He started walking again, planting both feet on each step before taking the next one. His eyes darted around, picking up every little movement of dust and debris in his peripheral vision. Every sense he had was on full alert.
His head was about to break into the second floor. With one more step, he would be able to see everything. And everything else would be able to see him. He moved his finger to the trigger on his gun and took a deep breath before taking the step.
Leo was right, there was someone up there. She was bound to a chair with rope, her hands clasped together with a zip tie. He forget about all his training and ran for her, his only thought to free her from her restraints. He had to save Amelia.
“Are you okay?” He asked frantically, trying to quickly assess how to untie her. Her feet were tied with rope, as was her torso. Her hands were bound together, they could be the last to be undone. She could run for safety if everything else was undone first.
Her mouth was covered with duct tape, making it impossible for her to speak. She tried though, she desperately tried to speak to him. He wasn’t paying any attention, his main concern was for the ropes. His years of experience taught him how to tune out a victim and attend to only the things that were necessary. It didn’t help anyone if they spent their time soothing instead of getting them to safety. That was his number one priority.
She struggled against her ropes, making a guttural sound as she tried to get his attention. She needed him to listen to her, it was his safety under threat.
Amelia bucked in the chair, trying to make it difficult for Leo to do anything without listening to her.
“You need to stay still,” Leo insisted. She shook her head, trying to make him understand what she was trying to tell him.
Finally, he pulled off the duct tape, freeing her mouth.
“Run!” She said with the loudest voice possible to make sure he got the message. “Behind you.”
Leo spun around, he didn’t even get to see the man standing behind him before he was knocked out cold. All Amelia could do was watch him crash to the ground.
CHAPTER 25
Leo blinked, trying to get everything to un-blur. It took him a moment to place himself, remember what had happened and where he was. It only took him trying to move to bring everything back. He was tied with thick rope, his hands in a zip tie too.
“Amelia,” he whispered, craning his neck to try to find her. He couldn’t see her but he knew he was still in the old bakery building.
“I’m here,” she answered from behind him. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, are you?”
She wanted to laugh. They were tied up by some psychopath, she definitely wasn’t alright. Yet she knew that wasn’t what he meant. Physically, she was still sore but she would survive – maybe. “I’m fine. You hit the ground really hard.”
“Takes more than that to hurt me. How did you get here?”
She filled him in on the police officer that had visited her and insisted she come with him. It was the same guy they could hear walking around downstairs.
He told her about the call to the station and his assignment to come out and provide backup. The entire time his gut told him something was wrong and he was paying the price for ignoring it.
“Did he say anything to you?” Leo asked, trying to get as much information as possible. The more he knew, the better his plan would be to escape.
“He just told me to be quiet and he’d kill me if I did anything. He had a gun, I didn’t know what to do. When I heard your voice, I didn’t know whether I wanted you to leave or come and save me.”
“Well, I didn’t really do either,” he joked, knowing panicking wouldn’t get them out of there. That went for both of them, he needed to keep her calm too. “I need you to think really hard, have you ever seen that man before? Was he the same guy that ran you off the road yesterday?”
“I don’t know, I don’t think so. The man yesterday had a moustache, this one doesn’t. I’m not sure.”
“I wish I’d gotten a look at him before he knocked me out. Could it have been Master Lou?”
She shook her head and then remembered he couldn’t see her. “No, it’s wasn’t Lou. I know that for sure. He’s much leaner and smaller. Leo, how are we going to get out of this?”
“I’ll figure it out.”
Amelia let a small smile run over her lips, at least she knew he wasn’t lying. Leo truly did think he would figure out a way to get out of there. It was somewhat reassuring but definitely not guaranteed.
“Maybe you should hurry then,” she teased. “I don’t think we have much time here.”
“I agree. I also know who killed Jordan and Renee.”
Amelia wasn’t sure she heard right. “Excuse me?”
“I know who killed them, I figured it out.” Perhaps it was the knock to the head, but he was certain he could get all the pieces to finally fit together. He had been missing the key and the photo of the rich woman had been it.
“Who is it then?” She held her breath, waiting to hear the magic name.
“Quiet up there,” the gruff male voice yelled as he stomped up the stairs. He eyed them both down in turn as his head peeked over the floor. This man wasn’t their kidnapper, they’d called in the big guns. He didn’t stop until he stood directly in front of them. “No more talking or I’ll cut off your tongues.”
“I don’t think that’s likely,” Leo replied, knowing a bluff when he heard one. He had already assessed the situation and determined Lou would not hurt them. He was the muscle, the one sent to babysit them until the real boss arrived. If he was in charge, he would have made a move when Leo first arrived. Or at least that was what Leo hoped.
“I don’t think you should think at all,” Lou sneered. He waved his gun around before holding it steady at Leo’s head.
Amelia gasped, she tried to crane her neck to see exactly what was going on but couldn’t. All she could see was a glimpse of metal out of the corner of her eye.
