by Nancy Mehl
“Did you see this?” he asked. “Doesn’t this look like a partial license plate number?”
Holman frowned. “No, not really. More like accidental markings made when we retrieved the dog tags.”
Tony wanted to lambaste the patrolman for his casual attitude, though the man was partially right—the letters and numbers looked a bit like scratches in the dirt. Maybe it was because Tony was looking too hard for something—anything—that would give them a clue as to where their people were.
Tony tore out the top page from his notepad and handed it to Holman. “Please run this as soon as you can. Tell me whose plate it is.”
“Our state plates don’t read like that,” he replied.
“Please. Just run what you have and let me know what you find.”
Although he didn’t look convinced, Holman nodded, went back to his car, and got on the radio.
Using a handkerchief from his pocket, Tony opened the car door. There were some things inside, but he had no idea if they belonged to the owner or if Casey and E.J. had left them behind. He didn’t see anything that would help them. Some blood on the back seat. They would test it right away, find out whose blood it was. He was certain it was Casey’s. He’d watched the video from the highway and seen her get shot. He prayed she was okay. He shook his head and continued checking the car without touching anything. Finished, he turned to tell Holman what he’d found. The words died in his mouth as Holman walked toward him. The officer’s face was ashen. He looked like someone had punched him in the gut.
“What’s wrong?” Tony asked as Holman approached. Apprehension made it hard to speak. Were his friends okay? “Have you heard something?” he choked out.
Holman nodded. “The number . . . it’s a vehicle used by one of our Highway Patrol officers. Jerry Reynard. They just found his body on a side road near here. His car’s gone. It looks like whoever has your friends killed him—for his car and his uniform. It must have happened not long after he went off duty.”
The two men stood there staring at each other. At that moment they didn’t work for different departments. They were both bound together by a bond most people could never understand.
When Sarah and Tally stepped inside the metal building, the heat almost knocked Sarah over. She was immediately afraid for Susan. Weapons drawn, they rounded a large divider where they saw someone secured to a chair, her hands and feet bound with duct tape. Her head was bowed, and Sarah couldn’t see her face as she and Tally hurried over to her. Sarah realized Tally was praying softly.
When she reached Susan, Sarah put her hand under the girl’s chin and raised her face. She half expected to find her dead. Susan’s eyes were closed, but Sarah heard her moan.
“She’s alive!” Sarah shouted. A police officer who’d followed them into the shed immediately called for an ambulance while Tally and Sarah removed the duct tape from around Susan’s wrists and ankles. She was unresponsive. Her skin was hot, but she wasn’t sweating. A symptom of heat stroke.
Tally gently picked her up and carried her outside where it was cooler. “We need to get her out of the sun.” He took her over to the SUV and placed her in the front seat. “Turn on the air conditioning,” he told the agent who’d driven the vehicle. As the man got the car started, Tally asked if anyone had some fresh water. Several agents brought over water bottles.
Sarah watched as Tally poured the cool water on Susan’s head and tried to get her to take a drink. Seeing that Tally had things under control until the paramedics arrived, she went over to the agents who had handcuffed Darrell Brady. When he saw her, he began to yell.
“You killed my wife! It’s police brutality.” He glared at Sarah with wild eyes. “I’m gonna sue you. Take you to court. You’ll lose your badge!”
Sarah shook her head. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Brady, but your wife took a shot at us. We have every right to defend ourselves. And as far as taking us to court, unfortunately I think you’ll be a little too busy being charged with kidnapping . . . and murder, if Ms. Bennett doesn’t survive.”
At that moment, one of her agents, a man named McGee, came out of the house with a small dog in his arms. The dog was in bad physical shape—matted fur, dirty, and skinny. “Hey, Sarah,” he said, “I work with an animal-rescue group. Can I take this little guy to them?”
Sarah nodded. “Please do.” She walked over and looked into the pup’s big brown eyes. Even in his poor condition, he leaned over and licked her hand. Sarah had to blink back tears, but not before McGee noticed.
