Hunter's Way (23 page)

Tori stood up, pacing back and forth. “Why aren’t they out looking?” she demanded.

“Where? He’s like a ghost. He has no known residence, no one even knows what he looks like. And you can’t be certain that it was him.”

“It was him,” Tori growled. “You said yourself, we were targeted.”

Malone looked up at the quick tap on his door. It was Sikes.

“Detective Travis, from CIU,” he said, motioning behind him.

“Okay. Why don’t you and Ramirez sit in, too.”

Tori sat in the chair, leaning forward, impatiently tapping her fingers together. She tried not to think about what was happening to Sam, whether they had hurt her, whether they had killed her. She squeezed her eyes shut, silently vowing she would take out every last one of them if they hurt her.

“Detective Hunter?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m Travis, from CIU. I understand you lost your partner?”

Tori stood and faced the man. He was two inches shorter than she was. “Lost?”

He smiled. “Figure of speech.”

“I’m glad you’re taking this so goddamn seriously,” she said loudly. “She was abducted.”

He looked at her, then motioned to her head. “You’re injured. Sit down.”

She wiped away the blood that was starting to seep again from her wound, then sat down. “Let’s get this over with. What do you want to know?”

“Everything that happened,” he said.

“It was almost six-thirty. We were walking down one of the side piers, past my boat.”

“Where were you going?”

“Leaving the marina. There were two men, fishing. When we walked past them, one grabbed Detective Kennedy. When she screamed, I turned and the other smacked me with something, a pipe or bat or something,” she said, raising her hand again to her head. “That’s all. I was out. I felt them pull my arms behind me, felt them cuff me, but I couldn’t open my eyes. I didn’t hear anything. They threw me in the lake. When I got out, they were gone. I called my Lieutenant,” she said.

“You were cuffed from behind and they threw you in the lake? How did you get out?”

Tori sighed heavily, wondering why they were wasting precious time with these insane questions. She stood up and held out her arms. “I have long arms. I curled up and brought my arms around to the front, over my legs.”

“You said you were knocked out. How did you manage this?”

“Being thrown into a cold lake will do it,” she said. “Why are you asking me these asinine questions?” she demanded.

“I’m just trying to find out what happened,” he said.

“How I managed to get out of the fucking lake has no goddamn bearing on where they took my partner,” she yelled.

“Without having any evidence as to
where
they took Detective Kennedy, we’re piecing together what happened prior to. We find it hard to believe Sanchez Gomez would carry out his threat against two cops in broad daylight. It’s one thing having Narcotics on his ass, completely different to have the whole goddamn department looking for him.”

Tori knew in her gut that it was Sanchez Gomez and as soon as this interview was over, she was going to hit the streets, with or without Malone’s permission.

“Now, can you describe the two men?”

“One was Hispanic, five-six, one-fifty. The other white, six foot, two hundred. They wore jeans. They both had on ball caps.”

“Anything else you can tell me?”

“No.”

Sam whimpered as her shorts were pulled off her body. Her hands were tied over her head, to the cot. Her shirt and bra had been removed earlier. She squeezed her eyes closed, silently praying that Tori was okay, praying that Tori was out looking for her.

“I ask you again, Detective. Which one is the traitor?”

She felt perspiration drip steadily down her face and she was scared. She thought briefly of just tossing out a name, but then she knew they would have no further use for her. They would kill her. So she shook her head.

“Why would you protect them? Or are they, as you say, double agents?” He laughed. “No. I don’t think so. Last chance, Detective. If not, I will allow Davey here to take liberties with you. Perhaps then, you will be ready to talk, no?”

“Go to hell.”

“I cannot fucking believe they are being so casual about this,” Tori yelled. She paced in front of Malone’s desk.

“Hunter, sit down,” Malone said. “I’m not even going to suggest that you let CIU handle this. I know you won’t listen. Take Sikes and Ramirez. Do what you need to do. But remember, it’s their show. Listen to the radio, Hunter. Call for backup if you find anything, do you hear me?”

“I hear you,” she growled.

“Tori, I mean it,” he said. “You call it in if you find anything.”

She turned, staring at him. “She’s my partner, Lieutenant. I never really knew what that word meant before.”

