McAllister Justice Series Box Set Volume Two

by Reily Garrett

  Matt answered his call on the first ring. “Matt, Ari’s had no contact with Katt for twenty-four hours. As much as I hate the bastard, I don’t think he’s involved in Remie’s abduction.”

  “Fuck. Figures. Lexi tracked Katt’s backpack to the address I gave you. She’s gonna get us the info on the house ASAP. I’m five miles out. You?”

  “I’ll be there in ten, Matt. Wait. For. Me. Luc’s here. What about Farabee? Any word?”

  “Farabee’s not home. Lexi’s trying to ping his cell. This is a fucking wild goose chase.” Matt ended the call amid Caden’s cursing in the background.

  “Luc, we have an address for Katt’s backpack. Follow me.” His younger brother pivoted and jumped back in his SUV.

  Transition from expensive homes with large footprints to smaller ones revealing less elaborate architectural lines passed quickly. The striking differences mimicked what he considered the same variances between himself and Remie. She might be a country girl, but her education and cultured speech shone through like a diamond in the rough.

  His own lack of schooling didn’t faze her in the least. Their conversations were always two-sided and comfortable. She either hadn’t noticed the disparity of their vantage points or didn’t care. He’d tried at one point to broach the subject but swallowed the words that could’ve wedged dead space between them.

  The thought of cancer had panicked her to the point of withdraw. The implications of lumpectomy or mastectomy would terrify any woman. Hell, he’d spent hours researching the disease and different treatment modalities. As long as she didn’t shut him out, he could be her sounding board through the choices she faced, regardless of the steps needed. Would she ask Ari to recreate a breast?

  The loss wouldn’t affect his feelings toward her, or his determination to make her his own. If she chose that route, he would support her. He had cash on hand and couldn’t think of a better use if that was the route she chose.

  The next time he held her in his arms, he’d convince her she wasn’t fighting alone. Whatever the future held, she had a partner.

  The seedier side of town came boasted junk cars, weed-filled hedges, and suspicious looks from those sitting on weathered porches. Matt’s unmarked SUV parked on the grass two doors from their objective drew speculative looks from those anticipating a diversion from the sameness of their lives. Caden stood beside him.

  Several large maple trees shaded the home while large broken limbs in the yard advertised its neglect. Tall grass poking through the branches marked the time since they’d fallen. Billy cut his engine and pocketed his keys. Matt met him at his door.

  “Cover up and grab your flashlight.” His older brother had already donned his ballistic vest.

  “Yeah, give me two.” Anxious minutes passed as the quiet rip of hook and loop straps preceded Billy’s preparation.

  Luc’s jaw was set as he hopped out of his SUV. “Something’s off, guys. Katt’s smart enough to not come here without backup.”

  “We kinda figured that, too. Let’s go sort this out.” Billy scanned the perimeter. Nothing moved except an older man rocking in his chair across the street.

  Darkness had settled its mantle over the neighborhood, but practiced moves continued from muscle memory. Billy’s need to check his gun, racking the slide for the telltale click of the bullet was a testament to apprehension. He nodded to his brother after sliding the weapon back in his shoulder rig.

  “No warrant yet,” Matt murmured.

  “How long?” Luc asked.

  “Working on it.” Caden studied the surrounding homes, his eyes having adjusted to the veiled moonlight.

  “Not a problem. I’m sure we’ll find probable cause. I have excellent hearing.” Billy had no intention of waiting for a judge’s signature. “How are you going to justify putting a tracker in Katt’s backpack?”

  “When we find the girls, I’m sure she’s not going to fuss about it.”

  “Good point.” Score one for his older brother’s loosening his stringent code of ethics. “If anyone’s home, they can pick us off by moonlight. Once we start, haul ass.”

  Ambient shades of gray marked the home’s bay window with no lights oozing from within. Scanning the dilapidated structure yielded a view of peeling stucco exposing cinder block underneath. Ragged curtains hung open at the windows with no hint of movement.

