Black Pawn (Michael Cailen Book 1)

by Mel LeBrun

  She picked up her drink and took a swig. Michael did the same, carefully watching her reaction to pick up on any sign that she could taste the drug. She didn't seem to notice.

  “Come on.” She slid her fingers into his pants and tugged on the waistband as she led him towards the bedroom.

  When they got to the bedroom, he suggested they finish their drinks before getting preoccupied with other things. Brook was apparently really eager to get down to business because she downed her whole drink. Michael grinned and finished his.

  Now he only had to wait for the drug to take effect. They moved to the bed, kissing and touching heavily. He wanted the last thing she remembered to be them making out. Despite her attempts to remove his shirt, he managed to keep it on while getting her down to her underwear. He didn't have a way to explain the still-healing bullet wound in his chest. She started to become real sleepy and out of it. He continued kissing and caressing her until she finally passed out. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat up on the edge of the bed. After removing the rest of Brook's clothing he tucked her under the covers. Hopefully she would wake up thinking they had sex. He looked at his watch. It was 2:04 am. He was feeling it. He grabbed his phone and called Josh.

  JOSH STEPPED quietly into Jessica's room, not wanting to startle her. He softly said her name while gently squeezing her shoulder. She made a few sounds before rolling over and groggily opening her eyes. She saw Josh and shot up in bed.

  “Did something happen?!” she asked in a panic.

  “No, no. Everything's fine. Michael needs our help. You need to come with me. He wants you to hack Brook's computer.”

  “What?” She was still half asleep and wasn't quite registering what he was saying. “Isn't she home? Is Michael there? I don't understand.”

  “They're both there, but Michael drugged her so she's totally out of it. We're going to use the time to search her place. Michael wants you to see if there's anything on her computer that could help us.”

  “He drugged her?” She rubbed her eyes.

  “Yeah, get dressed. We have to go.” He left her room and shut the door.

  Jessica still wasn't sure she heard him right. She thought any moment she was going to wake up and realize she was dreaming.

  Josh was waiting by the front door when she walked out of her room, still a little sluggish and sleepy. The pair arrived at Brook's approximately thirty minutes after Michael had called. Before they got out of the car, Josh handed her a pair of latex gloves. She gave him a strange look and slowly put them on as he slid a pair on his hands as well.

  Josh didn't bother knocking, he just walked right in. Jessica felt funny barging into someone's home, but she followed Josh. Michael rounded the corner from the hallway and met them in the living room.

  “Where have you searched already?” Josh asked.

  “I just finished her bedroom. I haven't searched the spare room, kitchen or living room yet.”

  “I'll start in the kitchen,” Josh volunteered, then headed off to start searching.

  Michael now turned his attention to Jessica. “You got everything?”

  “Yeah,” she replied nervously. “How come you're not wearing gloves?”

  “My fingerprints are already all over the place. I couldn't exactly wear gloves at the party. I'm not worried about it.”

  “Well, it's not like anyone's going to be dusting for prints later.”

  “You never know.”

  “I suppose,” she shrugged.

  “Her computer is in her bedroom. She's asleep. You don't have to worry, she won't wake up.”

  He led the way to the bedroom where Brook was passed out in bed. The sheets covered most of her body but one shoulder was exposed and Jessica could see she wasn't wearing a top.

  “Is she naked?” she asked.

  Michael glanced at Brook and then back at Jessica. “Yeah.”

  “Did you...”

  “No.” He knew she was going to ask if they had sex and he cut her off before the words left her mouth. He walked to Brook's computer in the corner and gestured towards it. “It's all yours.”

  “What am I looking for?” She sat in the chair in front of the computer.

  “Anything that might tell us where her brother is. Contact lists, documents, emails.”

  “What's his name again?”

  “Dominic Fosters.”

  “Alright. I'll see what I can find.” She started unpacking her laptop and booted up Brook's computer.