“He’ll be okay. I’ll keep you updated.”
“Thanks.” Sarah went back to where Darrell waited, still grumbling about police brutality. “Has he been read his rights?” she asked the agents who’d cuffed him.
“Yes, ma’am,” one of them answered.
“Mr. Brady . . .” Sarah began. The wind died down then, and the man’s body odor became apparent. Sarah almost gagged. It took everything she had to ignore it. “It’s possible you could get a lighter sentence if you tell us why you kidnapped Ms. Bennett. Who put you up to it?”
Darrell shook his ratty head. “You wanna get me killed?” He looked around like someone might be listening. “I ain’t gonna tell you nothin’.”
“That’s totally up to you,” Sarah said. “But we can protect you. Get you a deal. Just think about it.”
Again, Darrell shook his head. “Ain’t gonna happen.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Al-Saud’s men aren’t in Missouri right now. You’re safe.”
Darrell stared at Sarah, his eyes narrowed into slits. “Al . . . Al who? I don’t know who you’re talkin’ about. I don’t know anyone named Al.”
Sarah could tell he was telling the truth. “What about Benyamin Mattan? Do you know him?”
“I got no idea what you’re talkin’ about, but I’ll tell ya that the guy who paid us to take that lady is meaner than a rabid dog. And I ain’t takin’ no chances by squealin’ on him.”
Those were the last words Darrell Brady ever said. A hail of bullets rained down on the agents. The first casualty was Darrell. Then two of Sarah’s agents went down. The rest of them hit the dirt, pulling out their weapons and trying to figure out where the bullets were coming from.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
E.J. was finding it difficult to breathe in the large metal building. Although Mattan and his men had air conditioning, out here it was almost unbearable. Now he and Casey both needed water. They’d been sitting in one spot for hours. Casey seemed to be getting lethargic. He realized Ace was trying to keep his cover intact, but Casey was in serious trouble. Her head hung down, and the last time she’d said something, her words were mumbled.
He was just about to call her name when a door slammed behind them. E.J. saw Ace striding their way. When he reached them, he immediately put a new bottle of water to Casey’s lips. She drank it down like someone dying of thirst.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“The cameras and listening devices are down,” he said. “They’ll stay down until we can get you out of here. You can say whatever you want.” He nodded toward the back of the room. “Mattan is apoplectic. Not being able to listen to you has made him even more paranoid, but it had to be done. We need to be even more careful now.”
“Thanks,” E.J. said. He cocked his head toward Casey. “Something’s wrong with her. What’s going on?”
Ace glanced toward the back and then quickly pulled Casey’s blouse up until he could see the spot they’d bandaged. He loosened the gauze and lifted the pad . . . then swore under his breath. “It’s infected.”
“Clean it again.”
“I can’t. Mattan won’t let me. If I cross him when he’s this crazy, he might kill her.”
“But—”
“I’m sorry,” Ace said, cutting him off. “Mattan is psychotic. He suspects everything we say or do as proof we’re turning on him.”
“Do you have a plan to get us out?
”
“Working on it.” He brought the water bottle to E.J. and held it up to his lips. “I can’t compromise this operation, but I won’t let you die either.”
“Who are you with?”
“Pittsburgh PD. Mattan has been selling drugs and weapons out of this place. I don’t think his father knows about that.”
“Yeah, Valerie told us Mattan was Ali Al-Saud’s son. Puts a whole new spin on this thing.”
“Yep, but Daddy isn’t too happy right now. In fact, he won’t even take Junior’s calls.”
“What does that mean for us?” Casey mumbled.
“I don’t know.” He took a step back. “Don’t get offended by what I’m getting ready to do. I think it will help you.” He moved closer to Casey, turned the large bottle of cold water upside down, and poured some of it on her head. Then he laughed. After that he did the same to E.J. It felt wonderful, but to Mattan and his cronies, E.J. was pretty sure it looked as if Ace was taunting them.
