Nathan clamped his left hand on Quinn’s shoulder and squeezed until Quinn winced. “It was none of your business.”
“Yeah, sure,” Quinn said, “take it easy.”
After he ordered his coffee, Quinn asked, “So what’s got you so pissed today?”
“Jax Odom.”
“Who?”
“A street dealer,” Nathan explained. “works the tri-corner hood. Or he did until he involved kids. Now we’re going to put him out of business.”
The barista handed Quinn a steaming cup which he blew on before taking a sip. “Seems more like a vice matter to me.”
Pushing the door open, Nathan glanced back at him. “It’s personal.”
Quinn followed him out into the cold morning air. His cruiser parked next to the curb, he headed around to the driver’s side. “This have anything to do with where you found the Juarez kid?”
Nathan stared at him over the roof of the car. “Yeah,” Quinn said, “I heard about that too.”
“Get in the car, Rook.” Nathan opened the door and lowered into the passenger seat. A moment later, Quinn slid in behind the wheel.
“So finding this punk has nothing to do with you trying to get in the good graces of the mom?”
Nathan frowned. “My relationship has nothing to do with this.”
“Oh, it’s a relationship now?”
Nathan rumbled deep in his throat. “Drive,” he ordered. Quinn pulled out into traffic as Nathan said, “This is about Jax bringing kids into the drug trade on my streets. Nothing more.”
“And if we find him, then what?” Quinn asked, “What are you going to do?”
After a long moment, Nathan answered, “Use your imagination.”
They arrived in Flatbush as the noonday sun peeked through the grey clouds. Nathan took it as a good omen.
The neighborhood, situated one mile outside the wall, had never been prosperous. Dotted by shuttered factories, boarded-up homes, and burned out cars, it more resembled a war zone in a foreign land than an American city. Many speculated city council placed the wall where they did to exclude Flatbush—giving up lucrative real estate farther out to be free of its blight.
Nathan shook his head at the surroundings as he climbed out of the car. Close by, a Blue Jay made its distinctive rusty pump call. Further away, the tap-tap-tap of a woodpecker carried to them on the still air.
“This the place?” Quinn asked.
Nathan unholstered his Glock and checked to see the safety was off. Keeping it in his right hand, he looked across the street at a beige clapboard one story home. The siding was falling off in places, and the front porch was missing a section of railing. “Tip has Odom holed up inside,” Nathan said, “I’m going in the front, you go around back in case he rabbits.”
Quinn checked his own piece and adjusted his kavendium body armor. “How do we know he’s alone in there?”
As he crossed the street, Nathan looked back and said, “Only one way to find out.”
Quinn hurried after him. In a hushed whisper he said, “I don’t like this. We’re going in blind on the word of a junkie.”
Nathan reached the curb and pressed his back against a gnarled oak tree. The knobby bark stuck him between the ribs. “Man up, Rook. This is the job.”
Nathan hung a lanyard around his neck and let his shield dangle over his chest. He tightened the straps on his kavendium armor and grabbed Quinn by the arm to shove him forward. With a withering look, he ordered him around back.
Nathan crossed the debris strewn front lawn, noticing a broken tricycle and lawn mower amongst the tall weeds. His foot touched the bottom step of the porch, and the wood cracked. The noise shattered the quiet.
He reached the front door and pressed his back against the wall right next to it. With a deep breath, he stepped in front of the rotted wooden door and drove a well-placed kick against the plank next to the knob. The door splintered on contact and fell open, hanging half off its hinges.
Nathan rushed into the house, his gun held up in a shooter’s stance. Dust motes swirled in the air in front of him as he went room-to-room clearing the space. Off to his left, he heard a crash followed by running footsteps. He ran after them and caught up to his target in a back bedroom as they attempted to climb out the window.
“Freeze!” Nathan shouted.
The man froze with one leg dangling out the window and the rest of him on a worn mattress. “Going somewhere, Odom?” Nathan asked.
Odom looked to the floor and exhaled. “Shit man,” he said, “Thought you was the cops. The fuck you busting my door down for?”
