Chapter 23

23

Brooklyn had sat on the couch in the dark and damp living room for an hour under the watchful eye of Rocco while Luka hung outside making phone calls. Kane was seated on the far end of the sofa, not at all looking worried. Well, he should be. If he didn’t give up the missing item, Luka would torture him until he did.

“What does Luka want from you?” she asked.

“Ah, yes. That.” A snide grin crossed his face. “When Matteo came to stay with me, he happened to have a flash drive with their client information on it. Enough info for me to either steal their business or turn it over to the police and have them all arrested.”

“And which one were you going to do?” She looked at Rocco to see his reaction. A muscle jumped in his cheek, but nothing else. Was he going to go tell Luka that Kane admitted to having the drive, or did Luka already know for a fact that Kane had it and was simply refusing to give it to him?

“Don’t look so worried.” Kane leaned back and lifted his arm on the back of the sofa as if he hadn’t a care in the world. “I’m not saying anything they don’t already know. They knew Matteo had it, and I would’ve been foolish not to search him. We all know I’m not foolish.”

“Aren’t you? Because look at the position you’re in. Only a foolish man would end up about to be executed by a big organized crime boss.”

Rocco snorted. Apparently he found that funny.

Kane not so much. He slammed a fist into the arm of the couch and glared at her. “Talk about foolish. You’re about to be fed to Sumo if I don’t talk, and you’re insulting me. I would call that the ultimate in foolishness.”

“Really? I think the ultimate would be to believe that you wouldn’t put me in Sumo’s enclosure anyway, even if Luka wasn’t in charge here, regardless of what I do or say. It’s your plan to get revenge for me leaving you.” She drew in a ragged breath. “Also foolish? You bragging about me being your girlfriend when I hadn’t seen you in years. Why do that? What was the point?”

“Stupid small talk to gain Matteo’s trust. All my time is spent on the web, so I couldn’t think of anything else to say. And I don’t regret it because Luka found you, and here you are. Ready to feed Sumo.” He rubbed his hands together. “If that’s a result of foolishness, then I’ll be as foolish as you want me to be.”

“Where did you hide the drive?” she asked.

He eyed her. “As if I’d tell you. And if I did, I sure wouldn’t do so in front of this goon.”

Rocco widened his stance, stomping a foot when he did. He was a goon, but apparently he didn’t like being called one.

The door opened, and Luka strode in. “You ready to talk?”

Kane lifted his chin. “Nope.”

“Then she’s toast. “

“Can I help?” Kane asked.

“You’re bluffing.”

“No.” Kane’s expression turned hard as if wearing a stone mask.

Luka looked at Brooklyn. “I’ll give you one last chance to tell me where it is.”

“I wish I knew so I could end this all without anyone getting hurt,” she said, though she knew he would never let them live, even if they gave up the drive.

Another snort from Rocco.

“Then let’s go.” Luka looked like he didn’t believe her or Kane, and that he would soon call their bluff at Sumo’s gate to find out where his flash drive was located.

She stepped out the door, blinking against the bright sunshine belying her potential fate. She was still believing God for a miracle, as she had found no answer to her dilemma. None. Zip. Zilch.

Luka shoved Kane ahead. “Get her inside.”

“My pleasure.” Kane pushed her down the dirt road toward the enclosure.

She dragged her feet, but he just shoved her harder, and she couldn’t stop her forward progress.

Unfortunately they reached the enclosure’s gate far too soon. Panic greeted her and took hold. She glanced back at Kane. “You could just give them what they want, and they would let us go.”

He scoffed. “Naive as usual, I see. They’re going to kill us no matter what happens, and this will buy me time to get away.”

She glanced through the metal to see Sumo at the back of the enclosure. He was crouched down in knee-high grass, his eyes ever watchful.

Kane unlocked the gate. Drew it open. Gave her a shove. She bolted backward. He shoved her again. Hard. She lost her footing and fell. Sumo raised his head.

She thought to get up. No. Stay low. Small. Be less threatening to Sumo. She crouched, ready to spring up if needed, and wrapped her arms around her body, ignoring the pain from her potential broken ribs.

Sumo stood. Locked those ferocious eyes on her and started forward.

Don’t panic. Stay still. And whatever you do, stay close to the gate so you can get out if it opens.

The vehicle was still rolling when Colin exploded out the door with a backpack full of surveillance gear. Dev charged after him, his rifle over his shoulder, ready to take Tarver out if needed.

Colin plunged into the ditch by the road and then back up, slowing when he got close enough to the property for his movements to be heard. He signaled for the others to be as quiet as possible from this point on, then crept forward until the house came into view. He stopped and got out the high-powered binoculars.

