by Barbara Gee
Tuck considered it, then looked over at Tim and shook his head. “I just don’t think we can risk it. Jimmy’s last trap was pretty sophisticated, and I doubt the county deputies are trained to spot laser trips. They’ll have to wait for us. Marcus worked EOD in the military. We need to let him do his thing and give the all clear before we go in.”
“Are you sure, Tuck?” Emma asked. “The sooner medical help can get to Madison, the better. If she’s bleeding internally, every second counts.”
Tucker gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I know that, but we can’t risk sending the first responders into a trap they aren’t prepared for.”
“I’m afraid Tuck is right,” Tim said. “Have them there waiting for us, Em, but tell them to stay back a hundred feet from the building until we get there.”
“Okay then, I’ll call the local sheriff and relay all that,” Emma said. “And Kim is making progress on the message Zeke was signing. She’s pretty sure they’re headed to a town called Bailey, which is about 100 miles from Steuben Creek.”
“Is she sure enough that we can go ahead and order road blocks?” Tuck asked.
“Hang on a sec.” Emma discussed it with the other woman, then told the men Kim was confident Bailey was indeed Jimmy’s destination.
“Then I’d say go ahead and call the sheriff and ask him to monitor all roads leading into town,” Tim ordered. “I’m guessing Jimmy has at least four vehicles, and I’m also guessing his little caravan includes a truck of some kind, since they hinted at receiving a load of illegals. They might have the vehicles spread out a little bit, but they have no idea we already know their destination, so I doubt they’re being real cautious.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Emma replied. “You’re three minutes from the hospital. I’ll check in with you again when you land in Steuben Creek.”
Tuck took the turn to the hospital at speed and headed toward the rotating light on the heli-pad, the other agents right on his tail. They could see the lights of a descending helicopter, and they parked their cars and grabbed their gear, dashing for the concrete pad as soon as the chopper touched down. Minutes later they were in the air, headed toward Steuben Creek.
Hang on, Madison.
Tuck chanted that mantra over and over under his breath, even as his mind worked to anticipate what they might face when they landed.
Their pilot went all out and cut their expected flight time by an all important five minutes. They were directed to land in the parking lot of an abandoned elementary school, where the sheriff had two cars waiting for them. The deputies on scene reported no activity at the old plumbing shop a half mile away, which a dozen years ago had been home to Big Al and his shit kickin’ service.
When they reached the lot where the dilapidated building sat, Marcus walked the entire perimeter first, then began a careful approach. Tucker was close behind, aiding the EOD expert with a second pair of eyes.
“The last time he used a laser trip and had enough C4 to obliterate the entire building,” Tuck said as they moved slowly toward the old shop. “But it was detected before anyone set it off, so he might have tried something different this time.”
“Yeah,” Marcus breathed, his sharp eyes following the beam of his high powered flashlight. “Or he might have rigged a secondary trip, hoping if we find one we’ll assume that’s it and get careless.”
“Good call,” Tuck muttered. “That sounds exactly like something Jimmy would do. Or it could be he didn’t bother rigging anything at all, knowing we’d still waste precious time looking.”
The two men circled the building once at thirty feet out, then moved closer and repeated the circuit. Minutes ticked away. Tuck was more and more tempted to simply ignore the risks and rush in to find Madison, but his logical mind told him that taking the extra time was necessary. After all, if Jimmy had set a trap, Madison could be blown up along with everyone else.
“Ok, let’s head up to the building and take a look around the foundation,” Marcus said, striding toward the structure. “Pay special attention to the doorways, although anything he might have set is probably mounted on the inside and won’t be visible from out here.”
Tucker ran his flashlight beam carefully along the walls of the building as they made their way around it. A large roll up garage door in the service bay had obviously not been opened in many years. There were three man doors, one in the front, and two in the back. The doors in the back were rotten but still hung crookedly in the frames, while the original door from the front had been tossed into the weeds, replaced by a sheet of plywood on cheap hinges bolted directly into the concrete block wall.
“This is where they were coming and going,” Marcus said, eyeing the plywood. “There are no signs that any of the other doors have been used recently.”
“So this would be the best place for a trap. You think I’d be safe busting through one of the old doors in back and entering that way?” Tucker asked, increasingly desperate to get to Madison.
Marcus moved his light slowly along the edges of the plywood door. “I can’t see anything from out here. Yeah, let’s try going in through one of the other doors and see if Madison is even here. If she is, I’ll clear this door for the medical unit.”
“Which is arriving now,” Tuck said, looking skyward as the sound of a jet powered helicopter pulsed through the night. “Let’s go. We need to find Madison so we’re ready when they get here.”
The men jogged around to the back of the building. Choosing the most rotten door, they spent several moments peering through the gaps between the door and the frame.
“I’m not seeing anything suspicious,” Marcus said.
That was enough for Tuck. He stepped forward and shoved the sagging door. It screeched across the concrete floor a few inches, and Marcus stopped him to take one more look before nodding for him to go ahead and open it further.