“Get your ass back in here.”
Quinn appeared behind Nathan, his gun drawn and aimed at Odom. “You got him?” Nathan asked.
“Yeah,” Quinn said. Nathan holstered his weapon and moved toward Odom. His leg no longer outside the window, Odom stepped off the bed into Nathan’s grip. Grabbing him by the shirt, Nathan tossed him into a chest of drawers.
Odom complained, but Nathan silenced him with a look. He locked his arm around Odom’s neck and dragged him out of the room. They moved down the hall toward the bathroom where Nathan pushed him to the floor. Odom’s head bounced off the toilet bowl, and he groaned in protest.
With Quinn standing guard at the door, Nathan stalked the floor of the tiny room. “I had one rule, Jax.” Nathan kicked him in the stomach. “What was my one rule?”
Odom gasped for air and received another kick to the stomach for his efforts. He curled up in a defensive position, pulling his knees up to his chin. “What was the fucking rule, Jax?” Nathan asked again. “Even a dumbass like yourself can remember one rule.”
Odom wheezed through spasms of pain. “No…kids.”
Nathan smiled at a shocked Quinn. He clamped a hand on the back of Odom’s neck and lifted him off the tile. Placing his forearm under Odom’s chin, Nathan pinned him to the wall. “You knew the rule, yet what did you do?”
Odom’s feet kicked at air as he tried to gain purchase and relieve the pressure on his throat. “What did you do?” Nathan hollered.
“Let him down, Miller,” Quinn said with urgency, “He can’t breathe.”
Nathan released him, and Odom collapsed to the floor at his feet. He coughed and shuddered as air filled his lungs. Once able to speak, Odom said, “The kid came to me. He wanted a job. What was I supposed to do?”
Nathan snarled. He grabbed Odom by his hair and pulled him over to the toilet. Letting go, he placed his foot against the back of Odom’s neck and pushed him against the bowl, chipping his teeth. Odom flailed his limbs but couldn’t break the hold.
“Get over here, Rook,” Nathan said, “Time to take a piss.”
Both Quinn and Odom’s eyes widened at the suggestion. Odom struggled harder, and Nathan increased the pressure. “You want me to do what?” Quinn asked.
“Take a piss,” Nathan said, “Or you can hold him if you like?”
Footsteps thundered through the house shaking the thin walls. Nathan released Odom and drew his weapon as Quinn moved away from the doorway. The hallway filled with police all shouting and pointing guns in their direction. Quinn raised his hands, and Nathan slowly lowered his gun.
“What the fuck is this?” Nathan asked. “We’re detectives. Get those fucking guns out of my face.”
“Do as he says.”
Nathan stiffened upon hearing the familiar voice. Omar Singh stepped into the bathroom and looked around. Nathan growled. “What are you doing here?”
Singh turned to him and said, “I could ask you the same thing. I happened to be in the area when I heard the call for backup. Your partner’s call, I’m guessing.”
Nathan’s eyes slid from Singh to Quinn, who avoided his gaze.
Singh reached down and lifted Odom to his feet. “What do we have here? I’m sure Vice will find enough on premises to warrant charges.” Singh snapped his fingers and two cops stepped forward to take custody of Od
om. “Take him to the clubhouse.” He stared at Nathan and said, “I can imagine what he’ll have to say.”
Nathan stood rooted to the spot. Irate, he watched him Singh turn on his heel and follow a bound Odom out of the room. Nathan turned his attention to Quinn. His jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists, Nathan asked, “You called for backup?”
Quinn shrugged. “I didn’t know what we were walking into.”
Nathan threw a shoulder into Quinn as he stormed past. “You’ve done it this time, Rook. Imagine what we’re walking into now.”
23
Light bled from the sky as another day gave way to the encroaching darkness.
Seated behind the wheel of her AE4 Sedan, Alexis watched the house three doors down. Leaning forward, she touched the speaker in her ear and spoke to Elise, “We’ve got movement.”
