by C. M. Sutter
“You know they couldn’t do that—no witnesses left behind. That’s why we need to be one step ahead of them. I’m guessing this heist is about financial reward and revenge. We already know there’s a connection between Sam Dunbar and the guy who’s calling the shots. Those notecards placed on Julie’s lap in the video they sent us confirm that. The whole ‘eye for an eye’ and ‘family is everything’ rant leads us to believe that.”
“You mean like a blood relative?”
“It has to be. The last name Vetcher came up as Sam Dunbar’s surname at birth. He was given up for adoption as a baby, which makes tracking down family members even more difficult. The man running the show goes by C.V. Loomis. The V probably stands for Vetcher, and don’t you think the Loomis and Dunbar names are a mockery of the armored car companies?”
“Absolutely. So why can’t you guys just stake out the transport company and arrest the kidnappers when they show up?”
“That’s the problem.” I thanked Amber for the bowl of oatmeal she placed in front of me. “We think they’ll blitz attack the truck during the drive. We don’t know if J.T. and Julie will be with them or not. If we swoop in prematurely, we may be putting them in even more danger. We’re going to turn the tables and be ready and waiting for the ambush. Right now, in their opinion, J.T. is the pawn and Julie is the leverage, but we’re about to change that.”
Amber gave me a concerned stare. “This really worries me, Jade.”
“Honey, I’ve been involved in plenty of bad situations. There are two people’s lives at risk, and one of them happens to be my partner. We have to get them out safely.”
I finished my breakfast, gave Amber a tight squeeze and a kiss on the cheek, then headed out. Today, the nightmare would end, one way or another.
Chapter 55
“Wake up, Fed, it’s time to go.” The hard kick to J.T.’s leg stirred him back into consciousness.
He winced as he grabbed his shin. “What good am I going to be to you? You guys did a number on me.”
“Were we too rough on you last night, Agent Harper? I thought you were tougher than that. Julie doesn’t even piss and moan as much as you do.” Anthony laughed as J.T. tried to swat at him and missed. “Yeah, I guess Antonio’s knuckles were sort of banged up now that I think of it. Anyway, it’s all superficial wounds. We didn’t break any bones. Now, roll over and lock your hands so I can cuff you.”
The sound of heavy footsteps descending the stairs alerted them that Antonio was heading down. “Ready to bring him up?”
“Yeah, in a minute. I’ve got to cuff his hands together first. Is the girl in the van?”
“Yep, she’s good to go.” Antonio looked down at J.T. and chuckled. “Damn, your face looks like shit. Can you even see out of your right eye?”
“Go to hell, moron.”
“Soon enough, but right now we have a job to do. It looks like you’ll be taking one for the team, so to speak.”
Carden yelled down the stairs, “Enough chitchat. Let’s go.”
Anthony gave Antonio a nod. “He’s set. Go ahead and unlock the chain.” Anthony yanked J.T. up, but his legs folded beneath him. “Stand up. There’s nothing wrong with your legs, and we don’t have time for your crap. Pull yourself together or Julie dies.”
J.T. leaned against the beam and stood. “Give me a second to get my bearings.”
“We’re leaving now. You can get your bearings in the trunk.”
With a brother on each side of him, J.T. was pushed up the stairs and out to Julie’s car.
Carden stood in the shadows of the covered porch and watched as the brothers loaded J.T. into the trunk. Once the lid was closed, he walked out to the driveway. “Son of a bitch, Antonio, his face looks like hamburger.”
“He’ll be fine, sir. He’s just putting on a show. He may have a few bruises and scuffs, but there isn’t anything seriously wrong with him. He’ll be wearing a mask, anyway.”
Carden sneered. “He better be able to walk under his own power when this ambush takes place.”
“He will or Julie dies. I made sure he knew that.”
“Get in the car and go to the turnout. Wait there while I drop off Anthony at the U-Haul facility. We’ll catch up with you fifteen minutes later and transfer J.T. and our weapons to the cube van and Julie into the trunk. Do you understand?”
