by Gerri Hill
Andrea nodded. “Me too.”
“Great. We all stay in constant contact. And we stay in pairs. No unnecessary chances.” She paused, glancing at Reynolds. “We shoot to kill.”
Andrea expected a protest from him, but he gave no indication that he thought otherwise. Unlike Patrick Doe, where Cameron had wanted to bring him in alive, Leonard Baskin would not be given the same choice. A part of Andrea still clung to the police training she’d received. A police officer is only that. Not judge and jury as well. But she agreed wholeheartedly with Cameron. And not because she had looked into his eyes, not because she had been touched by him. Not just because it was personal. She suffered only briefly at his hands. She hadn’t been exposed to the horrors the other women had endured, the horrors the Burke family had to bear before he ended their lives. Leonard Baskin didn’t deserve to take another breath let alone the privilege of a judge and jury. Yes, it went against all of her training, all of the morals, laws and ethics she believed in. Maybe that’s why Murdock’s teams were made up of the ex-military elite. Morals, laws and ethics were something for everyday life, not something to be weighed and measured while staring into the eyes of a serial killer, your weapon pointing at his chest, ready to pull the trigger.
Rowan interrupted the quiet moment as their glances bounced off each other, looking for confirmation.
“I’ve got your phones all set,” Rowan said, handing Andrea and Eric the new devices. “I have everything loaded so I can track you all by your phones. I’ll have the satellite image up, and I’ll be able to help you coordinate that way.”
“Good job, Rowan,” Cameron said, giving him a quick smile.
Andrea knew Cameron had developed a soft spot for him. He blushed slightly at the praise, then escaped back into the office. She glanced at Reynolds, seeing his amused expression as he expertly used chopsticks to grab a shrimp from his carton. She set her own food aside, her appetite vanishing with each tick of the clock.
She crouched behind Cameron, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Cameron scanned the desert with her night vision goggles, trying to find the best way to hike into the complex. Above them, millions of stars twinkled in a cloudless, moonless sky. The sound of their boots on the rocks, the cool night air replacing the staggering heat of the day, the smell of the desert, all teasing her senses, making her long for the quiet nights in Sedona. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d grown to love Sedona. It was where she fled to, where she healed, where she became a person again, where she met and fell in love with Cameron. No matter where they traveled, she would always think of Sedona as the magical place it was. But the high desert there in Arizona was nothing like this barren land they crossed now.
“Should be smooth hiking,” Cameron said quietly. She took off the goggles, her hands reaching for Andrea. “You okay?”
“Yes. Ready for it to be over with. I’m tired of this desert.”
“I second that,” Eric’s voice sounded in her ear. She squeezed Cameron’s hand. She’d already forgotten the microphone she had attached to her wrist.
“Quit eavesdropping,” Cameron said. “We were having a moment.”
“How’s it look?” Reynolds asked.
“Clear. We’re moving now.”
“We’re parked about a half-mile away,” he said.
“Give us about ten minutes, then head out.” Cameron pulled her up as she slipped on the goggles again. “Can you see well enough?” she asked.
“Yes. You’ll guide me around thorns, right? I have no desire to tangle with an ocotillo cactus.”
“Yeah? What about this barrel cactus thing here?”
Andrea followed Cameron’s lead, sidestepping the round, low-growing cactus. “Thanks.”
They moved quickly, heading south, neither speaking. The sky had an eerie glow to it as the lights of LA illuminated the horizon. Andrea’s eyes adjusted to the near total darkness, able to follow Cameron now without keeping a steady grip on her shirt. They crested a small hill and Cameron stopped, squatting down again. Andrea did the same, her hand resting on Cameron’s back.
“We have a visual on the buildings,” Cameron said.
“We’re just heading out,” Reynolds said. “We’re following the road, right up to the gate.”
“Copy that. Don’t move in until we’re in position.”
“We copy.”
Cameron glanced at her. “Ready?”
