Out of the Storm (31 page)

“Not so fast, son.” Carson chided.

“What’s the holdup now? I’m assuming that when we find Ashley we’ll find Lu and Kylie. With any luck, Jack, too.”

Carson and Ian exchanged an anxious glance.

“I think it’s a good bet that Jack is either dead or gone to the dark side,” Carson pronounced evenly, without emotion.

Ian nodded in agreement.

“Okay. I still don’t get it. What’s the holdup?” Eric asked.

“We can’t go in there like cowboys. We have to scout the location, find out the opposition’s strength and come up with a game plan. Plus, if Jack is on their side, it gets complicated.” Carson shrugged. “Very complicated.”

“Why?” Eric asked.

“Because he knows about the chip we implanted. They’ll certainly try to remove it and…” Carson looked at Ian and stopped in mid-sentence.

Eric looked back and forth between them. The enthusiasm of a minute before burst like a party balloon. He understood. They’d be in a hurry and not worry about their captive.

“Then it sounds like there’s no time to waste,” Eric said, watching the two men.

Carson nodded and looked at Ian. “Go get everything we need. There’s a team on the way there now to scout the area.”

Just as Eric headed for his truck Stacy pulled up. She nodded to Eric as she ran over to Carson. “Going hunting, Admiral?” Her thin face looked fatigued.

Carson nodded. “We think we’ve found out where Ashley is. Hopefully her daughter and Eric’s mother-in-law, too.”

Stacy sighed deeply and bit her lip. “All right. But we have to be careful. Very careful. If this detonator is as sophisticated as I suspect, they can set it to blow at any range.”

“So what?” Eric shrugged. “Why would they do that?”

“Their leader turned in his team. Gave them up. They think he’s gone over the edge…like certifiable.” Stacy shook her head.

“But if we’ve got them, we know who he is,” Eric asked, confused. “Right?”

“No, I just got the same intel.” Carson had been at the Tahoe command vehicle again. He approached and broke in. “They have no idea who the mastermind is. They never met with him. No one has. All their communication was done by phone. But they all agree on one thing. He has definitely gone over the edge.” He repeated Stacy’s warning. “He has only one goal in mind.”

Eric felt the cold fear grip him again and tighten in knots as he looked at Carson’s cool gray eyes. He knew what the older man was going to tell them.

Carson looked at Stacy, then back at him. “Making Ashley pay for destroying his plans.”

Chapter Forty-Four

The Director sat on the small stool watching Ashley Fitzhugh across from him. She was gagged and handcuffed to a two-by-four. She looked terrified. But not for herself, he thought. No, she was frightened for her daughter and the older woman, Montgomery’s mother-in-law.

Ashley had surprised him…again. She was more than he’d expected. Far more. He liked that. It was a perverse turn-on. He enjoyed a worthy adversary but had never considered her that. Until now. She deserved his enmity but she also deserved a measure of respect.

He walked over to her. She fixed his eyes with hers. She had beautiful eyes…just like his daughter. He put that thought out of his mind. Ashley might have his daughter’s eyes, but she’d stolen any chance to exact his revenge. At least for now. He pulled the duct tape from her mouth.

She made no sound but continued fixing him with a stare. “You’re never gonna let me go,” she whispered as she watched him. “I’ve seen your face. I can identify you!”

“Don’t be so sure. You interfered with my plans. Created a setback but…” Why not tell her. She was right. Ashley and the others would never leave this place alive, but he’d tease her into thinking otherwise. “I have a fortune, a private jet picking me up at the Hyannis Airport, then a trawler to someplace safe.” He gave her his best smile. “I’ll be back to finish the job I started.”

“Then why do you care about me, about us? We can’t do any harm to you now.”

“You’re right.” He placated her momentarily. It was the path of least resistance. “I just need one more thing from you.

“Here.” He thrust a cell phone at her. “Make the call to your boyfriend. Tell him to come alone. He can pick you, your daughter, and his mother-in-law up.”

“Eric’s not stupid. He won’t come here for us. He knows…”

The Director gave her a violent backhand to the cheek that sent her reeling. She bumped into the wall of the filthy little shack and slumped, hanging by her handcuffed arm.

