Suffer (18 page)

34

WHEN GREY RETURNED, ABBY AND Chief’s faces had a blue hue from their laptop screens in the dimmed War Room. Without expression or words, he sat at the end of the table. Kate went to her room without acknowledging the team. They all could hear the saws and hammers of Evan and his workers finishing the room downstairs. He was ahead of schedule by half a day.

Abby was the first to look up from her screen. “Is she okay? How did it go?”

“Without a hitch,” said Grey with his head down. “We’re all set for tomorrow night. How’s the room coming along?”

“At this rate, he’ll be finished in a few hours.” said Chief. “He knows his shit. He kicked me out, saying I was getting in his way.”

“Good,” said Grey. “I won’t bother him. Kate did all the work, but I’m beat. I’m gonna hit the sack. We’ll test the room after lunch tomorrow and have the final brief at four. Ronnie will be home by six-thirty.” Grey rubbed his head while continuing to stare at his closed laptop.

“It’s a solid plan, Grey,” said Chief, sensing his anxiety. “Everyone will do fine.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Grey, finally looking up. “I’m just not used to running an operation without some kind of backup. There are way too many variables I can’t cover. The unsub knows Kate and I left the property today. If he figures out where we went and gets to Ronnie before we do, this thing falls apart in a heartbeat.”

“He’s good, Grey,” said Chief, “but not that good. He has no idea what’s going on or what’s coming. And let me tell you, I like being on the offensive for a change. Every card we’re allowing him to see is defensive. All he knows is that we’re circling the wagons around this place and protecting Kate from him. No doubt he’s patient, but we’re using that to our advantage.”

“How’s that?” asked Abby.

“The unsub led Sheriff Doyle to those two bodies so he’d have something to bring to Kate,” explained Chief. “If he didn’t want them found, they’d still be missing. That was his way of getting his guy inside the property, but more importantly, inside the house.”

“Doyle was gathering intelligence,” said Grey. “As soon as he left, he reported everything he saw and heard inside. How many of us were in here and how many of us had guns; camera placement inside and outside the house; where furniture and doorways are located; how Kate looked, what we said. Everything.”

“And we let him?” asked Abby, confused.

“Absolutely,” said Chief. “We needed him to report that this place is sealed up tight and is where we’re making our stand. We need the unsub to focus all his energy on figuring out our weakness so he can get inside. We don’t need him thinking we’re coming after him.”

“What if he finds that weakness before we find him?”

“There’s a certain amount of risk in everything we do from this point forward, Abby,” said Grey. “That’s why I was worried about taking Kate off the property today. More than likely he knew about the surgery. He didn’t know about the trip after. The Chief is right about him being patient. He’ll stay where he is and stay on target until we make a mistake. We can’t make that mistake.”

Grey left Abby and Chief in the War Room. He took his laptop with him to finish mapping out the inside of Ronnie’s house based on the information Kate gathered. Even with the difficult task she needed to complete, she remained focused on what the team needed for the next phase of the plan. After two hours of creating a virtual layout of the home, Grey took a shower and fell into bed. He was mentally exhausted, but smiled when the bathroom door squeaked open and a shaft of light crept across his floor.

“Feel like some company tonight?” whispered Abby, wearing a sheer silk robe.

“That would be nice,” answered Grey.

With the light behind her, Abby walked toward Grey’s bed. The familiar tingle in his stomach returned as her body was silhouetted against the thin material. When she reached his side, she slowly slid the robe over her shoulders. She stood over him, tilted her head, and smiled. “Are you sure you’re not too tired for this?”

Grey reached out, grabbed her hand, and pulled her on top of him. She could feel he wasn’t too tired. She pushed herself up off his chest and straddled him. Wasting no time, she reached down and slid him inside her. They both exhaled with a subdued moan as he raised his hips while she lowered hers. She closed her eyes, threw her head back, and started to bounce slowly on top of him. Grey ran his hands up her stomach and massaged the breasts he had fought to avoid days earlier in the pool. He was glad he didn’t have to fight anymore.

“You have amazing tits,” said Grey, pushing himself deeper inside her.

“I wore that bikini for a reason,” said Abby, starting to bounce faster. “I knew it was working when you couldn’t look at me.”

“All part of your plan, huh?”

“Yep,” said Abby, stopping abruptly and rolling off of him onto her back. “I want you on top.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Grey, obeying her order.

Abby spread her legs and Grey was on his knees between them. His large hands nearly encircled her small waist as he lifted her off the bed and onto him. He clenched his teeth as he began fucking her harder. She grabbed the pillow from behind her head to cover her face. Hearing a muffled scream caused him to swell larger inside her. Watching her tits bounce as he drove into her put him over the edge. Grey pulled himself out and exploded onto her stomach. She uncovered her face, looked down at herself, and then threw the pillow at his head. “Seriously?”

