“Where would he be?” she asked Trent.
He grimly took her elbow and led her around the outside of the stadium. “Maybe this way.”
Trent had made it more than obvious that he wanted to date her, but he was a good guy, and she appreciated that he was here for her.
She heard the whine of sirens and seconds later the ambulance buzzed past her. All she could do was watch as they hauled away the love of her life. Yet maybe the Lord was answering her prayers in a strange way. As long as Austin was okay, this was the excuse she needed to explain to Gerald why Austin wasn’t waiting at the apartment tonight. She’d give him the money and beg him to take her to her mom. Trent and his police buddies would do the rest. All would be well. She hoped.
“Let’s go,” she muttered.
“Okay,” Trent agreed.
Shoulders rounding, she pulled her elbow free, then trudged away from the stadium and toward her apartment.
Chapter Eleven
Kate waited nervously for over two hours after she’d watched Austin be hauled away. Finally, ten o’clock approached. She kept checking her phone for some update on Austin’s condition and then tried to focus on what she needed to do to rescue her mom. Trent and his friends were stationed throughout her building and outside. They’d make sure Gerald wouldn’t hurt her, and they would follow him and hopefully not lose him this time. Trent explained that the man had disappeared into an apartment building and never left it. They’d staked it out, but they never saw any sign of him.
It was ten minutes after the hour when a hard knock rattled the door. She took a deep breath and touched the tracking device hidden in her bra.
“Don’t draw attention to it,” Trent whispered in her earpiece.
She nodded, not sure what he could see. It was reassuring that the police were here for her, but she was still nervous. Gerald had disappeared once already, and her mom might even now be dead or in pain. She hated thinking about that.
Swinging the door open, she shuddered as Gerald leered at her.
“Where’s Strong?” he demanded.
“He was hurt in the game tonight. They rushed him to the hospital.”
Gerald’s face puckered.
“I have almost fifty thousand. Take me to my mom.”
He studied her as if trying to determine if she was going to break. Finally, he said, “Show me.”
Kate’s purse was sitting next to the door on a side table. She pulled out a fat eight-by-eleven mailing envelope and handed it over.
Gerald ripped it open and greedily counted the bills. His eyes flickered up to hers again. “It’s probably not enough, but I’ll take you there and we’ll see what he says.”
Kate almost rolled her eyes. She was ninety percent certain that Gerald was working alone and he was the one who’d killed Dimitri. Going anywhere with him made her stomach roll, but she had to rescue her mom. She grabbed her purse and followed him, shutting the door behind her.
He rounded on her, yanked away her purse, and threw it against the wall. “You think I’m letting you bring your cell phone so some friend can track you?”
She lifted a shoulder, trying to play innocent. She hoped he wouldn’t find the tracking device in her bra—the thought made her sick. Her phone had been another way they could track her. “I just thought I might need my purse.”
“Leave it,” he growled. He stepped in closer, and Kate instinctively backed away. He reeked like he hadn’t showered in days. “You haven’t talked to the police or anybody?”
“No,” she said firmly. She held his gaze, hardly blinking.
He stepped closer, and she backed into the wall. “Scared of me, girlie?”
“You stink,” she spat out. “I’ve got a sensitive nose.”
He laughed at that. His hands darted out, and he started patting her down.
“Don’t touch me,” she commanded, pushing at his hands.
“Need to make sure there aren’t any bugs.”
Fear rolled through Kate, but the disgust as he tried to touch her was worse. She shoved at him.
The elevator door dinged open. “Leave her alone,” a commanding voice called out.
Kate’s heart leapt. He was here!
She dodged away from Gerald and ran at Austin. He looked strong and glorious, standing there so tall and handsome. Had it only been two and a half hours ago that they’d hauled him away on a stretcher? “Austin!” she cried out, slamming into him. “You’re okay!”
Austin grunted but caught her, hugging her for one glorious second. Then he ushered her behind him and turned to face Gerald. “Put the gun down,” he said in a steely tone that would’ve terrified her if it was directed at her.
