by Debra Webb
Closing the door was simple. Getting the bed liner laid out exactly right in the near darkness not so much so. When she felt satisfied that the bed of the truck looked as it had when the two men had left it here, she climbed out of the truck and took a moment to get her bearings.
Once she was in the tunnel, anything could happen. Hopefully she wouldn’t run into anyone before reaching the main building.
Moving cautiously in the scarce light, she checked the first door she encountered. Locked. Fear that they would all be locked and that getting out would be impossible pummeled her chest. He’d said the door to the tunnel was near the rear of the building. There was no reason to keep it locked since it didn’t access the outside.
The second door was also locked. It couldn’t be unlocked without a key. Finally, the knob on the third door turned.
This could be it.
She eased the door open. Her heart stumbled. This door led to the outside. She wasn’t supposed to go outside and risk being seen. This door was not supposed to be unlocked.
Before she could pull the door closed her gaze swept over the massive limestone building that loomed across the landscaped grounds. Hundreds of exterior lights spotlighted the forbidding structure, making it look all the creepier.
How would she ever cover that entire building?
Telling herself there was no room for doubt, she forced her legs to move.
She eased the door shut and felt her way to the next door. It opened without resistance. Beyond the door the lighting was dim but at least it wasn’t completely dark. She peered at the stairs that descended to a level under the ground. This was definitely the way she was searching for. She entered the stairwell and moved cautiously down the steps.
Her heart pounded so hard she could scarcely breathe. Once she reached the tunnel she relaxed just a little. She could see for a fair distance and the tunnel was clear, as she’d hoped. Moving more quickly, she made it to the other end without incident. She pressed her ear to the door and listened. Hearing only silence, she reached for the knob. But her hand shook. She squeezed it into a fist, then, ignoring the fear trying to filter in, opened her fingers and wrapped them around the knob.
The huge janitorial services room was deserted. The rack of fresh blue scrubs waited on the other side of the room, just as Garrett had said. Lucky looked through the scrubs until she found her size.
She stripped off her bloody clothes and wiggled into the scrubs. After she’d clipped on the badge that identified her as a certified nurse’s aid, she hid her clothes and finger combed her hair.
“Okay.” Two steps down. Two to go.
Lucky approached the door that would lead into the corridor. Once she was out there she would start to encounter staff members. Garrett had given her the layout of the facility. Unfortunately all that information came with a large caveat—if nothing had changed in the past decade or so.
If she ran into someone, what would she say? She could have asked herself that before now. Get over it, Lucky. There was no other choice. This was the only way.
Lucky opened the door and stepped out into the corridor.
The sound of rubber soles on well-polished tile abruptly stopped. A man, dressed in black slacks and a white lab coat turned around.
The bottom fell out of Lucky’s stomach. Dear God. Barely through the door and she was caught already.
Chapter Thirteen
10:50 p.m.
The hair on the back of Lucas’s neck stood on end.
Something had moved in the rearview mirror.
Lucas had his weapon in his hand and leveled on the window in the same instant a face appeared there.
“Jim.” Lucas blew out a puff of air and powered the window down. “I could have shot you.”
Jim studied him a moment. The faint glow from the streetlight offered just enough illumination for Lucas to make out the same worry and pain on his stepson’s face that was tearing him apart inside.
“I’m getting in.”
Lucas hit the unlock button as Jim Colby rounded the hood. When he’d settled into the passenger seat, Lucas said, “How did you find me?”
“I knew you were watching Keaton. Since you weren’t at the brownstone, I figured you’d be here.”
For hours Lucas had watched the brownstone from which the Equalizers operated. The same one Jim had used when the Equalizers had been his shop. Then he’d followed his mark here, to the small bungalow that Maggie James called home. “Keaton came here around eight.” He surveyed the bungalow again.
“I dropped by the coffee shop and spoke to Maggie this afternoon,” Jim said somberly.
