by Jeanne Tosti
“So you plan to leave me here by myself?”
“It’s for your protection. You only have to stay a couple of days. You’ll be comfortable.” He was confident her loyalty was unfailing and that she would willingly do whatever he said.
“No, I don’t think so. I was fine in the city. Why did you bring me out here?”
Her counter took him by surprise. He expected her to comply without question as she had always done. His influence on her must have waned in his absence. It didn’t matter, she was here now and that was all he needed. He would pull her back into line.
“I wanted a chance to explain everything to you.”
“You could have picked up the phone anytime and done that, but you didn’t. So why am I here?”
Jordan sighed, “Well, I was trying to keep you out of the line of fire, which you obviously don’t appreciate. But you also have something that I need.”
He pulled her purse into his lap and began dumping the contents out on the couch. When the purse was empty he reached into the center pocket and pulled the lining inside out. He then pulled at the lining seam with both hands until the seam tore along the stitching. He reached into the gutted purse compartment and felt around. Seconds later his hand emerged holding an electronic flash drive.
“You’ve been keeping this safe for me. Your obsessive attachment to this monstrosity of a purse turned out to be the perfect hiding place.” He held the flash drive up for her to see almost expecting her to share in his excitement, but then said, “Oh, right. You don’t know what this is.”
She knew exactly what he held in his hand, but she continued to feign ignorance. She felt like an idiot. She had had the flash drive all the time! He had used her again. Only this time, he had put her right in the middle of his despicable scheme. She wondered how he was going to spin this to his advantage. “What is it?” she asked innocently.
“It’s, ah, what I told you about. It is some of the evidence I need to stop the syndicate in their tracks. It’s proof of their criminal activity—at least some of it. I’m going to send it to the FBI. I’ll do it right now so you can see me do it.” He motioned toward the elaborate computer set-up in the corner of the room. “I need just a little more time get the rest of it.”
That was indeed a creative twist, she thought. Lies mixed with truths, Jordan’s forte. She couldn’t believe how blind she had been to his manipulation of the facts.
Jordan walked over to the computer and turned it on. He took the flash drive and inserted it into the port at the side of the computer. He looked in Sarah’s direction with a smile expecting to see an expression of approval on her face.
A board squeaked on the front porch and Jordan froze. He reached under his shirt and pulled a gun from his waistband. As he edged his way closer to the door, panic washed over Sarah. Was it the police? Was it the syndicate’s killer? She wasn’t going to wait to find out.
Jordan’s attention was focused on the front door. His back was towards her. She stood up silently and crept over to the computer. She pulled the flash drive from the side port and ran to the back of the house as fast as her legs would carry her. Behind her she heard the crash of the front door giving way and then sounds of a violent struggle.
Chapter 35
BAZAROV HAD FOUND his own route to the cottage through the maze of dirt farm roads. He had not seen the state police deployed sparsely in the woods along the perimeter of the twenty acre property. He passed unknowingly between two officers hidden by the dense undergrowth as he picked his way through the tangle of vegetation. As the cottage came into view he scanned the surrounding area for any signs of movement. Seeing nothing, he stole silently up to the front porch. The murmur of voices reached his ears and he knew they were inside. He smiled with satisfaction as he crept up to a window and saw Jordan and Sarah sitting on the couch talking.
How domestic they looked. He wondered what Sarah would think if she knew that her supposed husband had another wife in Los Angeles. Bazarov had no moral conscience, but he respected loyalty and marriage required loyalty. He considered Jordan to be a low life and would enjoy eliminating him.
A board on the porch creaked under Bazarov’s weight and he knew the element of surprise was lost. He used his tree trunk sized leg as a battering ram and kicked in the front door of the cottage. The door flew off its hinges and fell inside the cottage. Bazarov moved into the doorway and stood face to face with Jordan.
Both men had guns drawn. Jordan ducked behind a chair that offered little protection. His bravado evaporated as Bazarov entered the room. He was massive, to be sure, but his cold dead eyes and expressionless face labeled him a killer. It chilled Jordan to his bones.
“You know why I am here. Just give it to me and we can be done with this,” Bazarov growled through gritted teeth.
Jordan looked anxiously over to the computer ready to make a mad lunge for the data drive. It was gone! He had lost his only bargaining chip.
In that instance of distraction, Bazarov was on him like an apex predator. The chair in front of Jordan flew across the room with one swing of Bazarov’s massive arm. Jordan felt a crushing blow to the side of his head and a hand was at his throat cutting off his breath.
“I’m only going to say this once.” Bazarov snarled. “I want the data drive and I want it now. You give it to me and maybe I let you leave here alive. There is no alternative.” Bazarov had no intention of sparing Jordan, but it cost him nothing to leave Jordan an iota of hope to coerce his cooperation. He loosened his grip on Jordan’s throat and Jordan coughed violently trying to catch his breath.
Jordan’s mind was racing. That bitch! She knew all along about the data drive. She went right for it the first chance she got. His grand scheme was falling apart around him. He was no physical match for Bazarov. He had only his wits now to get out of this alive. If that meant sacrificing Sarah, so be it.
