She assumed it was a rhetorical question, so she ignored the threat. “You won’t get away with this. The people I’m with will see us leaving.”
“That’s why we’re going out this way.”
The woman shoved her towards a door on the opposite side of the room. She searched for a way to escape as she moved forward. Hopefully, there would be someone she could signal for help.
As soon as the door opened, she almost ran into a giant of a man wielding a wheelchair. Before she could move, he stabbed a needle in her neck and the world went dark.
Chapter Fourteen
There was no doubt the Eighty-Sixers connected Declan to Jamal. It was his fault Eric had been hurt. He couldn’t watch the rest of the tape, but he knew from his coworkers’ expressions it’d been brutal. Why couldn’t the cowardly gangbangers come after him instead of an innocent? He’d take every hit, every blow for Eric if he could.
The cop Noah spoke with called back to inform him that they’d raided the Eighty-Sixer’s compound and rounded up the remaining members. They’d located the two who worked Eric over from their images on the video and they were in custody.
For now, however brief, they were safe. He glanced at the couch where Kenzie and Jamal sat except…Jamal was alone. He scanned the area, but Kenzie was nowhere to be seen.
Jamal looked up from the magazine he was reading when Declan approached. “Where’s Kenzie?”
“She went to the restroom over there.” He pointed to the door marked with the outline of a woman. “I watched her go in, but she hasn’t come out yet.”
“How long ago?”
He lifted a shoulder. “A few minutes.”
Kayla overheard and volunteered, “I’ll check on her.”
She returned a minute later—alone. Her mouth was set in a grim line. Declan’s heart started to pound. “She’s not there. The bathroom has two entrances, with the other leading to a separate hallway. I found this on the ground outside that door.” She held up a thin piece of plastic. “It’s a hospital, so a syringe cap isn’t unusual, but it is an odd place for one.”
Noah and Ethan jumped into action. “We need to lock the hospital down and get a look at security feeds,” Noah insisted.
Good. That was the right move. He was glad they were here because worry overrode his focus.
“Hang on,” Ethan insisted without looking up from his phone. “I slipped a tracker on her.”
Declan goggled at him. “When did you do that?”
“When I met her just now.”
“How?”
“Slid it in her pocket. I always come prepared.”
“For this?” Declan asked incredulously.
Ethan shrugged. “We’re dealing with a notoriously brutal gang. I didn’t want to take chances.”
Declan threw his arm around his neck and gave him a brief but sincere hug. “God bless your boy scout training.”
Ethan shook his head as he viewed his screen. “Never a scout. Locking the hospital won’t do any good. It looks like she’s in a moving car.”
“Let’s go,” Declan said.
“What about Jamal?” Noah asked.
Declan was torn. He couldn’t leave Jamal alone with the Eighty-Sixers after him and they were obviously watching the hospital since they knew when to grab Kenzie. He wasn’t safe here, yet he didn’t want him anywhere near the danger they might be exposed to when they confronted the gang. He couldn’t ask one of his coworkers to stay behind. He’d need their expertise to rescue Kenzie.
Sensing his hesitation, Kayla offered her advice. “He’d be safest with us. The SUV is bulletproof, and Noah’s ride is equipped with a hidden compartment.”
“We can stash him in there with a phone to call for help if something happens to us,” Noah added.
It was the best option. With reluctance, he agreed. “Jamal.”
The boy ran over to him and glanced around. “Where’s Kenzie? Why didn’t she come back out?”
“We’re going to go get her now.”
Jamal froze. “Did something happen to her? I thought I heard Noah say the cops were going to round up Jamarcus’ gang.”
“They did, but one or two might’ve slipped through the cracks.” That was the only explanation that made sense. He couldn’t even consider the possibility that she’d been randomly abducted. The odds of that had to be astronomical.
“The dot stopped,” Ethan announced. “Let’s roll.”
Declan reached for Jamal’s hand but when he noticed his bottom lip trembling, he dropped down and grasped his shoulders. “What’s wrong, Jamal?”
