Callye's Justice

by Donica Covey

  Dalton stood watching Callye’s tears spill down her cheeks. Bernard must be dying inside. He’d been ordered to make Bernard worry, to torment him for only a short time before finally killing him.

  For the first time, Dalton had broken a direct order. He should be afraid. He wasn’t. He’d end it soon enough, but for now he was going enjoy sweet revenge. He could just picture the look on Bernard’s face when he saw his woman in pain.

  Taking her again as Bernard watched was gaining in appeal. Her screams would be the last thing Bernard ever heard.

  He grinned and rubbed his chin. Now, how to make the most of the game? Simple. “Treasure hunt.”

  He sketched out a local map, putting the location of the building in the middle of the area, and drew lines outward to the most desolate places he could think of.

  First he’d send Bernard to Hollywood Beach Road. Let him stew there for a bit, then off to Capps Valley. Driving the speed limit, allowing for traffic, it would take twenty-five minutes to get from one place to the next. So he’d give Bernard ten. After another little while at Capps Valley, he’d lead Bernard to him.

  He’d call a couple of dependable types to watch each location and to make sure Bernard played by the rules.

  * * *

  The phone in Jarold Abrahms’ pocket vibrated and he pulled it out. Rivera. Great. “Hello, Mr. Rivera.”

  “That imbecile was supposed to kill Bernard by now.”

  “I told him to make it hurt.”

  “I should hope you were more specific than that.”

  Jarold swallowed hard. “Sir, if I may say. The plan was to grab both the agent and his woman. Then she’d disappear for a few hours before he was lured back to watch her die.”

  “It was my plan. But your man is an idiot. I wanted this over yesterday.” Anger tinged Rivera’s words.

  “Yesterday, sir?”

  “Must I do all the thinking? Fine, let me speak simply so that your mind can follow. I want the agent, his woman and your man dead by the time the sun rises tomorrow. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  After Rivera hung up, Jarold called his men. “I need some fireworks.”

  “Fireworks?”

  “I want you to make sure the old fertilizer factory goes up with a bang that would make any July Fourth proud. I don’t want anyone, anyone, walking out of that place, do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good, get on it.”

  Chapter Six

  Justice stared at the phone. Cas had sounded so weak in the background. He’d do whatever it took to get her out of that man’s clutches.

  He’d follow the kidnapper’s instructions—he’d go alone.

  Justice went back to the office and headed for the tactical room. Chase, Mickey and Bobby were looking over the sketches. “I want you to take these over to the restaurant. Canvas the neighborhoods. See if anyone knows them.”

  With sketches in hand, Bobby and Mickey headed for the door. Chase paused and turned back to him.

  “Something’s up with you. What’s going on?”

  Justice shook his head. “Gee, I dunno. I’m going out of my mind knowing some lunatic has his hands on my fiancée, and I have no way of saving her. But there’s no reason to think anything is wrong.”

  “I’ve known you a long time, Jus. I know the look in your eyes.”

  Justice raked his fingers through his hair. He headed for the parking lot, knowing that Chase was following right behind him. They got to his car and he leaned back on the hood. “Look, Chase, I’m just a little wiped. This stress over not knowing what’s going on, where she is, if she’s hurt…” He left the thought hanging in the air between them.

  Chase was studying him. “You do look beat. I’m going to run down the sketches. You head out for some rest.”

  The break he was looking for. Justice nodded. “I’d planned on it.”

  Chase clapped him on the shoulder, and then hurried off to his car.

  Justice drove aimlessly into the night, waiting on the kidnapper’s call.

  Was it a trap? Damn sure it was. Did he have a choice? No. Whatever it took to get her back alive.

  It had now been over forty-eight hours since she’d been grabbed. She wasn’t as beautiful as before, isn’t that what the lunatic had said?

  God. I’ll kill the son of a bitch. I never make promises I don’t keep, and I won’t start now.

  When the phone rang, Justice pulled onto a gravel road and grabbed the cell from his pocket. “Bernard.”

