by G. K. Parks
“Drop the weapon,” I snapped, and a serving spoon clattered to the ground.
The woman who had been banging against the water pipe turned her head and looked at me. “Alex?”
“Anika? Thank god.”
She blinked. Her eyes honed in on my gun. “No.” She shook her head. “That’s not my name. No. Please, no.” She scrambled as far back as she could.
“Hey, it’s okay.” I lowered the gun, realizing that she was handcuffed to the pipe. She had been trying to break through by beating on it, but it hadn’t worked. “I’m a federal agent. I’m going to get you out of here.” Scanning the room for signs of danger, I didn’t spot much of anything. It was just a dark empty void, like Tim’s soul. Removing a handcuff key from my inner pocket, I released the cuff. “Are you hurt? Who did this to you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.” Her arms showed signs of track marks, and her eyes were glassy.
“We’ll get you some help. Right now, we have to get out of here.” I scanned the room. Taking the tunnel back wouldn’t work. “Do you know where we are?”
She rubbed her eyes, sniffing and blinking. “Underground. A basement.” She blinked again, scanning the room as she tried to recall details. “I don’t know how I got down here. But sometimes he’ll bring food from there.” She pointed to the doorway that I just used. “And sometimes, it’s like he just appears out of thin air. He’s like a ghost. He moves through the walls.”
“Okay.” Waiting for the co-op to be cleared out might be our safest bet, but I wasn’t entirely sure where we were. Anika was anxious and rather distraught. Her breathing sounded harsh in the quiet. I crossed the room, noting several used needles in the trashcan. There were a few vials in the garbage, but they weren’t labeled. I checked my phone. I had no signal. So much for calling in the cavalry.
“How long have I been here?” she asked.
“Longer than you should have. It’s been a few weeks.” She hadn’t moved from her place on the cot, even though she was no longer cuffed to the pipe. “We searched for you, but we didn’t know you were still on the property. I’m sorry we didn’t find you sooner.”
“It’s okay.” She sounded dazed.
“Do you remember the last time Tim was here?”
She squinted. “It felt like a few minutes ago. I’m not sure.” She pointed to a cup on the floor. “He brought me that.”
I knelt down, finding an almost empty cup of cocoa. The cup was still warm, so it couldn’t have been that long. “Did you drink this?”
“Yeah.” She gasped a few times, trying to get enough air down her throat. “I didn’t have a choice.”
Finding a door painted the same color as the drab walls, I banged against it, realizing that the door pushed inward, not out. That would make it a tad harder to break down, especially since there was no knob or handle to use to open it. But if I could remove the hinges, we’d be in business. “Hand me that spoon.”
She lifted it off the ground, uncurled her legs, and stood up. Half a step later, she was on the floor. Dashing back to her, I checked her racing pulse. She was babbling about inner peace, but I didn’t think she was overdosing. It was the crap that Wilde fed his followers. He’d probably been dosing her with the same poison he’d used on me. Her symptoms were about the same, and she didn’t seem to have much control of her muscles. Her breath was labored, but from what I recalled, as long as she kept breathing, she’d be okay.
“Anika, hey, I need you to relax. You’re going to be okay. We’re going to get out of here.”
She stared at me. “Not… my… name.”
“What?”
She didn’t answer, and I knew it was because speaking was too difficult. Removing my weapon, I left her on the floor and estimated where the lock would be. The sound of gunfire would probably attract attention, but that didn’t matter. The raid would be commencing any minute. Plus, I was no longer afraid of attracting attention. Anika needed help, and Tim needed to pay for his sins.
After a couple of shots, the bullet worked its magic, and I pulled the door open. I was greeted by a dark, dusty staircase. Heading up the stairs, I kept my head on a swivel for signs of danger. I was halfway up the staircase when the lights came on.
Pressing against the banister, I aimed at the top of the stairs, unsure of what to expect. Maybe Decker had found us. Instead, I heard a meek, scared whisper coming from above.
“Hello? Is someone there?”