Putting his shoulder against the door, Tuck shoved harder, this time opening it far enough for them to enter. They stood back to back, guns drawn, sweeping the beams of their powerful flashlights through the room. It was a small room and had probably once been the business office. It was littered with piles of empty fast food bags and wrappers, all smelling fairly fresh, confirming that Big Al’s was indeed where Jimmy and his crew had been holed up.
“Come on, we’ve got to get to Madison.” Tuck urged, stepping back to let Marcus once again take the lead.
They left the office and turned left, finding themselves in a large maintenance bay fronted by the garage door. Cheap plastic chairs and some air mattresses were scattered around the large space, amongst piles of old plumbing accoutrements, including broken toilets, countless sections of pipe, and various rusted fixtures and tools. Tuck noticed a pile of old caps, some of which sported the Big Al’s logo, and some the Shit Kickin’ Service slogan. That explained how Zeke had acquired the ones he’d worn.
The room held nothing else of interest.
“There’s probably a warehouse space on the other end of the building,” Tuck said. “That’s got to be where Madison is.”
The men moved cautiously down the narrow hallway, then Tuck waited for several nearly intolerable minutes while Marcus examined the still intact door leading into the only other place where Madison could be. Finally he swung the door slowly inward, and Tuck’s flashlight beam landed on the crumpled shape of the girl. He bolted forward but was tugged roughly back by Marcus.
“Hang on, Tuck. Remember, Callahan could have rigged something close to her. I know how you feel, but we have to be smart about this.”
“Then hurry it up,” Tuck snapped.
Marcus moved forward, his experienced gaze searching for anything out of place, or anything that could house a laser sensor. Finally he stood up straight and turned to Tuck.
“All clear.”
Tuck ran across the large open space and dropped to his knees beside Madison.
“Please, Lord, please,” he whispered, pressing his fingertips to her neck. At
first he felt nothing, but his mind registered that her skin still felt warm, so he moved his fingers slightly and pressed harder. This time he felt a weak pulse.
“She’s alive,” he shouted to Marcus. “Call the medics in now.”
Tuck ran his knuckles lightly across her forehead as he shone his flashlight along her body, horrified anew at her injuries.
“We’re here, Madison,” he said softly, his voice gruff with fear for her survival and fury at what Jimmy had done to her. “We’re going to have you to the hospital before you know it, sweetheart.”
He stripped off his jacket and laid it over her, then moved his light back to her face, noting that her eyes were badly swollen. She wouldn’t be able to open them anytime soon, but at least there were no lacerations. As he assessed her facial injuries, he noticed a faint movement of her lips. Was it possible that she was conscious?
Stroking her head he sought to comfort her. “It’s okay, Madison. We’re here and we’re going to get you some help.”
Her lips twitched again, and she let out a soft groan. Tuck feathered his fingers gently over her hair.
“Shhh, it’s okay. The medics are coming.”
Her head moved slightly and then he heard her voice, faint but clear.
“Tucker?” A shaky sigh followed as she turned her face toward him.
He sat back on his heels, shocked at the sound of his name coming from her swollen lips.
“Yeah,” he finally managed to say. “It’s Tucker.”
“I knew you’d find me,” she said, her voice now just above a whisper. “Thank you.”
Tuck’s jaw dropped in disbelief, and then a bunch of men and women were rushing into the room. Retrieving his jacket, Tuck moved back, allowing the medical professionals to do their jobs without interference. Several men set up bright battery powered lights so the medics could see what they were doing.
Watching as they carefully examined her, Tucker silently begged God to save her. The girl was strong and had made it this far, it would be a terrible shame to lose her now.
Tim approached Tuck and squeezed his shoulder. “How’re you holding up?”
Tuck shook his head. “I don’t know, man.”
“She’s alive, let’s focus on that. She’ll be at the hospital soon.”
“She talked to me, boss,” Tuck said, still amazed that she was conscious, much less able to speak. “She thanked me for finding her, can you believe that? I’m basically the one who put her here, and she thanked me.”
Tim’s voice grew hard. “Jimmy Callahan put her here, Tuck, and you’re going to make him pay. I suggest we let the medical people do what they do best while we haul ass down to Bailey. Emma says the Sheriff has two hidden roadblocks in place, and I’m guessing it won’t be long before Jimmy’s convoy is stopped in its tracks. Our chopper is still here, so let’s grab Marcus, Dan and Jeff and get moving.”
It was gut wrenching to leave Madison, but Tuck knew there was nothing more he could do for her. He followed Tim outside and the five of them made their way back to the helicopter that had brought them there. Before they took off, Tuck made a call to Emma to request that she contact him as soon as she knew the name of the hospital where Madison would be taken.
“Will do, Tuck,” she promised, and ten minutes later she sent him a text with the information.
When they landed in Bailey, there was nothing to do but wait for word from the deputies manning the roadblocks. The five agents were taken to the local police station, which was a tiny building inhabited by three officers who made up the entire force. The chief put on a fresh pot of coffee and assured them that the county sheriff had called in more than enough men to monitor both roads into town, and he expected a call any minute saying the suspects had been apprehended.
Finding an empty office, Tuck closed the door and dialed Libby’s number, heedless of the late hour.
