The McKays Box Set - To Kill For, Blood Sport, Hard Time & Gang Land

by A. J. Carella

  There were a couple of jobs he still wanted to do around the cabin that couldn’t be put off if he wanted it to get through another winter. They shouldn’t take long, though, and he would be done by late morning. He’d arranged to go over to James’ again later and he felt bad about ducking out on him, but he would pop over and see him and explain.

  Draining the last of his coffee, he took the cup inside and rinsed it out before going outside to grab his tools and get started.

  Thirty-Nine

  The watch that he’d been wearing on his wrist was gone and he had no idea if it was day or night. Whatever time it was, it was cold. Being underground meant that the room never warmed up, surrounded as it was by cold earth, and was permanently damp. Kyle watched as a trickle of water from where moisture had gathered on the wall wound its way down to the floor.

  After doing what he could for Alex, he’d curled up next to him and closed his eyes, trying to rest. They needed to share their body warmth, particularly for Alex if he was going to survive. He was worried about him. The head wound was severe, though the bleeding had thankfully stopped. He hadn’t fully regained consciousness, though, and Kyle was worried about injuries that he couldn’t see. He had no idea how long he’d stayed like that as exhaustion had finally overcome him and he’d fallen asleep, waking a short while ago, his body stiff and shivering in its attempt to keep itself warm.

  They wouldn’t be there long, though, he was sure. Kat would have heard everything that had gone on in the warden’s office and would have raised the alarm. At that thought, his tongue instinctively flicked to the hidden transmitter on his tooth and his blood ran cold. It wasn’t there. Putting his finger in his mouth, he rubbed his tooth where it should be. Nothing. How long had it been gone? Did Kat even realize they were in trouble?

  He didn’t have time to worry about it as just then, there was a loud scrape as a key unlocked the door and the warden stepped into the room, followed closely by a smirking Red.

  Kyle had no idea how much they knew, or even how they’d found out that they’d lied, so he decided to play dumb.

  “What the hell is going on? Why are we down here?”

  The warden smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I think you’ll find I’m the one who’ll be asking the questions, Kyle.” He took a step closer. “Starting with this; why didn’t Alex carry out the hit?”

  “I don’t know what you mean. What was he supposed to do? She wasn’t there,” he bluffed.

  The warden nodded at Red who took his baton off his belt and flicked it open. “Don’t take me for a fool, Kyle. Do you really think that I was just going to let you on board without keeping an eye on you? As soon as you were up on the roof, Red here,” he flicked his hand in Red’s direction, “took up position on the street to see the hit take place.” He sighed. “Needless to say that he saw the target come out of the restaurant and walk safely down the street.”

  It had always been a possibility, and one that had crossed his mind, but there hadn’t been a choice. Now that it had been confirmed, though, there was clearly no point in trying to pretend otherwise.

  “It wasn’t Alex’s fault. It was mine. Once I realized what was going on, I couldn’t let it happen. He tried to fight me off, but I got the rifle off him. By the time it was over, it was too late. The target had gone.”

  “Touching the way you’re trying to protect your new friend but if that were true he would have just told Red as soon as you got back to the truck. Don’t take me for a fool, Kyle.”

  “It’s the truth. Once he realized that it was too late, he told me about his daughter and what would happen to her. I talked him into saying that the target wasn’t there to try and protect her. He wanted to tell you the truth.” If he hadn’t already done it, he needed to try and convince him to leave the girl alone. He suspected that the transmitter had been knocked out of his mouth in the warden’s office but he couldn’t be sure, so he had no idea if Kat had heard what had happened on the roof and taken steps to protect the girl. “You need to get him a doctor, fast.”

  “I will, when I’m sure he’s too far gone to recover. Terrible thing when an inmate gets beaten up by his fellow prisoners, isn’t it?”

  “Why can’t you just go back to the way it was before? Nothing needs to change.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. It’s clear he can’t be trusted anymore and I can’t take the risk that he’ll talk to someone. All it would take would be for him to say the wrong thing to the wrong person and it would be over. No, there really is no other way.”

  Forty

  The jobs were done, his bags were packed and in the back of his car. All he needed to do was go and see James and Max and explain his sudden departure. Picking his way through the woods once again he found them both sitting by the water’s edge, each with a fishing pole planted in the ground next to them.

  “Hey, catch anything?” he called out as he approached.

  James turned and smiled, waving him over. “Hi, neighbor. Nope, the fish are playing hard to get today but we’ll flush ‘em out, won’t we, bud?” He turned and grinned at Max, who happily smiled back.

  “Go grab a chair from the porch and join us. I’ve got a spare rod somewhere. I’ll get it out.” He went to stand up but Finn waved him back down.

  “I can’t stay, I’m sorry. I have to leave unexpectedly but I didn’t want to leave without letting you know and just not turning up.”

  James looked at him for a moment before standing up fully this time. “You got time for a coffee before you go?” He turned and walked towards his cabin before Finn could decline.

  Having no choice, Finn followed him.

  “Tell me to mind my own business if you like,” James said as he piled coffee into the filter before filling the reservoir with water and switching the machine on. “But you look like a man with something on his mind.”

