by Arianna Hart
Even so, Mac felt the knot of fear in his stomach get bigger and bigger.
It wasn’t long before the apartment door opened again. The same two bodyguards flanked the doors and Carlos came out, leading the mayor. Mac snapped another picture for good measure, this one with Carlos’ arm around Nadowny. Didn’t they look chummy?
Time crawled by as Mac waited for the mayor to get into his car and pull away. Stinging sweat dripped into his eyes and more slid down the back of his shirt. Finally, the car started with a low rumble and eased away from the curb. Mac froze and waited for the car to pass his spot in the alley.
He couldn’t blow it now. He had to be patient and wait until the coast was clear. Carlos had retreated to the safety of his lair, but still Mac waited. Just as he was about to slip from his hiding spot, the fire escape ladder creaked. Mac’s heart jumped into his throat. Was he nailed?
Slowly, he sunk lower in his piles and looked out of the corner of his eye. A lone man was furtively climbing down the fire escape. Miguel!
And he looked scared.
Without thinking, Mac crawled along the alley floor. His hands splashed in puddles better left uninvestigated. Just as Miguel reached the last rung of the ladder and prepared to jump the rest of the way down, Mac leapt up and grabbed the slender youth around the waist.
“Scream and we’re both dead.” Mac waited for him to drop his weight and held his grip on Miguel even as his side screamed in pain.
“We got to get outta here, man.” Miguel’s voice held a thread of panic. “If they see me, I’ll be six feet under before you can say ‘Amen’.”
“Don’t worry, I have the perfect place to go. Come on, my brother, we’re catching the next bus out of town.” Mac let Miguel slide down his body until he could lock his arm up behind him.
“Diego? That you, man?”
“Yup, and you’ve got some explaining to do.”
Mac held Miguel’s arm in a death grip all the way out of the Children’s territory and onto the bus. Using his body as a shield, he showed Miguel the gun as soon as they sat to prevent any last minute runs for freedom.
The radio vibrated in his pocket and Mac pulled it out without letting go of the gun. Miguel didn’t seem too eager to jump off a moving bus and slouched low under the window.
“Where the hell are you?” Tom growled through the tinny connection.
“On the A bus heading back to the commuter lot. Meet me there, I’ve got some company with me.”
“Who?”
“I’ll show you as soon as you get your ass back here. Call in the troops, there’s been a new development in the case.”
“I hate this guessing game shit.” Tom hung up.
Miguel remained silent, even when they got off the bus and Mac pushed him into the back seat of Tom’s car. He slid down low again and kept a wary eye out every time a bus rolled into the lot. Mac wanted to shout questions at the young lieutenant, but kept his curiosity in check. He’d wait until Tom was there to help him and listen to Miguel’s first responses.
After twenty minutes and three buses, Tom finally made his way to the car. He raised an eyebrow at Miguel’s presence as he slid into the driver’s seat, but didn’t say anything until they pulled out of the lot.
“Now this is a surprise. You want to fill me in?” Tom asked, looking at Mac through the rear view mirror to the back seat where he sat with the gun still trained on Miguel.
“I was watching Carlos’ place when he got a visitor, the honorable Mayor Nadowny. No sooner had Nadowny pulled away than I caught—literally—Miguel coming down the fire escape.”
“The mayor? You’ve got to be kidding me? Not the chief?”
“Nope. And I’ve got the meeting on film. I hope.”
“So, where does that leave us?” Tom accelerated onto the highway.
“That depends on what our friend Miguel here has to say.” Mac jabbed him in the ribs with the barrel of the gun.
“Who are you? I know you’re five-oh, but who’s this cracker?” Miguel nodded belligerently in Tom’s direction.
“My partner in the FBI.” Mac watched his reaction. Miguel’s eyes widened and his hands shook slightly.
“I want to make a phone call.” Sweat dotted his upper lip.
“You’re not under arrest, my friend. We don’t have to let you make a phone call. Hell, we don’t have to let you take a wiz if we don’t want to,” Tom said from the front seat.