Andrea smiled. “You look incredibly sexy in those goggles.” Eric and Reynolds laughed in her ear. “Sorry,” she whispered.
“Careful there, Agent Sullivan. Next time I may forget to warn you when we’re near a cactus.”
“Special Agent Ross, I’ll try to control myself then.”
Walking faster now, she could just make out the bulky shapes of the abandoned buildings. Cameron paused again as she scanned the area around them.
“Creosote bush to the right,” she said, pointing. “Reynolds? What’s your position?”
“We have a visual on the gate. Eric is setting up the camera now.”
“Do you see a way in?”
“Yes. The fence has gaps in it. There is nothing secure about this place.”
“Okay. We’re about two hundred yards out.” Cameron held the earpiece tighter. “Rowan? You copy?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Can you bring up the satellite and our locations?” She turned. “Andi? Get your phone out.”
“Sending it to you now,” Rowan said.
“Got it,” Andrea said, holding it up to Cameron.
Cameron took her goggles off, shoving them on top of her head. “Rowan, the building directly in front of us, that’s the office, right?”
“Yes. The long, rectangular building to the left of that houses the old locker rooms. The arcade is closer to the main entrance.”
Cameron studied the satellite image on Andrea’s phone, then slipped her goggles back on, scanning the area again.
“There’s a group of creosote bushes and something else. Can’t quite make it out. Could be old trash barrels or something. Let’s head for that. It’ll give us cover. It looks like it’s maybe a hundred feet from the back of the office.”
“Lead the way,” Andrea said, her hand again touching Cameron’s back as she followed.
“We’re slipping through the fence now,” Reynolds said, his voice quiet. “A lot of palm trees around but not much for cover.”
“Slow and easy,” Cameron murmured.
“Holy shit,” Eric said, his voice excited.
Cameron stopped, a hand held to her ear. “What is it?”
“Got something.”
“On the camera?” Andrea asked.
“Yeah. Two images. One is moving. The other appears to be prone.”
Andrea’s hand squeezed tightly against Cameron’s arm. “You think it’s him? You think he’s got another victim?”
“The one moving appears to be pacing. No movement from the other.”
“Location?” Cameron asked.
“I think it’s the old locker room,” he said. “I’ve got a visual on the arcade and it’s past that. Rowan?”
“Yes. Behind the arcade and to your right is the locker room. Cameron, the locker room is to your left.”
“That’s it then. We’re going to try to get closer and get a better read on it.”
His voice tinged with excitement and Andrea felt her own heart race as Cameron started to move again. Her pace had slowed, her steps sure, deliberate now.
“I’m sure I don’t need to remind you to look for trip wires,” Cameron said quietly.
“Copy,” Reynolds whispered.
Cameron took Andrea’s hand, guiding her behind her as she crouched low. Andrea squinted, seeing the trash barrels and creosote bushes. They hurried now, taking cover behind the bushes. Cameron again removed the goggles, her gaze landing on Andrea. She reached out and touched her face gently, reassuringly.
“We’re at the trash barrels. We have cover,” Cameron said.
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“We’re at the edge of the arcade,” Eric said. “I’m picking you up now on the camera. He’s on your side of the locker room.”
“Rowan? Windows?” Cameron asked.
“I wasn’t able to ascertain that in my research. But I would assume not. Locker rooms are for changing and showering. They are adjacent to the restrooms. I wouldn’t think there would be windows.”
“We can speculate but we can’t assume,” she said. “Let’s proceed with caution and assume there are windows.”
“Copy that,” Reynolds said. “We’re moving behind the arcade now.”
“Remember, we don’t know for sure if this is Baskin,” Cameron said. “Be sure of your target.”
“It better not be a couple of goddamn kids,” Eric murmured. “They’re about to get the shit scared out of them if it is.”
“No. It’s him,” Andrea said. She couldn’t have told them how she knew but she did. She could feel it in her gut. She felt her adrenaline kick in and suddenly it was hard to breathe. He had another victim. What was he doing to her? Had he drugged her? Was he waiting now? Waiting for her to wake up so he could play with her?