  “It’s small. Billy and I go in the front, fast and low. If we need to negotiate, he’s up first.” Matt knew damn well how Billy intended to negotiate yet turned his attention to Luc, “You and Caden cover the back.”

  Each man nodded assent.

  With assignments set, they sprinted for the front of the building, drawing out the seconds. Billy’s heartbeat thundered in his ears, fear for Remie driving him faster.

  As if nature held its breath, a preternatural quiet descended. No cicadas, no night song, not even the rumble of distant traffic.

  Rough stucco under his hands grounded Billy in reality. Every nutcase put their pants on one leg at a time, men made of flesh and blood. Bullets still tipped the scales of mortality. They may not understand the shit the creeps were cooking up, but they could damn well stop it.

  At the side of the door, Matt nodded to proceed. Luc and Caden hunched and made their way to the back.

  A slight twist of the knob and Billy smiled. “Door’s ajar. Might be trouble inside.”

  A loud thump from the darkened interior startled them both.

  “Probable cause.” Matt grinned.

  Billy counted to three and shoved the door wide.

  Each entered and ducked to the side, waiting for a hail of bullets. All remained quiet.

  A swipe of fingers along the wall rewarded Billy’s search. “Light.” He shoved both sides of the double rocker switch. The result flooded the living room with a sallow yellow glow where a tattered sofa and equally disgusting recliner filled half of the small space. To his left, a swath of light poured through an open door to reveal a bed with blankets piled on a bare, stained mattress. Matt headed that way on silent steps.

  To the right, a four-foot doorway offered evidence of a kitchen, ill-used considering the silhouettes of dirty pots and plates of half-eaten food. When Billy entered and found another light, the room proved empty.

  Caden and Luc’s entry, preceded by a low whistle, confirmed the back was clear. They now had more questions than answers.

  Coincidences don’t come in pairs. The fact Katt and Remie disappeared at the same time pointed to a well-organized team. Who’s calling the shots?

  Seconds later, Matt’s, “Clear with a body,” filled his chest with panic.

  “Remie?” Fear and rage formed a cohesive wad in Billy’s chest, erupting in a growl he couldn’t suppress. Dread jettisoned the sour mass to the back of his throat. His brothers’ thudding steps followed.

  Ari’s partner lay face down on the floor, dried blood surrounding the small hole in the back of his head. Crusted crimson rivulets formed the nimbus in which he lay. “Where the hell are they? That thump...”

  Matt scooped up a tabby cat pawing Katt’s backpack. “There’s an iron lamp on the floor. I think our furry resident here knocked it over in search of food.” He set the cat down and opened Katt’s pack. Several empty candy wrappers and a bag of cheesy curls detailed the investigator’s current stakeout food.

  The bedroom continued the early pigsty décor with ragged jeans and crumpled T-shirts strewn across a dark stained carpet. A closet door stood open to reveal several short-sleeved wrinkled shirts and a pair of worn boots.

  “Look.” Billy pointed to the battered wood desk occupying the corner. A dime-store novel lay on top of several pictures of Remie and Katt.

  Matt scratched his chin and murmured, “What the hell is Farabee doing in a dump like this? The impression I got was one part arrogance and two parts snob.”

  “Lexi went through Farabee’s financials last week and didn’t turn up any connection to this place. He could be a setup or decoy.” B
illy shuffled through the photos. Several pictures of Remie leaving work and home and two of Katt brought enlightenment. “Wonder how long they’ve been on to Katt? She’s pretty good.”

  “Maybe whoever tried to hack into Celtronics during your late-night escapade tapped into Ari’s life and found Katt that way.” Caden rifled through the clothes in the closet.

  “Damn kid shouldn’t be on the street. It looks like whoever is pulling the strings is done playing games and ready to wrap up loose ends.”

  “Ethan’s got Lexi tucked away at Megan’s place. You know she scrambles all digital and paper trails leading to her. I don’t think anyone could’ve found her digital signature on any of this.” Luc searched Farabee’s pockets. “No wallet, nothing. Odd.”

