One Last Night (3 page)

“Shit.”

Sam’s eyes left the road long enough to look over at me. “Who did you call?”

“Anna. But I didn’t even talk to her. She didn’t answer.”

“Her home phone or cell?”

“Cell. She doesn’t have a landline.”

“That’s it, then. They must…” His voice trailed off and he went back to staring at the highway in front of us, mostly empty except for the occasional long-haul truck.

“Sam, what were you going to say?”

“Nothing. Let’s just get somewhere safe and we can figure out the next steps.”

We hadn’t known each other long, but I could tell he was hiding something.

“No, come on. What is it?”

“As I told you before, this stuff isn’t like on television. Every thug in town doesn’t have the technical ability to bug phones and track people.”

“Right, but they must have. A is my best friend; it makes sense they’d think I would call her.”

“Yeah. But it seems unlikely they’d go to the trouble when there are easier ways.”

“Such as?”

He paused for a while. “Getting the phone.”

“Right, but to do that they’d. Oh god.” My heart sank. “Anna. You think they have her?”

“I don’t know. Or they could have snatched her phone. Or put a tap on it.”

“But you think they have her.”

“Considering who we’re dealing with? It’s a real possibility.”

I thought about her. My best friend. Fierce little Anna. She’d been there for me through everything. And how terrified I’d been waking up in the trunk of the car when they tried to abduct me. I’d managed to escape, but what if she didn’t. She could be anywhere. They could be doing anything to her. If she was hurt now, because of me, I’d never forgive myself.

“Turn the car around.”

“Carly, relax. I know you’re worried.”

“Sam, if you don’t turn this car around and go back into the city I’ll jump out right here and hitchhike.”

“Stop it. Just calm down a minute.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down. She means everything to me. And
I
got her into this mess.

I pushed the button to unlock my door and put my hand on the handle. “I swear I’ll do it.”

“Jesus, woman. We’re going close to seventy. Just hold on a second.”

“Turn around. Now.” The handle was halfway in before he responded.

“Okay, okay!” Sam flipped on his turn signal and crossed to the right lane, headed for the next exit.

I waited, my hand still on the door, until he’d left the highway and was navigating unfamiliar roads to find our way back. “Thank you.”

“You’re insane. Don’t ever do that again.”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t let them hurt her.”

“Great. That’s all very brave and wonderful, but what’s your plan, Carly? You don’t know who has her, if anyone. Or where they might have taken her.”

“I don’t care. I need to know if she’s safe. If they do have her, I’ll trade myself for her.”

Sam shook his head. “You’re not thinking straight. There’s been no ransom demand. I know you’re scared but you need to let me handle this. It’s my job.”

“Fuck your job. This is my life. She’s my family. The only person in the world I can really trust.” I saw the last part hurt him, but I didn’t apologize. “There’s nothing I won’t do for her, Sam. You don’t understand.”

“I do understand. And if you hadn’t run out on me earlier I would have explained how much I understand.”

“What?”

“The text messages on the burner were to a friend of mine. Another cop. He’s like a brother to me. And the only person on the force I trust completely.”

“Okay, so?”

“So he’s helping us. Getting the information we need. He isn’t in Narcotics and has nothing to do with the task force I’ve been working on. So whoever the dirty cop in my house is won’t find out what Fabian’s up to.”

“I see. So he’s the one you’ve been communicating with?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t think I needed to. I thought you trusted me.”

This time the pain in his voice got me. “I’m sorry.” Tears stung my eyes.

Sam sighed. “It’s all right. I’m not mad at you. Look, let’s do this. Let me pull over at the next rest stop and get us something to eat. I’ll call Fabian and see what he’s got. Once we have a better sense of where things are we can head into town and find Anna.”

“Okay.”

“You know she’s probably fine. Fast asleep in her bed.”

“Yeah, I know.” But I didn’t believe that, and I knew he didn’t either.

