* * * *
Bart squealed his tyres to a stop before sprinting to the alley behind Shindigs. He took the steps three at a time before slamming his hand against the old wooden door repeatedly. “Nick! You'd better be in there, man! Jensen! Open the damn door!”
The banging continued for several minutes until Bart realised he had an audience of patrons on the street below. He smiled and nodded as they went on their way.
He knelt down and pulled out his Swiss Army knife. The cheap lock wouldn’t take much to open, but it took longer than it would’ve in the past. It’d been a long time since he’d picked a lock. When he finally heard the click, he opened the door and took one last look behind him to see if anyone was watching.
Satisfied he was alone, he entered and closed the door behind him. As expected, the room was empty and there were no signs of Nick having been there recently. He did a quick once-over, rummaging through the few places the disc could have been hidden. He knew it wasn’t there, but he had to be sure.
“You bastard,” Bart grunted as he shook his head. “I should have known better.”
Angered almost to the point of murder, he slammed the door behind him and stomped down the wooden steps. He wasn’t sure what he would do, but his friend was going to pay for his betrayal.
* * * *
Kelsey lay still on the bed, her mind completely blank. She’d no idea how long she was going to be held here, and the boredom combined with the fear of the unknown was driving her crazy. She was thankful they hadn’t hurt her. She didn’t know who these people were, but she was certain they meant business.
She’d lost all track of time sitting in that dingy room, so when the door opened she assumed it was time for another meal. To her surprise, Wally entered, his face uncovered, and shut the door behind him. The wild look in his eyes made her jump in terror.
When he came closer, she saw the light flicker off something in his hand. A step later, and she realised he was carrying a hypodermic needle. “No! Please don’t! No!” She screamed as she tried to barrel past him.
No match for his strength, he held her in a bear hug and tossed her on the bed. “Just hold still, now. This won’t hurt you,” he said. The tone of his voice was nothing short of ghoulish. He grabbed her wrist and tried to pin her arm, but she swung with all the strength she had. She managed a blow to his face, throwing him off balance and allowing her to roll off the bed. She scurried to her feet.
“You bitch,” Wally grunted as he wiped the small trickle of blood dripping from his nose. “You’ll pay for that.” He took hold of her upper arm and swung her around, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground in a heap. Less than a second later, she was flat on her back. Wally straddled her, pinning her helplessly beneath him.
“Please, don’t,” she cried, terrified of what this man was about to do. He’d seemed rational when they’d spoken earlier, but the fire now burning in his eyes horrified her. Who knew what this version was capable of?
“Hold still, now, missy,” he grunted, holding the needle just a few inches from her arm. She looked into his dilated eyes and shook her head. She could only imagine what he was planning, but she wanted no part in it.
“You sure are a pretty one, aren’t you?” He licked his lips. “Maybe I’ll get a taste while I have a chance. I just have to decide if I want you struggling or not.”
“Oh, God, please, no!” Kelsey shrieked and thrashed. With his position on top of her, movement of her upper body was limited. Her legs were free to kick, but she couldn’t seem to strike him.
“Eh. I’m not interested in working that hard. You’ll be easier if you can’t fight. Perhaps next time.” He jammed the needle into her arm and, with unnecessary force, injected the syringe’s contents. “Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it. I know I will.”
“Please… No…” she said weakly as the room began to fade. The last thing she heard was the door slamming open before everything again went black.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was barely eight in the morning when Bart walked into the police station, groggy and very angry. He’d finally arrived home just as the sun had begun to rise, his night having been spent searching the city for his old friend and the missing evidence he possessed. As the hours had ticked by, he hadn’t wanted to admit to himself that he knew where Nick had gone. He gave up on the idea of sleep and headed into work, despite looking like hell. He now accepted that the stolen disc was most likely in the hands of Vincent Gianelli, and that very soon, perhaps even today, Ernesto Romano would be walking out of the front door as a free man.
He had to act naturally and keep his mouth shut. If they were to discover the missing evidence, he could argue that the disc had been lost in the endless stacks of boxes in the storage area. It wouldn’t be the first time evidence had been carelessly misplaced.
After fixing his needed cup of coffee, he settled behind his desk and began checking his emails. He filtered out the junk and responded to the few that needed attention before moving on to his voicemail. As he made note of the calls he’d have to return, his attention was interrupted suddenly by the simultaneous ring and buzz of his cell phone.
He pulled the phone from his belt clip and checked the caller ID. Furrowing his brow at the unknown number, he brusquely answered. “Kapman.”
“Very good, Detective. You work fast. I like that.”
Bart’s head darted from left to right when he heard the ominous voice of Vincent Gianelli. “How’d you get my number?”
“Surely, you jest, Detective. I wanted to commend you for your nice work and arrange for your payment.”
Bart stood and shut his door before answering. “I can’t talk here. We’ll meet later to make arrangements,” he said, practically whispering. “I’ll come to your office.”
“Fine. I’ll expect you today.”
“Where’s my sister?”
“I’ve got my top man on it, Detective Kapman. He won’t fail me. I have every confidence she will be back home soon.”
