by Laura Scott
“I know I need to relax. Stress isn’t good for the baby.”
Baby? Noah hadn’t said a word about his wife being pregnant. “No, it’s not,” he agreed.
“I already called the police,” Maddy continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “But waiting for trace evidence from their home, if there is any, will take too long. We need to move on this, before it’s too late.”
“I know.” Mike thought fast. Why harm two older women? This all had to be related to his father’s murder. They must be getting close to uncovering the truth. “Listen, Shayla and Brodie are missing, too. I’ve been keeping them safe from harm, but they’ve been kidnapped. It’s possible they’re all together.”
“But why?” Maddy’s voice reflected desperate bewilderment. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m not sure, either, but it’s the only thing that makes sense. Stay close to Noah, understand? I don’t want you or the baby in danger, too.” It was bad enough that four people he loved dearly were in harm’s way.
“He’s coming to pick me up now.” Maddy sniffled loudly. “Where are you?”
“Just have Noah take you someplace safe,” he insisted. “I’m with Mitch. Marc and Miles are heading to MPD to talk to either Beecher or Stoltz. Matt and Duchess are checking out another angle. I have Hawk meeting us, as well. Trust me, we can handle it.”
“We’re coming, too,” Maddy insisted.
“No!” Mike’s voice rose with frustration. “Maddy, if you want to help, stay there and make sure the cops find some sort of evidence. There has to be a fingerprint, a hair or something. We’re going to need it.”
There was a long pause before she reluctantly agreed. “Okay.”
“Good.” The small wave of relief was quickly overshadowed by the very real fear that the situation was unraveling faster than he could find the threads to stop it. “I’ll talk to you later.”
He ended the call.
“That’s not good,” Mitch said from the driver’s seat.
“I know.” He dragged his palms over his face. Think. He needed to think! “I’ll call Matt, he needs to know.”
“Same with Marc and Miles,” Mitch agreed.
“Yeah.” He contacted Matt first, hoping his brother may have reached Fresno’s place by now.
“I was just going to call you,” Matt said. “Fresno’s place is empty, and Duchess hasn’t picked up Shayla’s scent. But I found several small drops of blood on the back porch. I think he’s involved with the Dark Knights.”
“I agree.” Mike hadn’t trusted the guy from the first time he’d met him. The blood could very well be Duncan’s. “But there’s worse news. Maddy just called from the house. She found signs of a struggle, plus Mom and Nan are gone.”
“Gone?” Matt’s voice went tense. “The same way Shayla and Brodie went missing?”
“Yeah. I need you to meet us at Lane Walters’s apartment building. It’s our best lead and I’m thinking that maybe we’ll find all three women and Brodie there.”
“I hope you’re right. Catch up with you soon.” Matt quickly disconnected from the call.
He called Marc next to tell him the latest and he promised to call Miles. “I’m not going to meet with Beecher or Stoltz,” he said. “We need all hands on deck with Mom and Nan being taken.”
“Okay. Stoltz already knows we’ve stumbled across the truth. Maybe you can try to get a message to Beecher, as well.”
“Will do,” Marc agreed.
The rest of the drive into the city seemed to take forever. But when Mitch got within a few blocks of the side-by-side apartment buildings, he parked the SUV. “We need to go from here on foot.”
“Okay.” As Mike pushed open his door, Matt’s SUV pulled up behind them. Matt and Duchess soon joined them.
“I’d like to take Duchess over first, see if she picks up Shayla’s scent,” Matt said, holding the bag with Shayla’s sweater inside. “Once she picks that up, I’ll give you the signal and we can surround the building.”
Mike wiped his damp hands on his jeans. “We need to be careful, or they may shoot the women.”
“That’s why I want to be sure Shayla’s in there first,” Matt pointed out. “Give me at least ten minutes, okay?”
“Okay.” Mike glanced at Mitch, who also nodded.
