by Rhea Wilde
I didn’t say anything while we traveled together. I figured she didn’t want to talk to me, especially while recovering from a night of drinking. Thankfully, we managed to get near the address without any serious incident.
Garden Street wasn’t much different from a lot of New Gardens. The poverty was obvious. The apartment buildings were rundown and in desperate need of renovation. Some buildings were abandoned completely. The stores were covered with security cameras and metal bars blocked all of the windows. There were homeless people who lined the sidewalks, making it hard for the few kids there to play and enjoy themselves. The other people outside looked like they were up to something shady, even though it was in the middle of broad daylight.
As we made our way down the street and approached the address I’d marked, I couldn’t help but examine all of the buildings around us.
“This is a shame,” I said.
“What is?”
“A place like this, in the middle of a metropolitan city. These poor people are just looking for a place to get out of the heat and they can’t do that.”
“It is a shame. But there really isn’t much you can do for them. Not unless you’re someone like Lee Taurus.”
“You can do something for them.”
I stopped in my tracks and turned to her.
“Just one person,” he said. “That’s a big difference.”
“It doesn’t sound like it.”
“Tell that to the person you help.”
Looking into her eyes, I knew Eva had a heart. Her demeanor might have been rough around the edges but I knew she was always willing to do what was right.
I gave her a chance to consider what I said while I kept walking. We kept moving until we arrived at our destination.
“That’s it,” I said as I pointed in the distance. “Over there.”
“That’s it?” she asked. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“But that’s… That’s abandoned. There’s nobody in there.”
It was an abandoned three-story apartment building. The front door was removed completely. Even from this distance, I could see all of the dust and cobwebs.
“A building like that?” she whispered to herself.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
I glanced at her. She exhaled a deep breath then nodded.
As we headed toward the building, I looked around to see if anybody were following us. The street was devoid of cars and all of the homeless seemed more occupied with just trying to rest. I walked right up to the front entrance and Eva pulled on my arm.
“Wait,” she said. “Should we just use the front door like this? Maybe we should go in from the back.”
“If there’s trouble, it doesn’t matter which way we come in.”
“Right,” she sighed with a nod.
I stepped into the building with Eva close behind me.
The smell of moldy wood filled my nostrils.
The paint on the walls was peeling. The floorboards creaked with every step. There was nothing inside any of the rooms. No furniture. No electronics. Not even any trash. There wasn’t a single sign of life.
I remained quiet. We started with the first floor, peeking into every room but not finding a thing. After we finished searching, I pointed toward the stairs and we headed up. There wasn’t much else on the second floor either. The building was just as abandoned as it looked.
“Maybe it was just a shipping address,” I said. “Maybe he just got something delivered here and picked it up and left.”
“They left,” she replied. “But if they did, they had to have left something behind. There has to be something. I know it.”
We headed to the third floor. There weren’t as many rooms as the previous floors. I cautiously made my way around while she followed behind me.
When we got to the end of the hall, we both noticed something curious. Out of all of the rooms in the building, only one of them had a closed door.
I stopped in my tracks when I noticed it. Eva swallowed nervously when she looked at me. Now that we were here, the worst thoughts started to enter my head.
I had to do this though. For her.
I pulled my gun from my waistband then pushed the door open slowly with my other hand.
“What is this?” I muttered.
It wasn’t like the other rooms. There were four beds, two on each side. But the beds weren’t empty.
“What the…”
There was a person on each of the small beds. I took a step closer to get a better look at them. Their eyes were closed and their skin was yellowed. Their clothes were ragged, the kind you would find on someone living on the streets. Each one of them was different. One of them was a middle-aged man. Another was a middle-aged woman. Then there was a man who looked like he couldn’t have been older than twenty. In the last bed, was an elderly man.
I stood next to one of the beds and stared down at the woman. There was something strange about it.
“Dead,” I said. “They’re all gone.”
“Drugs,” Eva said. “They were given drugs until their bodies failed them.”
“How do you know that?”
“Look.”
She pointed at the IV bags on the beds next to them. The emptied IVs were plugged into the arms of each one of them. I stared at them and narrowed my eyes.
“That’s it,” she said. “It’s drugs.”
“How can you be sure?”
“The body they found at Sinful,” she said as she turned to me. “They didn’t finish the autopsy but they said it was most likely a drug overdose. Now, we find more bodies and they’re dead, too. Probably the same way.”
“Why would Reese drug people like this? Why would he waste product he could sell?”
“Maybe he’s not planning on selling it. Not yet, anyway. Maybe he’s testing it.”
“Testing it?”
“Look,” she said, pointing at each one of the bodies. “Their skin. Look at how yellow it is. You can see their veins popping out. Have you ever seen anything like that before?”
“No,” I responded, examining the bodies closer. “But it would coincide with toxicity.”
