“Does it work?”
“The hell if I know. I’m not one of the lab rats.” Summer moved to the cracked picture window and looked through the filthy glass at the shroud of trees encircling the house. “But it’s worth a shot.”
“Damn right,” Nate said. He quickly called in the request to the station, having them forward the information to the boys in the lab.
Summer turned back to Nate. “They’re going to do it?”
“As we speak. Said it’ll take some time for the prints to emerge if there are any, but if he used some kind of oil based cleaner on the rag when he cleaned the car, then there might not be anything to see.”
“He’s smart. I’ll give him that, but somehow I don’t think he’s that smart.”
The phone in her pocket vibrated, then began ringing. Summer felt her calm wash away in a surging tide as the reality of the situation hit home. She fumbled, digging the phone out then quickly flipped it open. “H—Hello?”
“Get in a car and start driving south from the city.”
“South, where?”
“Anywhere. Just head out of the city and go south.”
“I want to talk to Sabrina first.”
“Can’t do that. They may be tracing the call.”
The line went dead and Summer felt like she’d been kicked in the stomach. She’d been counting on hearing Sabrina’s voice one more time and didn’t care if they were tracing the call or not. She craved hearing that sweet little voice like a drug addict craved another hit.
“South?” Nate said, already heading toward the door. “Let’s go. I’ll follow and hang back.”
“No!” Summer stood her ground. “I told you I won’t risk Sabrina’s life by pissing him off. I’m going by myself and that’s my final decision.”
Nate stood inches away, glaring down at her. “There’s no way in hell—”
“Gun!” Summer held out her hand and was disappointed to see it shaking. She had hoped her nerves had settled, but they hadn’t healed completely, even with John Scott dead.
Nate reached for his sidearm.
“No, not yours.” Summer tightened every muscle in her body, willing them to remain still, but she knew it’d only hold for a very short period of time before the twitches and shakes took over with vengeance. “Did you get my gun like I asked?”
Nate’s eyes were barely more than slits as he fought to control his anger at being told he couldn’t come out and play today, then reluctantly he bent down and unstrapped the holster from his leg and handed it to Summer.
“I’m sorry, Nate.” Summer took the gun from the holster then tossed the holster in the corner and slid her brand new sidearm beneath her pant leg. “I really appreciate your help, but you have to understand why you can’t come.”
Nate nodded, but she didn’t think he did understand. She knew revenge was rooted deep in his mind and if she didn’t want him following, then she’d either have to shoot him or lose him.
“Oh, by the way,” Summer smiled, realizing what a stubborn ass she was partnered with, “I borrowed your car.”
Nate’s face slackened.
“I hope you don’t mind.”
“Then… you saw the pictures?”
Summer nodded and fished the after photo from her pocket. “I have to admit, it does get your blood boiling.”
“It’s—”
“I understand.” She raised an eyebrow. “After years of working beside you. I finally understand what drives you.”
Summer headed to the door then turned back. “And don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your car.”
Nate forced a smile. “One scratch and you’ll be buying me a new one.”
Summer nodded and stepped onto the porch. “Promise that you won’t follow me.”
Nate bit his lip and nodded.
“Out loud. I don’t want any of this, just kidding shit.”
“Fine! I promise.” Nate kicked over the chair and followed her outside. “But if something goes wrong—”
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine. I’ll call you as soon as I have Sabrina.” Summer stopped on the top step and turned back. “I promise, if anything goes wrong you’ve got my permission to destroy the entire country just to get that bastard.”
“I’ll kill him!” Nate clenched his jaw. “And I’m not kidding.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” Summer smiled. “That’s what makes you such a good partner.”
“Go on. Get out of here before I change my mind.”
Summer ran to the car as fast as her sore foot would allow. Once inside, she started the engine and tore down the gravel road, heading in the direction of the highway.
“South? How far south does he want me to go?” Summer said, placing the phone back onto the holder. Was south the direction that they would make the swap, or was he only keeping her moving, watching from a safe distance to see if anybody was tailing her?
Summer leaned over and opened the glove box, then fumbled through the assortment of maps she knew Nate would have. He always had the cruiser organized and his car was the same. She dropped map after map to the floor until she found the Ontario map. Flipping it open on the passenger’s seat, Summer glanced at it trying to pick an area that was secluded enough for him to feel safe about making the exchange.
There were plenty of small towns and flat farm land to the south, but nothing on the map jumped out at her for the perfect drop spot for the exchange. He’d want somewhere where he could see her coming for miles around, with enough access that he could make a getaway without being seen, but as hard as Summer tried to find a location, she couldn’t. There just didn’t seem to be an ideal spot to the south, because eventually you ended up at the edge of Lake Erie with no place to go.
“Maybe this is a ruse to keep me guessing? He’s probably going to call back and switch direction anytime soon.” She glanced at the phone, but it didn’t ring, so she rounded the next corner and headed south-west toward a hill. A good spot for him to be sitting on top, watching for her to approach.
She slowed her approach, scanning the hillside when her phone rang, causing her to jump.