Edging closer to the voice, I wasn’t positive this wasn’t a trap. However, I didn’t expect to see Sarah peeking her head into the building. She looked frightened, like she didn’t want to get caught doing something she wasn’t allowed to. I moved up another two steps, keeping most of my body obscured while I checked the rest of the cavernous room for other signs of life.
“Alex?” she glanced around, following my gaze. “We’re not supposed to be in here. How did you get in? The door was locked.”
“Where are we?”
She furrowed her brow. “Don’t you know?” She gave me a concerned look, glancing behind her before stepping inside. “This is one of the buildings that Tim plans to renovate. We moved all the tables out of here today so he could move forward with a contractor. It’s a surprise. We aren’t supposed to see it yet. It’s off limits.” She took another few steps toward me, seeing the gun in my hand. “Oh my god,” she screamed.
“Shh,” I hissed, vaulting up the steps and putting my hand against her mouth, “be quiet. I won’t hurt you.”
“Why do you have a gun?” she stammered.
Not wasting time, I went to the door and eased it open. We were in the easternmost building, facing away from the main facility. From the silence outside, the DEA hadn’t breached yet. Or they were using stealth tactics. Reaching for my phone, I dialed Decker.
Decker didn’t answer. Hopefully, that meant he was keeping Wilde busy. In the meantime, I sent a 911 to Eckhardt with our location and Anika’s condition. “Sarah, I need your help. Come with me.” I pulled my badge from the inner pocket of my jacket. “Anika’s in trouble. Until my people get here, we need to make sure that she keeps breathing. Tim isn’t who you think he is.”
“You aren’t who I thought you were,” Sarah spat. “I trusted you. I thought we were friends. What does the government want with the church? We’re a peaceful people. Tim’s all about enlightenment and inner peace. What are you doing here?”
“We are friends.” I didn’t have time for this. She stormed toward the door, trying to push past me, but I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back inside. “Trust me when I tell you that you’re much safer in here, at least for the next few minutes.”
“Why? What have you done?”
Before I could answer, another clank sounded from the room beneath us. I needed to check on Anika. But I couldn’t leave Sarah unattended, or she’d run straight to Tim. “Come with me. I found Anika. She never left. She’s hurt.” Sarah didn’t look like she was willing to budge, so I added, “Please.”
She huffed at the inconvenience and utter betrayal, but I pushed her ahead of me down the stairs. “Anika,” Sarah said, searching my eyes, “how?”
“Tim lied,” I said, crouching down next to Anika. “He’s been drugging her and keeping her prisoner.”
Anika’s eyes went wide, and she tried desperately to pull herself off the floor. I sensed her fear and turned just as Sarah tried to jab one of the needles into my neck. I deflected her arm, knocking the syringe to the ground. Without hesitating, she ran for the tunnel entrance and disappeared.
“Shit.” I couldn’t leave Anika helpless on the ground, but I couldn’t let Sarah get away either. “Dammit.” My gaze went from one doorway to the other, hoping that help would arrive. After what felt like an eternity, Decker appeared at the tunnel entrance.
“Alex?”
“We could use some help here.” I moved over as he came up beside me. “Did you see Sarah? She’s working with Tim.”
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He shook his head, feeling for a pulse. “We just breached the compound. Medical teams are beyond the perimeter.” He lifted her off the ground. “Let’s get out of here.”
“What about Tim?”
“When I left him, he was en route to determine the cause of the commotion. Matt should have him in custody by now.”
“Okay. Get her to safety. I’m going back for Sarah.”
“Be careful.”
Racing toward the tunnels, I had no idea where Sarah might have gone or where any of the paths led. The tunnels branched out in several directions. She could be anywhere. Following the string of lights, I moved to the right. If Decker hadn’t run into her, I had to assume she detoured elsewhere. Guessing she flipped on the lights as she went, I continued down the lighted paths with my nine millimeter leading the way. Several alcoves were carved into the tunnel, leading to small underground rooms.
