The Hostage

by Saul, Jonas

  Drake gripped the phone tighter. He recalled something Sarah had said.

  I’m dangerous. People have a habit of dying around me, or I end up having to kill them.

  What did that really mean? Who was she and could any of what Spencer said be true?

  He couldn’t hear anymore. He had to figure things out on his own. But who could he trust?

  “Beware of a half-truth. You may have the wrong half,” Drake said and closed his phone without saying goodbye.

  “What was that all about?” Sarah asked.

  “It was Spencer. The cop that took me to the ball game.”

  He felt her eyes on him, studying, scrutinizing. “Then why the long face?” she asked. “What did he say?”

  Drake looked at her and wasn’t sure what he saw anymore: a traitor or his savior. “I just can’t believe I was had so easily. I hate being lied to. I’m finished with toxic people.”

  Sarah nodded her head and stepped out into the hallway. Drake followed as she led him toward the elevators.

  “It’s time to go,” Sarah said. “We need to get underground, find a cheap motel to discuss what to do next. I need to locate Parkman somehow. He’ll be able to help.”

  “Who’s Parkman?”

  “He’s a good friend and a cop. I’ll explain more later.”

  Drake didn’t feel like talking anymore.

  The line wrapped around away from the elevator. After a ten-minute wait, they’d moved far enough to be able to see the elevator doors. The tension thickened between them. Drake didn’t know what to believe. Should he ask her about the death of her ex-boyfriend? How would she take it? In the end, he knew she’d deny it.

  Yeah, Drake, sorry, had to kill that guy. He was horrible.

  The elevator arrived. As it emptied, the people in line ahead of them began to enter.

  The last five people off the elevator all wore the same jackets. Drake noticed them right away. They scanned faces, dodged between people and attempted to get somewhere fast. Sarah ducked her head and leaned into the wall, moving toward the elevator.

  “That’s Rod,” Sarah whispered to him. “How the fuck did he find us so fast?”

  It was time to solve everything. If Sarah did hurt or kill someone, and they are looking for her, then I have to do the right thing. If she’s done nothing wrong, then what could it hurt?

  He wondered how Rod’s tracking skills could be so good. Something unexplainable was happening here. Rod was never too far behind.

  And what was that about Sarah wearing a tracking device and handcuffs? Could he really be on the run with a criminal? They didn’t use cuffs and tracking devices on innocent people.

  If Sarah was guilty of something, then as much as he was attracted to her and would love to get to know her better, he couldn’t help her.

  With his mind made up, Drake stepped out of line and walked away from Sarah.

  “Rod Howley,” he shouted. “Sarah and I are right here.”

  Rod turned from about twenty feet away and stared as he pointed toward where Sarah stood near the elevator’s door.

  Chapter 15

  Elmore ran from the Tim Horton’s and on his way back to his car, he dialed Beck Taxi’s dispatch.

  “Beck Taxi?”

  “My name is Staff Sergeant Mike King. I’m interested in a fare that got picked up near the corner of Adelaide and Spadina just over an hour ago. It was a young couple. According to the information we’ve received, the cab was flagged down. It wasn’t called in.”

  “I’m sorry, who are you?” the dispatcher asked.

  “Mike King. I’m the lead detective investigating the shooting at the Rogers Centre. We have reason to believe the person of interest took one of your cabs.”

  “Look, sir, I can’t give you that kind of information over the phone.”

  He ran through traffic at the red light on King Street and continued toward his car, trying to formulate his response. He had to find out where Sarah was dropped off to get there before anyone else could.

  “Ma’am, I know you’re aware of the Freedom of Information Act. I could go to any judge in the city and get him to sign a warrant to read your dispatch logs. The difference is, it would take until tomorrow or the day after before I could get the information and that would be a problem.”

  He stopped talking to let the dispatcher respond. When she didn’t, Elmore continued, “If you tell me what I need to know now, you save us both a lot of trouble and time. While you decide, keep in mind that we’re hunting a killer on the streets of Toronto. Do you really want that on your conscience if they kill again when you could’ve done something to stop it?”

  He heard no response. With all the traffic going by, Elmore wasn’t sure if he’d been disconnected.

  Then the dispatcher spoke.

  “I’ve only been here a few months. I don’t want to lose my job. I can’t do it.”

  “Okay then, I’ll tell you what. Give me what I need and I will personally talk to your boss or whoever you want and tell them that the Toronto police force is indebted to you for your service to the community. I will make their life hell if they even think of firing you. But, on the other hand, go by the book on this one and make me get a warrant, I will tell your boss how difficult you were to work with regarding the location of a murder suspect. I will formally recommend you are fired immediately. Work with me and I will work for you. That’s how this goes. Get it?”

