39
Alex was struggling. Pain ripped through her body, and she could hardly breathe. Had a broken rib collapsed her lung?
Bayne lifted another bag from the floor, then put on a blond wig and glasses before pasting a beard onto his clean-shaven face. He looked so different from his first disguise. No one would guess who he was unless they knew him well and got a close look at him.
He walked over to Alex. “I believe you have a pierced lung, so this will be painful for you.” He swung his gaze toward Kaely. “Alexandra won’t need the desk chair to stand on for very long. Yes, my desired plan may delay your deaths for a while, but help still won’t come in time.”
He took a deep breath. “Well, I need to be on my way.” He peered into Alex’s eyes, then smiled. “This will be interesting. Will you die to save your colleague’s life?” Then he stared at Kaely. “Or will you sacrifice yourself to save hers?”
He laughed as if he found their situation highly amusing. Then he lifted his gun from the box next to the laptop and walked over to Kaely. “Stand up.”
Kaely hesitated for a moment, and he slapped her with his free hand. “Stand up, or I’ll shoot you in a spot that won’t kill you, but you’ll certainly suffer. You’ll also lose all hope of survival. It’s up to you.”
Kaely slowly stood to her feet, her eyes locked on Alex’s. Alex was certain they were both trying to figure a way out of this. She needed to break the zip ties around her wrists, but she couldn’t do it while Bayne was still here.
“Now onto your chair,” Bayne said, his nasally voice sharp and irritating.
“I can’t,” Kaely said. “Not unless you untie my feet.”
He sighed dramatically. “I see the problem. Yes, I can do that.” Then he glared at her. “I’m not stupid. I thought we’d already established that.” He put his arms around her and lifted her up until she was standing on her chair. “Good. Now you.” He turned to Alex.
Alex’s brain clicked through every scenario she could think of to stop Bayne’s plan. She decided she’d find a way to kick him with all her might when he tried to help her onto her chair. But for that to work, he’d have to fall hard enough to either knock him out for a while . . . or kill him. She couldn’t help but wonder why Kaely hadn’t tried it.
But when Bayne put his arms around her, the pain almost brought her to the point of unconsciousness. There was no way she could carry out her plan. By the time he stepped away from her, her entire body was racked with pain. She couldn’t defend herself against him.
Bayne walked to a concrete support beam next to Kaely and began cranking a handle hooked up to the other end of the rope around her neck. Little by little, the rope tightened. Kaely looked over at her and smiled. Alex knew she wasn’t going to give Bayne the satisfaction of seeing her fear. But as the rope continued to tighten, Kaely’s smile slipped. He finally kicked her chair away. She was hanging in the air without any support under her. Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t cry out. Bayne looked disappointed. Then he rolled over the solid-wood desk chair and put it under her. Her feet couldn’t quite reach it, so he loosened the rope around her neck. When she was able to stand on the chair, she took a deep, raspy breath and coughed several times.
Bayne moved to Alex. “Your turn, my dear. I’m sure you’ll react a little more than your friend did.”
She didn’t say anything as he went over to the support beam, where there was another hand crank. He began to turn the wheel. Alex tried to stand on her toes as she was raised higher and higher. When she was no longer in contact with her chair, the rope choked her. She tried desperately to get air, but she couldn’t draw any in. If they weren’t found within the next few minutes, she would die.
Bayne took the chair away from Kaely, then rolled it over to Alex. As soon as she stepped on it, she was able to suck in a little air. Not enough to sustain her, but at least it was something. She looked over at Kaely, who was trying to be brave but was slowly dying.
Bayne went over to the box that supported the laptop. He picked up a cap lying next to it and put it on. Then he reached over to a hook on the wall and grabbed a thick parka, which he slipped on. He went to the laptop, then turned it on and pointed it at them before clicking the keys several times. “We’re recording,” he said with a smile.
He was careful to stay away from the front of the laptop. He obviously didn’t want to be seen. He had his new identity and was ready to leave.