Guess Tom was going to play “bad cop” this time around. That was usually Mac’s job, with his light blue eyes he tended to strike fear in the hearts of most of their suspects.
“Come on Miguel, tell us what’s going down. We’ve seen you with the chief several times. I also spotted your exchange with the 525s. Fill me in on what’s been going on since someone shot me in the back.”
“Man, I had nothing to do with that. You gotta believe me. That was all Carlos.”
“Sure, sure it was.”
“I ain’t lyin!” The whites of Miguel’s eyes stood out starkly from his darkly tanned face.
“Why don’t you tell me everything and let me decide who to believe?”
“Look, this is how it went down. Carlos gets paranoid all the time. He has connections with the cops, so he took the can of soda you drank from at his place and sent it somewhere. A few weeks later your prints come back and you’re busted.”
“Your prints should’ve been on file as Diego.” Tom’s eyes looked worried in the rear view mirror.
“I don’t know, man. Maybe it was something else. All I know is word went out that you was to be popped and whoever got you got five Gs.”
“That’s all I was worth? Five thousand? How insulting.”
“You’re worth twice that in Columbia. Maybe you should go back down there if your ego’s feeling bruised,” Tom shot out sarcastically.
“So where does the chief figure into this? Is he Carlos’ connection?”
“No.” Miguel clammed up.
“I have a full tank of gas, I can drive around all day until I find a place to dump your body.”
“Come on Miguel, the game’s over. I’ve got proof that the mayor is involved with Carlos and that you’re involved with the chief. Save yourself.”
“I don’t know nothing.”
Mac waited. They were at a stalemate and time was wasting. “Tom, why don’t you call Caitlyn and tell her what we found out and tell her to keep her eyes open.”
“You think they’re going after her?”
“I don’t know anything for sure, but something tells me they aren’t just going to let her get away scot-free. The mayor knows both of us, and someone ran her plates. Chances are he’s put two and two together.”
Tom tossed his cell phone back to Mac and pulled an illegal U-turn. “You call her and tell her to stay put, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
* * *
Why had she missed being at work again? Caitlyn stretched her aching back and tried to work a kink out of her neck. She’d never seen so many psychiatric evaluations in one shift in her entire career. The only other time she’d ever had this many at once was before a bad storm and that was probably to have someplace warm to spend the night.
“Caitlyn, go grab some supper while you can,” Caitlyn’s head nurse directed her.
It was barely five o’clock, but if she didn’t go now, chances were she wouldn’t get another opportunity.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can choke down a sandwich or something.”
“Take your time. If we need you we’ll page you.”
Caitlyn didn’t doubt they would.
The cafeteria was busy with other hospital personal trying to grab a bite to eat before rushing back to work. Everyone looked frazzled, more so than usual. That memo from city hall must have everyone anxious.
Well, she wasn’t going to let a stupid memo keep her from eating. It might be the only time she’d get to sit down until midnight. The grilled cheese sandwich and fries she’d ordered
didn’t seem all that appetizing, but they’d fill her up for a while.
She’d no sooner taken a bite of gooey cheese and soggy bread then she saw the Chief of Police walk through the door.
Holy crap. Caitlyn slid to a chair behind a potted plant and hoped he wouldn’t see her. Apparently he wasn’t looking for her, because after a quick glance around the crowded room, he headed straight for one of the maintenance people sitting by herself.
Caitlyn didn’t recognize the woman. She must work on another floor. Carefully keeping her back to the two of them, she walked over to the condiment station and pretended to get some ketchup. With straining ears, she tried to catch part of their conversation. The cafeteria was so noisy, she couldn’t pick up much. She waited for a lull in conversation.
“You have to tell me where he is! Miguel left me a strange message about tonight, and now he’s not answering his phone.”
Caitlyn looked out of the corner of her eye and saw the woman shaking her head and gesturing with her hands. The chief leaned over the table and looked around. She had to call Tom! If the chief wanted Miguel, maybe something was happening now.
