Chapter 7 Erik
SEVEN
ERIK
Erik stared at his phone, unable to breathe. The mobster’s threat chilled him to the bone, and he feared for Ben’s life.
It took a couple of moments to control his breathing and let his heartbeat slow so he could think.
New Jersey accent, so that’s Newark Mafia. They must have grabbed him at one of the rental houses. Where would they take him, and how do I get him back safely?
The reality of the threat had barely sunk in when his phone rang again. Erik answered, expecting the first caller to set out the terms of trading the windows for Ben.
Instead, a new voice with a thick Russian accent spoke. “Mitchell. Give us what we want, and no one dies.” A photo of Ben held captive between two masked toughs made it clear that there had been some kind of dangerous hand-off.
“Who is this? What do you want?” Erik’s training kicked in even though his heart thudded and his mind spun at this new twist. The Newark Mob didn’t cooperate with Bratva. Whatever had changed didn’t bode well for Ben’s safety.
“The window from the Wildwood collector, and the dome from the Commodore Wilson. You’ll find out where he is when we get what we want,” the Russian replied. “Keep the cops out of it, or I shoot him.” He ended the call.
“Shit, shit, shit.” Erik reminded himself not to grip his phone so hard that it cracked.
He tried to get a location on the number that called him and wasn’t surprised that tracking had been disabled. Bratva was a dangerous criminal organization, professionals on a different level than the Newark mobsters.
The power was still out, so Hendricks and his officers would be busy dealing with the storm’s effects. Without more details, there was nothing Erik could tell the police that was worth the risk of making contact.
His phone rang, and Haley’s number came up.
“Erik? What’s going on? I just had a couple of ghosts show up and say that Ben sent them to me because he’s been kidnapped,” Haley told him.
“Yes. Did they tell you anything?” Erik wasn’t ashamed of the desperation in his voice.
“They’re Russian, and they have him in a warehouse on the waterfront,” Haley reported. “Ben told them to make sure you know he loves you.”
Erik consciously slowed his breathing, trying not to hyperventilate. “Okay. That’s more than I knew before. Did they give you more details about which warehouse?”
“No. Ghosts aren’t usually good at that sort of thing,” Haley replied. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Erik told her. “We know Ben’s still alive and that his kidnappers haven’t left the city. They haven’t told me where the drop is, but I’m going to guess it’s not too far from where they’re holding Ben.”
“Don’t trust them,” Haley warned.
“Don’t worry,” Erik said with a bitter laugh. “I won’t. Please let me know if you hear from the ghosts again.”
“I will,” she promised. “I tried to ask them questions, but they didn’t answer. But I’ll keep the channel open.”
Erik thanked her and called Alessia, cursing under his breath until she picked up. “I need your help.” He knew he sounded panicked.
“Erik? What’s wrong?”
“Bratva kidnapped Ben.” He was still trying not to hyperventilate. Erik knew he needed all his experience to get Ben back, but he couldn’t completely shut down the fear that coursed through him.
“How?”
“I don’t know what happened, but first the New Jersey Mob claimed that they had him, and then not long afterward, a Russian called me back.”
“Are you sure it’s true?”
“They sent me a picture.” Erik did his best to wall up his feelings, needing to focus on a strategy to outwit the kidnappers and save Ben. “Then a ghost told Haley that Ben’s being held in a warehouse, but didn’t have specifics.”
“I’m so sorry,” Alessia replied. “How can I help?”
He gave her a quick outline of the situation, including the window, the dome, and the interest of The Collector and The Oligarch.
“The two men at the top are witches, but I doubt they came in person to grab Ben,” he added.
“I’d be surprised if they brought in fighters with supernatural abilities.
Too much temptation for them to use those talents against the boss. ”
“Makes sense,” Alessia agreed.
“I was hoping you could do a tracking spell on Ben. Having the power out makes normal recon nearly impossible.”
“Have you called the police?”
“Not yet. The kidnappers told me not to tell the cops. And until I know for certain where he’s being held, there’s nothing the police can do. I don’t believe that the guys who took him will hand Ben over and let us both walk out of there, even if I give them what they want,” Erik said.
“True,” Alessia agreed. “As for the cops, it doesn’t count if I call Cole, and it keeps you out of hot water with the chief for not keeping him informed,” she added in a sly tone.
“I can’t match the Mafia for firepower, and Ben’s likely to get hurt in the fighting if we go in guns blazing. But if we can use magic and ghosts, we might stand a chance.”
