Extreme Measures

by Rachel Carrington

  “You can! Are you driving?”

  “No.” She forced the one word out.

  “In a taxi?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then give the phone to the driver.”

  “Matt, don’t. There’s nothing you can do here.”

  “Did Chambers tell you Hal was alive? If he still is, he won’t be much longer. Guys like him don’t let witnesses live, Erin. He didn’t let Hal’s mother live. That was what the call was about earlier. The police found her on her kitchen floor. She’s been dead for a couple of hours which means Hal isn’t far behind. Chambers is cleaning up, getting things ready for your brother.”

  Pain sliced her heart. Hal would be defenseless without his mother. He wouldn’t have anyone to stand up for him, protect him. “I have to do this for him. He would do the same for me.”

  “Dying isn’t noble.” He shot back the response in a furious growl, but Erin recognized the full-on horror behind the words. Matt’s terror was so palpable she could almost reach out and touch it.

  “I never claimed it was, but protecting those you love is just something you do. You, of all people, know that.”

  “We protect; we don’t go on suicide missions. And that’s what this is. The moment you get to East Bay Street, you’re as good as dead.”

  “How did you know about East Bay Street?” Erin held her breath. Did he know where she was going? Was there a chance he could get to her, to Hal, before something happened?

  “I knew where the call originated from. You just told me that’s where you’re headed.”

  She heard the siren come on in the background. “Matt, don’t go barging in there before I know Hal is alive. I need to save him if I can.”

  “And I need to save you.”

  She smiled through her tears. “You did your best. I wish we could have had that conversation. There are so many things I wanted to tell you, things I need you to know. But I think you already do. At least, I hope you do.”

  “We can still have that conversation, Erin. Just go back.” He shifted the phone, but Erin didn’t have time to wonder what he was doing. The other line on the cell beeped.

  “Matt, I have to go. It’s been ten minutes, and I have to take this call.”

  “Erin, please don’t do this. Please turn around.”

  She hesitated, pulled the phone back to watch the incoming line blink, then put it back to her ear. “I’ve never stopped loving you.” She ended the call before he could respond, switching over to hear Chambers’ impatient growl.

  “What in the hell took you so long to answer the phone?”

  “There’s a dead zone. Bad reception area.” Once she responded, Erin saw the irony of her words.

  “You’re on your way then?”

  “Yes, but I want to talk to Hal before I go anywhere else.”

  “No, sweet thing. This isn’t about what you want. You just get yourself to the corner of Calhoun and East Bay Street. Once you’re there, call me, and I’ll give you further instructions. Oh, one more thing, sweetness, if you call your honey, you and me are gonna have a problem.”

  Matt had every law enforcement unit in the city en route to East Bay Street in spite of his reservations. If they could block off the street before Erin got there, he could protect her.

  Damn it! Why hadn’t she listened to him? Why hadn’t she turned around? Did she really think she was going to be able to save Hal?

  The questions pounded at his skull, nearly driving him mad. Jacob called again but only to let Matt know more bodies had been found—two young women in the trunk of an abandoned car that traced back to Stuart. The bastard was really on a killing streak. The thought made his mouth go numb.

  If Stuart got to Erin first, Matt wasn’t so sure he could get her away. His former brother-in-law had never been much of a talker so Matt doubted Stuart would waste time with conversation when he got his hands on Erin.

  The mental image nauseated him, and Matt stepped on the gas, his GPS letting him know he was less than five miles from East Bay Street. But the city’s traffic didn’t want to cooperate, and it snarled close to his exit.

  He drummed his fingers on the dash, checked his watch, drummed some more. The ring of his cell phone provided a welcome interruption. “Yeah?”

  “We got a couple of witnesses who identified Stuart O’Malley as the guy who was asking questions about Erin near her coffee shop.” Captain Samuels provided the information without a prelude. “They said he’s wearing jeans, a black hoodie, and a Rangers ball cap.”

