The next morning, Rachel was once again escorted to work. This time, Tom was right beside her the entire walk. And this time, armed with the knowledge that she was being watched, Rachel kept her eyes open wide as she looked for her stalker.
They passed the food trucks, and the smell of Indian food poured out onto the streets along with steam and exhaust fumes. She peered up at the high rises and tinted windows, wondering if he watched her from one of those. Her eyes swept the large sidewalks, the entrances and exits of buildings, the faces of the homeless who sat propped against brick walls. Somewhere in this sea of faces she knew he was hiding.
.
She took a final glance as she stepped up to the door of her building. Tom paused beside her and did his own look around. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open. She was done being afraid. When she and Riley shared their love for one another, she realized something. She was strong, and she wasn’t going to let some creep terrify her.
Across town, Riley sat in his own office and looked out at the city below. He knew that out e in the streets, in one of these buildings or amongst the subway riders, their stalker roamed. He knew that given some time, Titan would have this man tracked; he had seen it done more than once and fully trusted the man to do his job. But he felt compelled to be out there now, looking for this elusive man who so desperately wanted them dead. He had to protect Rachel and keep her from harm's way. While he knew his security would try their best, Melissa had gotten the best of them, and that made him nervous about this more aggressive intruder.
His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. He was done with this, done with these people throwing his life into shambles for their own greed. Once this was figured out, he was taking Rachel away for a while. The two of them could escape the city and relax away from the stress of it all, go somewhere where no one knew their names.
His phone buzzed, and he saw Titan’s name flash across the screen. With a leap of his heart, he picked up the call.
“Titan, tell me what you’ve got.”
…
Titan had gotten to work as soon as he got back to his home office. With his resources, he had access to every security camera in the city. He had taken the description that Rachel had given him and been able to go all the way back to their night at the bar, when Rachel first saw him. It didn’t take too much digging through those records to see him, get the face identification, and let the technology make a match while he pulled up the cameras outside her building, her work, and Riley’s office.
Sure as shit, there he was, the creep in all his glory. He appeared outside the doors daily, the same time they were coming and going, always with his camera. He lingered in the distance at restaurant entrances and along sidewalks, that gaunt face and stringy hair like a ghost that haunted them.
Titan dug deeper, using the cameras to follow the man's daily route, which was spent tracking the two of them and nothing else. At night he had slept down the street from Rachel’s apartment, that thought making Titan’s fist clench in anger. The older man had seen these cases go further. He had been at the scene of mangled corpses, and he knew he wasn’t going to let that happen to Rachel and Riley.
His email dinged, and he opened the attachment. Titan sat at his computer with the eyes of Mickey Rooskey staring back at him, the records and files opened in windows on his screen. He began to read, not surprised that this man had done this previously, or that he had been charged with assault.
“Now where’s the connection?” Titan grumbled to himself, as he took a bite of cold pizza he had pulled from the fridge.
He continued to dig, learning that Mickey had lost his business last year and that he had moved out of his high rise apartment and back in with his mom. He found his social media account, and lo and behold, he saw the connection.
Titan grinned. “Bingo.”
There on his Facebook, posted over a year ago, was a picture of him with Melissa. He looked like a different person—his hair was shaggy but styled, his face was beaming with excitement and health, and his eyes were shining instead of dull. His frame was fit, and Melissa was posed next to him, as though the two of them were appearing straight out of a modeling magazine. But something had snapped, within both of them, Titan surmised.
He went through the timeline and around eight months ago, everything stopped, on both of their pages. Titan knew that matched up with when Riley started seeing her for a bit, and Mickey must have lost it. Only a month later his shop went belly up, and Titan had a feeling that it wasn’t just a sandwich shop, but the cover for something more. All of that, combined with Melissa leaving him for another man must have broken him. And when she couldn’t have Riley, it made her snap. Now that she was hurt because of Riley, Mickey must have been set on revenge.
