“Better, now that you’re here.”
Sure that her pounding heart could be heard throughout the room, she fought the desire to look down at David, refusing to take her eyes off the weapon that was now pointing in the direction of Bart.
“Nora?”
Her name came from the bed and, keeping her head still pointed toward the door, she shifted her gaze toward David.
“Keep real still and do exactly what we say, and no one will get hurt. You got that?”
Her nod of agreement was more random jerking of her head, but it seemed to placate him.
“Deputy, get these cuffs off me and don’t do anything to piss off my friend. His gun is going to stay on you, and he’s got no problem putting a bullet through your brain if you do anything other than unlock these cuffs.”
The sound of movement from across the bed could be heard along with the clink of metal. With the gun still pointing toward Bart, she dared to turn her head slightly. Bart’s teeth were clenched and his hands were shaking, but whether from anger or fear she couldn’t tell. Just get him unlocked and let them go. Please, Bart, don’t try to be a hero.
The cuff fell away from David’s wrist, and he shifted toward Nora, pain creasing his face. Looking over his shoulder, he ordered, “Snap that on your own wrist.”
Bart croaked, “Fuck that!”
The man with the gun swung it back toward Nora and grinned. “Do as you’re told, or I’ll put the bullet through her head.”
Gasping again, she jerked, then hardened like stone. Terrified to move, each breath dragged in and out.
David’s hand landed on her arm, and she jumped as he moved her slightly to the side. Bending, he grabbed the plastic bag his accomplice tossed his way. He pulled out a pair of jeans and quickly slid them up his legs. Jerking the hospital gown off, he tossed it to the side before donning a thick shirt. Jamming his feet into the shoes by the side of the bed, he grinned.
Reaching into the bag again, he pulled out a roll of duct tape and ripped off a small section. As he moved around the bed toward Bart, the man in scrubs shifted so that the gun was once again directed toward the deputy’s head.
Nora glanced toward the door. If only I could… it’s too far… I can’t make it. Her mouth felt dry and she tried to swallow as fear threatened to choke her. David pressed the piece of tape over Bart’s mouth before turning toward her. Expecting him to do the same to her, she was not surprised when he hustled around the end of the bed and stopped directly in front of her.
“Let’s go.”
Eyes wide, she could not comprehend his order until she saw the barrel of a gun pointing directly at her once again.
Waiting on the first floor for the elevator, Tate spied Billy walking toward him holding a Styrofoam box. “Taking your lunch upstairs?”
Grimacing, Billy nodded. “The deputy they have in the room is young. I thought I’d at least be on the floor while I eat my lunch.”
“Is he from the jail?”
Shrugging, Billy said, “Yeah. They have their own deputies assigned just to the jail. Technically, I’m here as a courtesy backup.” He looked around, then asked, “Did your dad get discharged?”
“Yeah. I thought I’d stick around since Nora’s in charge of the prisoner.”
Billy grinned, shaking his head slightly. “I remember the two of you in high school. Figured you’d be married by the time I graduated.”
Heaving a sigh, Tate admitted, “Thought so too at one time, but life took us in different directions.”
“’Bout broke everyone’s heart when Nathan got killed over in Afghanistan. Sorry, man, you and he were best buds if I remember right.”
Not having anything to add, he simply nodded.
“Well, maybe life’s brought you and Nora back together again. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.”
A scream from the end of the hall pierced the muted sounds of the hospital floor just as they stepped off the elevator. A nurse ran toward the nursing station, her hands waving as she continued to scream.
Tate, dodging others in the hall, raced to the last room and darted inside. Standing next to the bed was the young deputy, duct tape over his mouth. The bedsheets were shoved to the side and the hospital gown was puddled on the floor. The deputy jerked and rattled the handcuff linking him to the now-empty bed.
The room filled with hospital personnel and Billy rushed in, ordering everyone out. Pulling his keys from his pocket, he found the one needed to release the cuffs. The deputy’s eyes filled with tears as he tried to gently pull the duct tape off his mouth.
