by Kallie Lane
So yeah, as much as he wanted in there to see her corpse and his handiwork, he’d have to take a pass.
The parking lot was deserted with everyone still inside watching the on-ice action. Reaching the sedan, The Shepherd cranked the key and drove toward the bridge leading to the highway and Mallard Bay. He hummed his favorite hymn which poured through the speakers and thought about his work tonight.
Hoo-rah, two fist pumps in the air for two perfectly orchestrated killings. The first—God’s will, and the other—well, it was God’s will, too. Taking money to lure Breeana to her death was wrong, a mortal sin. The man had deserved killing.
God as his witness, The Shepherd thought he deserved a medal for what he’d done tonight, but knew he’d have to settle for a six-pack and a movie instead. A horror flick that guaranteed thrills and chills with Breeana in the starring role. Maybe not as satisfying as being live on the set to hear her screams and see the carnage first-hand, but he would deal.
He wondered if Sauvage was attacked by the rats when he sprang the door to the locker room. If the rats got by him, they would make their way to the spectator stands and cause a bloody stampede. A lot of God fearing people could get hurt if it happened. He hoped the cop was smart enough to contain the problem before it reached the innocent.
He glanced at the clock on the dash, his heart pounding. Another thirty minutes, and he’d be sprawled in front of the wide screen. He’d watch Breeana die tonight—in HD with sound surround. And he’d relive the moment over and over again.
It is God’s will, Breeana…God’s will.
****
Sully snagged Breeana by the elbow and nudged her into an alcove at the bar’s entrance as he answered his cell phone. “Talk to me.”
“The Crime Scene Unit just left.” Sergeant Millette waited out the sound system booming in the background before continuing. “They found cameras transmitting live video feed from the locker room.”
“Son of a bitch.” Sully’s excitement spiked. He fought to keep his voice even, didn’t want to get Breeana’s hopes up. “Did they leave the cameras in place?”
“Better than that, they acted like they never saw them. Pinheads in the walls, nothing more. The signal’s still active and our geek squad’s tracking it now. There’s an IP anonymizer on the link, but our guys say they can crack the code if the connection stays open for another minute or two. It shouldn’t be long now.”
The bastard may not know it yet, but once they traced the IP address they’d have his location—and his balls to the wall. Yeah, Sully loved the geek gods. They’d work their magic and get him what he needed.
He winked at Breeana and held up a finger to ward off her questions. “Millette, I want the address and a warrant ASAP. Drag a judge out of bed if you have to. And notify Tactical Response. We’ll need them for the takedown. I don’t want him slipping through our fingers.”
“It’s already in the works, Lieutenant. SWAT’s standing by and our guys are heading in now. I sent Sanchez to sit on the judge. He’ll have the warrant as soon as we have an address.”
“Let me know the instant you hear. We move on my command. Nice work.” He closed the connection.
“You want to tell me what’s happening?” Breeana pushed out of the entryway and onto the sidewalk. A death grip on his hand, she tugged, pulling him behind her, closing the distance to the Tahoe. He hit the remote and lifted her onto the passenger seat. “Do you have a lead?”
Sully slid behind the steering wheel and fired up the engine, trying not to think about how good it had felt with his hands wrapped around her slim waist. “I’ll fill you in later. Right now I need to get you home.”
“No…no, you don’t.” She drew in a steadying breath as he pulled into traffic and lightly touched his arm. “Right now you need to be with your squad, Sully. You’re waiting on an address and you don’t have time to drop me anywhere. I’m going with you.”
Sully’s eyes narrowed as he mulled over his options.
Damn, she makes sense. Time was the enemy and he had none to spare. Still, he couldn’t protect her on a takedown, wouldn’t take the chance on something going wrong. “I’ll radio a squad car and transfer you to them on route.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Now wait just a—”
“I don’t have time to argue with you, Bree.” The stubborn woman didn’t know when to quit. She’d been through hell tonight and acted like she wanted more of the same. Or maybe she felt safer with him. Hard to tell, but either way, he wasn’t buying.