“Thanks,” E.J. said, shaking his head. Water flew everywhere.
“Listen,” Ace said, “Mattan’s not only scarfing down pills, he’s snorting cocaine. I’m worried about what he might do next. If it looks like he’s going to take you out, I’ll stop him. But if he decides to move you, I won’t do anything to keep that from happening. It could actually be the break we need. Getting out of here might give us more options. If that happens, I’ll find a way to go with you.”
“Will you still be able to protect your operation?” Casey asked. Her words were a little clearer, though her eyes were unfocused. E.J. could tell she was fighting to stay engaged.
“I’m trying. We still don’t have what we need to shut Al-Saud down. If we don’t get it, we’ll have Mattan, but Al-Saud will continue funding terrorism. We want him. Badly.” He glanced back toward the office and waved his hand, letting them know he was on his way back. “Mattan has some nasty stuff here. Bombs, guns, suicide vests, even chemical weapons. He might be planning something big, and we need to know what that is. I’m trying to keep track of where it’s going, but even having it available is scary enough. Especially if it’s being used to support terrorists already in the country.”
Ace’s words made E.J.’s blood run cold. “Is there any way you can sneak a look into that police car?” he asked. “We’re wondering if there’s a laptop inside. Someone might be able to track us that way.”
“There was, but Mattan had it removed right after you two got here.”
E.J. saw the disappointment on Casey’s face, and he hated it.
Ace reached into his pocket and pulled out a pill. He took it over to Casey. “I don’t know if you want this, but I took it from Mattan’s stash. It’s oxycodone. It will help with the pain.”
Casey looked up at him. “Will it make me sleepy?”
“No. In fact, it will probably help you stay awake. It won’t hurt you, I promise.”
She nodded. “Please.”
Ace put the pill in her mouth and then put the bottle to her lips. There was just enough water to help her swallow it.
“I grabbed a few more.” Ace slid them into her jeans pocket. “If you need more, I’ll get them for you. What you really need are antibiotics, but Mattan doesn’t have any.”
“It’s okay. Thank you,” Casey said, her voice breaking.
“Not a problem.” He moved over to E.J. “Sorry about this, but I’m trying to keep you alive.” He then slapped E.J. across the face.
“Wow,” E.J. said, working his jaw around. “That hurt.”
“Just trying to make it realistic.”
“You get us out of here, and you can hit me whenever you want.”
“I’ll take that deal.”
With that, Ace walked away, heading back to the office.
“I think he’s genuine,” Casey said.
“Yeah, me too. But now my jaw’s sore.”
“Sorry,” Casey said with a small smile. As she stared down at the floor, a drop of water rolled down her face and landed on her shoe. Although Ace had helped them cool off some, it hadn’t lasted long. E.J.’s eyes stung with the sweat that dripped into them.
Casey took a deep breath. “We can’t just sit here and let these people decide our fate,” she said. “I’m glad Ace is on our side, but I’m not willing to let him decide if we live or die. And we’ve got to rescue Valerie. I can’t imagine what they’re doing to her.”
“I doubt they’ll hurt her physically. She’s supposed to testify tomorrow. They’re not going to let her show up with bruises and broken bones. Mattan’s so scared of his father, for now, he’s afraid to get rid of us. We just need to pray he continues to feel that way.”
“Frankly, Mattan’s made one bad decision after another. His father may be a terrorist, but he’s not stupid. He’s built a well-oiled empire. How could he trust his son now when he’s made so many mistakes?”
“True. Would Al-Saud go so far as to take out his son to protect himself?”
Casey snorted. “We can only hope.”
“I’d think this FBI thing would be the final straw. I’ll bet that was his own idea and it didn’t go over well at all. In fact, this whole situation is a huge disaster. I think Mattan’s desperate to find a way out of it. While he’s contemplating his circumstances, I’m hopeful we’ll be found.”
“I wish I could believe that.”