“At least your girlfriend is going to miss you.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Leo replied steadily, refusing to play the game. “She’s got nothing to do with this. You need to let her go.”
“We both know that’s not going to happen.”
“It could happen.”
Lou took the safety off the gun. “She’s got everything to do with this, I’m not letting her go. She stuck her nose into business that is none of hers and she is going to pay for it. Just like you.”
Amelia wished she couldn’t hear the truth in people’s lies. If she couldn’t, she wouldn’t know how deadly serious Master Lou was. Every threat he muttered he planned on going through with. It was no bluff. She tried to grip the seat so her hands weren’t shaking so much.
Leo, however, maintained his cool exterior. He had been in sticky situations before, and like those times, he had to keep his head about him. “If you want to blame someone, blame me. Let her go and we’ll sort this out – man to man.”
Lou leaned in, so close his breath was hot on Leo’s cheek. “I don’t see a man around here, do I?” He snickered, leaving them without another word said.
Leo changed his tactic, Lou was just a hired goon, it would be nearly impossible for him to have a unique thought without any leverage. For some reason, he was aligned with the person behind it all and Leo knew it was a hopeless endeavor trying to break whatever hold he had over him.
The moment they were alone again, he tested his bindings. He needed to get out of that chair so he could get out of the room alive. There was only going to be one way to do that – hard work.
“How tightly are you bound?” He asked Amelia in barely more than a whisper. He didn’t want to provoke Lou’s return again.
She pulled against the ropes around her feet and then the ones around her chest. They offered a small amount of leeway but nothing that would help her slip out of them. Her bruised ribs didn’t make it any easier either. Lastly, she tried the plastic zip tie
securing her hands. She had already struggled against them, now her wrists were red with the effort.
“It’s useless, I can’t move anything.”
That was what Leo was afraid of hearing. He took a moment to think about his bindings. The zip ties were the hardest to get out of, they were as hopeless as slipping out of handcuffs. It was the reason why some police officers used them to subdue prisoners. Once zipped, you couldn’t unzip. It was a one way street.
That left the rope around his feet and chest. He tested his feet, seeing if he could get the rope to slide down and over his shoes. It wasn’t moving. However, he did notice they were tied with a lose knot. If he could reach down, he could untie the rope, even with his hands still bound.
That left the rope around his chest, Leo knew he had to start there. It was looped around the chair at his back, a gap between his and Amelia’s seat. He wriggled, seeing how much give there was. If he pulled his arms in and pressed them against his sides, he could make some room. It was the start he needed.
He tested his arms, they were pinned to his side down to his elbows. If he ignored the painful pull against the zip tie, he could reach up with his hands and work the rope. Doing that, along with wriggling within the rope, it was starting to creep up toward his neck.
“Amelia, I need you to try and get out of the ropes around your chest. Use your hands to force it upwards,” he whispered. “But if Lou comes back, you need to stop straight away.”
“I’ll try,” she promised. She didn’t have the luxury of watching Leo as he made progress, having to figure it out for herself as she went.
He continued to work at it, using every bit of energy he could muster. He had to ignore the pain in his wrists and the chafing on his arms. He wasn’t just working for his life, but Amelia’s too. He couldn’t help but feel completely responsible for their situation. He should never have left her alone that morning, especially after she had been targeted the day before.
Finally, the rope crept to his neck, freeing his arms. Leo reached up and pulled it off over his head. He didn’t waste any time before leaning over and undoing the rope around his feet. Untying the knot, he was free to move about.
There was nothing he could do about his hands, they needed a sharp blade to be free and there was zero chance of one of those lying around. Leo quickly went to Amelia.
“You’re free,” she gasped in amazement. She was still yet to move any of her ropes. “How did-?
“It doesn’t matter, we need to move quickly,” he interrupted urgently, one eye constantly checking the staircase. “I’m going to loosen your ropes but I can’t untie you yet. Lou is going to come back and he has to think we’re still tied up. Okay?”
“But how-”
“I have a plan. You have to trust me, can you do that?”
Amelia’s wide eyes stared into his. Trust was never her strong point. As a rule, she never trusted anyone and here he was, asking her to trust him with her life. Every inch of her told her to say no, to think of a plan by herself and just get the hell away from there.
But Leo had never lied to her. Not once, never. Every single thing he had told her had been the utmost truth. She had no reason not to trust him. In her entire life, no-one had ever been that honest and genuine with her.
She found herself nodding. “I trust you.”
He smiled. “Good. Now, when I tell you to, I need you to run. Did you see any of the building or street when you came in?”
“It’s a big room downstairs and we’re in an industrial area. The man made me walk in from the car, I tried to remember as much as I could.”
“That’s really good. When I give you the word, you have to run down the staircase and then turn right. You run right through the building until you get to the front door in the middle of the wall. It opens inwards. When you are outside, you need to run as fast as you can away from here. Don’t stop for anything. Run until you get somewhere safe.”
“What about you? Won’t you be coming?” Amelia tried to commit the plan to memory but it was difficult fighting the panic.
