Cold Highway: Ellie Kline Series: Book Four

by Stone, Mary

  Her flippant response irritated him, replacing any lingering fear with the sudden almost uncontrollable urge to squeeze the life out of her. Still flanking her on either side, her hired muscle didn’t even acknowledge the words coming from her mouth.

  “I won’t make it far? What did they do to you to make you think I might not survive it? Must have been nasty.” He mocked her, wanting to make her angry, but she only laughed.

  “Aw. Is Lucky feeling a little grouchy? You can’t run from fate, Lucky. It’s foolish to try. This is where you were meant to be or you wouldn’t be here. It’s just that simple.”

  “You have no idea who I am or what fate has in store for me.”

  She yawned, picking at a hangnail. “I’m bored already, Lucky.” Slipping her key into the lock that held his gate closed, she wrestled with it a moment.

  His rage burned white-hot, until he almost couldn’t see. He wanted her to know. Wanted her to have time to think about it and be frightened. He’d rip that laugh right from her throat.

  “I’ve killed women. Lots of women. I was going to kill you too, when I picked you up on the side of the road, but your goon put a stop to that.”

  Katarina’s hands stilled on the lock, and she arched a curious eyebrow. “How many women, Lucky? How many women has little Lucky killed so he could feel like a big bad wolf?” She obviously didn’t believe him.

  “Ninety-nine women.” He growled the number, not caring how much he exaggerated. Wishing he was a wolf so he could rip her to shreds. “You were the one I chose to be number one hundred.”

  Instead of fear or disgust, Katarina seemed interested, and let out a delicate laugh, the same that had so interested him as she rode in his truck. Why did that day seem like a lifetime ago? “Seriously? You? A serial killer?”

  “Yes, me.” He glanced at Noelle, who was staring at him with her mouth agape. Turning back to Katarina, he tried to smile, but all he could see in her eyes was dollar signs. That gave him an idea. He would bargain for his life. Sell his killing skills to a killer. Then kill her at his first opportunity. “I don’t kill them the same way every time, and I dump the bodies all over the US while I’m running freight. Have been for twenty years. Nobody has ever connected my victims, and even if they had, there is no proof.”

  Katarina thought that through. “How do you not leave evidence inside your truck?”

  He laughed, wondering if she was going to hatch some kind of Bonnie and Clyde plan. “I grew up watching crime shows. They taught me how to commit the perfect crime. Anything I keep is so well hidden no one will find it.”

  She gazed at him, almost in wonder. “So, it’s true.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “What’s true?”

  “My source told me that the feds had found some pretty disturbing secrets in your truck, but he didn’t know exactly what because they were keeping it very hush-hush.”

  Matt lifted his chin. He knew exactly what the feds would find if they indeed had gone through his truck. He was well and truly fucked.

  Katarina looked pleased. “I have quite a few clients who are crime buffs. Some fantasize about becoming serial killers, but they are too timid to go out and choose their victims. If I can provide them, I’ll make a large fee in the process.”

  “I can help you with that. You could set up a service where the wannabe serial killer orders a certain type and we hunt them down for the client. Sounds like a lucrative business.”

  “That’s a pretty good plan, actually. I’ll give it a think and see if the idea takes off. Thanks.” She snapped her fingers and the two men moved toward his gate.

  Stomach dropping, Matt held up his hands. “Wait. I can help you with that. Who better to consult on a serial killer deluxe package than an actual serial killer?”

  Brutus and the other man exchanged a look, but Matt ignored them. They were muscle, not brains. It was up to men like Matt to make Katarina’s little operation money.

  “Let me help you, Katarina. I could be your right-hand man.”

  “You’re going to be my top seller. You know how excited these perverts are going to be when they find out they can buy an actual serial killer? They’ll break the internet rushing to bid everything they have for you.”

  She nodded to Matt, and the two men crowded through the gate.

