Outside the Wire

by Holly Copella

  Her look turned hard and cold. “Don’t you ever fucking toy with my emotions again,” she lashed out with anger.

  Zack slowly moved to his feet and held his hand in the air. “I’m sorry, Jackie,” he gasped. “Believe me, I’m truly sorry for everything I’ve done, but we need to go before others organize and shoot us.”

  “There are no others,” she scoffed while glaring at him. “Bogart and Monroe are handling the last of them. According to Beck’s message relayed through Bogart, several guards took off when I breached security.”

  “Did they get Melissa Pendleton?” he suddenly asked with concern.

  “No, she took off the moment she sniffed danger.”

  Zack groaned, retrieved his gun, and pulled her across the yard with him. “We have to stop her.”

  “We got her men,” Jackie protested while stopping to collect her samurai swords. “She’s not an immediate threat.”

  “No,” Zack replied and flashed his cell phone, “but this is.”

  Jackie looked at his cell phone and stared at a picture of Ross tied to a chair. He looked badly beaten and bruised. “Ross,” she gasped.

  “Yeah, and if she suspects my betrayal has anything to do with Ross or the team, she may put it together and have his captives kill him just to prove her point,” Zack informed her. “We need to find him first.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “We don’t have time for story-telling, Jackie,” he announced, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the house. “Like it or not; you have to trust me.”

  She cast a look at his hand holding hers then considered the comment while rushing to keep up with him. “I honestly wish I didn’t.”

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Jackie and Zack hurried through the mansion since it was the quickest route to Zack’s car parked out front. They crossed the empty kitchen and hurried into the massive hallway with a straight shot to the front foyer door. As they hurried along the hall, both suddenly stopped, alerted to a sound. Jackie and Zack cast their backs against each other with their pistols aimed in opposite directions. Beck appeared in the darkened study doorway with his gun aimed at Zack, but he didn’t have a clean shot with Jackie partially blocking him.

  “Step away from him, Jackie,” Beck ordered in a gruff, low voice.

  Jackie stepped in front of Zack; now blocking Beck’s shot, and aimed her gun at him, surprising him. “No,” she launched back. “There’s an explanation for what’s happened, and it’s worth hearing him out!”

  “He’s tricking you, Jackie,” Beck warned with anger, refusing to lower his gun despite that it was now aimed at her. “The bounty on your head is doubled if they take you alive. That’s why he needs you alive!”

  “You don’t understand,” Jackie snapped hotly.

  “He killed Kirk! I understand that!”

  A gun cocked behind Beck within the darkness of the study, catching his attention.

  “A little misunderstanding,” a familiar voice announced from behind him.

  Beck uncertainly looked over his shoulder then lowered his gun when he saw Kirk standing behind him.

  “Now, can we all be friends again?” Kirk asked while raising a cocky brow.

  Everyone lowered their weapons. Beck’s shoulders sagged with relief. He gave Kirk a big, manly hug, which he actually returned for once. Beck pulled away appearing a little misty eyed then looked around as his commanding attitude returned.

  “Who wants to tell me what’s going on around here?” Beck finally demanded then looked back at Kirk. “I saw you dead in the field.”

  “The bastard shot me with a tranquilizer dart,” Kirk remarked. “When I woke, he’d taken my clothes and stuffed me in a duffel bag that earlier contained a dead man who looked a lot like me. When Zack finally let me out, I nearly broke his neck. He’d left a Kirk lookalike wearing my clothes, so you’d think he killed me.”

  “But why?” Beck demanded.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Jackie announced while becoming anxious.

  “The house is empty, and it’ll be a while before the police are notified about gunshots being fired,” Beck replied with annoyance. “I’d say we have plenty of time.”

  Gil and Darth appeared on the broad staircase with Riley directly behind them. Darth happily greeted Zack. The dog held no grudges.

  “Jackie’s right,” Gil announced as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “This is Riley. She has some interesting information about her aunt that didn’t seem important when she met with Bogart the other day on the train.”

