by Marie Astor
“I played lots of Grand Theft Auto,” Laskin replied, keeping his eyes on the road.
Janet raised an eyebrow. “Is that how you stay so calm?”
He shrugged, his eyes still on the road. “I took a training course once.”
“What kind of training course?” she prodded.
He sighed. “It was when I was in the program.”
“In the program?”
“Can’t you just let me drive? I need to concentrate.”
“You seem to be doing okay.”
“Fine, I’ll tell you, but then you gotta let me drive. I wanted to work for the FBI. I went through the training to be a field agent, but I bombed on the physical stuff. They offered me a desk job, but I was too pissed off and went to work for the Treasury instead.”
Janet nodded. “I think it was their loss, Peter.”
He scoffed. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Janet. I’m still not letting you drive.”
“One more question,” she added.
“If you must.”
“Is that how you knew to follow me today? From your training with the FBI?”
Laskin scoffed. “I didn’t need training for that, Jan. You were so high-strung when you came to see me, I worried you’d do something crazy. So I figured you could use a friend.”
She smiled. “You were right.”
“I’m still not letting you drive.”
“You can’t blame a girl for trying, can you?”
She leaned forward in her seat and looked around. They’d left the City and were now driving through Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Once filled with warehouses, printing presses, and small factories, the neighborhood had experienced a revival, becoming a gathering ground for artists and a fashionable place to live. They’d passed the trendy part and were now deep in the borough where there were still remaining warehouses and empty lots. Her fists clenched so tightly her fingernails were digging into her palms. Part of her was worried sick about Dennis, but another part was mad as hell. How cocky of him to saunter off on his own and get trapped, and how stupid of her to let him do it. She’d had a bad feeling about his plan since the morning, the kind of feeling one gets when one had a bad fish, only she knew it had nothing to do with fish. Still, she’d let Dennis go, but she’d been carefully tracking him the entire time. A lot of good it did. By the time she’d made it to the van, Dennis and Baxter were already trapped inside. She’d managed to get a glimpse of Dennis’s unconscious body and Baxter squealing by his side. Before she could call for help, the van’s doors were shut and it sped away.
The van started to slow down for a turn and Janet focused her eyes. The van turned on a side street and Laskin followed. The van went up the street, but Laskin stayed behind, bringing the car to a stop.
“What are you doing?” Janet demanded. “We’re going to lose them!”
“We’re not going to lose them. The GPS is telling me this is a dead-end street, so they’re not going anywhere. But if I follow them they’ll know something is up.”
Janet squinted, trying to see where the van was going. The street might’ve been a dead-end, but it was pretty long and already the van’s outline was becoming vague. “I gotta get out of the car and follow them.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“I’m not asking.” Before Laskin could react, she quickly opened the door and slid out of the car. As she looked over her shoulder, the outraged look on Laskin’s face almost made her laugh, but the situation didn’t exactly have room for levity. She motioned for him to stay put and quietly followed in the van’s direction.
Janet crept up the street, doing her best to stay in the shadow of the buildings. She tried not to think about what would happen if she was spotted. Even if Laskin did come to her rescue, she doubted he’d be any use. Maybe she should’ve listened to him after all and stayed in the car, but it was too late to back out now.
Janet saw the van stop before a private parking lot next to a warehouse and quickly hid behind a truck across the street. A young woman jumped out and opened the metal gates. Then the woman climbed back inside and drove the van into the parking lot. Janet recognized her instantly—she matched Amy’s description of Jess Hall to a T.
Janet waited a few moments and moved closer to the gates, taking cover behind a row of garbage cans. The gates were made of solid metal, but she could see through a crack. Jess jumped out of the van and knocked on the heavy-looking metal door. A few moments later the door opened and a man walked out to meet her. Even though she should’ve been expecting it, Janet nearly let out a scream when she saw Anton Kovar in the flesh. He was sporting a long beard and looked older than she remembered—with grooves around his eyes and on his forehead—but it was definitely him.
