“I’m Derek,” he said, as a closer look revealed that the girl was more woman than he thought, and that she was a few years older than his nineteen.
“Is this your car, Derek? I could sure use a ride.”
Derek coughed as he brushed back his blond hair.
“Um, yeah, sure, where are you headed to?”
The woman moved closer and touched Derek on the cheek.
“That depends, do you live alone?”
“Yeah, but it’s just a crappy double-wide my granddad left me.”
“It sounds cozy, why don’t we go there?”
Having never been the suspicious type and knowing a good thing when he saw it, Derek nodded his head in agreement, even as he fumbled the keys to the Chevy from his pocket and unlocked the passenger door.
As he climbed in beside Cinda, Jack emerged from behind a nearby dumpster and sat in the back seat. Samantha was in his arms, and conscious, but Jack had a hand clamped over her mouth.
Derek jerked around in his seat and stared at them.
“What the hell...?”
Cinda poked her gun into his ribs.
“Your place, remember?”
Jack laughed.
“Take it easy on the kid, the poor shit thought he was gonna get laid and now he’s wondering if he’s going to see tomorrow.”
“Am I?” Derek said.
“What, get laid? I doubt it.”
“No, I, I mean are you gonna kill me?”
All humor left Jack’s face as he stared back.
“We’ll see, kid, we’ll see, now drive, and keep it at the speed limit.”
Derek started the engine and drove home, while thinking that maybe his boring life hadn’t been so crappy after all.
***
They followed Rosario’s black SUV through the barricade and after rounding a curve, the cabin came into view. Jessica was driving, as he once again studied the surrounding region on his laptop.
There was a small paved parking area to the right of the structure, but the remaining space was covered in grass. Several vehicles were parked nearby that resembled Rosario’s, and beside them was a large panel truck, an FBI Mobile Command Center. Atop a nearby hill sat the chopper, its unmoving blades glinting in the sunlight.
Brice met them with a tight smile at the side door in the kitchen and gestured for them to follow him inside. Crime scene technicians were still busy gathering evidence, and Brice had them wear paper booties over their shoes so as not to contaminate the scene.
After leading them into the formally empty room where Samantha had been held, he shut the door and briefed them. The room now held a long folding table and several laptop computers and chairs.
Six bodies had been recovered from the property, including Maria’s tiny form. Two of the bodies, the cabin’s owners, were found in shallow graves and had been dead the longest. Harry had been identified as a Harry Lyons, and his sister, Cinda, a former stripper, was now assumed to be Jack’s female accomplice.
“We also found the equipment he used to contact us. It looks as if they left everything behind in a hurry. We also recovered the van that Jack used when he abducted the children, but it had been rendered inoperable, probably by Kevin Beck and his friends. It was why he was so certain that he hadn’t been followed when he rescued Samantha, unfortunately for him, Jack apparently had a dirt bike handy. We found one near the scene of Beck’s murder.”
“Jack’s gotten away, hasn’t he?” Jessica said.
“We’ve got men searching, but... yeah, yeah my gut tells me that Jack’s free. Given that reality, we’re waiting for him to make contact again.”
“So nothing’s really changed,” he said. “When Jack calls, we’ll go through with the exchange and get Samantha back safely.”
“Let’s hope it goes that smoothly.”
“And so we wait?” Jessica said.
“We wait,” Brice answered.
CHAPTER 18
Jack smiled when he saw Derek’s dilapidated trailer.
The double-wide was parked down a gravel road and its nearest neighbor was a nursing home nearly a mile away.
The smiled widened as they drove closer, and Jack pointed to a homemade carport that was attached to the trailer’s right side.
“That Harley, does that work?”
“My bike? Sure, but I mostly ride it on weekends. It’s in great shape though, and I plan to ride it all the way to California next year.” Derek said.
“Next year? Why next year?” Cinda said.
“I’m going out to Hollywood to be an actor, but first, I gotta save up for it.”
“It’s good to have plans, kid, but you might want to concentrate on a more short term goal, like living to see tomorrow.”
Derek’s eyes grew wide at Jack’s words and he swallowed hard.
“Yes sir,”
They went inside the trailer. Jack entered by holding onto the back of Derek’s shirt. If anyone was inside with a gun, Jack reasoned that Derek would make a handy shield.
It took Jack all of six seconds to determine that no one else was at home and Cinda followed behind while carrying Samantha.
“You live here alone?” she asked.
“Yeah, since my granddad died last year,”
“He raised you?”
“Since I was sixteen, when my mom died of cancer,”
“Any weapons?” Jack said. “And tell me the truth or I’ll break your arm.”
“A, a rifle, an old one, it’s in the back of the closet over there.”
Jack looked at Cinda and tossed his chin at the closet.
Cinda laid Samantha across the couch and then searched the closet, when she straightened up, she was holding an ancient .22
Jack whistled as he took it from her.
“Christ, kid, this thing must be a hundred years old, when was it last fired?”
“I don’t know, but it was my great-grandfather’s.”