Cameron leaned closer, her lips to Andrea’s ear, the words for her alone. “It’s okay, Andi,” she whispered. “We’ll get the bastard this time.”
Andrea nodded, giving Cameron’s hand a squeeze. “I’m okay.”
Still crouching down, Cameron moved quickly against the wall of the old office building, then motioned for Andrea to follow.
“Eric?”
“I’m picking you up fine. Hang on. He’s moving.”
Andrea’s heart raced. Had he heard them? Did he have a trip wire to signal him? She followed Cameron’s lead as they both grabbed their weapons. She took even, deep breaths, trying to still her racing heart.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“Eric? Talk to me,” Cameron said. She impatiently pulled the goggles off her head, not needing them any longer. She could see the alarm on Andrea’s face, and she took a moment to squeeze her hand.
“It’s hard to tell where he is,” Eric nearly whispered. “He could be at the door looking out. He could be on the outside of the room.”
“We’re still behind the office building,” she said. “He’s still on the south side?”
“Affirmative.”
“We’re moving to the back of his building.” She glanced at Andrea, trepidation flowing off of her in waves. She wasn’t concerned that Andrea couldn’t do the job. She’d seen how Andrea reacted firsthand when Patrick Doe had been a threat. Andrea hadn’t hesitated in taking the shot. This time though, it was personal. Leonard Baskin had stripped her naked, had drugged her, had chained her to a bloody table. If Andrea was forced to take the shot again, would she do it? Would she feel she was doing it because it was her job to? Or would she feel like she was exacting revenge? She knew Andrea’s character. If the latter were the case, she doubted Andrea’s conscience would allow her to pull the trigger.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Andrea said, her eyes finding Cameron’s.
“Do you now?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”
Cameron nodded. “Okay. As long as you have my back.”
“I’ll always have your back.”
“Okay. Stay here. Wait for my signal,” she said. She peeked around the corner, seeing no movement, then ran quickly but silently between the two buildings, pressing herself close to the weathered bricks. “Eric?”
“Hang on. He’s moving around again.”
“Where is he?”
“He must know we’re here. He’s made us. Somehow he’s made us.”
“What the fuck? How?”
“He’s running. He’s outside the building. Running north.”
“Which building?”
“I fucking can’t tell,” he said, his voice loud in her ear.
“Goddamn it.” She whirled around, hearing the crunching of footsteps across the sand and rocks as he headed for the desert. “Andi?”
“I don’t see anything.”
Cameron fumbled for the night vision goggles, slipping them on her head. She took off, around the old office building, finally seeing him as he ran barely a hundred feet from them.
“Andrea, stay here,” she said, not bothering to look back.
“The hell I will.”
“Agent Sullivan, that’s an order.”
“Goddamn it, Cameron. No!”
“You can’t see shit out here, you know it. Check on the victim.”
She ran on, wondering where the hell the bastard thought he was going. If he had a motorcycle or dirt bike stashed, no doubt Reynolds and Eric had cut him off from it. It appeared he was simply fleeing into the desert.
At night. With no moon.
“Son of a bitch,” she said. “He must have night vision goggles too,” she said to anyone listening, her breath labored as she tried to keep up with him. “He’s running too fast, too easily.”
Andrea met Eric and Reynolds at the door to the locker rooms. She was furious with Cameron but she tempered it down, nodding when Eric held up two fingers, then one. Reynolds flipped on his flashlight, going in first, Eric behind him. The main room was empty except for a row of rusted lockers along one wall. Eric motioned to the hallway and proceeded slowly, his weapon out, his flashlight’s beam bouncing off the walls.
They found her tied to one of the benches, naked. Rope this time, not chains. Andrea stared, her eyes locked on the needle lying beside her head. Is this how she appeared when Cameron and Reynolds had found her? Had they stared like this, wondering if she was dead or alive?