I leaned around the corner, checking the third alcove. So far, I’d seen bricks of cocaine, bags of herbs, and a lot of cash. I didn’t know what else was down here, but that was the DEA’s problem. A rustling sound caught my attention, and I bypassed the next opening, heading up another slope. Sarah was inside the next room, scraping against the wall in search of a hidden doorway.
“Stop right there,” I ordered. “Turn around and put your hands on your head. Slowly.”
She glanced at me over her shoulder. “Does Jace know the truth?”
I snorted. “You’ll find out soon enough. On your knees.”
She sneered. “That bastard. Tim wanted to share all of this with that ungrateful asshole. I told him to be careful. That we didn’t know anything about Jace, but he swore that I was paranoid. It looks like I was right.” She slapped her palm against a panel on the wall and pushed against the doorway with all her might. A beep sounded twice, and before I could tell if she had gotten the door open, a blast launched me into the air. My body collided with the tunnel wall. I heard a loud crack, and then I was covered in rubble.
Thirty-eight
That bitch set off a failsafe that collapsed part of the tunnel. I imagined that she had the door open. If not, she just killed herself. The constant shaking and rumbling made me wonder how many other charges were placed throughout the underground labyrinth. Clawing through the dirt and rock, I moved toward the dust mote that floated a few feet from my face. I could see light and refused to acknowledge the obvious fact that I might be trapped. That wasn’t an option.
The ground vibrated, and I feared the buildings above the tunnels would succumb to the collapse as well. It was difficult to hear anything over the ringing in my ears, but I thought I heard shouting from somewhere above me. Filled with renewed hope, I poked my head through a break in the debris. Pulling myself forward, I army crawled out of the dusty mess. My leg snagged on something, but I ignored it and kept going.
Two tactical rifles appeared in my face, but Eckhardt called them off before I had to open my mouth. I nodded my thanks to Matt. Getting up, I hissed, feeling a small piece of broken rebar protruding from my thigh. Before I said anything, one of the men wrapped it tightly.
“Where’s Decker?” I asked.
“He isn’t with you?” Eckhardt sounded surprised.
I shook my head. “We split up. He took Anika to safety, but we had another bogey. She’s one of Tim’s followers. She set off the explosion. Her name’s Sarah. Blonde. Mid-forties. She must have had an escape route. I don’t know where the tunnels lead, but we need people covering all of the buildings on this property. She was trying to get inside one of them when the blast went off. She either escaped, or she’s buried back there.”
“We’re on it,” Eckhardt assured.
I looked back at the partially collapsed tunnel. “I need a radio.” Taking one from the nearest tac member, I glanced at the men. “Is Wilde in custody?”
“No. We haven’t located him either,” Eckhardt looked concerned. “Where the hell are you going?”
“To make sure Jace didn’t do something stupid.”
“Like you’re about to do?” Eckhardt challenged, and I gave him a shrug. “You heard Agent Parker,” he barked, tossing a flashlight in my direction and tugging on the collar of his vest. “We have another suspect. Sarah, blonde, mid-forties. Find her and detain her.” He waited for them to troop past, toward the collapsed portion of the tunnel. “I’m with you.”
Nodding, I headed back into the main tunnel. The light beam bounced off the walls. The string lights had gone out with the blast, but we were able to maneuver or crawl through parts of the opening. Hitting the radio, I requested an update on Anika and a location for Decker.
Decker had carried a woman out of the compound. She was with the medical team now, but he had gone back inside. The last anyone knew, he was headed for the main building.
The passageway back to the main building had completely caved in. There wasn’t even a tunnel left. Praying that Decker wasn’t beneath the thousands of pounds of dirt, I let my light bounce off the rightmost path that I had declined to explore earlier.
The radio chirped, and I froze, listening to a message that a woman matching Sarah’s description just surfaced in the southernmost building. She was being detained, along with the rest of the Perpetual Lighters. Eckhardt radioed back an affirmative, followed by a request for confirmation that Timothy Wilde was in custody.