“Yes, boss, I understand.”
“Good. This better go exactly like I had planned. Now move!”
Carden climbed into the driver’s seat of the van. Anthony took his seat on the passenger side, and Antonio drove away in the Fiesta.
“Your brother is going to be the death of me, Anthony.”
“Boss, you shouldn’t say that. You might jinx yourself.”
Carden heaved a deep sigh while he drove the back roads to the U-Haul location. “I can’t wait until this day is done. I’m leaving town as soon as possible.”
At 9:55 a.m., Anthony stepped out of the van at the U-Haul building. “I should be at the turnout soon, boss.”
“Good, but call me if anything goes to shit.”
Anthony gave the windowsill of the passenger side a slap as confirmation before he walked away. “I will, I promise.”
Carden turned left at the end of the parking lot and arrived at the designated spot seven minutes later. He backed into the weeded pea gravel turnout that occupied a space once used as a small parking lot. Ten years earlier, that spot led into a nature preserve filled with trails, bridges, and ponds. Now, all that remained was gravel hidden beneath weeds and brush. The trails had been overgrown and abandoned for years. Most motorists would drive by and never notice its existence. The van and car were well hidden from anyone passing by—the perfect place for an ambush. Julie and J.T. were held captive, side by side, one bound in the trunk and the other restrained in the van. The blindfolds and earplugs kept them from knowing what was going on or where they were.
Carden lowered his window and motioned for Antonio to do the same. With the van backed in and the Fiesta facing forward, the driver’s side windows were next to each other. “Any trouble or suspicious looking characters on your drive over here?”
“No, sir. The morning seemed as normal as any other.”
“Good to know. Anthony should be here soon, then we’ll swap out our guests.” Carden’s cell phone vibrated. He dipped his hand in his pocket and pulled it out. “It’s Anthony.” He apprehensively hit Talk. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, boss, I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I’m coming around the last curve and will be there in under a minute.”
“Okay, make sure you back in against the front of the car.” Carden hung up and jerked his chin toward Antonio as he climbed out of the van. “Let’s roll. It’s time to move our guests.”
Chapter 56
As we entered the diamond store, we heard voices echo down the hallway. Mr. Rosemond buzzed us through and ushered our group to the conference room, where ten anxious looking people sat around the table. John Bentley, his driver and guards, and the Rosemond family were all there. The armored truck we’d soon use as a decoy was in place behind the building and ready to be loaded with empty jewelry containers meant to fool the cast of criminals in case they were watching.
A half dozen guard uniforms, intended for our use, hung on the coatrack just inside the back door. For our plan to succeed, we needed to assume the places of the driver and guards who would have been in the Trident Armored Transport truck that morning.
“Good morning, everyone,” Spelling said. He glanced at the clock before continuing. “We have forty minutes before we put everything in motion. As of now, the plans we discussed last night still stand. Our agents will change into the uniforms in a few minutes and load the back of the truck. We have no idea if the store is being watched or not, so we have to play this as if we were actually transporting millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds.”
SSA Hopkins picked up where Spelling left off. “Once our people leave the area
in the truck, the Trident guards will load the real merchandise in the moving van and leave for the Brookfield store. Agent Spelling and I will follow from a distance, but rest assured, there will be some division of law enforcement present at all times, watching your vehicle. The transport will go smoothly, and the rest”—he scratched his chin—“we have no clue, but our people are well prepared for any scenario.” He checked the time. “You’re loading the truck and leaving in a half hour. Cam is the designated driver, and Jade will be the eyes and ears for all of you, so keep those radios on and clear of any chatter. Bill, Maria, and Val will be in the back, ready to act on command. We don’t want anyone getting trigger happy, either. Remember, our mission is to bring J.T. and Julie home safely. The criminals are secondary to that. They’ll be captured or killed, but either way, they’ll be in custody when this ordeal is over.” Hopkins gave us a nod of encouragement. “All right, agents, go ahead and change into those uniforms and make sure your vests are under the shirts and concealed. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Val, Maria, and I entered the ladies’ room to change clothes.