  “Katarina, please don’t do this. I’ll do anything you want. Anything.” He didn’t like the way his voice went awfully close to a shriek. “Let me help you make changes that will make you filthy rich.”

  “I have all the help I need. Now, I just need you to shut up. Thanks for the idea, though. I may put it in place.”

  The men grabbed him, lifting him off his feet.

  He shrieked like the wild animal she’d compared him to, fear overriding everything else as they carried him out of his cage. He lashed out, kicking and biting wildly. His panicked screams echoed off the walls, the shrill sound bouncing back to him as they half carried, half dragged him toward the door.

  He wasn’t going to talk his way out of this one.

  It looked like his luck had finally run out.

  27

  Inside the ACTeam command post, more than three dozen black-clad agents were suiting up.

  Ellie followed Clay’s lead as he pointed at a locker filled with black coveralls. “Put one on over your clothes. If you need a Kevlar vest, they’re over there. We also have boots and helmets.”

  “Wow. I like this level of preparedness.” She stepped into a pair of coveralls, wishing she could speed things up, and praying they would be fast enough to recover Nick.

  “Part of what ACTeam does is mobilize local resources to work as one. ACTeam members have their own supplies, but there are only a handful of us at each field office at any given time. So, we have tactical gear available for situations like these.”

  Zipping the black coveralls in place, she took the Kevlar vest he handed her. “I’m just glad you’re not trying to freeze me out of my own case.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled at him, the level of action in the room as agents strapped on weapons giving her a burst of hope. “I’m looking forward to destroying Katarina’s empire together.”

  “That’s the spirit. Now, let’s get going. This time, I drive.”

  She glanced at her watch. “Hopefully, we’ll get there in time.”

  Clay shook his finger at her, brown eyes crinkling in the corners. “Funny.”

  “One of us has to be.”

  The sky was nearly dark, the sun having set early due to the encroaching storm. Gray clouds swirled above them as the agents walked rapidly from the building to the ready convoy.

  Clay’s ride was a standard American-made black SUV with dark-tinted windows and eight seats. Six agents piled into the back of the vehicle, silent as Clay got into the driver’s seat and took his place in the front of the convoy. There were four identical SUVs in all, bringing the total agent count to thirty-two. At the end of the convoy, a prison transport van in solid black followed. The van seated twelve.

  “And if we capture more than twelve people?” As Clay pulled out onto the road, leading the convoy, the excitement of a takedown fueled Ellie’s adrenaline rush as she rode in the passenger’s seat. She was amazed at how fast the team had prepared and worked together, all focused on one positive outcome. Her stomach was still queasy with dread for Nick, but she now was confident he would be saved in time, as long as he didn’t succumb to any injuries. And she banned herself from thinking about that.

  “Once we have the building contained, we’ll radio for local backup,” Clay said. “Any overflow will be transported in police cruisers.”

  “Do you expect things to go sideways?”

  “I expect that you can never know what to expect with these people.”

  Ellie nodded, twisting her fingers together and wishing the convoy would move faster. “I agree. It’s best to be prepared for anything.”

  “Exactly.”
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br />   As a group, they turned headlights off when they got close, slowing down and staying in formation. The property being so far out of the city, it was incredibly dark.

  Clay was outwardly calm, but Ellie knew better. If he was anything like her, he was chomping at the bit, ready to take on the traffickers with everything he had. Clay pulled off the highway suddenly, bumping over rough ground.

  She might have missed the turn, it was so hard to see. Ellie’s breathing accelerated. “Is this the driveway?” She leaned forward for a better look at the path they were following, which was little more than tall grass.

  “We’re on the backside of the property, so we run less of a risk of alerting them to our presence. I’m surprised Katarina doesn’t have guards patrolling. But from what ACTeam was able to find out in the past few hours, it’s just her, two guards, and maybe two more running the auction itself.”

  “That actually makes sense. Kingsley’s team had to have gone underground to save their own skin. Katarina has had just a little over a month to organize her first auction, so she’s running on a skeleton crew.”