  “Shit. Where are they? Are the women together?” Caden studied the room then searched the desk drawers. “Nothing. We don’t even know what time they took Katt.”

  “I’ll call and see what Lexi’s dug up on this home’s paper trail.” Billy’s phone vibrated as he reached for it.

  “Yeah, Ethan. What’s up?”

  “Lexi’s tracking your movements—don’t ask how.”

  “I never do. What’d she find?”

  “The house there belongs to Charles Fentner, a mid-level thug with lots of priors. Records show his bank account received a deposit of five grand this morning.”

  “From who?”

  “Lenaka Corporation.”

  “Who the hell are they?”

  “Off shore. Owned by—guess who? She hasn’t searched all the specific docs yet, but Lexi crossed-checked dates and amounts with Dr. Carrigan from Biobotics.”

  “Oh, fuck. So it wasn’t Ari’s partner behind this shit—unless he’s working with Carrigan—whose employees decided to cover their tracks.”

  “What’s she got on Carrigan?” Billy stepped away from his brothers.

  “He’s got several properties. I’m pulling them up on the map as we speak.” Ethan broke the silence with the distracted clicking of his tongue.

  Billy signaled to his brothers. “Matt? Lexi’s getting us an address on Carrigan.”

  “Billy,” Ethan sounded distracted. “The prick has several properties. One is in the sticks, which might be the terrain Abby described. There’s another that’s closer—I’d check it first. It’s listed through a dummy corporation. I’m texting the address. I’ll meet you there.”

  “No. Stay with the girls. Luc and Caden are coming.”

  The growl through the line signified the beast weighing on Ethan’s shoulders. None of the brothers liked babysitting details.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Remie shook her head against the pain. The punch to her jaw that probably broke her mandible entailed the least of her worries. The stumble-step back brought her up against a wall. “You’re gonna die tonight, you son of a bitch. The McAllisters will find you.”

  A brief glance at the door to her right offered no hope. She’d never make it. The girls’ attempt at fighting the three men who’d halted their escape had ended with a resounding defeat and two goons dragging an unconscious Katt away. The third, their leader, had backed her into her original room.

  She had frozen at the crucial moment which enabled their kidnappers to gain the upper hand. A mistake she vowed to never make again, if she survived.

  Recognition stirred a foreign hatred in her soul, yet the name wouldn’t come. The man who had pulled the strings resulting in their capture grinned with a secret knowledge she didn’t want to possess. The knife he weaved in a circular pattern was redundant considering he obviously preferred his fists. Or a syringe full of sedative.

  Recessed lighting created shadows on his lower face, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

  “We’ve met...”

  “Darrin Carrigan at your service. Or should I say, preparing to service you.” At well over six feet, he towered over her even from a distance. The waggling of his unibrow provided a farcical component to the sly smile curving his lips.

  “How’s the side of your head. I should have killed you in the woods.”

  “Ah, something else for which I have to thank you. I think we’ll take it slow tonight.”

  “You’re a sick prick.” She needed to think straight to keep him talking. Her fuzzy brain failed to form a new plan.

  “I’ve wondered what Ari saw in you. Now, I’ll get to sample the goods and find out for myself.”

  “He wanted me to work with him—for my mind.”

  “Which is one of the things I was trying to facilitate. Hell, I would’ve welcomed you to the company in posh style even though it’s Ari that I want. You were the linchpin.”

  “How do you figure that?” Hair on her nape prickled at the thought of the entire elaborate scheme revolving around her.

  “Ari refused my generous offers. By incriminating his partner I’d destroy their relationship. You were the best way to accomplish that. With Farabee out of the picture and your need for a new breast, it was a match made in heaven.” Darrin smiled and tilted his head side to side. “Gena and Wendy were whores who got in the way but proved advantageous in the end.”

  “You kept me involved, thinking Ari would come to my rescue?” Wait. “How’d you know about the cancer?”

  “Who do you think injected you with the modified cells?”

  “You? How the fuck did you do that? It was that night when you took tissue samples!”