She peeked around his shoulder and saw that Gerald had a gun pointing straight at both of them. “You two are coming with me,” Gerald said.
Kate grabbed his arm. “Austin, he’s got my mom.” She should’ve shoved him back into the elevator and faced this on her own, but his strength and confidence encouraged her to let him help.
He glanced quickly at her. “You’re okay?” he asked.
“Yes. Are you?”
He nodded, but whispered to her, “My parents are waiting downstairs. They wanted to meet you again.”
Her stomach dropped.
“What are you two mumbling about?” Gerald advanced, still holding up the gun.
“I don’t want them involved. Gerald could hurt them.” Kate was sick. This was exactly what Gerald had wanted: Austin’s money and his family’s money. At least Trent and the other officers would follow them, but there was no guarantee that somebody wouldn’t get hurt before they intervened.
Austin faced Gerald. “Put the gun away and we’ll come with you.”
Gerald studied him for a few seconds, then pocketed the gun in the hand pocket of his jacket. “Let’s go.”
Kate breathed a little easier, but how were they going to get past his parents?
The elevator ride down was tense and so quiet she could hear the elevator motor whirring. Austin reached for her hand. She loved his palm sliding against hers, his strong fingers surrounding hers. Yet she felt guilty for involving him in this mess. She’d tried to convince herself that she could rise above her upbringing and be worthy of someone good through and through like Austin, but was it all lies? She loved her mom, but her parents’ associations and poor choices had led her to this moment. And now she was endangering Austin and maybe his parents.
The elevator door dinged open and Austin led the way out, holding tight to Kate’s hand. Gerald straggled behind them.
Austin’s parents were waiting by the windows. They turned, and his beautiful blonde mom gave Kate a huge smile, while his handsome dark-haired father gave her a more reluctant partial grin.
Austin must’ve given his dad some kind of signal that she missed, because his dad’s face tightened and he wrapped his arm around his wife and drew her close to his side.
“Gav, Kari.” Austin greeted them easily as if they were his friends, not his parents. “We’re going with one of Kate’s friends to pick up some food.” He tilted his head back to Gerald, who was watching them all suspiciously. “Shall we meet you later at your hotel?”
Kari opened her mouth to protest, but Gavin overrode her. “Sure,” he said loudly. “Sushi? Your favorite.”
Kari’s brow furrowed.
“Yep.” Austin grinned easily. “Raw fish. Delectable.”
Kate was as confused as his mom seemed to be, but Austin simply inclined his chin toward them and rushed toward the outside door, dragging Kate with him. Gerald took up the rear, casting an uneasy glance over his shoulder at Austin’s parents.
When they got outside, Austin turned to Gerald. “Lead the way.”
“Those were your parents,” Gerald said. “I want their money too.”
Austin drew himself up, and Gerald shrank back. “Listen to me, scum,” Austin growled. “I’ve got more money than you deserve, and I’ll transfer it all to you to get K
ate’s mom. If you try to involve my parents in this, I will beat you until you are begging for mercy. And then I will kill you.” He raised his eyebrows and waited as Gerald quivered. Then he said very clearly, “Which way?”
Kate’s eyes were wide as Gerald slunk in front of them and trudged down the sidewalk. Austin’s hand around hers was reassuring and she was relieved he’d protected his parents, but she was still terrified. Austin was brave and she knew he could fight but Gerald had a gun. Maybe the man wasn’t working alone and her mom was in more danger than Kate could imagine. She prayed the officers were tracking them like they were supposed to. It was late enough the streets were pretty quiet. She didn’t see or hear anyone out of the ordinary, but they had to be out there.
Austin released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her close to his side as they followed Gerald. “Don’t worry, love,” he whispered.
Kate stared up at him. He’d protect her. She hated herself for getting him into this situation, but she loved him even more for being here. She prayed hard for the Lord to protect Austin and her mom.
