Chapter 68
When Sean returned to the lobby with Jason in zip ties, Sheriff Johnson and his deputies quickly converged on him.
Sean remained calm even though it was clear that neither Johnson nor the other deputies enjoyed having someone steal their thunder.
“Well, well, well,” Johnson said. “Looks like you decided to do some good police work after all, huh, Sheriff?” He laughed and then slapped Sean on the back with his heavy bear paw of a hand. “Too bad you couldn’t have done the same for the missing girl and the dead bride.”
The other deputies in the lobby snickered as they took the young man into their custody.
But as they walked away, Sean noticed something peculiar.
The lobby was empty, save for Roger, Chef Luke, and Marco Donovan, all of whom were sitting against the wall with their wrists cuffed behind their backs.
Sean had just come from the rooms, and there was no sign of anyone there. He thought of Jennie back in the room, packing, and wondered if she had finished. “Where is everyone?” Sean asked.
“Outside,” Johnson said. “They wanted some fresh air while we wrapped things up. Yup, I think we have everything we need.”
The front lobby doors were open, but Sean heard no one outside.
Johnson looked at Sean. “You know, you turned things on their head around here. The abduction, the drugs, the dead bodies. I don’t think my county has ever seen anything this exciting in a long time.” He laughed, keeping closer to Sean than he would have liked.
“Well, any luck on finding something I didn’t?” Sean asked.
“Oh, I think we did actually,” Johnson said. “Had a big breakthrough.”
Sean waited for more, but Johnson didn’t say anything else, so Sean only nodded. “Well, I better go check on my girlfriend. She’s probably ready to leave?—”
“Oh, don’t you worry about her; she’s outside with everyone else,” Johnson said. “And I’ve got the car running, so the heat’s on.” He pretended to shiver.
“Right,” Sean said, and he couldn’t help but notice how the other deputies had slowly gathered around him. He was growing uneasy and increasingly worried about Jennie. “Well, I better?—”
“That’s a nice piece,” Johnson said, pointing to the gun on Sean’s hip. “Is that your personal weapon or your issued firearm?”
Sean didn’t glance down at the weapon, keeping his eyes on Johnson, but also being mindful of the two deputies who had stepped closer. “Personal,” Sean said.
“Smart,” Johnson said. “Don’t want to mix business with pleasure.” He laughed again, exposing the sharp, white canines that made the smile look more sinister. “You mind if I take a look?”
Sean glanced behind him briefly at the pair of deputies who were now within arm’s length of him, on either side. Sean looked at Sheriff Johnson, studying him carefully and praying that he wasn’t right about what was going to happen. “I’d rather check on Jennie.”
“Oh, come on now, Sean,” Johnson said. “It won’t take but a minute. Go on and let me see the gun.” Johnson then dropped his playful tone. “Now.”
Sean figured the other two deputies were outside. The moment he made a move, more would rush inside. It had been a long time since Sean had to draw on someone like this, and while he had practiced it, there was a difference between the range and real life.
Johnson seemed to sense what Sean was thinking, so when Sean made a move for his gun, Johnson and the two deputies on either side of him did, too.
Outnumbered, Sean lost his weapon, and while he fought against the two deputies, it was Johnson who pulled out his gun and disarmed Sean.
“Let’s not make this more difficult than it needs to be,” Johnson said. “Not with your pretty girlfriend out there.”
The mention of Jennie’s name both stunned and angered Sean, but it also made him think twice. What he did next would decide Jennie’s fate. Sean stopped struggling, and he was handcuffed and then shoved to his knees.
“That’s better,” Johnson said, and then he examined Sean’s gun. “This is nice. Good caliber.”
Sean remained silent, unsure of what Johnson had planned, but he was slowly putting the pieces together after Roger spoke up.
“All right, Johnson, you had your fun; now let us out of these!” Roger shouted.
Johnson ignored the hotel owner and remained focused on Sean’s pistol. “It won’t take much but one shot to kill a man with his one. One and done. You strike me as that kind of sheriff, Sean. I appreciate the power.”
Johnson walked past Sean to where Roger, Chef Luke, and Marco Donovan sat on the floor. “You three really fucked up on this one.”
“Sheriff, we had a deal,” Marco said.
“Yeah, well, I think it’s time that I change my terms and conditions,” Johnson said.
Marco grimaced. “You know that’s not going to happen.”
“Says you,” Johnson said. “But I’ve got my own plan.”
Johnson then aimed Sean’s weapon at Marco, and Marco laughed.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Marco said. “You know what kind of hell will come down on you if you kill me?”
“We’ll see,” Johnson said, and then he squeezed the trigger and shot Marco in the head without any hesitation.
Roger screamed as Marco slumped to the side, leaning against Roger, who was quick to squirm away while Chef Luke sat with his mouth agape in horror. Then, Johnson aimed the gun at Chef Luke’s head, and before the man could protest, he was killed with a bullet to the head.
Roger cried, no doubt believing that he was next, but Sean was beginning to understand why Roger and Marco and Luke had been so confident they would walk out of this unscathed.
It wasn’t the Chicago mob that had their backs; it was Sheriff Johnson and his deputies.
And now, Sean feared that Jennie’s life was in danger should he not find a way out of this, because anyone here was now a liability to the sheriff.