Reaching him in two steps, Tate ripped the tape off, unheeding the cry of pain coming from the deputy. “Nora? Where’s Nora?” He grabbed the young man by the shoulders and gave him a shake, looking at his name tag. “Deputy Oliver! Where the fuck is the nurse?”
“Gone,” the deputy rasped. “They took her. They had a gun and they took her… the service elevator.”
As others stood outside the room, he pushed into the hall and over to the elevator. Glancing out the window by his side, he looked down into the parking lot and spied a man in green scrubs dragging Nora toward an old green Jeep. An older man was with them, climbing into the back seat.
Tate’s palm slammed against the glass as he watched Nora struggle, then curled into a fist when the younger man hit her in the face. She crumpled and was unceremoniously dumped into the back of the SUV before the driver stepped on the gas.
Darting through the stairway door, he pulled out his phone, hitting the direct link for LSI.
“Hey, man, you forget something—”
“Fucker’s escaped… and taken Nora as a hostage.”
11
Nora’s face exploded with pain as she blinked her tearful eyes open. Her body moved gently with the sway of the vehicle. Uncertain if it was best to keep her eyes open to discern where they were taking her or closed so they would not know she was awake, she decided on open. The engine rumbled with power but sounded rough. An old blanket covered the area she was in, giving her little comfort, but at least the only smell emanating from it was a slight musty odor.
As they bounced on the road, she felt every pothole, every curve. Scanning the interior, she tried to keep her movements indiscernible. I’m in the back of an SUV. Bits of rust clung to the middle of the back door, and along with the crack in the back glass, she assumed the rattle-trap vehicle was old.
As her body rolled slightly at the next turn, she realized they were not hurtling down the road. They don’t want to get pulled over by the cops again. When they came to a stop, she looked at the back door to see how the handle worked. She felt a nudge against her shoulder and jerked her gaze upward, seeing a man with a gun pointed over the back of his seat, down toward her.
“Don’t get any ideas.” He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “Or I might just have to take care of you myself.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
She recognized David’s voice and twisted her head slightly to see him sitting in the back seat next to the man with the gun. Remaining quiet, she quickly learned he was in charge.
“She’s a nurse, and I still fuckin’ need her. So, keep your mouth shut, Bob, or I’ll make damn sure you’ve got nothing else to say.”
Bob’s mouth scrunched to the side as his brow furrowed. He ducked his head slightly and turned back toward the front. She let out a long but silent breath, her eyes darting around.
Her jaw ached, and she slowly opened and closed her mouth several times to make sure it wasn’t broken. She reached up and gingerly touched the tight skin, the swelling making her face feel lopsided. They had not bound her hands or feet, but she assumed they didn’t want her to sit up and be seen by anyone through the untinted windows.
“You’re bleeding,” Bob said.
“You think I don’t know that? Just get us the fuck outta here, and I’ll get it taken care of.”
Rawlins was not a large town, and soon they were no longer hindered by red l
ights or stop signs. As they rolled along, she peered out the windows from her reclined position and could see the cut hills rising from either side of the highway, the yellow stone covered in scrub brush.
Her gaze landed on a sign for the other side of the road heading into Rawlins. We’re heading east, toward Laramie. Having lived her whole life in this area, she knew what lay ahead… craggy hills and mountains. Lakes and valleys. Sunsets that streamed color over the tree-covered mountains in the distance. Uninhabited land as far as the eye could see. And lots of places to disappear.
With at least two of the men in the vehicle sporting weapons, she battled with what to do. Do I try to escape now or see where they take me and try to escape later?
Closing her eyes, Nora’s mind filled with the image of Tate. His clear, rough voice whispered in her ear. Stay safe, Nora. No matter what, stay safe. I will find you. She jerked her eyes open, but all she could see was that she was still very much alone. She had no idea what types of jobs Tate did working for a security company… but surely, as soon as he finds out I’m missing, he’ll look for me.