“Do it!” he commanded. “Or your daughter and Louise will stay in that hole and suffocate slowly. Very slowly…and you’ll hear every agonizing gasp.” He held up the small walkie-talkie he’d programmed. She could hear her little girl whimpering in fear as the older woman attempted to soothe her.

He pulled Ashley roughly to her feet. The Director unlocked the handcuffs he’d placed on her and gave her the phone. He held an index card in front of Ashley. “Read this exactly the way I told you.”

Chapter Forty-Five

The group in front of Eric’s house was about to load into three Tahoe SUVs when his cell phone rang. Eric pulled it out.
Caller unknown
flashed across the screen. He had a bad feeling. His stomach churned as he pushed send to answer.

“Eric.” His throat tightened when he heard Ashley’s voice. He scanned the group and moved a few feet away.

“Ashley. Where are you? Are you all right?” he whispered as he watched Carson.

“I’m…okay,” she managed, sounding anything but. “I’m gonna text you some directions. You have to come alone.” Eric was sure she was terrified but doing her best to hold it together. “And do exactly what the text says…
please.
”

He heard her grunt as someone else took the phone. “You heard her, Mr. Montgomery. Do exactly what the text says. I have the little girl and your mother-in-law. And I have hidden cameras on your property. I want to see you get into your Jeep and leave, alone. The Admiral and his team must stand down.”

“Even if I agreed to that they never would,” Eric protested, trying to buy time. He wanted to alert the others, but if this man was telling the truth about the surveillance, it could mean death for his three captives. He looked at Stacy.

“I just saw you look toward the fire marshal,” the man said evenly.

Eric took a deep breath. He had cameras watching or he was taking a gamble. Either way, he’d won. “What do you want?”

“You. I want to have a talk,” the man whispered into the phone. Eric had no idea what the man’s real motive was.

“All right.” He headed for his Jeep. “What am I supposed to tell these people?”

“Tell them the truth. You come where I direct you or Ashley and the others die a very slow death. Add this as an incentive. I have several of the Firestorm sites already programmed to detonate. If my orders aren’t followed to perfection, I’ll kill the women and walk away. You can wait till Independence Day to see if I’m telling the truth.”

Eric tried to think of an argument, some protest to even the odds. He was exhausted, mad as hell, and terrified for Ashley, Kylie, and Lu. Nothing came to mind.

“Oh. I forgot to tell you.” The man paused. “The older woman and the child are buried alive. They have about two hours of air left so I suggest you get moving.”

The phone went dead.

“What the hell am I supposed to do?” Eric asked Carson as he rushed for his Jeep.

“Slow down. We have our people surrounding the signal from Ashley’s GPS chip.”

“I can’t slow down. He said Kylie and Lu are buried alive. I have to assume they are. There’s no time to waste.”

Carson took his arm. “Okay. I understand. Follow his directions. We’ll be in place when you meet this guy.” He smiled broadly and slapped Eric on the back. “Piece of cake. This is what we get paid the big bucks for!”

Carson’s false bravado did nothing to assuage Eric’s fear for Ashley, Kylie, and Lu. As soon as he turned onto Route 28, he heard his phone beep. The text instructed him to head west for four point three miles, then north on Route 134 to Route 6A. His heart raced as he calculated the time it would take. He looked at his watch. Thanks to the time of day there was no traffic. But the trip would still take him at least twenty minutes. If Lu and Kylie really were buried alive that left little time for error. The last line warned: commit to memory. Erase immediately. Eric had no idea what technology this maniac had at his disposal. He did as instructed.

The mastermind holding Ashley seemed clairvoyant. As soon as he hit Route 6A his phone beeped again. It was 5:15 a.m. Thank God, the roads were still empty. The text told him to follow the main road for three and a half miles then turn into the entrance to Fallon State Park.

He followed the orders. It was what he would have expected. Almost too obvious. If you were going to kidnap and hide three people in an out of the way secluded spot, the park was the place he would have chosen.

