Chapter 17
Seventeen
At least they weren’t sending Dani into the building. Michael couldn’t fathom the pressure she must be feeling as she brought the phone up to her ear. The first sign of Colter McCord since he’d tried to kill them, and she had to talk him off a ledge. Literally.
“Colter? It’s Dani.”
“Put it on speaker,” Captain Ree whispered.
Dani pressed the speaker icon.
“Dani? Is that really you?”
“Yeah, it’s me. What are you doing up there? Do you need anything?”
A shaky breath came through on the line. “See, I knew you would hear me out. I knew you would, but I don’t know who else to trust.” His voice cracked.
“I’m here. I’m listening.”
“Are the cops listening too?” Heavy footsteps sounded, like he was pacing back and forth while talking.
“They are.”
“No! I only want to talk to you, Dani. I can’t trust anyone else.”
“Colter, why don’t you let them evacuate the top floor and we can tal—”
“I said no!” The pacing accelerated. “How do I know they won’t shoot me on sight? I need you to hear me.”
“I’m listening. You can trust me. You called me here, remember.”
She was amazing. Her voice stayed calm and smooth, even with Colter growing more agitated.
“But you’re with them. I can’t trust them. There were other cops involved.” Colter’s voice sounded panicked. High and squeaky. “I need to see you, Dani.” He sniffed. “Come up here so I can see you.”
Michael shook his head. No way.
Captain Ree’s lips thinned into a tight line. Finn brought a fist to his mouth and bit down on his thumbnail.
But Dani’s eyes locked in on Michael. They pleaded with him. I’ll be fine, she mouthed.
He got right in her ear and whispered, “You’re not going up there without me. I won’t leave you alone.” And frankly, he didn’t care how overprotective he sounded.
She nodded at him and spoke into the speaker. “I’ll come up on two conditions.”
“What are they?” Colter asked.
“You release the top floor and let me bring my friend Michael.”
“Are you kidding? I’m not going to lose what little leverage I have. You don’t understand what these people will do to me. I can’t let them go.”
“Then let me come up with Michael.”
“I don’t trust Michael! I will only speak to you!” The pacing grew louder, faster.
“Colter, do you remember my friend Maria? From high school?”
Dani had to repeat herself twice, but finally the footsteps on Colter’s end stopped. He was listening again. “Maria? Martinelli?”
“That’s the one. Michael is her brother. There’s no one in the world I trust more than him. He always does the right thing. You can trust both of us. We want to help you.”
After a long pause, Colter groaned. “You promise me, Dani?”
“I promise. Will you let the residents go?”
“No. I need them. But you and Michael can come up. And if I see anyone else with you, any weapons at all, this building will blow. I have nothing to lose anymore.”
The call ended with the last words so soft they barely came through.
As soon as the screen went black, everyone jumped to action and talked at once. Ree shouted out orders to her SWAT team.
Finn looked at Dani and Michael. “Are you both out of your minds? You can’t go up there.”
“You heard him, Finn.” His partner looked legitimately scared. “We’re losing him. But he trusts Dani. We need to hear him out.”
“Whatever he’s gotten himself into is huge. This isn’t like him.” Dani tightened her vest. “And what did he mean when he said there were other cops involved?”
“He knows something. Something big.” Michael strapped on a vest that Finn handed him. “We have to find out what that is.”
“We need to get up there before he changes his mind.” Dani laid a hand on Finn’s arm. “I’m going to call you and leave my phone on speaker. Mute your end and record whatever he says.”
His jaw tightened, but eventually he pulled out his phone and got it set.
Captain Ree turned back to them. “The drones have at least eight heat signatures on that sixth floor. Get McCord to release them.”
Like they needed any more pressure.
Michael and Dani walked side by side to the entrance, but something was missing.
“Wait. Finn, come here.” Michael waved his partner over. “Pray with us.”
The expression on Finn’s face was the first hint of light he’d seen since they arrived. “Will do, lad.”
With a hand on each of their shoulders, Finn spoke over them. “Lord, guide these two protectors and bring this situation to a peaceful ending. Be their shield, their fortress and give them peace.”
“Amen,” they said in unison.
“Go with God.” Finn squeezed Michael’s shoulder and backed away. Michael could only focus on one step at a time, moving in front of Dani.
They reached the fifth floor, where Colter sat on the top step watching them. He held a device in his hand. A detonator. “You actually came?”
“I told you. We want to help. We’re here to listen.” Dani stood next to Michael, a mere six steps away from her volatile ex.