“It’s about time you call me!” she yelled into the phone after only one ring. “You promised to keep in touch and then you ignore my calls—what’s up with that, Tuck? All I get is a couple of texts saying you’re busy and you’ll call when you get a chance, but you don’t. Damn it, Tucker, I’m going crazy here and you can’t be bothered? I could strangle you right now, I really could!”
He let her vent, because everything she said was true. Her fury came as no surprise, and he took it until she finally ended on a sob.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I knew you’d be angry but trust me, Lib, it was better that you didn’t know what was going on. It took us until now to find Madison, and she hasn’t had an easy time of it. She’s at the hospital now, and it’s bad. I want you to go to her.”
This revelation was followed by a long beat of complete silence.
“Oh, dear God, what did he do to her?” Libby asked, her voice suddenly small and shaky, concern for her friend taking the place of her anger.
Since Libby would soon see Madison for herself, there was no reason for Tuck to sugarcoat it.
“He beat her. She has a lot of broken bones and most likely internal injuries. Libby, I need you to head to the hospital as soon as possible, okay? She’ll probably be in surgery so you won’t be able to see her for a while, but I want someone she knows to be there when she wakes up. I’ll meet you there when I can, but I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get away.”
“I want to leave right now,” Libby said urgently. “Can the agent here drive me? It’s Frances.”
“Yeah, let me talk to her.”
“Okay, but where are you right now? Did you get the bastard who hurt Maddy?”
“Still working on it. We’re hoping to have him by the end of the night. I’ll talk to you soon, I promise.”
“I’m holding you to it this time, Tucker. Be careful, and good luck. Here’s Frances.”
Tuck made the arrangements to get Libby to the hospital, then rejoined the others in the main room, all of them waiting anxiously for word that Jimmy had been caught.
Chapter 10
It was just after midnight when the police chief got the call. Four vehicles had been seized, including a panel truck.
“How many men?” Tuck asked sharply, waiting for the chief to relay the question to the deputy who had called in the report.
“He says seven.”
“Damn.”
Tuck shared a bleak look with his fellow agents. There had been eleven men at the old shop. If four were missing, Jimmy was without a doubt one of them.
Tim took charge. “I want to bring them all here for questioning. We’re going to need more space.”
“We can use the City Council chambers next door,” the police chief offered. “It’s only used once a month for meetings.”
“That’ll work. Tell that deputy to keep the suspects separated, I don’t want them comparing stories,” Tim said. “Have they opened the panel truck yet?”
The chief asked the question, then looked up at Tim. “Opening it now.” He waited, and after several minutes his eyes widened.
“Eighteen girls, they think from South America. They look to be in pretty good health, so they haven’t been in the truck for long.”
“Call the Charlotte ICE office,” Tim directed him. “Tell them to get a couple of agents here ASAP to take those girls off your hands. In the meantime bring them here and get them water and food, if you can scare any up this time of night.”
“I’ll make some calls,” the chief promised.
Tuck walked out of the station and paced the length of the small parking lot in front. The police chief came out and went next door to unlock the council chambers. Tuck watched as he disappeared inside, and a moment later the lights came on. The chief then returned to his station, and Tuck resumed pacing.
How had Jimmy known? Even as he posed the question in his head, Tuck was pretty sure he knew the answer. It was the same as always. Money bought friends, and one of those “friends” had alerted Jimmy to the roadblocks. Too bad the warning had come too late for Jimmy to save his m
en.
Turning on his heel, Tuck went back inside.
“I want the name of every person who knew about the roadblocks, Chief. Every single one. How long of a list do you suppose that’ll be?”
The chief frowned. “That’s hard to say, Agent Simon. It would be all the deputies who manned the blocks, and the dispatchers—probably everyone on duty tonight at the Sheriff’s office. Plus the three of us here, and I suppose there could be more off duty guys who didn’t participate but heard the radio chatter.”
“Get me the names of everyone you know for sure.”
“Can I ask why?”
“Sure, Chief,” Tuck said, his blue eyes icy. “It’s so I can figure out which one of them fed information to Jimmy Callahan.”
The loud screech of chair legs on the tiled floor had every head turning in the direction of the noise. The youngest of the three Bailey cops stood up quickly, pushing his chair back under the desk. He was slightly overweight and still had an acne problem. Tuck guessed him to be twenty-one or two.
“Uh, Chief, I’m gonna take my break now.” He looked nervously around at all the faces staring at him. “Uh, anyone need some fresh coffee? They have it all night at the Qwik Stop on the corner, and it’s a lot better than the stuff we make here. And they have those carrier things that hold the cups so I can bring a bunch back.” The young man finally stopped rambling, but his forehead popped out beads of sweat, which he wiped at with his sleeve.
Tuck pushed away from the desk he’d been leaning on and smiled. “Why don’t I go along and help you carry it,” he suggested. “I could use a quick walk to clear my head.”
Tim raised an eyebrow as Tuck passed, but he didn’t stop him.
“Extra cream and sugar for me,” Dan said, winking at Tuck.
Tuck clapped the young cop on the back and gestured for him to precede him out the door. Once outside, Tuck followed the cop until they got to the far side of the parking lot, then he put a hard hand on the younger man’s shoulder and stopped him.