“Shit.” Titan sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
He looked over everything once more. It was a vague picture, but at least it was something to go on. He needed to send security over to the building where Mickey had been staying at night, an abandoned parking garage over in Shaw that was under construction during the day. First though, he needed to call Riley and fill him in on what was going on.
He picked up his phone and hit call; it rang twice and then Riley picked up.
“Titan, tell me what you’ve got.”
“Our guy is Mickey Rooskey. He’s twenty-nine and a DC native. A couple of assault charges from bar fights, I believe some money laundering, and oh yeah, he’s Melissa ex-boyfriend.” Titan leaned back as he stared at the face again.
“Shit.”
“Yeah, my gut tells me he’s after you two for revenge, since in his eyes, it’s your fault that both her legs are broke. Dude appears to have had a breakdown a few months back when Melissa dumped him, and he lost everything when his business ended.”
“Do we have a location?”
Titan sighed. “Well, we have two. One we can check right away, it’s an abandoned parking garage in Shaw where I believe he’s been sleeping some nights.”
Riley paused, “Where in Shaw?”
“Right down the road from Rachel. Yeah, this creep has been keeping a close eye on her.”
Riley let out a growl. “And the second?”
“Unfortunately, that is his mom’s house, and for that we’ll need a warrant. Give me a few hours and maybe I can get us one, but I just sent you the address to the garage for your guys to go check out. If he’s there, tell them to leave it. I’ll handle the rest. We just want eyes on there now, got it?”
“Yes, that won’t be a problem.”
“Also, call that lawyer of yours.We need a solid case against this guy sooner rather than later. We need an official lawsuit drawn up tonight, so we can arrest this guy as soon as possible.”
“I understand, call me when you have the warrant?” Riley asked.
“You got it, boss. Talk in a bit.”
With that, Titan hung up and got to his feet. He grabbed his wallet and headed to the door, looking to the clock as late afternoon approached. He had a warrant to get and a house to search.
…
Rachel sat at her desk trying to focus when her phone vibrated, the sound and sudden movement startling her from her screen. She reached over and picked it up, saw Riley’s face, and slid the screen, bringing the phone to her ear.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked as she minimized her email and glanced at Tom on the other side of the door.
“We know who he is. Titan just called.”
Rachel felt her stomach tighten and her heart jump. She had wanted to know, yet now the anticipation made her nervous.
“Who is he?” she asked with a frown as she stood up and began pacing the room.
“It’s Melissa’s ex, his name is Mickey Rooskey. Titan has a theory that he is after us to avenge Melissa.”
Rachel’s brows went up, and she put her other hand up in a shrugging gesture.
“Yeah, that would make a lot of sense. He would assume we’re responsible for her injuries. What’s the next move?”
“I’m sending the guys to check a place where he may have been staying. The other spot we’ll need a warrant for; it’s his mom’s house.” Riley could be heard typing something as he spoke.
“His mom’s place?” Rachel asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“Yeah, he had a good business up until around the time Melissa left him. Then he lost everything. Could be more to it, but long story short, this guy had a breakdown and is now taking it out on us.” Riley sighed.
“Do we think he’s capable of hurting us? Does he have a history of assault?” Rachel asked, as she leaned against the window and let her eyes search the streets below.
“Titan said a couple bar fights, but we can’t be too cautious. After all, who would have thought Melissa would try and run us down?” he replied.
“Oh, I’m going to be as cautious as they come. I just didn’t know if we had someone with a real dark history on our trail.”
Riley paused, “He might be darker than his records show.”
She felt her heart stop. “What does that mean?”
Riley fidgeted in his seat. “I did some digging of my own. Titan went by the official records, but I know a couple moles of the underground. This guy and his brother were laundering money for a black market drug business. Some think they’re even involved in a few murders. I’m not trying to scare you, nothing concrete, but I think this guy is the real deal.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Ok, I get it. I won't let Tom leave my side.”