  Elmore had made it to the building where his car sat parked in the underground. He had to wait until the call ended before heading down or he’d lose the signal.

  “We’re running out of time here,” Elmore prodded. “Make a choice, but make the right one. Help me catch a murderer and I will help you. Decision time.”

  Another pause that made him feel the dispatcher was going to disappoint him.

  “The CN Tower,” she said.

  “What? Really?”

  “Yeah … I got it right here.”

  Elmore slammed his phone shut and ran down the ramp for his car. The CN Tower sat only one city block away from him. He could be there in less than four minutes.

  He jumped in his car and squealed the tires a few times as he raced out of the parking lot.

  When he hit Front Street, he set his red police light on the dash of the vehicle and turned it on. As they do in the movies, he jammed on his brakes in front of the tower, opened his door, got out and slammed it shut.

  His exposure was high, but with the fake mustache, the clothing and the proper ID, Elmore was confident he could pull it off.

  He ran through the main doors, showed his badge and headed for the elevators where he stopped.

  A group of seven men stood in a circle around one elevator door, their guns drawn, all watching, waiting as the lift rode down its cables from the top.

  Sarah, I got you.

  Chapter 16

  Sarah had seen Rod. She whispered to Drake and started for the open door of the elevator, ducking down to avoid detection.

  Drake had stepped out of line and called Rod’s name.

  What the fuck is he doing?

  Sarah looked across the corridor and into the eyes of Rod Howley. He bolted into action, running at her, his face showing all his anger in an instant.

  Sarah lunged out and grabbed Drake’s arm.

  “Let’s go!” she shouted and pulled him toward the open elevator. There were too many people. The door crowded up.

  She looked back over her shoulder. Rod was five feet away.

  “Gun!” she shouted in the most hysterical voice she could summon. “He’s got a gun. Everybody, run!”

  She expected instant chaos, but only a few people reacted, looking around to see who carried a weapon.

  What is it with Toronto people? Does everyone have a gun?

  She had succeeded in clearing the doors enough, but Drake had trouble. Rod was right behind him, reaching for Drake.

  “Shoot him,” Sarah yelled. “Use your gun. Kill the scum
where he stands.”

  That got people moving faster. Rod had caused a scene by running at Drake and Sarah. Men and women ran away from the elevator. One woman shouted that she was calling the police. Another woman just screamed.

  Sarah lowered her center of gravity and grabbed Drake around the waist. She pulled him into the elevator while three people edged past them on their way out.

  The door began to shut. It got caught and opened again.

  Sarah moved to the right and jammed her thumb on the close door button, holding it down.

  “Drake, get that fucking door clear,” she yelled at him.

  Whatever he heard in her voice, Drake complied. He pushed forward like a defensive linebacker, clearing the door far enough for it to close.

  In the small gap of inches, just before the door closed completely, Sarah saw Rod’s face. His expression was complete and utter hatred for having to deal with her this way.

  It must really fuck him up to always be chasing me.

  Then she turned to Drake. There were three other men still on the elevator with them. All three moved away from her as she glared at Drake.

  She brought her hands up, grabbed his collar and shoved him up against the wall.

  “What the fuck were you thinking?”

  One of the men on the elevator reached out and touched her shoulder.

  “Hey, take it easy. It’s over. Let him go.”

  Sarah slapped the hand off her shoulder. “Whatever touches me again gets broken. Don’t test me when I’m this pissed off.”

  She looked into Drake’s eyes, nose to nose. “What was that all about?”

  “Get off me,” Drake said. “We will talk when you’re not all up in my face.”

  Sarah let him go and looked out the glass wall at Toronto rising to meet them.

  “Is it true?” Drake asked. “Did you really knife your ex-boyfriend in the stomach and you’re wanted for murder?”

  “Is that what this is all about? Did Spencer tell you that?”

  Drake nodded.

  “Believe what you want,” Sarah said as she stepped to the corner of the elevator.

  “No,” Drake shook his head. “I want to hear it from you. Are you the hero I thought you were or a criminal on the run?”

  Tears of disappointment edged into her eyes. “I will tell you this. I’m no hero.”

  She couldn’t believe she had actually started to feel something for Drake. Sure he was hot, but she could do without the drama. If he was that easy to sway, anyone could tell him anything and he’d play for that team. Rod had almost got her again.