“Alright. It’s over. I see that,” Jordan coughed hoarsely.
Bazarov took his gun and pressed it hard under Jordan’s chin. “Where is it?”
“Sarah. She took it and ran when you broke in. Find her and you’ll have the flash drive.”
He expected Bazarov to take off after Sarah before she had a chance to get away. It would give him his chance to escape Bazarov’s vengeance. Instead, Bazarov raised his arm and brought his gun down like a sledgehammer on Jordan’s head knocking him into unconsciousness.
That will hold him for a while. I might need him yet, thought Bazarov. Sarah was another matter. She knew about the data theft and was a liability. She would have to be eliminated.
Bazarov gave Jordan’s limp body a kick and began his search for Sarah. If she had the flash drive, good. If not, he would pursue the issue with Jordan again later.
* * * * *
Sarah saw her chance to escape. She bolted from the room and grabbed Jordan’s precious flash drive as she fled. Behind her she heard the door crashing in and the brawl between Jordan and the intruder. It could only be Bazarov, the syndicate’s killer. He had tracked them to the cottage.
She ran to the back of the house and opened the door ready to dash out. Bazarov would have a gun and she would be running across the open lawn. Reason told her she couldn’t make it to the woods without becoming a target. She threw the door open with a bang hoping anyone pursuing her would think she ran outside. Then she sprinted up the steps to the second floor.
At the top of the stairs was an unfinished attic. It was dimly lit by a single window at the far end of the space. The attic was filled with years of household discards that had lost favor over the years. Boxes, old furniture, and clutter were everywhere. She ducked behind a wooden vanity and covered herself with what must have been a curtain at one time. The air was thick with dust and she had all she could do to keep from revealing herself with a cough or sneeze.
A cast iron curtain rod about four feet long lay on the floor near her. She drew it close. It would serve as a weapon if it came to that. Now she waited.
> She didn’t know if Jordan was alive or dead, but she knew Bazarov would be hunting for her now. She prayed that Lieutenant Cassidy and Ben had figured out where she was and were on their way.
* * * * *
Ben kept glancing at the maps he pulled up on his cell phone screen. He saw the network of unimproved roads winding through the rural properties in the area of the cottage. Cassidy would certainly have alerted the Wisconsin State Police, but there was no way for the state police to cover all those possible back roads. They would focus on the property. It told him there would be no roadblocks to worry about.
He pulled to the side of the road to get his bearings. The cottage property was close and he had to decide how he would make his approach. The state police would have set up a perimeter by now, but with a potential hostage situation looming, they would not move forward until Cassidy arrived and gave the order. Even then, Cassidy would need time to assess the situation and come up with a strategy of attack. Ben wasn’t going to wait.
He was sure he could get onto the property without being seen. He would find Sarah and neutralize Jordan. It was a better plan than a hoard of state police storming the house. A full force advance by the police might get Sarah killed. But there was a bigger problem—where was Bazarov?
He knew that Bazarov was behind the morning dumpster incident. Somehow Bazarov knew Jordan was going to make a move on Sarah this morning. He wanted me out of the way. Ben thought. He’s been tracking Jordan and that means he’s here!
He would have to be ready to deal with Bazarov as well as Jordan.
Ben searched the area maps and found a route of meandering dirt farm roads that gave him access to the rear of the property. He would leave his car on one of the roads and steal through the woods to reach the house. The property was large and that would mean that the state police would be widely dispersed along the property perimeter. He would have to be careful.
Chapter 36
BEN ABANDONED HIS car on a dirt road and darted off through the woods. As he made his way through the thick underbrush he saw two state police stationed about one hundred yards apart. He stayed low and passed between them picking his way through the vegetation as quietly as he could manage. The attention of the police was directed toward the house. He slipped past them unnoticed.
Once well past the police line, he stood up and ran. He came to a clearing with an old barn and a pond and beyond that was another stand of woods. He moved through the trees edging his way to the open lawn surrounding the house. At the edge of the tree line he crouched down to study the layout of the property.
The back door of the cottage was standing open. It looked like that entryway led to the kitchen with a set of steps just inside the door going to the second floor. As he surveyed the house, a huge hulking figure moved into the doorway and filled the space completely. Ben recognized the silhouette. It was Bazarov. The figure stood there briefly surveying the yard and then disappeared back inside. Ben made his move. Staying low, he ran to the water pump trough and hid behind it. He watched and listened for any activity in the cottage, but it was quiet.
He pulled a knife from his boot and kept it ready. When he thought it was safe, he made a mad dash for the back of the house. As he passed under the clothes line he reached up and cut a length of rope from the line and stuffed it into his pocket. One more weapon in case he needed it. Then he sprinted to the back wall of the house. He flattened himself against the wall and listened as he inched his way towards the open rear door. He knew Bazarov was in the house, but he had no idea where Jordan was. And where was Sarah?
He was about to make a move to the entrance when Bazarov appeared in the doorway again. Ben plastered himself flat against the rear wall of the house trying to stay out of his view. He could see the profile of the killer’s face as he scanned the lawn and probed the edges of the woods searching for something, or someone. Bazarov disappeared back inside and Ben heard his feet pounding up the steps to the second floor of the cottage.
