Chapter 18
“I’VE GOTTA GO. Catarina got another note with a picture,” I relayed to Val, Matteo, Dan, and Brett. We had been working all morning, going through tapes, while Techie had been hacking away at Zan’s computer.
“What this time?” Val clenched his fist open and shut.
“Some picture of me and my ex and a note about us all dying and her, too, since she told. Need to get over to her now,” I responded.
“Wait a minute, boss,” Techie called. “Look at this.” He held up his hand, pointing to a picture of a guy with dark hair and blue eyes with his arm around an older woman on the screen.
“Who’s that?”
Techie pointed to the words on the screen: Jag’s brother Jake.
“Bullshit!” I roared. “I don’t have a fucking brother.”
Techie pulled up another document. Certificate of Birth. I read the words, not believing my eyes. Franco Jacob. My father’s name was in the father’s category, but his signature was nowhere on the document.
“It has to be fake.”
“Why the hell is it on Zan’s computer in a file marked family?” Val chided.
“He could have set all that shit up before he died.” I couldn’t believe anything on his computer was true.
“What if this is the guy?” Matteo asked.
“Son of a bitch!” I roared, balling my fists. “I have to get to Catarina. Techie, can you pull up her office and garage to see if she’s left yet? Val, call Scraper.”
“Sure thing.” Techie typed on the keyboard and pointed to two screens on the right.
“No answer,” Val said, putting his phone in his pocket.
“Shit.” I turned to the screens. Ghost’s back was to the camera as he placed something into the trunk of the car. He looked around the car, quickly getting in, but there was no Scraper. “Is she there?”
He backed the tape up and the sight before me shattered my resolve. “Fuck! Wait.” Ghost pulled Catarina’s body from the car, her hands and feet tied together. He opened the door to an identical black car, tossing her inside like a rag doll. Then he pulled a rag and liquid out of his pocket, placing it over her face. Her body fought, but then went limp. “Follow that fucking car. I don’t care what you have to do, but do not lose that car.”
“Move!” I yelled at the guys who all piled into different vehicles. “Dan, on the phone with Techie. Do. Not. Disconnect.”
“On it.” He dialed some numbers, and I did so myself.
“Sal, I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but Ghost has Catarina.”
“All right, what’s the problem?”
Frustration grew; he didn’t get it.
“He’s batting for the other team. He just fucking kidnapped and drugged her. We’re on the chase right now.”
“Fucking shit! Don’t lose her, Jag!” Sal screamed. “We’ll call for location.” He clicked the phone, no doubt calling in reinforcements.
The car jerked this way and that as Dan listened to Techie’s directions over the speaker in the car.
“Can you see in the car?” I asked, hoping for something to tell me she was all right.
“No.”
Fuck. Anger and frustration rode me hard.
I grabbed my gun, needing something to hold. When the car stopped, I would fucking kill him.
“You’re almost to them. They’re on Allison right now. Get there.”
Dan veered the car off in that direction. Up ahead, we saw the shiny black car.
“There it fucking is! Do not lose it!” I banged my fist on the seat, gun in hand, ready to blow the fucker to pieces.
“Turn left on Moffet,” Techie’s voice barked from the speaker. The car veered left. “Now right on Stenger.” Even though we could see the car, I still wanted Techie’s eyes. He could see more than we could through the security cameras along the roads. Thank you city of Rapid City, Rhode Island for providing them.
“He’s going into a high traffic area. Watch yourself. Cars are everywhere.” Techie’s voice reverberated with excitement while I sat with impatience.
The car jerked left and right, surprisingly not catching the eye of a cop.
“Left on Baker.” The car jolted.
Cars were everywhere, and they were not giving a shit where they were. Looking ahead, the black car was four cars ahead of us and gaining distance.
“Get around these slow motherfuckers!” I barked to Dan.
“I’m fucking trying.” He blared the horn. “Stupid son of a bitch!” My eyes never left the black car, but it was getting farther away.
“Techie, what the fuck?”
“Still on the same path. Expect to turn soon.”
Suddenly, horns began blaring and a loud crash hit the side of the car, propelling me against the window. The impact jostled the shit out of me.
“Boys!” I barked.
“Fine, boss,” they both answered.
“Techie?”
“Shit, you guys all right?”
I groaned, my neck feeling the pain of the blow. Smells started floating into the car.
“Fine. Where the fuck is the car?”
“Val’s on it.”
“You do not lose that car, Techie.”
The phone went dead as smoke and gases began hissing and leaking from the car, smelling of gas. Shit.
“Get out now!”
I only had one way out. I scrambled, pulling the door handle, but nothing happened. Both Dan and Brett were climbing out of Brett’s door while I starting kicking the door with all my force, freeing it and flinging it open. Dan and Brett were there, grabbing my body and pulling me away from the car just as it combusted in flames.