Fatal Transaction (Thriller & Suspense, Cyber Crime)

by Lawrence, W. Richard

  He turned onto the road taken by the limo. The traffic was thick, slowed by the mass of people headed in and out of the fair. Blasting his horn only earned him dirty looks. He glanced down at the phone. The map program finally showed his location on the road. As his car inched along and his fears grew, he planned a path to Highway 7 and Sara.

  As Derry moved past the fairgrounds, the traffic thinned out. He glanced at the clock on the dash, and his hopes of catching the limo withered. The last mile and a half had taken him twenty minutes.

  Exceeding the speed limit, he hoped the cops were all busy at the fair. He twisted his neck, looking for the black limo at each road and parking area he passed. He covered fifteen miles without spotting the limo or any sign of Sara.

  A blaring siren and flashing lights demolished the last sliver of hope. He glanced down at his speedometer. Seventy-five. He pulled over, and waited for the sheriff.

  Derry smacked his hand against the steering wheel as the officer asked him to get out of the car and take a sobriety test. Then, to top it off, he had Derry open his trunk for an inspection. After the officer completed his search, he gave Derry a ticket and told him to slow down before he killed someone.

  By his actions, the cop may have just killed Sara. Should Derry tell him the situation? What would he say? That a girl he didn’t really know willingly got into a nice black limo so the men she was with could kill her? The cop would haul Derry in for drug testing.

  He thanked the officer and waited for him to return to his car. Tossing the crumpled ticket into the passenger seat, Derry pulled out onto the road.

  Should he keep searching? Was there any chance of finding her? Was she even still alive?

  ***

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take my time with you.” Mike’s smile was more lopsided than normal.

  Think, Sara, think. Anything, something. “What makes you so sure I’m running? Are you sure enough to kill the only person who could create the program you wanted? The only one who can fix it?”

  Levy picked something very small off his pant leg and dropped it on the floor. “What information were you after in my office the other night?”

  He had found out. She had to play innocent if she hoped to live.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Levy lunged forward and grabbed Sara around the throat, twisting her neck as he flung her to the floor of the car. “Don’t play stupid with me. You broke into my office Friday morning, and downloaded data off my hard drive. Data that you will never be able to use.”

  She clasped her neck, gasping for air. Staying on the floor, she tried to remain out of Levy’s reach.

  “Get up.”

  She didn’t move.

  Mike kicked her in the side of the head. A sharp pain shot through her skull.

  “He said get up.”

  She pushed herself into a sitting position and climbed into the seat. One trembling hand protected her throat, and the other felt the growing bump on the top of her head. “It doesn’t matter.” The words tumbled out.

  No one responded, so she continued.

  “In the end, I’ll still get the last laugh. It may be from my grave, but it will be enough to ruin your life.”

  “You’re making things up, hoping to stay alive.” Mike leaned in. His stupid crooked grin spread across his face.

  “You’ll be caught soon anyway.”

  “More lies. You’re so weak.” Levy stared at her. “You’ll say and do anything for one more day. One more hour. One more gasp of life.”

  “You’re right, I’m just trying to buy time.” For the first time in a long time, she was completely honest with Levy.

  The driver pulled the car onto a bumpy dirt road and started up the mountainside. The jarring ride aggravated Sara’s throbbing neck and head. As the car passed the pine trees, she looked out at the last images she would ever see.

  “Why will I be caught?” Levy’s question brought Sara back to this world.

  “I thought you didn’t believe me.” She shifted her gaze to meet his. Could he see the hatred she felt for him?

  “I don’t. But resigning yourself to your coming death will only remove enjoyment for Mike. For a person who has given up hope, death is more of a service. Not what I promised him. So, tell me, and perhaps I’ll let you live.”

  This was by far the cruelest man Sara had ever seen. Shifting her gaze, she said the first thing that popped into her head. “You rushed me. I had to take shortcuts. That’s why I’m running. When this thing goes into full swing, the program won’t be able to handle the volume. The whole system will come crashing down, and it will open a path for the cops to find you and your money. I didn’t want to be around. And I guess I won’t be.”

  Levy looked out the window.

  “And I suppose you’re willing to fix it for me if I let you live a few more days?”

  Sara was trying her hardest to sound honest, believable. “A few days? I’ll fix it if you promise to let me go after I’m done.”

  “Promise?”

  “You said you always keep your promises.”

  “What guarantee do I have that there is a problem? Or that you’ll fix it?”

  Sara looked past Levy, out the back window. The car was followed by a plume of dust. “None. None but time. If I am lying, you’ll be able to steal money as long as you want. If not, you’ll end up in jail.”

  Levy smiled. “One problem with your argument.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I know you. Maybe better than you know yourself. I picked you for a reason. You would never put out a bad product, not when it comes to your programming. You have a history of flawless work. There is no bug in your code.”

  “Whatever you want to believe is fine. It won’t change the truth.”

  The car hit a large hole, bringing it to a stop. “This is far enough. I can’t have you destroying my car to kill one small rat.”

  Ben and Jarred got out of the front and came around, opening Sara’s door. Ben grabbed her by the arm and yanked her from the car. As Mike started to get out the other side, Levy called him back.

