Hart of Darkness

by S. B. Alexander

  Ever so slowly, his body moved until his back was against the vinyl booth bench, seething either at the situation or at me.

  I checked on the waitress, if for no other reason than to give Hughes a minute to process what I’d told him. The middle-aged woman was making another pot of coffee. When I swung my attention back to Detective Hughes, he was giving me a death glare full of disbelief and rage.

  “You might not like me. I know I lied to you when you asked me if I’d seen Nadine. I’m sorry about that. I was thinking of Maggie, and she wanted to tell you.”

  He sighed as though he’d needed my apology.

  I gripped my coffee cup. “I don’t bullshit. It’s one of the things I learned from my father.” Not that my old man had actually taught me anything. I’d learned by observing, and he was the type of man to tell it like it was. “I care for Maggie, a lot. I will kill Miguel if he so much as hurts her. That, you can bank on.”

  He puffed out his chest from taking in a large amount of air and toyed with his mustache. “I refuse to believe one of my men is tainted. What I do believe, though, is you’re telling the truth about Maggie. I spoke to her before she left her office. She said she had a date with you, which I wasn’t thrilled about. I tried to call her before I hit the sack—several times, actually. I wanted to make sure she got home okay. I’d been more concerned since Nadine was murdered. But I figured she was having a good time and ignoring my messages.”

  I didn’t expect him to jump for joy. He was her protector, and I was glad he was, especially now.

  Some of the color returned to his face. “I do respect Hunt. I know he works for Pitt, who knows these streets back and forth. Tell me everything.”

  I told him how Grace had worked for Miguel. I filled him in on the phone conversation with Miguel, and I told him that Cory Calderon was a Black Knight. When I finished, he didn’t say anything.

  “When I spoke to Maggie, she sounded off,” I said. “I think they drugged her.”

  Creases lined his forehead. “This Dom guy told you that Cory was involved in the Black Knights?”

  I found it odd that he didn’t come back with a question about Maggie. After all, he cared for her. “Yeah. But Cory doesn’t use his real name. He goes by an alias of Dallas.”

  Ted reared back. “Fuck. My team and I are familiar with that name, but we’ve never been able to identify or find anything on a Dallas. Now I know why.” He glanced out the window. “Maggie always believed Cory was a Black Knight. She swore by her source.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Up until recently, we didn’t know that Miguel was running the show. We only got that info out of one of his men who we arrested at that standoff.” He returned his attention back inside, picked up his cup, and took a swig, looking despondent.

  “What’s wrong?” I’d been waiting for him to run out of there since I mentioned that Miguel had kidnapped Maggie, unless Hunt had it wrong, and Hughes was the inside informant within the gang unit rather than Rick. Maybe that was the reason Hughes had never confirmed to Maggie that Calderon was a Black Knight. Maybe that was why Hughes had kept Maggie at a distance from the case on the gang and sex trafficking. Hughes would probably handcuff me for asking him my next question or jump over the table and choke me to death. “Are you the one working for Miguel?”

  For the first time since I’d met the detective, his features brightened like a street full of Christmas lights. “I take back what I said. I like you, Hart. You got some balls.” Then his whole body went rigid. His nostrils flared, and his mustache twitched. “You think I would put Maggie in harm’s way? You think I would botch a case I’ve been working on for over a year?”

  My fingers dove into my hair. “I don’t know you. I do know you’re proud you arrested my brother.” Which was odd in my book. I suspected there was more to the story, but this wasn’t the time or the place. “I do know Maggie cares for you. So let’s not beat around the bush. I have to find my girl, and I need your help. Although if you are working for Miguel—”

  “Save the rest of the speech, Hart. I can assure you on my wife’s grave I’m not the one working for a thug like Miguel.” He spoke with conviction. “Why does Miguel want your sister?”

  If I told him, then Grace could be seeing the inside of a prison like Denim. She’d been through enough. Images of Grace’s back flashed before me. If her captor wasn’t dead, I would kill him. Plus, I had no proof. “My sister was sold to a man she ended up escaping from, and he wants her back. Apparently, if Miguel doesn’t return her, then both Grace and Miguel are dead.” I tore apart a napkin as I visualized the scarred welts on Grace’s soft skin.

