by Dirk Patton
“You leaving?” she asked.
“Sneaking out early,” Katarina said, stepping into the car.
“Good. I’ll ride down with you.”
She pushed the button for the parking garage and waited for the doors to close before speaking.
“One of my junior techs didn’t have anything to do, so I had him test that cigarette. Know what he found?”
Katarina’s heart rate accelerated in anticipation of bad news. She could only shake her head.
“Nothing. It’s just a cigarette.”
Katarina slowly let out the breath she’d been holding.
“Good news?” Eloise asked.
“Very. Thank you, Elie.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, as the elevator arrived at the garage level. “Just don’t forget...”
She held up five fingers, winked and walked away to where she was parked. Smiling, Katarina followed her out of the car and turned in the opposite direction.
Exhaustion threatened to overtake her when she got into her Range Rover. She’d been awake for more than thirty-six hours, climbed all over the rugged terrain at the crash site and had the shit scared out of her multiple times. She needed sleep.
Starting the engine, she glanced in the mirror. With a startled cry, she simultaneously reached for her weapon and the door handle when she saw a shadowy figure in the back seat. Before she could touch either, a sound suppressed pistol was pressed tightly against her side. She knew enough to recognize that the bullet would directly pierce her heart if the assailant fired and she went still.
“Where is it, Agent Daniels?” a calm voice asked.
“What? Where’s what?”
“The money, of course. Where is it?”
Katarina’s eyes were glued to the mirror but all she could see was the top of a shaved head. The man was keeping his face below her line of sight. This made the situation even more frightening.
“I don’t know what---”
Pain blossomed when he pressed a taser to her other side and held the button down for several seconds.
“Do not lie to me, Agent Daniels. You will not like the response. Now. The money. There were twelve bags aboard that plane when it took off. Thirty million dollars. Yet, there were only eleven bags logged into evidence. I’ve seen your signature on the paperwork. Where’s the twelfth bag, Agent Daniels?”
“You’re assaulting a federal---”
He triggered the taser again, this time pressing it hard against her left breast. The pain was intense. When he released the button, he gave her a few moments to collect herself before speaking again.
“I’m well aware of what I’m doing, Agent Daniels. So please stop stalling. You’re only going to make things worse. Simply tell me where the missing bag is, and I’ll disappear out of your life. This will have never happened.”
Katarina hesitated. She was in an untenable situation and was terrified. She already thought of the stolen cash as hers. Had allowed herself to imagine a future without a narcissistic husband and a mountain of debt. Every fiber of her being rejected the idea of giving it up.
But she also had no doubt that the man would continue hurting her, and worse, until he got what he wanted. He obviously didn’t care about who or what she was since he was assaulting her in the FBI’s own parking garage. If he was that bold, there was nothing to stop him from doing whatever he wanted.
“I’m growing impatient, Agent Daniels. Two point five million. I understand that’s enough money to tempt a saint. But it doesn’t belong to you. Now, I am going to ask you one last time, and if you don’t answer, I’ll move on to your partner. He has a beautiful little girl that I’m sure he’d do anything to protect.”
Katarina’s blood ran cold at the thought of Shanice being in danger because of her. The man picked up on the change in her demeanor and she heard a low laugh.
“Always the children. Don’t know why I don’t just start there.”
“I’ll take you to it!” Katarina suddenly blurted.
“There. Doesn’t it feel good to cooperate? Where are we going?”
“I tell you, you’re going to kill me.”
The man sighed dramatically and she could see his head move from side to side.
“Agent Daniels, I am a professional. This is a job, not something personal. I was hired to retrieve the cash you stole from my employer. If I can accomplish that quietly, without bloodshed, that is the optimal outcome. Leaving a dead FBI agent behind would draw a massive amount of unwanted attention. If necessary, I won’t hesitate to do that, but I’d prefer that you simply hand over what is not yours and that we go our separate ways.”
Katarina thought for a moment, working to convince herself that he was telling the truth. What he said made sense. Killing her would bring an army of pissed off agents out to hunt for the murderer. Something told her that the man in the back seat was capable of evading identification and capture, but that didn’t mean being the most wanted fugitive in America was an enviable way to live.
“The train station,” she said in surrender. “It’s in a locker.”
The man reached around the seat and removed her weapon from its holster.
“Very well, Agent Daniels. Drive carefully.”
Leaning back, he completely disappeared from the mirror as he slid into the footwell, but the muzzle of the pistol screwed into her side never so much as twitched. Taking a deep, calming breath, she started the engine and eased the Range Rover into gear.
Twelve
“How much?” Katarina asked as she drove slowly through downtown Seattle.
“How much, what?” the man asked.
“How much are they paying you to retrieve the money?”
He was quiet for a moment and she pictured him having an internal debate on whether or not to answer the question.
“Ten percent,” he finally said.
“Quarter of a million dollars?” When he didn’t respond, she continued. “I’ll give you that much tomorrow to just walk away. Tell your boss I don’t have his money.”
