Chapter 14 #2
“Stop or I’ll shoot!” She hoped to distract the gunman, but it was as if she were shouting into the wind. She had never fired a gun in her life, and even though she was so close, she didn’t dare risk firing and hitting Micah by mistake.
Phil groaned again, and she took a step to the side so she could watch him. That’s when she noticed that the second gun lying on the floor must have been kicked by Micah and the gunman because it had skittered close to Phil’s prone body.
She darted forward and kicked it away.
“Don’t move, Phil,” she said. “I won’t hesitate to shoot.”
The words had barely cleared her throat when a second gunshot rang out. She whirled toward Micah, hoping and praying he hadn’t been hit. For a moment, it looked as if Micah was lying perfectly still.
Then he pushed himself upright, holding the gun in his hand. He stood, pointing it at the gunman lying on the concrete floor.
When she didn’t see any blood or other obvious signs of an injury, she let out her breath in a relieved sigh.
It was over.
Micah had hoped and prayed that he’d figure out how to distract the gunman, but he hadn’t anticipated that Phil would help him in that plan. He was glad now that he hadn’t killed the guy, since it was his moaning that had done the trick.
He didn’t take his gaze from the gunman lying on the floor, but asked Bryn, “Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”
“I’m fine.” Her voice sounded breathless. “What about you?”
“Peachy.” He had expected the police to have arrived by now and was concerned that Rex hadn’t gotten his text message. It could be that the concrete building had interfered with the cell reception. “I need you to find something we can use to tie them up.”
“Ah, okay.” Bryn sounded uncertain. He didn’t blame her. There wasn’t much in the mostly empty construction space to use.
Thinking about the pails of drywall paste, he said, “There might be drywall tape someplace. Look for a wide roll that looks similar to duct tape, although it may be made of mesh.”
He heard her moving around as she searched the area. “Micah, I found it!”
“Great. I need you to tie this guy up.” He kept his gaze centered on the gunman. He was by far the more dangerous of the two men. “When that’s done, we’ll take care of Phil.”
“I understand.” Bryn’s voice grew louder as she approached. In his peripheral vision, he saw she held a wide roll of mesh drywall tape. It wasn’t as strong as duct tape, but it would be enough to keep the gunman immobile until he could find something stronger.
Or until the police arrived. He needed to check his phone but couldn’t do that until the two thugs were secure.
“What happened?” Phil asked, his voice weak. “My head is killing me.”
That was due to the lack of oxygen, but Micah didn’t bother to explain. “Your buddy over here was going to leave you to die.”
“Nate wouldn’t do that.” Phil’s voice was getting stronger, and that concerned him. He couldn’t afford for this guy to become a threat.
“Stay down, Phil.” He risked a quick glance at the man he’d overpowered. “Don’t make me shoot you.”
Bryn worked at getting the drywall tape unwrapped and pulled out a long piece. Then she reached down for Nate’s wrist.
“Let me go.” Nate jerked away.
Micah took a threatening step toward him. “I’ve killed dozens of people while serving my country. If you believe I won’t shoot, think again. It would be easier for me if you and Phil were both dead.”
Nate glared at him, then offered up his wrists.
“No, that’s not how we’re doing this. I want you to lie on your stomach and put your hands behind your back.” When Nate didn’t move, he barked, “Now.”
Nate reluctantly compiled, rolling onto his stomach and holding his wrists behind his back. Bryn knelt beside him, wrapping the length of drywall tape around his wrists several times. Then she looked over at him. “I’m not strong enough to rip the roll off.”
“That’s okay, I have a knife.” He turned toward Phil, who still looked dazed and confused. “It’s your turn, Phil. Stretch out on your stomach and put your hands behind your back.”
Thankfully, Phil didn’t argue. Micah assumed that his own near-death experience must have convinced him that prison was a better option.
Because prison was exactly where these two men were headed.
Micah reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocketknife, handing it to Bryn. She smiled gratefully and used it to cut the roll of tape free. Then she moved over use another length of tape to bind Phil’s wrists.
“Thanks, Bryn.” He finally lowered the weapon. It wasn’t his, and he typically didn’t like firing guns he’d never used before. He glanced over to see Bryn had taken one of the weapons off the floor, but the other gun, his personal weapon, was halfway across the room.
“Now what?” Bryn asked, when she’d finished. “Why haven’t the police arrived yet?”
“I’m not sure.” He dug his phone from his pocket and scowled when he realized there was only one bar of service. When he scrolled through the two text messages he’d tried to send to Rex, he grimaced when he saw that neither message had gone through.
Swallowing a groan, he tucked the phone back into his pocket.
The concrete structure of the building must have been thick enough to interfere with the closest cell tower.
He was glad he and Bryn had managed to get the upper hand here since the police backup he’d been planning on weren’t even aware of what was going down.
That meant Rex didn’t know either. And that his boss hadn’t gotten the audio file of the two men discussing his and Bryn’s fate.
“Okay, we’re going to need to drive these guys out of here.” He would have rather left them behind, but he was afraid that they’d find a way to get free and disappear before they could notify the police. “Do me a favor and grab my gun.”