  The description would help. Stuart wouldn’t take time to change clothes if he thought he was this close to Erin. “Thanks. Your men in the area?”

  “We blocked the street about 500 yards back, and we’ve put all cab companies on notice to cease travel in that area. Unfortunately, we don’t have any control over the independents, and so far, none have reported any fares directly on East Bay Street.”

  Matt didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. Erin might have already been dropped off or Chambers could have instructed her to go to a different street. If Stuart was there, already calling the shots, he’d make things as simple as possible. He’d just want to get his hands on his sister in the most efficient way.

  “O’Malley is in the area. If Chambers is there, so is Erin’s brother. He’d know how to find the guy close to his sister.” The drugs might have rattled Stuart’s brain, but he’d never been too dumb to scheme.

  “We’re getting some snipers in place. The chief has ordered an evacuation of the office building.”

  The information had Matt jerking the wheel. “What? No! That’ll let both guys know there’s something going on. It’ll spook them, and if Erin’s already with Stuart, he could take her somewhere else, and we’d never find them.”

  “The order’s already been issued.”

  “Then tell your men to stand down. This is the FBI’s call.” Anxiety warred with temper.

  “I understand that, Agent Giles, but this is our city. We have a duty to protect the citizens.” The affront in the captain’s voice couldn’t be mistaken.

  “You also have a duty to obey the federal government. Never mind. We’re wasting time.” Matt ended the conversation and called Jacob.

  “You sure he’s in that building?” Jacob’s chair squeaked ominously.

  “99.9% sure.”

  “Then an evacuation order makes sense, Matt. If they were our people, we wouldn’t want to risk their lives, either. I’m sure the locals will handle it as quietly as possible.”

  “We could lose O’Malley, Jacob.”

  “Then I suggest you get there before the evacuation is complete. Get to him before he gets out. I won’t override an order that is only for the protection of innocent lives.” Jacob ground out every word.

  “Dammit!” Matt smacked the dash just as the traffic started to flow into the downtown streets. “Could you stop being the boss for one second and ask yourself what you would do if Caryn was the one in danger?”

  “I don’t get the luxury of putting aside my job title, Agent Giles.” Jacob’s voice had gone cold. “Now do your job instead of asking questions that have no bearing on what’s happening there.”

  Matt didn’t need to hear a click to know Jacob had definitively ended the call.

  When the phone rang again, it slipped from Erin’s damp hand, clattering to the floor of the cab. She apologized and scooped it up before Chambers hung up. “Hello? Hello?”

  “You wasn’t thinking about not answering the call, were you, princess?”

  “No. The phone dropped.” She looked out the window to her right then left.

  “Nice try, but you can’t see me. I can see you, though. Now pay the cab driver and get out of the taxi. You see that building on your left? That’s where you’re going. There’s a side entrance to the right. Once you get inside, you won’t have any trouble finding me.” Chambers chuckled and silenced his phone.

  With nerveless fingers, Erin handed the m
oney to the driver, thanked him, and slid from the back seat. Her legs wobbled, and she grasped the door handle to steady herself. Walking to her death, she managed to cross the road at the light. For the middle of the afternoon, the street was eerily deserted.

  She held the phone tightly, debated calling Matt. She could tell him where she was, and maybe, he could make it to her in time. But then she’d be risking his life, too. Stuart wouldn’t hesitate to kill Matt if he got the upper hand. Her brother had never liked her husband.

  The sunlight glinted off the double-paned glass entrance doors, but she didn’t accept the invitation, following Chambers’ instructions to the letter. She wouldn’t risk Hal’s life any further, and if she could somehow manage to save him…she let the thought trail off.

  Time for hope was gone. She wasn’t even sure if prayers would work now. Her hand curved around the handle of the door, and she tugged.

  Stuart saw her coming, and all the blood rushed to his head. He watched his sister cross the street, and he waited for that moment of remorse, that little twinge of conscience that never came. Why did he still do that to himself? Wonder if, one time, he’d hesitate before he took another life?