“That came out of nowhere,” said Grey, laughing and climbing off the bed. “I’m only a little sorry, but don’t worry. I’m not through with you.”

He walked into the bathroom and returned a few seconds later with a towel. He climbed back into bed and laid down beside her. He then leaned over with a boyish smile and gently kissed her. Heat overtook the gentle kiss as Grey’s hand made its way down her body. Abby arched her back as he kept his promise and used his fingers to bring her to the edge. He was a little surprised but excited when she reached down with her own hand and helped him finish. She grabbed another pillow when the first wave rippled through her body. After several more passed, she uncovered and took a deep breath. “You are very good at that, Mr. Collins.”

“I very much enjoy doing it to you, Ms. Coleman,” said Grey, pulling her closer to him. “It’s kind of a long drive home for you. You think you might want to stay here with me tonight?”

“What kind of girl do you think I am?”

“The kind I’d like to wake up with beside me.”

“Oh, that was good,” said Abby, lifting her head and looking him in the eyes. “That was very good, but we have a busy day and you need to sleep. That’s probably the last thing you and I are going to do while we’re in bed.”

“Good point,” said Grey, looking around for his boxers.

Abby climbed out of bed and gathered her robe off the floor. She wrapped it around herself but didn’t leave the room. After Grey returned the pillows to the head of the bed and fell into them, Abby sat beside him and then draped herself across his chest. “You have a great body for an old man.”

“What?” said Grey, attempting to push her off of him.

She fought through the weak attempt and then poked him in his ribs. “Oh, come on. You know I’m kidding. You also know every one of my college girlfriends had a major crush on you when you came to visit. You played the tall, dark, mysterious FBI agent very well. You’d stay for a few days and then disappear into the unknown to save babies and chase bad guys. They ate it up.”

“I hate to burst your bubble, but that’s basically what I did for a living,” said Grey.

“Whatever,” said Abby. “But I will give you credit where it’s due.”

“This should be good,” said Grey, earning another poke.

“I’m being serious,” said Abby, raising her head to look at him. “They practically threw themselves at you, but you never took advantage – not once. I always thought that was very noble of you.”

“I was holding out for the one I did want to take advantage of.”

“Okay, that’s two good lines you gave me tonight,” said Abby. “You’re on a roll today.”

Abby moved up his chest and nestled her head under his chin. Grey rubbed her back and took her hand in his. They were both still uneasy about the new relationship and its awful timing, but neither could deny it felt good to be so close.

“You looked sad when you and Kate got home tonight,” said Abby. “Did something happen?”

“It’s not that I was sad, Abby.”

“Then what were you? Something was going on in that tortured head of yours.”

“I was hoping when we pulled up to Ronnie’s house that Kate would chicken out,” said Grey. “I was hoping she’d get back in the car and ask me to do it.”

“But she didn’t, right?”

“No, she didn’t. She was focused and didn’t hesitate. It was if she had done it a million times. She never even looked back at me in the car. She knocked, the porch light came on, Ronnie’s wife opened the door, and Kate walked right in. It’s not that I was sad. It’s just that things turned very real today.”

“I don’t think I understand.”

“I now have no doubt in my mind Kate is going to see this through to the end. I thought maybe when she was face to face with someone, she’d back down and let me and Chief take over. But she’s still on point and definitely still in charge. I guess I thought maybe we’d see a little of the old Kate we remember who wouldn’t hurt a fly, but she really is gone. The Kate we have now is as cold, calculating, and unsympathetic as the men we’re hunting.”

Abby’s head popped up off Grey’s chest with a familiar glare. “And before you give me that look, the Kate we have now is exactly what we need,” said Grey, backing her down. “The Kate we have now is going to make it through this and be the last one standing. We’ll make sure of that.”

“She’s still in there, Grey. You might not be able to see her, but she is. I have to believe that. I have a strong feeling we’ll see her again when all this is over.”

“I hope you’re right, but tomorrow things are going to get very real for you and Evan as well. If at any point it becomes too much, I want you to promise me you’ll walk away. Go to your room, lock the door, and wait for it to be over. That’s what you’ll have to do because Kate won’t stop. And because she won’t, the Chief and I can’t.”

Abby lifted herself off of Grey and sat on the edge of the bed. “She’s my sister and I go where she goes. I don’t care how dark it is when we get there, but I’m going with her. And I’m very glad you’re going, too.” She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Get some sleep, my prince.”

“That was a good one.”

