Web of Shadows

by Susan Sleeman

  Light flooded out of a small doorway.

  He ducked and backed in, his gun coming up again. “Okay, step inside. Slowly. No false moves, or I’ll turn and kill Tyler.”

  She entered, and Fagan backed down a set of rickety wooden stairs. She caught sight of Ty across the small space. His eyes, terrified and red as if he’d been crying, met hers in a silent plea for help. Both arms were still shackled by chains to the wall. His feet were bound, and a rag much like hers was wedged in his mouth and circled his head.

  “Over there,” Fagan said. “Across the room, by the kid.”

  She stepped down and wished she could offer Ty comforting words.

  “Sit,” Fagan commanded. “To the kid’s left.”

  She gestured with her hands to show him she couldn’t manage to sit without the use of her arms.

  “Really?” he said, sounding incredulous. “You expect me to feel sorry for you and keep you from getting a boo-boo? I don’t think so.” He shoved her to the damp, cold floor.

  Pain shot up her back. When she righted herself, she checked out Ty for injuries. She gently nudged him with her shoulder and tried to send him a “hang in there” message with her gaze. Next, she searched the length of the room. A tunnel led off to the side, but a rockslide of large boulders filled it. Worn lumber leaned against the wall across from her. A solid wall of stone stood by the door and behind them. There seemed to be only one exit, and Fagan was guarding it.

  “Looking to escape.” He waved his gun at her. “Give it up. There’s only one way out, and I’m not letting you get to the door.” He shoved the gun in his belt and dug out a key. He released Ty’s hand closest to her.

  Next, he went to a roughly hewn table and withdrew a long knife from a sheath. He came toward her. She scrambled backward, her arms connecting with the wall. Ty reached out for her and pulled her into a protective hold as he whimpered behind his gag.

  “Let go of her, Tyler. I’m only going to cut her wrists free.”

  Ty complied, and Fagan jerked her forward. He yanked the cable tie, the rough edge cutting her arm as he sliced the tie apart. “If I’d thought I’d have two guests, I would have been better prepared. But this will have to do.”

  He grabbed her left hand and snapped it into the shackle that had held Ty’s wrist. “You can thank Ty here for your visit. I was perfectly content setting you up to take the fall for the hack and Hamid’s murder. Then DHS fixed the vulnerability and I couldn’t sell the hack. But I think Ty can get in again, only the little punk is refusing to work. So, I need you to motivate him.”

  Her heart soared at his admission of framing her. She hoped Becca was successful in recording the conversation.

  He picked up a laptop from the table, removed Ty’s gag, and backhanded him. The boy’s head snapped back and slammed into the wall. “You will refrain from screaming for help like a little girl while we work on this hack together.” He handed the laptop to Ty and lowered his body between them, then pressed his gun against Nina’s temple.

  “Enough of your time wasting,” he said to Ty. “Get on this computer and fix the hack, or I’ll kill her.”

  “But I don’t know if I can do it again. At least not before your deadline.”

  Fagan glared at Ty. “If you don’t have a way into the database by then, you both die. Here, where no one will ever find you.”

  Nina gasped at the finality in his tone, bringing Fagan’s attention her way.

  He watched her intently, a smile curling his lips behind the thick beard. “Relax and enjoy my little lair. It’s about the size of a prison cell. Take the time to get used to it so the transition to a life behind bars will be easier. That is, if Ty does his work and you live long enough to experience it.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  QUINN COULDN’T come racing down the road, but he wanted to. Instead, he pulled a hat over his head, shouldered his bag of gear that he’d picked up at the houseboat on the way, and followed Nina’s last GPS signal on foot until he reached a hotel named the Diamond. Quinn recognized the hotel’s name. The hack Becca investigated had come from there, and Nina’s signal registered just beyond the building.

  If Nina was there, Fagan was there, too. But if he was, he’d been crafty enough to hide from very capable agents. So how in the world was Quinn to go about finding him?

  He sensed someone approaching from behind and spun to find Becca.