“Let’s review the blueprints while he’s gone,” Mitch said. He opened the back of the SUV and used the back surface as a table as he unrolled the blueprints. “This building here—” he tapped the page “—is the one Marc has the search warrant for.”
There were two buildings side by side, but only one that belonged to Rainbow Springs, LLC, the corporation believed to be a front for the Dark Knights.
“What about this building?” Mike indicated the one next to it. “Who owns this one? Is there a way we can get inside there to set up some sort of surveillance?”
“I’m not sure. Do you have my notes?” Mitch dug around in the box they’d brought along. “Oh, yeah, here it is. The place is owned by a different corporation, Baker’s Dozen, LLC.”
“Baker’s Dozen?” Mike frowned, wondering why the name sounded so familiar. “Wait a minute! The name of the nineteen-year-old who was shot by Donte Parkerside was Baker. Lindsey Baker.”
“That’s not a coincidence,” Mitch said, pulling out his phone. “We need Marc to expand the search warrant to include both buildings.”
Mike’s nerves were wound so tight he feared he’d snap. Why hadn’t he noticed that connection earlier? Why hadn’t he uncovered the truth about the Dark Knights a long time ago?
Why, Lord? Why?
“Thanks, Marc.” Mitch turned, his expression grim. “He’s working on the expanded warrant, but Marc wasn’t able to reach Gordon Beecher or Kirk Stoltz. He left messages for both of them.”
Mike understood that meant the brass at MPD could easily take action against them for not going through proper channels.
His phone rang. “Yeah?”
“Mike? Duchess alerted on Shayla’s scent outside both apartment buildings.”
“Both of them?” His gaze collided with Mitch’s. “They can’t be holding her in both places.”
“No, but they can move her from one place to the other.” Matt’s voice was soft and Mike guessed he was hiding out somewhere close by. “I believe she’s being held in the second building rather than the one on the corner.”
Mike tightened his grip on the phone, his mind racing. What if Mitch was wrong? Storming the wrong apartment building would put Shayla and Brodie, and possibly their mother and grandmother, at risk. They could be shot before they could find them.
He froze, paralyzed with fear.
“Mike?” Matt’s soft voice barely penetrated his dire thoughts. “Duchess alerted in a narrow walkway between the two buildings. It makes sense to me that they were moved from one building to the other. I’m telling you—she’s in the second one.”
“Okay.” Mike swallowed hard and forced himself to trust his brother. Trust his family. And to trust that God was watching over them.
They’d find a way to save Shayla, Brodie, Mom and Nan.
Or die trying.
The darkness wasn’t nearly as overwhelming when they all huddled together. It didn’t matter that they were basically strangers, the three women, Duncan and Brodie stayed together, drawing strength from each other.
“The boys will come for us,” Mike’s mother said softly.
“I know, but it’s a trap,” Shayla whispered. “We need to warn them. I have a phone, but the connection is terrible.”
“Try again anyway,” Mike’s mom said. “I wish I had brought my phone.”
“The stupid man who grabbed me tossed mine in the garbage.” Nan sounded annoyed.
Shayla tried Mike’s number again, smiling a bit as she realized the two Callahan matriarchs
were doing their best to keep their fear at bay with their brave comments. She admired them. Turning on her phone, she waited for it to power up.
The battery indicator was red and there was only one bar signaling a poor connection.
“Shay?” Mike’s voice in her ear made her want to cry.
“Stay away,” she whispered. “It’s a trap!”
“What? Can’t—you.”
She knew he couldn’t hear her, just like the last time she’d tried to talk to him. “Your mom and Nan are here,” she tried again, speaking slowly.
“Coming—don’t—”
The phone battery chose that moment to die, as if seeking a signal through the concrete was too much for it. Dejected, she slid the useless device back into her pocket. “I’m pretty sure they’re coming to find us,” she finally said. “I only hope they don’t get hurt. There are four gunmen by my count, and likely more.”
There was a long moment of silence as the group digested that bit of information.