  Zack handed Jackie his cell phone.

  “Well this is more important,” Jackie announced then flashed Beck the picture of Ross on the cell phone.

  Beck’s expression immediately dropped. “Son-of-a-bitch!”

  “Ross and Lee survived the blast and the building collapse,” Zack informed them. “They’re being held hostage by the same people who put the bounties on our heads.”

  “Ross was probably the one giving them certain inside information about us because they have Lee,” Jackie informed him. “There’s no telling what they’ve done to either of them the last two weeks.”

  “If Melissa suspects I’ve been helping you,” Zack announced with concern, “she could be on her way to where they’re keeping Ross. For all we know, she may already have given the order to kill him. We need to find her.”

  “That’s where Riley comes in,” Gil informed them. “Riley knows where her aunt may have gone, but she wants protection from her. We need to take her along to keep them from killing her.”

  “Then we should probably go,” Beck remarked. “We’ll need to collect Monroe and Bogart and get the hell out of here before the police--”

  They heard sirens in the distance.

  “Time to go,” Kirk announced and motioned everyone toward the front door.

  “My aunt’s cars are in the garage out back. We can take them and leave through the back gate,” Riley replied while indicating the hallway toward the kitchen. “The keys are on the wall just inside the garage. I know the security code to get inside.”

  Beck tapped his ear transmitter as they hurried to the kitchen. “Monroe, do you have Bogart?”

  “Copy,” came Monroe’s reply.

  “Meet us by the garage, we have company,” Beck informed him.

  “Yeah, I hear them,” Monroe replied through Beck’s ear transmitter. “We’re out back securing a few cell phones from Jackie’s new dead friends in case there’s any new information coming in. On our way to the garage now.”

  “We’ll be there in less than a minute,” Beck announced as they headed through the kitchen and for the back door. They hurried outside and toward the garage, avoiding the battlefield strewn with bodies. After seeing the mess she’d left behind, the others cast several concerned looks at Jackie.

  She glared her annoyance at them. “What?” she snapped hotly.

  None responded and gave her innocent looks. They spotted Monroe and Bogart waiting by the garage doors. Monroe saw them and indicated the electronic lock.

  “Minor setback,” Monroe announced with noted concern then saw Zack. Without warning, he punched Zack in the face, stunning him but not knocking him down. Zack rubbed his jaw and stared at Monroe with some surprise.

  “You shot me, dickhead!” Monroe launched hotly.

  “Relax, you big baby,” Zack snapped back. “You were wearing a vest.”

  “Oh, and you knew that?” Monroe demanded.

  “You always wear body armor after someone tries to kill you,” Zack reported. “I can spot you wearing a vest a mile away by the size of your chest.”

  “Fight about it later,” Beck ordered then eyed the lock. “What’s the issue?”

  “I can crack it, but it’ll take time that we don’t have,” Monroe remarked.

  Riley hurried past Beck and approached the keypad. As she punched in the code, she saw Bogart and displayed her enthusiasm. “Bogart,” she c
ried out happily.

  “Hey, Riley,” he announced while equally enthusiastic.

  “Save the joyful reunion,” Kirk snarled at the horny young couple. “We’re about to be arrested with a dozen or more bodies surrounding us.”

  Bogart then noticed Kirk and became enthusiastic. “Kirk, you’re alive,” he cried out and attempted to hug him.

  “Touch me and die,” Kirk snarled before he could get too close.

  Bogart raised his hands in the air defensively and took a step back. Once the door was unlocked, they hurried into the garage. Riley grabbed two sets of keys for the expensive, new sports cars and handed them to Bogart. Beck snatched them from him without comment.

  Bogart suddenly seemed to realize something rather important and turned toward Kirk. “Wait a minute,” the country boy suddenly announced with rising irritation. “Were you the one who knocked me out?”

  Kirk ignored him as they piled into two separate cars.

  “It was you,” Bogart gasped as his eyes widened. “You bastard!”

