Broken Hero

by Wright, Aubrey

  He turned and picked up the phone, one eye on me as if making sure I wasn’t going anywhere. I wasn’t.

  “…I’ll make sure he stays put,” said the officer before hanging up. Then he turned back to me. “One moment,” he said again.

  I nodded and stepped away from the desk. The station was a flurry of activity, and it seemed far busier and more frantic than most stations were the few times I’d been inside of them. I chalked it up to it being the precinct for one of the busiest neighborhoods on the planet. Cops here likely didn’t get a moment’s rest.

  “It’s you.”

  I turned to see Walker Barnes standing a few feet from me. His eyes were narrowed and fixed on mine.

  “I want to talk with you about the Monroe case,” I said.

  “You and everyone else in the city,” he said.

  “Huh?”

  He let out a whoosh of air and spoke. “Come with me.”

  Twenty minutes later, seated in Barnes’s office, I’d been filled in.

  “She’s gone?” I asked, still in disbelief.

  “Gone,” he said. “The gorilla she had working for her came to this morning and showed up at the station. We had cops over there as soon as we could. The place had been broken into, and there was no sign of her.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said. “They just broke in? That’s one of the most secure residential buildings in the city. And her apartment had the latest in high-tech gear. How did someone just break in?”

  “We were hoping you might be able to tell us.”

  I knew the answer. “Paul McKinney,” I said. “One of the men from my team. He’s one of the best security specialists on the planet. Probably got into the security system of the building and then into her apartment through a hidden admin access.”

  “Wait a minute,” said Walker, shaking his head. “One of your men? Weren’t you all hired to protect Natalie?”

  Now it was my turn to do some filling in.

  I went right into it, telling him about my betrayal in as much detail as I could. When I was done, Barnes sat back in his chair, folded his arms over his chest, and shook his head.

  “Damn,” he said. “That’s a hell of a thing.”

  “That’s the reason I’m here,” I said. “To turn myself in and do whatever I can to help her.”

  “A little late for that,” he said.

  “No kidding,” I said.

  “I’m sure you know that with what you just told me I could have you in cuffs in less than a minute, cooling your heels in a holding cell while we get around to you.”

  “I know,” I said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t know that was the case. But I want to get Joey.”

  “I can tell you do,” he said. “And lucky for you, that’s what I want too. And I’m not stupid enough to toss an asset like you into some cell while Natalie’s life in danger.”

  A small smile curled one side of my mouth. “Whatever I can do to help,” I said. “I’m ready to do whatever it takes. Even if it costs me my freedom. Or my life.”

  The expression that flashed on Barnes’s face made it clear that he sensed there was something more to my motivations than just simple duty. But he didn’t pry.

  “Here’s what I’m thinking,” he said. “You’ve been working with him for a while, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “But only on this assignment. No drug-dealing, no gun-running, no murder—nothing like that.”

  “Got it,” he said. “What I’m interested in is the fact that you and him worked together to undermine a police investigation. That’s a major, major fucking thing.”

  “Don’t I know it,” I said.

  “If we had busted you for that, you’d be in some serious shit. But we didn’t. You’re here right now, ready to work with us.” He leaned forward. “And that means we can work with you.”

  “I’m listening,” I said.

  “You and me,” he said. “We want the same things—Joey behind bars, and Natalie back safe and sound. I’ve got no interest in anything bad happening to that girl.”

  “Same.”

  “So, here’s what I’m going to suggest. You work with us right now, do what you can to track down where that fucker might’ve taken her. Then we get her back.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Then after that, you work with us on the case. You testify against Joey, talk about everything he did to fuck with our investigation. Between the kidnapping, what Natalie has to say, and what you’ve got, I’m thinking we could send that little shit up the river for the rest of his natural life.”

  “There’s more to it,” I said. “The prick got me to do what he did by threatening my little sister.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You kidding me?” he asked. “She safe now?”

  “She’s fine. But Natalie’s not.”

  “Work with us, and in exchange, we’ll give you immunity. No charges.”

  Now this was unexpected. “Are you serious?” I asked.

  “Serious as a fucking heart attack,” he said.

  “I looked into you—strong record in the service, not even a misdemeanor. I figured there was something up with why someone like you was associating with a piece of shit like him. Now I’ve got my answer.”

  “Now you do,” I said.

  “So it’s settled,” he said. “You’re going to work with us. This all goes according to plan, and you’ll be a free man, and Natalie will be safe and sound.”

  It was a better deal than I’d even allowed myself to dream of.

  “Let’s do it, then,” I said. “I don’t want to waste another minute.”

  “Perfect. Where to start?”

  “Her place,” I said.

  A half-hour later, we were back in Natalie’s apartment. A team of officers was already there and in the process of looking around. The living room looked as if there’d been a struggle, and the story was the same in the bedroom. I knew a woman like her wouldn’t have gone down without a fight.

  “All this fancy equipment and someone still got in,” said Barnes. “Damn shame.”

  Then he pointed to the cameras in the corners of the room.

  “Those would be just what we need,” he said. “But they turned them off before they came in—along with everything else.”