  Sara’s legs were weak and wobbly. This was the end. Everything—Jarred, Ben, the trees—became surreal.

  Ben looped one arm under hers, and Jarred did the same from the other side. The two dragged her up a hill and behind a large rock formation. Mike followed, making crude comments about her short future.

  The rocks, pine trees, and fresh clean air turned gray. This was her gravesite. The secluded, peaceful, untouched beauty only meant Levy was right. No one would find her until her flesh had rotted off or was eaten by animals.

  Jarred and Ben shoved her against a large boulder, pinning her. Mike selected a three-inch diameter branch from the ground. He held it like a baseball bat. “I would say I’m sorry about this, but you’d know that’s a lie. The truth is, I’m going to enjoy this.”

  The first blow came hard and fast, hitting Sara in the stomach. The air was ejected from her body as she tried to double over. Ben and Jarred kept her upright.

  “Where’s that smart mouth of yours now?” Another hit, this one to the upper legs.

  More blows followed, too many to count. With each hit, Sara thought the pain couldn’t get any worse, and each time she was wrong. Cracked ribs and continuous blows caused air to become a distant memory. As her world grew dark, she welcomed the end. Finally, she could no longer feel the strikes to her body. The deep dark abyss besought her, and she went, willingly and thankfully.

  It was over.

  ***

  Dejectedly, Derry headed down Highway 7. He drove along, much slower, his mind lost in thoughts of Sara. She was somewhere out there, but where? He needed to get off the road and think. Someplace away from crowds and cops.

 
Seeing a nameless dirt road ahead, he hoped it wasn’t just a long driveway. He veered off the highway, and wound his way back about a mile into the sparse woods. Coming to a fork, he examined the two different routes. The lower one looked less traveled. Lower it is. He was only able to advance another three hundred yards before the road died in a small circle.

  Turning the car around, Derry parked at the edge of the loop. As far as he could see, the area was deserted. Perfect.

  Derry opened the door and slid out. He started to lock the door out of habit but stopped. Why bother?

  Pacing aimlessly in the vicinity of his car, Derry reviewed all he knew about Sara. He came to two conclusions. First, Jasper would likely know something about the men who grabbed her. And second, Sara was probably a crook, and these men are just more crooks coming after her.

  So, why am I trying so hard to save her? She’s just getting what she deserves.

  ***

  “What’s wrong? Why are we pulling over?” Levy was in a hurry to get back to Denver. Too much of the day had been used up dealing with Sara.

  “Oil light came on. I just need to make sure everything’s okay.” Jarred popped the hood, opened the car door, and stepped out. Two minutes later, he was back. “We have a problem, sir. It looks like we hit a rock. The oil pan has a hole in it.”

  “You hit a rock? Of all the stupid things”— Levy threw his door open. Stepping out, he slammed it behind him. Mike followed out the other side.

  “Check it.” Levy barked at Mike.

  Mike pulled out the dipstick, then laid it aside and looked under the car. “He’s right.” He stood, and stuck his head around the hood. “Ben, check the trunk for more oil.”

  “It won’t do any good. She’s dry. We’d need several quarts just to make it a few more miles.” Jarred was the one in charge of maintenance on the cars.

  Ben went to the trunk, then stepped back into view a minute later. “Only found one quart.” He handed it to Jarred, who set it on the radiator.

  “We could head back to Estes and get my car,” Ben offered.

  “You’re not going anywhere.” Levy pulled out his cell phone. No signal.

  “You calling a tow truck?” Jarred asked.

  Levy wondered about Jarred’s intelligence.

  “If I had my way”— Mike mumbled.

  “That’s not for you to decide.” Levy turned to walk down the road, monitoring the reception on his phone as he went. The other three followed.

  A hundred yards from his car, he found a sweet spot where phone reception popped up to two bars. Levy pushed the number five on his speed dial.

  After two rings, Vance answered. “Yes, sir?”

  Levy told him where they were, and ordered him to get up there as soon as possible.

  “Would you like me to call a tow truck for you?”

  “If I had wanted a tow truck, I could’ve called it myself. I want you up here immediately.” Levy hung up.

  ***

  A loud thump followed by a bang shook Sara awake. Every part of her body screamed in agony. She slowly opened her eyes. Darkness. Where was she? She could hear voices, but not make out what they said. They were too far off.

  Was it night? Had they left her alive for the animals to finish off?

  She heard a pop. A narrow slit of light stung her eyes. She quickly squeezed them shut. A voice grew louder. They were coming back for her. She kept her eyes closed, and played dead. Not far from the truth.

  Light burst in through her eyelids, and someone shoved her around. Each thrust brought a new round of pain. She battled the urge to scream out. She wanted to open her eyes and see who it was, but that would mean death. After a forever minute, the torture stopped. All the voices moved away.

  Slowly opening her eyes, Sara recognized a car trunk. Must be Levy’s limo. She had to get out.

  Biting her lip against the pain, she pushed herself up. The area behind the car was clear. She rolled out, and landed on the hard, merciless ground. Clenching her teeth as tears squeezed past her eyelids, she waged war against her pain. No matter how much it hurt, she would not make a sound.