  “You shouldn’t be here.” She scowled at him. “Come inside before you ruin our whole operation.”

  She led him through the coffee shop to a back storage room where an FBI analyst he recognized from his time in the office sat at a table, a laptop in front of her. Jae, Quinn remembered. Connor stood to the side, talking on his phone. Neither looked at him. A cell phone with wires running to the computer lay on the table next to Jae. She and Connor had earpieces in and several more lay on the table.

  Quinn grabbed Becca’s arm. “This is your whole team? How on earth do you plan to get Nina back with just the three of you?” His voice came out like a frantic child’s. He was usually so cool and calculating on his ops. But this was different—this was Nina. His Nina.

  “Fagan told Nina to come alone. She didn’t want a police presence to spook him. So, we’re covert for now.” Becca picked up an earpiece and handed it to him. “Nina hid her phone. It’s connected to us on an open line. We can hear and record everything said in the tunnel.”

  His mouth dropping open, Quinn stared at Becca for a moment. “A phone? That’s your grand plan to communicate with her? Fagan could find it and end the call.”

  “We would have liked time to set up a more inconspicuous wire and make a better plan, but he gave Nina thirty minutes to comply before he killed Ty. She wouldn’t agree to wait and threw out the cell phone idea. She may or may not be in possession of your mini revolver. It depends on how thoroughly Fagan searched her.”

  He hadn’t even noticed it was missing from his bag. “Why didn’t you stop her?”

  Becca looked mad. “We couldn’t get here on time, and you know Nina. She loves your brother. She’d do anything to help him. No one would stand in her way, even you, I dare say.”

  Quinn suspected Becca was right. Nina had a heart as big as Texas. He couldn’t fault her for caring enough to try to save Ty, but now, two people he loved were in danger and he didn’t know how to help them. He didn’t like the feeling.

  Connor disconnected and stepped across the room. He was frowning.

  “What’s wrong?” Quinn asked.

  “Our interest in Fagan made our detectives go back through their records.”

  “And?” Quinn said, to move the guy along.

  “The neighbors said his parents had lived in their house for the last forty years, so the detectives didn’t search for other residences. But they found a cabin. They just searched the area.” He ran a hand over his hair. “You won’t like this, but they located his parents. A bullet through their heads. They’d been brutally tortured first.”

  “And now Fagan has Nina and Ty,” Becca said.

  Quinn wasn’t going there. “His parents had no one to help them. Ty and Nina have us. We need to get moving.”

  “Got the building’s blueprints, Detective Warren,” Jae called out.

  Connor moved to the table. Quinn followed, as did Becca. Schematics for the hotel showing a sub-basement level were displayed on the screen.

  “That must be the tunnel, since the manager knew nothing about a basement,” Connor said.

  Jae tapped the wall by the restaurant next door. “Best I can tell, they entered the tunnel here.” She moved her finger to the next wall, then ran it along the map. “It leads north. We might be able to access it here.”

  Connor shook his head. “Fagan said there was only one way out.”

  “He might be lying
to make Nina think she can’t escape,” Becca offered.

  Quinn scanned the diagram, as did everyone else, his mind racing over the possibilities. He’d rescued hostages in impossible situations before. He certainly had the skills to help Nina.

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Quinn didn’t wait for anyone’s agreement, but took off to check it out.

  THE ATMOSPHERE in Fagan’s hidey-hole had deteriorated even more. Nina could feel the pressure mounting. Fagan had released Ty’s other arm so he could work faster, and the boy was frantically trying to find his way into the database. Time passed. Tick, tick, tick, she felt it move as if a clock was sitting next to her. The deadline was fast approaching. Yet, she kept her panic at bay for Ty’s sake.

  The warmth of the phone against her chest gave her some comfort. If it was emitting heat, her call was still connected to Becca. She really needed to get Fagan to remove her gag so she could provide Becca with details about the space, but when she tried to take it off with her free hand, he’d slapped it down.