By now the van’s back doors had been opened and Anton dragged out Dennis’s body, grabbing his torso with Jess picking up the legs.
“Dammit,” Jess cursed. “We forgot the dog.” She let go of Dennis’s legs and leaned inside the van. There was a growling sound and moments later, Baxter was pulled out of the van. The girl dropped him on the ground and yanked at his leash, as she grabbed Dennis’s legs again. Baxter started barking and kicking, so Jess had to drop Dennis’s legs and pick up Baxter who was wriggling in her arms. “You’ll just have to manage him yourself,” she said to Anton. “I have my hands full with the dog.”
“Just let him go,” Anton grunted. “What do we need a dog for?”
“No way. The dog could lead people back to us.”
“You watch too many TV shows. Damn, this sucker is heavy.” Anton turned purple as he heaved Dennis’s body across his shoulders.
Jess went ahead of him and opened the building door. “Move it.”
“You’re not the one carrying two hundred pounds on your shoulders,” Anton snapped.
“He weighs one eighty at most.”
“What did you do, weigh him?” Anton wobbled as he inched toward the entrance.
“I had to shove him around the van to cover him up. Hurry up. We don’t want anyone to see us!”
“Relax. I own this building.” Anton had finally made it to the door.
“Where you want to put him?” Jess asked, pressing her back against the door for Anton to pass.
“We’ll stick him in the same room with Mila, so they could talk about the good old days,” he grunted.
Moments later the door slammed behind them and they disappeared inside.
Janet gasped, barely able to breathe. She was scared witless. She willed herself not to think about whether Dennis had been drugged or beaten into unconsciousness, or worse. She would think about that later. Instead she focused on the fact that now she knew where Mila was. Now, she had to get help to get Mila, Dennis, and Baxter out.
***
Dennis woke up with a dull ache in the back of his head and a sensation of pins and needles—the kind one gets when one’s limb falls asleep—only he felt it all over his body. He tried to move his arms and stretch out his legs, but couldn’t. It took him a moment to realize that he was restrained—he was seated in a chair and his arms and legs were tied with leather ropes. In a flash, the events of the day came back to him. He grimaced, this time more from embarrassment than from pain. He got cocky and now he was paying the price for it. On the positive side, however, he now knew Jess was working for the Kovars. Who knew, maybe the Kovars themselves weren’t so far away. He was on the right trail. Ah, dammit, who am I kidding? Dennis grimaced again. For all his attempts to stay upbeat, there was no denying he was up the proverbial creek. Janet must be worried sick about him and about Baxter. Baxter!
“Baxter, buddy, where are you?” Dennis called out, scanning the room. There was a loud bark and a sound of tapping paws against concrete. Concrete floor, Dennis remarked inwardly, probably a warehouse. Moments later, he felt Baxter’s tongue licking his hand. “Baxter, buddy, I’m so glad you’re okay.” Dennis tried to scratch Baxter’s ear, but couldn’t reach. Suddenly, he realized he wasn’t the only one
in the room. He did a double take, thinking he was really off his game. There was a slouched body in a chair across the room. It was dark, and her long hair was covering her face, but he recognized her instantly.
“Mila?” he called out, his voice low in his dry, scratchy throat.
“I’m so sorry, Dennis,” she muttered, her head hanging low. “It’s all my fault.”
Even though inside he was far from feeling it, he forced optimism into his voice. “It isn’t as bad as that. We’re going to get out of here.”
“You only say that because you haven’t seen Anton.” She looked up at him with dim, hopeless eyes. A purple bruise covered half her cheek.
“Did he do that to you?” Dennis made an effort to get up, forgetting about his restraints. “That bastard—why doesn’t he pick on someone his own size? To hit a woman—”
“He’s mad with anger and revenge. We’ll never get out of here,” Mila continued listlessly.
“Yes we will.”
As if to back him up, Baxter ran over to Mila and started licking her hand.
“Your dog is sweet.” Mila smiled wanly. “Too bad they got him too.”