“I’m in,” Alessia said. “I’ll scry for Ben. Having Haley ask the ghosts for help is a good idea. They don’t care that it’s storming and the lights are out.”
“Thank you.” Erik could hear the strain in his voice. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”
“Same here. Good luck. And I’ll send some protective spells Ben’s way,” she promised before disconnecting.
Haley’s number showed up as soon as the call ended. “I’ve got more intel from the ghost,” she told him.
“What did he have to say?” Erik was desperate for any clues that might help them bring Ben back alive.
“He gave me a description of a warehouse in the port where Ben’s being held.
Used to be Sanderson Seafood. The cops will be able to find it,” Haley said.
“The ghost said there are at least three guards, sometimes more, and that the warehouse is haunted and the other spirits will help us. How do you want to play this?”
“Alessia was going to scry for Ben and is working protective magic. She’s all in for helping get Ben back,” Erik told Haley. “Since the warehouse is haunted, maybe you can come up with a plan so the ghosts can lend a hand?”
“I can do that,” Haley said. “And I’ll call Father Dennis, just in case they’re working with any darker entities. Magic and guns are bad enough, but it can’t hurt to be over-prepared.”
“Thank you. Let’s reconnect in half an hour.” Erik realized after he ended the call that he was still standing with the phone in his hand, frozen in place. He went back to the kitchen and gathered what he needed.
Erik lit a candle and smudged with sage, then put a salt circle around his chair. He mixed dried mugwort, rosemary, and tobacco in a shallow bowl and lit it, letting the smoke mingle with the sage.
Deep breaths helped him get settled, and he pictured Ben clearly in his mind.
Help me save him, Erik sent out to the universe. I need to save him.
Erik couldn’t be sure that ghosts or the cosmos heard him, but the ritual calmed him and helped to clear his thoughts.
A power brick kept his phone at full charge despite the continued outage. He searched on the name the ghost had given Haley and found a picture of a run-down warehouse along with an address.
More than we knew before, but we need a plan. Where to park, how to approach, how to get inside. We can’t afford to fuck this up.
His phone rang again, this time from the number the Russian had used.
“Mitchell. Bring the Wildwood window and the location of the Tiffany dome and meet us in two hours.” He gave an address, which Erik hurriedly wrote down. “No cops.”
“What about Ben? Hostage exchange, Ben for the windows.”
“We will tell you where he’s being held once you deliver the goods,” the caller said. “All in good faith.”
His response confirmed Erik’s suspicion that the Russians never meant to let either of them go. Without the ghost’s message, Erik would have feared that Ben was already dead. Once Bratva had what they wanted, they had no reason to allow either Ben or Erik to live.
“All right,” Erik agreed, already making a plan.
“Come alone. Follow instructions, and this will be simple.”
As simple as walking right into a trap.
“Two hours. Starting now.” The Russian ended the call.
Before Erik could call Alessia or Haley, his phone rang yet again, the caller tagged as the Cape May Chief of Police.
“Mitchell. Alessia called me about Ben being kidnapped. There are three dead mobsters at a Nolan rental house. What do you know?” Hendricks’s gravelly voice suggested he had spent most of the day out in the storm.
“They’re Newark Mob,” Erik said. “They kidnapped Ben, then got jumped by Bratva. The Russians took Ben and want me to give them the stained-glass window in exchange.”
“Jesus, Mitchell. How do you know who the dead guys were?”
“Because they called me to extort a trade, and then the Russians called me right after. Since those two groups don’t play nicely together, I figured that Bratva got the drop on the Jersey guys and took Ben.”
“Do you trust them to exchange Ben for the window?” Hendricks asked.
“Hell no. They’ll kill both of us. We’ve gotten in their way too many times.”
“Did they give you a meeting place?”
Ben’s only chance to survive would be if Erik, Alessia, and Haley could rescue him before the rendezvous. Once Ben was safe, Erik had no reason not to bring in the police.
“Yeah, write this down.” Erik gave the address and the time. “I don’t know how many goons there are, and they’ll be armed. The leader said Ben would be kept at a second location until I make the handoff. I’m positive it’s a trap.”
“No shit,” Hendricks muttered. “You’re the Mob expert, and it’s your partner’s life on the line. What’s your plan?”
“A ghost told us the area where Ben’s being held. A couple friends and I are going to use ghosts and magic to rescue Ben. We can’t win a shootout, so this is Ben’s only chance. Once Ben’s safe, your team shows up at the rendezvous site to take out the trash.”
Erik held his breath, waiting for Hendricks’s response.