Nowhere To Run (To Protect And Serve) (24 page)

Elliot released a frustrated sigh.
“Of course, I’ll help you. Tell me what you want me to do.”

“
Find a way to get in touch with David Enfield. He’s the U.S. Attorney in New York. I need you to have him call me. But Elliot, you can’t give this number to anyone but David Enfield, okay.” She gave Elliot the cell number. “He’ll know what to do. Call him right now. I don’t have much time.”

“I’ll do it now
as soon as we hang up. Jordan, are you okay?”

“Yes. For now.
Just hurry Elliot. I can’t explain. It’s best that you don’t know.”

She kept the call short in case Caesar was monitoring her
phone. She paced the room feeling as if she were quickly running out of options.

J
ordan looked over the contents of her bag. There was nothing amongst her belonging, which might suffice as a weapon. She dumped the items back into the bag and zipped it.

The room
itself held very little in the way of possessions beyond a few mismatched pieces of furniture. A quick search of the dresser produced a pair of scissors, a nail file and a heavy glass paperweight. Not much comfort really, but it was all that was standing between herself and Caesar.

Chapter Nineteen

“This is it.” Polk interrupted the troubled thoughts going round in Riley’s head. Would he find Jordan still there? Would he be too late?

He waited until Polk brought the boat a safe distance from the dock before jumping off.
With the vessel secured, Riley anticipated the man’s next move. “I need you to wait here, Polk. I don’t know what I’ll run into once I get there. I may need you to be ready to leave very quickly.”

“Like hell! I’m going with you. I might not be a cop
, but Simone is my friend and I’m not going to let anything happen to her.”

“Dammit, Polk.” He eyed the man with frustration before shaking his head. “A
lright, but stay close. And if anything happens I want you to run. Don’t try to be a hero, go back to the boat and call for help.”

Once they’d reached the
beach Riley took a moment to survey the area. “Is there any other way onto the island?”

Polk thought about it for a moment. “There’s the old airport south of the city. I guess someone could fly a plane into it still.”

“Which way to Simone’s, Polk? We need to hurry.”

“It’s just a few blocks off the main street. I’ll show you...” Polk started
up the rocky beach but Riley stopped him.

“No way, Polk. I’m the one with the gun remember. You stay behind me at all times.” Riley took the lead, picking his way across the beach and through the small spattering of weathered businesses until they reached the residential part of the village. He deliberately took his time, stopping every so often to get his bearing and make sure they weren’t being tracked.

After another half hour of painstakingly maneuvering through the narrow, dirt street, they reached Simone’s neighborhood.

 
Everything appeared dark and silent on the street where Simone lived.

“That’s odd,” Polk whispered close
to Riley’s ear.

“What
is?”

“Well, Simone
’s got one of those gas lights in front of her house. Out near the gate. Always burning. No matter what.”

Riley remembered Jeremy Scott’s murder scene. Someone had broken out all of the streetlights near the crime
area. “Wait here.” He could just make out Polk’s mutinous expression in the dark. “Just do it.”

After a quick sweep of the outside parameter, nothing appeared out of place
. No sign of broken bushes near the house. No footprints even though there were obvious signs that it had rained here recently. With the exception of the malfunctioning light, at first blush everything appeared normal.

And then Riley spotted it. He
’d almost missed the small window standing slightly ajar at the back of the house.

Riley made his way slowly back to where Polk stood. “Is there any law enforcement on Devils Key?” He whispered
while trying to keep the urgency out of his tone.

“No sir. There ain’t a dozen or so families living
on the island. Folks here police themselves for the most part.”

“
Polk, go back to the boat. I need you to radio for help. Call the constable’s office on Longboat. Tell them I’m detective Riley Donovan and I’m here with a federal witness against the Santiago Cartel. Our lives are in danger. If he needs to verify this, tell him to contact David Enfield at the U.S. District Attorney’s Office. But tell him to send help as quickly as he can. Make him realize this is urgent. Make him see that.”

“Oh lord have mercy.” Polk crossed himself.

“Go now. Hurry. They may have already taken Jordan and Simone.”

Riley
didn’t wait to ensure the old man did as he asked. He slipped around the back of the house to the open window. He peered through the curtains, but couldn’t make out a single thing inside. Riley worked the window all the way open then slowly leveraged his weight through the small opening.

After a few moments,
his eyes began to adjust to the darkness. He’d landed inside a small kitchen area. He drew his weapon and slowly made his way to the entrance of the room. Directly in front of him, a set of stairs framed a small hallway. He crept down the corridor to a living room. The downstairs appeared clear. Riley cocked his head and listened for sounds upstairs. Silence. The broken light was too big of a coincidence. Someone had taken it out deliberately.

He was midway up the stairs when he heard footsteps
coming from outside. More than one set. It could be Polk, but somehow Riley doubted it.

He
raced up the remaining steps and tried the first door he’d come to. It was locked. He prayed he’d still find Jordan inside.

“Jordan
, its Riley. Are you in there?” He thought he could hear the smallest of movements coming from within.

“How did you find me,” she
whispered in surprise. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you—“  

“Dammit Jordan,
we don’t have time for this. He’s here. Santiago’s here. Stay where you are. Don’t open the door for anyone but me. We don’t have much time. Where’s Simone?”

“She’s in the room next to mine
,” he heard her say. He could hear the fear in her voice.