We pulled into a grubby rest stop and I waited in the car while Sam went to get something to eat. He took the cell phone with him, and I was happy and disappointed about that fact. I wanted to call Anna again, hoping that dialing her number a million times would soothe my nerves. But if I had, every unanswered call would have just ramped up my panic higher. Which was the last thing I needed. Already my gut was roiling with fear and nerves. My heart ached thinking about what she might be going through, so scared and alone.

I was barely holding it together when I saw Sam hurrying back towards me. There was no food in his hands, and even from a distance I could see he was pale. By the time he reached the car I was sobbing and well on my way to being hysterical.

“Tell me. What happened?”

“I don’t know much, baby,” he said, sliding in and wrapping his arms around me. “Fabian checked her apartment and there were signs of a struggle.”

I fell apart.

“No, no!”

Sam held me tight, but the safe circle of his arms did nothing to calm me down. It made me sick that I was with him and fine while Anna was missing. He let me cry for a long time before pulling back and looking me in the eye, holding both of my arms.

“Carly, we’re going to find her. And we’re going to end this, once and for all. No matter what it takes.”

“Tell me what he said. Every word.”

“The details don’t matter.”

“The hell they don’t. Tell me right now.” I was crying and yelling, shoving him away and clinging to him at the same time.

“He didn’t stay long, but the door was broken and there was shit all over the place. Broken lamp, dishes, that kind of thing. And…”

“And what?”

“There was blood, Carly. Just a little, but it was there.”

Crushing pressure inside my chest stole my breath. My shoulders slumped and my hands curled into fists. I thought of Anna’s face when she came to get me at the hospital after what happened with Phillip. She’d pressed a soft hand over my bruised cheek and told me she loved me and would take care of me forever. She climbed up on the hospital bed and stayed with me all night. We cried silently together. On the darkest night of my live she’d kept me alive, and I couldn’t do the same for her. It was a crime bigger than any drug dealing murder of witnesses.

My brain was overloading and I started to shake. Breathing didn’t work. Counting didn’t work. The panic crashed over and smothered me. Eventually I wasn’t even crying anymore. I sank down into a pit of emptiness, able to see but not touch my feelings and thoughts. Sam’s hands on me were a distant whisper of touch. The light dimmed until I was in complete blackness. The only thing I could see was an image of Anna. This time she was bruised and bloody. Crying and weak. Terrorized and broken. And it was all my fault.

I was still shaking as light began to return, but realized it wasn’t me. Sam was still holding my arms, shaking me back to reality.

“Carly. Snap out of it. I know you’re scared for her but I need you right now. What do you think Anna would be doing if the situation was reversed? Sitting there helpless?”

“No,” I whispered. “She would burn down the whole city – the world – to find me.”

“Yes she would. Doesn’t she deserve the same from you?”

I was about to yell at him for suggesting I wasn’t willing to do anything to help my friend when I realized what he was doing. Making me mad. Using my anger to pull me out of that pit of despair I was sinking into. “Yes. She deserves everything I have. And that’s what she’s going to get.”

He smiled and nodded. “That’s my girl. Now, we need to get out of here. Fabian has a plan, and a good one, I think. We’ll save her and get the bastards who took her.”

“I wish you’d killed that guy at the motel, Sam,” I said softly. “Someone should pay for this.”

His face was dark and grim. “They will. I promise you that. Every single person responsible will fall for every tear falling from your eyes.”

The anger in him warmed me. Not only did he know I needed rage to keep going, he felt it too. We were together in this and I was ashamed of ever doubting him. “What do we do next?”

“The time for careful recon is over. We’re going to meet Fabian at a safehouse in town that the FBI uses. It’s empty now and he has the access codes from a previous assignment.”

“How does that help save Anna?”

“Because you’re going to stay there while we overturn every rock in the fucking city to find these assholes. I’ll start at the warehouse and won’t stop until I have them. And then I’m gonna bring your friend home to you. And we’ll all come clean about everything. Hell, we’ll tell our story on the news if we have to. But this ends. Today.”

I wanted to thank him, tell him I loved his ferocity. But my mind and my heart weren’t in it. I wanted justice, sure. And for the nightmare of the past days to end. But most of all I wanted Anna safe and sound next to me. Incapable of expressing all of that, I just nodded and buckled my seatbelt for the drive.