  Was it that obvious? He hardly knew this man and he didn’t know what came over him, but before he knew it he was telling him everything. Standing in this stranger’s kitchen, he unburdened himself completely and it felt great. He hadn’t talked about any of it with anyone except Kat, and he realized now how much he needed to.

  By the time he finished talking, the water had filtered through and the coffee was ready. James made two cups before carrying them through to the living room. “So what’s your plan?”

  Taking the mug that James was holding out for him, Finn sat on one of the two leather couches and shrugged. “I don’t really know. I only know what Kat told me, which was that she had the baby in Santa Clarita, just outside L.A., so I guess I’m headed there.”

  “And what are you going to do when you get there?”

  Now that he was actually putting it into words, he realized that he hadn’t thought it through at all. His plan had simply been to get on a plane. He hadn’t really considered what he’d do when he actually got there.

  “Look, I’m an attorney. Let me make a few calls, see if I can help you out. You can’t just visit every attorney’s office in Santa Carita and hope you get lucky. Even if you find the right one, they’re not going to tell you anything. They’re not allowed to.”

  His head was more messed up than he thought. He was a police officer. He knew this stuff and yet he’d been prepared to rush off and hope for the best. “God, you must think I’m an idiot.” Finn shook his head and ran his hand through his hair.

  “Not at all. I think you’ve got a lot to deal with and it can’t be easy. I love Max and I can’t imagine my life without him. If I suddenly found out I had a son, I’d want to find him, too.”

  “Do you think you can help?”

  James smiled. “I can certainly try. Put it this way. They’re more likely to talk to me than to you.” He reached forward and took the mug from Finn’s hands. “Okay, you’ve got a child out there to entertain while I make some calls. Make sure you catch a big one. I’m counting on it for the grill tonight.”

  Forty-One

  Ca
llahan had come back into the dining room to tell them that his boss would be there soon, but since then he’d gone to sit alone in the kitchen and Kat hadn’t had a chance to speak to him fully.

  She knew he was angry and she didn’t blame him, but she wanted to make him understand that she’d done it for the right reasons. I spend half my life explaining my actions to people these days, she thought ruefully as she went to find him.

  “Safe to come in?” she asked, smiling as she poked her head round the kitchen door. He sat at the counter, his attention on whatever he was writing on a pad in front of him. He didn’t answer her, just glanced up and then straight back down at what he was doing.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” She walked in, quietly closing the door behind her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”

  “It’s not me you need to apologize to,” he said, putting his pen down and looking up. “It’s that poor guy you got to go in there you need to say sorry to.”

  “I didn’t get him to go in there. It was his idea.”

  “Well, it was a stupid one. Finn told me you used to be a police officer. You, of all people, should have known better.”

  He was right, but the fact was she wasn’t a police officer anymore and she’d done what she’d thought was right at the time. “Fine, I get it. Stupid. But the fact is, he has disappeared and we need to find him, so what are we going to do about that?”

  She didn’t get a reply, as just then the doorbell chimed, signaling the arrival of Callahan’s boss. Glaring at her, he stood up and left the kitchen, leaving her standing there without answering her question.

  By the time she’d taken a calming breath and followed him out of the kitchen, he already had the front door open and was inviting his boss in. Kat was surprised. She didn’t know why, but for some reason she’d assumed that Callahan’s boss was a man, so the sight of the attractive women at the front door took her aback for a few seconds. She was older, in her mid-forties, but still had that youthful glow of someone who looked after themselves. The crisp, white short-sleeved blouse tucked into plain, black pants didn’t disguise her athletic frame, and though her blonde hair was scraped back into a bun, Kat was sure that when it was loose it would frame the soft features of her face perfectly. Hiding her surprise, she stepped forward and held out her hand.

  “Kat McKay, pleased to meet you.”

  The woman looked at the hand and then up at Kat’s face, ignoring the outstretched hand. “Agent Shaw. You must be the woman who’s harboring a fugitive and who caused this mess.” Pretty she may be, but she clearly has no manners, Kat thought, stung by her words. She looked across at Callahan to see if he was going to say anything, but he just stood with his hands in his pants pockets, staring at a point above her head. Fine.

  “I’m the one who is trying to save her nephew’s life, yes.” she replied pointedly.

  The woman just looked at her before turning to Callahan. “Okay, where can we go to talk? I need to go over everything, in detail this time.”

  “We can go in the dining room. The others are in there,” Callahan told her before turning to lead the way.

  Feeling like a guest in her own home, Kat followed miserably.

  ***

  They spent the next hour sitting with Agent Shaw and Callahan going over everything again, and by the end of it, Kat was about ready to explode.

  “Look, we’ve been over this, more than once. Can we please do something? God knows what’s happening to Kyle while we’re sitting here talking about it.”

  Agent Shaw looked up from her notes. “Unlike you, Miss McKay, I’m not in the habit of rushing into things. I do my homework first. I find a lot less goes wrong when you do things that way.”

  The dig wasn’t lost on Kat and she felt her cheeks flame. “I just want to find him before something happens to him.”

