by G. K. Parks
“Does Swenson drink here?”
“Nope. He only comes in for promotions, memorials, and retirements. Club soda and lime, every single time. Maybe he’s into that clean living shit, or he’s a recovering alcoholic. Doesn’t make a difference to me. But you’re not gonna catch him here unless the department’s throwing some kind of party.”
“I’ve already spoken to him.”
“Well, there ya go.”
“Is Gallo married?”
“Nah, he used to be, but he had a wandering eye. Nowadays, he takes someone home about once a month. They’ll be hot and heavy for a couple of weeks, and then it usually results in a slap to the face. A few weeks later, it’s just rinse and repeat.”
“Are he and Lucien close?”
Jim laughed, hiding his mouth behind his hand. “Geographically, sure. But that’s about it.”
“Gallo acted like Lucien was his best friend, that they traded favors and exchanged secrets.”
“I wouldn’t know about any of that.” Jim nodded to the door. “I’d suggest you ask him about it.”
I turned to find Cross entering the bar. He looked around the room, relieved to find it empty except for a waitress refilling the napkin dispensers. His eyes homed in on me, the dark cloud settling again.
“What are you doing here, Alex?” he asked, joining me at the bar.
“Digging up intel on Gallo. What are you doing here?”
“I wanted a drink.”
“Go somewhere else,” Jim muttered. “I don’t have any of your fancy gin in stock.”
“I see three bottles right there.” Cross pointed to the top shelf.
“Then you need to get your eyes checked, son,” Jim said.
“I’m not your son.” Cross went behind the bar and grabbed one of the bottles. He pulled a glass from beneath the bar and poured. After taking a sip, he turned toward Jim, who stared incredulously at him. “I know you called my father.”
“Someone had to.”
“You shouldn’t have bothered. He knew where I was all along, but he couldn’t have cared less.” Cross downed the rest of his drink and poured another one.
“Yeah, well, it was about damn time someone got him off his ass and reminded him about doing the right thing.”
Cross almost smiled. “Thanks.” Jim looked shocked as Cross clapped him on the shoulder and went around the bar to take a seat beside me. “Will you do me another favor?”
“Depends. Is hell going to freeze over?”
“Don’t bust my balls,” Cross said. “I need to know everything about Joe Gallo.”
“Does anyone else hear an echo?” Jim jerked his chin at me. “I’m not repeating myself. Ask her to fill you in.”
“Did you leave anything out?” Cross asked.
“Nope.”
“What about surveillance footage? I’d like to see who Gallo’s been talking to lately.” Cross spun on the stool, pointing out the security cameras as he went.
“The system’s in back. Help yourself,” Jim said.
Cross snickered. “I see you’re on your best behavior.”
“It wouldn’t be nice to tell you to fuck off in front of a lady.”
“She’s no lady,” Cross said. “She’s a goddess.”
I leaned in close. “Lucien, you’re dead.”
Cross grinned. “Thanks for proving my point. Didn’t I say people make threats like that all the time?”
“It’s not a threat.”
He continued to smile. “We’ll see. In the meantime, let’s get to work.”
Three hours into scanning KC’s security footage for Gallo’s unknown accomplice, my phone rang. It was Heathcliff.
“What’s up?” I asked. “Did Gallo give anything up?”
“He’s weaving quite a tale. You’re not going to believe what he’s saying now.” Heathcliff snorted. “He’s claiming the guy who lives in the apartment stole police credentials and attacked Cross inside the precinct. He also said that’s the man who left the threatening note in your car.”
“What about the other two threats?”
“He admitted to the first two—the one on your windshield and scratching up your paint job. He says he did that because he didn’t want Cross to get into any more trouble.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know,” Heathcliff said.
“It sounds like Gallo’s talking a lot about the guy in the apartment. Did he give you a name?”
“Gallo won’t give it up, unless he gets immunity. It has to be Campos. I can’t imagine why he’d want immunity otherwise.”
“He shouldn’t ask for immunity. He should ask for witness protection.”
“That would require him to admit too much. Gallo’s close to breaking, but he’s not there yet. I’ll get him there.”
“Have you confronted him with Campos’s death?”
“I have, but it didn’t faze him in the least. He didn’t react to the name at all.”
“That’s odd.” Gallo must have a better poker face than I imagined. “Have you found anything in Gallo’s accounts or in his phone records to connect him to the cartel?”
“No. I’ll save you a phone call. Neither has Jablonsky. The staties found a burner on Campos’s body. The techs are analyzing it now. We’ll just have to see where that leads, but Moretti went ahead and moved things along. You can tell your boss the charges have been dropped. He should be getting a written apology delivered in the morning.”
“Lucien will be glad to hear it.” After we disconnected, I shared the good news.
Thirty-nine
“This was an utter waste.” Cross warily made his way through the bar. During our time spent in the back room, the place had filled up. “At least I don’t have to worry about any of this shit. We’re done.” He held the door, gesturing for me to exit.
The sun had just set. The high humidity, growing darkness, and remaining heat felt oppressive. My shirt stuck to my back the moment I stepped out of the air conditioning. The parking lot had filled up, but I didn’t spot Cross’s car. “Do you need a ride?” I asked, scowling at my busted windshield. Maybe I’d take it to the body shop tomorrow.