“Hell, if you tried to fire this it would probably blow up. That’s it? No more weapons?”
Derek searched his brain.
“There’s a Swiss army knife in that side drawer there.”
Jack laughed.
“I think I’ll chance it, now what do you got to eat here?”
“I’ll see what I can find.” Cinda said, as she began searching through the cabinets. When she was finished searching, she placed the bounty from Derek’s larder on the fold-down table in the kitchen area.
Jack made a face.
“Three boxes of cereal, that’s it?”
Derek shrugged.
“It’s all I can afford, but it’s good, and it was on sale.”
Jack stared at him.
“I don’t know if you’re any good at it or not, but you sure got the starving actor bit down.”
“There’s plenty of milk,” Derek said in his defense.
Jack laughed again.
“You know something, kid, I like you. Cinda, see if you can find some bowls, and then we’ll have a meal with our new friend here,”
Derek smiled at Jack, even as a voice of warning came from the couch.
“Don’t trust, Jack, he’s no good.”
It was Samantha, and she stared at Jack with a ferocity that belied her young age.
Jack walked over and gazed down at her.
“You want to kill me, don’t you, kid?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think you’ll get the chance?”
“No, because Mr. White will get to you first,”
Jack chuckled.
“This guy, Mr. White, does he ever wear a red cape?”
Samantha kept staring.
“I hope he lets me watch you die.”
Jack took a step backwards.
“Cinda, clean this bitch up and then feed her, if she’s eating she won’t be able to talk.”
Jack walked back to the table and sat facing Samantha, and even though she was just a child, and bound at the wrists and ankles, he watched
her with a keen attentiveness, while keeping his hand near his gun.
CHAPTER 19
Brice got off the phone and sighed.
“The state police found that stolen car. It wasn’t Jack; it was just two kids out for a joy ride.”
“He must be out of the area by now, no?” Jessica said.
Brice plop into an office chair, as a sudden weariness overcame him.
“The truth is he could be anywhere by now.”
They were in the FBI’s Mobile Command Center, waiting for any word on Jack or Samantha.
Both sides of the vehicle had counters running nearly the entire length of the converted motorhome, with rows of computers on top. Corkboards filled most of the wall space, and many of these had maps of the surrounding area pinned to them, while atop the vehicle were three satellite dishes.
Brice looked up at the doctor’s husband.
“From past experience, we know that Jack will put you through your paces. He’ll most likely have you submerge yourself in water in an attempt to damage any communication devices we might equip you with, and at some point, he’ll tell you to strip and put on clothes that he left for you.”
“But wouldn’t his plans have changed now that he’s lost this cabin, his base of operations.”
“Not entirely, no, knowing Jack, he had everything in place even before Samantha Ryan was taken, what has changed will be his method of making contact. My guess is he’ll call me personally, but again, all we can do is wait.”
“Where are Samantha’s grandparents? Aren’t they coming here?” Jessica said.
“No, after learning about Maria’s murder, Mrs. Ryan needed to be sedated. Mr. Ryan decided to stay by her side.”
“What’s your best guess, John? Is it possible that this could go on for days?”
Brice shook his head.
“No, Jessica, I expect we’ll hear from Jack at any moment. He’s intelligent, and he’ll know that time is not his friend. The sooner he ends this, the better his chances are.”
***
Jack returned to Derek’s trailer home in a freshly stolen pickup truck and hid it among a stand of trees. When he entered the double-wide, he did so with his gun drawn.
“Did Derek give you any trouble?” he asked Cinda.
“No, he just watched TV while we waited for you to come back.”
Cinda looked out the window.
“Did you get a car?” she whispered.
Jack whispered back. “I got a truck. I hid it so Derek wouldn’t see it.”
“What happens if the owner reports it stolen?”
Jack stared at her.
“The owner won’t be reporting anything ever again.”
Cinda winced and turned her gaze away.
Jack grabbed his backpack, placed it atop the kitchen table, and took out a plastic bag containing six disposable cell phones.
“Derek, get over here.”
Derek rose from the couch and walked over to Jack with a face full of trepidation.
Jack grinned at him.
“Relax, kid, I’m letting you go.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but there’s a catch, I need you to go on a little mission.”
“A mission?”
“Yeah, now listen...”
***
Twenty minutes later, Jack and Cinda stood on the steps of the trailer and watched Derek drive away. Jack had given him directions to the cabin, along with a package containing a cell phone and a message for Brice.
“What if he flags down a cop on his way there?” Cinda said.
Jack shrugged.
“It won’t matter, we’ll be long gone and Brice will still be contacted; now grab that brat and let’s get out of here.”
Two minutes later, Cinda was behind the wheel of the pickup truck with Samantha lying across the rear seat. Jack was in front of them, straddling Derek’s motorcycle and revving the engine.
An instant later, Jack turned off the bike and removed his backpack. He then walked over to the pickup and spoke to Cinda.
“Give me a moment, there’s something I have to do.”