Lucas turned to him. “And?” Jim was too smart to give away Lucas’s suspicions. If he’d learned any thing useful, Lucas wanted to know. Now.
“She’s in deep with Keaton.” Jim stared straight ahead, into the darkness. “Her expression when she said his name left no doubt. She hedged giving specific details about him. She knows or suspects some aspect of Keaton. That was very clear.”
“Maggie’s a good woman.” Lucas shook his head. “If something’s off with Keaton, she won’t deny it for long.”
The question Lucas needed to ask next jammed in his throat. Victoria and Lucky had been missing approximately twelve hours now. Tracking his wife’s cell phone had proved a bust. All traces of its movements had been wiped beyond the location of an outpatient surgery clinic. But Lucky’s phone had not. They had traced her movements to the surgery clinic and then to the drop location. Since neither Victoria nor Lucky had been at that location, they had back tracked to the clinic. Nothing. Lucas had contacted Victoria’s personal physician in case he was missing something. An unfamiliar emotion twisted in his gut. Fear was not a companion he’d ever kept…until now. He despised himself for being so weak.
“We’ve found nothing,” Jim said without Lucas having to ask. “The cops are baffled. It’s like they just vanished. Dr. Klein is stunned. The clinic’s CEO has found nothing.”
Lucas closed his eyes against the agony. Victoria’s personal physician, Klein, had recommended her to that clinic, just not for today. Today’s appointment had been bogus. The clinic had been closed for remodeling for the past week. No one could explain today’s events. Victoria’s friend with whom she’d said she would be meeting had not spoken to Victoria. Even more painful, Victoria had scheduled a medical procedure without telling Lucas. Dr. Klein could not disclose the reasons for that appointment. Now she was missing.
But she and Lucky hadn’t just disappeared. Someone had taken them. There had been no ransom demand, no triumphant announcement from an old enemy. Nothing.
Keaton had to be involved. Lucas had a feeling about him. One way or another he would find the truth and that would lead him to Victoria.
Chapter Fourteen
Lucky’s feet had bonded to the floor. She couldn’t run. Her mind had frozen, hindering her ability to utter a single word of explanation. Her lungs had emptied of oxygen.
The man strode straight up to her while she watched in horror.
“Maybe you’re new,” he snapped impatiently. “This is a nonsmoking facility.” He shook his finger in her face. “You’re the second staff member I’ve caught tonight sneaking down here to the maintenance room to smoke.” He stared at her badge. “If I catch you again, Ms. Mills, there will be consequences.”
The relief Lucky felt was so profound that her knees nearly buckled. “I wasn’t smoking,” she had the presence of mind to say. She tugged at her scrub top. “I had to change. A patient—”
He waved a hand. “Whatever. I have patients.” He lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “I presume you do as well and I know none of those patients are on this floor.”
She jerked her head up and down. “Yes, sir.”
He executed a one-eighty and stalked away.
Lucky sucked in a breath and slowly turned toward the stairwell that would lead to the upper floors. Garrett had told her to avoid the elevators and stick to the stairs. So fa
r his memory of the institute’s floor plan had been spot on.
The soles of the borrowed sneakers squeaked softly on the tile floor. She focused a little harder on making her steps completely silent. The stairwell was still and quiet, nevertheless she listened for half a minute to ensure she was alone. Garrett had explained that the first floor was made up of offices and the lobby. No need for her to nose around there.
It was the next three floors where she’d have to be on her toes.
Lucky bypassed the exit to the first floor and moved more quickly up to the second. She hesitated at the exit and braced for whatever lay beyond the door. Hospital staff, security personnel. Obstacles. Complications. She touched the badge clipped to her scrub top then reached for the doorknob.
Mrs. Colby-Camp was here somewhere and she needed Lucky’s help. The longer she hesitated, the more her boss might suffer.
