by Sara L Foust
Milt sighed. Memory lane wasn’t a pleasant stroll.
“You okay over there?” Henry glanced at him from the driver’s seat.
“Yeah. Just worried.”
“Yeah. I understand.” He cleared his throat. “Domingo ain’t changed much, if his last mug shot is accurate.”
Milt chuckled. Domingo had been an ugly, tough nut to crack, sheltered as he was by the Juarez name and Marcum’s influence over the town. Maybe things would be different now.
They found Domingo in the back room of a Mexican restaurant, surrounded by muscled men in suits. How cliché.
Henry stopped Milt with a hand on his arm. “Take a breath, partner.”
Milt shook his hand free. “We haven’t been partners in twenty years.” He rushed the table, shoving it into Domingo’s stomach. “We need to talk, señor.”
The two men flanking Domingo jumped to their feet and drew flashy pistols from their waistbands.
Milt didn’t flinch or make a move to draw his own weapon. He knew without looking that Henry covered him.
Domingo’s face flushed purple, venom flashing in his eyes. “What do you want, Brooks?”
“I see you remember me. Good. Tell your boss he has something I want. And if I don’t get it, the Juarez family will not be able to continue to operate under our noses as it has been.”
Domingo smirked. “What are you going to do about it, old man?”
Milt pushed the table tighter. “Keep grinning and you may find out. I got nothing to lose.”
“Oh, really? Not Hannah and Kyle? Not Paul? How about that brother of his, Orrin?”
Milt didn’t consciously choose his next move, but instinct and fear and fury propelled him over the table. He grabbed Domingo’s shirt collar and dragged him over the wooden top. “Take me to her. Now. Or you really will find out what this old man can do.”
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Domingo smirked again.
Milt restrained himself from punching the man’s front teeth out. But just barely.
Henry leaned in close to his ear. “These boys have itchy trigger fingers, Milt. It’s time to go.”
“I’m pretty sure I saw an unregistered firearm in Domingo’s waistband. We’ll be taking him in. Right, Henry?”
Domingo let out a frustrated sigh. “Shoulda known you’d find some ridiculous thing to drag me in for. Just like old days.”
“Then you ought to know the drill. Maybe this time you’ll be smarter and tell me what I want to know.”
“Or what?”
Milt leaned in close. “I’ll break your nose again.” He smiled. “And this time, it will be on purpose.”
ZACH HELPED THE MEDICAL examiner inspect Simpkins’s body. The ME was a man of few words, communicating more through grunts and gestures. Zach interpreted the latest as lift the arm, which he did.
The doctor opened the dead man’s curled fingers and showed Zach the palm.
“Annalise, write this down.” He waited for her to get her pen and paper out, and then read the address aloud.
“This could be a huge break.” Excitement laced her words.
“Or a pizza joint.”
She shot him a look that said, “I’m not in the mood.”
He grinned.
The ME glared at him.
He held back a chuckle. Wrong time to grin apparently. Or chuckle, no doubt. “Anything else, doc?”
“No, the medics and I can handle it from here. One bullet wound to the head, close range. I presume it was the cause of fatality, but I will need to perform a full autopsy to rule out other causes.”
Zach resisted reminding the man he knew the drill. Instead, he whispered in Annalise’s ear, “Let’s go check out that address.”
Annalise moved her head before he could pull away.
Her ear brushed his lips, hair tickled his cheek. He sucked in a breath as a wave of tingles swept over him.
She turned her face toward him, her wide eyes conveying a message he couldn’t decipher. Her lips moved, but the words were lost to the pounding in his ears. What was happening to him? This was Annalise. His best friend. Just his best friend. Nothing more. He’d been arguing the same thing over and over again the last few weeks.
Annalise cocked her head and stared. “Did you hear me?”
“No.” His voice sounded husky, even to him. He cleared his throat. “Sorry. What?”
“I said, I think we should check in with Milt and your father.”