“Even if we told them to stay away, they wouldn’t,” Margaret said. “They are too much like their father.”
Shayla knew Mike’s mom was right, but it didn’t make her feel any better.
“We’ll pray,” Nan said firmly. She felt the older woman’s hand grasp hers. “Dear Lord, we ask You to keep the Callahans and the O’Hares safe as we fight the evil men who seek to harm us. Amen.”
“Amen,” Shayla and Margaret echoed.
Brodie had fallen asleep. Shayla wasn’t sure her brother believed in the power of prayer, but she hoped that when, not if, they got out of this mess, he’d give God and faith a try.
She was thankful to Mike for showing her the way to the Lord.
Shayla didn’t know how much time had passed, but a loud bang made her jump. Tightening her grip on Brodie, she surged to her feet, fearing the worst.
Another loud bang was followed by the sound of loud footsteps. “Shayla? Brodie? Are you in there?”
Mike’s voice! “Yes!” she called. “We’re here! Your mom, Nan and Duncan, too!”
“Stay back.” There was another loud bang then the door abruptly swung open, bringing a sliver of light. “Come with me,” Mike urged. “Hurry!”
They moved as a group to the door. Mike and his brother Mitch stood on either side of the doorway. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, but felt self-conscious with Mike’s mother and grandmother nearby.
He must not have felt the same way because he pulled her and Brodie in for a hug. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered near her ear. “It’s my fault you were taken.”
“It wasn’t, but we’re safe now,” she assured him, leaning against his warm strength.
“Marc and Miles brought backup,” Mike said. “They’ve arrested four men, including Duncan’s partner, Peter Fresno.”
“He ratted me out,” Duncan said. “I was working undercover trying to infiltrate the Dark Knights, but he wasn’t buying my story—”
“We need to get out of here,” Mitch said, abruptly interrupting the conversation. “Hurry!”
“Well, two of the Callahan sons are better than none,” a deep voice said. “I’ll get the others, too, in time.”
Shayla frowned, recognizing the voice from earlier that day. The one belonging to an older man who claimed that getting the Callahans here was part of his master plan.
“Drop your guns or I’ll start shooting,” he continued. “I have your dear mother in my sights and from here it will be easy enough to pick the rest of you off one by one.”
“Kirk Stoltz?” Mike said, his voice indicating surprise. “You? You’re the one behind all of this?”
“Drop your gun, Mike,” Stoltz said firmly. “You, too, Mitch. Kick them toward me. At this point, I have nothing to lose.”
Mike carefully lifted his hands, showing the gun pointed toward the ceiling as he carefully bent and placed it on the floor, then kicked it with his foot over toward Stoltz. Mitch did the same thing and soon both men were unarmed.
“You were Dad’s friend,” Mike went on, apparently having difficulty wrapping his head around what was happening. “I don’t understand how you could have been involved in his murder.”
“That’s because you didn’t have to watch your daughter fighting for her life, only to exist in a world that can only be seen from her wheelchair.” Kirk Stoltz’s voice was full of anguish. “Parkerside and his equally pathetic accomplice took her from me as surely as if he’d killed her. Bad enough that my wife divorced me and remarried a guy named Alex Baker. She begged me to allow Baker to adopt Lindsey, and I eventually agreed. It worked out as Lindsey visited with me on special occasions. After the shooting, Lindsey went into a deep depression, even tried to kill herself. From that moment on, I decided the only way to get rid of the rubbish in the streets was to take care of it myself.”
“Kirk, please.” Margaret Callahan spoke up for the first time. “You’ve always been a friend to me after Max died. You shared meals at our home. Please don’t do this.”
“I’m sorry, Margaret, but Max had to be silenced. He was getting too close to the truth. And for a while I thought you’d all moved on. Only nosy Mike here refused to leave it alone. And then Duncan had to get into the picture.” Kirk’s tone hardened. “If you had just left us alone, then I wouldn’t be forced to get rid of you.”