35

RONNIE PERKINS PRESSED THE REMOTE to open the garage doors when he turned into the driveway of his house. As they rose, he checked his phone again to see if Tonya was on her way home. He had received a text message from his wife earlier in the day saying that she’d be late getting back with their daughter from ballet class. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he worked through lunch as he parked the car inside. He didn’t like the idea of having to cook his own dinner.

He grabbed his briefcase and made his way to the stairs leading up to the kitchen. As the garage doors closed behind him, he reached for the alarm system control panel located beside the light switch. He was ready to punch in the code when he realized the system was deactivated. As the first thought of panic entered his mind, 50,000 volts entered his body from two barbs fired into his back.

An uncontrollable low moan followed the sound of his briefcase hitting the stairs and his body hitting the garage floor. The electricity continued to pulse through the barbs as someone covered his head with a black hood. Even through the paralysis of the Taser and the terror of not knowing what was happening to him, Ronnie felt the prick of a needle through his shirt sleeve. A few seconds later, the chaos in his mind subsided as he drifted into unconsciousness.

After three hours of darkness, he opened his eyes and resumed his state of panic. The hood was still covering his face, but he knew he was bound to a metal chair. His arms were secured behind him with cuffs, and his legs were duct taped together. He tried to tip the chair over, but it didn’t budge. He struggled against his restraints with no effect. After a few minutes in the darkness, he slumped over and started to cry.

There was no need for him to try to figure out who took him. Ronnie had never met or seen the man he hired to terrorize Paul and his family. He knew that was about to change.

“Where’s my fucking money, you piece of shit?” said a man in the room.

The voice startled Ronnie and caused him to tense up in the chair. “You know I don’t have it yet,” he said as he started to hyperventilate. “You – you said I had two more days.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever spoken to you. I didn’t tell you shit.”

“The message,” said Ronnie. “The one you left in my car.”

“I don’t give a fuck about the message, Ronnie!” said the man, who had moved inches away from his ear. “Do you think I’m an idiot? Are you calling me stupid?”

“No, no! I’m not calling you anything! Please, can you take this thing off my head so we can talk?”

“The second after you see my face, you’re a dead man. Do you want that?” said the man as he backed away. “I’m fucking everywhere, Ronnie. The sale was finalized today. The money went into your account at four p.m. You weren’t thinking about taking all that cash and running were you?”

“Jesus, no,” said Ronnie. “They – they didn’t tell me. I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t know when over two million dollars went into your account? Please, Ronnie. Stop lying to me.”

“I’m serious. I didn’t know. But that’s good, right? Now I can pay you and this thing will be over.”

“Things have changed,” said the man. “I want another $150,000 for the trouble you caused me. I’ll be killing her tonight.”

“That’s double our agreement,” said Ronnie. “And I never asked you to kill Kate or her son. You did that on your own. You were just supposed to scare them, not kill them.”

Ronnie heard quick footsteps a moment before a heavy punch landed just below his ribcage. As the breath left his body and pain entered, a hand gripped tightly around his throat and cut off any hope of recovery. The veins in Ronnie’s neck began to bulge against his reddening skin. As his eyes began to roll into the back of his head, the grip loosened.

“Okay, okay,” gasped Ronnie, trying to catch his breath. “I’ll pay you. I’ll pay you.”

“Another fifty grand and I’ll throw in that loan shark in a package deal,” said the man. “That way all your problems go away. Hell, I’ll even throw in your hot little wife and kid for free. That way you get to keep it all.”

“You come anywhere near my family and I’ll kill you myself, you fucking animal!” cried Ronnie, trying in vain to break his restraints. “I swear to God, I’ll fucking kill you!”

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” said Kate as Grey removed the hood.

Ronnie’s brain was having difficulty absorbing what he saw in front of him. He didn’t know the man who removed his hood, but he knew the two women who sat across the table were Kate and his wife. What made it more difficult for Ronnie to sort out was Tonya’s condition; she was a wreck.

Tonya was bound to the chair with duct tape. Both eyes were almost swollen shut by black and blue skin. Blood was oozing from a deep gash on her left cheek and joined the stream from her badly broken nose and torn lips. Her white blouse was shredded, dirty, and covered with her blood.

“Tonya,” said Ronnie in trembling voice. “Tonya, baby, can you hear me?”

She responded with a faint moan as she moved her head back and forth.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Ronnie, looking at the man he thought he hired. “I was going to pay you tomorrow. I wasn’t going to run. You didn’t need to do this!”

“I’m not the one you need to be talking to, asshole,” said Grey, turning his head and looking at Kate. “You need to talk to her.”

Grey walked out of the room and Ronnie shifted his attention. “Kate, I’m so sorry. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. He wasn’t supposed to hurt you or anyone. I only told him to scare you so Paul would sell the company. I needed that money, Kate. They were going to take my family. I’m so sorry.”

