“What’s up?” he asked casually.
“Vaughn kidnapped Kyle,” Williams informed him. “She wants you and the ruby in exchange for his life.”
Carter swallowed. “What’s your plan?” His tone had gone from nonchalant to wary. His muscles tensed as he dreaded Williams’ answer.
“I won’t give you up to her,” Williams said, making Carter sigh with relief. “But you’re certainly gonna help.”
Seek
Williams and Cowley had left Carter with his pillow in the cold locked room, and were discussing outside. Carter didn’t bother trying to escape. He knew that they’d watch him even closer now that he was exchange money. Carter was getting more and more uncomfortable. The room felt hot and wet, the air was sticky. Carter took off his jacket. A look at his arm, still bruised under the bandages, made him realize why he was so dizzy.
The door suddenly opened on Williams, closely followed by Cowley. Carter quickly hid his arms under the table before they could see that the wounds were bleeding again. He stared at them, waiting for an explanation. Williams had a suspicious look on his face.
“What?” Carter asked.
“What are you hiding?” Williams wanted to know.
“Nothing.”
“Carter, please, don’t make me lose my time,” Williams said with a tint of desperation in his voice.
“It’s not important,” Carter said. “Really, it’s nothing.”
Williams looked deep into his eyes and was almost surprised to see sincerity for once. “We might have sort of a plan,” he then said. “But you’ll have to find the ruby.”
“Or just finally tell us where it is,” Cowley added.
“I don’t fucking know where it is,” Carter said. That lady cop was really starting to get on his nerve.
“Calm down, you two,” Williams intervened as if he was talking to children. “Do you have any way of finding it?”
Carter thought for a minute. “Maybe,” he said with a wince.
“How?”
Carter looked at Williams in the eye, then at Cowley, but he didn’t answer. Williams turned toward Cowley as well. He knew Carter didn’t like her, and that he probably wouldn’t talk with her in the room. With no need of words, Cowley quickly got Williams’ message and got out.
“Good,” Carter said. “Now we can talk, man to man.”
“You know she’ll be standing behind that window, right?”
“Yeah, but at least, I won’t see or hear her.”
“You’re despicable,” Williams sighed. He pulled the chair and sat in front of Carter. “So, how do we find the ruby in less than a day?” he emphasized.
“Timing is the real problem,” Carter thought out loud. “But I work well under pressure,” he added for Williams.
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“Do you have a phone,” Carter said, stretching his hand.
“Carter…” Williams sighed.
“Hey, I’m offering to help, here,” Carter’s tone was a mixture of self-defense and actual honesty.
Williams got his mobile phone out of his pocket and handed it to Carter. As the latter took it, Williams noticed the blood stains on his bandages. “You’re bleeding again,” he noticed.
“Not important,” Carter said while dialing.
“I should have you looked at.”
Once more, Carter just looked at him without answering. He brought the phone to his ear.
“Hey, put that thing on speaker,” Williams ordered.
Carter growled but complied. He put the phone on conference mode and laid it on the table. There were a few rings until, finally, someone picked up.
“Hello?” a male voice said.
“Hey, Mike, it’s me,”
“Reese? Oh thank God, I thought she’d killed you.”
“Not yet,” Carter said with a half-smile. “But I need your help.”
“What for?”
“You know that ruby? The one she said was a forgery?”
“Yeah.”
“I need it,” Carter simply said.
“What? You too?” Atwood sounded annoyed. “Why do you want that thing? I thought you—”
Carter coughed loudly to drown the rest of the sentence. Williams gave him a most disapproving look.
“It’s complicated. But I have very little time, and I know you know who bought it.”
“Of course I know,” Atwood grinned. “But I won’t tell you unless you tell me why you want it.”
“Of for crying out loud, Mike.” It was Carter’s turn to be annoyed.
“I think we both know why I want precisions, right?” Atwood said firmly. “Or perhaps I have to remind you.”
“Okay, okay,” Carter gave in. “The evil blondie kidnapped a… friend of mine,” he hesitated. “She wants the ruby in exchange for his life.” He was answered by silence. “Mike?”
“Yeah, still here.”
“Will you please help me?” Carter begged.
“I won’t tell you on the phone. We can meet tonight at the pub.”
“The place is nothing but ashes,” Carter said in a low voice.
“Hm, I didn’t know that.”
“Seward park?”
“See you there.” Atwood hung up.
Williams snatched the phone before Carter could delete the number. His move was so quick that Carter jumped up.
“Who’s that guy?” Williams asked.
“Michael Atwood, friend of mine,” Carter said. “I guess you want to come with me to the park?”
“Good guess.”
“Fine, but I’m not getting all wired up,” Carter warned.
**
When he arrived at Seward Park, Carter walked straight to the bench where he used to meet Atwood in the past. Williams followed close enough so that he wouldn’t lose sight of Carter, but far enough to stay unnoticed by Atwood. He had a bad feeling about this meeting. He feared that Carter and his friend would wait until nightfall to escape. In the dark, it would be more difficult to track them, although police officers were watching the gates.
