Heath Chapter 18
Last night was fun. Relaxing with Johann and shooting the shit had let me get to know him even more, and vice versa.
This morning, we saw him off and arranged to hang out this upcoming weekend.
I hated to leave Danae at home, but she told me she was going to be a slug, lying around, reading, and napping.
I would see at the end of the day if she really had or not. I hoped she would.
I worked in the office in the morning, and in the afternoon I visited a customer. It was an established one. They were concerned that, with a recent change to their setup and a slight increase in square footage, the current setup was inadequate, leaving gaps.
I wish they’d thought of that before they made the changes.
Then we would’ve assessed it, had the plan ready to go, and had the new equipment on standby.
As I did my inspection, I slid that question into the conversation.
After a short, uneasy silence, the owner confessed he’d hoped not to have to spend more money. The changes had cost him enough.
What changed his mind was a rash of break-ins nearby.
He was concerned it might happen at his business.
When I was done, I told him I’d have to let the techs see what I'd noted, and we’d hopefully have his answer by tomorrow, which was Friday, or, at the latest, Monday.
The good thing was that we had all the items he needed in stock, so no waiting for equipment to be ordered and delivered.
He shook my hand and thanked me before walking me out.
I’d barely settled in my truck and had the engine on before debating if I had time to go to the office and talk to the tech team before the end of the day, or if I should head home. I decided I had time.
I was in luck when I got to headquarters.
One of the lead technicians who did installs was available.
I walked him through the pictures and details of the changes, including the sketch I made showing the current locations of cameras, motion detectors, and other components.
He said he’d look it over, make any needed modifications—though he felt it was great as it was—and call the customer in the morning.
I was relieved and thanked him. I was going to do a quick pass by the bosses’ offices and then head home. Throughout the day, I’d texted to check how Danae was doing. Whether it was true or not, she always said she was still being lazy and loving it.
I stepped off the elevator on the sixth floor when my phone began to ring.
As I took it out of my pocket, I saw it was Undertaker.
At the same time, I heard thundering footsteps approaching.
Glancing up, I saw Undertaker running toward the elevator.
When he saw me, he came to a halt. He had his phone to his ear.
He hit the end button and dropped his arm.
“I was hoping to catch you. I heard you were in the building with the technicians. We need to head to your place. I’ll fill you in on the way,” he said.
I didn’t argue. I turned and called the elevator back. As the doors closed on us, I turned to him.
“What the fuck is going on?”
“We got more information on your future in-laws and their buddy. We know why he’s been seen with them so much lately. I need you to remain calm.”
My throat tried to close, but I croaked out, “Why?”
“All the things we suspect and know about the three of them are true. However, Makayla intercepted a phone call. It was from Dallia Masters to Huston earlier today. She asked him whether they had to do it. Wasn’t there another way?
He snapped at her, saying Zhāng had run out of patience.
There was no more waiting, no more trying to get close to her.
He wanted it finished, and he plans to return to China within two weeks.
Dallia broke down crying. She sniffled that she was her daughter and the only child she had left.
“Huston countered. He said she might want to let the two of them die rather than give up her daughter, but he wouldn’t.
He went on to say that Danae wouldn’t be killed.
That wasn’t what Zhāng wanted. The gist of the rest is that if they give Danae to their Dragon Head associate, he’ll forgive their shortfall over the past several months, and it’ll buy them grace time to rebound.
He wants your woman for himself. I don't know what for, but he’s been asking for months. ”
When Undertaker ended his explanation, we were already in my truck pulling out of the parking lot. My hand fumbled in my pocket to get my phone.
“I’ll call her. You concentrate on driving,” he told me.
He put it on speaker once he hit the call button. As each ring wasn’t picked up, I grew more tense, and my hold on the steering wheel tightened. After it went to voicemail, he hung up and tried again—the same result.
“Don’t lose it. She could be in the shower and unable to hear it. Let’s get there, and then we’ll see what the case is,” he cautioned me.
I sped up but kept it just this side of reckless.