Riley moved quickly to the next door and pu
shed it open. A woman sat up in bed startled awake by his appearance. “Who’s there?”

Riley rushed to the bed. “Simone, you’re gonna have to trust me. I’m a friend of Polk’s. If you want to live
, you need to come with me right now.”

She didn’t hesitate. Simone
threw back the covers and got out of bed. “What’s happening? Who are you? Where’s Polk.”

He ignored her questions for the moment.
“Is there another way out of the house from upstairs?”

“No.
There’s nothing.”

“Come with me. Hurry.” He
grabbed her by the arm and all but dragged her from the room. There was only one other room on the floor other than Simone’s and the one Jordan was using. A quick check proved it was clear. In spite of the urgency, Riley forced himself to listen for a moment before acting.

No sound
came from the downstairs rooms just yet. A thousand different scenarios – all of them bad – ran through his imagination.

“
Jordan, open up.” He whispered close to the door, not daring to raise his voice.

When she did
, he pushed Simone inside and followed then quickly relocked the door.

“What’s going on?” Simone clearly had no idea what danger lay just outside her door.

“Some very bad people are downstairs. We have to get out of here.” Riley slipped to the window and peered out. A shadow moved down below. Riley ducked quickly away. Someone was checking for a way inside the house. They’d find the open window he’d left soon.

“Do you have a gun?”
he asked Simone. “Anything that might be used as a weapon””

“No
…wait, my husband had an old shotgun he used to take with him on his boat. He worried about pirates,” she explained. “It’s in my closet. On the top shelf, if I remember correctly.”

He handed Jordan
his weapon. “Stay here with Simone. I’ll be right back.” It took only a minute to locate the shotgun and shells. He was just outside Jordan’s room when he heard someone moving around downstairs. There would be no escaping now. Their only hope was taking the intruders by surprise. He had no idea how many there might be.

“You know how to use this?” He
spotted Simone’s hesitant nod in the darkness. “Good. Stay here with Jordan and whatever you do, don’t let anyone inside.” He started for the door when Jordan stopped grabbed his arm.

“Where are you going
?” Her eyes searched his.

“
To see if I can slip up on them. Maybe take them by surprise.”

“Riley, no.” She
pleaded with him. “It’s too dangerous. You don’t even know how many are down there.”

“Jordan, it
’s our only chance. Polk’s radioing for help, but who knows how long that might take? I’ll be okay. Don’t worry.” He leaned in and kissed her lips before gently removing her fingers from his arm.

Once he’d reached the door he cr
acked it a sliver and peered outside.

Someone was coming up the stairs.
Little more than a silhouette dressed in dark clothing.

Before the man
registered the sound of the door opening, Riley got the jump on him and slugged him hard in the face. The man fell forward into Riley’s arms almost driving him to his knees. Somehow, he managed to keep the noise to a minimal in spite of the throb that ran through his hand. It felt as if he’d shattered a couple of knuckles.

Riley half
-pushed half carried the unconscious man to the tiny bathroom down the hall and cuffed him to the sink. He grabbed the man’s weapon, a Glock, then closed the door and started down the steps slowly, weapon in the ready position.

He’d
reached the ground floor when a familiar acrid scent assaulted his senses.

Smoke
! 

Someone had set a fire.
Riley headed for the direction of the smell when something moved in his peripheral vision. Riley whirled toward the sound in time to see a blinding flash followed instantly by resounding crack of a gunshot. Within seconds, searing pain ripped through his right shoulder, propelling him through the air.

He
went down hard. His head rebounded off the hardwood floor. The intensity of the pain pulsed with each beat of his heart. He could feel himself losing consciousness. He fought to hold on. Someone stood over him. The shooter. He tried to lift the weapon but it felt as if it were glued to the floor.

His eyesight blurred. His thoughts became distant. A minute later
, he’d lost the will to survive and a cottony darkness descended. His last thought before he could no longer think anymore was of Jordan.

Chapter Twenty

“Go inside the closet and stay there!” Jordan turned from Simone then started for the door.

“You can’t go out there. He’ll kill you
, child.” Simone clung to Jordan’s arm preventing her from leaving.              

“It’ll be okay. I know him. If I can stall for a little while
, help is on the way.”

“No!”
Jordan had to pry Simone’s hand from her arm before giving her a little push toward the closet.

“
I promise it will be okay. Just wait in there and don’t make a sound.”

Once Jordan was certain Simone was safely out of sight, she tucked the gun behind her back.

Slowly
, she opened the door. “I’m right here.”

He stood
a couple of steps below the landing. Overcoming her fear was all but impossible, but somehow she managed to step out of the room. Hugging the wall, Jordan was careful to stay in the shadows until she knew what she might be up against.

Then she spotted
his gun. “I’m sorry it has to end this way Jordan. I loved you.”

It was difficult to control the rage she felt for him
. “You loved me? You killed my brother. How can you say you loved me?”

“You’re brother was a pitiful excuse for a human being.
He was just taking up space. He was a user. He used you and you weren’t even aware of it.”

“No—“

She watched Caesar try to bring home the point with a nod. “It’s true. How can you defend him still? He destroyed us. Given the chance, he would have killed you to save his own skin.”

“No! That’ a lie. You made him into the person he was. He was a good kid before you corrupted him--”