Deadly Exchange

by Lisa Harris

  We need to find a way to end this, God. Permanently.

  “Mercy.” Kayla shook her gently. “I’m sorry, but we need to leave quickly. Here’s your coat and scarf. Your boots are on the floor next to the bed.”

  Mercy let out a soft groan, then sat up. “What happened?”

  “Nicu’s downstairs. We need to hurry and get out of here.”

  She grabbed one of her boots. “How did he find me?”

  Kayla scooped up the second boot and set it next to her. “It doesn’t matter at this point. We just need to get out of here.”

  Mercy tugged on her boots. “I knew I shouldn’t have turned on my phone. That has to be how he found me.”

  “None of that matters now. Only getting out of here safely. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do, Mercy. We’re going to get you somewhere he can’t find you.”

  Mercy didn’t hesitate as she finished putting on her other boot, then stood up and slipped on her coat. They’d planned out every detail and practiced their escape in case there was ever a danger of their being discovered here at the safe house. They knew exactly what to do. Two minutes was the maximum time they’d have to get out of here before someone downstairs found them.

  They headed toward the living room, where Celine was pulling out prepared go bags filled with cash, burner phones, nonperishables like pindakaas—Dutch peanut butter—crackers and granola bars. There were changes of clothes and extra jackets and scarves. Kayla had always prayed they’d never have to use the stash. Because now they were going to have to test the two-minute theory in a real-world emergency. And they were already down to half that.

  Please, God. Let it be enough.

  “I’ve got the go bags and tickets,” Levi said. He was used to doing the planning for missions. This time he was clearly trying to keep up with what was going on. “What’s the actual plan out of here?”

  “We’ve got less than sixty seconds.” She glanced at the clock in the corner of the room and grabbed her coat and scarf. “The ferry station’s right around the corner. There’s a secret exit out of the building through the attics that run atop the other apartments and eventually leads to another street. If we can get there without them finding us, we should be all right.”

  “What else can I do?” Levi asked.

  “We’ll catch the ferry and take Mercy to the second safe house we have set up,” Kayla said. “Then we’ll see about finding my father.”

  “I’ve already sent Rene the signal,” Jansen said. “He knows you’re coming and will be ready.”

  “Wait a minute.” Celine hesitated while her husband opened the secret door to the attic that was hidden behind the coats in the front closet. “More than likely, they’ll be looking for the three of you. Let me take Mercy to the safe house. Jansen will stay here and wait for the police. And, Kayla...I heard you and Levi talking. The two of you need to go find your father.”

  “Forget it, Celine,” Kayla said. “It’s too dangerous.”

  Celine took a step forward. “I don’t care. We didn’t sign up for this because I thought it was a walk in the park. We agreed to let you use our home because we believe in what you’re doing. Because we want to make sure these girls stay safe.”

  “Celine—”

  “I can get her safely to Rene’s without a tail. I’ve been through all the training the girls have had, and it will give you a head start in finding your father.”

  Kayla glanced at Levi, who nodded at her. She wanted to agree, but would she be sacrificing both Mercy and Celine for the sake of her father?

  “Please, Kayla.”

  There was no time to argue. “Promise you’ll call us as soon as you’re safe.”

  “I will.”

  Kayla glanced at the plates of food still sitting on the table, then turned to Jansen. “Make sure there is no sign that the three of us were here, in case they force their way inside. And you’re going to need to stall them until the police arrive. Redirect them. Anything you can think of to ensure they don’t follow us.”

  “I can do that. Go. And be careful. All of you.”

  Someone banged on the apartment door. Jansen quickly shut the closet door behind them, leaving them in darkness except for thin cracks of light above them. Celine flipped on a flashlight that lit up the narrow staircase into the dark attic with its steep gables that were filled with cobwebs and years of collected dust.

  The muscles in Kayla’s jaw tensed as they followed Celine, praying that music from the café below was enough to cover up their footsteps. She walked into a spiderweb, then quickly wiped the sticky threads from her face. Even with a flashlight the room felt dark and eerie.

  Church bells rang out in the distance, barely audible above the music playing below them.

  She shuddered and knew for certain that Nicu and his brother would kill them if they found them.

  * * *

  The chilly crawl space was just tall enough for Levi to walk hunched over like an old man. The yellow beam of the flashlight caught a pile of boxes and a few pieces of forgotten furniture. His muscles tensed. If Nicu discovered where they’d gone and followed them, there would be no place for them to run.

  Because one thing was clear from everything that had happened. Nicu would do anything in his power to get Mercy back. Which was why when he’d hesitantly agreed with Celine’s argument that she take Mercy to the second safe house, he still had his doubts they’d made the right decision. If Nicu could discover this safe house, who was to say he couldn’t find them now?

  “There’s a staircase that leads down to the ground floor just ahead of us,” Celine said. “It ends up along a street on the back side of the block.”

  Thirty seconds later they were making their way down the narrow staircase that was encased in decades-old brick walls.