  His phone chimed from the table, and he got up to check it. With his focus on his phone, she used her free hand to pull her shirt up. Her fingers slipped around the cool grip of the mini revolver. She carefully lifted it from the holster. Inch, by painstaking inch, she withdrew it, then secured it under her leg. She looked up to catch Ty watching her. He opened his mouth to speak. She held a finger up to her mouth to silence him.

  “That was my buyer.” Fagan glared at Ty. “He’s not happy that you haven’t finished your job yet. Maybe you need more motivation.”

  He grabbed the knife from the table and knelt next to Nina. He ran the backside of the cool blade across her throat, then down her cleavage. His cold eyes pinned hers. “If I take your gag off, will you tell him to work harder? Before I have to start cutting you?”

  Though she had no intention of pleading with Ty, she nodded.

  He sliced through the cloth, the point of the blade pricking her skin, but she didn’t cry out. She cleared her throat and swallowed hard, trying to fill her mouth with enough saliva to speak.

  “Ty’s waiting for your encouragement.” With a quick flick of his knife, Fagan sliced the top button from her blouse.

  His knife was now only inches from her phone.

  “Go back to work, Ty.” Nina’s words were muffled as her dry lips caught on her teeth.

  He continued to stare at her, his eyes wide with shock.

  “Now,” she yelled so he didn’t see whatever sick plan Fagan had cooked up for her.

  He turned back to his computer. Nina waited for Fagan to withdraw his knife, but he let the blade rest on her breasts.

  “I’ll leave this here for motivation for you, Ty.” He turned his sick gaze on Ty. “I don’t need a reason to want to hurt her, but I will if you give me one.”

  QUINN HELD HIS breath as he silently climbed through rubble blocking the tunnel leading to Nina. He still wore his earpiece and Fagan’s threats came in loud and clear. It didn’t take long to realize this entrance was impenetrable and not a means of escape. He heard the faint sounds of voices, which meant he was close enough to deploy his tactical snake camera that he’d looped over his shoulder.

  He slowly eased out the cable, winding it through the rocks until he could see inside. He maneuvered the camera around, winding it into the deeper section of the tunnel to find Nina. She sat on the floor next to Fagan. Ty was on Fagan’s other side.

  Quinn zoomed in the camera and caught his first glimpse of Fagan. He had a thick beard with scars crawling out of it. He must have suffered from whatever had left those marks. Could have made him crazy, Quinn supposed, if he hadn’t had mental health problems already. The large hunting knife Fagan had threatened Nina with rested on her chest. Quinn stifled a curse. It was bad enough to hear Fagan’s threats, but seeing the knife pressed against her skin twisted Quinn’s gut.

  If he could get a clear shot through the rubble, he could take Fagan out with one bullet. But not until the creep stood or the round could go right through him and injure Ty. Quinn evaluated the path of the snake. There was no way he was getting his rifle through the rubble.

  He moved the camera through the space, searching for another entrance and zooming in on the main door. With the alleyway outside of the door so narrow, Quinn would have to fling open the door and take a quick shot to surprise Fagan. Quinn was a good shot, but he wasn’t willing to risk hitting Nina or Ty.

  He turned the camera back to them. Panic gripped him.

  Think, man. You’ve trained for like a million hours for a scenario like this. There’s got to be something you can do.

  Ty raised his arms and yawned. The kid’s tiredness didn’t bode well for his success on the hack.

  “No time for a break, kid,” Fagan warned and shifted the knife on Nina’s chest. He must have cut her, because a small gasp of pain slipped out.

  Quinn gritted his teeth. It was all he could do not to start tossing these boulders out of the way so he could scramble over the heap to get to her.

  “I’m sorry,” Ty said. “I can’t help it. You have any energy drinks? That would help.”

  “You think this is the Hilton or something?” Fagan moved his knife, slicing open the next button on Nina’s blouse. He let the blade trail down her breast, his eyes suddenly going wide. “What?” He scooted around and ripped her blouse open. “You little sneak.” He dug out her phone. “Who’s listening to us?”

  Quinn waited to hear Becca respond on the phone, but she didn’t.