Carter sat on the bench and waited. He saw Williams walk in circles nearby, keeping an eye on him. Atwood sat next to him a few minutes later. He looked pleased to see him, but at the same time a bit worried.
“What’s going on, Reese?” he asked. “What’s that story of abduction? And since when do you even have friends?”
Carter laughed ironically. “It’s not really a friend,” he said.
“I knew that.”
“It’s a cop.”
“What?” Atwood looked around. “Can he hear us?”
“No,” Carter reassured him. “He’s over there, spying on us, but—”
“Geez, Reese, what did you get me into?” Atwood raged.
“Calm down, Mike.” Carter kept silent for a while, waiting for Atwood to cooperate. “Trust me.”
“Yeah, I remember what happened last time I did that,” Atwood growled.
“Look, all I need is the ruby. I’d look for it myself, but I need it before morning.”
“Hm, that’s very soon.”
“I know. That’s why I need your help.” Carter’s tone was unusually supplicating.
“What’s that cop to you anyway? Did he promise you something?”
Carter sat back with a sigh. “He saved my life; I owe him. And that woman… She’s bad, I mean, really bad. Cruel.”
“What did she do to you?”
“You don’t wanna know.” Carter looked away. The sun was slowly setting. The fresh evening air felt good and reinvigorating. “If I help that cop, there’s a good chance she’ll be locked away. Besides the poor guy she kidnapped doesn’t deserve what’s happening to him.”
“Okay, I’ll help. But we’ll have to ditch the cop.”
“Not a problem,” Carter said, getting up. “Get rid of your phone.”
Atwood threw the phone in the bin with a pout. “What’s your plan?”
“Get ready t
o run.” Carter took out the gun he’d stolen at the police office. He shot in a random direction, which had the desired effect of distracting Williams who turned his back just long enough for Carter and Atwood to run away. Here and there, cops yelled at them and ran after them. But Carter knew the park like the back of his hand. He and Atwood soon vanished from the police’s vigilance.
“What now?” Atwood asked, out of breath.
“Now,” Carter said with his perpetual half-smile, “we go get the ruby.”
He followed Atwood to his place, constantly turning to make sure no cop was on their trail. When they arrived, Atwood quickly showed his list of names from the auction sale to Carter.
“It’s that guy,” he indicated. “Daryl Preston.”
“Great. Do you know how to find him, and the ruby.”
A look of self-confidence invaded Atwood’s features. “Of course I know,” he said.
“Care to share your knowledge?”
“He’s my neighbor.”
“Seriously?” Carter frowned. The situation seemed so perfect that it sounded like a lie.
“Yes, he lives right here,” Atwood said, pointing at the floor. “But he doesn’t know I know, so let’s keep it that way.” Atwood looked at his watch. “He’ll go out in about half an hour.”
“Perfect. Then we can just get in, get the ruby, and get out.”
“No, it won’t be that easy.”
“Why not?”
“His flat is decorated with lasers and alarms”
“Oh.” Carter lost his enthusiasm. “How do you know that?”
Atwood smiled. “None of your business.”
Half an hour later, Carter and Atwood went downstairs. Carter picked the lock and carefully opened the door. Atwood spotted the first detector in the door frame. He aimed a little electronic device at it and was able to deactivate it. Carter waited for his signal to enter the flat. He stopped on the door sill when he saw little rays of green light crossing the room from wall to wall like a giant spider web.
“Wow,” he said. “That guy’s good.”
“Told you. He’s also fast, we have less than twenty minutes before he gets back.”
“What?”
“Shhh!” Atwood whispered.
He looked behind him, but no one seemed to have heard Carter. He stepped in next to Carter. Working as fast as he could, he aimed at each laser detector with precision, disabling them one after the other. When he was done, he motioned to Carter to follow him. They crossed the room to find a safe secured by a heavy steel lock.
“You’re good at picking locks,” Atwood said. “You have about four minutes.”
“Thanks, no pressure.”
Carter knelt next to the safe. He picked the lock like he’d done it for the door, but it took more time than expected. Meanwhile, Atwood closed the entrance door and enabled the lasers back.
“Why are you doing that?” Carter asked.
“If we go back that way, we’ll meet him in the hall. So,” he indicated the window, “I hope you’re not afraid of heights.”
Carter smiled when he remembered that, one year earlier, Williams had arrested him and Farrell because she was afraid of heights and wouldn’t escape through the window. He put the ruby in a cloth bag and followed Atwood outside just at the moment when Preston was opening the door.
“What the… Hey! Get back!” he yelled.
Shots were fired at Carter and Atwood as they were making their way down the emergency ladder. Preston tried to follow them, but they were too fast and too well organized. Atwood knew that the ladder was broken on that floor. As soon as they were passed the critical place, he pulled on it and it fell to the ground, a few feet below. Carter and Atwood kept descending while Preston ran to the inside stairs. When he arrived on the street, they were long gone.
**
Williams was pacing up and down the hall. He couldn’t believe Carter had let him down. He couldn’t believe he’d believed that Carter wouldn’t let him down. Williams was so angry he didn’t even know if he was raging against Carter or himself anymore. All of a sudden, his phone rang.