  “Wait a minute,” Levi said as Celine opened the door. “Let’s make sure no one’s watching this exit.”

  He slipped outside and immediately wished the guard had been wearing a warmer jacket. While the sun had decided to come out for a bit, a cold wind still whipped around him. But the temperature was the last thing he was worried about at the moment. He needed to ensure they weren’t walking into a trap. While there were a few pedestrians enjoying the cold winter afternoon, the cobblestone street appeared quiet. The long row of apartments was lined with bikes locked up by their owners. A Vespa sped past them, but its driver didn’t seem to notice them. No one seemed to notice them.

  “Which way?” Levi asked.

  “At the next intersection, Mercy and I will need to head west,” Celine said as they started walking. “The ferry’s not far from here. You’ll be going in the opposite direction.”

  “You need to hurry.” Kayla squeezed Mercy’s hand. “But please...let us know as soon as you are safe. And if something—anything—goes wrong, call the police.”

  Celine and Mercy hurried toward the ferry, while Levi continued to take in their surroundings. “I don’t see Nicu or anyone who looks out of place.”

  “I don’t, either,” Kayla said as they started in the opposite direction. “There’s a tram that stops right next to the Westerkerk, which will be the quickest way there. We just need to walk a few blocks to catch it.”

  “How are you doing?” he asked, worried about her as much as he was for Mercy.

  “Scared. Nervous. What happens if my father isn’t there? What happens if we can’t find him?”

  It wasn’t a question he was ready to answer. His theory on where Nicu was holding her father was an educated guess at best. And even if he’d been in that boat when they’d made the recording, Nicu and his men still could have moved him since then. There was simply no way to know at this point. But second-guessing their only lead wasn’t going to help, either.

  They kept walking in silence down the busier cross street, past an antique shop selling vi
ntage handbags, a pastry shop and a café.

  Kayla stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as a bicycle whizzed past them ringing its bell. “Levi.”

  “What is it?”

  “Thirty yards or so ahead of us is a man wearing a long black coat and a dark blue scarf. He’s walking toward us. He was the other man with Nicu at the house. His brother, Andrei.”

  “I see him.” His mind automatically ran through their options as he grabbed her hand and turned back in the direction they’d come from. “Do you think he saw us?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure, but we’re going to need to find another way to the tram.”

  Without leading Andrei toward Mercy and Celine.

  The worry in his gut continued to gnaw at him. Nicu and Andrei knew they were out here somewhere, and both were intent on finding them. Something Levi couldn’t let happen.

  “Do we have any idea how many men are actually working with Nicu?” he asked as they sidestepped a woman pushing a baby carriage.

  “I only saw Andrei and the guard we confronted, plus whoever broke into the girls’ apartment, but the work they do is competitive, so they keep their crews small.”

  But while he hoped there were only the three of them, there was no way to know how many were looking for them. He glanced behind him and caught sight of the man’s blue scarf. They were definitely still being followed.

  “And, Levi... Nicu’s ahead of us.”

  This time there was no time to consider a strategy. He led her down the first side street to the right, and together they started running down the narrowing alley. Ahead of them a large truck backed into the other end of the skinny passage, blocking the exit. Levi glanced back, certain that at least one if not both of the men had seen them. Which meant turning around wasn’t an option. And now neither was going forward.

  They were trapped.

  How had he let this happen?

  They passed a number of doors as they ran, presumably leading to storefronts. He tried the first door they came to. It was locked. Another ten yards was another door. This one was unlocked.

  Levi slipped into the large warehouse-type building with Kayla, locking the door behind them. With no heat inside, the place felt like a freezer. Stepping through a door of plastic sheeting, they found a larger storeroom with fifteen-foot ceilings. From the looks of it, someone had completely gutted the building and was currently in the process of refurbishing it. The room was filled with dozens of cardboard boxes, tall metal scaffolding, paint buckets and more large plastic sheets that had been laid out across the floor.

  On the other side of the room, two or three dozen mannequins stood closely together, waiting to be put on display once the store was complete. For now, though, most of them were missing arms and heads, making the dimly lit store feel more like they’d walked into the middle of some science experiment.

  “There are no windows in here,” Kayla said. “How do we get out?”

  “It looks like this room’s for storage,” Levi said, walking across the plastic sheeting. “But there’s got to be access to the front.”

  Kayla’s phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and quickly answered it.

  “That was Celine,” she said quietly as soon as she hung up the call. “She said they made it to the ferry, and there were no signs of anyone following them.”

  The sound of splitting wood echoed inside the warehouse, interrupting his response. Levi grabbed Kayla’s hand and started to run, but it was too late. A bullet pinged off the wall above them as someone shouted for them to stop.

  Levi stopped next to the row of mannequins and slowly turned around. Nicu stood in a stream of light from the open door.

  Fifteen

  “Where is she?” Nicu’s deep voice bounced off the tall ceilings of the warehouse as he leveled his gun at them.