  “Maybe not,” I said, stepping over to one of the panels.

  “What are you talking about?” Barnes asked.

  “My guys weren’t the only ones who had backdoors into the system,” I said.

  I pressed a button the panel, and a silver keyboard slid out. A flurry of keystrokes later, I had the main TV turned on, a feed from one of the cameras filling the screen.

  “How the hell did you do that?” he asked.

  “Told you,” I said. “Backdoor of my own. I didn’t have a chance to delete my access before I left the city.”

  “Good thing,” said Barnes.

  “No kidding,” I said.

  I hit a few more keystrokes, bringing up a different feed—one that neither Stan nor anyone else on the crew had known about. It was from one of two high-powered cameras I’d installed on the undersides of both balconies.

  “Street-level cameras?” asked Barnes.

  “That’s right,” I said. “Two cameras, one on the front street, the other behind the building. And both with very high resolution.”

  “Perfect,” he said. “Go through them and see what we’ve got. The cameras were shut off from between 1:35 and 2:55 this morning—probably the best first place to check.”

  I nodded and went to it. The camera on the front of the building had nothing other than a steady trickle of nighttime traffic. But when I checked the back feed and zoomed in, it was a different story.

  The officers in the apartment were gathered around the TV, watching it intently.

  “This is amazing,” said Barnes. “They managed to turn off the camera that was hooked up to the building’s security and delete the footage of them entering. This is exactly what we need!
”

  I said nothing, instead fast-forwarding through the footage. Then, at around 2:50 a.m., it happened. A black van pulled up to the maintenance entrance of the building, two men hopping out and opened the back doors. Then a small group burst from the maintenance entrance, all of them gathered around a figure with a black hood.

  I didn’t need to zoom in any further to see that it was Natalie. My blood boiled as I watched them load her into the back of the van and drive off the screen.

  “That’s them,” said Barnes. “And we can go back in the footage and get the plate number.”

  Barnes got on the phone and made some calls. I spent the time gritting my teeth, imagining what I was going to do once I got a hold of Joey. After ten minutes, Barnes had the information we needed.

  “We traced the van to a warehouse in Queens. Got traffic cameras to follow it all the way there.”

  “So that’s where they are,” I said.

  “That’s where they are for now,” he said. “If we want to get them, we’re going to have to move. Now.”

  He didn’t need to tell me twice.

  Natalie was all I could think about. I swore I’d have her back safe, or die trying.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  NATALIE

  The leather of the second-floor office was soft and cool on my skin. If the circumstances were different, it might’ve even been a comfortable place to sit. But comfort was the last thing on my mind. The bag had been taken off my head when we entered the building, but my hands and ankles were still bound, along with my mouth.

  And I was alone. Down on the warehouse floor, a handful of Joey’s men, along with the few members of Garrett’s team—Stan and the rest of the crew—were milling about, laughing and joking with one another.

  I had no idea what they had planned for me, and fear ran through my body.

  Finally, the gold doorknob turned. Joey stepped in, a broad smile on his face. He shut the door behind him and took his place in the middle of the office, staring down at me with those green eyes of his.

  “You know, call me a fucking pig if you have to, but seeing you all tied up like this is giving me a halfie, if you know what I’m saying.”

  I narrowed my eyes, sending a clear message of how much I wanted to rip his goddamn guts out. But he wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. Instead, he leaned forward and gave me a playful swat on my knee.

  “Come on,” he said. “Have a sense of humor for once in your life, babe.” He raised a finger, as if a thought had just occurred to him. “Ah—I know what you need.”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small switchblade, the knife popping out with a click. My eyes went wide, and my heart began to thump as he approached me with the blade.

  “Oh, come on,” he said. “You think I’m going to slice up that pretty face of yours? It’d be like flicking bubble gum at the Mona Lisa. Just calm the hell down…”

  He slipped the blade under my gag, the full edge of the knife cool against my skin. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sliced through the fabric.

  “Now, before you—”

  “Let me go, you miserable fuck!” I shouted.

  Joey winced and shook his head. “What I was going to say, sweet thing, is that my one rule about taking that gag off is that you don’t scream at me like a fucking psychopath.”

  “You’re the only psychopath here, Joey,” I spat out.

  He dismissively waved his hand through the air. “Yeah, yeah,” he said. “I’m a lunatic or a psycho or whatever. Get it off your chest now, because I really don’t feel like hearing it.”

  I said nothing, instead narrowing my eyes at him as if I could slice his throat open with a single stare.

  “Easy on the killer glares,” he said. “Lord knows I saw enough of those during our little fling.”

  “Tell me what you want,” I said. “Tell me why you have me here.”

  “That’s not obvious?” he asked. “I’ve got you here because I don’t need you running your mouth to the fucking NYPD about my business.”

  “You ought to be in jail for what you’ve done,” I said.

  “Whatever,” he said. “How many people in this city ‘ought to be in jail’ for shit they’ve pulled? How many clients you’ve represented? Doesn’t matter, anyway. The point is that you’re not going to be talking.”