  Waiting for her head to clear enough to walk, she rolled to a kneeling position and surveyed her surroundings. She was still in the mountains. The woods were five feet away.

  Gritting her teeth, she propelled herself away from the car and into the woods.

  Made it.

  Using the trees for support, she worked her way deeper in to the woods and down a hill. As the slope grew steeper, her footing slipped away. She lunged toward a small tree. Grabbing a low branch, she held on, and waited to catch her breath and regain some strength.

  Voices drew near. She let go of the tree, and allowed gravity to carry her faster and faster down the hill.

  The pine needles slipped under her feet as the hillside began to resemble a cliff. Sara slid off the short drop, landed with a thud, then slid toward the bottom of the hill.

  Chapter 22

  Levy handed the phone to Ben—“You stay here in case Vance calls”—then headed back to the car. Mike joined him. Jarred stayed with Ben.

  Levy contemplated the day. It had not been good. Maybe he should’ve let Mike finish Sara off. Keep the program low-key until Kai found the problem. She was much easier to control than Sara.

  And, to top the day off, Jarred wrecked the car.

  Glancing up the road at his damaged car, Levy just glimpsed Sara disappearing into the woods.

  “What the—?”

  Mike took off running. “Jarred, Ben, with me!”

  Levy followed as Jarred and Ben raced past him. Mike made it to the car first, and cut into the woods where Sara had vanished. Jarred and Ben were close behind. Levy joined them in the woods in time to see Mike slide into a tree.

  Ben rushed past him, but slipped the moment his slick shoes hit the needle-covered slope. Jarred was right behind him, almost falling on top of him, but reached out and grabbed a tree branch to stay upright.

  “Hold up.” Mike looked down the hill through the trees to where Sara’s body lay. “She ain’t going anywhere.”

  Levy stayed at the top, watching his men slowly make their way down the hill. He could just catch a glimpse of Sara through the trees.

  Ben was about halfway to her when he pulled out his gun and increased his speed. The other two followed suit.

  Levy heard gunfire. Suddenly Sara was gone. He rushed down the hill behind his men.

  ***

  Derry heard noises. They sounded like an animal crashing through the trees, charging him. He shifted his attention up the hill, expecting to see a bear or a mountain lion rushing down. Instead he saw a body sliding toward him. Rushing over, he reached it shortly after the person came to rest at the bottom of the incline. The body was covered with dirt and blood, but he could tell it was a woman.

  He lightly placed a hand on her back. She was breathing in short strokes. Even face-down, something about her was familiar. He slowly and gently rolled her over. Hair, dirt, and blood covered her face.

  “Oh, ouch.” Her voice was weak but recognizable. Sara.

  Hearing a noise above him, Derry glanced up as someone else slid down the hill. It was one of the men from the fair, one of the men who beat her. Rage surged through his body.

  “Help—” Her voice was faint, barely a whisper. “Please— help me.” Her hand tried to tighten around his arm, but fell away.

  She was badly hurt. His revenge would have to wait. He heard a metallic sound followed by a loud pop. Dirt flew up next to Sara. Derry scooped her into his arms.

  Something hit the tree beside his head. The shots were getting closer. Another shooter had joined the first, a few yards farther up the hill.

  Derry rushed to his car, yanked the back door open, and placed
Sara on the seat, hoping not to hurt her. She whimpered the whole time.

  He slammed the door and jumped into the front seat.

  Keys, where are my keys?

  Derry retrieved them from his pocket just as the man slid the last twenty feet down the hill.

  Firing up his car, Derry crammed it into first gear as he punched the accelerator.

  The man stood in front of the car. He pointed a pistol at Derry’s head.

  Derry continued accelerating. The man fired as he jumped out of Derry’s path. A clean miss.

  Derry pointed his car down the road and shifted into second. He heard two more pops. He hoped and prayed none of the shots had hit Sara.

  Chapter 23

  Fishtailing as he hit pavement, Derry wondered where the cops were when you needed them. On the first straightaway he came to, he glanced back at Sara. She was a wreck. Reaching back, he touched her shoulder.

  “You’re safe now.”

  She didn’t move. Was she hit?

  “Hey.” He gave her a light nudge. Nothing.

  Finding a place to pull off, Derry slid to a stop. He jumped out, and yanked open the back door. Bending over Sara, he pushed the blood-soaked hair out of her face.

  “No—” He could barely hear her.

  “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Mmm—” Her hand pushed his away.

  He checked the seat behind her. No bullet holes. No puddles of blood.

  “I’ll get you help. Just hold on.”

  She mumbled something as he closed her door.

  Pulling back onto the road, he tried to bring up his maps program, but could not get good reception until he was almost to Lyons. As he drove through town, he checked for the closest hospital, Boulder Medical Center.

  Several minutes later, he pulled into the north parking lot and headed for the emergency entrance.

  A hand grabbed his shoulder. He was surprised at its strength.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “To a hospital. You need help.”

  “No. Are you crazy? He’ll find me.” She squeezed harder. Her voice was frantic.