Michelle moved her view through the scope. Jack‑Move opened the door. He held a phone to his ear and didn’t get out. “Gotcha.” Michelle whispered to herself.
She tilted the rifle up to lock on the fixer’s face through the scope. Michelle watched his face. Calm, alert, he stood in front of the open driver’s door and looked in her general direction.
Jack‑Move, with a phone at his ear, didn’t move.
Hang up and get out of the car where I’ll have a shot at both of you.
The fixer stood still slowly turning his head. Left to right, he panned low. His next pass should be to check the horizon to include the building top where Michelle stood.
Now or never.
“I'm taking the shot.”
PHUFFTT!
The recoil of the silenced sniper rifle thudded into her shoulder, and the man collapsed on the spot. Almost instantaneously, the Chevy burned rubber backing out of the parking spot. The sedan bucked as the gears slammed from reverse to forward and the tires squealed burning rubber launching the car forward.
“Watch where he goes.” Michelle instructed Deja and stepped back from the façade. “No time. I didn’t have any time.” With practiced speed, she broke down the rifle.
“He headed south down the side road,” Deja said. “There's too many trucks in the way. I can't see him anymore.”
Michelle called G‑Baby. “I took out Galletti’s man. Jack‑Move made a scene getting away so we gotta go before the police show up. Two maybe three minutes tops!”
Back on the ground, Michelle and Deja stepped through the gate of the Denny's storage yard. Earlier, on their way in, Michelle picked the padlock on the gate. Michelle pulled the open lock out of her pocket, closed the gate and snapped the lock shut.
Michelle put her hand on Deja's arm. “We're good. Calm down, stop looking around. Keep walking and talk to me. Good, let me see your eyes. We’re friends talking about boyfriends. Nobody saw us in the back. Trust G‑Baby to load everyone and get out. We'll meet up like we agreed.”
Michelle and Deja were half way down the on‑ramp when, siren's blaring, the police crossed the overpass behind them.
“Do you think they’ll get out before the police block everything off?” Deja asked.
“They’ll have a couple more minutes so should be okay.”
.
Thirteen: They’re Gone
SITTING IN THE MIDDLE SEAT of the SUV, Jack‑Move smirked. The woman's eyes flew open in surprise. He held one finger over his lips, pointed the gun at her face and nodded for her to come in. When she stepped in, he yanked her down next to him and held the gun to the side of her head. The next woman had stepped into the back of the SUV. Alarm exploded in her eyes when she saw Jack‑Move holding the gun to her friend’s head. Again, he motioned her to be quiet, get in, and sit down. This action repeated with two more women in the back and again when Jelena got in the front passenger seat.
Baby‑Sister jumped into the driver's seat. Without looking around, she hollered into the back, “Everybody in?”
“We’re all here,” Jack‑Move’s self‑satisfied voice replied from the back.
“Sweet Jesus! Where the fuck . . .?”
“Shut up and drive bitch!” Jack‑Move shouted. “Go up on the freeway. Head North.” Jack‑Move jabbed the woman's head who sat next to him with the barrel of his gun. She cried out.
The other two SUVs had backed out of their parking spots and were at the driveway leading onto the street.
Baby‑Sister sat frozen, eyes, wide in fear, glued on Jack‑Move.
The other SUVs pulled out on the street.
“Drive!” Jack‑Move screamed at Baby‑Sister.
Baby‑Sister blinked.
BLAM!
Jack‑Move shot a single round through the floor.
Baby‑Sister jumped, whirled around and started the engine.
She turned left onto the on‑ramp going north on Interstate 25. The others were already headed south.
“That's good. Keep your speed down. We don't want no police to notice us. Take the exchange to the I‑Eighty going west.”
Several of the women in the SUV whimpered.
“Take the first exit. Turn right at the corner,” Jack‑Move said.
Baby‑Sister did as she was told. They dropped out of civilization. Half a minute earlier they were in town, now it was wide open empty wilderness.
“Stay on this road,” Jack‑Move said.
A woman in the back seat cowered deep against the corner. She mewed in a low hiccupping cry.