“Damn it!” Summer grabbed the phone and flipped it open. “What?”
“Where are you?”
“Middle Line Road, past Buxton.” There was the distinct sound of paper rattling.
“Okay, continue down to Four Rod Road then head south again and turn left onto the Sixteenth Line.”
“Just name your location and let’s get this over with.”
“In time. Just make sure you’re all alone, because if I see one cop, I’m gone and you’ll never see Sabrina again.”
“Don’t worry.” Summer bit back her anger. “I’m all alone. I don’t care about the money. Just give me my daughter.”
“Then keep driving.”
The phone went silent again. Summer flipped it closed and set it back down. After checking the map, she turned left at the next road and made her way down the Four Rod Road. She ran her finger down the path that he’d told her, but there still wasn’t anything up ahead.
When Summer turned onto the Sixteenth Line, the phone rang again. She glanced across the empty farmer’s fields, then in her rearview mirror for any sign of the kidnapper or anyone tailing her, but the countryside seemed so desolate that she felt all alone in the apocalyptic future.
“Drive down the road until you see the lone barn with the red X on the door. Once you’re there, pull inside all the way to the back wall and turn off the car.”
“Are you in the barn? Hello…” Summer tossed the phone down beside her. “God damn it! Stop hanging up on me!”
She drove down, past a few collapsed barns until she spotted the first standing structure. Her heart started racing as she pulled slowly onto the rutted, muddy laneway that led to the old barn. As she neared, she sighed at the sight of the fresh red paint on the partially open door.
There still was no sign of the kidnapper anywhere, b
ut she followed the orders and pulled her car into the barn until her bumper was nearly touching the weathered old boards. Once she turned the car off, the sound of bats was unmistakable. They seemed agitated by the rumbling of the car engine, but soon fell silent as the seconds ticked by.
Summer waited for what seemed like an eternity, glancing repeatedly over each shoulder, anticipating the kidnapper’s arrival, but the countryside was extremely quiet today and no cars dared go past the barn since she’d pulled in. It was almost as if she’d driven down an abandoned road.
The phone rang again and she quickly answered it.
“Get out of the car, place the money and car keys through the hole in the back wall, then wait inside the car for me to arrive. Once I have the money, I’ll send Sabrina out to you. Follow my tracks and you’ll find your car keys a short distance away. Understand?”
Summer understood perfectly. She’d have to trust this man to release Sabrina after she’d folded all her cards. “Fine.”
After gathering the bag from the floor, Summer climbed out of the car and cautiously walked to the back wall where there was a large chunk of board missing. She glanced out the back and noticed a service lane extending out into the field, disappearing over the hill in the distance. He was probably sitting just on the other side, waiting for her to make the drop. She debated whether she should hide beside the wall and shoot him when he gets close, or if she should play it safe and trust he’ll live up to his end of the bargain.
Playing it safe, Summer held the bag out the hole and let it fall onto the makeshift table below, then dropped the car keys on top of the bag. She wished she’d brought her own set of keys from the Volvo. He wouldn’t know the difference between the two sets, then at least she’d be able to chase him if he double crossed her. But she didn’t, so she returned to the car and waited, gazing through the cracks in the splintered wood for any sign of them approaching.
Two minutes later she saw the sun reflect off the truck’s windshield as it cautiously climbed to the top of the hill, down on the service lane. Summer felt butterflies swirling in her stomach, a welcome change to the nagging feeling that she usually got when the stress level increased.
He’s bringing Sabrina and he’s gonna release her.
Summer could almost feel Sabrina in her arms right now.
He’s… stopping?
Summer squinted, trying to make sense of what he was doing in the distance. The driver’s door opened and it looked like he was aiming a rifle off into the distance.
Summer looked to her left and bobbed her head until she found a gap in the boards. A car was coming down the road—A police car. “Damn it, Nate! I told—”
The gun shot echoed through the barn, sending the bats fluttering around the rooftop. Summer ignored the flying rats and watched as Nate’s cruiser veered off the roadway and came crashing to a halt in the muddy field beside the barn.
Chapter16
The feeling in Dean’s stomach was one of pure nauseousness. He’d been resting so comfortably in the chief’s office until Gavin had woken him, insistent that they should go and look for the kidnapper.
Dean stared at the display, wondering what had happened to the tiny blimp they had been following across the countryside for the last fifteen minutes. He tapped the side of the unit but the tiny blimp never moved.
“Something’s wrong with this thing. Why isn’t it working?”
Gavin looked curiously at the display then grabbed it from Dean, anxiously fiddling with the screen. “What did you fucking do? It was working just a minute ago.”
“Nothing.” Dean grabbed it back. “It’s stuck. It’s just sitting there on that spot. Why would it stop working?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she’s stopped for a fucking break or maybe she tossed the bag out the fucking window. Just wait a few minutes and we’ll get to that location and find out.”
Dean drew a deep breath and stared out the window in the direction that the machine showed Summer was in. There wasn’t much to see, only a hill in the distance. “What if she’s up on top of that hill?”