Lifting them, he ran the lens over the clearing, noting the same jacked-up pickup from the almost breach at their compound. “Same truck that I saw outside Shadow Lake’s gate holding the guy who tried to break in.”

“Can’t get a read on the plates,” Dev said from beside him. He’d dropped to his knees and was using the scope on his rifle to see in the distance. “But we can probably assume it’s the truck from the parking lot that Brooklyn got into too. No movement on the property, though.”

“They’re likely in the house,” Reid said catching up to them along with Nick.

Nick squatted and put his laptop on his knees. “Still no internet traffic, or network traffic for that matter, so if they’re inside, they’re not using the internet. And odd that there aren’t any surveillance cameras so far either.”

“He might not have had time to install them yet,” Reid said.

“He could have a second vehicle and not even be here,” Dev said.

“Nothing registered in DMV to the same name.” Nick suddenly grabbed his phone from his pocket. “Call coming in from Sierra.”

“Could be important,” Colin said. “Find out what she wants.”

“You have something for us?” Nick asked and listened. “Okay. Get them to my team to image, and I’ll be back as soon as possible to decrypt them.”

Colin looked back. “What is it?”

“Sierra was storing the black box in evidence and found a false bottom. Kane had taped two small flash drives to the lid. They’re likely encrypted, but my team will get started on imaging them right away, then I can work on cracking the encryption.”

“Could be what we need to put him away,” Reid said.

“That’s all well and good, but first we have to find him and get Brooklyn back.” Colin couldn’t sit here talking about evidence when Brooklyn could still need him. They had plenty of time to discuss that after she was free.

A low, threatening sound rumbled through the air.

“The jaguar?” Dev asked and mocked a shudder. “I’ve never heard one, but it sure sounded like a big cat.”

Colin looked at Nick. “Is the guy sick enough to use that jaguar to hurt her?”

Nick swallowed hard. “Unfortunately, yes.”

The growl came again, this time louder. Lower. Angrier.

“Sound came from my left beyond that small outbuilding.” Dev nodded toward the direction.

“We have to get over there,” Colin said. “But we split up in case they’re in the house. Reid, you take the house. Don’t breach, but keep an eye on the exits and keep us updated on the comms. The rest of us will take the big cat. Any questions?”

The men shook their heads and split off. Colin led Dev and Nick through the understory of massive Douglas firs so common in the Pacific Northwest. They trampled ferns, hostas, and low-growing ground cover to reach the other side of the clearing. He advanced forward.

The animal cried out again, the tenor of his call changed as if aggravated now. Was Tarver provoking it?

Colin kicked up his speed, reached the outbuilding, and used it as cover to take a look ahead.

No. No . His veins froze as if injected with ice water.

Brooklyn was inside the gate. Crouching and hugging herself, her body trembling.

The gate was closed. The cat was advancing her way, one giant paw in front of the other. Low. Stalking. Licking its mouth.

“Tell me where the flash drives are, Tarver,” a man standing next to Tarver said, “and I’ll let her out.”

Tarver cocked an eyebrow in a swollen and bruised face. “Ah, no, you won’t. I know that.”

“Fine. Open the gate, Rocco,” the guy said. “Time for Tarver to join his sweetheart.”

“You got it, Luka.” The big burly man took a few steps closer.

So Rocco and Luka. Had to be Albertelli and one of his guys from the organized crime syndicate, and they had to be looking for the drives Sierra had just located.

Tarver held up his hand. “You can put me in there, but if Sumo kills me, you won’t ever find the drives.”

“I’ll have to take that risk and hope no one else finds them either.”

Kane looked back at Luka. “You’re willing to risk your client list getting into the hands of the cops.”

“How will they find it?” Luka asked.

“Maybe I left the drives in the house. Maybe they didn’t burn, and they’ll find them.”

“Nice try.” Luka shook his head. “We searched. Nothing there. And they’re done with forensics on the house, so they won’t likely go back.”

“Maybe the cops already have them, and once they decrypt them, they’ll be coming your way.”

“Then there’s no point in keeping you alive, is there?” Luka looked at Rocco. “Get him in there now.”

Rocco lifted the gate latch and shoved Tarver into the enclosure. Sumo stopped moving forward and stood to watch, his big eyes not missing a thing.

Luka held up a red case. “If you decide to talk, I have the tranquilizer gun right here and your precious jag can go nighty night while we let you out.”

“This is crazy,” Dev said. “I don’t want to shoot that cat, but we might have to.”

“We’re better overpowering Luka and taking the tranquilizer gun from him.” Colin didn’t have much time, and Brooklyn’s life could depend on what he decided. “We have the element of surprise on our side. Dev, you stay here and take a stand. If the cat gets close to Brooklyn, you take it out. Nick, you have Rocco. I have Luka. We overpower them. Either one goes for their sidearms before we get to them, we take them out. Understood?”