Instantly, his blood curdled. “Henry. Let’s just call him Henry for now. Okay?”
She nodded. “I didn’t mean—”
“I know.” Zach spun on his heel and headed to the truck. He had to put some space between them before he did something stupid. Like kiss her.
“Look, Zach, I’m sorry.” Annalise hurried after him.
How could he tell her what was bothering him? It was better to pretend it was because of his father, which wasn’t really a lie either. Not exactly the problem at the moment, but definitely still a problem. “It’s fine, Annalise.” He tried to paste on a smile, but it felt weak. “Let’s go see what was important enough to write on this guy’s hand.”
“Maybe he is just an idiot and couldn’t remember someone’s instructions.”
He chuckled. “That is highly possible.”
“Maybe I’m just an idiot too. I keep saying the wrong things. I’m sorry.”
He stopped and wrapped her in a hug. “You are definitely not an idiot. You are amazing. You didn’t say anything wrong. I reacted wrong.” He kissed the top of her head, lingering a moment longer than usual. She smelled so good. She felt so good in his arms. He had to let go. Now.
“Zach?” Her voice, muffled against the front of his shirt, was what he needed to actually make his arms release her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Right as rain.”
“Let’s go find Olivia.” She crossed her fingers. “I hope.”
The phone’s GPS led them to a green-shuttered home with a well-manicured lawn. Not what he expected. “Let’s see if anyone’s home.”
Annalise knocked on the front door while he stood back and waited with his hand on his gun. The house looked innocent enough, inviting even. But something gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Footsteps sounded from the other side of the door.
A Hispanic man cracked the door. “We don’t want whatever it is you’re selling, chica.”
Annalise put her foot against the door and whipped out her badge. “Special Agents Baker and Leebow. We have some questions.”
The man’s eyes widened, and the next instant he disappeared into the house. A gunshot burst the tranquility of the quaint neighborhood.
Zach drew his gun in one fluid motion and pushed Annalise away from the opening.
A second gunshot rang out, thudding into the back of the partially closed door.
“I’ll circle around back,” Annalise said.
He nodded.
After the third gunshot, from his position to the side of the open doorframe, he swung the door open and counted to ten. Either the man was waiting with a gun aimed at his heart when he stepped into the house or he’d run and Annalise would need backup when he made it to the back of the house. The second seemed like a scarier proposition, so Zach took a chance and peeked around the frame. No sign of the man.
The first few steps he expected to be ripped into by a flying bullet, but in fact there were no noises in the house whatsoever. Where was the guy? He cleared the den and dining room and rounded the corner to a tastefully decorated kitchen. Whose home was this?
Down the short hallway, he cleared a small bathroom and two bedrooms. Each of the beds showed signs someone had recently slept in them. He retraced his steps and found a door leading to what he presumed would be a basement. He cautiously made it halfway down.
“Don’t come any closer, or I will kill her,” the Hispanic man’s voice sounded from somewhere below
Zach.
“Kill who?” Not Annalise. Please not Annalise.
“Very funny. Isn’t this why you’re here?”
“I can’t see you, so how am I supposed to know?” Zach took the last half of the stairway quickly and stood at the bottom facing the man.
A badly bruised woman with dried blood streaking her dark hair whimpered as the man tightened his grip on her neck.
Olivia Beck.
“Where is the other agent, the woman?” the man asked.
Zach shrugged. “Dunno.”
“Let me leave or she dies.”
“By all means, please. You may leave.”
The man hesitated, a look of confusion passing over his features. “Put down your gun.”
“Sure thing.” Zach tossed it onto the mattress in the floor near Olivia’s feet.
In the moment it took for the man to straighten his arm away from Olivia, Zach dove to the floor. The sound of the gun firing in the small space stabbed his eardrums. Zach rolled off the mattress, behind a thick wooden coffee table as the second shot split the air.
He watched the scene in slow motion through an opening in one end of the table.
