“Hiding in the bushes on the north side of the factory, near where reception used to be.”
Dear God. The last thing he needed was for another civilian to get dragged into this and hurt. He signaled to his officers to get ready to roll. “We’re on our way. Do not go inside. Do not engage. No heroics. You stay hidden and don’t make a sound. Understand?”
“Yeah. I can’t tell for sure, but I think he’s in the main building, where distribution was located.”
“How do you know that?”
“I used to work here, too.”
Of course she had. “Which building is that?”
“The big one connected to the loading dock where Miranda’s Jeep is parked.”
“Okay, we’re coming. Don’t move. Don’t talk, but stay on the line with Cleveland. If anything changes, you try to let us know if it doesn’t endanger your position.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ethan handed the phone back to his dispatcher and turned to his waiting team. “We just got confirmation that Harley’s holed up at the Heirloom factory. Let’s go bring Miranda home.”
Chapter 25
Harley paced, one hand pulling at his hair as he made rounds of the warehouse. Miranda watched him, grateful he wasn’t paying attention to her for now. But he was getting more agitated by the minute. He’d said he wanted Ethan to pay, wanted to make him watch while he hurt her. It seemed he was beginning to realize that was easier said than done.
Oh, he could hurt her more than he already had. But there was too much open space here and no easy way to lay any kind of a trap. Certainly not for a seasoned ex-Marshal, who’d undoubtedly show with backup when he came. Which meant…what? Was Harley realizing that and having doubts? Maybe she could talk him down, convince him of the foolishness of his course of action.
“What are you going to do?” she rasped.
His head shot up and he glared. “I’m going to make him pay.”
“Yeah. You’ve said that. You want him to watch. But how are you gonna set that up here? Are you planning to leave me here, while you trap him somehow?” If he left, could she manage to get loose again? Given the state of her injuries, that seemed doubtful.
Harley tipped back the flask again. “Shut up, bitch.”
“In what reality do you think you’re going to get what you want and walk out of here alive?”
“I said shut up!” Harley punctuated the order with another open-handed strike to Miranda’s face.
She barely had the energy to cry out as another wave of pain swept through her. Slaps and punches seemed to be his preferred way to exact pain. She’d lost count of how many times he’d hit her, and she’d stopped begging. He liked it when she begged. Miranda didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, and she didn’t have the energy to waste. At least he hadn’t tried to rape her. Yet, anyway. At this point, she wasn’t sure her injuries would allow her to fight back. She should probably listen to him and keep her mouth shut. But that simply wasn’t her.
“He’s coming for you, Harley, and hell’s coming with him.” Miranda had no doubt of it.
He gaped. “Are you seriously quoting Tombstone at me right now?”
“Seemed appropriate. Look, there’s nowhere else for you to go. It’s just a matter of time before Ethan shows up with every available cop in the county. How are you gonna fight off all of them?” Surely the man could be made to see some kind of logic.
“They charge the place, I’ll kill you. That simple.”
Maybe it was that simple for him. Miranda swallowed, wishing she had some water. “But that’s not what you want. Then you don’t get the satisfaction of watching him suffer. Because as soon as I’m dead, so are you. There’s no way out.”
She was gambling with her life.
He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and stared at it. “What’s the pretty boy cop’s number?”
Miranda stared. “What?”
“What’s his fucking phone number?”
“I…don’t know. It’s just programmed into my phone, back at the house.”
Harley scowled.
“But…if you dial 911, it’ll get you to the police station, and they can patch you through.” If he wanted to talk to Ethan directly, she’d do anything she could to facilitate it. If they could confirm where she was, they’d send help. She didn’t see Harley as being open to hostage negotiation, but she’d take whatever she could get.
Harley narrowed his eyes, as if trying to decide whether she was full of shit or not. After long moments of silence, he punched the number into the phone.
Miranda could hear the faint voice of the operator. “Nine-one-one, what is the nature of your emergency?”
“I need to talk to Chief Ethan Greer. This is Harley Forbes.”
Closing her eyes, Miranda began to pray.
“There’s Delaney.” From the woods just outside the chain link fence, Ethan aimed a flashlight toward her and flicked it on and off three times.
An answering flash came back, presumably from her cell phone.
“What’s the plan?” Judd asked.
Ethan spoke into the radio. “Anybody have eyes on the inside?”
“Negative.”
“There are multiple entry points to the entire facility, but Delaney believes them to be in this main building, here. There are, best I can tell, three entries to it, not including where it’s attached to the next warehouse. There are seven of us. If we do a systematic, simultaneous breach, we might—”
The radio crackled. “Chief, I’ve got Forbes on the phone.”
The three men looked at each other. “You what now?”
“He’s called in to dispatch. He wants to talk to you.”
“Is it actually Forbes or some nut job trying to capitalize on the chaos?” Ethan asked.
“I’m pretty sure it’s actually Forbes,” Cleveland said.
Were they about to get ransom demands? “Patch him through.” There was a click. “This is Police Chief Ethan Greer.”
“You took something that belongs to me, Greer, so I’ve returned the favor.”
The cocky sneer in Harley’s voice made Ethan’s hackles rise, but he kept his voice level. “Where is she?”
“Oh, she’s alive. For now.”
Ethan ground his teeth. “What do you want, Forbes?”
“You. Come out to the old Heirloom Home Furnishings factory. Alone, or she dies.”
“How do I know she’s there with you?” How do I know she’s alive?
“Your boyfriend wants proof you’re here.”
“Ethan—” Miranda’s exhausted voice was interrupted by the crack of fist against flesh, followed by a pained whimper.
He wanted to reach through the phone and strangle Harley with his bare hands. “Don’t lay another hand on her. I’m coming.”
“Alone,” Harley ordered again, then disconnected.
She’s alive. Just focus on the fact that she’s alive.
“How you wanna play this?” Judd asked.