The Return (The Eliminator Series Book 11)

by Mike Ryan

  It wasn’t miles away, but there was a lot of openness between where they currently were and the building. There was a car in front of the building, but that was basically it. Once they emerged from the trees, they were going to be completely out in the open.

  Thrower let out a sigh. “I still don’t like it. That’s a lot of open space there.”

  “We’ll just have to get there as quick as we can. No stopping or slowing down. Once we leave here, we just gotta move and move fast.”

  Thrower nodded. “Let’s hope we’re not ducking bullets as we get there.”

  “If we do, start zig-zagging.”

  “Ready to do this?”

  “Ready as ever. Let’s raise some hell.”

  20

  Jacobs was the first one out. As soon as he took off, Gunner followed him. Thrower waited a couple of seconds, wanting to have a little distance between them. They didn’t want to run together, just in case someone had them lined up. It would be tougher to pick them off if they were away from each other. Assuming there was only one person lining them up.

  Once Jacobs was a few yards ahead of him, Thrower started running as well. They got about halfway there when the shots fired. It was coming from the building. The man that Mallette had left inside had seen them emerge from the trees on one of the monitors. He then scurried to the window on that side of the building and started firing.

  As soon as he heard the shots, Jacobs immediately shifted directions, and started zig-zagging, trying to make it as difficult as possible on the shooter. Thrower did the same, though he went in the opposite direction. Gunner continued running for the building, reaching it unscathed. He stood against the wall, barking, his head turning between the building and his owner, at least until Jacobs also made it to the building without a scratch. Neither made another move until they were joined by Thrower.

  With all three safely on the outside wall, they took a few seconds to catch their breath. They inched their way along the wall until they got to the front corner of the building. Once they were there, Jacobs peeked around the corner. There was a window before they would reach the door, so Jacobs got down on the ground and started crawling so he wouldn’t be a target through the window. Gunner and Thrower followed his lead.

  Once they passed under the window, they got to the front door. It was closed. Jacobs scurried to the other side of it, then got back to his feet. He took a quick look around to make sure they hadn’t acquired more company. He didn’t see anyone. He looked at the door and the handle, and thought about how they were going to enter. He wasn’t going to try opening it the normal way. It may have been unlocked, but he got the feeling that as soon as he turned the handle, there’d be a barrage of bullets ripping through the door. He felt their best option was entering by surprise. Not that their presence was a surprise anymore, but bursting through the door unexpectedly was better than announcing their entrance by just walking through it.

  Jacobs looked over at Thrower and made a motion with his hands, letting him know what he was planning. Thrower nodded, understanding the plan. Thrower took a step back and held his pistol out in front. Gunner let out a bark, ready to roll.

  Jacobs stepped back, then unleashed a kick at the door, just underneath the handle. The door busted open, and the crew instantly rushed inside. Gunner immediately ran in first, followed by Jacobs and Thrower. Jacobs looked to his left and started going that way. He motioned for Thrower to go in the other direction. Gunner was sniffing around, going in and out of rooms.

  Once he got in the next room, Jacobs saw the computer equipment and monitors. He didn’t have time to analyze it, though. He continued searching for the shooter, though he assumed there was more than one.

  There were a dozen rooms in the building, and one by one, they searched each of them. There was no sign of anyone, though. Even Gunner was having trouble picking something up. He’d hit on the scent of something, but he kept going in different directions, giving Jacobs reason to believe there were so many men there, that they all went in opposite places. After they were done looking through the rooms, they met back up again near the front door.

  “Nothing here,” Thrower said.

  “Yeah, I didn’t find anything either.”

  “Kinda weird.”

  Jacobs nodded. “That it is.”

  “Someone did shoot at us, right?”

  “Unless we’re both hallucinating.”

  “Well, I can’t a hundred percent discount that yet.” Thrower looked down at Gunner, who still had his nose to the floor, sniffing around. “What’s with him?”

  “I think there were so many people here that he’s having a hard time focusing on one in particular.”

  “Oh. That figures.”

  Jacobs rubbed his chin, then remembered the computer equipment in the other room. “Let’s take a look in this other room here.” He kicked the door closed. “Gunner… door.”

  As Gunner ran back to them and sat near the door to alert them if someone got near it, Jacobs and Thrower went into the other room. They went over to the desk, which had several monitors on it. Thrower pointed to one.

  “Look. They had a camera on that side, looking at the trees. They saw us coming.”

  “Yeah.” Jacobs looked at the monitors, then noticed one on the main road. He pointed to it. “Isn’t that where we were parked before? On the side of the road?”

  Thrower leaned in to get a better look. “Yeah. Looks like it.”

  Jacobs tilted his head, as if something had just struck him. He then glanced at his partner. “But… wouldn’t that mean that they saw us out there?”

  “Possibly.”

  Jacobs continued thinking. “So why’d we get in here so easily?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t call killing two people and ducking some bullets easy.”

  “But if they knew we were out there, why not have all hands on deck out there waiting for us?”

  Thrower shrugged. “Maybe they couldn’t tell it was us out there. This camera is kind of far. Might not be able to tell who was inside the car.”