  “I’m sorry.” It was the first time I’d heard sympathy from the man.

  “Are you going to help us or not?” I asked.

  “Let’s get Hunt in on the action. He’s good with his gun, and I trust him,” Hughes said. “Now I want to see where we’re meeting Miguel.”

  “My sister isn’t going to be part of this exchange.” I couldn’t blame Grace. As desperate as I was to get Maggie back, I couldn’t force Grace, nor would I. “Please tell me you have some leads on where you can find Miguel.”

  He mashed his lips together. “I might, but that would involve my team.”

  If Dom struck out on locating the warehouse where Miguel was keeping Maggie, then I had a plan C. And that involved either me going to jail for murder, or worse—me dead.

  33

  Dillon

  We had thirty minutes until the sun peeked over the horizon. Thirty minutes until all hell broke loose.

  I paced the paint factory, wearing a hole in the floor, while Hunt checked his gun and Hughes talked to his computer analyst about Marco Holdings. Hughes had assured me that the conversation was normal since he was the boss. His guy would only think that Hughes was doing his job.

  Duke was on the roof, keeping watch. Dom was pulling his car into the building. Hughes wanted Miguel to think that no one except Grace and me were here, although I didn’t think Miguel was that stupid.

  Grace sat in the only chair, gnawing on her nails.

  I went over to her, rubbing my eyes. All of us had been up all night. Dom had failed to find Miguel’s location. Hughes had tried to call Rick to give him a bogus lead on another case his team was working on. He wanted to test Rick. But to Hughes’s surprise, Rick didn’t answer, which according to Hughes was odd. His team was always ready to go whenever a call came in on gang activity.

  I squatted down in front of Grace. “You don’t have to do this.”

  My plan C was to kill Miguel. It wasn’t the greatest plan, but it was the only one I could see happening since we hadn’t found a location on him. Hughes had shot that idea down, reminding me that a plan like that would put me in a cell next to Denim.

  Grace jerked her head, her golden-brown eyes swimming with dread and rage. “It’s our only option. I was hoping we would find Miguel before now, but I can’t let one more girl suffer or die at his hands, especially one you care about. You’ve always been my favorite brother. I love you, Dillon. I hope you forgive me for running away and then not contacting you when I could.”

  I rose and held out my hand. “Let’s take a walk.”

  My nerves subsided for the moment as though she had valium in her palm.

  As we walked, I said, “Don’t talk like you won’t make it out of this. I’ll kill Miguel before I’ll let him take you.”

  The sound of Dom’s car engine rumbled in the building.

  A wide-open aisle stretched from one end of the factory to the other, flanked by machinery on both sides. The machines were disassembled, with rusted parts lying on the ground around them.

  When we came to a stop at a cross section that led to offices, my sister blinked, and tears welled in her eyes. “It’s a possibility, even though that family wants me alive.”

  That family would always be a problem for Grace. But my goal was to get Maggie back and make sure Grace walked away with me. Anything else was for another day, alt
hough Hughes’s mission was to bring in Miguel, Cory, and whoever else was part of his organization and throw them all in a cell for quite some time.

  “Hunt and Hughes are very good at what they do,” I said. “And you trust Dom?”

  She blinked then nodded.

  “Then nothing will happen to you.” I couldn’t ask her to trust me. We hardly knew each other. But I would protect her even if it meant my life for hers. “On another topic, I wanted you to know that I didn’t tell Hughes about you taking out the man who bought you.” Saying that last part gave me stomach pains and made Grace wince. “If you want to tell him, that’s up to you. But you’ve been through hell.”

  “Let’s just get through today,” she said.

  She would get no argument from me.

  “Dillon,” Hughes called. “Let’s go through our plan one more time.”

  My watch said we had twenty minutes.

  Dom strutted up the aisle, his long legs eating up the space until he was draping an arm over Grace. “Hey. Are you doing okay?”

  She snuggled into him, smiling as though she needed his touch.