  Agent Shaw’s features softened slightly. “I understand that. But while we’ve been sitting here talking I’ve had agents looking for your car, running background checks on the prison warden and his staff, and trying to find out more about this prisoner, Alex. I assure you Miss McKay that things have been happening while we’ve been sitting here.”

  She may not like her, but Kat grudgingly admitted she clearly knew how to do her job and her words made Kat feel slightly better. “Have they found the car?”

  Shaw shook her head. “Not yet. They’ll contact me as soon as they have anything to report. Now, if we could get back to it, I need to hear those recordings you say you have.”

  Kat nodded. “Of course. I’ll go and get them.”

  She knew they were all in trouble, but as Kat gathered the recordings from the guest room where the receiver was kept, she felt a sense of relief that someone else was making the decisions and that the burden was no longer all on her shoulders. The end was in sight and she just hoped that it ended in a way they could all live with.

  Forty-Two

  Agent Shaw had flatly refused to let her go into the prison with them, but after a lot of pleading she had managed to get her to agree to let her go along and sit in the back of the car. Shaw, Callahan and a team of agents they’d arranged to meet there had entered the prison half an hour ago and she’d been sitting anxiously biting her nails since, not taking her eyes off the main entrance.

  A lot had happened in the last few hours. After listening to the recordings, Shaw had been happy that they had enough evidence to go in and arrest the warden and the guard called Red. She was sure there were others who were also involved but, for now, that’s where they would start. Jake had been taken back into custody, which they’d expected, but for the time being he would be housed at the nearest jail pending the outcome of the investigation.

  Faintly at first, she heard the sound of a siren but thought nothing of it until she noticed it getting louder and louder before an ambulance finally appeared and pulled up outside the prison. As it did, the main door swung open and Shaw and Callahan exited the prison, each holding a handcuffed prisoner by the arm. From the description that Kyle had given them, she was in no doubt that they were the warden and Red. Both were marched to waiting FBI vehicles, where they were secured separately. Frantically, she jumped out of the car, ignoring the strict instructions she’d been given to stay put, and ran towards the prison door.

  She felt a hand grab her arm, pulling her to a stop before she could go inside. “Kat, stop. You can’t go in there.”

  “Where is he? Where’s Kyle? Did you find him?” The words fell over themselves in her rush to get answers. The look on his face was grave as he nodded, and Kat felt sick.

  “Yes, we found him. Kat, he’s alive. He’s taken a bit of a beating but he’s okay.”

  His eyes drifted to look over her shoulder and his jaw clenched. Whirling around, she watched as Kyle was helped out of the prison. He had his arm draped around the shoulders of one of the agents she’d seen go in with Shaw and Callahan, who was supporting his weight as Kyle tried to walk.

  “Oh, my God, Kyle.” She rushed towards him, pulling herself up short before she threw her arms around him. “I’m so sorry. What did the bastards do to you?” She reached out to touch his face where it was swollen and bruised.”

  He gently pushed her hand away. “I’m fine, Kat. They did a lot worse to Alex.” He searched her face. “Did you get to his daughter in time?”

  Kat nodded. “Yes, she’s fine. She and her grandma are back at the house with Jamie.”

  As she spoke, the door was pushed open once more but this time, the paramedics appeared pushing a gurney. Kyle immediately stumbled over to it and leaned down towards Alex. “They’re fine, Alex, they’re safe. It’s over now.”

  Kat didn’t know if he’d heard Kyle or not as it didn’t look as if he was conscious. They stood back and watched as he was loaded into the back of the ambulance before one of the paramedics approached them.

  “You, too, sir. You need to get checked over.”

  Kyle shook his head. “No, I’m staying.�
� He looked over at where the warden and Red were sitting in the back of the FBI vehicle. “Those bastards have a lot of questions to answer and I’m gonna be there when they do.”

  “I think you’ll find that you have a lot of questions to answer, too.”

  Kat hadn’t noticed Agent Shaw walk over and she introduced her to Kyle.

  “Kyle, this is Agent Shaw. She’s the one who got you out of there.”

  Kyle extended his hand, which she ignored, before she carried on speaking. “You need to go and get checked out at the hospital and then, when you’re feeling better, I’ve got some questions for you.” She turned to leave before pausing and turning back to look at him. “I’m glad you’re okay, but that’s only because you got lucky. It was a damn fool thing you did.” This time she walked off.

  “Don’t mind her,” Kat explained. “I don’t think she’s very good at the social niceties. But she’s right, you need to go and get checked out.” She raised her hand as he was about to argue once more. “Just do it, Kyle, for me.”

  He sighed, but climbed into the back of the ambulance anyway, taking a seat next to Alex’s gurney and the agent who was accompanying him to the hospital. “I’ll see you at the hospital,” he called out just before the paramedic closed the door.

  Kat watched the ambulance leave before turning and walking over to where Agent Shaw stood talking to Callahan. “So what happens now?” she asked as she got close.

  “What happens now?” Shaw raised her eyebrows. “What happens now is that you go home and you stay there until we come and talk to you.”