  “Yeah. Maybe.” Jacobs kept looking at the monitors, more thoughts going through his mind. Something was nagging at him. Something wasn’t right. “And where is this guy, whoever was here? Why’d he leave?”

  “Maybe he figured he was outnumbered. Not worth the fight.”

  Jacobs thought back to when they were in the car. They saw two cars pull in. “But we saw two cars come in. The two guys we got, they might have been the ones we saw at the gate. There would have to be another guy. At least one.”

  A look came over Thrower’s face, also remembering as they approached the building. “There was only one car out front.”

  Jacobs looked at the monitors, picking up the one with the camera on the front of the building. “There still is.”

  “So where’d the other one go? I know we didn’t miss one leave.”

  “Unless one left through a back exit.”

  “Then why didn’t they come in that way?”

  “Something’s going on here,” Jacobs said. His eyes widened, and an alarmed look swept over his face. He glanced at Thrower. “This is a trap.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a trap.” Jacobs kept looking at the monitors, waiting to see something to confirm his suspicions. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “OK, I can go along with that, but…” Thrower looked around. “But where are they? I mean, this is the quietest trap I’ve ever seen.”

  A phone started ringing. Jacobs and Thrower looked at each other.

  “It’s not me.” Thrower pulled out his phone to double check. “Nope.”

  Jacobs did the same. “Not me either.”

  Thrower glanced back at the direction of Gunner. Jacobs gave him a look of disbelief. “Never know these days.”

  The phone kept ringing. Jacobs looked down at the desk, trying to pinpoint where the noise was coming from. There was a drawer on the right-hand side of the desk. Jac
obs opened it and saw the phone. It was the only thing in the drawer. He picked it up and looked at the ID, but there was no name attached to it.

  “Should I?” Jacobs asked, holding the phone up.

  Thrower shrugged. “Why not? Maybe it’s a pizza delivery.”

  “They’re delivering something.” Jacobs answered the phone. “Yeah?”

  “Is that you, Brett?” Mallette asked.

  Jacobs didn’t need an introduction to recognize the voice. “Something I can do for you?”

  Mallette laughed. “The only thing you can do for me is die. Quickly is the most preferable option.”

  “Oh, well, I’m afraid I won’t be able to accommodate you on that one. But feel free to drop dead yourself if you want.”

  Mallette continued to laugh, knowing he had the upper hand. “You’re gonna be funny right down to the very end, aren’t you?”

  “I won’t be laughing when you take your last breath in front of me.”

  “Poor, poor, slob. You don’t even see it, do you?”

  “If you’re referring to the current situation, I’m assuming you led us in here for something,” Jacobs said.

  “I figured right about now you were starting to wonder what was going on. I guess you see it now. But in case you are processing things slowly these days, if you take a look at the monitors in front of you, you should start to see how grave the situation actually is for you right.”

  Jacobs looked at Thrower and motioned to the monitors. They both looked at them more closely. They could see a bunch of men and a vehicle approaching the building. They stopped a good distance away, though, not wanting to get too close. Jacobs knew it was just Mallette showing off, trying to demoralize him by showing him the hopelessness of the situation. Mallette should have known, though, that it would take a lot more than that to demoralize Jacobs.

  “As you can see, you’re surrounded. And there’s no way out.”

  “There’s always a way out,” Jacobs said.

  “Yes, I guess you’re right about that. For you, though, the way out is in the back of a coroner’s wagon.”

  “Well, whenever you’re ready to finish me off, come in and get me.”

  Mallette laughed again. “I’m not an idiot, Jacobs. I’m fully aware that you want me to come in. But I don’t have to. I can wait you out. Because you, however, can’t stay in there forever. At some point, you’re gonna have to come out. And you’re gonna have to come to me.”

  Jacobs didn’t respond at first. He immediately started thinking of their options. Running out straight into the open arms of Mallette wasn’t one of them.

  By his opponent’s silence, Mallette could tell he was contemplating his alternatives. He had to hammer home that Jacobs had none. “If you’re trying to think of a way out of this, you better think again. You have no options.”

  “There’s always an option. Just might not be options you like.”

  “I’ll give you five minutes.”

  “Or what? I don’t wanna come out, you don’t wanna come in. Looks like a standoff to me.”

  “Except you’ve got nowhere to go.”

  “Sounds like we’re starting to rehash things a little. And I think I’m done talking.”

  “Before you hang up, I’d urge you to consider what will happen if you don’t walk out those doors in the next five minutes.”

  “Yeah? What’s that?”

  “You have a girlfriend now, correct?”

  “No.”

  Mallette laughed, knowing he wasn’t going to get the truth out of him. “OK. We’ll play it like that. You have a girlfriend, Franks, the dog, your girlfriend’s parents.”

  “Except you don’t know where they are, so your threats won’t work.”

  “I know you sent her parents away. But they’ll come back. Eventually. And when they do, I might just happen to be there. And your girlfriend, eventually she’s going to go back to work. I might just have a man stationed by the playground when she takes her class out for recess.”