Michael had seen the same hopelessness, the same despair in Colter’s eyes, twice before in other calls.
Neither case had ended well.
But Finn’s prayer hovered over them, the words anchoring Michael’s soul in a way he hadn’t experienced before.
He took a step closer. “I’m Michael Martinelli.”
Colter’s brows furrowed. “You were the one with Dani at work.”
“Yeah. And that was my SUV you plowed into. But you know what? I’m looking past that, and right now, we want to hear what you have to say.”
“Look, man, I didn’t do it. But the other stuff? They made me.” Colter’s voice shook.
“Do what? And who made you?” Dani rested a hand on the stair rail.
“I had to do something before they took me out like Donner.”
Ice ran through Michael’s veins. “Donner? What do you know about him?”
“He worked for them too. But I don’t know what other cops were on their side. I wanted to come clean. I swear.”
He was all over the place. They needed to make sense of all these threads. Dani was probably the better person to get him to stay calm and keep talking. Michael gently nudged her arm.
“What did you want to come clean about, Colter?” she asked him.
“I helped move stuff for them. I didn’t mind the deliveries so much.
The pay was good. The guys, we all looked out for each other.
But when Booker got drunk and told me what he did to Donner, I didn’t believe him, man.
” Colter slid his trembling fingers through his greasy hair. “I didn’t want to be a part of that.”
“Booker Wilson killed Gary Donner?” Michael asked.
“Yeah. And he said it wasn’t even the first cop he offed. That’s when I knew I had to get out.”
“Why did Booker kill him?”
Colter shrugged. “That was the job. You followed orders from the boss. No questions asked. Moving stuff? No big deal. But I didn’t sign up to hurt anyone.”
“Then why did you run us off the road?” Dani kept the accusation out of her question, but Michael was glad she’d asked.
“That wasn’t me. When I saw you at the plant and told Angelo you were my ex, he freaked out.
Said you were with a cop and must be poking around.
He forced me into my own truck and took off after you.
I yelled at him to stop, but once your SUV went over the side of the road, I knew it wasn’t good.
So I hid. But they have people everywhere.
I want out, and I can’t get out.” Colter’s head dropped into his hands.
“That’s why you called for me?” Dani asked.
Colter lifted his head again. “I got scared when Booker told me you showed up at the Snake Pit. I tried hiding as long as I could, but I ran out of options.” His shifty gaze landed on Dani.
“I know I was never good enough for you, Dani, but I had to warn you. You don’t want to get mixed up with these people.
And you were the one person who never lied to me.
If anyone could help me, I figured it would be you. ”
“What are these people doing? Running drugs?” Michael needed specifics.
“Everything. They move product, guns, people, money. They have people that make problems disappear. The last job I did was rough up some lady at her store and take what was in the till.”
“You beat up a convenience store owner over on Washington, by any chance?”
“No, but I think Booker did. He enjoys hurting people.”
Michael needed to find Booker Wilson ASAP, but first, they needed to finish this.
“Colt, the best thing you can do now is turn yourself in,” Dani told him.
What Colter knew could put a lot of criminals behind bars, make a real dent in the citywide corruption.
Michael kept his voice soft. “You said it yourself. You want out. Let’s get you out. Keep you safe.”
Colter huffed. “Safe? I’m not safe anywhere in Renegade.”
“We’ll ask the prosecutor to sign off on protection for you. We have US Marshals right here in Renegade, so there’s a good chance to get something in place. But you’ll have to testify.”
Colter’s gaze bounced between them. “You really think I got a shot?”
“You willing to come clean?” If he agreed to testify, they could take their time and get the details straight. Michael held out his hand. “Give me the detonator now. Let’s take off that vest and find a safe place for you.”
Colter considered the device for a long moment. “Anything has to be better than this.” He dropped the detonator into Michael’s hand. “I’ll do my time. Please, just get me out of Colorado though.”
“We can do that.” Dani offered him a small smile. “You’re making the right choice.”
They walked down the five and a half flights of stairs together. Captain Ree was probably champing at the bit to get in and clear the last floor. Bomb squad would still need to check the building. Michael could finally release a full breath as the tightness in his chest eased.
But all the tension came right back as he thought about the extensive reach of this organization. He had so many questions. Was this network citywide? Statewide? How did Donner fit into it all, and how many other cops were playing both sides?
Michael held the glass front door open for the other two. Frigid air hit them, sending a shiver through Michael’s body. “Colter, do you know who the boss calling the shots is?”