Bryn nodded, tossed the roll of drywall tape aside, and crossed over to scoop up his weapon.
He gratefully took it and tucked the one he’d grabbed from Nate into the back of his waistband.
“Keep Phil’s gun, we’re going to want to turn both of their weapons over to the police so they can match the ballistics. ”
“Where are you taking us?” Phil asked, his face pale and wan.
He sighed, thinking that he should take the time to stretch tape over their mouths. “To the closest police station. Now shut up or I’ll add more tape to keep you quiet.”
Phil darted a look at Nate and wisely didn’t say anything more.
Nate was oddly silent, although he had rolled over onto his side so that he was facing Micah. When he realized Nate was flexing his wrists and arms to get free, he brought his weapon up. “Don’t even think about it. Stand up, both of you.”
The two men looked at each other, then struggled to obey. Nate managed to use his leg muscles to rise to his feet without a problem. Phil was apparently too weak to get himself up from the floor without using his hands.
Bryn crossed over to help Phil up. Then she quickly took a few steps back in case he decided to try anything.
Micah glanced at Bryn. “Thanks. I need you to get the SUV keys from Nate’s pocket. I assume he was the driver. Then take my phone and go outside, see if you can get a signal. The texts I sent earlier to Rex didn’t go through.”
“They didn’t?” Bryn paled at that. He understood she was realizing how lucky they were to have gotten these two disarmed. “That’s weird that the texts didn’t go through. But can’t we just take them with us?” She waved a hand toward Phil and Nate. “I don’t like it here. Besides, I’m freezing.”
He nodded, the outside temperature was only in the mid-fifties, and they’d been there longer than he’d anticipated. “Okay. But we need those keys.”
Bryn approached Nate with trepidation. She awkwardly patted his jacket pockets until she found the key fob. Relieved, she stepped back and held it up for him to see. “Got it.”
“Good. Let’s get out of here. I need both of you to start walking.” When neither man moved, he barked, “Now!”
Phil stumbled forward first, heading across the big empty space toward the back of the building. Nate followed more slowly, clearly not wanting to cooperate.
“Bryn, stay to the side,” he warned as he and Bryn followed the men out. “Don’t get between us.”
“Oh, sorry.” She flushed and quickly moved out of the way. Then she abruptly stopped and cocked her head. “Do you hear that?”
He frowned. “Hear what?” He’d been so focused on watching their two prisoners that he hadn’t heard anything.
“I think it’s a car engine.” Her expression brightened. “Maybe the police are on the way.”
He frowned as the two men kept walking. The police would respond with lights and sirens if they thought there was something criminal going on. But from the way the two men were going much faster now, he realized they may have been expecting someone.
Another gunman? H sincerely hoped not.
“Bryn, stay back. Phil and Nate, stop where you are.” He used his command voice, but the two men ignored him. In fact, Nate sped up, almost running as he headed toward the open area.
Micah didn’t like it one bit. He sprinted after Nate, grabbing the back of his jacket and yanking him off his feet. Without the use of his hands, Nate went down hard with a muffled oomph.
Bryn had caught on quickly and did the same with Phil, who didn’t put up much of a fight. He stopped where he was and stayed on his feet when Bryn grabbed the back of his jacket. She forced him down to sit beside Nate.
“Bryn, run back and get that roll of tape,” Micah said. “We’re going to gag them.”
Bryn turned and sprinted back to the drywall pails. He trained his weapon on both men. “I can still shoot you and have time to shoot whoever is driving here to meet with you. It’s up to you how quickly die.”
Neither man seemed inclined to risk being shot. Bryn returned with the tape and quickly drew out two more lengths that she slapped over their respective mouths.
Something he should have done right away. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. Two bars.
He re-sent the text messages to Rex, starting with the one where he requested his boss call 911. The video could wait and would take more bandwidth to transmit.
But if the car driving up wasn’t the police, then he needed backup to get there sooner than later.
Now he could hear the car engine more clearly. It was close, so he gestured for Bryn to come with him as he moved toward the side of the opening.
The problem with this vehicle approaching from the back was that there was a good chance the driver saw their SUV tucked between the crane and dirt pile, which meant he or she would be ready for anything.
Micah had the advantage of surprise, though, and he intended to use it. He tucked Bryn behind him, then risked a quick glance around the corner. The vehicle was slowing to a stop not far from the one Nate and Phil had used.
For a long moment, there was nothing but silence. The two gunmen didn’t try to talk through their gags, maybe they were hoping the driver of the car would come in guns blazing.
Then he heard a car door open and the slight crunch of gravel beneath the driver’s feet. He imagined Richard was the most likely person to have shown up there.
He risked another glance around the corner in time to see the man standing beside the SUV, looking suspiciously at the building while holding a gun in his hand. He was shorter than Richard but looked strangely familiar. He tried to place the face he knew he’d seen before when he heard Bryn gasp.
“Damien,” she whispered.
Shocked, he realized she was right. Clearly, Damien Rochester had faked his own death and planted enough evidence for Bryn to be the primary suspect in his murder.
And if that was the case, who was the dead man in Bryn’s house?