I wanted to lay on the horn at the idiots driving as slow as molasses in front of me.
While I drove, Undertaker was on the phone with someone, filling them in on what was happening and that she hadn’t answered us.
I kept a litany of prayers going. Please, God, let her be in the shower. Let her be okay.
“We have a team dispatched to your condo. We’ll get there first, but they won’t be far behind. I need you to let me enter first, Heath. I know that’ll be damn near impossible, but I need to do it.”
I remained silent. I knew why he said that. If she were dead in there, he didn’t want me to see her. Vomit crawled up to the back of my throat. I had to swallow twice to get it back down.
“Was there more? Did Makayla hear anything else?” I asked desperately.
“There was more protesting by her mom and Masters lecturing her that it was either Danae or them. He kept professing it was better to be Danae because he swore Zhāng wanted her alive. In the end, she hung up.”
“How long ago was that call?”
“The call was two hours ago. But after being saved on the carrier’s system, Makayla found it about fifteen minutes before you saw me. She texted me while still listening to it.”
“She’s got to be alright,” I muttered.
He squeezed my shoulder but said nothing.
It was exactly eighteen minutes after I left headquarters that I came roaring into the driveway of my condo.
There were no cars outside. The garage door was closed, so I had no idea if her car was still in there.
I almost forgot to put the truck in park.
Undertaker was out and headed to the front door with his gun out before I got my seatbelt off, and the door opened.
I hurried after him, with my piece out and down.
No way did I want to shoot my boss in the back accidentally. The front door was cracked open.
I started to hyperventilate. I had to take deep breaths and hold them to stop it. I stayed on the porch, but it damn near killed me to do it. It felt like Undertaker had been gone for an hour before he sounded the double whistle we used to signal all clear. He popped outside.
“She’s not here. There’s no sign of a struggle inside.”
I hung my head. When I did, I noticed multiple scuff marks, the black ones made by the soles of shoes, on the porch. They caught my attention because they were new. I pointed to them.
“Those weren’t there before.”
Glancing around, I saw a shoe tucked under one of the bushes in the flower bed edging the front porch. It was one of hers. I bent to pick it up.
“Wait. Leave it. We’ll get people out here. Until we know otherwise, we treat this like a crime scene. I used my foot to push the door open, and the tail of my shirt to turn the door handles. I saw a glass in the living room, and the television was on. We need to see the security feeds for here.”
Shit, I’d forgotten. As one of the company’s main operatives, I had the security system on my home, like those on all the owners', Ben’s, and Beau’s, monitored by our tech department at headquarters.
If there had been a break-in that triggered the alarm and it hadn’t been promptly deactivated, it would’ve alerted not only the police but also Patriot’s headquarters. It was a redundancy measure.
I half heard Undertaker talking to someone I assumed was the techs.
Or maybe it was one of the other owners.
The sound of a vehicle coming to a stop had me turning my head.
It was a dark Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, which was a commercial cargo van.
It provided utility for the equipment that needed to be transported at times.
Behind it came a black nondescript sedan.
Three security personnel stepped out of the sedan.
From the van came two others. They were dressed in black, and while they did not brandish weapons, they were what they appeared to be: security, ready to protect.
When they reached the porch, they gave me and then Undertaker searching glances. “Sirs?” the lead guy asked.
“It appears that Ms. Seong isn’t here. No signs of a scuffle inside, but we found this.” He pointed to the marks and her shoe. “We need to double-check the garage for her car, but we’re assuming it’s an abduction, and the culprits found a way to get her outside,” Undertaker updated them.
“We’ll search. Please remain outside,” the leader said.
I knew most of the employees by name, but at the moment, my brain wasn’t registering much. I jerked when a hand came down on my shoulder. It was Undertaker.
“Let’s go sit in your truck. Standing here will only make you crazier. Jackson will check the garage for her car. I need you to keep in mind what Makayla heard. If this is Zhāng’s doing, which we can assume it is, he doesn’t want her dead. She’s alive.”
“Yeah, but in what condition will she be in when he’s done with her? And the baby?” I croaked.