His cell phone buzzed and he punched speaker. Millette rattled off the address, a warehouse in Mallard Bay on the waterfront near the pier. Sully disconnected, hit the bar lights and siren, and booted it for the highway. Speed dialing the MBPD, he requested a unit meet him at the off ramp to transfer Breeana to them. They could take her home where she’d be safe and out of the line of fire.
“Sorry, Lieutenant, we’ve got an armed robbery in progress at an ATM machine. The dickheads dragged it out of a wall with a trailer hitch. We don’t have any units available until we have them in custody, unless we send the unmarked parked at Dr. McGill’s house. It’s your call.”
Breeana stiffened, her eyes blazing in the dim interior light. “You promised me Cody and my father would be kept safe. Don’t you dare pull their protection.”
Terrific. There was nothing like being caught between a gunfight and a red-headed, fire-breathing woman. He’d take the gunfight any day of the week; it upped his chances of survival. Sully gritted his teeth and growled, knowing full well Breeana wouldn’t cooperate if he pulled the cops off her family’s guard detail. “That’s a negative. Keep the unit at Dr. McGill’s residence.”
“Roger that, Lieutenant.”
There isn’t any other choice. He’d leave her in Tactical’s on-site command center while they raided the warehouse. But, he didn’t like it. “Happy now? You get to hang out where the action is.”
“Right, I really want to get close to the scumbag. I just thought you’d get there faster if you didn’t have to drop me off.” She stared straight ahead, hands shredding a tissue in her lap, anxiety tightening her features. “You think you’ll catch him?”
Breeana had a way of touching his soul at the worst possible times. He should be thinking about what lay ahead, not trying to ease her fears. Reaching across the console, he squeezed her hand. “We have a good chance. It’s our best shot.”
Hitting the off ramp at breakneck speed, Sully cut the siren and navigated the streets to the warehouse district. He stopped half a block down when he spotted Tactical’s armor-plated truck and the string of cars pulled in behind it.
Millette and Clemente approached when he angled out of the Tahoe. Sanchez, Lemieux and Bruno stood off to the side. “You have the warrant?”
Sanchez patted his vest. “We’re good to go, Loot.”
Sully nodded, rounded to the passenger door, and hauled Breeana to the asphalt. If his squad was surprised, no one said a word, not that it mattered to him. He kept her close, brought her round back of SWAT’s office on wheels, and rapped hard. As soon as the door opened, he pushed her inside ahead of him and shut the door.
Quite the set up. Infrared images played on video screens, the outside of the warehouse lit up from every conceivable angle. A fax machine whirred and phones rang while two men dealt with the confusion like well-oiled machines.
SWAT’s commander, Luc Renault, stood off to the side. A taciturn guy, he was late forties and built like a fireplug dressed in full body armor.
Luc held out his hand. Sully took it, and as they shook, he said, “It’s good to see you again, Sauvage. I hear you want the lead on this one. That’s against procedure, and I can’t let you do it. Sorry, man, but SWAT goes in before your team.”
“Yep, I know. By the way, how are Millie and the boys doing?” Sully touched Breeana’s arm. “Luc and I served together in the military. We’ve known each other for a long, long time.”
Luc hesitated when Sully turned the conversation to his family. Not surprising, since he knew where Renault’s skeletons were buried. “Everyone’s great. Millie and I are coming up on our tenth anniversary soon.”
“Well, be sure to tell her I said hello. By the way, did she ever find out about the time in Beirut when you got lost in the hotel, and…?”
Renault clamped his shoulder, held up a finger to silence him, and glanced at his men working the computers. “You wouldn’t.”
Sully leaned in and whispered in his ear. “It pains me to say this, but I would.”
“You must want the son of a bitch real bad to risk putting me in shits-ville with Millie. You want the lead that much?”
“You have no idea.” Sully waited a couple of beats, then grinned when Renault finally nodded agreement, his gaze flickering to Breeana who stood motionless inside the doorway. It was time to do what he did best, catch a monster. “This is Dr. McGill, the woman our perp is fixated on. I need her locked down here while we nail the guy.”