Reynolds moved first, placing a hand at her neck. He nodded quickly.
“Still alive.”
Andrea let out her breath, finally rushing forward, trying to untie her. They all jumped, heads turning to the door when they heard gunfire. Two quick bursts, followed by a third.
Andrea dropped the rope, intending to go after Cameron when Reynolds stopped her.
“I’ll go. You stay with the girl.”
“No. I need to—”
“Agent Sullivan, you need to stay here.” He looked at Eric. “Both of you stay here.” Andrea was about to protest when Reynolds grabbed her arms, holding her still. “Eric has a goddamn concussion and that woman needs an ambulance. Call it in.”
Another two shots were heard and he didn’t wait for an answer. He spun on his heels, running quickly outside and back into the desert.
She ran her hands nervously through her hair, glancing at Eric, then at the woman. “Okay, so I don’t have her back on this one.”
“She told you to stay behind. She was right,” Eric said.
“If it were the other way around, would she have stayed behind?”
“Of course not.”
“Exactly. But she’s so goddamn stubborn...and arrogant,” she said. “We’re supposed to stay together. Her words. Let’s stay in pairs. Let’s don’t take unnecessary risks.” Andrea went back to the woman, touching her face, seeing her shallow breathing. “And then what the hell does she do? She takes off by herself, at night, running after a crazy man.” She paused. “Rowan? Ambulance?”
“Already called it in.”
She jumped again when another two shots were heard. Her eyes flew to Eric’s.
“She is highly trained,” Eric said. “Jack said she was the best. You have to trust her.”
“I trust her with my life. I’m just not so sure I trust her with her life.”
“I’m kinda busy right now, Andi, but you do know I can still hear you, right?”
“Oh, shit,” she murmured as Cameron’s voice sounded in her ear.
“I can’t see anything, Cameron. Where the hell are you?”
“There’s an old rusted-out car,” she said. “I’ve got him pinned.”
“That’s not helping me find you,” Reynolds said.
She turned and adjusted the goggles, seeing Reynolds some fift
y yards away.
“Christ, Reynolds, you’re in plain view. He’s got a—” But a bullet cut off her words and Reynolds dropped like a rock. “Reynolds?” she yelled. “Goddamn it! Reynolds?”
“I...I took it in the vest. I’m okay.”
“Jesus, man.” She let out a shaky breath. “Stay down, will you? I was trying to say he’s got a rifle.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
She chuckled. “Glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor, Reynolds.”
“I wasn’t aware I had any.”
“You two are pissing me off,” Andrea said.
“Sorry,” they said in unison.
“Want to tell us what’s going on?”
“He took cover behind an old car,” she said. “Unfortunately for him, I have a plain view of all sides. He has nowhere to run.”
“And what are you using for cover?”
“A pile of rocks.”
“And does he have a plain view of you?” Andrea asked.
“No. Hard to explain but there’s a space between the rocks.” She instinctively ducked when another shot was fired from the car. She fired back. “You got nowhere to go, Baskin,” she yelled. His response was two quick bursts, one hitting the rock above her head, shattering fragments onto her face. “Bastard,” she murmured.
“Do we have a plan?” Reynolds asked.
“I’m hoping one comes to me pretty quick,” she said. “I’m thirsty as hell, I know that.”
“So what? You’re just winging it?”
“Pretty much.”
“Agent Ross, you can’t just make this up as you go. For God’s sake—”
“Special Agent Ross,” she corrected. “And I had a plan. It was to shoot the fucker in the locker room. That kinda fell through,” she said. “You got any ideas?”
“Yeah. Have Rowan call in our location and send in a helicopter with a sniper.”
“You want to trust a county SWAT team sniper with this guy? Besides, by the time they get a bird in the air, he’ll be dead.”
“How so?”
“Because I’m going in behind him.”
“How do you plan to manage that?”
“You’re going to distract him.”
“God, I hate when she does this,” Andrea said. “At least there aren’t any cliffs around.”