*

The safehouse turned out to be a converted warehouse north of downtown. Another damn warehouse. It seemed like some kind of revitalization project started throughout the neighborhood but never quite finished. There were a few buildings converted to condos and lofts, but the streets were still in disrepair and the sidewalks cracked and full of weeds.

Sam drove us through an underground garage and parked. There were a few other cars there, but most were covered in dust.

“I know,” he said. “I’m always taking you to the nicest places.”

I managed a half smile as we walked over to the open elevator. It climbed slowly and deposited us on the fifth floor. Sam ushered me down the short hallway with his hand on the small of my back. He knocked on a door with a keypad and no doorknob. We waited for a few seconds and I looked around. There were three other identical doors on the hall, none of them were numbered, but two had welcome mats outside.

“Do people live here?”

Sam shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe. Or it could all be a cover.”

“That makes sense.” The small-talk was rather pathetic but I felt the need to say something. “I guess it works best if you can’t tell for sure. What’s with the door? Knobs and keys are so last year?”

Sam grinned. “This is more secure. The Feds can change the code remotely and keep track of every entry. At least when the place is active. The rest of the time it’s a crash pad.”

“Do you have the code?”

He looked up at the closed door in front of us. “Nope. I wonder where Fabian is.”

“Are we early?”

“No. I’ll find out what’s up.” He pulled out the burner cell phone and dialed. After a few seconds he mumbled a greeting and turned away from me to talk.

While I waited I thought about all people being screwed over by the situation I’d fallen into. Me, Sam, Anna, of course. But also the messengers at Courier Express. Most were out of jobs and poor Darius had ended up dead because he’d been making the illegal drug deliveries. Hell, in some ways, even my shitty boss Mitchell was a victim. Sure, he ran the operation, but Sam had explained he was a really small – and slimy – fish in a pond of giant sharks. So much misery and damage all so a bunch of people could make money. Stupid.

Sam came back, interrupting my glum musing. “Fabian says he’s onto something and wants us to wait here for a few hours.”

“Anything about Anna?”

“Maybe. He said he couldn’t give me details, but he’s pretty sure she’s okay. I know waiting is the last thing you want to do, but…”

“It’s okay. I’m calmer now. I understand I can’t just go door to door around the city until I find her. I trust you and your friend to do what’s right.” Of course, I was still frustrated and anxious, but exhaustion was starting to set in. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten, and I really needed a nap and a shower, not necessarily in that order.

Sam eyed me suspiciously as he tapped a code into the keypad. He looked over his shoulder as the door slid aside into the wall. “Promise you won’t knock me out and run out of here?”

“I promise.”

“Good. Then come on in.”

We walked inside and I was really impressed. The loft was gorgeous. Windows that were two stories tall lined one wall, facing a courtyard below, full of lush green plants and flowers. Inside the place was done in natural woods and brushed chrome. Modern, but warm.

“Wow.”

Sam grinned. “Exactly what I was going to say.”

“Looks nice, but is it all functional? Food and water?” I glanced over at the big flatscreen on the wall. “Good cable?”

“Yup. According to Fabian it’s ready to go.”

“Nice.” I sat down on a rich-brown leather loveseat. “I don’t know what to do first. And I feel bad.”

Sam walked over and kneeled in front of me. “Carly, we’re going to find Anna. And when we do she’s going to need you. A lot. Rested and fed. Not exhausted and weak from hunger.”

I shook my head. “You always know the right thing to say to me.”

He smiled, but it was tight, not the wide, sexy grin I’d come to adore. “Not always.”

It became even clearer to me how much my distrust had hurt him. “Sam…”

He stood up and offered his hand, but wouldn’t look me in the eye. “Why don’t we start with some food?”

“All right.”

Sam led me into the open kitchen, digging through cupboards while I checked out the contents of the refrigerator. True to what his friend Fabian had said, the place was indeed well-stocked. Instead of putting together anything that would require actual cooking, I just pulled out things we could snack on.

But before I could even try to eat anything, there was something I needed to do.