CaughtInTheTrap (30 page)

He stroked her hair with a thick finger. “I like babies and wouldn’t hurt them.  It’s sad that any harm has to come to your baby. I guess they can’t afford to leave anything behind. What a shame the baby will be collateral damage. There is no way to save the baby once they kill you.”

A tear slid from the corner of Carla’s eye. “Why do you have to kill me?  I’m not involved with my cousins and haven’t seen them in about a year.  I rented the storage space, but I had no idea what they were doing with it.”

He patted her on the shoulder, and the blanket slid down.  Her bare shoulder indicated that her clothes had been removed.  Wiggling her fingers, she felt skin. However, she did have on panties.

“I don’t kill anymore or know anything about that. I’m retired. I think they are after that FBI agent Murphy.  I could be wrong though.”

Zach
.  She blinked the tears dangling off her lashes. Zach would find her soon, and the nightmare would be over for good.  “Zach will kill you.  You know that, right?”

He stood up and brushed off his sweater. “We all have to go someday.”

He apparently wasn’t afraid to die and this wasn’t his first abduction. “Where are my clothes?”

“Oh, those had to go.  They smelled liked smoke and irritated my sinuses.  Are you hungry?”

She wasn’t hungry but nauseated.  But if eating got her untied then she would eat.  She had to know how many others were with him. The way he spoke meant there were others somewhere in the building. If it was only him, once she got on her feet to test her strength, she knew she’d be able to outrun him.  It was the others that were in hiding she had to worry about.

“I have to use the bathroom. And I want my clothes or at least my smock to cover myself and not this nasty blanket.”

He sighed. “If you insist on wearing that filthy thing, I will get it for you.”

He tossed the smock on top of her and the scent of the smoke overpowered the mildewed blanket. “I can’t put it on unless you untie me.”

The old man groaned giving in to her. “Oh, alright. I wasn’t told you couldn’t use the restroom.  I’d prefer you use the toilet instead of soiling yourself.”  He picked up the smock and frowned. “What is this in the pocket?” Carla's heart started to pump faster when he stuck his hand in the pocket. “Just a tube of lipstick; you can keep that.”

“Well, can I have my pants then? Show me a little dignity since I’m pregnant for Pete’s sake.”

He tossed her the pants and untied her wrists and ankles keeping the blanket over her as she slipped on her clothes. She stood up feeling woozy and lightheaded. The blood began to flow through her body and the wooziness passed within minutes. She didn’t want to pepper spray him until she was sure she could stand without assistance.

“Which way to the bathroom?” she asked taking a step forward.  The cement floor was cold on her bare feet and sent chills up the back of her legs.

His face scowled, and the grandfather voice changed to a wicked growl. He poked a gun to her side and pressed hard. “Don’t try any funny stuff. I might be old, but my shooting skills are sharp as ever.”

“I just want to use the bathroom.”

He walked with her, stuck to her side like glue.  Carla was able to take note of her surroundings.  The place appeared to be an abandoned nightclub.  She believed it was the building that housed the Mirage.  It was once a popular nightclub where ambitious and successful African Americans went to socialize and party with music and sports celebrities. It wasn’t long before crime and gangs took over forcing the club to shut its doors forever.

Carla partied at the club with Tonya on occasion and was familiar with the layout.  However, the walls were stripped of paint, the floors ripped up and corroded wires hung from the ceiling where flashing lights once where. A warped and water damaged bar was the only thing still standing on the second floor where jazz musicians had a nightly set.

“Are you here alone?” she asked trying to gain his confidence.

“You shouldn’t ask questions,” he said.

“I’m concerned about your health.  I’m an EMT, but waiting for a position to open. I guess that doesn’t matter anymore since I won’t live long enough to fulfill my dream of savings lives and to become a new mother.  Do you have any kids or grandkids?”

“Yes.  I have five kids and ten grandkids.  They are the joy of my life.”

“I bet. Are they boys and girls?” she asked feeling her pants pocket to see if the taser was still there.

He nodded. “Three girls and two boys.  All are grown with families and careers.  I’m very proud of them.”

“That’s great.  I don’t know the sex of my baby yet.”  Playing on his emotions, Carla dug in deeper. “I lost a very close friend recently and I haven’t recovered from that.  Now I won’t have a chance to hold or cuddle my baby. I’ll never get to know what traits or whose features will dominate my baby either.”  Her fingers curled around the base of the taser.  Using her thumb, she loosened the Velcro strap.