He’s lost his prey, thought Ben. He doesn’t know if he should look in the woods or the house. It meant that either Jordan or Sarah had gotten away. Ben looked over the lawn he had just crossed. It was a wide open expanse. No one would be able to cross it without being seen if someone was in pursuit. Bazarov’s target had to be still in the house.
Ben edged toward the open rear door and slipped in. He could hear Bazarov’s heavy footsteps upstairs. He darted into the kitchen and then into the living room. He saw Jordan lying on the floor with blood oozing from a gash on his head. Ben felt for a pulse. Jordan was alive, but out cold. Bazarov must be searching for Sarah!
He did a quick check of the two bedrooms calling for Sarah in a whisper, but there was no response. He ran to the kitchen and bounded up the stairs with his gun drawn. As he ascended the steps his eyes were adjusting to the dim attic light. Just as his head rose above the level of the attic floor his head exploded in a lightning bolt of pain and his gun went flying.
Bazarov had seen him and had landed a well-placed kick to Ben’s head sending him careening backward down the steps. Ben’s gun flew into the attic discards and was lost. He shook off the blow, and charged empty handed up the steps again.
Sarah was well hidden. Bazarov had passed over her hiding place in the dim light. All she had to do was keep still, but when the melee started it startled her. The slight movement of fabric covering her hiding place was immediately detected by Bazarov. He plunged his hand into her secret lair and yanked her violently to her feet. His arm whipped around her throat and he pressed his gun against her temple just as Ben’s head breached the top of the steps for the second time.
Ben froze as he saw Bazarov holding Sarah.
“Hello, Mr. Taggert. You should have heeded my message this morning and stayed out of this.” He turned his attention back to Sarah and leaned close to her face. “Now, Sarah, I need that flash drive that you took from your husband.”
Sarah felt his hot breath on her face as the gun barrel dug into her temple. Her breath was coming in gasps due to the tight hold he had around her neck. She started to open her mouth to respond when Ben interrupted.
“She doesn’t have it. I do. She gave it to me.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a flash drive. He held it up high in the shadowy light of the attic for Bazarov to see.
Bazarov’s eyes locked on to the prize. “Give it to me and I will let her go,” Bazarov bargained duplicitously. He had no intention of letting them escape, but talk was cheap. Once he secured the flash drive, he would give his attention to cleaning up the details.
“Sure. I’ll make that deal.” Ben tossed the flash drive into the air.
Bazarov acted instinctively. He wanted the data drive. His grip on Sarah loosened slightly as he made an off balanced grab for the airborne flash drive before it had a chance to disappear into a heap of attic junk.
Sarah saw her chance and pulled away from his grip. She grabbed the iron curtain rod and swung it as hard as she could slamming it against the side of Bazarov’s head. Then she ran towards Ben.
Ben pushed her in the direction of the staircase and whispered, “Run for the woods. There’s a barn by the pond. Hide there. Cassidy and the state police should be coming. I’ll take care of this.”
Sarah hesitated. She didn’t want to leave Ben by himself with this monster. Ben saw her wavering and gave her a shove that caused her to careen halfway down the staircase. She saw the open door and started for it. She would try to find Cassidy and get help.
As she put her foot on the doorstep ready to make a run for it, her head yanked backward and she was pulled back into the house by her hair. She spun around and came face to face with Jordan.
His face was as she had never seen it before. It was angry and vile looking with blood running down the side of his head.
“You bitch. You ruined everything. Give me the damn data drive that you took.” Jordan held her head by the hair and she could barely move. He had a gun in his other hand.
>
“I don’t have it. Bazarov took it. He’s upstairs. You’re going to have to talk to him if you want it.” She said defiantly. She was hoping Jordan would rush upstairs and distract Bazarov. Then Ben would have a chance to escape.
She could see the anger seething in Jordan’s face. Suddenly a cacophony of crashing and banging broke loose upstairs and the whole house shook. A chair came flying down the steps and landed at their feet.
Jordan was torn between making his own escape and entering the fray to try to salvage the data drive for himself. His ego was dominating even his basic instinct for survival. He had done all the work and he wanted his prize. He wanted to win.
He suddenly released Sarah and headed up the stairs to face Bazarov and the hell that surrounded him.
* * * * *
The blow Sarah delivered with the curtain rod barely stunned Bazarov, but it bought enough time for Ben to push Sarah down the stairs towards a route of escape. Bazarov had successfully snagged the data drive tossed in the air. Ben wished it had been lost in the jumble of castoffs, because now Bazarov was coming after him.
Bazarov aimed his gun at Ben and moved towards him. His hulking physique made it hard for him to maneuver through the obstacles in his path. He came crashing towards Ben throwing aside boxes and furniture blocking his path.
Ben’s gun was lost somewhere in the attic clutter. The only advantage he had was his athletic prowess. He sprang from where he was standing to a stack of boxes off to one side and then he launched himself at Bazarov. Bazarov was mired in cartons and furniture. He was unable to react fast enough to ward off the attack.