“Then you’ll have to use your fucking eyes for that one, Dean. The machine is only as good as your senses are. If you can’t see shit, then it’s as useless as tits on a bull.”
Dean flipped the handheld tracking unit over, looking for a supplier name, but found none. “How often do you use this thing? And what the hell for?”
“It’s for emergency situations. I got it from a security supplier a couple of months ago. It’s part of a bigger package designed to track the delivery trucks across the country.” Gavin gave a wink. “That way we always know exactly where the trucks are and what the drivers are up to.”
“You want to spy on the delivery guys?”
“No.” Gavin shrugged. “Well, yes. Is it that bad of an idea to know where your shipments are? If you get the whole package, you can track them minute for minute, making sure they’re not screwing around—Or stopped at some warehouse filling the shipment with drugs and guns.” Gavin waited until the point had sunk in. “They showed me what the system has done for other trucking companies and it looks impressive.”
“And when were you going to run it past me?” Dean reclined the seat and slid his leg out, easing the pressure on his stomach. “Cause I don’t think the guys would like it.”
“They don’t have to know.” Gavin tapped the screen. “Summer has absolutely no idea she’s being tracked either. The only time they’d know is when we drag them into the office and bust them for fucking around when we’re paying them to work. And if they’re fucking me around, then I don’t care how they feel about the system because they’ll be history.”
Dean held the screen up. “Are you sure Summer doesn’t know?”
“Hell, this is the first time I’ve used it. There might be something wrong with the transmitter. Maybe it got wet or the battery ran low. What do I look like, a fucking techie?”
“Or she found it stuck inside the bag and tossed it out the window.”
“No.” Gavin shook his head. “It’s so small she’d never find it.”
“Well, no matter what, it’s not doing any good right now.” Dean tapped the tracking unit against the dash.
“Don’t do that. You’re gonna fucking break it, then we’ll be shit out of luck!”
Gavin reached for the unit but Dean pulled it away, studying it closely. “I think it moved a little. Not much. Not like before, but just a tiny bit.”
“Maybe her car broke down and she’s walking?” Gavin said. “That could be the difference between the movements.”
“Maybe?” Dean had no idea. He only hoped for Summer’s sake that she’d armed herself before going out to make the drop. He knew she wasn’t supposed to carry a weapon, but being allowed and being stupid were two different things. The old Summer wouldn’t be caught in a situation like this unarmed and vulnerable. She’d have packed an extra gun and enough ammunition to blow away half a small town.
Dean couldn’t believe how far she’d come since this morning. Back then she’d been so terrified that she could barely function when Sabrina was first taken, but now after only a few hours, she was acting ever more like her old self. He hoped this boost of confidence would remain after they got Sabrina back, because he hated seeing Summer acting so pathetic.
“How could you let me drift off in the chief’s office and allow Summer to leave without me?” Dean glanced over at Gavin. “What was she thinking? She knew I wanted to go with her, even if it was against the kidnapper’s orders.”
“I didn’t let you drift off, you fell into a comatose state and I thought maybe you’d bit the dirt.”
Dean shook his head and stared out at the approaching hill. “You think John Scott getting his head blown off, had anything to do with her taking off to make the drop all by herself?”
Gavin turned the corner then glanced at the screen, making sure he was heading in the right direction. “Trust me. I offered to go with her, but
she turned me down flat.”
“You? You wanted to go?”
“Don’t be so surprised. Like you wouldn’t do the same thing if you were in my shoes?”
Dean knew he would. Even though his relationship with Gavin hasn’t been the best over the years, he knew he could never turn his back on flesh and blood. “You’re right. I’d do anything I could to help.”
“Awe,” Gavin said, tousling Dean’s hair. “If your mother was still around, she’d be so proud of you.”
“Stop it.” Dean tried to knock his hand away, but the pain was too much. “You know she wouldn’t. She never really gave a shit about either of us, now did she?”
“Not really. She always seemed more interested in finding a new man to knock her up. I think she thought it was her fucking job to help populate the world one man at a time.”
Dean felt a chill in his body at the mention of their mother. “Speaking of that. How long’s it been since you saw your old man?”
“Years.” Gavin shrugged. “Last time I saw him, he was running from the house as fast as he could while your mother threw every fucking thing she could get her hands on at his head.”
Dean had to laugh at the image. “Yeah, could’ve been a hell of a ball player.”
“If only they used ashtrays instead of baseballs.”
“That was her favourite weapon, now wasn’t it.”
Gavin looked over with a huge grin on his face. “We’ve gotta track that bitch down this Christmas and send her a big fucking case of the ugliest ashtrays we can find.”
“You’re evil. Pure evil.” Dean started laughing harder and harder until he doubled over in pain. “She’ll go nuts when she opens the box, then start flinging those things all around the house.”
“Yeah, imagine the surprise on the guy’s face she’s currently shacked up with, when the glass starts to shatter. It’d be priceless. He’d be lucky to escape alive.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t?” Dean wiped his eyes, still doubled over.
Taken - Before her very Eyes Page 14