“Ok, I’ll talk to you in a bit, beautiful. I love you.”
Rachel smiled. “Love you too, handsome.”
She hung up and ran a nervous hand through her hair. This was all a lot to take in, but she already felt better than when she had received the photos last night. She needed a bit of fresh air though; she felt hot and the room suddenly seemed stuffy. She walked over to the door. Tom was standing outside it, with his back to her, but he turned around and gave her a nod.
“Riley sent a message updating everyone. How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m okay. I need to go out for a bit of fresh air though. Join me?”
He gave a nod and they headed down the hallway toward the elevator. They stepped in and were the only two that headed to the rooftop. The doors opened with a ding and they stepped out. The hall turned and led to a patio where the employees could take a break. Tom glanced at the restroom and gestured toward it.
“I’m going to use the restroom real quick. Wait here for me?”
Rachel pointed to the seat right on the other side of the glass. “I’ll be waiting right there for you.”
Tom looked, gave a nod, then turned and pushed the door open. He strode to the urinal, unzipped and began to relieve his bladder. He heard the door open behind him and glanced back to see a janitor with a cleaning cart and garbage bin push the door open and then close it behind him. Tom zipped his pants and walked over to the sink. While washing his hands, he glanced at the janitor, but his head was ducked as he added detergent to his mop bucket.
Tom went to pass the man and walk back toward the door, but right at that moment, the janitor looked up and was on Tom with a towel over his mouth. Tom didn't even have the chance to respond as his eyes fluttered and rolled back and he slipped into unconsciousness.
…
Rachel sat in the late spring sun, soaking in the rays as the strong breeze whipped her hair around and she squinted to see past the afternoon glare. The beams felt good, and she realized that she could use a beachside vacation right about then. She imagined her and Riley taking off after this, knowing he had thought about it too. It would certainly be amazing to just relax on a beach somewhere.
She remained sitting there until the seconds turned into minutes, then looked over her shoulder to see if Tom was coming. He had been in there for quite some time. She felt her gut give a kick of nervousness but tried to brush it away. She gave him a few more minutes, and still the bathroom door remained closed. It wasn’t long before her glances became more frantic and unsure.
She was worried. It had been ten minutes, and there had been no sign of Tom. She stood and headed toward the door. With anxiety gnawing at her, she opened it and looked frantically throughout the hallway, but no one was there. She stepped in and closed the door behind her, listening to see if there were any footsteps or echo of voices, but still there was nothing.
She felt the all too familiar worry now—the pounding in her chest, the swishing of her blood in her veins, and the prickling sensation of her palms beginning to sweat. Her lungs burned as she held her breath and waited for something—anything—to happen. She took a step forward, and then another, each making her more confident and yet somehow more trepidatious. She looked at the bathroom door; it seemed to loom over her staring at her. She swallowed hard and pushed it open.
The scent of cleaners and piss hit her, but the bathroom looked empty. She took another step forward, leaned in, but still saw nothing.
“Tom?” She called out, but only her echo responded.
Rachel stepped in and the door closed behind her with a creak and a slam. She jumped and looked around, but no one was there. She went to take a step forward, but screamed as the handicapped stall door swung open and the metal slammed the brick wall.
The janitor rolled out with a chuckle, his head down, his face not visible.
“Didn’t mean to startle you Miss, but you’re not supposed to be here.”
Rachel let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, I was just looking for my—”
Rachel stopped midsentence. Her eyes went down to the bin he was pushing, and a balding head shone in the light, the U of thinning red hair immediately recognized as Tom, his body slouched in the huge container. Rachel screamed and the man looked up, giving her a crooked grin. His grey eyes glimmered, and black scraggly hair poked out from where it was tucked beneath his hat.
“Rachel! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” he exclaimed as he pushed the cart to block the door.
She stared at him with wide eyes, like a deer caught in the headlights. She knew she just needed to run, to get out of his grasp and down to the safety below. But his eyes were trained on her, the bin in her way, and the door was the only way out.