There was a derisive laugh from the back seat.
“That would be dishonest.”
“You’re working as a collector for a drug dealer and you’re worried about telling a little white lie?”
“Nice try, Agent Daniels, but I have a reputation to maintain. Besides, I know you don’t have that kind of money.”
“I will tomorrow,” she persisted. “And it’s yours if you just walk away and forget about me. Clean cash, with the added benefit of not having an FBI agent for an enemy.”
“Do you really think I’m worried about that? In the world I operate in, dirty FBI agents are the least of my concern.”
Katarina fell silent for the rest of the drive, pulling into the train terminal’s parking lot and easing into a parking space far from the building’s entrance.
“You didn’t say no,” she pointed out after shutting off the engine.
“No. Now, stay in your seat until I step out. And remember, don’t try anything foolish. The money isn’t worth your life.”
The back door opened and the pistol was withdrawn from her side. Her door was opened instantly and she looked out at the man. He was completely unremarkable. Somewhere in his early forties he was shorter than her and seemed somewhat pudgy and soft. Until she looked at his eyes. There was nothing there but hard flint.
“Out, Agent Daniels.”
His weapon wasn’t visible, but his right hand was thrust into a jacket pocket and she had no doubt it was tightly gripping the pistol. Moving carefully so she didn’t alarm him, Katarina stepped out. He motioned her to the side and closed the Range Rover’s door, then looked directly into her eyes.
“We’re going inside. You will never be more than two steps in front of me. If I tell you to do something, you do it without question. Disobedience will result in tragic consequences for an innocent bystander. Do you understand?”
Katarina stared at him in shock. In her job, she’d s
een much of the worst the human race had to offer but was still caught by surprise. The idea of killing someone completely unrelated to the situation didn’t fit with the man’s claim of being a professional. Threats against her or people she cared about were expected, but this changed the dynamic. In that moment, she understood that he didn’t intend to allow her to walk away from this.
“I lied,” she said, grasping for any way to gain some control over the situation.
His eyes narrowed and she saw the tension in his arm that was holding the pistol.
“You’re playing a very dangerous game, Agent Daniels,” he said in the coldest voice she’d ever heard.
“I’m not! I was trying to get you somewhere public,” she said, making it up on the fly. “Thought I’d be safe. But I don’t want anyone to get hurt!”
“Then where is it?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as if hesitating to reveal the truth.
“It’s still in the forest, near the plane crash. You’re right. There were twelve bags of cash and I took one of them. But I couldn’t just walk out of there with it over my shoulder, so I hid it. Planned to go back and get it once the investigation was over.”
“Let’s go,” he growled, opening the driver’s door.
She would have felt more in control if the man was displaying anger. Instead of the expected reaction, he was preternaturally calm. This frightened her far more than if he’d ranted and raved, waving the gun about and threatening her.
“We can’t get it,” she said. “Not yet.”
With no warning, the man’s left fist shot out and struck her solar plexus. Her eyes flew wide and her mouth opened in a silent O as her diaphragm was momentarily paralyzed. She couldn’t breathe and instantly panicked, reaching up to hold her throat. He stood calmly, watching her struggle to draw a breath. Then, as quickly as it had locked up, her body relaxed and she sucked in a huge, ragged breath.
“You’re lying,” he said as she gulped air.
“No, I’m not,” she gasped, extending a hand in a plea to not be hit again.
“Explain, then. Why not?”
Katarina continued to gulp air, hamming it up a little to buy a few extra seconds to think.
“Because where I hid it is still within the perimeter of the investigation. The NTSB and the Sheriff’s department are still on site.”
He watched her closely, deciding whether or not to believe her. Without a word, he reached into the Range Rover and picked up her purse. Turning it upside down, he dumped the contents onto the asphalt and poked through them with the toe of his shoe. Apparently not finding what he was looking for, he searched the purse, opening all the small internal pockets before letting it fall to the ground.
“Empty your pockets,” he said.
“What are you looking for?”
“Empty them. Now.”
Katarina slowly complied, noting how he looked carefully at each item she held out.
“Drop them and move against the vehicle,” he ordered.
Unsure where this was going, Katarina complied. She winced when a strong hand grabbed the back of her neck and pressed her face against the Range Rover, but didn’t resist. He quickly and professionally searched her from head to toe. No part of her anatomy was left unchecked.
“Are you sure you don’t need to do a cavity search while you’re at it?” she snapped, instantly regretting her words.
“If I believed that you’d had the opportunity to conceal something in that manner, you would be standing here naked at the moment.”
“Maybe if you told me what you’re looking for.”
Ignoring her, he moved on to perform a thorough search of the interior of her vehicle.
“Where is it?” he asked when he was finished.
“Where’s what? I don’t know what the fuck you’re looking for!”
“The locker key,” he said, watching her closely.
Katarina sighed and shook her head.
“I already told you. I was lying. There is no locker key.”
“I don’t believe you,” he said, lashing out and landing another punch in the same spot as the first.