Walking casually back to the table, Caitlyn grabbed her purse and picked up her lunch tray. She couldn’t use her cell phone in the hospital, so she’d have to go to the parking lot to call Tom. Dumping her mostly uneaten dinner, Caitlyn took the stairs as fast as she could. As she hustled through the lobby doors, she heard her name being paged.
Damn, she’d have to make this quick so she could get back to the ER Her hands shook as she dug through her purse for her phone. She walked away from the smokers who congregated outside the main doors and dialed Tom’s number.
It seemed to take forever for the signal to connect. She tapped her foot impatiently as it rang and rang with no answer.
“What’s the point of having one of these things if you’re not going to answer it?” At least he’d see her number on the phone if he bothered to check his messages. She snapped the phone closed with a little more energy than was necessary.
As she turned to go back into the hospital, a car pulled up to the curb and stopped in front of her. Maybe they needed directions? The hospital complex was a maze if you didn’t know where to park. She could take a minute to give directions before she went back to work.
The car door opened and a gentleman in a suit got out of the back seat. He looked at her name badge and a smile crept across his face.
“Can I help you?” Caitlyn asked. The hair at the back of her neck prickled. She took a step backwards. He looked like a businessman, but something about that smile bothered her.
“Are you Tom O’Toole’s sister?”
“Yes I am. Why?” Was he hurt? Could this be someone from his office? Wouldn’t they have called her if there were a problem?
“I need to talk to you, there’s been an…incident.”
Fear immediately lodged in her throat. Not Tom! She took a step forward then stopped.
“What kind of incident?” Something wasn’t right here. “Wait a minute. Aren’t you Mayor Nadowny? What do you know about my brother?” Caitlyn turned and waved to the guard on duty in the lobby. She didn’t know what the mayor wanted, but he was giving her the willies and she wanted someone there.
“Get her!”
A hand clapped over her mouth. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and picked her up off the ground. She fought back with every dirty trick she could think of, biting at the hand that held her and kicking back with her heels. A grunt of pain sounded, but the arm stayed wrapped around her.
She was dumped in the back seat of the car and Nadowny climbed in after her. Caitlyn scrambled for the other door, hoping to get out before they knew what she was doing, but Nadowny grabbed her braid and yanked her back.
“Go! Go!”
Caitlyn was thrown back as the car sped off. The last thing she saw was Nadowny’s face before pain slammed through her head and the world went dark.
* * *
“She’s not answering the page.” Mac’s gut was screaming at him that something was wrong. “It shouldn’t take her this long to get to a phone.”
“We’re almost there, just hold on. Maybe she’s in the bathroom or something.” Tom’s face was pinched with fear, but his hands remained steady on the wheel. They were doing sixty miles an hour on the city streets, so it was a good thing he wasn’t shaking.
Mac turned to Miguel. “So help me God, if one hair on her head is disturbed your life won’t be worth spit.”
“Dude, I had nothing to do with any chick. You have to believe me.”
“I don’t have to do shit.” Mac silently urged Tom to go faster.
Tom rounded the corner and Mac would have sworn they were on two wheels. As they screeched to a halt in front of the hospital, Mac saw a black sedan pulling away.
“That’s him. Follow him!”
“What? That’s who?”
“The mayor, the mayor. That’s his car.”
Tom didn’t ask any more questions but followed the black car. He hadn’t gone a hundred feet when an ambulance came by with lights flashing and sirens wailing, cutting him off.
Mac and Miguel were thrown forward as Tom slammed on the breaks.
“Shit!” Tom pounded his fist on the steering wheel.
Before Mac could form a new plan, Miguel shoved open the door and jumped out. Mac scrambled after him, throwing all his pent up anger and frustration into his stride. Miguel looked over his shoulder and put on an extra burst of speed, charging right for the Emergency Room doors.