  “Are you going to kill me?” I asked.

  “You know, that’s what I was going to do,” he said. “Man, that’s been my fantasy for the last month. Having you in front of me, just like this, tied up and helpless, tears in your eyes.” He formed his hands into a gun shape and slowly raised them toward my face. “A single bullet, that’s all I’d need to make all of this shit go away. Just…one…Bang,” he said, pulling the “trigger.”

  He was a psychopath, that much was clear. As if I could’ve forgotten. He blew on the end of his pretend gun before sticking it into a pretend holster. Then he strolled over to the large, ornate desk and took a seat on the edge. “Kill you,” he said. “That sounded really nice.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?” I asked.

  “Why, you eager to die?” he asked. “Didn’t think you had a death wish, kid.” He shook his head. “No,” he said. “There’s a reason I’m talking about all of this killing-you shit in the past tense.” His mouth slowly spread into a sinister smile. “Because I’ve been having my men track you for a while,” he said. “And I just found out some very, very interesting information.”

  I felt the blood drain out of my face and my expression fall.

  He knew.

  “Congratulations!” he said, making an exaggerated jazz hands gesture. “So, kid, what’re you hoping for? A boy or a girl?”

  It took all the strength I had to hold it together. I felt protective in a way I hadn’t ever felt before. It was terrifying to the core.

  “Me? I’d want a boy. Don’t think I could handle dealing with a fucking daughter—they’re probably all cute and shit when they’re little, but can you imagine what it’d be like for them to bring some shithead boy in a leather jacket home? Damn, I’d rearrange the fucker’s face!”

  “W-what are you going to do?”

  “A boy on the other hand,” he said, going on as if I hadn’t said anything, “you could teach him how to fight, how to fish…” He turned his eyes to me. “How to stay away from backstabbing little bitches. Though maybe I wouldn’t be the best man for that particular job, you know?”

  “Tell me what you’re going to do,” I said, making my voice stern. “Now.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Damn,” he said. “Forgot what a real hard-ass you could be, babe!” He chuckled. “Anyway,” he said. “Enough screwing around. The lady wants answers, and that’s what she’s going to get.”

  He drummed his fingers on the edge of the desk, as if trying to figure out where to begin. Joey always had an annoying flair for the theatrical.

  “I was going to do something very, very bad to you,” he said. “Wasn’t sure of what, though. You’d really fucked me over, and not just with the going-to-the-cops thing.”

  “What else was I supposed to do?” I asked. “You wanted me to be your personal criminal lawyer, at your beck and call to get off all your murdering friends.”

  “Now, now,” he said. “They aren’t all murderers. Some of them are just drug pushers.”

  “Whatever,” I said. “That’s not the type of law I practice.”

  “No kidding,” he said. “I learned pretty fucking quick how principled you are.” He pointed the knife toward me accusingly. “I did my best to keep you out of my business, you know,” he said. “But you had to go snooping around and find out for yourself what I did to earn my bread.” He shook his head. “But that’s neither here nor there, I suppose,” he went on. “Anyway, you screwed me over, kid. You broke my heart, then to add insult to fucking injury you wanted to go to the cops and send me up the damn river. What the hell was I supposed to do?”

  “Not
be a criminal, for starters,” I said.

  “You kidding?” he asked. “You know how much money I make in this game? A lot. A hell of a lot. Enough to make whatever you’re pulling down at that law firm busting that sexy little behind of yours look like gumball-machine money.”

  “Is this supposed to make me feel sorry for you?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Really, I don’t give a shit how it makes you feel. Point is, there was no freaking way I was going to give up my empire. Not for you, not for anyone. So you didn’t exactly leave me with many options.”

  “Get to where that leaves me now.”

  “So damn bossy!” he said, his face lighting up. “I love it! You know how hard it is to find a woman who sticks up for herself in this business? Harder than you think! Most chicks I see on the daily are the type who can sniff out a five-thousand-dollar suit from across a nightclub and don’t give a shit what you had to do to earn it. Or who you had to kill.”

  I continued to glare at him.

  “You’re one of a kind, kid,” he said. “And part of me is pretty fucking bummed that you got the baby of that comically handsome merc in you and not mine. But, whatever.” He flicked the knife shut and set it on the desk next to him. “But now that you’ve got a kid on the way, that gives me all sorts of exciting options.”

  The feeling returned, that mama-bear feeling of wanting to shoot out my claws and carve that stupid fucking smirk off his face.

  It was a hell of a way to learn about a maternal instinct I didn’t know I had.

  “So, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m a gentleman, so I’m not going to rough you up too much. Though you might get a slap if you start getting lippy with me again.” He raised his eyebrows to make the point. “You’re going to stay with me for a little bit while I take care of those cops who you’ve been working with. Don’t worry about them—I’ll make it quick and painless. I’m no fan of cops, but they were just doing their jobs.”

  My stomach tightened at the idea of Barnes and Wharton dying because of me.

  “Then, once I’m confident that no one else in the NYPD is going to be picking up the case, I’ll ease up on you. Might take a little while, so get used to seeing this handsome face of mine.”