Jack‑Move slowly rotated his head then followed with his shoulders to look at the woman. He casually aimed his gun at her. “Shut up.”
An absolute silence overcame the inside of the SUV. The only sound came from the tires on the old single lane asphalt road.
They wandered back roads for close to an hour before turning onto a dirt road. They drove another twenty minutes on the small rutted road and hadn't seen a building, car, or any sign of life the entire time. “Stop here.” Jack‑Move barked an order at Baby‑Sister. “Cut off the motor. Jelena, tell them, don't nobody move. Someone does something stupid I start shooting everyone in the car.”
Jelena translated for Jack‑Move like she had done hundreds of times when she worked for him. That was before she escaped from him with Michelle's help a few months earlier in Los Angeles. She knew what a monster they were dealing with. She had once seen him shoot two of his own women to create a diversion so he could escape easier.
After Jelena told them what he said, all the women looked at Jack‑Move. Three of the four nodded their heads. The woman sitting behind Jelena sat frozen, staring wide eyed at Jack‑Move and a tear hung halfway down one cheek.
Jack‑Move stared at the woman. Holding her eyes with his own, without any warning, fast as a snake strike, Jack‑Move backhand slapped the woman nearest to him on his right. Never looking at the woman he hit, keeping his eyes on the woman who hadn’t nodded her head. “Do you understand?”
Her terror-stricken face turned to Jelena, who quickly translated.
She turned back to Jack‑Move and nodded several times.
“Good. It's good everyone understands.”
“What now? What are we going to do?” Jelena asked.
“All you need to know is if you want to live, you'll do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you. Right now you sit there and shut up. No talking.”
Everyone froze. The surrounding country reflected the complete stillness. Nothing moved.
Jack‑Move pointed his gun at Baby‑Sister. “You, bitch. What's your name?”
“Baby‑Sister.”
“Grab the keys and walk around to my side.”
Baby‑Sister did as instructed. She stood mute by the front corner of the SUV.
Jack‑Move opened the door and stepped out and breathed deeply. “It smells so fresh and clean out here.” Like old friends enjoying a casual trip to the country, he smiled big and stretched expansively. “Put your phone, shoes, and keys on the hood.”
Without a word Baby‑Sister pulled off her shoes and added them to the keys and phone on the hood.
“It's your lucky day. I'm letting you live. I don't need no problems with the police and don't want to take the time to bury your ass. Plus I want that bitch Michelle to know I got these women. Tell her I'm coming back for the rest and those she stole from me in L.A. Tell her She won't be as lucky as you. I'm going to kill her next time I see her. You tell her that. Now start walking.”
Baby‑Sister slowly nodded, turned and in her bare feet limped away.
Forty‑five minutes later, with Jelena driving, they were back on a highway where they had cell reception. Jack‑Move pulled his phone out. “I got 'em!”
* * *
“Christ Michelle, what happened?” Nikky asked.
“I don't know. He must have figured we'd want to leave fast before the police showed up and wouldn't see him double back. However, he did it. He ha
s them now. We went back as fast as we could and searched around but couldn't find any sign of them. It's been over an hour so it'd be a miracle if we found them now.”
“Who's in the SUV?” Nikky asked.
“Baby‑Sister, Jelena and four of the Billings girls.”
“I'm coming to you. Where are you?” Nikky asked.
“No. Don't come here. You can do more staying in Anglewatts. Take some extra laptops over to Jelena’s house. Get her crew together.”
“All of them?”
The eleven Russian women on Jelena’s crew had all been sold into prostitution slavery by the Russian mafia. Jack‑Move had been their pimp and jailer before Michelle freed them. They understood his mean streak and knew he wouldn’t hesitate to brutalize or even kill Jelena or any of the other women with her.
“Yeah. Everyone. None of them go out on the streets until this is over.” Michelle said.
“Got it.” Nikky replied.
“Tell them what happened. Make sure they understand Jack‑Move has Jelena and a van full of women from Billings. We need them to watch everyone's Facebook and other social media sites for any word someone might post.”
“They'll be all over that! You can count on it.”
* * *
Their three vehicles, two SUVs and a car, parked in a dirt parking lot in front of the closed fireworks store. One woman stood beside the open back door of an SUV smoking a cigarette. The clouds continued to thicken, building the dark gloom over the desolate country.