“Well, it’s about time,” Elise said in her ear. “I was beginning to think Wurth was dead in there.” Through the twilight gloom, Alexis watched Eli Wurth lock his door and hobble down to the street.
“You have eyes on him?” Alexis asked. Her gaze drifted to the sky. Somewhere up there, a drone peered back.
“I’ve got him,” Elise said. “Looks like wherever he’s going, he’s walking. Can’t be too far.”
Alexis drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “If you had to guess,” she asked, “how long?”
“No way of knowing,” Elise answered. “Could be an hour—could be five minutes. Why?”
Alexis continued drumming on the wheel without answering. At last, she opened the car door and jumped out.
“Where are you going?” Elise asked in her ear.
Touching the speaker again, Alexis said, “Keep your eyes on Wurth.”
“What are you doing, Lexi?”
Alexis hurried across the street and jogged toward the clapboard white house. “Four days is long enough.” She said, “I’m tired of waiting. I need to know if Wurth has the ledger, or if we’re wasting our time.”
“He could be back any minute!” Elise screamed in her ear. “Lexi, get back to the car.”
Alexis ran around the side of Wurth’s house, headed for the backyard. She placed one foot on top of an aluminum garbage can and lifted herself up and over his fence. She landed on the other side in near pitch-black shadows.
“It’s my reputation they’ve ruined, Elise,” Alexis said, “This could be my only chance to get inside Wurth’s house. Follow him and tell me when he’s coming back.” She knelt before the back door and retrieved a lock pick set from her bag.
“I don’t like this,” Elise said.
“I won’t be long—in and out,” Alexis said, “Just don’t lose Wurth.” She placed a penlight between her teeth and inserted a long metal pick into the lock. She took a steadying breath and set about moving the tumblers within the lock. In no time at all, she heard the satisfying click as the lock disengaged.
She dropped the light from her teeth and pocketed the lock pick set. A quick turn of the knob and she stood inside Wurth’s home. Taking a moment for her eyes to adjust, she gathered the lay of the land.
She stood in his kitchen facing a long hallway that led to the front of the house. At the back end of the hallway, a staircase went to the second floor. Deciding her best bet of finding the book would be upstairs in an office or bedroom, she hurried for the stairs.
At the top of the landing, a cat leapt in front of her with a heart stopping meow. She stumbled backward and clutched at her chest as her heart thudded against her ribcage. After a moment, she calmed down and continued her search.
With the penlight pointed toward the floor, she swept the hallway. She used her left foot to push open a bedroom door before she crossed the hall and pushed open the door to an office. Her eyes twinkled.
She ducked inside and surveyed the room. Like the rest of the house, it was a mess. Papers and boxes were strewn about covering the desk surface and most of the floor. Aware of the time, she touched her ear and asked, “How am I doing?”
“He’s at the store,” Elise answered, “Get out of there.”
Being careful where she stepped, Alexis said, “Tell me when he leaves.”
“I don’t have eyes on while he’s inside, Lexi,” Elise said, panic creeping into her voice. “This is too risky.”
Alexis ignored her assistant’s pleas and set about trying to find where a safe might be kept. If he has the ledger, he’d keep it locked away somewhere safe. But he wouldn’t trust a bank—given a bank couldn’t protect it from him. He’d keep it close. But where?
She moved toward the book case and scanned the titles stacked spine out. Gold lettering on a hardback caught her attention. Steganography? Alexis lifted the book and caused two others to fall to the floor. The dull thud sounded loud in her ears. She stood still for a moment while silence reclaimed the house. Flipping through the book, she read about concealing messages within other messages and the usage of invisible inks.
Alexis replaced the book on the shelf and bent to retrieve the two that fell. Lifting them from the floor she noticed the row of books along the bottom shelf. Cozy mystery paperbacks filled the row and made Alexis do a double take. As she rose, she noticed a floorboard out of place behind the desk. Shelving the books, she hurried over to it. Behind the desk though, nothing looked out of place.