Austin’s head still hurt from the concussion only two and a half hours before. He’d let them do some tests and give him some painkillers, and then he’d demanded they release him. His parents had brought him straight to Kate’s apartment and offered to wait downstairs; his mom hoped he’d bring Kate to them, while his dad was concerned about where his head was.
Everything was imploding now. Who cared about some blond cop at the game with Kate when Kate and her mom were obviously in danger?
When he was a kid and thought his dad was his uncle Gav, he’d gone through a “bad guys” stage and his dad had played along. They’d come up with signals for when bad guys were around. Tonight, Austin had been able to discreetly make the gun-shooting symbol with his right hand in front of his thigh, where the guy behind him couldn’t see it. His dad had caught on quickly. The sushi had just been his dad confirming that he was in trouble. Austin loathed sushi.
His dad would get his mom somewhere safe, get the police coming, and track him through his phone. He wanted to fight, but he had to make sure Kate and her mom were safe first. Gerald seemed like a stupid criminal. He hadn’t even thought to take Austin’s phone. Everything would be fine.
They only walked a few blocks before they entered a filthy, run-down apartment building and went down a set of stairs, a hallway, and into an apartment. In a back bedroom, Gerald opened a closet, bent low, and fitted some kind of key into the floor. A panel in the floor lifted up. Austin peered down and saw a stairwell.
“Go,” Gerald commanded them, turning on a flashlight and thrusting it into Austin’s hands.
Austin led the way, with Kate right behind him. Gerald closed the closet door, followed them, and then closed the trap door above them. The flashlight became their only source of light. They reached a narrow tunnel with an uneven dirt floor and walls. Austin had to bend forward to clear the low ceiling. He started walking, following the beam of the flashlight. The tunnel wound around for a while, and suddenly, with a lurch in his gut, he realized that his dad wouldn’t be able to track him down here. Maybe Gerald wasn’t as stupid as he thought.
Kate kept one hand on his back, and he could feel her trembling. Did she realize how much danger they were in? These tunnels were obviously part of something bigger than Gerald and his handgun.
The tunnel forked ahead, and Gerald said, “Right.”
They kept going. It was cold, damp, and smelled of moldy earth. They took two more forks, one left, one right. Austin saw more staircases and a couple of open rooms as they went. He wondered how many buildings the tunnels connected, and why. Probably drugs and trafficking. Could he protect Kate?
Finally, Austin saw light ahead. They entered an open area not much larger than a bedroom, with only a couple of chairs and a table with a camp light on it. The ceiling was tall enough in the little room that he could straighten. Now his head and his back ached.
A man and a woman stood waiting for them. Austin could immediately tell that the woman was Kate’s mom; there was a strong family resemblance, though she was much older and worn down. She didn’t look hurt, which reassured him a little bit.
The man was almost as tall as Austin. He was haggard-looking with deep-set blue eyes and a fierce scowl. He glared at Austin, but when Kate came around behind him, his eyes softened perceptively.
“Dad?” Kate whispered.
Austin could tell from her voice. This was not a happy reunion.
Chapter Twelve
Kate couldn’t move. She couldn’t think straight. Standing before her was her father. But … he was dead. Wasn’t he?
Her mom raced across the small room and grabbed her in a fierce hug. “I’m sorry, love. I’m so sorry,” she murmured over and over again.
Austin held tightly to her hand, his eyes darting around.
Kate pulled back. “Mom? Are you okay? Is that really … Dad?”
“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.” She turned to face her husband, glaring indignantly. “Unfortunately, he isn’t dead.”
Her dad’s gaze hadn’t left Kate. “You’re so pretty,” he said softly. “You look just like Marla did when I met her.”
Kate blinked at him. “Did you fake your death?”
Gerald came around and stood next to her dad, drawing his attention. “I got fifty grand from Kate. Her dude’s rich; he’ll get us more.”
“The police will be here any minute,” Kate said suddenly.
Her dad focused back on her. He smiled. “No, they won’t. No service down here. No tracking devices work. And I highly doubt they’ll find one of the entrances or have the specialized key to get in.”
