my side, pulled out a tactical knife, and cut the zip ties off my wrists. “You okay?”

  I rubbed my wrists and thanked him then brushed the dirt from my skin. I looked in the trunk one more time, hoping I’d made a mistake. “Hanna isn’t here.”

  “We’re aware. The thermal drone showed only two red images, and when the trunk was popped and the visual came in of it being empty, we knew it was a setup. I’m pretty sure by the way the man with the gun was luring you to the trunk, he was going to kill you and toss you inside.”

  “I don’t know if you heard it, but he had just chambered a round before you yelled for me to hit the dirt.”

  “We heard it and knew it was time to put an end to their criminal activity. The problem now is we don’t know where Hanna Bradley is being held.”

  I turned to the officer kneeling at Rory and Wesley’s sides. With the masks off and a flashlight to their faces, we confirmed that they were indeed the men we were after.

  “Are they both—”

  The SWAT member nodded. “Both deceased, Detective McCord.”

  “Shit.”

  “You can’t second-guess their motives, Detective. They would have killed you, and we had less than a second to decide to use lethal force. We could have taken them by surprise when they got here, but they might have shot the woman. We had no idea if she was with them or not until the drone was up and sending us images.”

  I knew the captain was right, and I was thankful they’d saved my life. I spun at the sound of vehicles approaching. A cruiser and two patrol cars skidded to a stop in the dirt, causing dust to swirl above our heads. Lutz and Frank exited the cruiser, as I’d expected, and headed my way.

  “You okay, partner?” Frank asked.

  “I’m good.”

  Lutz handed me my clothes. “We heard everything until the radio lost the signal to your earpiece. Thankfully, Cole had a visual and kept us informed.”

  Tillson and Paulson climbed out of the squad cars. They approached the bodies then Lutz.

  Tillson scratched his head. “Guess they don’t need a ride to jail.”

  “Nope,” the commander said. “I’ll call Don, and he can pick them up.” Lutz’s phone rang just as he pulled it out of his pocket to make the call to our medical examiner. “Commander Lutz speaking. Yep, just now? Text me the address immediately and get some officers out there as backup. Tell them to wait for our arrival.” Lutz pocketed his phone and swirled his finger in the air. “We have a viable lead on a house that belongs to a Mark Perry. Let’s go.”

  Grabbing a flashlight, I searched for my phone and keys. Lutz yelled out for the patrol units to stay put and said that Don was on his way.

  “Let’s go, McCord. This may be the real deal.”

  Chapter 60

  With my dusty phone in the cupholder and my keys in my pocket, I pressed the start button and ripped through the gears as I followed on Lutz’s rear bumper. The cruiser had the lights and sirens and I had the speed, but I would have to stay behind them to get through the red lights without stopping. I engaged my Bluetooth and talked to Frank as we made our way back to the southeast side.

  “So what did Chuck tell Lutz?”

  Frank put me on Speakerphone so Lutz could relay what he’d just found out.

  “Chuck was the one who called.”

  Chuck Gaines was one of our night shift detectives and assigned to answer the tip-line calls along with Dan King. The first hour of any news alert that included a tip-line number was always the busiest.

  Lutz continued. “Gaines told me a call came in from a frantic man who said the men shown on the breaking news alert were staying at his neighbor’s house. He was one hundred percent sure it was them. He also said they drove a tan Corolla, which we now know matches the car at the silos. The thing that grabbed Chuck’s attention was the neighbor’s name—a Mark Perry. He knew there was a Mark in question, so he punched the name into the nationwide criminal database, and the son of a bitch served time at the Central Michigan Correctional Facility in St. Louis when Rory and Wes were there.”

  “So a Mark was involved, but we had the wrong one. Hanna has to be there!”

  “That’s not all,” Lutz said. “Apparently, this Mark character is out of town. Sounds like Rory and Wes found a good place to crash in his absence.”

  “And a good place to stash Deidra and Hanna.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Jesse. We’re still going in as if there’s armed and dangerous criminals inside. We follow the letter of the law, no exceptions, no mistakes.”

  “Roger that, Boss.”

  At one fifteen a.m., we arrived at the address only blocks from Marcus Luck’s apartment. Two squad cars sat at the curb, and the officers exited the vehicles when we arrived.

  “Any movement or lights in the house?” Lutz asked.

  “Haven’t seen a thing, Commander. It’s dead quiet in there.”

  That comment didn’t sit well with me, but the officer wasn’t aware of the circumstances.

  “Okay,” Lutz said. “This house belongs to a criminal. We don’t know if anyone is inside, but this could be a possible hostage situation, and a female might be held against her will in the home. She may also be injured. We’re going in hot but quiet.” We turned to see Captain Cole pull up alongside our vehicles and stop.

  “Hold up, everyone. I think I have exactly what you need.” Cole climbed out of the police-issued SUV and opened the liftgate. “This will keep everyone safe. I think we’ve had enough drama for one night.” With the drone in hand, he placed it on the sidewalk and set the control system on the SUV’s hood. “This will only take a minute.” He set the drone to the ther
mal-imaging mode and launched it. We watched the screen as it circled the house’s roof. A red image illuminated immediately, and the shape was unmistakable. A person was lying in a fetal position near the front of the home.

  I yelled out. “That’s Hanna! It has to be.”

  Lutz called out for a door ram. We would go in through the front, and the officers would cover the back. We’d enter, clear the house, and see who the person was who glowed red on the drone’s thermal imaging.

  When everyone was in position, Lutz gave the nod, and Frank hit the door with the force of a crazed bull. Wood splintered inward, and we stepped over the fallen door with guns drawn.

  I saw Hanna immediately as she lay huddled in the corner, her hands and feet bound and tape covering her mouth. Her eyes bulged until she saw me and realized we were there to rescue her.

  I knelt at her side as my colleagues cleared the house.

  “You’re safe, Hanna, and you’re going to be okay. I’m calling an ambulance to take you to the hospital.” I held her close as I carefully removed the tape from her mouth. After making the 911 call, I found a knife and cut the zip ties from her wrists and ankles. She wrapped her arms around my neck and sobbed.

  The house had been cleared, and it was over. Wesley Nash and Rory Gibbs were gone from the earth, and it couldn’t have been soon enough for any of us.

  Lutz joined Hanna and me as we waited for the paramedics to arrive. He handed his cell phone to Hanna. “There’s somebody who wants to talk to you.”

  I smiled at my commander, knowing full well he had called Lee to give her the news.

  “Mom?” Tears sprang from Hanna’s eyes, and we left her alone to speak privately to her mother.

  Lutz heaved a long sigh and tipped his wrist. “Damn it, we might as well start our day now.”

  Frank frowned. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Our commander chuckled. “Yeah, Frank, I’m kidding. Get your asses home, and I don’t want to see either of you before noon.”

  “But—”