Alexis returned to the bookcase and saw the floorboard amiss again. She noted its placement and rushed back. Placing the penlight between her teeth, Alexis dropped to her knees and felt along the floor. Her fingers found the disguised seam and pulled the board loose.
“Lexi!” Elise’s loud voice in her ear caused her to jump and crack the back of her skull on the underside of the desk. “Get out of there!” Elise said with urgency. “He must have exited the store out the back. I didn’t see him leave. He’s almost home!”
Alexis shone her light into the space beneath the floorboards and caught the glint of a metal safe. With no time to further explore, she replaced the floorboard and hurried for the door. As she reached the open door, she heard the front door downstairs open and close.
“Lexi!”
She ducked back into the office and silenced Elise’s cries in her ear. Pressing her back up against the wall behind the door, she held her breath and waited to see if Wurth would discover her.
In the silence of the house, she could hear him walking around downstairs and thought about sneaking down the staircase if he settled in the front room. Not knowing what floorboards might creak though, still made it a risk.
From her hiding spot, she heard him climbing the stairs. She wished she had a weapon. His steps stopped in the hallway outside the office. Alexis closed her eyes a moment and willed herself to stay still.
He stood there for a long time, inciting her imagination to dreadful outcomes. At last, he moved away, and she breathed a sigh of relief. A minute later, she heard running water in the shower. She waited a full two minutes before chancing to move.
Alexis ducked her head out into the hall and saw it empty. She ran for the staircase. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she turned and sprinted for the front of the house.
Once outside, she hurried to her car leaving the speaker in her ear off, not chancing a single look back.
24
Nathan clutched the device in the palm of his right hand. He took one final look around, then ducked unseen into the interrogation room. His sudden appearance caused Jax Odom to flinch behind the scarred table. Nathan watched him struggle to keep distance between them. The cuff on Odom’s wrist clinked against the steel bar and kept him close.
“What’s the matter, Jax?” Nathan asked, “Not happy to see me?”
Odom’s eyes drifted to the mounted scanner in the back corner of the room. “What are you doing in here?”
Nathan followed his gaze to the scanner. “Don’t worry, shithead.” He showed him the round device in his hand. “This little jammer will keep our conversation nice and p
rivate.”
Odom shifted on the uncomfortable wooden chair. His eyes darted around the room. “You got to get me out of here.”
Nathan shook his head. “Not going to happen. Vice found more than enough shit at your place to put you away for a long time.”
Odom hardened his voice. “You think I’ll go down alone?”
Nathan slammed his hands down on the table. The noise made Odom jump in his seat. “That’s the kind of thing you don’t want to say. You’re going to keep your fucking mouth shut.”
Sweat trickled down Odom’s cheek despite the cool temperature of the room. “Get me out of here.”
Nathan stared at him for a long moment. When he pushed off the table, he yanked Odom’s wrist chain and pulled him forward. With his left hand, Nathan slammed Odom’s head against the table. He kept his hand on top of his head and pressed down.
“You listen to me,” Nathan said, “Whatever you think you know, whatever you think you have, you’ve got nothing. You want to live, you know nothing. Believe me, there is nowhere they can stick you where we won’t find you.”
Nathan let him go with another shove. Odom straightened back up in the chair and stared defiantly at Nathan. “I’m not going down for this. You led them to my place—so you’re going to fix this.”
Nathan slammed his hands against the table. “You little shit. You think you can threaten me?”
Odom thrust his chin out. “You wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t. If need be, I’ll take my chances in prison.” He cocked an eyebrow and asked, “You willing to do the same?”
The veins on Nathan’s neck stood out as he ground his teeth together. The jammer concealed in his palm beeped—his time near up. Someone will come by soon to see what happened to the feed. He curled his top lip when he spoke. “Don’t say a fucking word about me, and I’ll get you out of here.”
Odom grinned, and the sight made Nathan want to pound his smug face into the table. “You have twenty-four hours,” Odom said, “after that, you take your chances.”
“Not long enough,” Nathan said, “I need at least forty-eight hours.”
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