  “Listen, Mallette, you’re not dumb enough to try anything at a school. They have cameras, and if they can trace anyone back to you, you’ll get the book thrown at you. You’ll never be able to breathe fresh air again. And if you happen to hurt a child in the process, well… we both know what happens to guys in prison who hurt kids. That’s a no-no in there.”

  “You should know by now, Brett, that I’m not a patient man. And I’m accustomed to getting my way. I will get what I want.”

  “Nope. Not today. Sorry.”

  Even though Mallette believed he had the upper hand and would win the battle anyway, he still wanted to try to get it done in the easiest way possible. He knew that in a battle here with Jacobs, he was still likely to lose a few men in the process. Men he couldn’t afford to lose.

  “I tell you what I’ll do,” Mallette continued, willing to do whatever it took to get Jacobs’ head delivered to him on a silver platter. “You come out, give yourself up, and I’ll let everyone else go. Your girlfriend, her parents, Eddie, I’ll even let your dog and your partner in there go. They all get a pass. All you have to do is walk out those doors.”

  Jacobs smiled, not believing the audacity of the man. After everything they’d been through, after everything Mallette had done to him, there was no way on this planet or any other that Jacobs would believe him at his word. “Oh, well, since you put it that way, I’ll just come right out. As long as you tell me everyone else will go, I’ll just believe it. I know you wouldn’t lie to me. Would you?”

  “Maybe I don’t have the best track record with you, but I’ll give you my word. Everyone else goes free.”

  “I think we both know what you can do with your word, don’t we?”

  “I’ll go one further. Your partner and the dog can come out and they can go wherever they want. They can go straight out of here, get in the car, and drive away.”

  “Or, as soon as they show their faces out there, you’ll gun them down, leaving just me. I’m not dumb.”

  “I’m well aware of that. I’m trying to make this as painless as possible.”

  “For who? Not for me.”

  “Instead of talking for the others, why don’t you let them decide? Or are you afraid your partner in there might leave you?”

  “I’m not afraid of anything. I didn’t make him come.”

  “Then you won’t mind if he has a say in what happens.”

  Jacobs took the phone away from his ear and held it out away from him. He looked at Thrower. “He says if you walk out with Gunner, you two can leave and he won’t come after you. He wants to know your answer.”

  Thrower leaned over to get closer to the phone. “That’s a tempting offer, Mr. Mallette. Thank you for your generosity.” He then gave Jacobs a wide smile before giving his reply. “But you can pound sand.”

  Jacobs put the phone back to his ear. “I’m assuming you heard that.” He could already hear the anger forming in Mallette’s voice.

  “I heard.”

  “Oh, I’m assuming you want the dog’s reply now too, huh?”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

  “Oh, no, you’re absolutely right. Everyone in here should have an equal say about what happens.” Jacobs walked over to Gunner and put the phone near his head. “What do you say, bud? Do you want to leave?” Gunner growled at first, then barked. Jacobs started walking back to the monitors. “In case you don’t speak dog language, I’ll translate it for you. He told you to go to hell.”

  “Enjoy your little games while you can. Just remember, I gave you the option to save your friends. What happens to them now is on you.”

  “Your concern breaks my heart. It seems you forgot one small detail in this little plan of yours.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “I still have friends on the police force. I just have to make a call and they’ll be here soon enough.”

  “If you’re referring to Sergeant Buchanan, there’s a reason we picked a
spot outside the city. We’re not in his jurisdiction.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Jacobs hung up, then looked at the monitors again.

  “What do you think?” Thrower asked.

  “I think we need to get out of here.”

  “I would agree with that assessment. How? From the looks of it, he’s got a dozen men out there. And nothing but open space.”

  “There’s a car out there, isn’t there?”

  “If you’re thinking we should go out there and hot-wire it and try to drive away, I’d caution against it.”

  “Why?” Jacobs asked.

  “You really trust that thing out there? What makes you think leaving that car isn’t part of the plan? We go out there, jump in that thing, turn the ignition, and the car blows up. Far-fetched, maybe, but I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  “Neither would I.”

  “Back to the original question… how are we getting out of here?”

  Jacobs thought about it. Right now, their best option was to duck out the back and try to fight their way through. Not a great option, but the only one they had at the moment.

  “Well, right now, looks like we’ve got one option. We fought our way in. Now we gotta fight our way out.”

  21

  Jacobs and Thrower continued looking at the monitors, trying to figure out the best way out of there. The problem was that there weren’t clear views of the back of the building. There were a couple cameras back there, but none that showed the perimeter. Both were focused on the back door.

  “Back or front?” Thrower asked.

  “I dunno. I have a feeling they’re expecting us to go out the back. That makes me inclined to do the opposite. Plus, we can’t really see what’s going on back there.”

  Thrower kept looking at the monitors. “I have a feeling they’re not showing us everything they’ve got out front, either.”

  “You can bet Mallette’s got another surprise or two in store for us.”

  Thrower took a step back, then thought of something. “Wait. Maybe we can give him a surprise.”