  The phone crackled in his ear and then he heard the voice he hated. “Are you having fun yet? I know I am.”

  “What do I need to do?”

  “You want to end this already? When I can enjoy watching you squirm? I don’t know.”

  “You son of a bitch.”

  “Leave my mother out of this. You know the rule of threes, right?”

  What? Rule of threes? What the hell was that? “No.”

  “Rule of threes. A person can live for three weeks without food, three days without water and three minutes without air. I wonder if it’s accurate. Let’s try an experiment. Maybe we can prove them, huh? Already it’s been forty-eight hours; do you think I’ve given her any water? How about food? Maybe we can stretch it out for another twenty-four hours and see.” His evil chuckle came through the phone.

  Justice’s stomach knotted. “I will hunt you down and kill you slowly. I promise you that.”

  “Don’t threaten me. I hold the cards here.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  The man was silent. For a minute, Justice wasn’t sure he’d answer.

  “Drive out to Hollywood Beach Road. Wait for me to call you.”

  Hollywood Beach was an extremely desolate, flat stretch of road running along the Meramac River. If he wasn’t alone, the kidnapper would know. “All right, when?”

  “Better get moving now.”

  There was no time to hang back, he was sure the man would be waiting. How close was she? How long would it take the kidnapper to get there?

  Justice pulled back onto the road and headed northeast, towards the required destination. The gravel road was deserted, and after passing under the final streetlamp, he was plunged into darkness. Trees stood thick on the right of him, the river flowed just five feet below the embankment on his left. He drove a few feet farther in, then stopped the car and shut off the engine.

  Someone could be concealed at any point and still be able to watch his every move.

  Cracking the window, he leaned his head against the headrest. The need for a cigarette surged through him. When his stress level hit this point, a nice drag off a cool menthol made it easier to deal with. At least the last couple of days he’d been able to occupy his mind, and the urge wasn’t nearly as overwhelming. Cas had helped him quit, and now he’d been nicotine free for almost two months.

  He reached into the glove box to grab a pack of stale replacement gum. The awful mixture of stale mint and nicotine was enough to make his stomach curl even more.

  The shrill chirp of the phone broke the deafening silence. “Bernard.”

  “Jus, where are you?”

  Damn, just what he needed—Chase checking in now. “Did you find something?”

  “I found one person who acted like they knew the younger guy but seemed to afraid to say anything.”

  “Local thug?”

  “Yeah, I’m thinking.”

  “Well, I want you to keep after it.”

  “Where did you say you were?”

  “I didn’t. Talk to you later, Chase.”

  The cell rang again. “Bernard.”

  “I tried your cell but got your voice mail. Not planning on screwing me, were you?”

  “No.”

  “Good. Now, I want you to head to Capp Valley.”

  South, to another desolate place. “How long are we going to play these games?”

  “Until I’m finished.”

 
; Damn. “Look, I’m alone. No one knows I’m out here. Just tell me where to go.”

  The man laughed. “Too easy. Capp Valley. You have ten minutes.” Once more, the line clicked dead.

  Ten minutes? It was at least a twenty-minute drive. The man couldn’t possibly be watching him and make that drive in the allotted time. Justice raced off. Cas’s life depended on him.

  It took him twelve minutes to pull onto the access road at Capp Valley Launch, a secluded fishing spot on the Meramec. He crawled along the river’s edge.

  Up ahead there was a single abandoned house. The government had purchased and torn down all of the houses in this flood plain. All but that one.

  The old house stood on timber stilts that seemed to wobble under the weight of the dilapidated remains.

  Was she in there? That building could collapse at any minute. No matter how close it would make her, he didn’t want her in there.

  For an hour he sat in the car. Had the man been pissed that he was late? Was she… Don’t go there, Jus. You’d know if she was dead.

  After an eternity, the phone rang. “Bernard.”

  “She’s getting weaker. Don’t be late this time.”