Renault motioned to a swivel chair with a grandiose gesture and guided Breeana to it. “If I’m reading Lieutenant Detective Sauvage right, I should handcuff you to the workstation to ensure your safety. Or, you could give me your word you’ll stay put. What’ll it be?”
“I won’t move. I promise.” She tossed Sully a you-are-so-dead glare. He ignored her, switching mental gears to focus on the warehouse.
Renault nodded and turned back to him. “What’s the plan?”
“I need the blueprints.”
Sully leaned over Renault’s shoulder as the other man brought up the schematics on a laptop. “As far as we know, it’s open warehouse space with a small office at the back…right here.” He pointed with an index finger. “The warehouse hasn’t been used for a couple of years. There’s a small window in the office and six garage doors across the front and back with loading docks.”
Sully breathed easier. No basement and an open concept building meant less places for assholes to hide. Their serial killer may not work alone, although there was no evidence to prove otherwise. Still, better to plan for a party than get their butts kicked or get dead. “I want my team to infiltrate and SWAT outside covering the exits.”
“You got it.” Renault grabbed a headset and tossed it to him. Sully checked the signal; it worked fine. He’d be tied into SWAT at all times. Another few seconds and they synchronized their watches.
“Give us three minutes to get in position.”
“I’ll kill the infrareds before you start moving. What I don’t see can’t get written in my report.” Renault nodded toward Breeana. “I’ll coordinate from here and keep eyes on Dr. McGill.”
“Make sure you watch her.” Sully spared Bree a glance. She stared at the monitors, looking shell-shocked and pale. He knew her husband had died on a military op. Can she handle this? “Breeana, don’t sweat it. We’ll get the creep.”
Her chin came up and she glared his way. “Suck lemons, Sauvage. Just get back here in one piece.”
Yep, she can handle it.
He exited, moved to the Tahoe, and popped the hatch. Taking a deep breath to focus his emotions, he strapped on his Kevlar vest and grabbed the assault rifle someone from SWAT handed him. After checking the load and pocketing extra ammo, he was good to go.
Renault confirmed through his headset—SWAT was in position and the infrared cameras were off. Sully’s homicide team took off. It was pitch dark. Security floodlights must not be in the budget for the unrented space. His men trained their flashlights on the ground while making their way to the back of the warehouse. Logic said the computer was in the office. They needed immediate access to the room.
Clemente used bolt cutters on a garage door and snapped the lock. Lemieux shoved the door up the few feet they needed to roll under. It shrieked and rumbled on its track. Sully grimaced. Whoever was in there knew the posse had arrived.
The interior looked like a junk heap of scrapped trucks and heavy machinery, making for numerous places to hide. Open concept, my ass. He flinched when a rat scuttled across his foot. He hated the fuckers. Focus. Get your bearings.
Clemente and Millette broke left to do a sweep. Sanchez and Lemieux went straight up the middle while he and Bruno veered right.
An eerie glow reflected off slatted blinds on the interior window of the office. He signaled Bruno to go wide, and they approached it from opposite sides. Sully edged close enough to the window to peer through the slats. The computer still recorded video feed from the arena locker room. He scanned the shadows around it looking for their perp. Empty, no one hiding in dark corners. His gaze swung back to the monitor, touching on something almost hidden by the computer tower—a bundle of explosives with a cell phone attached.
“Everybody out! The building’s rigged! Fall back! Fall back!”
Renault repeated the order through the headset while Sully and his team scrambled for the door. They rolled through and gained their feet, picked up speed, and raced for the field behind the warehouse.
Jesus. No ground cover.
Millette took the lead like a marathon runner on speed. He raised a hand in the air, shouting something about a drainage ditch. Everyone else followed, their legs pumping and minds hell-bent on survival. Sully guarded their six, did full visual sweeps for anyone with a rifle. Or, God forbid, the flash of a muzzle. His squad was easy pickings if the freak got the urge to bag a few cops.