“I betcha Janet is looking for us right now. She’s going to get us out of here. Or better yet, we’ll get out on our own,” he added, desperately wanting to believe it—being rescued by his girlfriend—correction—fiancée, would put the final nail in the coffin of his pride. Dennis shook his head—there it was—the real reason he’d messed up the case. When he’d asked Janet to marry him, he’d been certain of it, and he was still certain of it now. But all that wedding planning and apartment hunting felt so overwhelming—suddenly it seemed like things were getting out of control. Instead of talking to Janet about it, he used work as an excuse to blow off wedding appointments, and now he’s made a mess of everything. Dennis was filled with guilt. His personal demons were his alone—he had no right to endanger others because of them. Mila had come to him for help and instead of protecting her, he’d failed her.
“He’s coming!” Mila whispered, terrified.
Dennis listened closely and sure enough there was a sound of heavy footsteps outside the door, followed by jiggling of keys. Moments later, the door opened with a heavy creak and Anton Kovar walked inside. He was followed by Jess who trailed after him like a faithful servant.
“Well, well. Who do we have here?” Anton leered. “The famous detective Dennis Walker. How does it feel to have the tables reversed, Mr. Walker?”
“It’s nice to see you too, Anton.” Dennis resisted the urge to grimace—Anton smelled like a mixture of very potent herring and vodka. It didn’t help that Anton was now sporting a long beard—it reeked of the herring he’d had for breakfast or perhaps for dinner the day before. “Nice beard by the way.”
Anton stroked his chin, clearly proud of it. In a sudden move he reached for Dennis’s fake goatee and tore it off his face in one jerk. Anton smirked, dangling Dennis’s fake facial hair. “I must tell you, it takes more than pasting a dead rat on your face to get close to Anton Kovar.”
It hurt like hell, but Dennis didn’t flinch. “Clearly my attempt at a beard wasn’t nearly as impressive as yours, but surely it deserves more than a comparison to a rat? A raccoon at least,” Dennis shot back.
Anton’s answer was a short, quick blow to Dennis’s face.
“How about you let me out of this chair and then hit me?” Dennis tried to play the pride card.
Anton sneered. “How about I beat you to a pulp just like this?” He hit him across the face again. “I can’t tell you how many times I dreamed of this. All those endless nights and days in jail—it was the only thing keeping me going.”
“I must say I’m flattered.” Dennis’s face felt like a punching bag, but he’d be damned if he showed it.
Anton grunted. “Is that all you got up your sleeve, Mr. Detective? Irony and pride?”
“How do you know what I got up my sleeve?” Dennis shot back.
“I know a bluffer when I see one. You got to me once through this backbiting snake,” he paused to slowly walk across the room and smack Mila on the back of her head so hard, it bobbed like a doll’s. “But the people I got working for me now are loyal.”
“You bastard,” Dennis hissed, trying to get out of his restraints.
“How’s that going for you, super boy?” Anton smirked. “Did you really think you were going to fool Jessy here with your lame photographer act? You must think yourself quite a ladies’ man.” He grabbed Jess by her behind and pulled her close to him, planting a slobbery kiss on her lips. “She’s mine, all mine. You’re never going to take anything away from me ever again, Mr. Detective.”
Jess giggled, clearly elated by Anton’s crude affection. “This buffoon can’t work a camera to save his life. I was onto him the moment he tried hitting on me at the bar. If he’s a photographer, I’m a trapeze artist. And he tried to bug my phone,” she sneered.
“Did you throw it out, Jessy?” Anton asked.
“Of course I did, baby,” she said proudly.
Anton planted another slobbering kiss on her. “Not only are you dynamite in the sack, but you’re also a very smart girl, Jessy. And you’re loyal to your man, which’s a lot more than I can say about this tramp.” He hit Mila again. “You play your cards right, I just might marry you.”
“Oh, Anton,” Jess purred. “Really? But will your uncle let us?”
“My uncle doesn’t tell me what to do,” he corrected her.