Tate paced the hospital conference room, barely hanging on to his shit. Thirty minutes had passed since Nora was taken. By the time he had slammed through the door leading to the parking lot at the bottom of the stairs, the old SUV was gone, too late for him to get the license tag number. Still on the phone with LSI, he ordered Josh to look at the security cameras for information on the vehicle.
Having rushed back inside, he headed straight back into the hospital room, grabbing Bart by the front of his shirt, slamming his back against the wall. “How the fuck did you let him get the drop on you?”
“It was the other guy,” Bart yelled in return, his voice whiny. “The other guy had a gun.”
Billy pulled Tate away. “Not now. You gotta keep your head.” Looking around, Billy said, “I’ve got detectives coming for forensics. We need to take this somewhere else.”
Within a few minutes, the Carbon County Sheriff arrived, and along with the hospital administrator, they hustled into a hospital conference room one floor down.
Still pacing, Tate listened as Bart gave his accounting, aware that other law enforcement were arriving. His phone vibrated and he stepped to the side. “Yeah?”
Josh jumped in immediately with his information. “The vehicle is a seventeen-year-old, dark green Jeep Wagoneer, registered to a man named Robert Heller. I’m working on the cameras in town, and the last visual clocked it leaving Rawlins, heading east toward Laramie.”
“What have you got on Robert Heller?” As he asked Josh the question, he noted the others in the room now quiet, centering their attention on him.
“Sending you a picture of him now.”
As soon as the picture arrived on his phone, he held it up to Bart’s face. “Recognize him?”
Bobbing his head up and down, Bart said, “That’s him. He was wearing green scrubs and stepped into the room, pulling his gun on us.”
Billy shook his head. “Never heard of him. Not local, that’s for sure.” Glancing toward the county’s sheriff and police chief, he received the same head shakes.
Talking to Josh, he said, “No one here knows him other than he’s the one who came into the hospital. Find out everything.”
Mace joined in, “Tate, I’ve called our FBI liaison and he’s already been in contact with an agent close to you. Levi Amory from the Wyoming office should be there in less than thirty minutes. He’s been instructed to look for you.”
“What do you need? Drew and Babs are gone but we can get anyone else to you.”
Tate recognized Blake’s voice, but his friend’s concern barely registered. “I was hunting these hills from the time I could carry a gun. I just need to get to my parents’ ranch, get my hands on some weapons, and I’ll go hunting.”
“You gotta play this smart,” Mace said. “We’ll do everything we can here, and I’ve got Blake here to assist Josh, and Clay is itching to get there to you on his way to another mission.”
“Boss, I’ll leave that up to you. I’ll take whatever help I can get in any way I can get it.”
“Consider this your new mission,” Mace declared. “LSI is on it.”
He turned and started out of the room, but just as he entered the hall, he felt a hand on his arm. Jerking his gaze to the side, it landed on Billy who leaned in close.
“Jurisdiction is the sheriff’s. They’re not going to be too keen on someone rolling in with weapons who plans on taking somebody out.”
Rounding on Billy, a growl erupted from deep inside his chest. “And how do they feel about kidnapping and hiding out on their land?”
“All I’m saying is tread cautiously. You’re not going to do Nora any good if you’re arrested. It’s shittin’ me to say this ‘cause I want to go in with you, but I can’t without orders.”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know, so are you really holding me here?”
“FBI will have that jurisdiction. If you’re going to go in, go with the agent they’re sending.”
Tearing his hand through his hair, he bit back, “I haven’t got time to fuckin’ wait around on some FBI agent—” Billy’s gaze shifted to the side and Tate heard someone step close.
“Then I guess it’s good you don’t have to.”