Shayla instinctively moved closer to Mike’s mother, as if to help calm her down. Where were the rest of the Callahans? Surely they weren’t far behind.
The rat-a-tat of gunfire erupted from the apartment building above them.
“That’s our cue.” Stoltz’s smile was evil. “Time to go.”
Shayla couldn’t bear to look at Mike or Mitch, worried about what might be happening above them.
If the other Callahan brothers were up there, then their chances of escaping were slim to none.
“This way, now!” Stoltz said sharply. He indicated a door not far from their locked room. Mike and Mitch exchanged panicked looks that made her wonder if the door was a surprise.
Margaret Callahan stepped forward to lead the way, but Mitch quickly came up beside her. Shayla stayed behind Nan, still carrying Brodie, leaving Duncan and Mike to trail behind. She figured Mike and Mitch were planning some sort of move, maybe making a run for it once they were out of the basement.
But they didn’t go out the way they’d come in. Instead they were led down a long, dark, winding tunnel. It was a good five minutes of walking before they reached a staircase heading up to ground level. When they were out in the sunlight, it was easy to see there was another gunman, dressed in black from head to toe, waiting for them. They were in an alley some distance from where the apartment building was located. Her hopes plummeted.
Was this it, then? Would they die here together?
“Get into the cargo van,” Stoltz said. “Hurry.”
The cargo van was white with Baker’s Dozen written along the side in red, ending with a large glazed donut with sprinkles on the back panel.
No one would suspect this van of carrying hostages, she thought with dismay as the back door was opened by the gunman.
The moment the back door opened, several men sprang out of the van followed by a K-9. The dog clued her in on the identity of the men before she recognized Miles, Matt and Hawk.
“What the—” Stoltz’s words were abruptly cut off as Mike did some sort of martial arts move that disarmed him at the same time that Matt and Hawk took care of the gunman. Duchess added her low growls to the din.
“Where’s Marc?” Mike asked, not nearly as surprised to see the two Callahans and his buddy Hawk as she was.
“The feds have the apartment building under control,” Miles informed them. “And look here, Noah and Maddy just arrived.”
“Maddy shouldn’t be here.” Mike spoke up quickly. “She’s pregnant.”
>
“She is?” Margaret exclaimed, her face softening in a smile. “I’m so glad.”
“Arresting me won’t shut down the Dark Knights,” Kirk yelled, his face flushed red with fury. “Our mission will continue!”
“No, it won’t,” said a deep voice from the other side of the van. Shayla glanced around in surprise when she saw her father standing there, leaning heavily on a cane.
“Daddy!” She instantly rushed to his side, shifting Brodie so that she could put her arm around his seemingly frail shoulders. “What are you doing out of the hospital?”
“I checked myself out and asked Duncan’s buddy Ryker Tillman to bring me here.” She noticed the tall dark-haired man standing silently beside her father, recognizing him as her brother’s friend. “After Miles clued in Gordon Beecher, who in turn told me what was going on, I had to come,” her father explained. “I couldn’t bear the thought that my request to work undercover may have caused my son’s death.”
“I’ll survive,” Duncan said, making his way over to join them. Her eyes misted as Duncan gave their father a quick hug. She felt Mike’s gaze and saw the flash of guilt in his green eyes.
He’d been wrong, just as she’d told him all along. But she wasn’t angry. They’d both suffered enough over the past four years.
It was time to put the past behind them and to focus on the future. Even one that meant sharing custody of Brodie.
“You’ll shut down the Dark Knights, Stoltz,” her father continued, spearing Kirk with a stern look. “You’re going to give us every name of the players involved, dirty cops and civilians alike.”
“Why would I do that?” Stoltz said with a sneer.
“Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you get placed in a prison with local criminals who will know all about you. I’m sure they’ll love to meet you up close and personal.”
Stoltz stared at his boss as if trying to see if he was bluffing. Shayla knew he wasn’t.