“No, I’m around the corner. I didn’t want to give an off duty cop any funny ideas.”
“You still think they’re out to get you?”
“They always will be.”
“Why?” I asked.
He shook his head, staring up at the sky. “Too much history.”
“I’m sorry.”
He cocked his head and eyed me. “That’s just how it is.” He turned his gaze to my car. “Is that thing safe to drive like that? I could barely see out the cracked windshield.”
“I’ll make an appointment in the morning.”
“Just drop it off at the office. I’ll have someone take care of it. After all, it’s my fault. I’ll pay for it, like you insisted.” He headed for the sidewalk, turning when he got to the end of the property. “It’s back to business as usual. I’ll see you at the morning meeting. Eight a.m. Conference room B.”
“I might be late.”
He pointed a finger at me. “Tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.”
I chuckled. “Night, Lucien.”
He disappeared around the corner, and I got behind the wheel. It wasn’t that late. Heathcliff might still be at work. Maybe I’d see if he wanted some assistance now that Lucien Cross was no longer on anyone’s radar. I was halfway through dialing when a fireball lit up my rearview mirror. The resounding boom shook the ground, followed by a cacophony of alarms.
Jumping out of the car, I hurried to the edge of the parking lot and turned in the direction of the explosion. A couple of people had already congregated on the other side of the street, giving the flaming Porsche a wide berth. I ran toward it. My heart in my throat.
“Lucien,” I screamed. No, not again. “Lucien!”
I found him on the ground, eight feet from the burning car. Kneeling down, I felt fo
r a pulse. He opened his eyes, dazed and confused.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He blinked a few times. His skin pink from the heat of the blast, and his eyebrows singed. Blood dribbled down the side of his neck. I gave the injury a more thorough exam, but he hadn’t caught shrapnel. His eardrum might have burst. I couldn’t tell.
I held a few fingers in front of his face. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
He didn’t answer. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at something in the distance.
“Lucien?” I turned, shouting to the person across the street. “Call 9-1-1. We need an ambulance.” Reaching for my phone, I realized I’d left it in my car. How could I be so stupid? “Can you hear me?” I grabbed for my keys, using the flashlight to check his pupils. They reacted normally to the light.
“Is he okay?” someone asked from behind.
“I don’t know. Is help on the way?”
Cross’s eyes went wide. “Alex, watch out.”
But it was too late. The jolt started at the small of my back, simultaneously moving down my legs and up my spine. My nerve endings lit on fire, locking my muscles in place. The world tipped sideways. Cross grabbed for his gun, but the figure moved forward from behind me and kicked him in the jaw. The man zapped me again when I forced my hand to move toward my weapon. The crackling noise signaled the fate that awaited me.
The second jolt put me flat on the ground. He leaned over me, pressing the business end against the exposed skin at the base of my neck. I would have screamed, but the world went black before that could happen.
* * *
When I came to, I didn’t immediately recall what had happened. My arms tingled painfully. I tried to shake some blood back into them, and that’s when I realized I couldn’t move. Blinking my eyes open, I stared at the dirty concrete floor beneath me. Oil stains and tire marks covered most of the painted surface.
I rocked a few times on my shoulder, hoping to roll myself up, but my hands were bound behind my back to something heavy. When my fingers came into contact with someone else’s hand, I screamed.
“Alex, are you okay?” Cross asked.
“I think so.”
“Alex?” He brushed his fingers against mine, and I latched onto his hand. “Are you okay?” he repeated.
“I’m fine,” I said louder. “Are you?”
“Aside from this damn ringing in my ears and this fucking headache, I am too.”
“All right. Let’s see if we can sit up.” It took a few tries to coordinate our movements, but we pulled ourselves up. He leaned against me, his back against mine. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.
“A little dizzy, but nothing to worry about.”
I waited for him to get his bearings while I scanned the room. We appeared to be in a garage, possibly a small hangar. I couldn’t tell what it was. Open cardboard boxes, rags, and a workbench with some tools lined the walls. I couldn’t see behind me, so I had no idea how large of a place this was. A roll-up metal door stood in front of me. I didn’t see any other way in or out. No windows.
“Do you remember what happened?” I asked.
“I clicked the unlock on my key fob and the blast knocked me back.” He made a humming sound and cleared his throat. “I swear, I thought I saw Trey Knox.”
“Knox?”
“Yeah, I know. Insane, right?”
Using my heels, I maneuvered myself around as far as I could. Behind us, the room continued to spread out beneath a domed ceiling. We weren’t dead. “Do you know where we are?”
“An airport, maybe. I thought I saw a propellor blade over there.”
“How long was I out?”
“Not long.” He shifted. “Let’s stand up.”
With our backs together, I got my heels beneath me and pushed against his back while he pushed against mine. Slowly, we brought ourselves off the ground. All right, this was progress. He released the hold he had on my hands and shifted his right arm forward, which tugged mine backward.