“I’ll follow later. The most important thing is that you run when I tell you to.”
“You’re not going to come.”
“I’ll come when I can.”
Amelia shook her head, realizing he was going to sacrifice himself for her getaway. She couldn’t let him do it, she couldn’t even bear the thought. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“You said you trusted me, trust me when I say I will follow later.” Leo looked into her eyes, trying to convince her. She waited to hear the truth but it didn’t come. He really thought he would follow. Either he was optimistic or just stupid, she couldn’t decide.
“I trust you,” she sighed. Surprisingly, she didn’t hear a lie in her own voice either.
“When you get to help, I need you to call the station. You have to speak with Constable Shawshank and no-one else. Do you understand? It’s very important, Amelia, you need to remember.”
“Constable Shawshank, got it.
“No-one else.”
She nodded. “No-one else.”
He finished retying her restraints, making sure they looked tight but would only need one yank and they would fall free again. Leo returned to his own seat and did the same to himself. He tried to calm the beating of his heart as it raced in his chest. He didn’t know how long they would have to wait.
The sound of footsteps answered his question. The heavy boots of Master Lou hit every stair as he returned.
“I told you to keep your traps shut,” he roared at them. “How many times do I have to repeat myself?”
“What else are we meant to do up here?” Leo quipped. He watched every movement Lou made, trying to get a feel for his actions. If he could understand the man, he could predict him. It would be the only weapon he had to fight him.
“I should kill you both now and save hassles later on.”
“But your boss wouldn’t like that, would he?”
Leo could see the tiny twitches in his face, giving away the truth, despite how much Lou tried to hide it. “I work for no-one. Now shut your mouth.”
“Make me.”
Suddenly, Lou lunged for him. He pulled out his gun and held it in the dead center of Leo’s forehead. His eyes burned with hatred, his chest pumped with adrenalin. This time, the safety was already off the gun.
With finger poised on the trigger, Lou sneered, relishing the moment when the gun would explode and take out the cop. He yearned for it, delighted in it, and needed it. His body quivered with the thrill of holding another person’s life in his hands. He had the power to decide when he was going to die. And he loved every second of it.
Leo refused to break eye contact. He wasn’t going to show weakness, his mind was too busy thinking of a way to get out of the gun’s range. He could feel the cold metal pressed against his skin and it wasn’t doing anything to quell his rising panic. He hadn’t predicted Lou would be so bold. He might have a boss to keep him in check, but he was impulsive. For not one moment did Leo doubt whether he would pull the trigger.
Time passed slowly, it felt like hours sitting there and waiting for the other man to blink. Amelia was beside herself, only imagining what was going on behind her back. She considered breaking from her rope to try and distract Lou, doing anything she could to give Leo a chance to act. But she had promised not to unless he gave her the word. So far, he hadn’t told her to do it. She had to wait for his signal, she promised.
“You’ve got a smart mouth on you,” Lou growled, his finger teasing the trigger. “I’m going to fix that. You’re going to find it hard to talk without a head. I’m going to blow it all over your pretty girlfriend.”
Leo was smart enough not to reply this time. Just one small movement and Lou would make good on his threat. Hell, even a hiccup would do it.
Suddenly, another set of footsteps rushed up the staircase. Lou and Amelia both turned to see who it was while Leo didn’t have that luxury wit
h the gun holding his head in place.
“Oh, thank God,” Amelia sighed at seeing Commissioner Pace at the top of the stairs. Finally, they were going to be rescued.
“What’s going on?” Pace asked calmly, assessing the situation in one sweep of the room.
“This lunatic is going to kill us,” Amelia replied when no-one else did.
Pace ignored her, keeping his gaze fixed on Lou and Leo. “Drop the gun.”
Lou shot one last look at Leo and followed the commissioner’s instructions. He replaced the gun in the small of his back, liking the weight of it as it nestled against his skin.
“Go downstairs,” Pace ordered.
Amelia was confused, wondering if it was her panic that was making it difficult to understand what was going on. “Don’t let him go, he’s got a gun. He was going to kill us. Commissioner, you can’t let him out of your sight, you have to arrest him.”
“Amelia, be quiet,” Leo whispered.
“But-”
“Pace is the killer,” he interrupted, not taking his eyes off the commissioner.
CHAPTER 26
“A killer? That’s a bit harsh,” Pace said as he brazenly walked across the room. “I prefer to think of myself as a man who knows what he wants.”
“You killed a five year old and then went back for his mother,” Leo accused, his mind already grasping for another plan. “I think killer is putting it mildly.”
Amelia’s mind reeled as she processed the information. She couldn’t find any words even if her mouth could cooperate with her brain. She listened to them speak, waiting for the signal from Leo that she was certain would come eventually.
Pace stood directly in front of his detective, his chest puffed out in pride. There was not one ounce of remorse on show. “That child should never have even been born and his mother was nothing but a blackmailing whore.”
Liar Page 28