  “I'm going to help Josh search the rest of the house. Call if you need me.”

  Michael and Josh searched the rest of the house, but turned up nothing helpful. Josh asked what their next move was.

  “Well, we've searched the whole house. Short of searching it again, I don't think there is anything more we can do but wait to see what Jess turns up.”

  As if hearing her name, Jessica came flying in the kitchen and clung to Michael's side staring back towards the hallway she came from. She looked petrified.

  “What happened?” Michael asked as Josh pulled a gun from his waistband and cocked it.

  “Okay, two things. I found something and she looked at me.”

  “What do you mean she looked at you?” Josh asked.

  Michael didn't say anything he just made a bee line for the bedroom. Brook had rolled over and was now on her side facing in the direction of the computer. She still appeared to be sleeping. Michael grabbed her wrist to check her pulse. Josh hovered next to him while Jessica remained in the doorway nervously holding her arms, too scared to enter.

  “Josh, there's a small flashlight in my glove box. Go get it.” He handed Josh his keys.

  Josh returned a minute later with the flashlight. Michael rolled Brook onto her back again. He lifted her eyelid and shined the light in her eye, then turned it away. He checked her other eye and got the same result.

  “No. She's out of it.” Michael put the flashlight in his pocket and turned to Josh and Jessica who were standing in the doorway. Josh had his arm around her to calm her. “She may have opened her eyes but she didn't see you,” Michael assured her. “You said you found something?” he asked, returning their focus to the mission at hand.

  “Yeah.” She stepped back in the bedroom, still jittery but confident Michael knew what he was talking about. “I found some deleted emails.” She slowly walked back to her laptop keeping an eye on Brook.

  From her laptop she pulled up some emails. “They are all signed 'Nicky' which I thought might be his nickname.”

  Michael leaned over Jessica's shoulder and read the email on the screen.

  Hey Brook. How are things? I'm doing okay but I need some money. I'm sorry, I hate to ask but it's hard finding work. I won't make it through the month. Could you wire me some like you did last time? Please, I really need your help. I'll pay you back, I promise. -Nicky

  “That's dated two months ago. You got any more recent?”

  “No, only older. There are gaps of months between the emails, but I back traced the emails and they all were sent with the same service provider.”

  “Is there any way you can turn that into an address?” Michael asked.

  “Yeah, I just need a few minutes to hack the service provider.”

  “Do it.”

  Jessica tried to ignore his demanding tone and got to work. Michael and Josh just stood there looking at each other and around the room unsure of what to do with themselves while she worked. After a few minutes, Michael sat on the edge of the bed, lay back and shut his eyes. He was exhausted.

  Ten more minutes passed which felt like ages for Michael. He was beginning to wonder if Jessica meant she'd need a few hours instead of a few minutes.

  “He's in Pennsylvania,” she finally announced.

  Michael sluggishly sat up and walked over to Jessica. Josh was already looking over her shoulder. They both committed the address to memory while Jessica pulled it up on a map. It was smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania.

  “Th
at's only about eight hours away,” Josh remarked.

  “Good work.” Michael squeezed her shoulder. “Pack it up, you're done.”

  She shut down Brook's computer and packed up her laptop. She stood and looked at Michael lying on the bed with his eyes shut. “Are you coming?” she asked.

  He forced himself to sit up again. “No. I'm staying here. I don't want to blow my cover until I'm sure I won't need her again.”

  She was disappointed, but tried not to let it show. “I'll see you tomorrow then?”

  “In a few hours, Jess,” he smiled at her. “It's almost morning.”

  She smiled. “I guess I could live without you till then.”

  Chapter 34

  Jessica woke around 11:00 a.m. Next to her in bed, Michael was sound asleep. She lay quietly studying him, watching his chest move up and down as he breathed. She felt so peaceful. Ten minutes later, her stomach began to wake and she went to the kitchen in search of food.