  “You’re right.” Clay kept his eyes on the field in front of him. “The fact that Katarina was able to organize an auction with so many victims up for sale this quickly is impressive.”

  “And frightening. She’s driven, and it sounds like she’s willing to do anything to prove she can step into Kingsley’s role.” Ellie’s stomach knotted. “She’s worse than Kingsley. As long as she’s free, anyone is a potential victim. We’ve got to take her down tonight.”

  “That’s the plan.” Clay waved toward the agents in the rows behind them. “ACTeam is the best at what we do. Katarina isn’t ready for a targeted task force.”

  Ellie stiffened, turning toward him. “Don’t forget who did all the legwork on the trafficking case. Charleston PD isn’t an elite task force like ACTeam, but that hasn’t prevented us from making a real difference.”

  Clay shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the darkness in front of him for a second. “You don’t understand. You are part of ACTeam. We’re not made up of just full-time agents. ACTeam is a collaborative entity, and local police departments are an integral part of what we do.” He refocused on the ground ahead of him again, his voice giving away a smile. “Ellie, we wouldn’t have a case if it wasn’t for you. You laid the foundation, we’re just here to help.”

  Ellie was at once both overwhelmed and wishing she’d bit her tongue. “Thank you for that.”

  “I told you we weren’t going to shut you out. That’s not what we do.”

  Ellie nodded. “I’m glad you’ve kept your word. I want to be the one to bring Katarina in. She nearly drowned a little girl, Harmony, on my beat, trying to get away from me. She deserves to be behind bars for the rest of her life.”

  “You caught her then, and we’re going to catch her now.”

  Scoffing, Ellie gazed out into the darkness, squinting at the lights on the buildings in the distance. “Maybe this time the D.A. won’t cut her a deal and let her go.”

  “Last time she was just a pawn in Kingsley’s empire. Now that she’s a major player, there will be no deal for her.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Ellie sat up taller, heart rate rising as she was able to make out the shadowed outlines of Shady Acres.

  There was a sprawling structure about a hundred yards away with several oak trees filling the space around the building. Instead of turning and going directly toward the rear door, the lead agent continued straight, keeping Shady Acres on their right side.

  “You’d be surprised just how much weight my opinion has with a district attorney. Their office would rather play by our rules than risk us claiming jurisdiction. It’s one of the perks of being federal officers.”

  His confidence gave her hope that Katarina would finally face justice. For all Katarina had done that Ellie knew about, she was sure there were dozens more lives affected by the ruthless woman. Ellie still couldn’t be sure Kingsley wasn’t pulling Katarina’s strings, but that didn’t take away from how very dangerous Katarina was on her own. What she’d done to Nick was proof the hate filled woman would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, while hurting anyone she felt had wronged her in the process.

  Clay parked the SUV in an open space that was blocked from view by a dense grove of trees, and the other vehicles followed his lead.

  Ellie checked her weapon for the fifth time, making sure her belt was loaded with extra magazines. Adrenaline raced through her veins like wild horses. Her mind went to the day she was in a similar situation, with Jillian at the mercy of Kingsley. But this time, she wasn’t alone.

  She caught Clay watching her and leaned in close to him. “Ready, partner?”

  He nodded, sliding his backup weapon into his ankle holster and taking his place beside her in the darkness as the agents lined up in the formation that had been gone over at the ACTeam base. He gave the signal for, “Ready.”

  They stood in the second row, behind two agents carrying battering rams. Clay placed his hand on the shoulder of the agent in front of him.

  Ellie followed suit, the agent behind her doing the same, as they’d trained to do in search and seizure situations. Since silence was a necessity, a squeeze on the shoulder did the talking for them.

  Clay raised his hand, fingers splayed. Folding his fingers one by one into a fist, he signaled a countdown from five.

  Four.

  Three.

  Two.

  One.

  Ellie moved with the agents as one toward the building, her heartbeat loud in her ears.