Taking a step away from him, as far as our bindings would allow, I angled my head, feeling the ache in my neck from the taser burn. Whoever abducted us had used my handcuffs and Cross’s to bind us together in a diagonal pattern, right wrist to right wrist and left wrist to left wrist.
“I don’t suppose you have a handcuff key handy,” I said.
“I don’t think so. If I do, it’s in my front pocket. I can’t exactly reach it.”
“Hang on.” I stepped backward, turning as far as I could to give him the most reach. “What about now?”
“Other pocket.” I shifted around, and he brought his fingertips to his pocket. “It’s gone.”
“So’s my gun.”
“What about your phone?” he asked.
“I left it behind. Yours?”
“Cracked.”
Giving the boxes and tools another look, I sidestepped toward them. “There has to be something around here we can use.”
Performing an awkward dance, we got to the side of the room and peered into the boxes. I didn’t spot anything small enough to pick the lock. Cross stepped unexpectedly forward, making me stumble backward. “This might work, but I need some give,” he said. I moved my arm across my back, and he snatched a pair of needle-nose pliers from the table. “This would be easier if I could see what I’m doing.”
“Sorry, I’m not a contortionist. If I were, I’d pop my shoulder joint out of place so we’d be facing one another.”
“Feel free to give it a try,” he mumbled, frustrated as he tried to work the narrow end into the release.
“Do you have any idea who took us or why?” While he worked, I eyed a wrench. We’d need to escape, and we’d need weapons.
“I don’t know. The bastard nearly blew me to kingdom come. Quite frankly, our brains should be splattered on the sidewalk. I don’t know why we’re alive. It would have been quicker and cleaner to kill us and escape.” The pliers fell to the floor with a clang. “Dammit.”
“Let me try.” Crouching down, I waited for Cross to squat down so I could grab the pliers off the floor. He lost his balance and crashed into me, knocking us both to the ground. We hit the table, causing the toolbox on the end to tumble over the edge. The noise echoed off the concrete surfaces, and a door opened. That was our way out.
Quickly, I grabbed the pliers and pressed against Cross to conceal them from whoever just entered. Footsteps sounded at the far end of the room. A hooded figure loomed beneath the light. His features concealed from view.
No one moved. The figure remained for a full minute, doing nothing but watching. Then he went back to the door. When it opened, I glimpsed the night sky. I hadn’t been unconscious that long. We couldn’t be too far from KC’s bar.
Once the door slammed, Cross relaxed. “Hurry before he comes back.”
“I’m trying.” I fidgeting with the pliers, hearing him hiss in pain when I adjusted my grip and stabbed him in the hand. “Sorry.”
“Me too.” He shifted to give me as much slack as possible.
After what felt like an eternity, the bracelet on his left wrist loosened. He tugged his hand free and flopped onto his back and closed his eyes.
“Stay with me, Cross. Keep those eyes open,” I said.
“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
But, after that kick to the jaw, I didn’t think he was. However, arguing would waste precious time. “All right.” I switched hands, hoping to use my left to open the right set of cuffs, but the pliers kept slipping. After slicing the outside of my wrist, I finally got the end of the pliers into the key hole and forced the cuffs to release.
Cross pulled his hand away from mine, glad to be free. “Let’s get out of here.”
“He couldn’t have taken us that far. I don’t think we were out that long. He must have had a car waiting.” I thought about the vehicles near the explosion. One of them had its lights on, but I couldn’t remember any details about it. “We weren’t far from KC’s. I heard the
blast from my car. The cops inside must have heard something. I left my phone and door open. Someone’s going to notice that. They’ll know we’re missing. People must be looking for us by now.”
“Are you sure that’s a good thing?” Cross eyed me, his eyes a little unfocused. He didn’t have a concussion before, but I wasn’t sure that was true now.
“Who do you think took us?” I asked, getting up to search for weapons.
“I don’t know, but this has to do with Knox’s murder investigation. You said the police found a cartel soldier. He must have been working with Gallo.”
“You think the cartel abducted us?” The thought made the knot in my stomach tighten.
“They’ll torture us for information. They must want the ledger and Knox’s account numbers. Maybe that’s why Gallo gave me the ledger in the first place.” Cross used the table to pull himself to his feet. “This looks like a hangar at a private airfield. It’d be easy for them to fly out once they get the answers they want.”
“I don’t know about you, but I have no intention of sticking around and waiting for any of that to happen. We have to get out of here.” I picked up a wrench the length of my forearm and handed it to him. “I’d prefer to avoid the door if we can.”
“Agreed.” He scouted the far side of the room while I grabbed a heavy metal tool that looked like a horseshoe attached to two long handles. It had something to do with rivets. Then I moved along the wall, checking for any openings, hidden doors, or windows. “Maybe we can roll this up,” I suggested when I reached the back wall.
“If he’s outside, he’ll notice.”
“Not if he’s around back,” I said.
Cross knelt down, testing the door. “Once we open this, we’ll lose all cover. We don’t know how many guys are out there. We could be overrun in seconds.”
“Do you think they have an army outside?”
“I don’t know. But they might.”
I crouched beside him, but we couldn’t get it to budge. It was locked, and I couldn’t figure out how to open it.
“It looks like we’re back to door number one,” Cross said.