Chapter 16 #2
The forest-green walls and dark-wood accents gave the pub a European flair, but the American football on the big screens all around showed O’Malley’s true customer base.
With the number of men in high-vis and reflective gear and steel-toed boots, this was not a business lounge kind of place.
These were the working men and women of Renegade.
Which made sense since the bar was situated outside the warehouse districts but not in the rougher neighborhoods of Southwold.
“Finn is running late.” Michael navigated around the coverall group and toward the back of the room.
Dani spotted Steve in his baggy jeans, sitting with three other guys at a high top. “There’s our boys.” She had to get close to Michael to be heard over the crowd.
He didn’t seem to mind and took the opportunity to kiss her cheek.
She could easily get used to this.
They walked up to their target. “Hey, it’s Steve, Ron, and Denny!” Dani grinned.
“Hey!” The three guys cheered. They must’ve been here a while, with all the empty glasses in the middle of their table.
“You remembered our bar. Pull up a chair!” Toothless Ron slapped Michael on the back, then nodded to the fourth man in their group. He wore a cowboy hat and chomped on a toothpick. “This is Cory.”
“Hey, Cory. I’m Michael. This is Dani.” He moved one of the barstools up to the table for her while he continued to stand. “What are you guys up to?”
“Just getting over our Monday.” Steve guzzled his drink.
“I’ll drink to that. This overtime is kicking my butt.” Denny clinked glasses with Steve and took a long draw.
“You’ve been working overtime?” Dani grabbed a handful of pretzels from the bowl in front of Cory.
Ron nodded. “That’s what happens when three guys on our shift don’t show. Everyone else has to pick up the slack. It was bad enough when it was just one guy, but now we’re covering for two more.”
“They just don’t show up?” Dani nibbled on a pretzel. “How rude.”
“And they don’t call in. It’s wrong.” Steve hitched up his jeans. “When I see McCord again, I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind.”
“Is he friends with the other no-shows?” Michael asked, looking like he wasn’t paying much attention as he watched the NFL Broncos’ highlights on the big screen behind Steve. It was all for show. Dani had to admit, he was good.
“Yeah. McCord and Wilson for sure. Don’t know about Angelo. He’s always more of a loner. Scary son of a gun though.” Ron shook his head and watched the screen. He pointed to it with his glass. “Saw that game in Denver. Sean Payton knows how to play offense.”
“No kidding.”
Dani let Michael chat football with Ron a bit. Cory sat on the other side of her.
“Aren’t you worried about the guys that didn’t show up?” she asked.
The cowboy balked. “If I didn’t need the time and a half so bad, maybe I’d care. As it is, I do my job and clock out.”
“So no one knows where they are? What if they’re sick?”
Cory huffed. “All three of them? At the same time? Doubt it. They probably found another job and didn’t bother to turn in a notice.”
“Did those guys ever come here after work with you?”
“Nope.” Steve piped up from across the table. “Those three were thick with the security guys that work the night shift. I think I heard them make plans about going to the Snake Pit in Southwold. Not the kind of place I’d wanna hang around.”
Michael’s phone rang. Dani asked questions regarding the Bronco players she cared nothing about while he stepped away to take the call.
He came back quickly and tapped her shoulder. “Hate to cut this off, but we’ve gotta go. I got called into work.”
“Aw, man, you just got here. You didn’t finish a pint yet.” Denny probably didn’t know which glass was his. He turned to Dani though. “You gonna stick around? If your boyfriend don’t mind, I’ll buy you a drink.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks for the offer, but I better stick with him.” She waved goodbye and they rushed out. Once they were on the sidewalk, Michael grabbed her hand and started jogging.
“What’s going on?” She took twice as many steps to keep up with him. “We were getting good intel.”
“Finn called. He needs us. Now.”
“Okay. Why?”
“They found McCord.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Not exactly. McCord’s barricaded himself in a Southwold apartment. In a suicide bomb vest. He’s asking for you.”
Dani skidded to a stop. “Colter?”
“Yes. Let’s go. Before he blows up the building and everyone in it.”
The ride to Southwold barely registered.
Michael sped through the one-way streets between the redbrick buildings of downtown until they reached the mud-gray apartment building next to a run-down city park.
Every house and business on the block had bars on the windows.
Two firetrucks and a police squad blocked the road right in front, and a crowd gathered around them.
Michael double-parked on the street and helped Dani out of the car when her legs refused to stand.
“Dani, are you okay? Talk to me.”
“I can’t believe he’d do this. He wasn’t like this when I dated him.”
“We don’t know who is orchestrating this. We don’t know if he’s here of his own accord. Given the right leverage, who knows what he’s capable of? But right now, you’re the person he wants to talk to. Can you do that?” He rubbed her cold hands.
“I have to.” Her words came out in a whisper, but they sparked a fire inside. She needed to get through to Colter before he hurt himself and everyone else in the vicinity.
“I’ll be right by your side.” Michael hugged her tight.
She soaked in his warmth for a moment, relying on it to give her strength. When she released her hold, he grabbed her hand and they moved toward the building.
Police barricades held back a crowd, but Michael forced his way through to the three uniformed officers at the bright-yellow tape. He showed his badge, and they let them through.
“Is Detective Finnigan here?” Michael asked the officer.
“Michael, here!” Finn waved them over from the patch of scraggly grass in front of the entrance. “I’m glad to see you both.” He palmed the back of his neck. “It’s a nightmare.”
“What’s going on?” Michael asked his partner.
“Don’t know much more than what I already told you.” Finn talked as they walked toward the SWAT BearCat vehicle parked on the curb. “McCord called 911 and demanded that he talk to Dani Kim and no one else. He claims he has a bomb, but it hasn’t been confirmed.”
At the BearCat, a group of four men and two women in tactical gear gathered around a blueprint of the building. Finn bypassed them and headed to a woman in a black blazer, who was talking to a firefighter. “Captain Ree, this is Special Agent Dani Kim.”
She turned and looked Dani up and down, then called over to a young uniformed woman. “Brown, get a vest for Agent Kim. Size small.” Then she faced Dani, hands on hips, with a grim expression. “Agent Kim, why does Colter McCord want to talk to you?”
“I wish I knew. We dated years ago, but I haven’t seen him since. Not until a few weeks ago.”
“And at that point, he tried to run us off the road.” Michael stood next to her.
Captain Ree narrowed her eyes. “Normally, I’d never let a civilian do this, but for a federal agent, I’m willing to make an exception. Our negotiator got absolutely nowhere. You might be the only way to get through to him. Are you ready to talk some sense into this man?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dani slipped on the vest that the officer ran up and gave her.
“Good. We evacuated most of the building, but he’s in the corridor, blocking the top floor.
Refuses to talk or negotiate. We can’t get to those units.
The goal is to talk him into letting us clear the building.
Understood? The sooner, the better, before the media show up and make a circus out of this. ”
Dani nodded and took the phone Captain Ree held out to her.
Oh, Lord, please guide my words.