  Time slowed, and she was aware of every ticking second.

  Justice was coming for Katarina, and Ellie was ready.

  28

  Katarina snatched the microphone from the auctioneer, standing off-camera as Lucky was dragged down the hall and into the auction area.

  Lucky twisted and fought Brutus, his voice a mixture of rage and fear. “Let me go, you bastard!”

  Brutus grunted, holding the squirming man effortlessly. He lifted Lucky into place, onto the small platform being used as a stage for the video feed. A little over a foot high, the platform put to use two pipes poking out of the cement, each adorned with a thick metal ring to clip a leash or lead line. They reminded her of hitching posts for horses to be groomed or bathed. Tying a horse by either side of their halter forced them to stand in place, while a single tie often led to the horse circling to evade whatever care they needed.

  “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!” Lucky’s eyes flashed with rage, spittle flying from his mouth with every word.

  Katarina couldn’t imagine why a dog kennel would need such a setup, but the possibilities were endless, and sometimes cruel. She didn’t want to think about what had happened here; she only hoped the people who had worked without regard for the squalid conditions they’d placed helpless animals in were burning in hell.

  She smiled at the thought. Or at least rotting in jail, she amended. Animal abusers didn’t fare much better than child molesters in prison. Whatever torture they suffered, it wasn’t nearly enough to atone for their sins.

  Lucky’s face turned a bright shade of red as he bellowed, “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

  Katarina rolled her eyes.

  Despite the tying rack’s history, it was useful to have. Brutus chained one of Lucky’s wrists to each post, forcing him to face the camera. Lucky fought, but he was unable to turn away or escape. The chains around his ankles were looped around the bottom of each post and secured with a carabiner. Once Lucky was locked into position with his arms and legs trapped in place, Brutus unbuttoned the serial killer’s shirt and pushed it back to show off his muscular physique.

  Katarina lifted the mic to her lips, her smile wide, even though she wasn’t on camera. “We have a special offering today, friends. Lucky is handsome and strong, but those aren’t his only attributes. Working as a long haul truck driver, Lucky has killed nearly one hundre
d women in the past twenty years, and has never gotten caught. Buyers, this man is your serial killer fantasy, wet dream come true. He is resilient and resourceful. Purchase him for a life-sized game of cat and mouse, or put him on display for your pleasure. True crime buffs, this is your opportunity to own a piece of Americana. His crimes have gone unsolved and unconnected for decades. Don’t believe me? Then turn on your television to the news and you’ll find an interesting story about Lucky and his big ole truck. You will never get a chance to own this one of a kind specimen again, which is why I’m opening bids at one hundred fifty thousand dollars.”

  She handed the mic back to the auctioneer, who stood stunned for a moment before picking up the bidding as if Katarina hadn’t started Lucky three times higher than her typical opening bid.

  On the monitor in front of her dark web tech, Jarrod, the bid amount reached one hundred seventy thousand, and climbed by the second.

  “I have one hundred eighty thousand now. Do I hear eighty-five. This is a one-of-a-kind buy, folks. Don’t let this one slip away.” The auctioneer would go on until people quit bidding, then the winner would have ten minutes to pay or Lucky would go to the runner-up.

  Years ago, it would have taken almost a week for the money to hit Kingsley’s bank account, forcing Katarina and her crew to hold on to and care for the merchandise after they were already sold. Kingsley hated giving refunds, so they’d cared for the captives even better than before the auction, to ensure they arrived to their new location unharmed. The hardest part was forcing them to eat when so many of them were jonesing for a fix or so weighted down by despair they wanted to end it all.

  The only highlight of that week had been shipping day, when Katarina hosed them in groups through cages much like the ones she owned now, and dressed them for transport. In most cases, she could have used warm water on the captives without any extra work on her part, but Katarina preferred to drench them in an icy spray. After the trouble she’d gone through to keep them alive for a week or more, Katarina deserved a little fun.