Indebted

by Sharon C. Cooper

  Laz slowed his pacing and sipped the dark liquid, gritting his teeth at the burn slithering down his throat. He had returned an hour ago from getting Carmen settled into a safe house. Mason and Hamilton had really come through, even assigning a security specialist to look after her when Laz explained the situation. Originally, Laz thought that Monsuli might’ve been behind the threats to Carmen, but now he wasn’t so sure. Any number of people could have wanted that knife to disappear, including him.

  Laz finished off his drink and set his empty tumbler on the table, his mind on Journey. “Where the hell are you?” he grumbled. She hadn’t sounded too good earlier and he’d been looking forward to seeing her, wanting to make sure she was okay. Considering she’d been avoiding him lately, he should’ve expected her to cancel on him.

  His cell phone rang and he shot across the room to retrieve it, only to see Unknown on the display. That had been the second call from an unknown number in the past thirty minutes.

  Instead of going back to pacing, he sat on the sofa. Two minutes later, when the phone rang again, he answered.

  “Yeah.”

  “Detective Dimas, or should I just refer to you as Mr. Dimas? You’re a hard man to reach.”

  Laz remained silent, trying to place the voice. Only his closest friends and some of his cop buddies had his cell number.

  “Who is this?” he finally asked.

  “That’s not important. What is important is that we have a mutual interest in seeing Enrique Monsuli dead.”

  Laz froze, his mind racing. “You’re going to have to tell me who this is, otherwise this conversation is over.”

  “See that’s the thing. You don’t want to hang up on me. From what I’ve heard, your reach is long and wide. Perfect for making my problem, and your problem of Monsuli’s possible release, go away. Trust me, it’s in your best interest to see to Monsuli’s death.”

  Unease crept through Laz’s veins and he leaned forward. “In my best interest… How so?”

  “Well, I have in my possession the beautiful ADA; one who I’ve heard is important to you. I’ll see to her taking her last breath if Monsuli isn’t dead within the next twenty-four hours.”

  Laz’s heart stopped. His gut churned with dread as he slowly stood on shaky legs.

  There was no way they had snatched Journey. No way.

  At least that’s what he told himself in order to tap down the rage brewing inside him.

  “Do we have a deal?”

  “Hell no, we don’t have a deal!” he snapped, every nerve in his body wound tighter than the seal on a steel drum. “I want proof of life. Put her on the phone. Now!”

  Several excruciating seconds ticked by.

  “Laz.”

  Laz’s legs gave out and he dropped to his knees upon hearing her voice. The anguish in that one word had him ready to rip the city apart to find her.

  “Journey,” he croaked, barely recognizing his own voice. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

  “No, but I’m…I’m…” Her voice broke and his heart split in two when she sobbed.

  “Aw, baby, don’t cry. I’m going to take care of this, and I promise I’m going to find you. Just know that I love you.” He heard her soft gasp and another sob. “I love you so damn much.”

  After a few sniffles, she said, “I love you, too.” Her voice sounded a little stronger as if trying to pull herself together. “Please…don’t do anything that will—”

  “Okay, you talked to her. Now get it done.”

  Laz leaped up. “Motherfucker, you have just made the biggest mistake of your life! You want to know how far my fucking reach is? Your ass will find out if anything happens to her!”

  “Twenty-four hours. You take care of Monsuli and your girl will be released unharmed. It’ll be a win-win for both you and me if you make this shit with Monsuli disappear. The only way to do that is if he’s dead.”

  When the line went dead, Laz picked up his empty whisky tumbler and hurled it across the room. “Nooo!” he roared as splinters of glass bounced off the pale wall, raining shards onto the carpet.

  How could this have happened?

  The full impact of knowing someone had Journey hit him like a two-by-four to the head. His chest tightened and he dropped onto the sofa, desperation clawing through him.

  Breathe. Just breathe.

  He sat for a few minutes, still feeling as if strong hands were wrapped around his neck and applying pressure. He needed answers. More importantly, he needed to find Journey.