Once his men blew into the ditch, Sully stopped searching for snipers. He cranked up his own gears and burned rubber, his thighs churning like pistons. One Mississippi, two Mississippi…still twenty meters out. Ten meters…five, just five more, thank you God! As he dove for the drain pipe, the world exploded.
****
Renault pinned Breeana’s shoulder before she could leave the chair. “Sit back down or I swear I’ll cuff you.”
“Are you crazy? Did you see the explosion? I have medical training. There are people out there who need help!” Where is Sully? I need to do something. He could be hurt or dying.
“Hold up. The only thing out there you need to worry about is the fucking maniac who is trying to kill you.” Renault placed his hands on the arms of her chair and leaned in close. “He’s willing to mess with cops to do it, lady. So let Sauvage do his job. Wait until we get a headcount and stick to the chair like you’re glued into it. Got it?”
She nodded. Renault turned back to the other men inside the control center. They spoke through headsets to their team. Everyone was accounted for in their squad, no serious casualties. But they couldn’t raise Sully with repeated tries. The minutes ticked by, Breeana’s fear edging toward full blown panic. She scanned the monitors searching for his familiar face. Nothing. Smoke billowed and flames leapt skyward.
Three fire trucks arrived, followed by rescue vehicles and several patrol cars, the scene a nightmare of confusion. Firemen pumped water from the lake through hoses and trained them on the blaze. She could see Renault’s men, pushing close to the blaze with the firemen, looking for…
She couldn’t sit here feeling helpless another minute. She lunged for the door. Her hands banged the release bar and her feet hit the ground before Renault could stop her.
She ran toward the blaze. Oh God, oh God, oh God. Please, don’t let Sully be dead! People shouted to each other; no one noticed when she slipped by them. The grass burned around her feet while smoldering timbers ignited more flames. Sounds distorted, smoke tore at her lungs, the heat of the fire almost pushing her back.
She kept on, stumbling, had to find Sully. She tripped, would have fallen but someone caught her. Tears flooded her eyes, and she couldn’t see a damn thing.
“Breeana? Jesus H. Christ! What are you doing out here?” Sully. His voice.
His strength wrapped around her like a protective shield. He lifted her in his arms and turned his back on the blaze. By the time they reached the command post, he was swearing a blue streak. She didn’t care. He could swear at her all night and sh
e’d take it. He was alive.
Again, he banged on the back door and again, Renault opened it for them. “Where the hell have you been? You’re a sight for sore eyes, man. What’s the status on your squad?”
“They’re all accounted for. No casualties, although we’ll all be a little deaf for a while.” He plunked Breeana back in the swivel chair, checking her for injuries. She pushed his hands away. His face was black, his clothes torn. A trickle of blood ran down his sleeve from where Bruiser had bit him. The stitches must have opened. He snarled at Renault. “How did she get out there?”
“Give me some credit, Sauvage. I sure as hell didn’t cut her loose. Dr. McGill’s a menace to herself and everyone else. The shit hits the fan and she takes off like a damn adrenaline junky.”
Sully snorted. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“I’m not deaf, you know. I’m sitting right here.”
“Yeah, and that’s a miracle in itself,” Sully snapped. “If the explosion didn’t get you, the freaking perp could have snatched you out from under our noses.”
“He’s not here.” She glared up at him, swiping at the smoke still clouding her vision. “Do you think he’s that stupid with all the cops and firemen fighting the blaze?”
“No, he’s far from stupid, Bree.” Sully crouched in front of her and stared her down. He was angry, so angry he scared her a little. “And, he’s here. The explosion was detonated by cell phone. He was close enough to watch us when he triggered the blast.”
Well, when he put it that way… “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I thought I could help.”
He shook his head, reached for a thermos, and poured her a mug of coffee, handed it to her and moved to the door. “Please, stay inside this time. There’s a bathroom down the hall if you want to clean up.”
It was another three hours before they made it out of there. The sun was up, a new day already beginning when they pulled into Breeana’s driveway. She unlocked the door while Sully answered his phone, talking in a low voice for a few minutes before disconnecting. The house was quiet. Her father and Cody must still be asleep.