  “Ah, but you were in the hospital overnight the week before. Who do you think arranged for your accident? I knew they’d give you a private room, so I arranged to take a little sample, modify it for injection later. I have to admit the timing gave me a bit of concern, but it all worked out in the end.”

  “You motherfucker! You injected me with cancer?”

  “You’re my first test case, but I didn’t count on that damn McAllister sticking his nose in my business. I should’ve just killed him, but I was trying to keep the body count down. After learning about his experience with ClickChip, I couldn’t resist messing with his head.” Silence punctuated his words. “In the end, it was a good thing I didn’t kill him. His tissue samples are fascinating.”

  “Why Ari? There are other surgeons working with bioprinted materials.”

  “But none as talented or as advanced. I figured if I separated him from his partner and brought you two together, he’d be much happier and content to stay.”

  “What changed?”

  Darrin nodded toward the door. “Ari hired your little snoop. With her watching your every move, I could no longer threaten and drive you into his arms. I don’t like things getting out of hand. With you and Ari’s partner dead, I can swoop in and console him. Not the same way you could’ve, but it’ll be enough.”

  “How did you find out about Katt?”

  “That was the lucky part. When my help rifled through the paperwork in Ari’s home and planted a few bugs, they found the trail to Katt. I knew the McAllisters suspected him, but they never thought to bug his house. Fortunately, I did.”

  “Your work is that important to you? Worth all these lives?”

  “Huh. You have no idea what I’ve accomplished. My neural organoids are ready for human trials. I’ll use your friend upstairs for initial testing.”

  “You’re fucking nuts.” Remie sucked in a lungful of air, hoping to clear her head. Instead, she received a bigger blast of fear.

  “On the contrary. I’m very logical. And for the trouble I’ve endured, I’ll now have you as my consolation.”

  A thump overhead indicated something heavy hitting the floor. Katt.

  Darrin smiled. “Looks like my boys will have their own bit of fun tonight.”

  Remie dropped her shoulders in a show of defeat. If she hesitated again when the opportunity rose, she wouldn’t get another chance. Misdirection and surprise were her best resources.

  In a show of mock graciousness, Darrin tossed his knife aside. “Take off your blouse.”

  Medical training had nev
er prepared her for such barbaric circumstances. If she submitted to rape and could compartmentalize, she’d gain time to find his weakness. With trembling fingers, she shoved each button through its hole. The fabric separated to allow cool air to brush her breasts.

  “You had to know this was going to happen. I’d thought about taking Abby, but really. Where would be the fun in that? When Ari comes to work for me, I’ll silently gloat that I’ve taken what he treasures. I want you awake, alert, and looking in my eyes as I squeeze the life from you.”

  “You’re a piece of shit.”

  “Take off the rest and lay on the floor. I’m going to take you hard and dirty like the whore you are.”

  “Why take Gena and Wendy’s spinal fluid?”

  “Research. Why else?”

  Of all the forensic studies she’d done on assault victims, Remie never considered she might become one herself. She shrugged her shoulders to let the silk shirt drift down her arms.

  When Darrin stepped closer to block the exit, anticipation written on his face, she bunched the fabric and threw it in his face.

  His condescension and chortle morphed into surprise when she dove to the left to retrieve his knife.

  Heavy weight smashed her to the floor and held her firm while his fingers squeezed her wrist until she dropped the weapon.

  She didn’t hear the door open, but she felt the change in the atmosphere. The weight lifting off her coincided with an inhuman growl instinctually recognized as Billy’s.

  Rolling to her side, she grabbed the knife and sat up.

  Billy hurled her attacker against the wall and followed up with his fists. Carrigan’s nose crunched and his head smashed through the wallboard. His legs crumpled, but Billy supported his weight against the wall, continuing to vent his rage.

  “Billy, stop.” Matt grabbed him from behind but received a hard shove to the side.

  “Not until I’m done.”

  The wild look in his eyes meant not until the prick’s dead, a universal expression of fury well understood after her uncle died in a carjacking.