“Are you nervous, Jade?” Maria asked.
“Of course I am, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. The truth is, I’m more worried about J.T. and Julie than I am about the rest of us. At least we’re armed.” I patted Maria’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay. It has to be. I have faith in our team.”
Twenty minutes later and after loading forty empty containers, we were ready to head out. I shielded my eyes and panned the area from one end of the alley to the other. Everything appeared as normal and quiet as we would expect on a Saturday morning. The downtown area was always at its busiest on weekdays. Spelling and Hopkins gave us the thumbs-up and reminded me to update them every few miles, especially when we reached the target area.
“Will do, boss.” I gave Cam a nod, and he climbed in behind the wheel. I grabbed the handle above the side mirror and pulled myself into the passenger seat. With a quick mic check to make sure the agents in the back could hear me, we were off and heading west.
“What’s your gut telling you, Jade?” Cam gave me a look of concern as he drove out of the downtown area.
“I spent a good amount of time going over the 2014 armored truck robbery involving Sam Dunbar when I was trying to learn what the connection was between J.T., Curt, and their kidnapper. When we received that video of Julie holding the cards with the rants about family, and how blood is everything, I knew the Sam Dunbar case and this one had to be connected. That was especially true when we found out our mystery man went by the last name Loomis, as in Dunbar and Loomis.”
“Yeah, those two were real comedians. They must have worked together on that first robbery.”
“That’s the part that doesn’t make sense. The eyewitnesses said there were four men involved. Months later, three were arrested, and Sam was shot and killed while trying to escape.”
Cam turned toward me and sighed. “By J.T.”
“Yep, by J.T., and I’m afraid this heist is about revenge.”
“And millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds. So, do you think today will be a repeat of 2014?” Cam stopped at the red light and checked his mirrors.
“If the method worked in the past, why wouldn’t it work again? You have to create a distraction to slow down or stop the truck altogether or somehow disable it. In the Dunbar case, they rammed the side of the armored truck with a large U-Haul cube van. The hit was hard enough to disable the truck and disorient the guards inside. They were sitting ducks. The scary part was, they did the hit in front of witnesses and still got away with it.”
“Only temporarily.”
“True, and they did pay the piper when it was all said and done. You know, that might have been an inside job too. I’m making a quick call to Joe.”
Cam tapped the side of his head. “Think about it. It’s Saturday, remember? Joe is at home, where normal people unwind from a grueling workweek. What were you going to ask him?”
“I need to know if any employee who works at Trident used to work at Branded Armor in 2014. Chances are, if there is a common person, they may be the insider. Who’s working the tech department today?”
“I think Penny’s in charge. Go ahead and make the call and I’ll update Spelling.”
I called Penny and gave her the bits and pieces of information I had. She said she’d let me know when, and if, she found a common thread.
Cam hung up right after I did.
I cracked open my bottle of water and took a sip. “Are they loaded up and on the road?”
“Yeah, Spelling said they’re almost to the freeway entrance. No problems so far. Check out your mirror. How does it look on your side?”
“Everything is dead quiet—not a vehicle in sight.”
Cam smirked. “Humph.”
“What does that mean?”
“What you said sounds ominous. I’m sure a dead-quiet road was what those crooks were hoping for. We must be getting close. Keep your head on a swivel, and let the guys in the back know to be ready for anything.”
Chapter 57
Carden watched as Antonio and Anthony pulled J.T. out of the trunk and walked him to the back of the cube van.
“Cuff him to the door latch for the time being. Get his mouth taped up good so there’s no chance of him yelling out. Take his blindfold off and put the mask over his head after I have mine in place. He has no reason to see my face.” Carden slipped on his mask, opened the back doors of the van, and untied Julie. With a hard yank of her hair, he jerked her out and led her to the car. “Move it!”
Her muffled scream as she was thrown into the trunk sent J.T. into a fit of rage. The cuffs dug into his wrists as he twisted and pulled while witnessing Julie’s abuse.