Tears swam in his eyes. “It’s my fault. I should’ve been watching Kenzie but now she’s gone, and Eric’s hurt, and you can’t be with him and it’s all because of me. I’m the one they want. I understand if you don’t want me to live with you anymore. All I do is cause trouble.”
Despite the precious time they were losing, this was important. He gently shook his shoulders to get his attention. “Look at me, Jamal.”
His head lifted and the misery in his expression gutted Declan. “None of this is your fault, Jamal. You’ve done nothing wrong. Kenzie’s an adult. She doesn’t need anyone to watch over her and she’d probably slug anyone who tried.” That brought the intended smile, but it was fleeting. “Even if it was your fault—which it isn’t,” he insisted again, “I will always want you to come home with me. We’re a team now, you and me. You’re stuck with me, bud.”
“R-really?”
“Truly.” He wrapped him in a hug. “Now let’s go get Kenzie.”
“Okay.” Declan grabbed his hand and led him to where Ethan was waiting for them by the door. Noah had pulled the SUV to the curb and they loaded inside. He helped Jamal in the back seat next to Kayla and then climbed in after him while Ethan navigated, now using a program on his laptop to find the location where Kenzie’s tracker stopped.
Ethan angled the screen so Declan could view the satellite feed. “Do you recognize this area?”
He scanned the image and checked the address. It’d been too many years since he’d called Chicago home. “Not really. I think it’s in a warehouse district.”
Ethan turned the screen back around. “That’s what I was thinking. The buildings are large and the ones in the back look derelict.”
Kayla was typing on her laptop, too. “I can’t find any connection to the Eighty-Sixers and that specific address. It’s not close to the apartments they use as a base.”
Declan could feel the tension emanating from Jamal beside him. He needed to make it clear that he wasn’t to leave the SUV under any circumstances. “Jamal, we don’t know what we’re going to find when we get there. I need you to stay inside the SUV. You’ll be safe in here.”
Kayla patted the seat beneath them. “There’s a compartment under here where you can hide. I’ll leave you a phone and if we don’t come back after thirty minutes, I want you to call either Luke or Logan in my favorites list. They’ll make sure you’re safe.”
Noah glanced in the rear-view mirror. “They’ll put you in touch with Peyton. She’ll take care of you.”
He looked scared but brave. “Okay.”
Ethan guided Noah to the spot where Kenzie’s tracker stopped moving. It was indeed a warehouse district, but Ethan had been correct. The deeper they travelled among the large buildings, the more rundown and dilapidated they became with boarded up or missing windows, graffiti liberally tagged on the walls and refuse littering the ground.
Ethan pointed to the most disreputable one of all. It sported broken windows, siding hanging in strips like bark peeling off a paperbark birch tree, and so much graffiti, it was hard to tell the original color. It also looked a strong wind away from crumbling into a heap.
“She’s in that one.”
#
Kenzie was jarred awake when something slammed into her stomach. She was hanging upside down and panic threatened when all she could see was black before she realized her eyes were covered and
she was being carried over someone’s shoulder like a sack of flour. She wanted to fight, try to get away, but her muscles were too weak from whatever drug they injected into her system. She gasped when she was rudely deposited into a chair and again when her arms were practically jerked from their sockets and bound behind her back. The blindfold was ripped from her head, taking several strands of hair with it. Blinking her eyes open, she came face to face with the giant from outside the restroom. Long, greasy black hair was twisted into a braid, and gold hoop rings adorned both of his elephant-sized ears. His nose had been broken more than once judging by the distorted, bloated shape and his eyes were a cold, flat black. He bared his teeth, showcasing a gold mouth grill. Classy. He reminded her of Jaws, the James Bond villain.
“Where is it?”
She tried to clear the fog from her brain but thinking hurt. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“We know you’ve been with the boy. He must’ve told you where it is.”
The mental cloud was slowly lifting. She’d been kidnapped by the gang after Jamal. “I don’t know what it is and that’s the truth.”