“What?” he yelled.
“Woah, okay, so you’re pissed off,” Carter noticed.
“You fucking let me down,” Williams shouted.
“I’m sorry. It was the only way I—”
“You could have warned me,” he interrupted loudly.
“You wouldn’t have accepted.”
“Of course not!” Williams took a second to breathe. “Where are you?”
“On my way. Just don’t shoot me when I come in.”
Carter hung up. He sat back in the relative comfort of the cab. He wondered what Williams’ plan was. He was at a point where he hardly even cared for the ruby anymore; that stone had proved more bad luck than a broken mirror. But he didn’t want to have to deal with Vaughn again. The marks on his arm were still fresh and he certainly didn’t wish to get any more of those.
When Carter came in, Williams greeted him with handcuffs. He took the gun he’d stolen and the ruby away from him. Williams then inspected the ruby. He didn’t have time to make sure it was the real one, but he hated the idea of trusting Carter once more.
“How can I be sure it’s the real one?” he asked when they were in his office.
“It is,” Carter simply said. “What now?”
“She sent me a message with a place and time to meet.”
“What about me?” Carter worried.
“You’re coming along, pal. You’re part of the exchange.”
“So you’re just gonna give me to her?”
“I have to say I’m tempted to do so.”
Carter lowered his eyes. A gesture that wasn’t like him at all.
“You really are afraid of her,” Williams understood.
“Okay, yes, I admit it. I am,” Carter mumbled with a mixture of anger and shame.
Williams considered Carter in silence for a moment. “I wish I could tell you I have a big plan,” he finally said in a more friendly tone. “But she’s got Kyle, and I can’t think straight.”
“Are you that close?” Carter casually asked.
“Yes. He’s the man of my life.”
“Women usually say that.”
“Carter please, I’m not in the mood for homophobic comments right now.”
“Just trying to make sense of the situation,” Carter lied.
“Is it that complicated?” Williams bitterly said. “Have you never been in love?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, I am in love,” Carter answered, admitting it to himself for the first time. He wondered why they kept asking him that question.
“Then I think you can understand. Different gender, same feelings,” Williams concluded before Cowley knocked on the door.
“The team will be ready in a few minutes,” she said. “We should move.”
“I’ll go alone,” Carter offered.
“What?” Williams and Cowley said in unison. “There’s no way I’ll let you do that,” Williams added.
“Trust me, Josh,” Carter said. As he expected, Williams’ attention grew stronger when he used his first name. “I’ll get your lover back,” he promised.
Williams pondered the matter. “Do you actually have a plan?”
“Yes,” Carter answered with his half-smile. “I’ll use her self-confidence against her. I just need some distant back-up.”
“Okay, you’ll make the exchange. But we’ll be very close behind you. And you’ll be wearing a microphone this time.”
“Fair enough.” Williams was about to remove Carter’s handcuffs, but the latter didn’t let him. “For once, I’ll need those,” he said.
They traveled to the place of meeting in silence. A dark blue Aston Martin was already parked there, waiting for them. Carter took the ruby along with a good dose of courage in his hands and got out of the car. He walked slowly toward the other car. When he was standing next the her door, Vaughn got out.
�
��Hello again,” she said. “Nice bracelets.”
“Yeah, a shame they’re not made of gold.”
“Is that the ruby?” she asked, pointing at the case.
“Officer Williams says he wants to see his lover walk free before I hand it to you.” Despite his growing anxiety, Carter’s voice was steady and confident.
Vaughn opened the back door. Kyle got out. He seemed dizzy and confused, but wasn’t injured. Vaughn pushed him in the direction of Williams’ car. He quickly understood and ran to the car. Carter watched him until he was safely inside.
“Now,” Vaughn said. “Give me that, and get in the car.”
“You’re not even making sure the ruby’s in the box?” Carter asked in genuine surprise.
“I think the cop was frightened enough not to try to double-cross me, but if you insist.”
She took the case from Carter’s hands and, leaning on her car, made the foolish mistake of turning her back to him. Carter seized the occasion immediately. He passed his hands over her head, and pressed the chain of the handcuffs on her throat. He turned around when shots were fired at him. His back against the car, he used Vaughn as a shield. Her henchmen stopped shooting for fear of killing her.
“They’ll kill you if you don’t let go of me,” she raged.
“They’ll kill you first,” Carter replied.
Vaughn was struggling, but now that Carter wasn’t under the effect of her drug, she seemed less brutal. Despite the bleeding of his arm, Carter had regained all his strength and was now able to overpower her.
“Is your team in position, Josh?” he said into the microphone clipped to his jacket.
Police cars appeared all around them. Shots were fired between Vaughn’s minions and the police. But Carter forced her to move into the middle of the crossfire. Her men instantly stopped firing, and were soon arrested by the police. Williams himself arrested Vaughn with unusual violence.
“You’re in big trouble, miss Vaughn,” he said.
**
Two days later, Williams found Carter looking at López through the floor window. He approached and stood by his side. Both considered their injured friend in silence.
Red-Hot Vengeance Page 7