The Hispanic man threw Olivia to the ground, where she crumpled into an unmoving heap. Then he sprinted for the stairs.
Zach had to help Annalise, but he couldn’t leave Olivia either. He scrambled to Olivia’s side and checked her pulse. It beat surprisingly strong against his fingertips. He gently removed the duct tape from her mouth. “I’ll be right back.”
Olivia’s eyes fluttered. “Go. I’m fine.”
“Don’t go anywhere.”
Olivia actually chuckled. “Right. I couldn’t if I wanted to. Oh, wait. I do want to.” She gave him a weak smile.
He grabbed his gun, took off up the stairs after the man, and slammed to a stop in the kitchen.
Annalise held the man at gunpoint. “Meet Carlos, Zach. He was just giving me his gun.”
Carlos turned his head. Blood trickled from his nose and dripped onto his shirt.
“Carlos, I would do what the lady asks, if I were you.”
He handed Annalise his gun and held his hands out for the cuffs. Carlos knew the routine obviously.
“I’ve got him, Annalise. Go say hi to Olivia.”
Annalise’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding.”
“Would I kid about something like this?”
“Yes.”
“She’s really here. I’ll call an ambulance and backup.”
“And Milt and Henry.”
He nodded. “Go.”
Chapter Nineteen
Annalise sprinted for the stairway and flew down them. She froze at the bottom and stared at her friend. Tears filled the corners of her eyes. “Joanie?”
Olivia turned toward her and smiled. “Annalise, hello. It’s good to see you.”
Annalise rushed to embrace her. “All this time, I thought you were dead.”
“Ouch. Only halfway right now.”
“Sorry.” Annalise released her hold. “Zach’s getting an ambulance.”
Olivia’s face paled. “No. I can’t go to the hospital. They’ll find me there.”
“You need medical attention, Olivia.”
“Help me up.” Olivia struggled to rise to her feet. “Just get me out of here. I have to leave town. They’ll hurt my kids, Jonah...you have to help me, Annalise.”
Her heart constricted. “Okay, just calm down. Everything’s going to be fine. Zach has Carlos upstairs.”
“Carlos means nothing to this organization. You don’t understand. I finally know who’s behind everything. They thought I knew before, but I didn’t. Now I do and—”
The look on Olivia’s face sent Annalise’s heart into overdrive. It was clear she was terrified of the mystery man, whoever he was. “Who is it?”
Olivia shook her head. “I can’t. We have to get out of here. Now.”
“I can’t let you—”
“If you don’t help me, I’m disappearing again anyway, Annalise. I’m sorry to involve you, but—” Olivia took a step and collapsed against the wall. “I think they broke my foot.”
Annalise rushed to help her friend. “Then you definitely need a hospital.”
“I can’t. I would rather die than put my family in more danger. These men will do anything to get to me. They can’t find them.”
“We can put your family in protective detail.”
“Won’t work.”
“Why not? How could you possibly know that?” Annalise stared deeply into her friends large eyes. “He’s law enforcement, isn’t he?”
Olivia nodded.
“Okay, you’re coming to my house.”
“Thank you.” Tears sprang to Olivia’s eyes. “I owe you.”
“I’m just glad you aren’t dead.”
Annalise helped her friend hop-hobble up the stairs. “Be right back.” She left Olivia leaning against the couch and found Zach. “I’m taking Olivia home,” she whispered. “Meet me there after you dump this yahoo. And don’t call anyone just yet.”
“Is that really the best idea?”
“It’s the only one we’ve got right now.” Annalise smiled. “Trust me.”
“I always have, Lise. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”
Annalise kept one eye on the road ahead and one on the rearview mirror. Olivia’s physical discomfort was nothing compared to the anxious energy wafting from her side of the cab. “I’m calling Milt. He has been worried sick.”
“You can’t.”
What? She had to call him. “I—”
“Every single person who knows about me is in danger already. If Milt knows you’ve found me, it puts an even bigger target on his back. Please, not yet.”