  Damn and double damn. “I won’t be.”

  “Good. On Fannite there is an old white brick building that used to store fertilizer. Get here in twenty minutes. One minute late, you’ll be finding her corpse. Got it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  Justice gunned the engine, sending gravel spraying and dust flying. You’ve got to make it. In minutes, Justice whipped into the empty parking lot in front of the building. Jumping out, he ran to the door and threw it open.

  Chapter Seven

  Callye listened as the man sent Justice from one place to another. With each call, the man taunted Justice with threats of her death.

  Several minutes after the first call Psychoman made to Justice, another call came in. He seemed pleased by what he heard.

  Psychoman called Justice again and sent him to the second location. Time ticked in slow motion, then the ring of a cell phone ripped the silence. Whatever he heard made him angry. No. Not just angry, he was pissed off. He held the phone for an eternity. Why wasn’t he calling Justice again?

  Then when he called Justice at Capp Valley, he said something about Justice being late. What was this guy up to?

  At least this last call sounded like he was leading Justice to her.

  Why would Justice come alone? He wasn’t that foolish. Right? Without Chase, Bobby or Mickey, he’d be a sitting duck. Come on, Justice, use your head. He’s going to kill you. Justice wasn’t a stupid man, but with her in jeopardy, she was sure he wasn’t thinking straight.

  The darkness was so oppressive she was having a hard time focusing. Her brain fogged over. Her entire body was absolutely numb. The ludicrous image of a coroner trying to untwist her pretzel-shaped body brought on a bubble of laughter. The bubble built until she was hysterical.

  “What’s so funny?” Psychoman demanded as he moved in close to her.

  “This whole situation. You. Me. Justice. The fact that he’ll kill you. That we’re all going to die.” The frenzied laughter continued emanating from her. There was no point of return, not now. Madness consumed her. “It’s over. It’s over.” No more fear. “It doesn’t matter. Not anymore. There’s nothing more you can do to me.” It wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t suppress the cackles building up in her chest and her mind.

  His hand connected with her face. Her neck jerked, and darkness swirled. “Knock it off. Right now. I’ve come too close to watch you lose it now.”

  His voice penetrated her confused mind. Her senses were trying to return.

  The man moved away from her. She heard the sound of scraping on the floor. A chair? What was he doing, getting into position to nail Justice as soon as he walked through the door?

  She tried not to cry, not to lose control again, but it was so hard to keep the reins in check.

  The door opened. The breath she sucked in almost ripped her apart. Her heart began to pound in her ears. “Justice. No, it’s a trap.” Her voice barely above a whisper, she knew he hadn’t heard her cry of warning.

  “Glad to see you made it,” the despised voice called out.

  Justice moved in, letting the door slowly close behind him.

  “Not so fast. Take your gun out of the holster. Toss it out.”

  He did as ordered. At least he still had the backup in his ankle holster.

  “The backup. Toss it in the other direction. Do it now.”

  Justice tried to see through the hazy darkness so he could pinpoint the voice. If he couldn’t see the man, could he see Cas? “Not until I know she’s all right.”

  A small bulb clicked on. Cas sat in a chair, her hair matted around her pale face. Her eyes barely opened. If he could get a clear make on the bastard, he’d kill the son of a bitch.

  “Don’t even think about it. I’d kill her before you even got the shot lined up. Now toss it.”

  Justice bent over and pulled up his pants leg. Slowly he removed the gun from the holster and tossed it to the side.

  Silence. It gave him more time to look at Cas. She did look as weak as the man had made her sound. I’m going to kill you, and it will be a slow, painful death for hurting her. “Well?”

  “Move closer.”

  He took a few tentative steps forward. “Let her go, you don’t need her anymore.”

  “She cleans up nicely, though. I might enjoy keeping her around for a while.”

  “I won’t come any closer until you untie her. Let her go.”

  “What makes you think I won’t kill her now if you keep refusing me?”

