by Lisa Harris
“Two minutes out.”
They couldn’t wait two minutes.
The room door behind them opened and an elderly gentleman stepped out.
Nikki motioned for him to be quiet. “Get back inside your room, sir. Quickly.”
“We need to move now,” Jack said. “They’ve gone into the stairwell.”
Scenarios played through Nikki’s mind as she sprinted down the hallway beside Jack, and none of them ended well. Not with an active shooter and the potential for a hostage situation in a hotel filled with innocent bystanders.
Seconds later, Nikki threw open the heavy metal door to the stairwell, letting it slam against the wall, then glanced up the flight of stairs. She could hear footsteps echoing in the stairwell. Russell and Olson were heading for the roof.
“Why are they going up there?” Jack asked.
Nikki sucked in a breath of air as they raced up the stairs two at a time. “I don’t know, but they’ve got to have an exit plan in place.”
“The only way off this building I can think of up there is by helicopter.”
“Then that’s their plan.” Nikki was back on the radio again with Gwen. “Check for air traffic around the Fairmont. We think they might have a helo coming for them on the roof.”
Nikki pushed harder up the stairs until her lungs were about to burst. They were gaining on the two men, but it wasn’t enough. Not if there was a helicopter waiting for them on the roof.
She glanced up. The two men were almost to the top floor, but Olson was starting to slow down. She could see his bulky form through the rails of the stairs as Russell left him behind.
“We need to stop them,” she said.
“I’ve got a clean shot.” Jack held up his weapon and fired.
Olson cried out and grabbed his leg.
“You got him.”
But not Russell.
The door to the roof opened above them, letting in a gust of noise that filled the stairwell. A second shot echoed through the space.
Nikki pushed through the burn in her calves and lungs. “I think Russell shot him.”
She rounded the last staircase a step ahead of Jack, then paused midway up.
Olson sat slumped on the top step. Blood had saturated his pants where a bullet had sliced through his calf. The second bullet—the bullet Russell had to have shot— had gone through his chest.
Nikki hurried to the top of the stairs. “Russell needed to silence him.”
Jack crouched down to check Olson’s pulse. “He’s still breathing.”
“Stay with him and find out what he knows before it’s too late,” she said, heading for the door to the roof. “We still need Russell.”
“Be careful, Nikki.”
A gust of wind hit Nikki’s face as she shoved open the door. The spotlights of the helo in the darkness momentarily blocked her vision. All she could hear was the engine roaring like a jet plane about to take off.
She squinted until her eyes adjusted. Russell was climbing into the cockpit. She had seconds to stop him, if even that. She fired off a round and motioned for the pilot to shut off the engine and get out of the helicopter, but it was too late. The pilot lifted off the roof and seconds later they disappeared into the darkness, with only the fading lights of the helo visible.
Ignoring the sick feeling of frustration spreading through her, Nikki headed back to the stairwell and Olson.
God, don’t let him die on us. Please.
They needed to know what information Russell believed to be worth the life of his accountant.
Inside, Jack sat down next to Olson, pressing his jacket against the man’s chest to stop the bleeding.
“Is he still alive?” she asked.
“Yes. I’ve called 911, but I doubt he’ll make it long enough for an ambulance to arrive.”
Nikki crouched down next to him. “Looks like your friend left you to hang on your own.”
Olson groaned. His face had paled and his breathing was shallow. “I need to get to a hospital.”
“Help is coming, but I need you to answer some questions first. Does Russell know where Lily is?”
“It doesn’t matter.” He was gasping for air. “It’s … it’s too late.”
“Listen to me. Your friend just left you high and dry. He’s not coming back.” She leaned over, close enough she could smell his soured breath. “Before you die on us, I need you to answer our questions. A little girl’s life is at stake.”
“I can’t die.”
“If you do manage to live,” Jack said, “you’re going to spend the rest of your life in prison.”
“No … none of this was my idea.”
“That doesn’t matter at this point. You’re a smart man, Mr. Olson. Have you ever heard the term ‘aiding and abetting’?” Jack didn’t wait for him to answer before continuing. “It means you don’t have to be present when a crime is committed to be charged as an accessory when you have knowledge of the crime. Which means we could tie you to a string of murders, including Erika Hamilton and Kim Parks, even if you didn’t pull the trigger.”
“No.” Olson groaned. “I had nothing to do with them.”
“Don’t bet on it. Your days of hiding behind Mr. Russell are over.”
“He knows where Lily is, but you’re … you’re too late.”
“Where is she?”
“He’s … he’s already organized his security team to extract her. They’ll both be out of the country in the next few hours.”
“Where are they going?”
“Brian dealt with all the details. He didn’t tell me everything.”
“Then tell us what you do know. Which airport?”
“I don’t know, but Russell tracked her and the couple she’s with to a fishing and hunting club about two hours from here.” His breathing was getting more labored. “They’re staying at a cabin there … don’t think he knew which one. Just that they were there on the property.”
“And the plan?”
“His team … his team was going to find her, extract her, then meet him at a nearby airstrip … he has a private plane waiting to take them both to … to Venezuela. He has new passports with fake identities … all set up for the two of them.”
