Shylene’s gasp echoed off the wall. “No!”
“She’s right, Ranger. No. We won’t leave you. We can go together,” Lauren demanded.
“I can’t walk. I’ll bleed to death before we make it to the basement. Lauren, take Shylene and get her the hell out of here. I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”
“I won’t go!” Shylene sat beside him, burying her face in his shoulder. “I can’t go without you!”
“Baby, listen.” His voice was soft. Now there was a puddle of blood below him. “Everything I’ve done in life was to keep you and Moni safe. I failed her but I won’t fail you. Please, go. If anything would happen to you, my life would be over.” He looked up at Lauren, silently pleading.
She wanted to argue. Wanted to convince him to go too, but she realized they wouldn’t get far. He’d lost too much blood and he was too heavy for them to carry. Holding the gun in one hand, she grabbed Shylene’s arm with the other. “Come, Shy. We have to leave.”
The other woman was sobbing now. She clung to Ranger’s arm, but he pushed her away. He was a strong man, but tears filled his eyes. “Go!” he demanded.
Shylene stumbled and Lauren helped her out of the bedroom. Together they raced for the stairs. The basement was dark, but they couldn’t turn on any lights.
“Here,” Shylene pointed.
Just as Ranger had promised, they pulled out the shelving unit and found a passageway. Upstairs came a crashing noise. “Come on. They’re in.” Lauren pushed Shylene toward the dark entrance.
They didn’t have much time.
Lauren pulled the shelf closed, not knowing that one of the movies had fallen off the shelf.
Using the light from Ranger’s phone, they hurried through the dank passage. The smell was intoxicating, and neither could breathe, but if they didn’t hurry, their chances of survival were nil.
What seemed to take hours was only five or ten minutes until they finally reached the end of the tunnel. There was a manhole cover at the top of a metal ladder and Lauren would need both hands to remove it. She turned to Shylene who looked zombie-like. The crying had stopped but she looked like she was in shock. Lauren grabbed her by the shoulders and shook gently. “Listen. I’m getting us out of here. I need to climb up the ladder and remove the lid. Hold the gun for me and stay right here. Okay?”
The other woman simply stared.
Handing her the weapon, Lauren climbed the ladder as fast as her feet would carry her. The lid was heavy, almost too heavy, and it took all her strength to finally manage the task of popping it open. “I’ve got it, Shy. Come on.” The space below was empty.
“Shylene?” Using her light, Lauren shone it around the space, but the other woman was gone as well as the gun.
Looking from the ladder to the dark passage, Lauren debated what she should do. She could find her freedom at the top of the ladder or go back after Shylene. Lauren couldn’t leave her. Ranger had been good to Lauren and she couldn’t let anything happen to the love of his life.
Retracing her steps, she made it back and found the shelf open, but no sign of Shylene.
Climbing through the crack, Lauren listened. A loud bang echoed from upstairs! Lauren jumped and covered her mouth to keep from screaming. Tears blurred her vision. She took the necessary steps to the stairs and slowly made each one with wobbly knees. The door was left open at the top and she peered through, seeing Shylene motionless on the floor, the gun clutched in her hand.
Movement caught her attention and she shot back against the wall, still holding her mouth. The thug that was driving the Escalade was standing over Shylene, his gun held in his hand. If he found Lauren, he would kill her too.
Quietly, she descended the stairs, taking them slowly, scared. Her legs threatened to give out, but she had to keep going. She had to make it out with the disk otherwise Ranger and Shylene’s death would have been for nothing.
Squeezing through the shelf and the wall, she jumped when an arm snaked around her waist and a second later she was struck over the head. She felt herself fading and her last thought was for Steam.
*
Steam finally had service. Lauren had called him twice.
He pushed the button to hear the message. “Shit!” He did a quick U-turn. He was almost to Selma’s and had to go back the other direction to Ranger’s.