Another man shoved his head close and bared his tobacco-stained teeth. She shuddered, both from the overwhelming stench of his rancid breath and the dead look in his eyes. “We don’t believe you.”
She lifted a shoulder with a nonchalance she certainly didn’t feel. There was nothing she could tell them because she truly had no idea what they wanted. She refused to back down from his menacing stare. Her eyes narrowed. Though he looked like he’d spent most of his life in a tattoo parlor, there were no numbers etched on his face. Jaws muscled him out of the way and she searched for the gang mark on him. Among other disgusting designs on his massive frame that included naked women, snakes eating puppies and guns—and those were the parts she could see—inked on his neck was a large knife dripping red blood. No numbers. “Are you an Eighty-Sixer?”
He jerked back as if she’d slapped him. “Hell no,” he spat. Literally. And close to her feet. She slid her shoes away from the wet projectile. “The Eighty-Sixers are scum-sucking thieves and dirty rat bastards. We’re Daggers.” He puffed out his chest as if being a Dagger was something to be proud of and respected.
Great. They weren’t dealing with just one immoral gang, but two. She recalled the Dagger name from the story Declan told her about the shootout that injured Jamal’s brother, leading to his death. “What do you want with me?”
“I told you. I want to know where it is.”
He was really starting to annoy her. “And I told you, I don’t have any idea what it is. Can you be more specific?”
“The Eighty-Sixers, especially that thief Jamarcus West, stole from us. He took property that didn’t belong to him and we want it back.”
“Is that what the shootout was about a few weeks ago?”
“Yes, and we lost good men fighting for the cause. It’s another crime the Eighty-Sixers will pay for in blood.”
Why did you kill him if he had your property and could lead you to it? she wanted to ask, but wisely held her tongue. “I’m telling you the truth. I don’t know what it is you want, and I know for certain Jamal doesn’t either. His brother didn’t tell him anything and in fact, tried to kill him. He’s an innocent in this.”
“No one related to Jamarcus West is innocent.”
“Well, Jamal is. He didn’t get along with his brother and he wasn’t a part of his gang.”
“The kid knows,” the Dagger insisted. He caressed a blade like the one inked on his neck across Kenzie’s cheek and then trailed it down, pressing hard enough to break the skin. She could feel wetness dripping down her chest. He leaned forward until the overwhelming stench of cigarettes and body odor enveloped her senses and she turned her head.
“Tell me what I want to know right now, or I’ll slit your pretty little throat.”
She had absolutely no doubt he’d follow through with his threat.
#
“I don’t want you to go, Declan,” Jamal pleaded. “Stay here with me. Please.”
Declan tucked Jamal into the hidden compartment beneath the middle seat of Noah’s SUV. The space was padded with plenty of ventilation from panels in the front wall. There was a false top so that if someone lifted the seat, they wouldn’t find the partition unless they knew about it. Kayla had shown Jamal how to work the latch in case he needed to get out, but Declan made him promise to stay out of sight.
“I’ll be fine,” Declan insisted. “I need to get Kenzie and bring her back to us. Watch the time on the phone. If we’re not back in thirty minutes, call one of the numbers Kayla told you about. They’ll make sure you get out of here safely. Okay?”
“Okay,” Jamal caved. The terror in his eyes made Declan ill. Jamal had lost his mother and his aunt days ago. He was terrified of losing Declan, too. If—God forbid—something happened to him, it was a relief to know Peyton would readily step in to care for him.
Somewhere along the way, Jamal had become his. He didn’t know what kind of paperwork or red tape he’d have to wade through, but he not only wanted Jamal to live with him, he planned on adopting the boy and giving him a stable childhood like the glimpse of one he’d experienced with his aunt the last few weeks.
How would Kenzie feel about adopting a young boy? Somewhere along the way, she’d become his, too. He’d just met her, but he wasn’t letting her go, if he had anything to say about it. It was way too early to even think about feelings, and certainly not the “L” word, but the connection between them was real and intense. She was strong and feisty, smart and sexy. Not to mention breathtaking. She was the ideal woman. And he had to find her. Now.