“Negative,” the disembodied voice answered. “We’re still sweeping the buildings.”
A few drops of blood were in the center of the path, and a few feet later, there were another few drops. Someone was injured and moving this way. I held the flashlight beneath my nine millimeter, running down the tunnel’s path as more rumbling echoed through the dirt walls.
Coming upon another split, I saw a light down the left path. Decker turned at my approach and let out a sigh of relief. “You’re okay?” he asked.
“Yep.” I focused on the end of the tunnel. “Where’s Tim?”
Decker ground his teeth, his grip tight on his firearm. “Hiding like the pathetic rat he is.” He turned the focus of his light skyward, making hand gestures so I could see them. There was another opening ahead, and Tim had ducked inside. “Above ground is covered. This is the only way out.” He pointed to the blood specks on the floor. “We had an altercation, but he got past me. I should have shot the asshole. I tracked him here, but the tunnels started caving in. He said if I got any closer, he’d make sure the entire facility collapsed into the ground. I think he’s bluffing, but I’m not positive.”
“Sarah detonated the first explosive.”
“Sarah?”
I nodded. “Your team has her in custody. We just need this asshole.” I jerked my chin toward the opening. “Any ideas?”
Decker narrowed his eyes, staring at the space ahead of us. “I don’t believe he’s suicidal. He’s too narcissistic for that, but this is a no win situation for him. He might do it.” He took the radio from my hand, asking for orders on how to proceed.
The DEA wasn’t sending anyone else into booby-trapped tunnels. As it was, they were evacuating the grounds in case the earth had been destabilized by the explosions. We were instructed to pull out as soon as possible, which was probably part of Tim’s plan. He figured he’d bluff his way out of this and disappear into another hidden tunnel.
“Jace,” Eckhardt said, stepping between us, “you know this man. You’ve done the research and put in the time.” He put a reassuring hand on Decker’s shoulder. “What’s the play? Can we take him alive?”
Decker rubbed the back of his hand over his mouth. “Yeah. We can. Alex, his mind has been so focused on manipulating you, I think if you speak to him, it will be just enough of a distraction for us to take him.”
“Fine,” I agreed. “Is he armed?”
“I don’t believe so,” Decker said.
I took a few steps forward. “For what it’s worth, you didn’t suck as a partner.”
He smirked. “That’s not funny.”
&nb
sp; “Sure, it is.” Winking, I moved toward the opening. “Tim? Hey, Tim. It’s Alex.” I turned my head, making sure Decker was edging along the wall toward the room with Eckhardt behind him. “I’m having some issues right now. I think you might be too. Maybe we should talk them out. Isn’t that what reaching enlightenment and inner peace is all about?”
I didn’t get a response, so I continued my approach. When I made it to the doorway, I assessed the situation. Tim was in the middle of the room, scanning the walls for some unforeseen escape route. Something was in his hand. It looked like a television remote, and I wasn’t certain that it wasn’t. He didn’t have any visible weapons, so I made a show of holding up my hands and holstering my gun. I left the flashlight on, placing it on the floor near the doorway, making certain that the light bounced toward the left wall. Cautiously, I entered, moving so Tim would have to turn away from the door to face me.
“Are we still going to the bank tomorrow?” I asked.
He just stared in utter disbelief for a long moment. “You did this. You and Jace. You did this.”
“No,” I shook my head, “I didn’t do anything. I have nothing to do with this. I’m just here to help. I was sent here to help. Isn’t that what this entire place is about?”
He stared, as if I were off my rocker. “Don’t twist this around. This place helped a lot of people. You can’t deny that.” But I saw the darkness in his eyes. He knew it was all a front. A bogus lie that he used to prey on victims. He moved closer to me. His free hand moved toward his pocket. In the shadows, it was hard to see movement, but the moment he pulled a blade, Decker grabbed him from behind and forced him to drop it. However, neither of us could pry the detonator from his other hand, and another whoosh of hot air exploded from the side wall. The blast launched us across the room and into the wall.