Steam sensed something was wrong, so the ten-minute drive felt more like an hour. His emotions were on a rollercoaster by the time he pulled in front of the house and climbed out. He made the sidewalk in record time and when he reached the porch his heart dropped into his boots. The door was busted in. Slivers of wood were scattered in front.
Taking his gun out of the holster, he held it steady for the second time that night.
The house was quiet, but it didn’t take him long to find one body in the hallway. A woman. Inside the bedroom, he found Ranger. He was partially on the bed, laying on his back, a gun in hand. He had a gaping bullet wound in his chest and a deep cut on his leg.
“Shit!”
Steam searched the house. Lauren wasn’t there.
Every nerve, every cell in his body, was on high alert.
His cell rang and he jerked it out of his pocket. “Street here.”
“Good evening, Street.”
“King?” he bit out.
“I have someone who is dying to speak to you.”
A second later, Steam heard, “Steam? Are you there?”
“Lauren? Yes. Where are you?”
“Tsk. Tsk. You don’t think it’ll be that easy, do you?” King was on the phone again.
Steam didn’t realize he was gripping the phone so tight until he heard a crack. Loosening his grip, he could barely breathe. “Let her go, King.”
The man’s cackle vibrated the line. “Again, it won’t be so easy.”
“What do you want?”
“What do I want? You need to ask that question?”
“I asked, didn’t I?” Steam wanted to reach through the receiver and break the man’s neck.
“The disk.”
“What disk?”
“I don’t have time for stupidity.”
Steam could hear Lauren’s scream in the background. “Don’t hurt her,” he seethed.
“Then don’t play games or I’ll play too and no one will like the outcome.”
“Fine. Sorry. You’re right. I have the disk.”
There was a moment of silence. “Good. I’ll trade Lauren for the disk. But listen well, come alone. Without a weapon. If you don’t follow the rules, I’ll blow her brains out. Without hesitation.”
“Just tell me where.” Steam was already back in his Jeep waiting for the location.
“At the old hospital with the oversized clock.” Then the phone clicked.
Steam knew exactly where King was talking about. The hospital had closed five years ago and the building had been rendered condemned.
He tore out of his parking spot and headed the direction where King wanted him. Steam didn’t have the disk, didn’t have a clue where it was, but he didn’t have time to worry about what he’d do. He’d cross that bridge when he came to it, but for now Lauren’s life was in danger.
Chapter 18
There were heavy footsteps outside.
Muffled voices.
Lauren stood in the center of the musky smelling, cold basement of an unknown building listening, staring at the handle to the door as if it was a ticking bomb.
Her head was a bit fuzzy. Her throat burned and her limbs were weak.
Clips of what happened reeled through her foggy brain.
She was certain both Shylene and Ranger were dead.
And here she was in a room without windows.
Summoning courage she didn’t quite have, she touched the knob trying the handle and a collection of fear and relief washed over her. The door wasn’t locked. Was this a joke? A trick?
So nervous that her saliva was thick and sour, she opened the door, slowly.
Nothing jumped out at her.
Listening, she didn’t hear anything now.
She swore she’d heard footsteps.
With a boldness she didn’t have, she took a step into the corridor and was met with a blast of cold air that made goosebumps appear on top of the goosebumps she already had on her arms. Her heart skipped a beat and her throat clogged.
“Did you have a nice sleep?”
The deep voice echoed through the darkened passage, making her knees quake.
So, she had heard someone outside of the door.
“Who are you?” she whispered, straining her eyes to try and see anything down what seemed like a long hall. She knew it had to be long because his voice had a tunnel affect.
His laughter chilled her to the center of her bones. “Oh, I think you already know that answer.”
“Max King?” The name slipped off her lips like a dose of poison.
“See, introductions aren’t in order after all.”
Steam’s words, “Someone can take away the use of your hands and feet, but never let them take away your logic”, rolled through her head.