“You can stop using the mind-game tactic—I’m not falling for it. I’m doing this to save my grandson’s life.  Soon as he is released I’m out of here.”

“You don’t have to do this! Let me go and I won’t say a word to anyone.”

“They will kill him and me.  I can’t take that chance. I’m really sorry your life is ending, but my grandson is more important to me than you or your baby.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but your grandson is not important to me!”  Carla whipped the taser from her pocket and pressed it to his chest letting the volts of electricity tear into him.  His eyes grew large, and his body tensed and shook from the current ripping through him.  He fell to his knees, and she pulled out the pepper spray and gave him a good dose.

He didn’t scream or struggle but lay slumped on the cold, wet floor.  At first Carla wanted to check on him.  If he had a pacemaker, the electricity would throw off his heart rhythm and possibly cause him to have a heart attack.

Carla stalled letting her conscious get the better of her.  Then her common sense kicked in; she had to get out of there before anyone came to check on them.  She came to a door that was slightly ajar.  She heard voices, maybe three or four of them.  On her tiptoes, she eased near the door.  She was not equipped to play hero with a stun gun and pepper spray. 

She made it past the door and down a flight of stairs.  She went through the building checking doors.  All were chained or locked.  She found a window that was not boarded up.
This is my only way out
. Looking around she spotted part of a lead pipe on the floor.  She picked it up and swung at the glass shattering it to pieces. Climbing out the window and not looking back she ran across the parking lot and up the street as fast as she could.

*****

“Zach, look over there!” Rodney shouted with excitement.

“I see her,” Zach said.  He pressed on the accelerator guiding the car through the empty parking lot until he caught up to Carla.

Rodney opened the door and dragged her inside.  She fought. “Let go of me!”

“Carla, it’s us.  We got you,” Rodney said holding her on his lap. “You’re safe.”

Zach pulled the car over and threw it in park. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. “Baby, are you okay?”

She cried in his arms. “I don’t know, Zach.  I was drugged and tied up.  I don’t know if the baby is okay or not.”

“I’ll take you to the hospital to get checked out.”

“No, you have to get these guys, Zach.  I can’t survive another freaking abduction.  If this were a horror movie, I’d be dead already. The black people are the first to get killed.”

“Carla, how many people are in the building?” Rodney asked getting his gun ready.

“There was one older man in a room with me.  I tased him, and he fell out. I don’t know if he is dead or not. I went past a room and heard men talking.  I didn’t see how many were in there, it was more than two from what I could hear.”

“An older man?  About how old was the man, Carla?” Zach asked.  He had to know if it was Lowes.

“Early to late 60’s, maybe.  He said he was forced to do this, or his grandson would be killed. He didn’t mention any names.”

Zach shook his head. “That’s definitely not Lowes.  Rodney, get Agent Anderson with the Cleveland FBI field office on the phone; we’re going to need backup for this.”

“What are we going to do with Carla? We can’t set up a stakeout and leave her sitting in the car.”

“Please, guys, wait for help. The man said Ty and Phil are no longer an issue, but you are the target, Zach.  This person is after you.”

“Then it’s me he gonna get.” Zach removed his seatbelt.  He leaned over and kissed Carla and rubbed her stomach. “I love you and the baby more than anything in this world.”  He picked up her hand and took the ring from his pocket sliding it on her finger. “I’m putting this back where it belongs.  We have a wedding to plan once I take care of business.”

He got out of the car and Carla called after him. “Zach, don’t do this, please!”

Rodney restrained her. “It’s no use trying to stop him, Carla.  Look, he’s going to need my help, and I can’t do that unless I can trust you to stay put.”

“Okay, I promise to stay put. Just help him, Rodney.  They had to hear me break the window.”

“I need you to move the car a safe distance from here.  Blend in with those apartments up on the hill but make sure to watch your surroundings.  We don’t know if we’ve been followed.”

Her eyes widened with fear. “Zach could be walking into a trap?”

Rodney pulled his phone from his pocket sending a text.  He looked up at her and said, “Anything is possible. I have to get in there to help him. You stay hidden from view.  He’ll never forgive me if anything happens to you or his baby.  I’ve never in the years that we‘ve been friends, seen him care about anything until now.  Carla, he loves you.”