“If we show you a map, can you show me where they’re headed right now?” Nikki asked.
“Yeah … I think so.”
Nikki heard the faint sound of sirens in the distance. “We need to find a way to stop Mr. Russell from carrying out his plan.”
26
10:14 p.m.
Fairmont Hotel
Nikki stood at the bottom of the stairwell, watching the paramedics work to revive Mr. Olson, then call his time of death.
She let out a sharp sigh. Whatever doubts any of them had about Russell’s guilt had just been eliminated. He’d shot a guy to keep him from talking, then left him to die.
Her phone went off in her back pocket. She signaled for Jack to follow her, then she stepped into the hotel hallway to take the call, hoping Gwen had the information they needed.
“First of all, as we assumed,” Gwen said, after Nikki had switched to speakerphone, “there was no flight plan on that helo.”
“Okay.” Nikki started pacing the mosaic carpet. “Then please tell me you’ve got something. Olson’s dead, and the information he gave us is the only lead we have right now. We’re not getting any more where that came from.”
“On the positive side, it looks like the information he gave us was correct. I was able to trace the Popes to the hunting and fishing club Olson mentioned. It’s located about two hours from here. The Popes have a friend who’s a member and signed them in as guests. Problem is, we’re looking at a couple dozen cabins scattered across hundreds of acres, and no one seems to know where they’re staying.”
Erika must have planned it that way. Have the Popes and Lily stay with a friend of a friend of a friend. But it was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Nikki leaned agains
t the wall and shook her head. She wasn’t settling on another dead end. Not when they’d gotten this close. “Someone there has got to know something.”
“I’m going to keep looking, but at least we’ve got things narrowed down enough to make a search.”
Nikki frowned. If you could call having to search hundreds of acres narrowing things down.
“There’s also an airstrip on the property,” Gwen continued.
Nikki glanced at Jack, feeling the flow of adrenaline pushing away any fatigue. “We’re going to need transportation there.”
“Already done. Highway patrol can get you there on their jet ranger.”
“How long before we can leave?”
“They’re fueling up now. Fifteen … twenty minutes, tops. Brinkley and his partner want in on this as well, and he’s already working on sending in ground support from local law enforcement to both watch the airstrip and start the search to make sure Russell gets picked up.”
Nikki checked her watch. They’d still be at least thirty minutes behind Russell, but if he didn’t have the actual location of where the Popes were either, maybe they could still end up with the advantage.
“You okay about this?” Jack said as she hung up the phone.
“Taking down Russell and finding Lily?” she asked, heading back to the stairwell.
“Going up in the air again.”
She paused at the door and pushed down the niggle of fear that kept threatening to creep in. “I’ve flown dozens of times, and they say flying’s safer than driving.”
“True, but that doesn’t dismiss the fact that yesterday’s crash had to have taken an emotional toll on you.”
“Yesterday’s crash was just a freak accident,” she said, pulling open the door, knowing she was trying to convince Jack as much as herself. And from the look on his face, he knew exactly what she was doing. “What would the odds be for something like that to happen to me again in less than forty-eight hours?”
Fifteen minutes later, Nikki strapped herself into the twin-engine helicopter, her body straining against the seat belt as they lifted into the air. What were the odds of this helo going down? One in a hundred thousand? One in a hundred million?
It didn’t matter. Unexpected waves of memories washed over her like a giant tsunami. The explosion rocking the back of the plane. Her stomach heaving as the plane dropped in altitude. She closed her eyes and grabbed onto the armrest, fighting to breathe. She could hear people screaming around her and feel the panic in the air.
“Nikki?” Jack nudged her.
She waved him off, then closed her eyes again. Breath shallow, her heart pounded with the vibrations of the helo. A wave of nausea struck as they climbed in altitude. She thought she’d be okay. But maybe taking another flight less than forty-eight hours after the plane crash had been a bad decision. Because all she wanted to do right now was vomit.
While the helo headed east, the crash continued to replay through her mind again and again. The final rapid drop in altitude. The plane skidding to a halt after the first impact. The vacant eyes of the air marshal who’d sat two seats over. The panic.
God, sometimes I feel so … weak. I can’t do this on my own. I’m too tired, too scared, and yet for some reason you put me here to fight this battle.
It was a fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves. A fight for justice and all that should be right in the world when it wasn’t. It was all she really wanted to do. Make a difference. Whether she was a schoolteacher or working beside the FBI to save a young girl.
Which meant doing everything she knew right now, at this moment, to save Lily.
She pictured Lily’s smile and brown hair from the pic she’d seen at the Popes’ house. She’d been awarded the job by the governor of the state to bring home those who were missing. Lily might have lost her mother, but they weren’t going to lose her too.
She forced her breathing to slow down and faded into a dreamless sleep.
Fifty-three minutes later, local law enforcement met them on the ground. They’d already set up a base in the clubhouse. Every second they spent searching was another second Russell had to find Lily first.
“We’ve been watching the airstrip and so far there’s been no sign of them.” Sheriff Adamson laid out a map of the surrounding land on the table. “We’ve also started a grid search of the property, but so far, no luck. There are thirty cabins spread out over the acreage.”