“Then that means—”
“New drugs,” I said. “Is that why he’s abducting people? He’s testing his poison on them?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him. He’s probably still trying to get the right dosage. Just enough to get them high but not enough to kill them.”
“This is serious, Eva. Whatever it is he’s trying to do, we have to stop him.”
“I know,” she said with a nod. “He won’t get away with this. I’m gonna call the cops and let them know about this place.”
“You should probably do it quickly. We might not be alone.”
“What makes you say that?”
I pointed down at the ground.
“Footprints,” I whispered.
“And they’re not yours or mine.”
“Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 20
EVA
I decided against calling the police. The abductions were enough to put the citizens of New Gardens on edge. There was no telling what would happen if mysterious drug overdoses were added to the mix.
It didn’t help that I was also a person of interest. Calling the police a second time when they were already suspicious wasn’t in my best interests. Derek and I decided that we got more information than we needed. Now it was just a matter of finding Reese and stopping him from finishing whatever it was he was trying to start in this town.
We made our way back through the alleys near Garden Street. After Derek got on the bike, he motioned for me to get on with him. I paused for a moment, trying to catch my breath.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I just… I need a moment. Climbing over all those fences took something out of me.”
“You’re out of shape.”
“I’m not out of shape. I’
m just slightly hungover. Besides, not everybody has fancy special forces training like some people…”
I rolled my eyes at him and he smiled softly in response. I looked around the alleyway where the motorcycle was parked, trying to collect myself as best I could.
Derek sat on the bike and revved the engine. He watched me as I stood there with my hands on my hips.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked me.
“Gimme a sec, okay? What’s the hurry? It’s not like anybody saw us.”
“You don’t know that. And there’s a chance they can still spot us.”
“It’s the middle of the day. The city is busy. Reese wouldn’t be dumb enough to try anything with that many people watching.”
“You might be right. We should still try to get back to the hotel as quickly as possible.”
“…Wait. I just thought of something. We need to stop somewhere before we go back.”
“Where?”
“Just follow my directions,” I said as I hopped on the bike behind him. “I need to go somewhere.”
The motorcycle sped off out of the alley and back onto the street. We left behind Garden Street and headed back to the part of the city I was more familiar with.
It was a warm summer day. Everybody was going about their business. Traffic was at a standstill but Derek did a good job of splitting lanes and avoiding all of it. The sidewalks were crowded as people walked in every direction to their destinations.
The wind blew through my hair and against my skin.
“Make a right over here!”
I shouted over the sound of the bike’s exhaust, directing Derek to where I needed to be.
“Around the corner! Yeah, just park over here.”
He rolled the bike up to the curb and parked it in a small spot between two cars. I hopped off of my seat and walked forward while Derek just looked up at the sign.
“Coffee,” he said. “You had me drive you to get coffee?”
I spun around and held my arms out.
“Hey, I haven’t had breakfast yet. I didn’t have dinner either. I’m starving.”
“This isn’t a joke.”
“Who’s joking? We’ve been so focused on this case I’m starting to feel it in my body. I’m not functioning properly. I need calories. You should know that better than anybody else.”
Derek remained sitting on the bike, his grip tight around the handles. My arms were still extended at my sides as I waited for him.
“Well?” I asked. “You wanna join me?”
“…Fine,” he sighed. “Just make it quick.”
“I know the drill, sergeant.”
I gave him a sarcastic salute with two fingers. He managed to smile softly at me before finally getting off the bike. He walked just behind me and we entered the coffee shop together.
The place was crowded despite how hot it was outside. People were probably just looking for a place that had air-conditioning. As I stood in line with Derek, I noticed how impatient he appeared. His arms were crossed and he constantly looked around.
“Would you stop that?” I said.
“Stop what?”
“Nobody’s following us in here. All you’re doing is drawing attention to yourself.”
“Fine,” he sighed.
He uncrossed his arms and looked down at me. I immediately noticed how less tense he became.
“Good,” I said. “You should get yourself something good. Maybe a vanilla latte. Or some sweetened ice coffee. How about a frappuccino?”
“I’ll get something,” he said. “Not any of that though.”
Why not?”
“It’s just sugar and milk. A lot of empty calories that just leads to a crash.”
“Well, I need it. We’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us. I need some caffeine in me.”
“You and everybody else,” he said as he glanced at the long line behind us. “Caffeine is the most consumed drug in the world.”
“It is, isn’t it? If Reese were smart, he’d just open one of these joins in the city. He’d be rich.”
“Yeah, I suppose he would.”
I tilted my head up and stared at Derek as he looked around the room. It took him a few seconds before he noticed me. He smiled back at me and shook his head. Seeing him loosen up, even if it were just a little bit, made me forget about everything else that was going on for a moment.