  Jackie shoved Bogart into one of the cars then jumped in behind him. Both cars burned out from the garage and took the back way from the mansion grounds to avoid the arriving police.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Within the dimly lit basement was a dark holding cell in the corner. A man’s bare feet were wedged within the bars at least two feet from the ground. Soft grunts came from the small prison cell. Ross, wearing only a pair of pants with no shirt or shoes, performed rigorous sit-ups on the hard incline. The bruises on his face were finally fading, indicating his captors were no longer beating him. When he heard the basement door open, he pulled himself up to the bars, removed his feet, and jumped to the floor. He collapsed onto the worn, torn blanket on the concrete floor against the wall and attempted to look relaxed.

  “Ross,” came a male voice. “It’s me.”

  Ross sprang to his feet and stood before the bars, staring at the guard as he approached.

  “Wexler,” he announced with mild enthusiasm. “Did you learn anything?”

  The Columbian man in his late twenties handed Ross a bottle of water through the bars. Ross immediately accepted it and downed half the bottle then awaited a response.

  “She’s here,” Wexler replied in a moderately thick Columbian accent. “She’s in the building somewhere, but I can’t get information without slitting my own throat at the same time.”

  “No, don’t do anything to make them suspicious,” Ross replied. “I need your help.”

  “Maybe if I just let you go--?”

  “No, that won’t work,” he insisted. “If they realize I’m missing, they’ll kill Lee on the spot. I just wish I knew if she were alright.”

  “It’s a big place,” Wexler informed him. “I’ll have more time tomorrow morning. There are a few off limit places I haven’t looked yet.”

  “Just be careful,” Ross replied with concern. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

  “Not planning on it, I promise,” Wexler announced. “They have my mother and sister. If I screw up, they’ll kill them.” He then appeared curious. “What about your team? Could I contact them somehow?”

  “Too dangerous for us both,” Ross replied. “With the contract on their heads, they’re probably already in deep hiding.” He sighed softly, ran his fingers through his mostly gray hair, and allowed his concerns overtake him. “I hope they’re okay. If anything happened to them, it’s my fault.”

  “They’re in a better position to protect themselves than your girlfriend,” Wexler informed him. “I know what you’re going through.”

  “I’m sure, or you wouldn’t be helping me,” Ross replied with a tiny smile.

  “Not that I wouldn’t help you,” Wexler announced. “I just wouldn’t be in this position. I’d have taken my family and ran far away.”

  “We’ll find your family,” Ross assured him. “You just keep up appearances and remember the code phrase if my men do happen to show up.”

  “I’ll remember.” He straightened and inhaled deeply. “I should go. Is there anything else you need?”

  “No, you’ve done enough,” Ross remarked and handed him the empty water bottle. “Thank you.”

  †

  Lee slept restlessly beneath the covers of the moderately average bed in the bland bedroom. The bedroom door was abruptly pushed open, allowing light to spill into the room, alarming her. Lee jumped up in bed and looked at the doorway. A short, slightly round woman in her fifties and a slender woman in her mid to late twenties hurried into the room. Both women wore their robes covering their sleepwear.

  “What’s wrong?” Lee asked with concern while holding her chest. “What’s happening?”

  “We’re not sure,” Alma, the older woman, announced in a soft voice with a thick Columbian accent and joined her on the bed. She immediately placed her arm around Lee’s shoulder. “There’s a lot of activity out there. There are never this many guards running around at night.”

  “I think it’s okay,” Kelsey informed them from where she stood guard by the bedroom door. Her accent wasn’t nearly as thick as her mother’s accent. “They’re not interested in coming in here.” She then looked back at Lee. “You don’t think your boyfriend escaped, do you?”

  “No,” Lee replied. “If he had, they’d probably come for me and use me as bait. At the very least, they’d post a guard inside the room.”

  “This is wrong,” Kelsey remarked, becoming angry. “As long as we have Lee, our chances of escaping increase greatly. Once we get to a populated area, we can call her friends to help us. You said they’re big time bad asses.”