  Rod would radio down to have cops waiting at the bottom. There had to be a way out. The roof was too high to try the square access door. The only way out was the main door.

  She looked through the glass and Toronto disappeared as the elevator entered the building at the base and slowed.

  She was out of time.

  “Okay, you three, up front. Watch the doors.”

  The three strangers did what they were told. After hearing talk of murder, she was sure none of them really wanted to test her.

  “What are you doing?” Drake asked.

  She definitely heard hurt feelings in his voice.

  Yeah, well, I’m hurt too.

  “Rod will have called down. People will be waiting for us. There’s no way I’m going back with him to his bunker.”

  The elevator came to a complete stop. All five of them looked forward as the doors started to open.

  Hunkering down low, with no sight on what lay beyond the doors, Sarah could feel the police presence.

  No one on the elevator moved.

  She glanced over the shoulder of the guy who had touched her a few moments ago.

  More than half a dozen cops stood in a semicircle, their weapons aimed at the inside of the elevator.

  It’s over. Rod has gotten me again. Fuck, how could he track me so good?

  The lights on the elevator turned off. The power went out.

  “Nobody fucking move,” Sarah said. “I’m very serious.”

  “Sarah Roberts, please step out of the elevator,” a voice commanded from beyond. “It has been taken out of service. The doors will not close. You have nowhere to go. Come out with your hands up.”

  Chapter 17

  Elmore ran up to the back of the line of cops as the elevator doors opened.

  He flashed his badge and turned to a cop beside him.

  “I’m to take Sarah Roberts and her companion into my custody. I’m with the Americans. She’s to wait in my vehicle out front until they can rendezvous with me here.”

  The privately hired armed security guards surrounding the elevator looked nervous. The one Elmore spoke to seemed eager to have Sarah off his radar.

  “Sure, if you can get her off that elevator. We’re not going in there.”

  Elmore edged between two guards and stepped to the elevator door.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Elmore said. “You three, get off the elevator first.”

  The three in the front hustled out and away from the door. He knew he was running out of time. At any second, real authorities would show up. He would be arrested. He had to get her now and do it fast.

  He stepped to the open door and saw her silhouette in the darkened elevator. A feeling of major achievement washed over him. Sarah Roberts, the real Sarah Roberts was all his, to do what he pleased for as long as he wanted.

  “Sarah, you’re to come with me,” he said. Then an idea came to him. He knew how much that cop Parkman worked with her. He leaned his head in further and whispered, “Parkman sent me. I’m to take you to him, but you have to hurry.”

  She stepped from the shadows. He couldn’t believe it. He had her. His Sarah. Oh, she would be a delight to kiss, to suck on. It would be an honor to use her nails between his teeth. Her panties would sell so well.

  He stepped from the lift and nodded at the guards who lowered their weapons.

  “I got this. They will come with me to my vehicle out front and wait there. You,” Elmore pointed at the man he spoke to earlier, “will you help escort these two prisoners to my vehicle?”

  The man nodded. “The show’s over,” he announced to the gathering crowd.

  Elmore wrapped his hand around Sarah’s arm and instantly began growing an erection. He led her away as the rent-a-cop grabbed the other guy and followed.

  He couldn’t believe how easy it was.

  He also couldn’t believe that just holding onto Sarah’s arm aroused him this much.

  Oh, Sarah, we are going to have a lot of fun together.

  The foursome made it out of the building without being stopped. He chanced a look behind him but no one had given chase yet. It wouldn’t be long. The people hunting Sarah were close. They had almost had her. His timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

  They reached his car. He opened the door and the guy Sarah was with got in, followed by Sarah. As soon as the door closed, he knew they were his. The doors locked on the outside like a regular police car. There was no way either one of them could get out unless he let them out.

  He never knew when an unwilling female hostage would change her mind on the way to his house and decided to jump from his vehicle. That kind of attention would be undesirable.

  “Thanks for your help,” Elmore said to the guard. He slapped him on the shoulder and said, “Tell them I’m out here when they come for her.”

  “Okay,” the guard said and started back for the tower.

  Elmore ran around to the driver’s seat and got in. He fired up the engine and flicked on the headlights as the evening had dropped into dusk.

  He put the car in gear and started away. The flashing light on his dash bothered him. He unplugged it from his cigarette lighter and tossed it on the passenger side floor.

  Then he looked in the mirror and laughed.

  I’ve actually got Sarah Roberts in my car and no one knows me or where we’re going, he thought to himself. Both of you ar
e now missing persons cases that’ll never be found.