  Think, Laz. Think.

  Whoever snatched her knew him. They also probably knew his history with Monsuli, and if they knew he’d been a cop, they had to know the type of shit he could inflict on people who got in his way. And more importantly, they knew he would crawl to the ends of the earth on his hands and knees for Journey.

  Twenty-four hours. I have twenty-four hours. I have to find her now.

  Heart pounding double time as fear and anger battled within him, Laz rubbed his hands up and down his jean-covered thighs. Hundreds of thoughts bombarded him at once as he tried to decide where to start.

  But before he could do anything, he needed to know who he was dealing with.

  He quickly dialed one of the tech guys at the station, hoping they could trace the call.

  “What’s up, man? You miss us yet?”

  “Hank, I need your help,” Laz said quickly without preamble while he grabbed his weapon, sticking it in the back of his waistband. “Are you at the station?”

  “Yeah,” he said cautiously.

  “Good. I need you to trace my last call.”

  “Laz, you do realize you don’t work here anymore, right? You don’t get to—”

  “Hank, all I need is for you to trace the call,” Laz said with a calm he didn’t feel. “That’s it. Two minutes and you should be able to pull up what I need.”

  “Laz, I would if I could,” he whispered into the phone. “But we’ve been given strict instructions not to—”

  “It’s a matter of life or death. Just do it!”

  After a slight hesitation, Hank spoke. “If it’s a matter of life or death, then it’s a police matter. You can’t be—”

  “Damn it, Hank! I don’t have time for this shit. Hell! Can you trace the call or not?”

  “I can’t. Ford gave strict orders once you left. No favors. Again, if this is a matter—”

  “Fuck it!” Laz yelled into the phone before disconnecting the call. “Damn it!”

  Barely holding on to his sanity, he held the phone with both hands in a death grip, willing himself not to throw it across the room. He couldn’t think straight. He could barely catch his breath with each inhale and exhale, feeling as if he was suffocating.

  I gotta keep it together. I’m no good to her if I lose it.

  He went back to pacing. He knew he could get Ashton’s help, but he needed someone with tech skills. Someone who could find out who that caller was and someone who could tap into the city’s cameras.

  He also needed someone to have his back when he hit the streets to search for her.

  Hell, he needed a team.

  We’re a family…we always have each other’s back. Malik Lewis’s words from weeks ago filtered into Laz’s mind. Saying the words and meaning them were two very different things, he thought.

  Time to find out if Supreme Security can back up those words.

  Since he didn’t know how to reach Malik directly, Laz dialed Hamilton’s number. The phone rang three times before his friend picked up.

  “Hello?” Hamilton answered, his voice thick with sleep.

  “Ham…” Laz started, but stopped when a sudden bout of emotion clogged his throat. Fear like he hadn’t experienced since losing Gwenn gripped him and squeezed, sucking the calm right out of him.

  Laz rubbed his chest, willing himself to speak, but he struggled to get air into his lungs.

  “Laz?” When Laz didn’t answer, Ham called out his name again, this time wi
th more urgency. “Laz, you there? Talk to me, man.”

  “Journey…” he swallowed. “Journey’s been kid—kidnapped. I need…I need your help.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Laz stood next to Cameron “Wiz” Miller, a computer genius who was part-owner of Supreme Security and was also a former Navy SEAL.

  Curious about the guy’s background, Laz looked forward to learning more about him, but right now he was just thankful Wiz was willing to help. They, along with Hamilton, Mason and Ashton, were in Wiz’s hotel suite watching as he tried hacking into the city’s street cameras.

  Laz had never felt so helpless in all of his life. He’d been barely able to speak in complete sentences when he called Hamilton. Being paralyzed with fear could do that to a person. But him? He would’ve never thought it possible, but it wasn’t every day you find out that the woman you love more than life has been kidnapped.

  “Laz?”

  Laz startled when a hand gripped his shoulder. He hadn’t even noticed that Hamilton had walked up to him, which let Laz know that he wasn’t on his game. Rarely did anyone get a chance to get that close without him knowing.