  Michael and Josh woke around 1:00 p.m. Jessica made them lunch while they sat at the kitchen table discussing their plan to visit Dominic.

  Josh yawned. “When did you want to leave?”

  Michael rubbed his eyes. “I don't know. I still feel beat, but I'd like to get it over with.”

  “We could take turns driving overnight so we could still get some rest,” Josh offered.

  “Actually, I'm going by myself.”

  “What? Why?” Jessica interrupted.

  “Because I don't know what kind of a situation I'll be walking into. I don't know much about this guy. It could be dangerous and I don't want you there if things get ugly. I don't plan on spending much time there. I'll get what I need from him and be done. I don't see any need to drag you along.”

  Jessica wasn't happy at the thought of him going off and leaving her.

  “Well if you plan on going alone then you should rest tonight and go in the morning,” Josh said.

  “Yeah, you're probably right,” Michael agreed.

  The three played dominoes for a few hours and then watched a movie. Around 9:00 p.m., Michael and Jessica went to bed and Josh took his post on the couch keeping watch.

  Michael had left his cell phone on the coffee table and around 11:30 pm, it started buzzing. Josh saw it was Brook calling and ignored it. She left a voice mail. A few minutes later, she called back and left another voice mail. Five minutes passed and she called again but didn't leave a voice mail. Josh got curious as to why she seemed so frantic to contact Michael. She sent a text, Where are you?

  Michael was dreaming that Josh was shaking him and calling his name. He woke to find it was actually happening.

  “What's going on?” he sat up quickly.

  “We have a problem.”

  Michael followed Josh into the living room. “What is it?” he asked again once they were a safe distance from the bedroom.

  “Brook's been trying to reach you for the past half hour.”

  “Why?”

  “See for yourself.” He handed Michael his phone.

  Michael listened to the two frantic messages left by Brook.

  Jake, please call me when you get this. I just got home from work and someone broke into my house! The place is a mess, the police are here. Please call me.

  The next message played. She sounded more desperate.

  Please call me. I don't want to stay here tonight. Can I please stay with you? I'm scared. Please call me.

  Michael hung up the phone and ran his fingers through his hair. This was bad.

  “What's going on?”

  Both men turned toward the hallway. Jessica was standing there with a worried expression.

  “I don't know,” Michael replied. “Someone broke into Brook's place.”

  “Like a burglary?” She stepped closer.

  “Doubt it.” Michael was rapidly trying to process this new development and figure out his next move.

  “You think someone else is looking for her brother?” she asked.

  “Maybe. But why now? If the CIA had wanted to find him 3 years ago, they could have done it a lot better than me. I don't know. I feel like there's something I'm missing.”

  “You gonna call her?” Josh asked.

  “I don't know that I want to. What's my reason for not letting her come over? I'll let her find someplace else to stay tonight and call her in the morning. I'll say my phone was off.”

  “What's gonna happen when the police run your prints?” Jessica asked.

  Michael and Josh just looked at each other.

  “Let's go back to bed.” Michael put his arm around her and led her back to the bedroom.

  MORNING CAME and Michael woke with a feeling of dread over the break-in at Brook's. His biggest concern was, why? Jessica was also starting to wake as he looked at his watch. It was 7:15 a.m. He went into the living room to call Brook. Josh was still on the couch. He shut the TV off when Michael started to dial.

  “Hey Brook. It's me. I just turned my phone on and got your messages. I'm sorry.”

  “I really needed you last night.” She sounded upset.

  “I know. I'm sorry, my phone was off. I was asleep. Were you able to find a place to stay?”

  “Yeah. I stayed with my friend April. I don't know if I can go back there.”

  “Did they take anything?”

  “I couldn't tell, it was such a mess. It didn't look like they did. My TV, stereo, and computer were still there. It didn't look like they took any jewelry, but I was too upset to really look.” Her voice quavered and she sounded like she might cry.

  “At least you're safe.”

  “Yeah, I suppose ... Hold on, I'm getting another call.”