Suddenly his phone rang. It was Carson. Eric shifted uncomfortably not knowing whether or not the bad guys could hear or see him. He shook his head. This guy had to be smart…no, brilliant. But there was no way he could have locked into his cell or have a listening device in the Jeep. He risked it and pressed send.

“Hi,” Carson’s voice sounded calm, almost confident. “We’ve found an old shed. No sign of activity outside but there’s a light on inside and we can hear voices coming from the building.”

“Where are your people?” Eric asked tentatively, hoping for the answer he wanted.

“Someplace called Fallon State Park. Up on the north side.”

“Good. I’m almost…”

His phone beeped.

“Gotta go,” he whispered.

The next text told him to follow the asphalt road for two point three miles then turn off onto a side trail—for one mile, then…

He focused on the directions, committing them to memory. From what Carson had told him, his agents should be in place by now.

In ten minutes he was where the directions told him to dismount and walk east toward the sunrise, over a long low hill. From there he should be able to spot the shed where the man was holding Ashley.

He kept his weapons, the Glock and the knife, despite knowing that the man would likely search and disarm him.

Five minutes of brisk walking and he was on the rise, perspiring, more from tension and fear than the light exertion. Eric looked down on the small cabin. He’d expected to spot some of Carson’s troops but had seen no one. Probably just as well. He took a deep breath and focused, hoping desperately that in ten minutes, Ashley would be in his arms and the others would be safe.

As he double-timed it down the low rise to the shed, a man stepped out of the door. Ashley was with him, hands cuffed behind her and duct tape over her mouth. She still wore the hospital gown, now torn and dirty, that she’d been wearing when he fell asleep. He clenched his fists when he saw that her face was bruised and swollen.

“Good job, Eric. May I call you Eric?” the man offered politely as if they’d met at a social gathering.

Eric nodded, trying to placate this guy till Carson’s men showed themselves.

The man pushed Ashley roughly in front of him. She stumbled and groaned through the gag but kept her feet. In his right hand, her captor held a large caliber automatic. In the other, a thin, cylindrical device that had a small button on top and tiny red light that glowed on the side.

“Of course you’re armed, Eric. You’d be a fool not to be.” The man paused and gave him a placid smile. “Please remove any weapons you’re carrying, take off your jacket and pull out your shirt so I can see you’re being honest with me.”

Eric threw the Glock and the commando knife on the ground five feet in front of him. He threw his jacket aside, pulled out his shirt and spun around to satisfy the man.

“Good… now your pant legs so I can see you have no ankle holsters or weapons there either. Do it very slowly with two fingers.”

Eric complied.

“Good. Now we can finish our business here, and I’ll be on my way.”

“What do you want? I’m here now. Our deal was that they can go.” Eric nodded toward Ashley.

The man shook his head slowly. Eric kept glancing around, expecting momentarily to hear a bull-horn telling this maniac to put down his weapon and move away from Ashley. What the hell were they waiting for?

“You seem nervous. Expecting someone perhaps. Help? The cavalry to charge in and save you and your lovely lady friend here?”

Eric shook his head. “I don’t know what you talking about. I…”

“Well, that’s good to hear.” The man interrupted. “Because I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. And I know how much we all hate disappointment.”

He showed a sickening, self-indulgent smile.

“You see, I suspected that your friends might have done something to keep track of your little friend here. Jack wouldn’t tell but…”

“Where is Jack?” Eric broke in, partly to keep the man talking and partly in hopes that he might be alive.

“I’m afraid he met with an accident. He wasn’t very cooperative so I had to do away with him.”

Eric saw the fear in Ashley’s eyes. She must have witnessed it.
You bastard
, Eric thought.
Torture, murder, beatings, burying a child alive
… Eric wanted five minutes alone with this piece of shit before…

“Anyway,” the man continued. “I discovered that my friends put a tracking device in Ashley and I had to…extract it.

Ashley closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks. This son of a bitch must have cut it out while she was awake. Eric clenched his fists and took a tentative step toward her captor.

“Careful,” the man warned sternly. “I not only have a powerful weapon here but I have a detonator in my other hand. But of course you knew that. One movement of my index finger and we’ll all be blown into the stratosphere. At this point I have little to lose, but you, Eric…” He nodded toward Ashley.