  I was beginning to realize Dom adored my sister.

  Once all three of us joined Hughes and Hunt, Hughes handed out tiny two-way earbuds that were invisible when worn. “Put these in.” He had given a pair to Duke before my brother went up to the roof.

  “Duke, do you copy?” Ted asked.

  “Loud and clear,” Duke said as if he were part of the police force.

  Inwardly, I laughed. Duke was fidgety around Hughes. I couldn’t blame my brother since he was not exactly an upstanding citizen.

  “Still quiet,” Duke added. “I don’t see anything in the building across the street.”

  Hughes had suspected that Miguel would have men stationed around the area.

  “Recently, my analyst found a money trail that led us to a bank in Brazil for Marco Holdings, but he isn’t having any success breaking through the firewall,” Hughes said.

  Dom had been shocked that his buddy couldn’t either.

  “I was hoping,” Ted added. “If he could, then my team would surround the warehouse until we had Miguel. It’s coming down to the wire anyway.” He set his eyes on Grace. “Are you still good to go through with this?”

  She hadn’t left Dom’s side. “I’m ready.”

  I wasn’t sure I was. My pulse was pounding as I reached around to my lower back. The gun was still there. I was using one of Dom’s guns that had been sitting on the makeshift table.

  Hunt crossed one ankle over the other as he leaned against the pump I’d been sitting on earlier. He showed no signs of nerves. It was as though he lived for shit like this.

  Hughes pinned each of us with a look. “The only way onto this property is through the gate unless Miguel’s men climb fences. So Dom, I need you on the second floor, facing west. And Hunt, you’ll be on the east, which is where Miguel and team will come in. I’ll be right inside. As soon as Miguel gets out of the car and we have eyes on Maggie, I’ll make the call to the precinct. Grace and Dillon, you need to stall Miguel. It will take the cops at least ten minutes to get here.”

  “No sirens,” Hunt said.

  I couldn’t help but think of how so many things could go wrong in ten minutes. But Ted wanted to make sure we captured Miguel, and he had to follow procedure as much as he could without compromising Maggie’s life, or any lives for that matter.

  Ted smoothed his fingers over his mustache. “One last thing. No one dies today.”

  Dom made sure Grace’s bulletproof vest was secure. “I killed enough in Iraq. I don’t need to be killing anymore.”

  Hunt straightened. “We need to get in position.”

  I inhaled the musty air, but it did nothing to calm my out-of-control pulse.

  Dom hugged Grace. “You’re strong. You’ve survived worse than this. Remember that.” He kissed her on the forehead and took off.

  Hunt clapped me on the shoulder. “We got your back. Grace, stay close to Dillon.” Then he was gone.

  “We’ve got a black Jeep coming down the road,” Duke said.

  I grabbed Grace’s shaky hand. “Hughes, have you considered what you’ll do if Rick shows up to this party?”

  Hughes removed his gun from his holster. “Arrest him like all the others.” No emotion whatsoever was evident when he delivered those words. Even his features were schooled. “Now get out there.”

  Do or die.

  Grace and I walked out and found our spot behind two of the rusty barrels that we had positioned in the middle of the empty parking lot.

  Orange glowed on the horizon as a fine mist of fog hovered over the water behind us.

  We had a direct view of the gate and the Jeep turning in. I scanned the area as wide and as far as I could see. No other cars approached. The abandoned building across the street showed no signs of activity that I could see. Duke was the one with the binoculars, though.

  Grace’s eyes were filled with fear. “This isn’t going to go well,” she muttered.

  I gently touched her arm. “Dom’s right. You’re strong, and let’s not forget Miguel isn’t going to kill you. He needs you.”

  “What if something goes wrong and he takes me? I can’t go back to him, Dillon.”

  “You’re not. We’re going to take him down today,” I said as sure as the sun was rising. But my insides weren’t so confident.

  The Jeep pulled to a stop about four yards ahead of us and idled.

  Grace went ramrod straight. I held my breath. The gun at my back was burning a hole into my skin.

  The sun’s rays were beginning to brighten.