Michelle and G‑Baby stood away from the cars, out of hearing range. Michelle covered her face with her hands and rubbed her eyes. The sinking lump of fear in her stomach had steadily grown to where it almost gagged her to breathe. “I'm so, so sorry Uncle G. We've been all over the city and up and down the freeways in all directions.” She took the small step between them and hugged him until he hugged her back. “We've lost them.”
G‑Baby let go and stepped back. “Maybe, but I can't leave. I have to stay and keep looking. You guys go on ahead.”
Michelle knew how much Baby‑Sister meant to her Uncle G. First he lost his wife to cancer. Later when his son was murdered, she feared he would grow to be a sad old man never loving again. Then Baby‑Sister moved into his life. She was almost fifteen years younger and could have had a younger man, but she loved G‑Baby. He loved her back. If they lost her, it would ruin him.
“I'm so sorr—”
“Don't say it. It isn't your fault. If you'd shot that asshole the other guy would've done the same thing.”
Michelle’s eyes watered and then she closed them unable to bring herself to look at her uncle. “I can’t stop thinking about what if this or what if that happens. I know it’s foolish. I had to take out the biggest danger. That guy was a pro and a real danger to everyone. Jack‑Move is a street level sleazebag opportunist.” Michelle clenched her fists at her sides, anger began overtaking her sadness. “Goddamnit, there wasn’t time to take a second shot. That prick Jack‑Move got away too fast.”
“You did the right thing. There wasn’t time for anything else.” G‑Baby hugged his niece.
“Still, I should've made sure everybody was safe,” Michelle allowed herself a moment in her uncle’s hug then pulled back.
“You know that's not true.” G‑Baby held Michelle’s shoulders. “Look, Michelle, second guessing yourself won't bring Baby‑Sister back. It will only cloud things. We can't afford for you to not be clear headed. Not with Baby‑Sister's life in the balance.”
“You're right. I know you're right. Just, give me a minute. It's hard not to focus on how many problems we still have.”
“Yeah, me too. It's the way we're both made. We both feel like it's our fault even though we did everything right.”
G‑Baby looked over Michelle's shoulder across the lot at the remaining two SUVs. “Wipe your eyes. Those women are counting on you to help them out of this mess. Don’t let them see you doubting yourself. And we need to figure out what our next step is.”
Michelle wiped her eyes with her fingers, sniffed and blinked a few times. “You’re right. More than anything, I want to hunt that bastard down but I have to take them . . .” She pointed at the remaining women. “. . . to safety. I can't let them go alone. If something happened and I wasn't there, well, that’d be more than I could handle right now.”
Deja walked up behind Michelle. “What's the plan?” she asked.
“Uncle G's staying. I'm going with you. It's too dangerous for my movement to be limited by being in one of the SUVs, so we can't give him the car.”
“No problem, me or PJ can take G‑Baby to rent a car. Also, it's almost noon, and nobody's had anything real to eat since last night. Let's go eat and decide on our next moves.”
G‑Baby’s phone rang interrupting the conversation. “Hello,” G‑Baby answered. “Oh, dear God. Oh, Baby! Oh Jesus. Oh God. Are you alright?” G‑Baby's eyes turned red and filled with tears. “I thought I'd lost you. Oh God, my baby, my baby.” Tears streamed down his face. “Are you hurt? You're sure you're okay?” He put his hand over his mouth, bent over and started breathing hard. His legs buckled and he went to his knees then sat back in the dirt. His face a complete wreck, between sobs, he looked at Michelle and choked out. “It's Baby‑Sister. She's okay.”
Deja grabbed Michelle in a bear hug and jumped up and down. “She's okay! She's okay!”
G‑Baby sat with his face buried in his hands, his shoulders shaking with his sobs.
Between jumps, Michelle pulled Deja in tight to hold her still enough to reach for the phone.
“Oh my God, I can't tell you how good it is to hear your voice,” Michelle said into the phone. “Is anybody hurt?”
Michelle pulled down on Deja's hand, stopping her from jumping.