  He waited while she took the other call.

  “Still there?” She came back on the line.

  “I'm here.”

  “That was the detective working my case. He wants to meet at my house in ten minutes. Can I call you later?”

  “Yeah, let me know what happens.”

  Michael hung up the phone. He had a solemn look on his face. Jessica emerged from the bedroom and joined them.

  “What's wrong?” Josh asked.

  “She said a detective wanted to meet at her house in ten minutes about her case.”

  “It's kinda early for that isn't it?” Josh seemed suspicious.

  “That's what I was thinking. We should ditch the phones.”

  “What are they going to do to her?” Jessica asked.

  “It doesn't matter,” Michael replied coldly.

  “Are they going to kill her?” She looked concerned.

  Michael didn't answer. He knew they would.

  “Are they going to torture her?” Jessica became more distressed. As much as she didn't like Brook, she didn't feel she deserved to die a horrible death.

  As much as Michael wanted to cut his ties with her and stay away from the death trap her house was about to become, he was also feeling a plague of conscience.

  Chapter 35

  Not wanting to go inside alone, Brook waited outside her house for the detective to arrive. The detective and his partner arrived a few moments later and after a brief introduction, she unlocked the door and they entered. They were about the same height with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes. Both looked fit though the man introduced as Det. Richards seemed to have more of a beer belly than Det. Colt.

  She stood staring at the mess in her living room. It looked like a tornado had hit her house. She turned around to address the detectives and was greeted with a gun in her face. While Det. Richards held the gun to her head, Det. Colt ripped the cord off her phone.

  She should have asked to see ID, but the thought hadn't even occurred to her. Now, it was too late. Filled with sheer terror, still not fully grasping what was happening or why, she asked what was going on. Richards just smiled while Colt tried to grab her arms and tie them behind her back. She started to resist, but Richards waved the gun in her face and she quickly backed down. Now that she was restrained, they brou
ght her into the kitchen and sat her down on one of the chairs.

  “We don't want to hurt you, but we need you to tell us where your brother is. If you do, we'll leave and you can live without any permanent scars. If you do not, then we will have some fun with you before we kill you.” Richards ran the tip of his gun along her jawline as he spoke.

  Trembling and terrified, she started sobbing. Her body grew numb with fear.

  Richards slapped her hard across the face with the back of his hand. “Where is your brother?!” he yelled.

  She screamed when he hit her and began crying uncontrollably. He hit her again.

  “I don't know where he is!” she cried.

  Richards hit her again, knocking her from the chair. She fell on her side, crying and screaming for help. Colt retrieved a hand towel from her closet and stuffed it in her mouth to muffle her cries.

  “To tell you the truth, I was hoping you wouldn't give him up easily,” Richards grinned.

  Brook tried to spit the towel from her mouth but he had forced so much inside that it was impossible.

  Colt dragged her to the middle of the kitchen floor. He pulled a knife from his pocket which sent Brook into another round of screaming and crying. She tried to squirm away to no avail. Richards watched gleefully as Colt knelt down beside her, slid the knife under her shirt and tore it off. She screamed again, trying in vain to move away.

  “After we have had our fun, you will tell us what we want to know. Or else we will have to start all over again.”

  Colt never uttered a word. He just seemed to take telepathic orders from Richards.

  Richards was staring down at the half-naked girl on the floor and grinning when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to see Michael holding a gun aimed at his head. He started to curse just as the bullet sunk into his skull. His lifeless body fell to the floor next to Brook. Her scream muffled by the towel.

  Blocked by the kitchen wall, Colt couldn't see Michael. He just heard the dull tap of a silenced weapon and saw Richards drop to the floor with a hole in his head. Then Michael stepped around the corner with his gun trained on him. Colt cursed in Russian. Quickly turning Brook into a human shield, he put his knife to her throat. He was shaking so badly, her neck started to bleed as the knife dug into it.