“Of course not. I only meant since you’re on the run and all, he might think it’s a bad idea for us to get hitched now.”
“He’ll be happy. We just gotta wait for the right moment to tell him,” he explained.
“Oh, Anton! Wait till you see the wedding dress I got picked out—” she broke off, her face turning red. “I know we only just talked about it, but I’ve had my eyes on it for a while. I kept thinking—when I marry Anton, that’s the dress I’ll wear. You see, I always knew we’d get married,” she added, pressing herself against him.
“That’s right baby. So did I.” Anton slapped her behind.
“It’s white leather, but it’s cutout, so it looks like lace,” Jess prattled on, oblivious to Anton’s callous demeanor. “We’ll have a reception, won’t we?”
“I’ll give you the wedding of a lifetime, baby,” Anton said gruffly.
“A match made in heaven,” Mila seethed through her teeth.
“You don’t learn, do you?” Jess hissed, planting a blow across Mila’s face. “You open your big mouth, you get slapped.” She was about to hit Mila again when Anton caught her arm in mid-air.
“I give out the blows here.” He squeezed Jess’s arm so tightly, it turned white around the edges of his fingers.
“Let go!” she screamed, trying to twist her arm away, but he held on, as she wriggled violently. “You still love her, don’t you? After everything she did to you, you still love her! I finally thought you were over her, but you lied, didn’t you? You used me to get her for you and now you’ve gone crazy for her all over again—”
“Shut up!” Anton grabbed her other arm.
“You’re never going to marry me, are you?” Jess kicked and screamed.
“You keep acting like this, I’d be crazy to marry you.” He raised his hand, about to hit her.
“Of course he’s not going to marry you,” Mila cut in, her voice cool and strong. “He was two timing me with you and telling us both lies. Now he’s used you to get his revenge—” Mila didn’t get to finish her sentence, as Jess wrung out of Anton’s hands and hit Mila across the mouth with the back of her hand.
“That’s for trying to poison me against my man,” Jess hissed. “Do you think I’d believe you?”
Mila licked away the trickle of blood oozing from the corner of her mouth. “Naw, you’re too stupid for that—you believe him.”
Jess was about to lunge at Mila again. “You little—”
“Quiet!” Anton yelled, grabbing
Jess and dragging her away, as she screamed and scratched like a wild cat. “Mila, I’ll see how brave you’ll be after a week on water and bread,” he added with a crooked smirk on his face.
Anton flung Jess over his shoulder as though she were a sack of flour and stomped towards the door. A moment later, all lights were out and there was a heavy thump of a metal door being shut.
“That lowlife— Hitting a woman. If only my hands weren’t tied—” Dennis tried to wriggle out of his restraints.
“Save it, Dennis,” Mila said in a resigned voice.
“You put up a very brave front. How’s your face?”
“Hurts like hell. I can feel it swelling up.”
“Maybe next time don’t be so brave—at least not until we figure out a way out of here.”
Mila sighed. “That’s what I was trying to do. I hoped we could turn Jess against Anton. But for some unfathomable reason she’s gaga for him. I still can’t believe she pretended to be my friend. How could both Amy and I have been stupid enough to hire her? It’s all my fault—if I hadn’t gone out with Amy that night, we wouldn’t be here—”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. I should’ve come by and checked on you. You came to me for protection and I failed you.”
“By treating me like an adult when I was a childish idiot?” Mila quipped. “I’d say I’m the one who failed us.”
“What’s done is done. No use pointing fingers,” Dennis counseled her. He knew if he were to count the amount of mistakes he’d made while on this case, he’d run out of both his fingers and toes. “We gotta think of a way to get out of here. Do you have any idea where we are?”
“I don’t know. It sounds like a warehouse of some sort. I was passed out when they drove me here. That snake Jess must’ve slipped something in my drink. The last thing I remember is dropping Amy off— We were in a cab and I was supposed to get out next, but then it all went black and I woke up here. Do you remember anything?”