“We want in on the search,” Nikki said.
“Wouldn’t expect otherwise. We’ve got six more deputies who just showed up to help as well.” The sheriff turned to the uniformed men standing behind him waiting for their instructions. “I’ve got GPS coordinates of the cabins. Split up and go find our girl.”
Jack took the printout from their team, then addressed the men. “Brian Russell is to be considered armed and dangerous. He’s on the run for murder, among a bunch of other things, and won’t hesitate to shoot whoever gets in his way.”
“One of my deputies has offered to drive you,” the sheriff said, pointing to a uniformed officer who barely looked old enough to be on the force. “Keep your radios on channel four and check in every thirty minutes. If you locate either Russell or the Popes, let us know your location and we’ll send in backup, especially in the case of Russell.”
“I’m Deputy Banks,” their driver said, escorting them to his car. “We don’t usually have this much excitement out here. Normally it’s just poachers, speeding tickets, and a breakin to deal with every now and then.”
“How long have you been on the job, Deputy?” Brinkley asked.
“Nine months. My father was the last sheriff, and his father before that. Law enforcement runs in the family.”
He unlocked the car and Nikki slid into the backseat next to Jack while Brinkley took the front passenger seat.
“Hope the three of you are up to this,” the deputy said, starting the engine. “There’s a good chance this is going to be a long night.”
Nikki chuckled under her breath. He had no idea. She knew she was running on pure adrenaline and at some point she’d crash, but for now she just wanted to find Lily, make sure she was safe, and make sure Brian Russell spent the rest of his life in prison.
The first cabin on their list was located on the northeast corner of the property. The one-story log cabin was rustic looking, with no cars in the drive. No lights. And no signs that anyone had been there for weeks.
Nikki banged on the front door with Jack while Brinkley and Deputy Banks circled the property.
Three minutes later, they climbed back into the car.
Three cabins later, they still hadn’t seen anyone.
“With it not being hunting season yet, the properties tend to stay pretty vacant,” Deputy Banks said, heading for the next cabin. “So I’m not surprised at all at how quiet it is out here.”
Nikki fingered the door handle. They’d just checked out their fourth cabin and found no one. Plus, none of the other teams had called in with anything. Had they somehow missed Russell?
“There’s a light on in the next cabin,” Brinkley said, leaning forward.
The deputy pulled into a narrow drive, surrounded by a grove of trees. There were fresh tire tracks in the driveway, and a car with a flat tire.
The four of them made their way toward the house, weapons raised. The front door was closed, but splinters in the frame showed that someone had busted it open.
And someone was inside.
“FBI,” Brinkley yelled, bursting through the door in front of them.
A middle-aged woman hovered next to a man on the couch. A large bruise on the woman’s forehead was quickly forming into a nasty lump. The man sat next to her, holding his arm covered with blood.
The woman held up her hands. “Please, he took Lily … you need to go after them. They took our car.”
“Mr. Pope? Mrs. Pope? I’m Special Agent Nikki Boyd with the TBI. Are you both okay?”
“I’ll call it in
,” Jack said, as she hurried to where they sat.
Mrs. Pope’s hands were shaking in her lap. “We’re fine for now, but Lily—”
“Did Brian Russell take her?” Nikki asked.
Tears slid down Helen Pope’s cheeks, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand, then nodded.
“It was him along with a couple of his men,” the older woman said. “They broke down the door, shot Frank, and grabbed Lily. I tried to stop them.” Her hand went to her forehead. “They knocked me onto the floor and left with her.”
“Mrs. Pope, this wasn’t your fault,” Nikki said. “And we’re going to do everything we can to get Lily back. That’s why we’re here. To make sure she’s safe.”
“Do you have any idea where they were going?” Brinkley asked.
“No. They just said something about a plane waiting.”
“How long ago did this happen?” Nikki asked.
“Not long.” Mrs. Pope reached up to wipe her cheek with shaky fingers. “Maybe five minutes. I’ve been trying to call for help, but service is sketchy out here, and they took our car.”
Five minutes. That meant they still had a chance.
“We need to figure out where they went,” Nikki said.
“Ma’am,” Deputy Banks said, “why don’t you sit down while you talk to the officers, and I’ll get some ice out of the freezer.”
“And I need to look at your arm.” Nikki knelt beside Mr. Pope, who was sitting on the couch. Blood was slowly seeping through his plaid shirt.
“They shot him,” Mrs. Pope said again.
“Forget about me.” Frank Pope pulled away from her and started to stand up. “It’s nothing but a flesh wound. I’ll be fine. You need to be out there looking for our little girl.”
“We are, Mr. Pope,” Nikki assured him, “and we’ve got most of the sheriff’s department and even the FBI involved looking for Lily, so don’t worry. We’re going to find her. It might just be a flesh wound, but we still need to get it checked out. For now, I want you to sit here and try to relax.”
“Relax—”
“Frank. Let her help you.”
“I took worse than this back in the Gulf War. There’s no way I’m going to start blubbering over something like this. Not when Lily’s out there. Though I did wing him.”