He hung up with a heavy sigh, his heart thumping so hard he swore it would beat out of his chest. He slid his phone back into its clip and sat behind his desk, trying desperately to concentrate on anything other than the events of the past few days. Inevitably, his thoughts drifted repeatedly back to Kelsey. Where was she? Was she hurt? Was she frightened?
Shaking his head in frustration, he slammed down the file he’d opened, needing to release the feelings of helplessness welling up inside him. He was a cop, a damned good one, but the only way he’d been able to help his beloved sister was by aligning with the man responsible for her kidnapping, and stealing evidence that would allow a dangerous drug dealer to be set free. He wasn’t sure anything could make him feel worse.
Then there was Nick Jensen. His old friend. A man he had discovered to be Kelsey’s new boyfriend. A man who claimed he loved her. Bart started to fantasise about the hurt he would inflict on him as soon as this mess was finished. The man had always been trouble, a trait unchanged by the passing years. “Ugh, when I get my hands on him…”
“Hey, Bart!” Ronald barked as he bustled through the door. “Look sharp. We need you.”
“What’s going on?”
“Disturbance was called in on the north side, by the emergency clinic.”
“Kelsey’s clinic?” Bart asked, rising to approach his concerned brother.
“Yes. There were reports of shots fired.”
Bart felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise at the tone of his big brother’s voice. Ronald wasn’t one to show emotion, but Kelsey had a special place in his heart. Actually, she had a special place in the hearts of just about every person acquainted with her. She was one of a kind.
He grabbed his coat and followed Ronald out of the door and to their cars, terrified of what they might find once they got there.
* * * *
Nick had stayed out all night, unwilling to return to the squalor he currently called home. He hated himse
lf for the position he’d found himself in—no, the position he’d put himself in—and his head swam with every negative thought possible.
The guilt overwhelmed him—guilt for conspiring against a friend, guilt for sneaking behind his back, guilt for lying to the people he cared about. He knew this could’ve blown up in his face, and now he was dealing with the fallout.
Then there was Kelsey. She was his dream come true and his worst nightmare rolled up in one. If he’d met her in another time and place, if she was anyone but Bart Kapman’s sister, if his life wasn’t the jumbled mess it was now, he’d be the happiest man on Earth. But, as it was, he was about to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him—either by her choice or by his.
He couldn’t imagine their reunion being anything but disastrous. Even if she was happy to see him, Bart was sure to tell her that Nick was the one responsible for her horrific ordeal. She’d blame him for whatever terror she’d experienced, and he had little doubt that she’d break off their relationship immediately. If she didn’t, he’d be forced to. There was no way he would allow this to happen again, and as long as he was involved with Kelsey Braden, Vincent Gianelli was certain to make her a target to keep him in check.
He’d walked up and down the lake shore more times than he cared to count. He’d even stopped by her loft and sat outside her door, praying she would step out of the elevator or, better yet, open the heavy sliding door and tell him the past few days had been a terrible nightmare. As the time slowly ticked by, he realised such far-fetched fantasies were pointless.
How many times had he been told he would amount to nothing? That his life was worthless and he would do nothing but hurt those around him? Determined to become the man his pitiful excuse for a father never was, he’d vowed to make something of himself to rise above the abuse and neglect of his childhood. And now he was messed up in illegal mob activity that had forced him to betray a friend and subject the woman he loved to unimaginable terror. Perhaps his father had been right. He couldn’t escape his destiny.
When Nick trudged up the steps of the pier, he saw the bright flashing lights and heard the faint sounds drifting from around the corner. At this early hour, he assumed it was just another gang-related crime. This area was notorious for its violence, which was why he had hated the thought of Kelsey working here.
As he approached, he realised the location of the commotion. The emergency clinic! Parked in front were at least six cop cars, several unmarked cars, two ambulances, and the ominous coroner’s van. He quickened his steps as his panic rose and he struggled to keep the unthinkable from entering his mind. “She’s okay, she has to be,” he whispered.
He slid under the police tape boundary and tried rushing his way towards the front door, desperate to find out what had happened. “Kelsey!”
“Hey, hey!” the uniformed cop yelled as he restrained Nick. “You can’t go in there. This is a crime scene.”
“Kelsey!” Nick repeated, ignoring the officer’s commands. A second officer quickly appeared and helped the first in restraining Nick as he struggled to break free.
“Back off, man!” the second cop yelled while pushing Nick back towards the barricade. “You need to get behind the tape.”
“Kapman! Bart Kapman. Get him. I know he’s here somewhere. Get Kapman and he’ll tell you I’m okay!”
Ronald looked up from his notes when Nick screamed Bart’s name. With an eyebrow raised, he made his way through the bustle of activity towards the source of the disruption. “Hey, what’s going on here?”
Nick stopped struggling. “Where’s Kelsey?”
“Jensen? What the hell are you doing here?”
“Where’s Kelsey?” Nick repeated anxiously.
“What do you know about Kelsey?”
“Should we get him out of here, Captain?” one of the cops asked as they held firm to Nick.