“Roger that,” Dev said, already squatting to take a stand.

“Understood,” Nick said.

“Then we move now.” Colin held his weapon in hand and waited for Nick to come alongside him.

The cat was on the move again. Slinky. Low. Stalking. Brooklyn or Tarver his prey. Brooklyn started crying, but she seemed to be working hard to keep it under control.

“Stop sniveling,” Tarver said. “You’re making me mad.”

“That guy’s a real piece of work.” Colin continued to inch forward.

Luka stood, watching. Dispassionate. Rocco leaned against a trailer as if he couldn’t even be bothered to care. The cat looked past Brooklyn and Tarver, eyeing Colin and Nick. Sumo stopped. Watched. Good. As long as Rocco and Luka didn’t realize who the cat was looking at, they were golden.

Nick signaled that he was splitting off to go for the big goon. Colin nodded and moved to the right to slide up on Luka from behind. He glanced back at Nick. Saw him bring Rocco to his knees with a gun at his temple.

Colin marched ahead. Reached Luka. Shoved his gun in the creep’s back. “Don’t move.”

He jerked but remained still.

Brooklyn pivoted. “Colin, is that you? Really you?”

“Yes. Just stay low until I can help.” Colin assessed the situation. The jaguar was too close to the gate to open it. The animal’s speed would allow him to be through the gate and free to roam the countryside and kill people or other animals. Colin couldn’t let that happen. “I’ll tranquilize the cat and get you out.”

Luka hugged the case to his chest. “Good luck with that.”

Colin saw the cat start to move again. His heart could barely beat. He had to act. Now. He shoved the gun barrel into Luka. “You’re risking a bullet in the back.”

“Hah, you’re one of the good guys,” Luka said. “The calvary. They never shoot an unarmed man in the back.”

Maybe not, but I’m not above disabling you. Colin kneed the back of Luka’s knees, bringing him to the ground. He shoved him down and hoped the guy would reach out to protect himself and the case would come free.

No such luck. He took a tumble and rolled to his stomach, burying the case under his large body.

Luka gave Colin no choice. He holstered his weapon and dropped down on the man. He flipped him and tugged to take the tranquilizer gun away. Luka held fast. His strength beyond what Colin expected.

“Colin, hurry,” Brooklyn cried out. “Sumo is so close.”

As if hearing his name, the jaguar roared.

“Stop!” Tarver’s voice was high and terrified now.

Colin dug deep. Coldcocked Luka. His arms fell to the ground. Colin grabbed the case and rolled free to get an eye on the big cat. He was nearing the pair. About five feet away. Colin ripped the zipper open. Pulled out the gun. Loaded it. Aimed. Fired. Hit the cat.

He raised up on his back legs and ran across the enclosure, then curled back to try to get the dart out of his flank. Angry now. Still moving. Not sleeping from the drug, he eyed them again.

“Does he need a second dart?” Colin called out as he reached into the case for another one.

“One is enough,” Tarver shouted, cowering low to the ground. “A second one will kill him. It takes time. Could be up to five minutes.”

Then Colin would have to risk opening the door while the cat was on the other side of the yard. He started for the enclosure. Luka grabbed his ankle, dragging him back. Colin had to toss down the case to get free.

They scuffled. Tumbling over each other.

Luka clamped his hands around Colin’s neck. He tried to pry them off, but Luka suddenly had the strength of ten men.

Dev fired a warning shot next to Luka’s body.

Luka snapped back, his panicked gaze seeking the source of the bullet.

Colin dragged in air and rolled free.

He staggered to his feet.

Went for the gate. Opened it.

Tarver lurched to his feet and pushed Brooklyn down to run toward Colin.

The cat started moving. Coming fast now.

“Run for the gate, Brooklyn,” Colin yelled and charged Tarver, tackling him into the dirt away from the opening so Brooklyn could squeeze through. “Close the gate behind you.”

She got to her feet and slid outside. “I can’t close it with you in there.”

“You have to.” Colin strained to hold Tarver back from blocking the gate. “We can’t risk the cat getting free. Killing others.”

She started sobbing and latched the gate.

Colin prayed for help.

His strength seemed to double, and he rolled free of Tarver to scramble up the chain-link fence, clinging for safety near the top. Sumo could likely drag him down, but Tarver was an easier prey right now.

A bullet struck the dirt in front of Sumo. Then another and another. Had to be Dev trying to warn the cat off without killing him. Sumo skidded to a stop, his eyes dazed.

Please, God, say the dart is finally starting to work.

Sumo roared, then lunged at Tarver, his mouth wide open. He came down, his mighty jaw clamping around Tarver’s leg. The man screamed in agony. Colin wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. Not when Sumo could come for him next.