Or was it?
Rachel swiveled around and ran into a stall. Maybe if she could distract him or wait until someone walked into this bathroom, she could buy herself some time. The metal frame shook as she slammed it behind her and locked the latch. Standing on the toilet so he couldn’t grab her feet, she scrambled to remove her heels to use as possible weapons.
His laugh echoed through the restroom, as he hit the stalls with the broom handle and tapped on her door.
“Rachel, do you really think you can get away from me in there? Hiding away like a little bunny in a hole.”
Rachel heard him stop, and then there was a pause. She yelped as he reached up from under the door with claw like hands and a sneer of rage on his face.
“Come on darling! Time to come with Mickey to the clubhouse!” he yelled and cackled as he began to crawl under the door. She screamed for help as she bent down and beat him with her heel. He tried to shield his head but she had the upper hand of not being on the ground.
With a grunt of frustration, he pushed himself back out and went into the stall next to hers. He stood on the toilet seat and grabbed at her hair. She ducked and smacked his hand with a heel, and he recoiled in pain. His grin curled even further.
“Lucky for you, I’ve got a magic potion.” He returned to his bin, and Rachel watched through the crack as he pulled out a few wash clothes. He returned to the stall and stood up again, his bulging eyes appearing over her. She screamed again as he reached for her.
“Just hold still! It won’t hurt, for now!” He laughed again as she tried to swat him away.
This time, with considerable speed, he reached in and grabbed her by the hair. Out of instinct, she dropped the heels, and her hands went to his wrist to try and pry him off of her. His other hand reached over with a cloth, and Rachel got a whiff of a strong chemical.
“No! No! No!” She screamed and thrashed, trying to step down, but he pulled her back up by the hair.
He closed the cloth on her face, and Rachel felt the chloroform hit her body. The sudden darkness swallowed her, and she slipped away from consciousness.
Mickey smiled at his work. He gently lowered her down onto the toilet seat, then rushed down below the stall and crawled in next to her.
“Oh, Rachel, I can’t wait for you to come back to the clubhouse with me. We’re going to have so much fun with all my new toys!” He clapped excitedly as he brushed a hair away from her sleeping face.
Mickey hummed as he unlocked the door and hoisted Rachel’s unconscious body into the bin next to Tom’s. He carefully arranged them and placed a few things over their heads so anyone he passed couldn’t see them. He giggled at his work and began to whistle as he pushed the bin out and headed toward the elevator.
The doors opened and he pushed the cart inside. He hit the button for the Garage, and the thing lurched to life as it headed down the floors. A few people stepped on, chatting or listening to music, and Mickey just smiled as they continued on their way, the other occupants blissfully oblivious to the unconscious bodies in his bin.
The machine stopped at the last floor and the door slid open. He pushed the cart out, and the wheels thudded to the concrete. Their rolling echoed against the vast concrete walls, his steps loud and his whistling tune seeming to carry on forever in the man-made caverns. Cars lined parking spot after parking spot, but his big, dark green van was ahead.
He approached the back of the vehicle, took out his keys, and unlocked the doors. He took a cautious look around, his grey eyes gleaming menacingly in the lights above. But in the midafternoon, not a soul was wandering the lot. He opened the doors, pushed the cart up to it, and the bin slid off the cart with a heave into the back of the van. He took one more glance and shut the doors. The slam reverberated back to him from the walls.
He smiled again and picked up his tune, walking his cart over next to the elevator entrance and leaving it there before returning to his van. He got in the driver's seat and revved the engine, then he adjusted his rearview mirror and looked at the bin in the back.
With a smile, he shouted, “To the clubhouse!”
…
Riley paced anxiously in his office. Tom was supposed to call him twenty minutes ago with an update, and Rachel wasn’t answering her phone. He had called Titan immediately, and the man was on his way to meet him at his office with a warrant.