“Good-bye, ladies. Sorry I can’t stay. I have no idea how your FBI friends will find you, but they will eventually. Of course, Agent Donovan will be dead by then. It’s highly unlikely they’ll get here before you die too, Agent Quinn. But if they do discover you in time, their rescue attempt will be their final act of bravery.”
He pointed to the only regular door in the building. The other doors were huge garage doors that opened electronically. They were heavy and would be almost impossible to get open manually. Alex’s heart sank. Whoever found them would choose the regular door and be killed by the explosives Bayne had placed there. If by some miracle she and Kaely were still alive, the blast would kill them too.
“I need to get going,” Bayne said. “Thank you for providing me with such wonderful entertainment. And of course, when I hear a huge explosion rocking this side of town, that will be the cherry on top of the delicious sundae I so carefully created.” He paused for a moment and then smiled. “And by the way . . . I win. If one of you should survive the explosion, which I seriously doubt, be sure to tell your colleagues that I outsmarted all of them. This proves no one is or was as good as I am. Not even the great John Davis.”
He took off his cap and tipped it to them. Then he walked to one of the large garage doors, picked up a remote, and opened it just enough to roll under it. Alex watched the door close behind him with a thump.
She and Kaely were alone.
Logan was struggling to keep his speed down. Other vehicles had slid off the road, and he couldn’t risk being one of them. He’d given his phone to Monty, who’d texted their location to Chief Barfield. They couldn’t do anything for him right now, but they had to keep going. At least no vehicles had been in front of them for a while.
His phone buzzed. “It’s a text back from Chief Barfield,” Monty said. “The first warehouse is clear. They’re moving to the next one.”
Logan nodded. The chief had sent him the addresses of all three possible warehouses. He’d written them down. He took the list out of his pocket and gave it to Monty.
“Mark that one off, okay? Where are they going next?”
“He didn’t say, but my guess is they’ll move to the building closest to the one they just left.” He read off that address.
“Okay. Then we’ll keep going to the last one. We’re almost there.”
Logan looked behind him. Although he couldn’t see much through the snow, he didn’t notice any headlights. Where was HRT? They should be right behind them. Why did it have to snow today? For crying out loud, it was March. Where was spring?
He slowed down so he wouldn’t miss his turnoff. His GPS showed it was just ahead. He couldn’t see a sign, but he trusted what he saw on the screen and turned. Sure enough, he was soon driving slowly through Woodbridge, and thankfully, the industrial area was on this side of town. With Monty directing him, it didn’t take long to find the empty warehouses.
He pulled over, trying not to get too close to the final building. “How are we supposed to see anything in this storm?” he asked.
“Well, it’s kind of a blessing, isn’t it?” Monty asked. “Because he can’t see us either.”
Logan looked over at him. “You’re right. Sorry. I’m just—” He started to say frustrated, but he decided to be honest. “Frightened.”
“I am too,” Noah said.
“We all are,” Bethany said. “That doesn’t mean we’re not skilled agents. It just means we’re also human. And that’s okay.”
Logan was moved by what she’d said, but he forced himself to concentrate on what they needed to do next. “I’m going to back up and park around the corner. That should keep the car hidden. Noah, why don’t you and I scout things out? The rest of you just stay in the car. If we need you, I’ll send Monty a text. If it says nine-one-one, it means I want you to join us. If I text the letter H, it means get out of here. Get backup. The police are on the row of buildings behind us.”
“Leave without you?” Bethany said. “We can’t do that.”
“You can and you will. I’m in charge. You’ll do what I tell you to do.”
No one said anything. Logan knew their instinct was to come to his and Noah’s aid if they needed help, but he didn’t want them walking into a trap. He took his phone from Monty and quickly texted Chief Barfield to let him know they were here.
“Let’s go. I want to get this guy. And I want him to pay.”
Logan should have told him to check his attitude and concentrate on securing their agents, but he couldn’t. He felt exactly the same way.