Mac gained on him with every step. If he made it to the hospital, one of the guards would grab him for sure, but Mac wanted to be the one to catch him. Miguel was headed straight for the sliding glass doors. At the rate of speed he was moving, he’d slam into them before they opened.
Just as Mac slowed down to keep from charging head long into plate glass, the door opened and Miguel smashed into the person walking out.
Who happened to be none other than the Chief of Police.
Chapter Nineteen
Mac paced up and down the hall of Jim’s apartment. Miguel, the chief, and the O’Tooles were in the kitchen, but he couldn’t sit still. They had Caitlyn. And it was his fault.
“Would you sit down? I don’t want to have to repeat all of this.” Tom stopped him as he was preparing to make another turn.
“I can’t sit.”
“Then stand, but pay attention. We need to know who the players are so we can get her back. Pacing isn’t going to do her any good.”
“How can you be so calm? She’s your sister, for God’s sake.”
“No kidding. I’m not calm, I’m pissed as hell, but there’s nothing we can do about it yet.”
Mac grunted and moved into the kitchen. Miguel had babbled incoherently to the chief in a mixture of Spanish and English when Mac caught up to him. The chief took one look at Mac’s face and the badge Tom flashed and hustled them all aside. He had agreed to meet at Jim’s apartment when Mac threatened to call his supervisor at the FBI.
Now, both sides were staring each other down, waiting for the other side to break. Jim looked at Mac and Tom, then at the chief and Miguel and threw his hands up in the air.
“This is ridiculous! You’re all sitting here with information that can help the other ones out, but instead of cooperating, you’re playing power games. Fine, I’ll be the weak one and speak first. Chief, we saw you meeting with Miguel. Miguel, we saw you having relations with the 525s. You all know Mac, also known as Diego, is a federal agent, and Tom is his partner. Now stop the stupid cop games and fill in the blanks.” Jim sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
“A lot like your sister, isn’t he?” Mac said to Tom. “Okay, I’ll go first. My supervisor who’d heard about guns being run through Hartford from the ATF tagged me for this assignment. I went deep undercover and was accepted for the most part.” He shot a glance at Miguel. “Until one night, I got shot in the back. At that
time the gangs had just declared a cease-fire. I saw cases of automatic rifles transferred from Carlos’ apartment to a warehouse somewhere in the city.”
The chief looked at Miguel, who nodded, then back at Mac. “Miguel is my sister’s stepson. He got into some trouble with the gangs. As a way of easing his sentence, he agreed to work with the police as an undercover agent.”
“Oh? And who else knew about this assignment?” Mac leaned back against the counter and tapped his fingers on the surface.
“No one. There’s a leak in the department.”
Tom scoffed. “No? Really?”
The chief went on, ignoring Tom. “And I couldn’t risk someone finding out. My sister still lives in that neighborhood. The whole family would get killed if word ever got out.”
“They might still,” Mac interjected. “Something is going on and I want to know what. Miguel, how much did you overhear when the mayor came calling?”
Miguel looked to the chief again, who nodded slightly. He wiped his hands on his baggy jeans and then clasped them together on the table. The heavy gold bracelet he wore clattered against the wood, betraying his nervousness.
“You sure he ain’t gonna bust me? Diego saw a lot of shit.”
“I’m not after you. I want Carlos and his boss. I’ll let the chief worry about your drug deals.” Mac wasn’t so sure Miguel was on the up and up with the chief, which would explain his nervousness.
“I followed Carlos, just like you said.” He looked at the chief again. “He had his bodyguards chase everyone off for a while, so I knew something was up. I hid in his apartment while he went to get the dude he was meeting. From what he told his posse, this was the first time he was meeting him in person. ‘Till now it’s been ‘the Man’ this and ‘the Man’ that. Guess the Man didn’t want anyone knowing who he was.”
“Can’t imagine why.” Tom bent a paper clip in unnatural directions.
“So I waited on the fire escape until the Man came in and I listened at the bedroom door.”
“Cut to the chase. What did you hear?” Mac was ready to pull the information out of his mouth with hot tongs.