  Fagan got in Nina’s face. “Who’s on the other end?” he screamed at top volume and backhanded her.

  Nina’s head snapped back. Quinn wanted to break through the boulders and tear Fagan apart.

  “Give it up, Fagan,” Nina said. “The FBI knows all about your little plan to frame me. I’m not going to prison. You are.”

  “No!” Fagan shot to his feet.

  “Yes,” she said, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. “They’re outside waiting to arrest you. You’ll never sell this hack.”

  Fagan paced, stroking his beard as he moved. He was mumbling, but not saying anything coherent. Back and forth, he stepped in stilted, quick little strides. The guy was quickly losing it. He wished Nina hadn’t told him who was listening. If she hadn’t, maybe he would stick with the status quo, giving Quinn time to figure out how to safely end this. Fagan dropped the phone on the floor and crushed it under his shoes. The call went dead.

  Quinn quickly deployed the flexible mic along the same path as the camera and put on the headset.

  “There’s no point in keeping you alive now, Brandt,” Fagan said. “I wanted you in prison. To know the horror I went through. But thanks to your interference, that won’t happen. So, you will die.” He looked around the space, then rushed to the corner. He bent down to retrieve something that Quinn couldn’t make out.

  Quinn swung the camera back to Nina. She was moving around, digging under her leg. Her hand came out holding the mini revolver. Yes! She’s ending this now.

  Fagan stood up, faced Nina and blanched. He dove behind a stack of old boards. Nina fired. The boards toppled, slamming into her arm and sending her shot wide. She recovered, firing again.

  Fagan cried out, then grabbed his leg before rolling behind a pile of rubble. “Drop the gun, Brandt, or I will empty my clip into Tyler. Yes, you may shoot me in the process, but I have nothing to lose now and the boy will surely die, too.”

  Don’t do it, Nina. Don’t give up your gun. Not yet.

  She did nothing for a moment. The seconds ticked by and Quinn could barely breathe. She suddenly leaned foreword and set the revolver on the stone floor, then sent it skittering out into the open.

  No!

  “That’s a good girl.” Fagan came up over the table, his weapon trained on
Ty. “I think it’s time for you to say goodbye, so Tyler can depart with me.”

  “We still have time. I can finish. Please,” Ty begged. “Then you can have your money and not hurt Nina.”

  “I think not, punk. You’re my ticket out of here.” Fagan shoved his gun in his waistband, then grabbed a cloth from the table and tied it around his leg wound. “I need to get help before I bleed out.”

  “What about Nina?” Ty asked in a choked voice.

  Fagan smiled. He picked up the item he’d dropped, allowing Quinn to get a good look at it—an oversized pipe wrench covered in rust.

  “Since she’s so terrified of water . . .” He laughed and slammed the wrench into a large water pipe. The metal groaned and reverberated. He hit it again. And again. An elbow joint finally gave way and water started gushing from the end.

  He dropped the wrench and pulled out his gun, a sick smile on his face. “The space will be full of water in a very short time. It’s the perfect way for Agent Brandt to die, don’t you think?”

  No! Quinn stifled the scream, and his heart refused to beat. He scanned the room for electrical outlets. If the water reached one, Nina would be electrocuted. The only one he spotted hung from the ceiling. But he could be missing something.

  Wiley jerked Ty up by the arm. “Put the laptop on the table.”

  Ty did as asked.

  Wiley eyed Brandt and tossed a key over his shoulder into the tunnel. “Just in case your friends get lucky and subdue me. I wouldn’t want it to be too easy to unlock the shackle.” He jabbed the gun in Ty’s neck. “Please understand, I am not at all afraid to use my gun.”

  Quinn hated losing visual on them, but he had no choice if he was going to rescue them both. He dropped his equipment and scrambled down from the rubble to his rifle case.

  “What happened?” Becca asked.

  As Quinn dug out and checked a cartridge, he recounted the story. “I’ll take a stand and when I get a clear shot at Fagan, I’ll take it.”