“Aw, did that piss you off, Agent Harper?” Carden slammed the trunk lid and checked the time on his phone. “Okay, get a move on. They’re going to be here in fifteen minutes. Anthony, get me one of the AK-47s. I need to go. Do not screw this up!” Carden secured his Kevlar vest and slung the rifle strap over his shoulder. He approached J.T. and stood within a foot of him. “Just so you know, Fed, you do one thing wrong and your sister will endure a slow, painful death. Do you understand? She dies inch by inch, minute by minute, but you—you’ll get a bullet to the brain, just like Curt did.” With a fast thrust of his fist, Carden delivered a hard gut punch and knocked the wind out of the agent.
J.T. groaned through the tape as he doubled over, his knees ready to buckle.
“I asked if you understood what I said.”
J.T. nodded.
“Good.” Carden turned toward the brothers with a stern warning. “I’ll call you when they’re two miles out. That’s when you’ll take off his cuffs and push him to the end of the turnout. When they’re a mile away, you give the agent one of the assault rifles and position him in the middle of the road with the gun facing the oncoming transport truck. Anthony, you’ll be behind the wheel and ready to T-bone them. Antonio, you’ll be hiding in the brush with your AK pointed at J.T. the entire time. If he does anything off script, blow him away.”
Antonio chuckled as he wiggled his hand. “My pleasure, boss, and this trigger finger is already feeling itchy.”
Carden grinned. “Just don’t get carried away. I’ll be a quarter mile behind the transport vehicle. Once you’ve incapacitated them, I’ll start shooting into the cargo hold. If I can’t break through with the assault rifle, I’ll use the magnetic IED. You two take out the driver and the guard up front. By that time, Mr. Agent Man will likely be dead from their shots. Any questions?”
Anthony stared at J.T. with piercing dark eyes as his upper lip curled into a sneer. “Nope, we’re good to go, Mr. Vetcher. You can count on us.”
“You better hope I can, and stay out of sight. Keep your phone glued to your ear. You’ll be getting a call from me within the next ten minutes.” Carden climbed into the Fiesta and sped away.
The overgrowth of brush hid them well
as Anthony and Antonio waited out of sight and leaned against several available trees. J.T. grunted and writhed at the back of the van.
“Keep still. You’re distracting me, and those cuffs aren’t coming off until Mr. Vetcher says so,” Antonio yelled out.
Anthony swatted Antonio’s arm. “Keep it down, bro. I have to listen for the phone call.” The buzz caused them both to look toward Anthony’s front pants pocket. “It’s showtime.” He reached in and pulled out his cell. “What’s the word, sir?”
“The truck just passed by, and it’s what we anticipated. Two people were sitting up front. It’s the standard setup. Take the cuffs off the agent and watch every move he makes. If he’s going to try anything, it’ll be when his hands are free.”
“He’s no match against Antonio and me.”
“I’m sure that’s true, but have Antonio get him out to the road, and you wait inside the truck. You’ll be sideswiping the transport soon. Tell Antonio to give Agent Harper the second AK. I’ll call you back in one minute. Now hurry.”
Anthony ended the call and released J.T.’s restraints. “Get him out to the road. Here’s the unloaded AK for him and the AR-22 for you. Keep your gun on his head at all times. They’ll be here in a few minutes.” Anthony jogged back to the cube van and stepped up on the running board. He climbed in, turned the key in the ignition, and sucked in a deep breath through his nose. Any minute now he’d get the second call, and there would be no turning back. He’d gun the cube van between the driver’s door and the front wheel well. The truck would be unable to move. The diamonds would be theirs within minutes of everything taking place. The agent, driver, and every guard inside the truck would be dead, and he and his co-conspirators would disappear with three million dollars’ worth of cool, icy diamonds.
The phone rang again. Anthony picked up.
“Start the truck. They’re thirty seconds out. Tell Antonio to place the agent in the center of the road and then have him back away. It’s time to move, now!” Carden hung up, and Anthony yelled out the window.