She opened the door and stepped into the long white corridor. Lucky blinked. The corridor was deserted and as silent as a vacant house. Fluorescent lighting glared against the white tile floors. Doors lined the stark white walls. The main corridors on each floor ran north and south with smaller side halls to the east and west. A nurses’ station would be located at the two primary corridor intersections. Those were to be avoided if at all possible.
Her heart pounding, Lucky moved to the first door. She opened it quietly and eased inside. The patient was male. Elderly. Lucky relaxed as much as she dared and retraced her steps. The next room was occupied by a woman. Young, Lucky’s age maybe. She hoped all the patients were sleeping as the first two were.
By the time she’d checked each of the rooms on the south end of the corridor her confidence had gained a decent foothold. According to Garrett the nurses did rounds at each shift change. Any time now she was going to come face-to-face with one or more. She was new and lost. Where did she get fresh bed linens?
At the intersection of corridors she peeked around the corner, her pulse racing. One nurse, preoccupied with paperwork, sat at the desk.
Lucky checked east and west, then the desk once more before moving through the intersection. When she’d cleared the narrower corridor she dared to breathe again.
She reached for the first door to her right and opened it. Before she could slip inside, a door opened about halfway down the corridor. A nurse stepped out.
The nurse wrote something on the chart in her hand. Lucky ducked through the door she’d opened, then closed it, holding down the handle so the latch didn’t click as it engaged. She froze for a second or two and listened for the nurse’s approach. If she’d seen Lucky, she would come to check it out.
The scarce whisper of rubber soles passed in the corridor. Lucky relaxed and moved on.
She covered the entire second floor without running into trouble. She kept a step or two ahead of the two nurses making rounds. Returning to the stair well, she was relieved to find it deserted like before. One floor down, two to go. At this rate, she would be out of here in no time. Not about to get cocky, she maintained caution as she began her search of the third floor.
This time all of the floor’s nurses were at the desks so Lucky moved quickly through the rooms. So far every patient had been sleeping. Lucky hoped her good fortune held out. The patients were mostly adults, only a few who looked younger than twenty. As many women as men and only the occasional one secured to the bed. The facilities were far nicer than she’d expected. A bit sterile but nice. Not at all the house of horrors she’d anticipated.
Lucky checked the corridor and progressed toward the last row of doors. She felt giddy with how smoothly her search was going.
But she hadn’t found Mrs. Colby-Camp.
What if they were wrong? What is she wasn’t here?
Lucky’s stomach twisted. She had to be here. Her cell phone had been tracked to this location.
But if she wasn’t…they were wasting valuable time. And Garrett had surrendered himself to this place for nothing. Lucky didn’t want to think about what they might be doing to him at this very moment.
Mrs. Colby-Camp was top priority.
Lucky had to find her. Fast. Then she had to help Garrett. As soon as she got her boss to safety, of course. Garrett had given her strict instructions on how to get Mrs. Colby-Camp out. He had actually insisted that Lucky was not to attempt to rescue him, that he had an exit strategy. But she didn’t believe him. She had to help him. That fire he started in her belly with that kiss kindled.
Focus, Lucky.
She slipped into the final room on the third floor and closed the door, ensuring the latch reengaged silently. Her chest tightened with anticipation. This could be the one. What if Mrs. Colby-Camp was sedated? She dismissed that worry. That was a bridge she’d just have to cross when she came to it.
Strong arms wrapped around her neck and jerked her backward against a heaving chest. Lucky’s hands went to her throat and she tried to pry loose.
“I knew they’d send someone,” a male voice growled in her ear. “And here you are.”
Lucky resisted the urge to scream.
It was too late for that.
“WHY ARE YOU HERE?”
Strapped to a chair in one of the research rooms, Dakota stared into the eyes of the man he’d dreamed of killing for more than a decade. That the old bastard was visibly unsettled by Dakota’s appearance made his century. Rather than answer the question Byrd’s associates had already asked repeatedly with their fists, Dakota licked the blood from his busted lip and spat in his face.