  Kayla tried to capture the tendrils of fear wrapping themselves around her heart as Nicu’s brother stepped into the room behind him. The only thing good about this situation was that if both of them were here, they weren’t running after Mercy and Celine. But now that they’d found them, she knew they had no intentions of letting them go again.

  “We still have another eighteen hours to find her,” Levi said, raising his hands beside him.

  “I think you already found Mercy,” Nicu said. “I found your safe house, and now you’re only a couple blocks away? Sounds too convenient if you ask me.”

  “Was she at the safe house?” Levi asked.

  “No, but I think you already know that. The thing is, you can’t hide her and expect me to in turn give up your father, Kayla. That’s not how things are going to work.”

  What do we do, God? Mercy’s life for my father’s? My father’s life for hers? You know I can’t do this!

  She remembered what Levi had told her. Play the game. Make him believe he was winning.

  “Do you actually think I’d put the life of one of your girls above my father’s?” she asked. “But Levi’s right. You gave us another twenty-four hours to find her. That was the deal.”

  “Things have changed. I’m tired of your stalling and excuses,” Nicu said. “And you know too much. Which is why if you’d never gotten involved in this in the first place none of this would have happened.”

  “And Mercy? What would have happened to her?” Levi asked.

  “She’s mine and she always will be.”

  “She’s not a piece of property you can just buy or sell or barter,” Kayla said. She was going to forget trying to make him think he’d won. He already believed he’d won no matter what she said.

  “You’re wrong,” he said. “She is mine.”

  Kayla glanced at Levi. Talking to Nicu wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

  A loud voice echoed in another part of the building, momentarily shifting Nicu’s attention. They weren’t here alone. Without stopping to think about what she was doing, Kayla took advantage of the distraction and shoved three of the mannequins toward the center of the room where Nicu stood. A domino effect ensued as one by one the mannequins tumbled on top of one another across the room. Nicu took a step back as one of them crashed next to him.

  Levi grabbed Kayla’s hand and pulled her toward the door behind them.

  “Stop! Both of you!”

  A bullet hit one of the still standing mannequins. Its head exploded as they ducked into the next room. Any lingering doubts about Nicu’s intentions had vanished. His solution was to ensure they were the next victims lying on a slab at the morgue.

  She rounded the corner too quickly and a metal pole sticking out from the wall cut her calf, but adrenaline kept her from feeling more than a sting. Newspapers covered the front windows, blocking most of the sunlight. But at least they’d found their way out. A second shot ricocheted off the wall beside them.

  More voices shouted from inside the warehouse, but she and Levi ignored them as they slipped out the front door and kept running. Kayla scanned the busy street, trying to orient herself as to where they were. If she was right, the tram shouldn’t be more than four or five blocks east of them.

  “We need to put as much distance between us and them as possible,” Levi said. “How far to the nearest tram?”

  “Not far if we hurry.”

  Kayla glanced behind her. There was no sign of Nicu, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t behind them, somewhere in the crowd.

  She heard the warning bell of the tram that was pulling up as they approached the stop a couple minutes later. They jumped on board, where Levi paid his fare while she scanned her pass, then they hurried to two empty seats at the back.

  “Do you still think we should go to the houseboat?” Kayla asked, sitting down next to the window as the tram continued down the track. She hadn’t seen Nicu, but she wasn’t convinced he wasn’t still out there following them.

  “Yes,
I do.”

  “But if that’s where Dad is, don’t you think Nicu will head there as well?” she asked.

  “Maybe, but that means we need to get there first.” He sat down next to her. “Your leg’s bleeding.”

  “It’s nothing.” She pulled a tissue from her bag, then wiped the blood off the cut, ignoring the sting.

  “People are going to wonder what happened to us.” She let out a low laugh, though her hands were still shaking. “Between your black eye, the goose egg on my head, the cut on your arm and now this we make quite a pair.”

  But any feelings of amusement quickly faded. She glanced out the window as bikes, pedestrians and buildings blurred past, with memories taking their place. Lilly’s death. Her father’s disappearance, Mercy running for her life, Nicu running after them...

  How had this happened?

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “So much about this situation brings up a slew of memories I’d rather lay to rest.”

  The uncertainty she’d felt after Lilly vanished. The horror of finding out what had happened to her. How throughout the entire situation she’d felt completely out of control. Like nothing she did or said could change what was happening around her.

  She felt her heart tremor as he squeezed her hand. Since when did he make her heart race like she was eighteen again? But no matter how hard she tried to fight the unexpected feelings she had for him, she couldn’t get rid of them. Not completely.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said.

  She shoved away the questions and shifted her thoughts back to Lilly.

  “My sister is why I’m here and why I get up every morning. Losing her changed me,” she continued. “You remember Lilly. For as long as I remember, she was the one with a hairbrush in her hand as a microphone performing for anyone who would listen. She dreamed of growing up and becoming the next big singing star or cover model. Anything as long as it was in the spotlight.”

  It had always seemed so innocent until someone took advantage of her and with it her life.