His eyes cut to the side and he observed a tall, muscular man stalk toward them. Sunglasses pushed up on top of his head. Dark hair cut short but not military. Wearing cargo pants paired with a tight, black, long-sleeve shirt with FBI stitched over the left breast pocket, it wasn’t hard to figure out who the man was. He headed straight toward Tate, his hand lifted in greeting. Grasping it firmly, he said, “Levi Amory. I’m the agent assigned to this area.”
He held the agent’s eyes as he gripped his hand. “Frank Tate. Go by Tate. How’d you get here so fast?”
Brow lifted, Levi nodded slightly. “You’re in luck. I live in Laramie. Hell, when I got the call, I was only about fifteen minutes outside Rawlins.”
Not wanting to waste any more time with bullshit introductions, Tate jerked his head toward the conference room he and Billy had just left. “There’s little they can do in there. Not like we can.”
“They can process what they have here, but as of now, I’m in charge and have been told to work with you. I’ve got no problem with that, but I can’t let you go rogue.”
“I’ve got my people working on everything they can find on Robert Heller and seeing what they can dig up on David Carlson. If you have your people talking to LSI, it’ll save us a lot of time.” He clenched his jaw, surprised his teeth were not cracking. “And time is not something we have to waste.”
“Are you carrying?” Levi asked.
He shook his head. “I have a license, but I don’t have my weapons with me. I was going to head out to my family’s ranch and get what I can from them.”
Levi grinned and jerked his head toward the elevators down the hall. “I always travel with what I think I might need. You’ll be satisfied with the arsenal I’ve got.”
Tate’s phone rang again, and he jerked it from his pocket, putting it to his ear.
“Sending you the address for David Carlson’s ex-wife. That happens to be the last known address of Robert Heller… he goes by Bob. Other than that, Heller’s like a ghost,” Josh said. “But if anybody can find a ghost, it’s me. I’ll send you what I ferret out.”
Lifting his gaze, he looked at Levi. “I’ll take you up on your arsenal as it’ll save me a fuck ton of time going by the ranch. I’ve got an address for David’s ex-wife, which is the address Heller used when he registered the vehicle they're driving.”
“Then that will be our first stop,” Levi agreed.
“Fuckin’ hell, I wish I could go with you,” Billy bemoaned.
“You’re better off here. You can be our liaison with anything they find and anything they come up with. Do your own digging with people you know here in town who might know anything about Bob or David.�
�� Tate quickly exchanged phone numbers with Billy.
“Bring your girl home,” Billy called out as Tate stalked down the hall.
Without looking behind him, he offered a two-fingered salute as he and Levi stepped onto the elevator. My girl. Fuck yeah… I’m bringing my girl home.
12
Levi had been right—Tate was not disappointed with the arsenal available to him. A Glock, Custom .45, and a sniper rifle along with ballistic-resistant body armor vests were locked in a vault in the back of Levi’s SUV.
“I cover a lot of distance, have to provide support to the Park Rangers and don’t always have time to make it to one of our offices. This tends to keep me well-appointed at all times.”
Tate agreed, still not breathing easy with Nora gone but feeling better about the quickness in which he would get her back. And I will fuckin’ get her back.
Now they were in the SUV, Levi following the directions given so they could interview Betty.
As they turned onto her street, Tate noted small houses on either side of the road, some kept up more than others. Pulling next to the curb, he observed Betty’s house to be neat and well-tended with a freshly-painted fence surrounding the small yard. Fighting the urge to rush, he walked side by side with Levi to the front door.
It was opened by a middle-aged woman, her immediate smile replaced by a look of wary suspicion. “Yes?”
“Betty Carlson?”
Her smile dropped completely. “I am no longer Mrs. Carlson. I’m Betty Frieder.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m FBI Agent Levi Amory and this is Frank Tate. We need to ask you some questions. May we come in?”
Her brow furrowed and she hesitated, glancing behind her. “Is this about my ex-husband? My children are here and—”
“Mom? What’s going on?”
Tate (Lighthouse Security Investigations Book 6) Page 9