“All right, but please hurry, for all we know the cops could be here any minute.”
“Nah, that kid Derek will do what I told him. Now wait here and I’ll be right back.”
Jack went back inside the trailer and fished around inside his backpack. When his hand came out, it was holding a packet containing fifty thousand dollars in hundred dollar bills.
He peeled off a thick layer from the money, and then laughed and added another layer. Afterwards, he took the bills and shoved them down inside a cereal box.
“Go West young man, go West,” Jack said, and then he went back outside, started the bike, and led Cinda off toward the highway.
CHAPTER 20
1:26 p.m.
Derek had delivered Jack’s package to Brice and now the federal agent waited for the supplied cell phone to ring. The phone was linked up with one of the satellite dishes atop the truck.
When the call came in, Brice’s men began tracing it.
“Hello, Jack.”
“Special Agent Brice, my but we’ve had an interesting go this time, eh?”
“That’s one way to look at it. What are your instructions?”
“Put Mr. White on the line.”
The call was on speakerphone, and so he simply spoke.
“I’m here.”
“Good man, Mr. White, now listen, Brice is going to supply you with a car. When you get it, drive east, and make sure you bring that cell phone with you. If nobody tries anything stupid you and the kid will be back safe soon, got it?”
“I’ve got it, but I want to know that Samantha is still alive.”
A sound came in that sounded like the phone was being passed around, and then Samantha’s voice came on the line.
“Hello?”
“Samantha, are you all right?”
“Yes, Mr. White.”
“Good, I’m coming to get you.”
“Mr. White.”
“Yes?”
“Win!”
“Yes.”
Jack’s voice came back on the line.
“Get going, White, and I’ll call you back soon.”
“Which road should I take?”
“It doesn’t matter, all that matters is that you drive east.”
The phone went dead.
Brice turned and looked at the techs.
“Anything?”
“The call came in over a cell tower that’s six miles from here, however, that tower services a wide area.”
“Still, that means he’s nearby,”
“What car am I taking?” he asked Brice.
“We’re giving you Rosario’s SUV, per Jack’s instructions there are white number one decals on the hood, roof, rear, and side doors. We can only assume that he wanted that so he’ll be able to pick you up somewhere along the way. We’ll have agents following you of course and there are tracking devices inside the vehicle that will also record your cell conversations, but at some point Jack will make certain that we lose you, after that, you’re on your own.
***
As he prepared to drive away, Jessica leaned in and kissed him.
“Do whatever you have to do to come back to me.”
“Always,” he said.
They shared a look among clasped hands, and then she released him and watched him drive away.
Brice came to stand beside her.
“He’s a brave man.”
“Yes.”
“You know, while we were waiting I did some research on you two.”
Jessica turned and looked at him with one raised eyebrow.
“And?”
“And, to say the least, your husband is a very capable man.”
“That he is,”
“Still, I hope that he doesn’t get too... proactive. That child’s safety comes before any revenge.”
“My husband will do what Samantha as
ked him to do.”
“Win?”
“Yes.”
Brice nodded. “I can’t ask for more than that.”
***
Miles to the east, Jack and Cinda said their own goodbyes, as they prepared to split up. Cinda was driving the stolen pickup with Samantha secured in the rear seat, while Jack was going to ride off on the Harley.
They were in a corner of a shopping center’s parking lot. Nearer to the stores, people came and went, looking for bargains, oblivious to the wanted couple within their sight.
“You know what to do?”
“Yes, Jack, how many times did we rehearse this?”
“Enough I hope, now remember, once he’s there we give proof of life and then he’ll hand me the diamonds. After that, you let the brat go, I come to you, and we make our escape.”
“Promise me something,”
“What’s that?”
“When this is over, we’re done. No more crime, no more violence.”
Jack leaned in and kissed her.
“I promise. After this, it’ll just be me and you, happy, rich, and free. Now go, it’s time for me to make Mr. White run the gauntlet.”
They kissed once more and then Cinda drove off.
Jack watched her as she exited the parking lot and headed down the highway. Cinda drove well, but not too fast, and any cop watching her would have no reason to pull her over.
Jack tightened the straps on his backpack and straddled the Harley. He reached a hand into his side pocket and turned on the cell phone, it was one of five disposable phones he had with him.
When the phone was ready, he dialed, and after one ring, it was answered.
“Yes?”
“Where are you, Mr. White?”
Jack nodded as he gave him his location.
“And you’re traveling east?”
“Yes.”
“The diamonds?”
“I have them, and they’re in the container that you specified.”
“Good, now keep driving, the next time I call I’ll have further instructions.”
Jack ended the call by twisting the cheap phone until it broke in two.
He put on a helmet and drove the bike six miles to the north, where he picked up a parallel highway. When the light at the intersection changed, he turned right and headed east.
A few minutes later, he pulled the bike into the parking lot of a motel, but kept the engine running while he waited.
The TAKEN! Series - Books 5-8 (Taken! Box Set Book 2) Page 17