The line was long but it moved quickly. It wasn’t long before I was holding a large cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. I took a bite out of it immediately as we exited the coffee shop.
“You want a bite?” I said to him, my mouth half-full as I held it up to him.
“No thanks.”
He shook his head at me then took a seat on his bike. I stood in front of him and watched as he shifted his head left and right, paranoid someone might be following us.
“You should have some,” I said as I took another bite. “It’s great.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Come on, you haven’t had breakfast, have you?”
“We’re trained to operate on minimal calories. We don’t always have food out in the field.”
“And now you do. Look at this. Cheese. Bacon. Eggs. A toasted muffin. What’s not to love?”
“Fat. Cholesterol. Oil. Sugar. Just more empty calories.”
I examined the half-eaten sandwich as he explained the ingredients.
“Maybe you’ve got a point,” I said. “Maybe I should cut back on all the hot dogs and grease.”
“It’s not a bad idea. You’ll have the money to eat properly once this is all over.”
“Sure. We could go out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate, too. We can head somewhere nice. What do you think?”
“I wasn’t talking about celebrating but if we ever get to that point, I won’t object.”
He took a sip of his coffee, his eyes locked on me and his smile hidden behind his cup. I finished chewing my bite and swallowed it down before shaking my head at him.
“Nah,” I said. “You’ve already had the best food in the city at Ben’s hot dog cart. There’s no beating that.”
“Between that and coffee shops, it appears I’ve seen all this city has to offer.”
“It would appear that way,” I said with a wink.
Derek waited patiently as I finished my impromptu breakfast. He held his empty cup in his hand and watched me the entire time. Every bite was washed down by the sugary coffee in my cup. His eyes were locked on me to the point I would have felt self-conscious if I were someone else.
“Just a few more bites,” I said after a couple of minutes. “If I eat too fast, all this stuff is gonna get into a real big fight in my stomach.”
“Yeah, just make sure—”
“Captain Jacobs.”
A voice from the crowd interrupted us. I turned and saw someone approaching us. I stopped chewing immediately when I saw them.
“Oh, shit,” I muttered.
I somehow managed to swallow my bite down when I saw them. I didn’t recognize two of the men but the man who stood in front was a man I’d seen before.
I couldn’t forget Agent Neville so quickly.
He didn’t look much different from what I remember. He wore a pair of brown slacks over some steel-toe boots and an ordinary plain black t-shirt. The other men behind him were dressed in business suits. Their stares were empty as they all looked at Derek.
“It’s good to see you again, Captain,” the gray-haired man said. “You’ve put us through a lot of trouble, chasing you all through this city. We’re not familiar with the territory—”
“That’s why you learn it,” Derek responded to him. “You learn and you adapt.”
I could feel the knots turning in my stomach as I watched Derek slowly get off of his seat. I stood there in fear, not knowing what could happen. I knew what Reese’s men were capable of. I had no idea what to expect from the man who was looking for Derek.
“Captain
Jacobs—”
“Look,” Derek said as he put his hands up. “This will all be over soon. I’ll head back with you as soon as I finish sorting out this case.”
“Not good enough. You have orders and you disobeyed them.”
“I didn’t disobey them. I just had to do what’s right.”
“And so do we.”
The men behind Agent Neville both reached into their jackets and pulled out weapons. They held them subtly at their sides. All of the people passing by us didn’t notice what they were doing.
“I’ll go with you,” Derek said, his voice becoming slightly more irritated. “Just let me finish—”
“The United States Army has too much invested in you to risk you pulling off some stunt like this. We’re taking you back with us now.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m very serious.”
Agent Neville stood just a meter away from Derek with two men armed with tasers behind him. Derek stared hard at Neville, who was looking back at him with just as much focus.
I was frozen, unsure of what to even think.
What the fuck do I do?
I looked at Derek and he turned toward me. Our eyes locked together. He stared at me and his eyes narrowed slightly. I didn’t know what he was thinking.
Shit…
I knew it was a bad idea. But I had to do something. I could only hope it was what Derek wanted me to do.
“Fifty-thousand volts of electricity,” Neville said. “It’ll be painful even for someone like you—”
“No!”
I cried out and dropped everything in my hands. In a split-second, I lunged toward Neville and the two men, shoving them to the side and trying my best to knock them to the ground. Derek immediately sprinted off down the sidewalk, brushing his way past a confused crowd.
I fell forward and failed to knock them over. But I’d distracted the men long enough so they couldn’t raise their weapons back up. They grabbed me and held me in place. I turned to Agent Neville and he stared back at me with a furiousness I hadn’t seen before, his stoic face now broken.
“Get him!”
He shouted to his men and they ran down the street behind Derek who’d gotten a head-start.
“You made a huge mistake,” Agent Neville said before he joined in on the chase.