  It was too late for that. Any bit of humanity he’d had left died the day he was sent to Attica. Now, it was all about survival. He massaged his head at the thought. Not that he had too much long to do that.

  When Erin disappeared from view, Stuart slid down the banister of the exit stairs and crept up behind Chambers. He didn’t want to call attention with a bullet, but Chambers wasn’t a part of his plan. He’d have to do something with him while he dealt with Erin.

  “Hey, Masters. Nice to see you again.” Stuart kept his voice low, and the second the inmate turned, he smacked him across the temple with the butt of his pistol. “Sorry bout that,” he muttered when the guy crumpled to the ground like a discarded kite.

  It took him several minutes to lug Chambers underneath the stairwell and a couple more to secure him so the bastard couldn’t interrupt things with Erin. Once he’d taken care of his sister, Stuart would come back to finish things with Chambers. Or maybe the police would do it for him.

  The side door creaked open, and a slash of sunlight hit the concrete at his feet. Stuart smile and wedged himself in between the wall and the door. And waited for his sister to step inside.

  He caught the scent of her perfume first, something floral. He didn’t remember her wearing that kind before. But it had been a long time since he’d seen her. Anticipation tiptoed up his spine, and the moment he saw a flash of long, red hair, he stepped out and pressed the muzzle of the pistol into soft flesh.

  “So this is what it takes for a guy to get a visit from his sister.”

  Matt pulled the car to the side of the road, killing the engine but leaving the lights flickering. From his vantage point, he could make out the sniper on a building across the street from the office complex. The sight only made him feel marginally better.

  From the trunk of the car, he withdrew his Kevlar vest and FBI jacket for identification. He jogged up to the closest cop. “Have you got eyes on him?”

  “Not yet. No sign of him or Miss Prescott.” The cop indicated Erin’s picture in his hand. “We haven’t breached the perimeter yet.”

  “Anymore of my guys here?”

  A pop then shattering glass ended the conversation. Matt took cover beside the unit, the police officer beside him. Weapons drawn, they aimed them at the office building.

  “You see anything?” Matt edged upward for a better look.

  “Nothing.”

  Another shot rang out.

  “That sounded like high-powered fire.” Matt whirled to look behind him but couldn’t see the sniper. “SWAT’s not taking potshots, are they?”

  “They shouldn’t be. Our orders are to maintain our positions.”

  “I need to talk to your captain. Where is he?”

  The cop pointed to the opposite side of the street, several yards ahead. “Use the radio.” He handed over his handheld unit.

  Just as Matt’s fingers closed around the radio, another bullet splintered it in his grasp. The heat and friction ripped the skin from the palm of his hand. “Dammit!” He cupped his hand in the other and rolled back against the protection of the car. “That’s not O’Malley. He’s not that good of a shot.”

  He stared at the cop who stared right back at him. Matt didn’t need to say it aloud to know they were both thinking the same thing. But what were the odds that a rogue sniper had chosen that exact day at that exact moment to target the city?

  Another pop raised the odds. This one preceded the cry of “Officer down!”

  The car radio squawked, and Matt heard a tinny voice issuing orders. SWAT was mobilizing, taking to the upper buildings in an attempt to locate the executioner.

  Matt rocked back on his heels. He didn’t believe in coincidences. Maybe Billy Chambers had chosen this building because he’d known something would be going down. He’d wanted the cover, the distraction. It wouldn’t take much for a lowlife like Chambers to uncover the other criminal elements in the city.

  The sniper provided just the right amount of coverage for the building and kept the police from entering, giving either Chambers or Stuart all the time they needed to kill both Erin and Hal and escape out a back entrance.

  Adrenaline pumping, Matt secured his vest and slipped into his jacket.

  “Where in the hell are you going?” The cop snagged his arm.

  Matt broke free. “Somewhere in that building are two escaped convicts and my wife. I don’t know about the guys, but my wife is coming out of there alive. Start contacting those offices and let them know to gather in their conference rooms. Once in, I’ll have the SWAT guys lead out as many of them as possible.”