“Don’t do anything stupid, Hunter.”

Sam screamed as Davey spread her legs apart. She couldn’t stop the tears that streamed from her eyes as he entered her. His heavy body pressed against her, plummeting into her, and she cried at the pain. She looked at the others, hoping someone would stop him. But they all just stared, Sanchez Gomez included.

She tried to separate herself, closing her mind to what was happening to her. She was back at the lake, sitting in the sun, enjoying the day with Tori. The sun was warm on her skin, soothing. She was safe. She wasn’t lying here, being raped by this man.

Oh, God.

“Why are you going to the warehouse district, Hunter?”

“Because no one else is,” she said.

“Narcotics is doing the East Dallas, CIU is doing Little Mexico. Don’t you think they know something?”

“Why aren’t they doing the warehouses?” she asked. She looked over at him. “I’m serious. Why not?”

“Why would he take her to the warehouses? It’s too obvious. That’s the first place anyone would look,” Sikes said.

“If it’s the first place, why hasn’t anyone looked there?”

“Because he would be fucking insane to take her to the warehouses,” he said.

“And maybe he took her there because he thought no one would look.”

“Jesus, Hunter, you’re reaching at straws here.”

“You got some better place to look?”

“No. I’m sorry,” he said. “I know this is hard.”

She frowned. An apology from Sikes? “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Nothing. It’s just, you know, Sam is… something special. She’s managed to put up with your sorry ass for this long, she’s got to be,” he said.

“Thanks a lot, Sikes.”

“He’s right,” Tony said. “You’re different around her, Tori. I think maybe… you know, she’s good for you.”

Tori shook her head, gripping the steering wheel tightly. She never thought Sikes would react this way. Ramirez, maybe. But not Sikes.

She parked across from Outlaws, not far from where they had been the night of the drug bust. They got out and walked down the alley, all three drawing their weapons as they as crept silently in the shadows.

“This would be too easy, Hunter,” Sikes said. “I don’t believe they’d come back here.”

“You got a better idea?”

“No.”

They were all pressed against the wall, listening. There was no sound. Tori reached for the door, turning the knob. It was locked.

“Ramirez?”

“I got it,” he said. He walked over, pulling out a long knife. He slid it along the door, forcing the lock.

“Something I should know?” Sikes asked.

“Neighborhood thing,” Ramirez said.

He pushed the door open and the rusty hinges sounded unusually loud to them. They crept inside, walking silently along the hallway. Tori glanced to the stairs, remembering the shooting. Had it only been five days ago? She looked behind them, then motioned to the stairs. They followed her, walking quietly. The stairs creaked with their weight, the sound echoing in the silent room.

“So, Detective Kennedy, are you ready to talk?”

She shook her head, biting her lip to stop herself from crying. She tasted blood. Her body felt bruised, invaded.

“I don’t know why you are prolonging the inevitable, Detective. Tell me who the traitor is and this will all be over with.”

“Go to hell,” she hissed.

He smiled. “So, you still have some fight left. Let’s see how well you fare when Rico is done with you.”

Her eyes followed the large man as he walked to the foot of the cot. Behind his back, he produced a whip. Her eyes widened as he raised it. She screamed.

“Fuck!”

They ran up the stairs, following the screams. At the landing, they paused, weapons poised as they looked around. Then the screams started again, and Tori ran, Sikes and Ramirez following close behind. They surrounded the door, and Tori took a deep breath.

“On three,” she whispered. She held up her fingers, silently counted down. On three, she kicked open the door.

She saw them in slow motion. Five men, all standing around a cot. A cot that held Sam, tied by all four limbs. They turned to her, startled, eyes wide with fear. She fired without thinking, emptying her gun as the men fell around her. Then there was only Sam, her screams turning to whimpers as the last man fell.

Tori ran to her, fumbling with the ropes.

“Goddamn, Hunter,” Sikes murmured. He stared. He had not even fired his weapon.

“Call it in.”

Sam opened her eyes, relief flooding them as Tori untied her arms. She had come for her.

“Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?” Tori whispered. She pulled Sam to her, wrapping both arms around her.