After a moment of quiet listening, Michelle said, “I understand. Tell me for real, you're okay, not hurt?”
Deja held her hands in front of her face like a person in prayer, brows furrowed, and stared intently at Michelle.
“We're on our way.” A much more somber Michelle hung up the phone. “She's okay. He took Jelena and the others.”
“Jack‑Move?” Deja asked.
Deep in thought, Michelle didn't answer. He fucking got me. No matter what Uncle G says, it was my fault. I'm the only professional here. I should've known he'd sneak back in. If anything happens to Jelena or the others, that shit's on me. He'll never have another chance to get the better of me. Never again. I’m gonna hunt him down and kill that piece of shit.
.
Fourteen: Decisions
THEY DROVE STRAIGHT THROUGH from Cheyenne to Anglewatts, only stopping for restroom breaks. It was close to 7:00 AM, almost twenty hours after they picked up Baby‑Sister from the isolated ranch. Nikky hit the button to close the garage door behind them.
Michelle and Deja parked their rental car in the driveway as the door rattled down.
A gaggle of exhausted, haggard women dragged themselves from the SUVs into the rented two‑story house where Jelena’s girls lived. Jelena’s crew was all up, and if not dressed, they were firmly out of bed for the day. Several lounged, sleepy-eyed, sipping coffee, in the living room. The women had set things up with clean clothes, fresh linens and welcoming showers for the new women from Billings.
“Anything?” Michelle asked.
“We're pretty sure they’re in Tulsa,” Nikky said. “We found it a few minutes ago. From what I understand, one of the women in the Tulsa group is Facebook friends with a couple of the girls here. She used a john's phone to post on one of their Facebook pages about a new group of five women who came in earlier in the night. That's all it said.”
“That's enough,” Michelle responded.
“What now?” Deja asked. She, G‑Baby, and Baby‑Sister had joined the conversation.
“Ba da ba da, Baa daa da, Baa daa da,” Michelle sang.
“What's that? Deja looked at Michelle like she’d gone mad.
“Country music.
I sing it when I need to stay awake.”
“You're weird. What does country music have to do with this?” Deja asked.
“That song, it's an old country song called Tulsa Time,” Michelle said.
“Hella yes! You damn Skippy it's Tulsa time. Count me in. When do we leave?” Nikky asked.
“Me too,” Deja said.
“Me three,” G‑Baby said.
Standing next to G‑Baby, Baby‑Sister said, “Me four, I have a personal score to settle with that asshole.”
“I don't think so,” Michelle said. “I'm going to go this one alone. I'm going to go find Galletti and that rat bastard Jack‑Move and take them both out. It's what I do best.”
“You mean like a sniper?” Nikky mimed shooting a rifle.
“Sniper, up close, it doesn't matter. This is my kind of work. Work that is better done solo. I won't put anybody else in danger again.”
“I'm sorry Michelle, that's not going to happen,” Hands on her hips, Baby‑Sister did a neck roll. “Deja and Nikky work for you, so they have to do what you say. I'm not part of your business, and I'm going. You can take me or watch me. Either way, I'm going.”
Michelle looked at G‑Baby. “Uncle G, talk to her, please. Tell her she needs to stay.”
“Sorry,” G‑Baby said. “She's right, and I'm coming too.”
“No, Goddamnit, you're not coming too because nobody is coming. I won't be responsible for one of us being killed.”
“Michelle, I'm afraid you're outvoted on this one. I'm coming too,” Deja said.
Michelle looked around at the faces of the people she loved. People she knew could be killed if she let them come with her. “We're all dead tired. Let's get some sleep. We can talk about his at breakfast in the morning.”
“Nice try,” Nikky gave Michelle a flat eyed stare. “As soon as I let you out of my sight you'll be on the first thing smoking to Oklahoma. That dog don't hunt.”
“What dog is smoking?” PJ asked as she walked up to join the conversation.
“Michelle said she doesn't want any of us coming to Tulsa. That's where the women Jack‑Move kidnapped are,” Nikky said.
Hard Run: Action Adventure Pulp Thriller Book #4 (Michelle Angelique Avenging Angel Series) Page 9