Her brain pebbled over the facts she knew about King, anything that could help her out of the situation. He didn’t like to do his own dirty work, which meant he didn’t plan to kill her. At least not right now. So then, what did he want?
Taking a blind step, she patted the cement wall, trying to get a feel for where she was, or maybe even a switch for a light. The space smelled musky, dirty, possibly the stench of burnt rubber too. “What do you want?”
“Oh, I’ll get to that. For now, I have something I want to show you.”
The overhead lights came on. Lauren jerked and blinked. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust. Finally, able to focus, she saw Selma at the end of the hall. Her mouth was gagged and her hands were held behind her back. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were red.
“Selma?”
The woman moaned, muffled by the gag. Her eyes pleaded, but for what?
Lauren looked over the woman’s shoulders but there was no one else in the corridor. However, she could see an upended cart and a hospital bed. We’re at the abandoned hospital.
Her gaze went back on Selma, Lauren said, “It’ll be okay.”
There was that laugh again that reminded her of a clown. “You’ve been a lot of trouble for me, Miss Crane.”
“Why am I here?”
The beefy thug that had been driving the Escalade stepped out, grabbed Selma’s arm and dragged her into hiding. Lauren could hear her stifled cries.
“Don’t hurt her.”
There was a moment of silence and then King stepped into the light. As usual, there wasn’t a hair out of place on his head. He was wearing an expensive suit and shiny black loafers. “If I were you, I’d worry about myself.” He walked a few paces, but not too close, yet close enough that she got a sickening smell of his strong cologne. The odor mixed with the musky background scent caused bile to rise in her throat.
“You’ll never get away with this, King. Steam will catch you, and when he does, he’ll wring your scrawny murderous neck,” she seethed.
King smugly smiled. “You certainly have a lot of spunk for a woman who is in a very dire position.” He was closer now. “In another time I think I would have liked to get to know you better. Unfortunately, you have something that belongs to me.”
“I’m sure you patted me down. I don’t have anything.”
His lips dipped into a frown. “True. I bet Street would do anything to keep you safe. I admire that. Hell, I respect that. It’s almost funny how he’s tried his best to put me behind bars and has failed each time. As much as he hates me, he loves you more which means he’d be willing to hand over, let’s say a certain disk to keep you alive.”
“He’ll never hand over the disk.” Although she said the words, she knew in her heart that he would to save her. By now he must know what happened at Ranger’s house. Would he come to find her? Did he have a clue where she was? She had the flash drive in her pocket but it must have fallen out, otherwise she wouldn’t still be standing here. She needed to stall. “What about Jane?”
His gaze narrowed slightly. “What about her?”
“Isn’t it enough that you took her mother away and now you’re going to make a huge mistake that’ll put you behind bars once and for all.”
“My wife was a bitch. She got what she deserved,” he snarled.
“What about Selma?”
He shrugged. “A muse. Nothing more. Interesting how she sung like a canary. They usually do.” He clicked his fingers. “Shane?” The thug had a name. He joined them in the corridor and handed King a phone. “You get one phone call. My suggestion is that you convince your ex-husband to bring that drive to me. Otherwise, I’ll kill Selma and Street in front of you, and then I’ll pump you full of narcotics and sell you to the highest bidder along the Mexican border.”
*
Steam moved through the shadows, using the darkness as a tool to hide. Behind him was Damon who followed closely. Although King had warned Steam to come alone, he knew better. The last thing the bastard King would do was let Lauren or Steam walk away alive. If he had to guess, there were at least five or six men here with King and Steam had to even the odds a bit. Damon was the toughest bad-ass Steam had ever met, and having him here, the two of them could whip the asses of the Diamonds.
Steam and Damon had their guns drawn and when they stopped at the corner of an outer building, he pointed out one of King’s men who was standing guard a few feet away. While Damon stayed to take out the obstacle, Steam continued in the shadows, hunkering low and staying close to the building. It was important that he and Damon handled the guards with silent action. A gun shot would alert the rest of the men that they were no longer alone.