  “Have a seat,” Hamilton said, sliding one of the table chairs closer to where Wiz was sitting. “Sit.” He pointed to the seat when Laz didn’t move.

  Laz did as he was told. “I appreciate your help with all of this,” he said to Wiz.

  “No prob, man. You’re one of us now. This is what we do when our family is in trouble. I’m just glad I was still in town.” Wiz talked and typed, his fingers flying across the computer keyboard. He had tried tracing the number of the person who had called Laz, but apparently the guy used an untraceable burner phone. Which none of them was surprised about.

  “Yeah, I’m glad, too.”

  Wiz and a few more people who were a part of Supreme’s tech team had been in Atlanta for two days training the IT staff on how to use the company’s new intranet.

  “One thing you haven’t mentioned is what does this person want in exchange for the return of Journey?” Wiz asked over his shoulder.

  All eyes were on Laz. He’d told Hamilton about the brief conversation with the caller, and apparently Hamilton hadn’t shared it with the others.

  “We’re going to need to know everything, Laz, in order to help,” Ashton said. Laz had been hesitant to pull Ashton into this, not wanting to get him involved in any part that might turn illegal, but now he was glad his friend was there.

  Laz didn’t know Wiz or Mason all that well, but if Hamilton trusted them, he’d have to also…to a certain extent.

  He blew out an exhausted breath and propped his elbow on the table and then rubbed his forehead. He gave them an abbreviated version of the case against Monsuli and how the drug dealer’s new lawyers were contesting the verdict.

  “What does the caller want from you, Laz?” Mason asked patiently, clearly noticing how Laz had told them everything except answer the original question.

  “Let’s just say the less you know, the better.”

  He had twenty-two more hours to find Journey, assuming nothing had happened to her yet. That thought made him sick. Those assholes could be doing anything to her and he was sitting around hoping to get a break into who had taken her.

  Silence fell around the room, and even Wiz had stopped typing.

  “Trust me, you don’t want to know more,” Laz continued. “This situation is, um…murky. I will say this, though, I made a promise to Journey that I would walk the straight and narrow. Play everything by the book. I’m not going back on that vow.” At least not totally, he thought but didn’t say out loud.

  “That’s good to know,” Wiz mumbled while still typing.

  Laz had a feeling each guy in the room already knew that he’d break that promise in a heartbeat if necessary. Each of them, at one time or another, had probably made tough calls when it came to keeping their family safe or protecting them.

  And there wasn’t anything in the world Laz wouldn’t do to save Journey.

  “I have to find her before it’s too late,” he mumbled.

  Laz ran his hand down his face, fatigue and impatience getting the best of him. It was one o’clock in the morning, two hours since Journey’s kidnapper had made his demand.

  Sighing, he thought about the quick conversation he’d had with Journey earlier in the day. She had only given him five minutes to speak his piece, but it was then that he had promised to stay on the right side of the law.

  I have to keep that promise.

  He couldn’t dirty his hands by killing Monsuli himself.

  Instead, Laz had put in a few calls and cashed in some favors. Actually, he had cashed in a lot of favors, and probably would be indebted to a few people for years to come. All he knew was that he had to find Journey as soon as possible, just in case the situation with Monsuli didn’t work out the way the caller requested.

  “All right, here…” Wiz said. Laz was out of his seat and standing over the man’s shoulder before Wiz could finish his sentence. “Wait. Let me go back to just before the car pulled up to the curb.”

  Pulse pounding loudly in his ears, Laz and the others watched as the black town car parked on the side of the courthouse. He didn’t remember it being so dark on that side of the building and his gaze immediately went to the streetlights. Two were out, yet not the one closest to the car. No way that was a coincidence.

  Wiz typed something and the video on the screen showed a little clearer. “According to the time of this video, it looks like they picked her up a couple of hours before contacting you.”

  Laz cursed under his breath. Why the hell had she still been at work that time of night? He gripped the back of Wiz’s chair tighter as he watched Journey stroll out of the building and approached the driver.