  The captain jogged over to meet up with him. “We’ve been cleared to go in. SWAT’s going to take the lead.”

  “Negative. I’ll be at the lead.” Matt wasn’t willing to allow anyone else to have control of Erin’s life. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the well-trained men; he just trusted himself more.

  The captain sighed, looked like he wanted to object, then shrugged. “Fine. Radio’s on. We don’t have an eye on the sniper so stay low. We’ll cover you.”

  “Affirmative.” Geared up, Matt motioned to SWAT that he was going in. Heart pounding, blood rushing in his ear, he headed into the unknown.

  Chapter Twelve

  Stuart had changed. So much more than she could have ever imagined. The last time she’d seen him, he’d had some heart in his eyes, something she recognized as human. But the man she looked at now was nothing more than an empty shell, bearing none of the familial resemblance from the pictures of their youth.

  He hadn’t shaven in a while, and the grizzly beard added years to his lined face, and he’d lost a good portion of his hair or had chosen to shave his head. From the tattoos displayed up and down his arms and neck to the scars crisscrossing his knuckles, Stuart looked every bit the hardened prisoner.

  Other than the moment he’d first greeted her, he hadn’t said anything to her. He’d dragged her down the final flight of stairs to a cold, dimly lit concrete room with oversized water heaters and shoved her to the ground. Now, he walked back and forth in front of the door he’d locked behind them.

  The need to know about her friend had her breaking the silence. “Where’s Hal?”

  Stuart looked at her over his shoulder. “Who?”

  Her nails dug into her palms. “Hal. My friend. The one the big guy kidnapped to get me here.”

  Her brother stared back at her, the boy she’d once seen in his eyes gone forever. “You don’t actually believe he’s still alive, do you?” He snorted and shook his head. “You always were gullible.”

  Pain ratcheted through Erin’s body. Common sense had told her she was chasing a fleeting dream when she’d gotten into the cab, but she had to take that chance. Matt would call it foolish, reckless, but Hal had come into her life at a t
ime when she had no one, quickly making himself a part of her world. Like a comfortable pair of sweats, he’d grown familiar to her. For that alone, she’d wanted to try to save him.

  “Do you know where he is?” Her voice broke.

  The glare Stuart gave her screamed disinterest. “No, I don’t know where he is, and I don’t care. And his dead carcass is the last thing you should be worried about right now.”

  Erin winced at the words but didn’t look away from her brother’s cold stare. “You don’t know for sure Hal is dead.”

  Stuart snorted. “I know Billy Chambers. He don’t leave witnesses alive.”

  “I’ve heard you don’t either.” She softened her voice, but it didn’t affect the coldness in her brother’s gaze.

  “Yeah, well, that’s one thing you learn in prison real fast. If you’re going to off someone, make sure you’re not seen, and eliminate the problem if you are.”

  Erin wanted to cry, but she bit back the tears. Crying for Hal would serve no purpose now. She needed to survive, to ensure her friend got the justice he deserved. And now that Matt knew she’d gone to her brother, he’d stop at nothing to find her. That raised the odds in her favor. “There isn’t a way out of this. You and your friend should have picked a better hiding place than on a busy street in downtown Charleston.”

  She didn’t kid herself. No amount of communication would ever reach the brother she once knew, but talking was all she had right now to buy Matt some time.

  He held up the gun, tapped the barrel lightly against his cheek. “There’s always a way out when you have a gun, sis.”

  The words fell flat with no emotion. Erin shivered in response. Was she looking at a man who’d changed because of his incarceration, or had the prison merely stripped away the façade he’d worn before he’d killed their parents? She wanted to know if this was the real Stuart O’Malley.

  It couldn’t be the same boy who’d protected her, had picked her for his softball team even when his friends didn’t want her to play. The big brother who’d covered her with a blanket when she fell asleep on the couch, allowed her to crawl into bed with him when she’d had a nightmare.