As Steam had expected, another guard stood watch by the back door. The man held a machine gun.
Tossing a rock across the pavilion, Steam had gotten the man’s attention. At first, he stayed steady at his post, but he must have decided the sound warranted an investigation. He walked away from the door and Steam waited for the most opportune time, catching the thug off guard when he knocked him over the head with the heel of his gun. Steam smiled. King’s men were good with torture antics, but when it came to warfare, they were untrained and vulnerable.
Opening the door, Steam was inside. Although he felt a sense of empowerment, he couldn’t celebrate, not yet. Saving Lauren was the mission and until he saw her with his own eyes and knew that she was okay, he couldn’t allow any of his focus to drop. Although his heart was aching, he couldn’t concentrate on anything but treating the situation like he would any other mission. Take care of anyone or situation that got in the way. He’d take the time to concern himself with his emotions when Lauren was out of this godforsaken circumstance.
The abandoned hospital was dark and beer cans littered the corridor. Steam was careful not to kick anything. Once the element of surprise was lost this situation would take on a whole new level. If he could prevent that from happening, the chance of getting Lauren out alive was much higher.
But it didn’t go as planned.
He heard a gunshot go off somewhere in the building. He hoped it was Damon shooting one of King’s men and not the other way around.
Chapter 19
A shot rang off somewhere in the building.
Lauren jumped up from where she had been sitting against the wall in the lower level room. Ten seconds later the door came slamming open and Shane barged in, his teeth bared. He held a large gun aimed at her. Without a word, he marched over to her and grabbed her arm painfully. She screamed, but his fingers bore into her skin and he pressed her against the wall. He lowered his face within inches of hers, growling the words, “Make a noise, bitch, and I’ll put a bullet in your head.”
He dragged her into the hallway and to the left. She could barely keep up with him because he walked so fast. She tried to watch where they were going, l
ooking for landmarks, but they didn’t go far before he shoved her into a room. The push caused her to fall to her knees, her hair blocking her view. Lifting her chin, she swiped her hair aside, looking up at King who was draining a whiskey bottle.
When he lowered it, swiped a hand across his mouth, then landed his cold beady eyes on Lauren. “Your ex just signed your death warrant. Apparently he cares more for capturing me than saving you.” He threw the bottle against the wall and it shattered into pieces. Some of the shards of glass came back up and struck her face.
“Where do you want her, boss?” Shane asked.
“Leave her on the floor. Go find out what the fuck is happening out there,” King demanded.
Shane left and she was alone with King. Although he looked like he wanted to shoot her, she felt safer, less vulnerable with him. She could defend herself against one man better than two. The floor was cold and her knees ached but she pushed her comfort level out of her head and focused on a plan to get away. He didn’t have a weapon which was in her favor.
He was angry and paced back and forth.
Her time was passing. Soon Shane would be back.
“It’s not too late to stop this,” she said.
At first, he ignored her. His fists were tight at his sides and his face was red. When he came to a stop, he turned to her, scowling. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Think of Jane. This isn’t going to end well for you.” Evidently she was pushing the right buttons because he was seething now and looked dangerous.
“Bitch, this won’t end well for you. I’ll break your neck. Or better yet, I’ll force you to pull the trigger like I did Carol.”
“I bet that made you feel big.” She couldn’t control her anger. Thinking of him killing his wife, the mother of their child, made her forget that she was supposed to be guilting him to get away. “I’m guessing you hurt girls to compensate for the lack of…” she slid her eyes to the crotch of his pants and then back up, “—brain.”
“Shut. Up!” he said in a lowered voice.
“What are you going to do? I bet you hit like a child with those tiny fists.” She’d known that she’d flipped his switch because he tore across the room, grabbed her hair and dragged her up. The roots of her hair separated from her scalp in painful pops.
Secured by the Lawman (Mountain Force Book 2) Page 16