“Don’t give up, Casey,” E.J. said sharply. “Besides Ace, there are other things working for us.”
She sighed. “If you say so.”
E. J. still had hope that Doug had survived and could provide information that could lead to their rescue, but it was an outside chance at best.
A door opened from another room—around the corner from the one they could see. A man they hadn’t noticed before led Valerie by the arm. He kept her in front of him, occasionally giving her a little push. E.J. didn’t like the look on Valerie’s face. She seemed . . . out of it. Her eyes stared straight ahead. Her complexion was pale and waxy.
After reaching Casey and E.J., the man grabbed an empty chair near the wall, pulled it up next to Casey, and plunked Valerie down onto it. Next, he secured her. He didn’t say a word to them. When he was done, he walked away.
“Valerie, are you okay?” Casey asked.
No response.
“Valerie, can you hear me?”
“I think she’s in shock,” E.J. said. “I’m not sure she knows what you’re saying.”
“Great. Do they think she’s going to make a good witness like this? She’ll be useless.”
E.J. didn’t say anything, but his concern was for all three of them now. The only reason Valerie had been kept alive was because Al-Saud wanted her to destroy any suspicion that he had ties to ISIS. If she was useless, she would be expendable.
Just like he and Casey.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE
Sarah looked over at the SUV where Tally had carried Susan Bennett. She couldn’t see either one of them.
Sarah yelled at her agents to find the shooter once the bullets stopped. As they took off, she ran over to the SUV. Crouching down, she flung the door open to find Tally lying over the top of Susan, protecting her.
“Are you okay?” Sarah asked breathlessly.
“We’re fine,” Tally said, pulling himself up. “Where did the shots come from?”
“I have no idea. Seems Al-Saud has people everywhere.”
Sirens in the background signaled the arrival of the ambulance.
“Should you warn them?” Tally asked.
“Stay here,” Sarah ordered. Still keeping herself hidden behind the vehicle, she made her way around to the back of the SUV. Sarah almost cried with relief to see the two agents who’d taken bullets sitting up and talking.
“Bullets hit their vests,” McGee said as he came around to where Sarah stood. “The shooting has stopped. I think he’s gone.”
“Where’s the dog?”
He smiled. “He’s fine. I put him in th
e other car.”
“Well, looks like we came out okay, but I’m afraid Mr. and Mrs. Brady won’t be testifying.”
“Not our fault.” McGee shook his head. “How many tentacles does Al-Saud have? I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“I haven’t either. This guy needs to be taken down. Now.”
The ambulance pulled up next to them. Sarah ran over to the paramedics. She told them about Susan, then led them to the SUV. Tally carefully lifted her out of the car and carried her to the back of the ambulance where the paramedics took over.
He waited while they worked on her. Sarah joined him. “I think you saved her life,” she told him. “My guess is that whoever killed Darrell planned to kill Susan too.”
“Hopefully she’ll live,” Tally said, “and give us information that will lead back to Al-Saud.”
“I pray you’re right, but I have a feeling he’s kept himself at a distance. He’s extremely slippery. He’s good at staying hidden behind the people he hires to carry out his dirty work. Honestly, I doubt we’ll ever find the person who shot at us.”
One of the paramedics came over to address them. “We need to get her to the hospital. I think she’s going to be okay, but she needs treatment as soon as possible.”
“Where are you taking her?” Sarah asked.
“Mercy Hospital in Festus. It’s the closest.”
“Okay.” She looked at Tally. “Why don’t you go with her? I need to stay here and clean up. Wait to see if we have a lead on the shooter.”
“Thanks, I’d like that,” Tally said. “Is it okay with you?” he asked the paramedics.
“Sure,” one of them said. “I recognize you, Lieutenant Williams. We’d be honored to have you along with us.”
“Thanks.” He turned back to Sarah. “I’ll check in with you later.”
Sarah smiled. “I appreciate your help. I don’t believe we would have found Susan in time without it.”