His first case with COBRA Securities would be his most personal one.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here with Jamal?” Noah whispered. “The three of us can go get her.”
“No, I need to do this. My focus is there. I’m good.”
“For a rundown, neglected warehouse, check out the security cameras on the back half of the building.” Ethan indicated the high-tech gear monitoring the far entrance. “They’re angled away from the front of the building where Kenzie is being held, but I’ll call Tyler and get him to kill the feeds.”
While they waited, Noah pulled him aside. “One last chance to sit this one out. I know from experience how hard it can be when the case becomes personal.”
“I can handle it.”
Noah assessed his words and then nodded. “I’m on point. Follow my lead.”
He had no problem with that. Noah and the others were the veterans. He was the rookie and he had no issues taking orders from any of the three. They’d geared up with so much equipment he felt like he was back in the military. The weapons and Kevlar vest were comforting. The comm units were so microscopic, they were practically invisible, but the sound quality was outstanding. Even whispered words came through loud and clear.
Noah opened a padded box and withdrew three small objects, handing one to Ethan, one to Kayla and keeping the other for himself. Declan would swear they were insects.
“What are those? Added protein boost?”
Kayla grinned and held hers up. “It’s a drone.”
“Kayla, that’s a fly.”
“And that’s the beauty. We unleash them in the warehouse, and we can see what’s happening without being noticed.
Freaking awesome.
“Kayla, take yours around the left, I’ll go right and Ethan, slide yours under the door once we reconnoiter the perimeter.”
“Roger that,” they chimed in unison.
“Let’s roll,” Noah said.
They moved silently to the metal building. Noah and Kayla unleashed their drones and Declan’s gaze ping-ponged from one cell to the other. Kayla was using Ethan’s phone since she’d given hers to Jamal.
“No heat signatures,” Noah confirmed. “Ethan, you’re up.”
While Noah and Kayla guided their drones back and slid them in their poc
kets, Ethan crept towards the building to unleash his beneath the door.
“So, they only show heat signatures?” Declan asked. How would they know if one of those were Kenzie?
“Both,” Noah explained, showing him a button on his phone. “You can use the heat signature feature to get a number count or you can use the camera. They’re multi-functional.”
Ethan returned and Kayla handed him his phone to pilot the fly. The room was an open expanse with old barrels, boxes and wooden pallets stacked haphazardly in random piles and littering the floor. The fly hovered over the center where Kenzie was tied to a chair with a giant of a man standing over her. The picture quality was razor sharp, allowing him to see the blood dripping down her neck in technicolor. With a feral growl, he started for a door, only to stop short when Noah stepped in front of him to physically restrain him.
“We go charging in there, they’ll kill her,” Noah rumbled. “We do this my way. If you can’t handle that, I’ll tie you up and leave you out here.”
Declan wanted to argue. He wanted to shoot someone, and not just anyone, but the behemoth that dared to hurt Kenzie. But Noah was right. He couldn’t afford to take a risk with her life. He gave a sharp nod.
Noah nodded in return. “There are five men inside. Ethan and Kayla, head to the door on the other side of the building here.” He pointed on the screen. “Declan and I will infiltrate from here. On my count toss the flashbangs here and here,” he indicated. “We’ll aim for the other two corners. Only engage if necessary. Declan, your only job is to grab Kenzie. We’ll monitor the others. This should be a quick in and out with no casualties. We’ll leave them alive for the police to handle.”
“Roger that,” Kayla said, followed by Ethan and Declan. Ethan texted Tyler to shut down the security camera feed. Once he confirmed it was done, they slid their night vision goggles into place and the electronic ear protection that would cut out the high dB levels so they could still communicate once the stun grenades were activated. He carried an extra set for Kenzie, but by the time he reached her, the damage would be done. He loathed the fact she’d be affected, but they needed to completely disorient her captors and that meant she’d feel it, too.
Running Scared Page 16