She bent at the waist, and he watched impassively as she fought to get her body to start working again.
“Fuck you,” Katarina hissed with the first breath she could take.
He remained silent, watching her face for any sign of deception. She slowly stood upright and glared at him.
“Look. You really think I’d put that much money in a train station locker? And not keep the key on me? I’m not that stupid! It’s in the fucking forest, and we can’t get to it until the scene is released. There’s not a damn thing I can do to change that.”
He watched her so long that the silence became uncomfortable. She couldn’t read him. Had no idea if he was about to draw his weapon and kill her or not. She flinched involuntarily when he suddenly opened the back door and pulled a pistol out of his waistband. He placed it on the floor and she realized it was her service weapon.
“I will be in touch, Agent Daniels. I suggest you be sure to answer my call, regardless of what you’re doing at the time.”
He spun and quickly walked out of the lot to a sidewalk. Looking around, he raised his hand and whistled shrilly. A taxi screeched to a stop and he hopped in the back, turning to stare at Katarina as it pulled away.
For a long moment, she was rooted in place, then her hands began shaking. Quickly, the trembling spread to the rest of her body and she dropped to her knees amidst the scattered contents of her purse.
Thirteen
Katarina was unsure what to do. She’d regained most of her composure, finally able to scoop up her possessions and dump them into the empty purse. Now, she sat in the Range Rover with her weapon in her hand. Any movement in the surrounding area immediately drew her attention, her pulse pounding until she was sure the man hadn’t returned.
Finally, she started the engine, but didn’t put the vehicle in gear as she had no idea where to go or what to do. The idea of home and dealing with Matt made her skin crawl. She’d rather be anywhere else at the moment.
Her eyes suddenly flew wide and she frantically dug through her purse for her phone. With a feeling of cold dread in the pit of her stomach, she punched in Brody’s number.
“Oh, thank God!” she cried when he answered. “Are you safe? Your family?”
“What are you talking about, Kat?” he asked, and she could hear fear in his voice.
“Brody, goddamn it! Is everyone okay?”
“Yes! Of course. What’s wrong?”
Katarina took a deep breath and said a silent prayer of thanks.
“Listen,” she said, her voice raspy with emotion. “I just had a visit from someone who specializes in retrieving lost property. Do you understand what I mean?”
He hesitated a beat, processing.
“Are you okay? You hurt?”
“Scared out of my goddamn mind, but I’m fine. But he mentioned Shanice.”
There was a stretch of silence, then Brody spoke in a hard voice.
“Where are you?”
“The train station.”
“You’re... what? Okay. Never mind. Just get over here. Fast as you can.”
He disconnected before she could say anything else. Heart pounding, she shifted into gear and drove out of the parking lot.
Twenty minutes later, she turned into Brody’s driveway. Grabbing her purse, she stepped out and gave the SUV parked on the street a long look. The driver’s window smoothly slid down and she could see two men in the front seat. Both wore shades and their hair was cut short. After a moment, the driver nodded and the window went back up.
Brody opened the front door, keeping his body mostly concealed behind it as he waved her forward. She hurried up the walk and slipped inside, noting the shotgun in his hand.
“Hiya, blondie.”
Katarina whirled and despite everything that had happened to her, a genuine smile lit her face when
she saw Baldwin James. He was a tall, black man with a shaved head and other than ten years younger was the spitting image of Brody, his big brother. Holding an AR-15 in one hand, he opened his arms with a grin and she hurried forward to hug him.
“Those guys outside yours?” she asked when he let her go.
“Yep. From my old unit. Solid Marines. God help anyone who tries to get past ‘em.”
“What the fuck’s going on, Kat?” Brody interjected.
“Where’s Janice and Shanice?” she asked, looking past Baldwin’s broad shoulders into the living room.
“In the bedroom, watching TV. Now, you just scared the living shit out of me. What happened?”
They moved into the living room and Katarina relayed everything that had happened since she’d stepped out of the elevator into the parking garage. When she was done, Brody got up, returning half a minute later with a bottle of whiskey and three glasses. He poured a generous amount into each and passed them around. She was slightly annoyed to see his hands were steady.
“You think he believed you?” Baldwin asked after taking a small sip.
“I’m still alive, so, yeah. Or at the worst, wasn’t sure enough to pull the trigger.”
“You were going to give it to him,” Brody said, watching her closely.
Katarina looked back at him then lowered her eyes and shrugged.
“He threatened Shanice,” she said softly.
No one said anything for a long moment, then Brody got to his feet and stood in front of her with his hand extended. She tentatively took it and he pulled until she stood, then threw his arms around her and squeezed. She hugged him back, fighting the tears that were threatening to flow.
“Thank you,” he said softly when they stepped apart.
Katarina nodded in embarrassment, hiding it by taking a healthy slug of whiskey.
“Can’t give up the money,” Baldwin said.
“He’ll kill us! Or worse, find a way to turn us in and Brody and I go to prison,” Katarina said.
Baldwin was already shaking his head.