Olivia’s trembling voice made Annalise pause her dialing finger. “Okay.”
“Look, I need some bandage supplies, maybe a walking boot from Walgreens or something. As soon as I doctor myself up, I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Joan—Olivia, that isn’t at all what I worry about. I want to help, I just don’t know how.”
Olivia grunted. “Neither do I.”
MILT YANKED DOMINGO from the truck by his collar. He’d managed to get the man to at least stop ranting and raving about unlawful arrests and racist white cops.
Henry joined them at the front of the truck, where Milt pressed Domingo’s chest against the hood and tried to cool his roaring temper. If he didn’t get himself under control, he was liable to do more than break Domingo’s nose.
“I’ll scope things out.” Henry disappeared inside the empty building and returned moments later. “All clear.”
“This ain’t the precinct, Brooks.” Domingo shifted and met Milt’s gaze.
“Look how smart you’ve become in your old age, Dom.”
“I ain’t Italian.”
Milt chuckled. “No, you certainly aren’t. I’d be willing to bet you’d know how to treat a lady if you were.”
“What lady?”
Milt punched Domingo’s stomach, hard.
While Domingo doubled over to catch his breath, Milt pulled him into the abandoned store and pulled what was left of the blinds.
“Things are gonna go a little different this time around, Dom.” Milt sat Domingo in a chair. “See, this time I have nothing to lose. Because you already have something precious to me.”
For the first time, Domingo’s crooked, cocky smile faded. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I don’t believe you.” Milt bound Domingo’s feet to the chair legs and his hands behind his back. “My friend here has a lot of experience in this particular domain. If you don’t talk now, I’ll leave you to him.”
Domingo’s face paled. “I don’t know nothing. You know I’m not in charge. Come on, Brooks.”
“Not the answer I was looking for.” He clicked his tongue. “Last chance, Dom. Where is she?”
“I don’t know. I swear.”
<
br /> “Okay, amigo.” He waved Henry over. “You know the drill.” Milt’s conscience prickled, but he shoved it aside. If this pond scum wouldn’t tell him where his Olivia was, he was bringing Henry’s methods down on his own shoulders.
Milt sneaked out the front door and leaned against the wall in front of the building. How many years had it been since Henry had been officially government sanctioned to retrieve information by whatever means necessary? Had Henry secretly been pleased when Zach came under Milt’s watch? He knew Henry had kept an eye on his family from a distance, but maybe it helped to know his ex-comrade was keeping an eye on his son. Milt shrugged.
Had Henry extracted Olivia’s location from Domingo yet? He glanced at his watch. It had only been three minutes. Ugh.
At some point, he was going to have to apologize to Annalise and Zach for withholding the full truth from them. Though it had been in their best interest to not get involved, Annalise especially, it weighed heavily on his mind. He’d come to care deeply for them both, and there was no place for dishonesty in relationships.
He’d learned that the hard way when he and his ex-wife divorced and took the kids. Hard to believe it’d been a decade ago already.
Ten minutes and counting. Good. Letting his thoughts wander was killing time like he’d hoped.
A gunshot splintered the air.
Milt jumped from the wall and raced inside.
Domingo’s prostrate form lay close to the rear exit. A pool of blood was spreading rapidly around him.
“What happened?”
“Tried to escape.” Henry tucked his gun into his waistband.
“How? I tied him hand and foot.”
“He had a knife tucked into his back pocket. Sawed himself free. When I went to the kitchen for...supplies, I came back and he was sprinting for the door.”
How did I miss that? Milt sighed. “Did he at least tell you where she is?”
Henry shook his head.
Milt spun and punched the closest wall. Shattering pain shot through his knuckles. Their best lead was dead, and he’d broken his hand. Fantastic.
Chapter Twenty
Zach tried Annalise’s front door and found it locked for the first time he could ever remember. He knocked on the heavy door.