“Fuck!” Riley screamed at the top of his lungs. His giant fist landed on the desk and the surface groaned under his force.
How could he have let something happen to Rachel? How could he have let her out of his sight? Why hadn’t they just stayed home today? Or gone out of the city until this was all cleared up? But no, his business, his desire for more, overruled everything else. He should have set that all aside for her, kept her safe, and not let her out of his sight until this loon was caught.
Running shaky hands through his hair, he heard the ding of the elevator outside and looked to see Titan making his way down the hall. He rushed to the door and opened it for the older gentleman. He was supposed to be in contact with the team as well.
“Anything?” he asked.
Titan shook his head. “No, the team at Rachel’s building said the last message they got from Tom was about forty-five minutes ago, said he and Rachel were heading to the roof for some fresh air. He said he would send another update in twenty, but it never came through. Those guys are already in the building searching. We gotta get over there.”
Riley nodded and grabbed his keys. They hurried out and made their way to the garage. While he usually had a driver, he needed to be in control for this, needed to speed over there and find Rachel as quickly as possible. He got in the driver's seat, fired up the engine, and peeled out of the spot. Traffic was beginning to build, but he blew through every red light, swerved around jams, and at one point jolted up on the sidewalk to get around a pileup.
Titan held onto the handle of the door with a white-knuckled grip and looked over to Riley, “You know, I’d like to survive this trip, personally.”
Coming to Rachel’s building, he put the car in park, rushed inside, and was greeted by one of his security personnel.
“Give me an update, now,” he growled.
“We’re scanning the last hour on the cameras now. We think we’ve got a sight on him. Looks like he sneaked in as a janitor.”
“Son of a bitch,” Riley whispered under his breath.
Titan stepped up beside the man. “Take us to the security room.”
The man strode quickly through the lobby to a door behind it, leading them down a long hall to a room where the few employed security guards observed multiple screens. The employees watched as Riley, Titan, and their team scurried around the small dark room, the screens of the building lighting up the place. The man lead them to one screen in particular, which showed a janitor stepping in an elevator and hitting the button for the roof at about the same time Rachel and Tom headed there.
“Play the other.”
The man nodded and fast forwarded a bit. When the janitor stepped back in, this time his bin appeared to be full of trash, and this time he gave a glance to the camera allowing Riley to see his face.
Titan tapped the screen. “That’s our guy, and I don’t think that’s garbage.”
Riley felt his throat close and his stomach turn. His blood began to boil, and he felt the heat crawl up his spine.
“Can somebody please tell me HOW this man was able to do this?” his voice boomed in the tiny room, and everyone fell silent.
His eyes scanned each face; they shifted nervously and no one answered him.
“Now, I want you all to understand one thing—we need to find Rachel and Tom as quickly as possible. If any of you miss anything from now on out, I will make sure you never work in security again. Is that understood?!” He looked around and the men nodded in understanding.
He looked at Titan, “Did anyone check the garage yet?”
Titan shook his head. “Yeah, we got nothing there. Do we have a camera in the garage?”
“Yes sir.”
“Pull it up.”
They watched as Mickey pushed his container out into the quiet underground and, in the distance, loaded his bin into a van. They brought up a second camera and watched as the van exited and swung a right.
“Rewind it and pause as the van is about to exit.” Titan leaned in and watched.
The van image stilled, and he read the license number; he glanced at the number and hit the desk.
“That’s our winning lottery ticket, a match to his mom’s vehicle. Let’s move out, boys.”
In a flurry of motion and excitement, they all headed out the door, Titan and Riley behind them. Titan turned to the younger man and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Hold on Riley, we need a plan before we go in, guns blazing.”
Riley looked at the man. “Yeah, I go in and blow this guy’s kneecaps off, that’s the plan.”
“Well, yes, that’s very tempting, but we don’t want anyone to get hurt. You’ve taken the shooting classes, right?”
He nodded. “Certified, and trust me, I’ve got a superb aim.’