“No, let him go,” Ronald answered, keeping his gaze firmly on Nick.
Nick roughly swung his arms to break their hold and stepped forward. “Where’s Kelsey? Is she okay?”
“What the hell do you have to do with this, Jensen?”
Nick heard nothing Ronald had said after his focus shifted to the paralysing image near the entrance of the clinic. Two men, one in front and one behind, carefully guided a gurney along the walkway towards the awaiting open doors of the black van. Atop the gurney, to Nick’s horror, was a black body bag. “Oh, God, no,” he whispered as he blinked back the tears from his eyes.
“You!” Bart shouted from across the parking lot. “You get the hell out of here! This is all your fault!”
Nick stood stunned, unable to move a muscle as he watched the body being loaded into the van. He was so focused that he never saw his old friend lunge forward, slamming his fist into the side of his face. He hit the ground hard, but quickly spun his head in time to see the black doors slam shut, ready to take the victim away.
“Bart, what are you doing?” Ronald barked while restraining his angry brother.
Bart struggled against Ronald’s hold before finally turning and walking away, breathing heavily and shaking his head.
Ronald stared and seemed to try to figure out exactly what was happening between them. “Get up.” He grabbed Nick’s arm and lifted him to his feet. “What is this all about?”
Bart glared angrily at Nick and fought to catch his breath. “Nothing,” he grunted in response to Ronald’s question.
“Kelsey,” Nick asked, uninterested in anything else that was happening. “What happened to Kelsey?”
They all turned as a second gurney was wheeled out of the front door of the clinic guided by two EMTs. One of the paramedics was holding up an IV bag while the other steered them towards an awaiting ambulance.
Nick gasped when he saw the beautiful young woman lying peacefully on top of the bed. “Oh, baby.”
Before they could react, he’d brushed past both Ronald and Bart and was walking alongside the gurney, bending over Kelsey so his face was close to hers. “Kelsey, baby, can you hear me?”
“She’s unconscious, sir. We suspect she’s been drugged. She’ll be taken to University Hospital where she’ll be examined more closely,” one of the young men said to Nick just as they stopped by the doors to the ambulance.
Nick rubbed his hand along her beautiful face, noticing a couple of faint bruises, and wondering what those bastards had done to her while they’d had her. “You’re gonna be okay, baby,” he whispered, his relief giving way, once again, to the rage he felt towards those who’d dared hurt her.
“We need to go, sir,” the EMT said as they lifted her into the ambulance.
Bart stepped forward, giving Nick a look that told him to back off. “I’m riding with my sister,” he said before climbing in and shutting the doors behind him.
“Come on, partner.” Ronald pointed to the blood trickling from Nick’s mouth. “Let’s get you to the hospital, too. We need to have your busted lip checked.”
Normally Nick would have protested, but the hospital was the only place he wanted to be. He nodded and followed Ronald to his car, neither of them saying a word.
He didn’t want to talk, and he didn’t want to explain. All Nick wanted was some time to think. He needed to plan his revenge.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nick winced when the wet gauze brushed against the open wound on his lip. It stung, catching his attention briefly, but his thoughts rapidly returned to the woman who’d been brought into the ER just minutes before he’d arrived. He’d demanded information about her condition as soon as the young nurse had entered, but was instead forced to sit in this godforsaken exam room while she worked to clean and prepare his lip for the doctor to examine.
Kelsey was unconscious, beaten and hurt. More than anything, he wanted to talk to her. He needed to make sure she was okay and find out what they’d done to her. Reality couldn’t possibly come close to the horror he was imagining in the dark recesses of his mind.
The doctor
finally came in and told him his lip wasn’t too bad, but he needed to close up the wound. Two stitches and a butterfly bandage later, he was finished and ready to be released. Before he’d had a chance, Ronald entered the small exam room.
“How’s that cut?”
“I’ll live,” Nick said after stepping down from the exam table. “How’s Kelsey?”
Ronald either wasn’t paying attention or intentionally ignored his question. “For the record, Jensen, I need to ask you if you would like to press assault charges against Detective Kapman.”
Nick knew that Ronald was completely by the book, but this was a shock, even to him. “Assault? What?”
“Detective Kapman struck you without provocation. It is your option to file a complaint against him. Do you want an officer to take your statement?”
“Are you kidding me, Ronald? No. I don’t want to file any damn charges. I guess some things don’t change. You always did sleep with that rule book.”
“And you do everything you can to get around the rules,” Ronald said sternly. “You were like that in the academy, too. Unfortunately, you were also a damned good recruit.”
“Are you gonna tell me how your sister is or do I have to cause a scene?”
“They’re still working on her. They’re flushing the drugs out of her system and examining her for any other injuries. She hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”
“Where is she?”
“You answer my question first. How do you know Kelsey?”
Nick sighed and shook his head. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was Ronald’s disapproving attitude, along with having no idea how to explain his involvement in her terrifying abduction.
“It’s a long story, man. I’ll fill you in another time. I just want to go see her.”
Just as Nick walked past Ronald in an attempt to leave the room, Ronald grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Not so fast, partner.”
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