Ronnie’s eyes grew even wider when Kate stood and walked into a corner of the room. He had thought she was bound and also a prisoner of the hitman. “Kate! You’re free! You have to get out of here and get help. He’s going to kill all of us.”

“He’s not going to kill me,” said Kate, facing the corner. “He’s not the man you hired, Ronnie. He’s the man I hired.”

She turned around, holding a pistol in one hand and a large knife in the other. Ronnie fell silent as his brain once again tried to make sense of the scene. His head dropped when his thoughts caught up with the reality of his situation.

“How could you do that to Tonya?” said Ronnie in a defeated tone. “She had nothing to do with this. She was your friend.”

Kate walked over to him, put the gun on the table, and slapped him hard across his face. “I was your friend. Paul was your friend.”

She grabbed a handful of his hair and held his head up so she could look him in the eyes. “Caleb was your friend,” said Kate. She pulled back her arm and punched him hard in the face. “What did he call you when you came to visit our home? I want to hear you say it.”

“Uncle Ronnie,” he said after a brief pause.

“Yes, he did,” said Kate as she picked up the pistol. “Caleb had nothing to do with this, either. No one in my family had anything to do with this, but you killed my husband and son anyway.”

He dropped his head and started to cry again. “I’m telling you I didn’t kill them.”

She put the pistol between his eyes. “Tell me who did.”

“I don’t know…”

Kate pulled the hammer back on the gun. “Don’t even think about telling me you don’t know. And stop crying, you little bitch. Be a man for once in your life.”

“I owed my bookie over a hundred grand,” said Ronnie, trying to regain his composure. “He knew I was about to make millions off the sale of Paul’s company. When I told them Paul was thinking about keeping it a few more years, he told me he had someone that could persuade him to sell. He’s the one who hired that guy.”

“But you agreed to it,” said Kate.

“Yes, I agreed. I didn’t have his money, and he was going to hurt my family. Now, please let my wife go. She needs to get to a hospital. Wait, where’s my daughter? Where’s Jessica?”

“What’s your bookie’s name and where can I find him?” asked Kate, still holding the gun to his face.

“They call him Little Al, and he works out of a pawn shop on the west side of town. I think his last name is Perez. Yeah, Alfonso Perez. That’s all I know about him. Please, tell me Jessica is okay.”

“Oh, she’s fine,” said Kate, looking into the mirror. “In fact, she’s in the next room watching us.”

“Do anything you want to me,” pleaded Ronnie. “But for the love of God, please let them go. I’m begging you, Kate. Don’t hurt my baby.”

“Don’t hurt my baby,” laughed Kate. She walked to the other side of the table and stood beside Tonya. “That’s the exact same thing I said to the man holding a knife to my son’s throat. Do you want to know what he did after I begged and pleaded, just like you are now?”

“He killed him,” said Ronnie, crying. “I’m so sorry, Kate.”

“Enough with your sorrys, Ronnie,” said Kate, tapping the knife on Tonya’s shoulder. “He didn’t just kill him. He tortured him for over an hour. He made Caleb watch as he raped and beat me bloody. While I begged, he cut my child’s throat from ear to ear. I heard Caleb’s last gurgling breath and saw the fear in his eyes as he died. Sorry just isn’t going to cut it, Ronnie, but cutting her helps.”

She slid the knife from Tonya’s shoulder and across her chest. Tonya moaned while she shook her head back and forth, trying to escape the pain. Blood ran down the front of her already stained shirt. Ronnie screamed and fought against his restraints.

“Stop! Stop it, Kate! You’re killing her!”

“No, actually I’m not, Ronnie,” said Kate, holding the knife to the side of Tonya’s face. “You’d be surprised how much cutting the human body can tolerate. I survived after losing half the blood in my body. She’s got a lot more left in her.”

Starting at her temple, Kate dragged the knife down the side of her face to her jaw. More blood spilled down the front of her shirt. Tonya was getting weak and could only manage to rattle her restraints while Kate cut her.

“You sick bitch!” screamed Ronnie, still fighting with no effect. “Leave her alone! I swear to God I’m going to kill you!”

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” said Kate through clenched teeth. She moved to Ronnie’s side and leaned down to his ear. “Say it again.”

“I’m going to fucking kill you!”

“Thank you.”

While she stood at his side, Kate raised the gun and pointed it at Tonya. “Just like you, I was helpless to save Caleb. I don’t talk about it because nobody knows what that feels like. They’ll never know the fear, agony, pain, and hopelessness of that moment. A moment you’re going to have right now.”

Ronnie couldn’t control the natural reaction to turn his head and close his eyes tight as the gun fired twice beside his ear. When he snapped back and opened his eyes, he saw the smoke rising from the two bullet holes in Tonya’s chest.