“I love him.  I want this over with, so we can move on with our life together.”

“Today is the day,” Rodney said getting out of the car.

*****

Zach positioned the gun in his hands squeezing the butt tight, as he moved stealthily through the damp nightclub.  He paused to listen for any unusual noises other than the dripping water from broken water pipes.  He leaned against a wall and peered around it.  The body lying on the floor twitched.  Zach went over and touched his neck for a pulse.  The man was barely alive and probably in full cardiac arrest.

He moved away from the man not concerned about his condition.  A loud bang came from behind him.  Zach raised his gun as he went to investigate the noise.  It could be Rodney, but he would never make that kind of noise. The scuffle got louder the closer he got.  Zach saw Rodney in a fight with an unknown assailant.  The man had his hands around Rodney’s neck as he sat on top of him.

Rodney’s legs were kicking but slow.  Zach knew he was losing consciousness.  He raced up behind the man putting the gun to the back of his head. “Get the fuck off him or I’ll paint the walls with your brains!”

The man lifted his arms up, and Rodney rolled slowly from under him clutching his neck. “That was right on time, Zach.”

Zach grabbed the man from behind pulling him to his feet and asked? “Who is this scumbag?”

Rodney picked up his gun. “I don’t know.”

A clapping in the distance took both of them by surprise.  “Well, done Agent Murphy.  You came to the rescue once again.  My plan to use her to lure you here worked liked a charm.”

Zach’s eyes narrowed. “Lowes. You rotten sonofabitch. I knew you were behind this shit.”

Lowes smiled and said, “Aw, don’t be that way.  We can’t all wear white hats, Murphy.”

Zach didn’t flinch. “I’m here so wha’cha got for me?”

“A slow painful death.” Lowes turned to Rodney. “Excellent work, Shell. You’ll be rewarded shortly.”

Zach narrowed his brow and turned to Rodney. “What is he talking about?”

Lowes interrupted. “You don’t know. Well, let me tell you.  While you were chasing Yezhov across the globe, someone under my command tracked my every move.  He tipped off the Section Chief about me leading to an investigation. Luckily, someone had my back and let me know what was going on.”

Zach clenched his jaw and vowed not to let Lowes goad him into thinking Shell was dirty. “I knew you were up to no good. Are you taking over Yezhov’s operation?”

Lowes laughed. “You are all muscle and no brains, Murphy.  I am the top dog, idiot!  Yezhov was my underboss. That little operation he ran in Russia was nothing until I took it over.  Your assignment to hunt down Tyrone and Phillip was a rouse to get rid that bumbling fool, Yezhov. I thought that was done in Port Clinton, but you had to keep digging.  The more you dug, the more the Section Chief breathed down my back.  This stops today.”

“Lowes, you’re the idiot.  You threw away a lucrative career to be a criminal? I hate to break this to you, boss.  But ATF and FBI agents will storm this place any minute, and it’s over for you,” Zach said with a smirk.

“You underestimate me, Zach. No one is coming because the call was never made. However, I wasn’t expecting to eliminate both you and that annoying woman at the same time, but I guess bonuses do come to those that wait.”

“So, what are you waiting for? Why not shoot me and go on about your day?” Zack asked with a raised brow.

Lowes laughed. “I will as soon as Shell brings that prissy little bitch inside.”

Zach squeezed the gun in his hand questioning his friend. “Rodney, what the hell is going on—are you working for him?”

“You don’t have the authority to question my men, Murphy.”  Lowes booming voice echoed off the walls. “But he is. I thought I’d let Agent Shell have the pleasure of wasting your blood over the floor.  See, he secretly has been working for me and wants you dead just as much as I do.  Isn’t that right, Agent Shell?”

Zach swallowed hard. There was no way Rodney would double-cross him.  He didn’t believe it and would never believe it.  But then again, he did have pertinent information about Carla’s cousins. He also had limited access to information.  He wouldn’t have known about Phillip’s protective custody or the exact location where Carla was being held unless he already knew. Was his struggle with the assailant faked, also?  It had to be, Rodney would have taken the man down without much effort; he was an expert at hand-to-hand combat.  It was all adding up and making sense.   The man he trusted had turned against him.