  “We don’t even know where to find them,” Lee informed her new friend. “If what you heard is true, they’re being hunted. If they survived, they’re probably in hiding by now. Besides, I can’t leave Ross.”

  “If you really love your boyfriend, you’d escape with us,” Kelsey remarked. “They’re using you to subdue him, I guarantee it. Without you being held, he might find the strength to get away as well.” Kelsey glared at her mother. “Just like we should have done in the first place.”

  “They have your brother,” Alma informed her with concern. “If we leave, they’ll kill him.”

  “What’s to stop them from killing any of us?” Kelsey demanded then regained her composure. “I don’t want to live like this. Every day we fear for our lives. Eventually, the day is going to come when they don’t need her anymore. Then what? Are we going to sit by and watch them kill her? Are we going to stand up and die with her? If we escape, everyone has a slightly better chance of living.”

  Alma frowned although considering the comment. She proudly raised her head. “Then maybe the two of you should escape,” she suggested. “I’ll stay behind and bargain for my son’s life.”

  Kelsey shook her head with annoyance. “You can be so damned stubborn.”

  “At least you know where you get it from,” Alma scoffed at her daughter.

  The suite door in the living room opened, alarming all three. An armed guard approached the partially open bedroom door. Kelsey backed up to the bed and stood in front of her mother and Lee, who clung to each other with concern. A guard in his early thirties, Jason, stepped into the doorway to the dimly lit bedroom and suspiciously eyed all three.

  “Everyone okay in here?” Jason asked.

  “Yeah, we’re fine, Jason,” Kelsey announced and appeared to relax when she saw the familiar guard. “What’s with all the commotion?”

  “You know I can’t tell you that,” he replied firmly. “They’ll have my head.”

  Kelsey smiled sweetly, moved closer to the tall, moderately handsome man, and placed her hand on his lower arm. “Who are we going to tell?” she asked while making eyes at him as she caressed his arm.

  “I suppose you’re right,” he replied and took in her beauty with more than a passing interest. “Just some commotion at the big wig’s estate tonight.” Jason then offered a soft chuckle. “Some wom
an took out a dozen highly trained professionals with nothing but a pair of samurai swords.”

  Lee held back her gasp and clutched Alma’s arm. Kelsey placed her hand on the guard’s shoulder and nuzzled him while raising a skeptical brow.

  “I find it slightly disturbing that you think that’s humorous,” she remarked.

  “A woman going ninja on self-proclaimed tough guys?” he teased while grinning. “You have to admit, that’s funny stuff. And they’re professional hitman, so fuck them.”

  “Language,” Alma scolded.

  Jason looked past Kelsey to Alma and offered an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, Alma.”

  Kelsey linked onto Jason’s arm and guided him from the bedroom. “You should probably get back out there before someone misses you.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” he announced. “Just wanted to make sure my favorite girl was safe.”

  Kelsey playfully placed her hand on his chest and smiled sweetly. “Thanks for the concern.” She kissed him quickly on the cheek. “Now get back out there.” Kelsey gave him a teasing, lustful smile. “And beware of sexy ninja women.”

  He gave the comment serious consideration, enjoying the image, and then laughed. “I’ll do that.”

  Jason left the room, locking the door behind him. Alma and Lee stood in the bedroom doorway and stared at the locked door after he’d gone.

  Alma frowned her disapproval at her daughter and shook her head. “I wish you wouldn’t cozy up to that man,” she scolded. “He’s liable to come in here and attack you.”

  “Him?” Kelsey remarked then laughed while waving off her mother. “Jason adores me. He’d probably kill everyone in this place if I offered him a blowjob in return.”

  “Kelsey!” Alma scolded.

  “Desperate times, Mother,” she remarked. “You can relax. I’m saving that secret weapon for when the right opportunity comes along.” Kelsey flopped onto the nearby sofa and kept an eye on the suite door.

  “That opportunity may come along sooner than you think,” Lee informed them.