  “You kill her and it will be the last thing you ever do. Untie her. Let her move towards the door. I’ll move to you.”

  What was taking so long? No movement. No sound. Justice’s skin prickled. Something had to happen soon. He couldn’t stand just looking at Cas when he couldn’t get to her. If he rushed in, the man would easily kill her and then aim for him.

  A man appeared beside her. A knife blade glittered in the light. The way the madman held the dagger he could easily plunge it into her heart.

  Justice watched the knife drop down so close to her. He was going to watch her die. “Don’t,” he yelled.

  “You don’t want her back?”

  “Just let her go.” Relief washed through him as the knife cut the ropes.

  The kidnapper grabbed her arm, jerked her to her feet and then flung her to the floor. Pain contorted her face. She struggled to stand. Had she been tied that way the whole time?

  “All right, come on.”

  Justice looked up and recognition rocked him. “Dalton Bismarck.”

  Bismarck’s grin was pure evil. “Yeah. How does it feel, knowing one of your own is going to kill you?”

  “How can you do this? You were one of the best cops I knew.”

  “Money is a language that can’t be ignored. Believe me, the money is damn good.”

  It wasn’t possible. They’d gone through the academy together, had worked the same district and even applied to the DEA together.

  “You have what you want, let her go.”

  The man shook his head. “Can’t do it. She’s a witness.”

  Justice’s fingers trembled slightly. “Look at her. She won’t be able to say anything. You and I both know that. Let her go.”

  Bismarck looked down at Cas. “Get up.” He nudged her with his toe.

  Justice watched as she staggered weakly to her feet. “Get out of here, Cas. Go.”

  Cas gave a slight shake of her head. God, was it that she couldn’t or that she wouldn’t leave?

  “Please, Cas, you have to go.”

  Bismarck pushed her again, and then turned to look at him. “All right, move this way, Bernard.”

  Justice nodded, moving towards him. At least Cas would be getting out of here. “The keys to the sedan are in it. Once you get in there,
you drive like hell away from here, you understand?” he urged as he passed her.

  Despair and pain filled Cas’s eyes. She shook her head to argue with him. What the hell was she doing?

  “Stop being stubborn and get out of here.”

  Tears welled in her eyes as she turned away from him to make her way slowly to the door.

  Justice turned his attention back to Bismarck. Once Cas was out of the door he would focus on making Bismarck pay for this hell.

  A few more steps and he’d be face-to-face with Bismarck. Justice kept an ear tuned for Cas, but he hadn’t heard her move yet.

  Dalton glared through the gloom, watching Bernard. It was almost anticlimactic. Here was Justice on a silver platter before him. All Dalton had to do was pick up his gun and shoot for it to be over.

  Callye would clean up nicely. After killing Bernard, there would be time for some fun. Even if she made out of the door, she wouldn’t get that far.

  Bernard moved closer and Dalton locked gazes with him. “How does it feel?” He could read the still-shocked expression in Bernard’s eyes. “You know it really is sad it has to end this way. But…” He shrugged. “At least let’s make it fun, huh?” He grabbed the knife and lunged.

  Chapter Eight

  The force of the blow caught Justice off guard. There was a slight whoosh of air as Dalton’s knife skimmed just past his face. Justice threw his arms up to try to protect himself, and the blade sliced into one of them.

  Blood, hot and sticky, streamed from the open wound. Dalton’s body weight shifted, and Justice followed the motion to throw him off balance.

  Dalton was pinned beneath him, and Justice drove his fists into the jerk’s face, into his gut, anywhere he could find an opening. Dalton caught Justice under his arms. The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air over Dalton’s head.

  Justice saw a movement just behind Dalton. What the hell was that?

  When Cas materialized, anger rushed through him. He’d told her, ordered her, to leave. His gaze went back to Bismarck’s. Just keep him focused off Cas.

  He glanced past Bismarck once more and it registered. Cas had a gun in her hand. The weapon seemed so massive compared to her small body. How the hell was she holding it up? She could barely stand.