Kate’s neck prickled. So her tracking devices were no help. But this was her own father. He’d never been a peach or an example of anything except consistent drug abuse, but he’d never hurt her, or let anyone else hurt her.
“What is this hole?” Austin demanded.
Her dad smiled thinly. “A maze of tunnels and holding rooms with different points of entry and exit. Some friends of mine let me use it occasionally.”
“What’s it for?” Kate asked.
“Trafficking, drugs, anything they want to move or hide without the police seeing or tracking it.”
“Are you involved in …” Kate couldn’t say it. Her dad, a human trafficker? Her stomach pitched.
“No.” He shook his head shortly.
“How did you die and come back?” Kate asked.
Her mom squeezed her waist. “Who told you he died?” she prompted.
“Gerald,” Kate said quietly. The funeral had been small, with only some of her father’s friends and the preacher in attendance.
Gerald grinned.
“Why?” she asked. Austin wrapped his arm firmly around her, but he didn’t say anything, just silently showed his support.
“After I killed Dimitri—” her father said.
“You?” She yelled it, and the word echoed around them. “Did you know?” She whirled on her mom.
“No. You think I would’ve served all those years for him? I always thought it was Gerald, but my lawyers tried and tried to pin it on him, and there was no proof.”
“I owed Dimitri a lot of money,” her dad explained. “A little gambling and drug addiction. Your mom was supposed to work it off, but he kept paying her because he was worried about you having food and a roof over your head. He started threatening me. So I killed him and took a bunch more money.” He folded his arms across his chest, smirking. “I raised you up right. And then, after you graduated high school and got into UMass, I got in a little more trouble, had to kill another guy I owed a lot of money to. I took more of his money, but I hadn’t been able to cover my tracks and my fingerprints like I did with Dimitri, so I faked my death with Gerald’s help. I’ve been living okay, but I’m running low on money again. When you got your mom released, I watched and waited, knowing it was time to make a change. I’d over
heard your mom when I was watching her at work tell a friend that Strong was sweet on you. So we watched close. When I saw the proof a few nights ago, we acted, quick. Gerald went for the hockey stadium while I went for Marla.”
Kate’s mind was whirling. She didn’t have a chance to ask more questions or process it, as her dad continued to talk.
“All I need is money, and I’ll disappear. It’s time to go live in the Caribbean. I’m not getting any younger.” He winked, then used his chin to point to the side. “There’s a staircase over here that leads to a room where we can get Wi-Fi. Strong can transfer the money; then Gerald and I will disappear. You all can go on with your happy lives.”
Kate couldn’t believe this was her own father. He was the one who’d framed her mom, letting her wallow in prison while he lived on the victim’s money. Then he’d stolen more money and killed a second time. Now that he was low on money, he was willing to steal from Austin. He was selfish and vicious, and there was no guarantee he wouldn’t kill Austin just like he had Dimitri and that other man.
“Watch Kate and Marla,” he instructed Gerald. “I’ll be right back. Let’s go, Strong.” He pointed to their right, where a hallway faded into blackness.
Kate flinched at the thought of Austin leaving her and her mom alone in this dark hole with Gerald.
“I refuse to ditch them,” Austin said, as if in tune with her fears.
“We’ll be right back,” her dad growled.
“I won’t walk away from Kate.” Austin released her and stood taller, his head brushing the roof of the small, cave-like room. The camp light glinted off the strong planes of his face. He looked magnificent, brave, and so tough she didn’t know how anyone would dare tell him no. “You said yourself you’d disappear after you got the money. I’ve got an account with over two hundred thousand in it, and Kate’s already given Gerald fifty. That should be plenty for you to sun yourself in the Caribbean.” He nodded to her dad. “Kate and Marla will come upstairs with us, I’ll transfer your money, and then you and Gerald can slither back down here like the snakes you are and make your escape.”
The Strong Family Romance Collection Page 107