  “Would be nice if we could hear what she’s saying to him,” Mason mumbled.

  Laz watched intently, wanting to keep his focus on the scene, hoping to spot anything that could help him find her. “She knows somethings not right,” he whispered more to himself than to anyone else, watching as she started digging around in her bag. “Good girl. She’s stalling. She knows he’s not who he’s claiming to…”

  A needle.

  Laz’s heart stopped.

  Then something inside of him snapped.

  “He is a dead man!” he roared and lunged at the computer before thinking.

  Wiz stood suddenly, effectively protecting the laptop while the other guys in the room grabbed hold of Laz, barely able to contain him. “He drugged her. That motherfucker drugged her! I am going to kill him! I will kill him!”

  Breathing hard, he jerked back and forth, struggling to get out of their hold, using everything within him to get them off of him.

  “Get the fuck off of me!”

  “Not until you calm the hell down!” Ashton ground out, now the only one holding Laz in a bear hug. At 6’4” and two-hundred-and-fifty pounds, he was bigger and stronger.

  “Laz, man. You gotta chill. We’re going to find her,” Hamilton said

  “Chill!” Laz thundered, finally shaking Ashton off of him and glaring at his best friend. “You want me to chill? Your ass would be ripping this damn city apart if that was Dakota! Hell, all of you would be tearing up some shit if that were your woman!”

  Pulse racing, his gaze went immediately to Wiz. According to Hamilton, Wiz had been through something similar a few years ago with his wife Olivia and her evil twin sister. Laz looked at the other men, knowing they’d be out of their minds and out for blood if either of them had to go through this.

  He huffed, his hands covering his face as he struggled to regain his composure. After a few minutes, he dropped his hands and faced the group.

  “Just because Journey doesn’t carry my last name doesn’t mean I wouldn’t burn this fucking city down to find her. I have to find her.”

  Wiz was the first one to move when he turned back to his computer and the tension in the room eased up. “I hear you, man
,” he said. “Let me see if I can tap into any other nearby cameras. Maybe we can get a license plate or something else that can help find this asshole. Oh, and when all of this is over, remind me to tell you about the tracking device I have on my wife.”

  Laz nodded, still feeling as if a boulder was sitting on his shoulders. He reclaimed his spot over Wiz’s shoulder, bracing himself to watch more of the video, feeling more anxious than ever to get answers.

  It took everything within him not to lose his shit as he watched her put up a good fight. That helpless feeling that Laz felt earlier slammed into him and his anger was on the brink of exploding again.

  He brought his fist to his mouth, trying like hell to stay calm. His other hand, gripping the back of Wiz’s chair, tightened as Journey kept fighting before she passed out.

  It took Laz a moment to find his words, but then he said, “Is there a way to go back and zoom in on the man? I know he’s wearing a cap, but if I can get a better look at his face, neck, anything… Maybe he has a tattoo or some other marks on him that can give me a clue to who he is or who he might run with.”

  Wiz took several still shots and they all studied the photo. Even with different angles, they didn’t get a good look at his face, but then Wiz ran the footage again.

  “There!”

  “Wait!”

  Laz and Ashton yelled at the same time.

  “Go back, go back and stop…right there.”

  “We know him,” Ashton said.

  “Yeah, that’s T-Bone. He used to run with the Disciple Kings,” Laz said absently, rubbing the scruff on his chin as he recalled his last dealings with the man’s crew. That was the gang Laz had gone after when he found Gwenn dead. Shortly after that, the crew had dismantled, but little by little, some of the members that weren’t dead or incarcerated were resurfacing.

  With his gaze still on the computer screen, Laz slowly backed away from the guys. “Wiz, you’re a lifesaver. I think I can take it from here, though.”

  “Not without me you’re not.” Ashton snatched up his jacket and was right behind him.

  “Laz,” Hamilton dragged out his name, a warning in his tone. “Don’t do anything you’re going to regret.”