The old man’s muscle-bound associates rushed forward. Byrd held up his left hand while swiping the spittle from his face with his right. “Back off.”
“And you were just warming up,” Dakota said to the two men who were clearly disappointed. He managed a grin though it burned like hell.
Dr. Byrd stepped away from Dakota. “Move him to the examining table.”
Even as his gut twisted with dread, Dakota said, “Now the real fun begins.”
Byrd glared at him as his men unstrapped Dakota from the chair. He would not show his apprehension. Not for a second. Byrd enjoyed the fear and helplessness of those he chose to analyze. Dakota wasn’t giving him that pleasure.
With Dakota secured to the bed, Byrd dared to approach him once more. Dakota despised cowards and this evil scumbag was definitely a coward.
“I never learned how you escaped.” Byrd pursed his lips a moment. “Though I tried. The friends you’d made here were loyal to the very end. I can’t imagine why.” He shrugged his narrow shoulders. “It’s not as if you offered anything in return.”
The nurse, Colleen Patrick, and the janitor, Max. Dakota’s gut clenched. The only two people in this hellhole who’d treated him like a human. “They couldn’t tell you what they didn’t know.” The snarl echoed in the room. Dakota had run and he hadn’t looked back. He’d left the people here without so much as an anonymous tip to help them out of this night mare.
He was the coward.
But he’d been nothing more than a kid. He’d been fending for himself so long he’d forgotten the concept of providing relief or assistance to others. Even now, what he did for those in need was an assignment, a job.
Whatever compassionate feelings he had possessed died a long time ago at the hands of one of his mother’s deadbeat boyfriends.
“Too bad you wasted your time and resources.” Dakota curled his damaged lips into a sneer. “You’ll never know just how badly your security sucks.”
Byrd turned to one of his men. “Prepare him.”
Tension rippled through Dakota. Remembered agony followed on its heels. He focused on the white ceiling. Ceilings, walls and floors. Everything about this place was sickeningly white. And yet, this was one of the darkest places on the planet. Dark and hope less.
“Perhaps an old acquaintance will loosen your tongue.” Byrd smirked. “Few are able to resist after a few minutes of this particular persuasion.”
Electrodes were placed in pivotal spots arou
nd his skull. Dakota locked his jaw and forced the rest of his body to relax. He’d survived shock treatments before. He could do it again.
When the preparations were completed, Byrd clasped his hands behind his back and studied Dakota. “It’s quite a shame. I had high hopes for a break through in your case. Perhaps you could have led a normal life had you cooperated with my treatments.”
A laugh burst out of Dakota. “You mean a normal life as a zombie.” He’d seen the results of Byrd’s treatments. Experimental surgeries, unapproved drug therapies, not to mention the bastard’s prized shock therapy. What he did to those patients who had no family or friends was unspeakable. Dakota knew first hand.
Fury glittered in the doctor’s eyes. “There are sacrifices in all fields of research.”
“I think maybe those sacrifices are supposed to be voluntary. Made by people of sound mind.” The only sacrifice Dakota would like to see right now was one that included a bullet between this evil maniac’s eyes.
“Why did you come back?” Byrd demanded.
“I missed you,” Dakota tossed at him.
Movement in the corner of his eye warned that Byrd’s associate was reaching for the control console.
Byrd held up a hand, postponing the first wave of current. “Is there someone here who interests you? A patient? A member of my staff?”
Dakota curled his hands into fists and covertly tugged at the straps binding his wrists. A realization burned deep into his brain. He looked straight into the doctor’s eyes and said, “You. I came back for you.”
The statement felt more real than any he’d made in his entire adult life. Dakota would never truly be free of the past until he’d stopped this monster.
Seemingly intrigued, Byrd again put off the inevitable. “You were like my own son.” He shook his head. “You were bright and full of so much potential. I wanted to make you whole. To neutralize those violent outbursts. You must have seen how deeply I care for all my patients. You in particular.”