“You came. I thought… I was afraid, when they threw you in the lake… I thought you’d…”

“I’m part fish, remember?” Tori whispered.

Sam buried her face against Tori’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Ramirez, there’s a gym bag in my Explorer. Can you get it?”

“Sure thing.”

They were left alone, and Tori pushed Sam away, just enough to untie her legs, then she again cradled Sam to her. The other woman curled up, trying to hide her nakedness.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

Sam nodded, but her tears wouldn’t stop. She knew she had been more terrified than at any other time in her life. They were going to kill her. How much time had she had left when Tori found her?

Sam finally calmed and she loosened the death grip she had on Tori. She looked up into frightened brown eyes that were brimmed with tears. She reached out and touched Tori’s forehead, brushing against the wound that was again bleeding.

“You need stitches,” she whispered. “What am I going to do with you?”

Tori smiled and closed her eyes. She had almost been too late. How could she have lived with herself if she’d been too late?

“I’m okay.”

“You’re not. You’re hurt.”

“Tori, here’s the bag,” Tony said from behind them.

“Put in on the bed, Tony. Then give us a minute.”

He discreetly laid the bag on the end of the bed, then walked out into the hall, giving Sam some privacy. Tori pulled a T-shirt from her bag.

“Here, put this on,” she said quietly.

Sam reached for the shirt and pulled it over her head. “Somehow, this isn’t how I envisioned you seeing me naked.”

Tori watched as the large shirt dropped over Sam’s head, covering her small breasts. “Oh? And just what was the occasion?”

Sam blushed. God, had she just said that? Her legs ached and she leaned on Tori as she pulled the sweats up.

“I have socks. Do you know where your shoes are?”

Sam looked around the room for the first time. The five men lay around them, dead and bleeding. She shivered and looked up at Tori and shook her head.

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Sam nodded, leaning into Tori as they walked from the room.

“Hunter, EMTs just pulled up,” Sikes said from the bottom of the stairs. “Lieutenant’s on his way. CIU’s here, too.”

“Great. The cavalry has arrived,” she said dryly.

“I don’t need an ambulance, Tori,” Sam said. “I’m fine.”

“Yes. You’re going to the hospital.”

“No. I’m fine.”

Tori turned Sam to face her. “Sam, you know the procedure,” she said quietly. “You were raped.”

“I don’t want to, Tori.”

“You have to. I’ll go with you, okay.”

“Hunter? What the hell happened?”

“Detective Travis, I was supposed to call you, wasn’t I?”

“What happened?”

She pointed at Sikes. “He can fill you in. I’m going with my partner to the hospital.”

“You stay here. We need a statement.”

“You’ll have to get it later. I’m going to the hospital with my partner,” she said again firmly. They all looked up as Malone rushed in.

“Samantha, you okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m going with her to the hospital,” Tori said.

“Yes, fine. I’ll handle things here.”

“Thank you, Stan.”

“I need a statement, Hunter! From both of you!”

“You’ll get your statement tomorrow, Travis. Let’s just see what we’ve got here,” Malone said, brushing past Detective Travis to join Sikes and Ramirez. “Did anyone call Narcotics?”

“Will somebody tell me what the fuck just happened here?” Detective Travis demanded.

“Well, it’s like this, Travis…” Sikes started, motioning them up the stairs with him. “Hunter sometimes just… goes off, you know. She was like the Lone Ranger tonight.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

Tori stretched out and leaned her head back against the wall. She was tired. Emotionally drained. She glanced at her watch. They had been with Sam for over an hour. She tried to imagine all that had happened to Sam. She wondered if Sam would ever tell her. She closed her eyes, her fingers rubbing lightly across the bracelet that Sam had given her, and she pictured Sam as she had been on the boat, the sun shining on her face, smiling as she watched Tori fish. Yes, that’s how she wanted to think of Sam. Not tied to four corners of a bed, at the mercy of five men.

“Excuse me. Detective Hunter?”

Tori opened her eyes. Robert stood next to her chair.

“Robert.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s in there,” Tori said, motioning to the closed door.

“Is she okay?”

Tori nodded. “She appeared to be, yes.”

“She was… raped?”

“Yes.”