  My heart was punching my ribs as if Kross Maxwell were using me as one of his sparring partners.

  The front passenger’s door opened as the driver cut the engine.

  Grace and I watched and waited, breathing a little heavier than normal. We had our vests on. The drums were shielding parts of our lower bodies, but our heads weren’t protected.

  The first man to appear was Cory. I only knew what he looked like from a picture in the office of my financial advisor. In the photo, Cory was posing with the elder Calderon on some golf course.

  “There’s Cory,” I whispered.

  “Cory is a beast,” Grace mumbled. “He should be shot dead like the animal he is.”

  Maggie would agree.

  The next man to exit the Jeep from the driver’s seat was none other than Detective Rick Banfield. His balding head shone in the morning light. He lingered at the driver’s side door with his hands in front of him, not looking at us.

  My heart galloped so hard, I swore I was having a heart attack.

  Hughes’s voice came through my earpiece. “What the fuck?”

  “Easy.” I spoke low, more for me than Ted, who seemed to want to burst out of the building and tear off Rick’s head. “We don’t see Maggie yet.”

  The Jeep was parked slightly off to my left, and the windows were tinted, so I couldn’t see inside.

  Cory came around the Jeep and stood next to Rick.

  Then the back door on the passenger’s side opened. I was beginning to sweat.

  A short man came into view, joining his men.

  “That’s Miguel.” Derision coated each of Grace’s words.

  Miguel said something to Rick before Cory and Miguel ambled over, stopping about three yards from us.

  Miguel’s posture was as stiff as a board. “Well, Dillon, we’re here.” He glanced around. “I know you got a couple of guns on us. I wouldn’t expect anything less. But we’re not here to kill anyone or cause a scene. You hand over Grace.” Miguel waved stubby fingers at my sister. “Hi, honey. Did you miss me?”

  Grace cringed. “Always the asshole. Aren’t you, Miguel?”

  “The deal was Maggie for Grace,” I said as calmly as I could. “Where is she?”

  Miguel snapped his fingers.

  Rick opened the back door on the driver’s side. When Maggie emerged, I blinked
several times to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.

  Her blond hair was a mess as though it had been windblown. Her pants were soaked in blood, and she looked like a rag doll. If it weren’t for Rick holding her up, she wouldn’t have been upright.

  I growled low and deep.

  Grace’s hand clutched mine. “Miguel needs to die today,” she whispered.

  I agreed with her. I couldn’t tell if Maggie had been shot or stabbed. No matter what had happened to her, the person responsible would pay.

  Hughes also growled, then several expletives came out of his mouth before he said, “Dillon, stick with the plan.”

  A roar of laughter blared in my head. The need to kill jabbed me in the gut and made me tense every muscle in my body.

  Maggie was breathing heavily as she locked eyes with me and smiled. My heart soared and plummeted at the same time. The need to kill was stronger than I’d imagined.

  Reluctantly, I tore my gaze away from Maggie and pinned it on Miguel, who had a smug grin on his ugly face. “Stay here,” I said to Grace.

  She wouldn’t let go of my hand. “You heard Hughes. Stick to the plan. We need to stall Miguel.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Remember, they want me alive, not you.”

  Grace was right, but I didn’t care. You better, dude, if you want a life with your girl and your family. I didn’t see any guns on any of them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t packing.

  “Keep him talking,” Hughes said. “I called in the cavalry. ETA seven minutes.”

  Maggie’s head bobbed. I wasn’t going to last seven minutes, and from the looks of it, Maggie wasn’t either.

  34

  Maggie

  I couldn’t walk to save my life. The pain in my leg was so unbearable that I wanted someone to cut it off immediately. But any pain that had taken hold of my body died when I saw Dillon. He’d come for me. Then I saw Grace, and I wanted to bawl my eyes out. She looked like an angel with a halo around her, or maybe I was seeing things. I saw the resemblance of brother and sister, and I didn’t even need to lay eyes on her hummingbird tattoo. Pretty was the first word that surfaced. She had short brown hair and wide brown eyes. She was petite yet somewhat tall, and tats covered both her arms, like Dillon.