Saving Serena (Hawk Security #1)

Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

Duke

Thursday morning, I walked Serena into work. “One more time.”

She sighed. “Stay in the car, and if I feel threatened, say so because you can hear me. You and Lucas will be behind us and come to the rescue. If something happens in the building, do what they say like a good little girl. Or, fall down like a helpless little girl because you may not be able to hear me.”

“That’s right.” I hadn’t included the good-little-girl part, but she’d gotten the gist of the instructions. “The mic in your bra is only good for fifty or a hundred yards. We can hear the one in the car for miles.”

I waved goodbye, and a minute later, she was through security. “Safely inside,” I said on comms.

“Copy that,” Lucas confirmed.

“Trackers active,” Jordy added.

I walked back and slid into the company Porsche Cayenne I was driving for this tail job. It didn’t have the visibility of the Suburban, but that meant it blended in better. With its twin- turbo V8, it also had more speed, if that was called for. As I buckled up, Lucas gave me a wave from his Cayenne. With different colored vehicles, we’d switch up the forward and tail positions. Now, it was time to wait.

At nine o’clock, Serena and her friend Katelyn exited the building.

Serena went to the driver’s side like I’d told her to, and after some discussion, the other woman went around to the passenger side.

I waited for them to pull out of the parking space and checked my phone for the tracker Jordy had supplied. It worked perfectly. One of the four icons on my screen moved with their little white car.

“Moving out,” I said as I followed them.

“Taking back position,” Lucas confirmed.

Jordy had to put trackers on each of the four EPA cars in the reserved section. Serena had told me they were taking Katelyn’s car, but we didn’t know which one that was.

If Serena had been alone, I could have followed directly behind and not risked losing her, but with her coworker along, we’d have to stay back. That was easy on the freeway, but tricky in town.

Lucas had felt it was good to learn Leo Gambino had been the first of a series of three victims. I wasn’t so sure since we still had no inkling of the motive.

After three lights, I relaxed. The traffic signals were timed well enough that I wouldn’t lose them. Then, a brown UPS truck pulled out in front of me and inched along before stopping again.

“Shit.” I pounded the wheel as I waited for the smallest gap in the neighboring lane to get around this fucker. When I got free, the light ahead had turned red. On my phone, Serena’s icon continued moving.

I pressed comms. “I missed the light. They’re getting ahead of me.”

“No issues,” Jordy said. “I have them still on track.”

“Shifting one block east to make up time,” Lucas announced.

Serena

Katelyn had gotten on the phone with one of her contractors the moment we started off. At least her distraction allowed me to watch for Duke’s car. I only caught sight of him once.

After minutes of arguing with the guy, she hung up. “I don’t feel so great.” She held her stomach.

“What’s wrong?”

“I had leftovers for breakfast, and they’re not agreeing with me.” She groaned and reclined the seat back, then put it upright again. “Stop there. The next block.” She pointed ahead at the gas station with an attached Minimart. “I gotta use the bathroom, or we’re going to have a big problem.” She groaned again.

When we reached it, I pulled in and parked.

She quickly opened her door. “Can you buy me a Seven-up and some Saltines?” she asked as she scooted inside.

I turned off the engine and stayed in the car, watching for Duke to drive up. Then I made the decision that helping my friend was more important than following each of his highness’s commands and waiting in the car.

“I’m going inside,” I said clearly. “My friend needs my help. I’ll be right back out.”

I locked the car. It was a sketchy neighborhood, so I slung my purse diagonally over my chest and went inside. A girl in all black with a nose ring and a half dozen eyebrow piercings was behind the counter, jabbering on her phone.

I found the crackers near the front. The refrigerators with the soft drinks were at the back. Opening the glass door, I chose a plastic bottle with a screw top instead of a can.

Then I saw him, and my heart stopped. It was the monster who’d tried to take me off the street on Tuesday. Ducking down, I didn’t think he’d seen me. But he was between me and the entrance. How did this shit keep happening to me?

Noticing an emergency exit sign high on the side wall, I let myself hope I could make it to the car. I had to get back there and to the microphone inside. I can do this.

Silently, I set the crackers and drink down before slinking toward that wall in a crouch.

I made it to the far aisle and shuffled down to the door. It had an alarm sign on it. That meant I’d have to sprint to the car. What if he knew Katelyn was also EPA? I didn’t dare lift my head to look for him. Instead, I backtracked toward the hall with the restroom sign. I rounded the corner to the back aisle.

“There you are.” His voice was as ominous as it had been before.

I turned to run, but he grabbed my ponytail and yanked. Ow, ow, ow . Painful didn’t begin to describe it. Then, a beefy arm wrapped around me from behind.

Before I could scream, the guy clamped a rag over my mouth.

I struggled and clawed at the hands holding me, but he was way too strong. All I could get out was a muffled moan.

The rag smelled sickly sweet.

My legs felt sluggish as I stomped down, trying for his foot. I got him on the second try.

“Bitch,” he swore as his hands loosened enough for me to get free.

I ran for the exit. My legs were like jelly. Making it around the corner, I rushed to the door. A push on the bar, and I’d be outside with the alarm blaring. I reached for it…

The monster grabbed the back of my shirt and jerked me toward him. The rag came up to my mouth again. My arms felt heavy and my fingers weak as I tried to pull his hand away.

Then…everything went black.

Duke

The powerful twin-turbo engine screamed as I downshifted and raced into the oncoming lane to pass the road boulder in my way. Whipping the wheel right again, I narrowly missed the oncoming car and got back in my lane.

Argh. My stubborn woman had refused to listen to my instructions, and I had a bad feeling about this. The episode on a sidewalk mere blocks from her building highlighted how dangerous it could be for her to be alone.

I’d accelerated as soon as I heard her say, “ I’m going inside. My friend needs my help. I’ll be right back out. ”

“Her location, Jordy?” I couldn’t take my eyes off the road to check it myself.

“Still at the gas station. It’ll be a minute before I can pull up a video feed.”

“Lucas, what’s your twenty?”

“I’m working on it,” he said. “Too fucking many idiots on the road.” I heard the crunch of metal over comms. “Fuck.”

I swerved over a lane, just missing the same fate as Lucas.

Seeing the station ahead, I asked, “Jordy, update?”

“No movement. Still at the gas station.”

“Three blocks out,” Lucas reported.

I bottomed out the suspension hurtling into the station and screeched to a halt next to the white government econobox they’d been driving. The car was empty. “She’s not in the car,” I yelled as I raced to the door and flung it open. She was unprotected, and I had to get to her.

The clerk sported goth piercings and black clothing. With earbuds in her ears, she rocked to her music as she checked out a guy at the register.

Serena’s coworker, Katelyn, was in line behind the guy, inhaling saltines from an open box.

Not seeing anyone else in the store, I advanced on Katelyn. “Where’s Serena?”

Looking up, she startled. “What are you doing here?”

I did my best to stay calm. “Where is she? Serena.”

“In the car, I guess.”

“She’s not. What the hell happened?”

“I almost had a big accident. Bad breakfast, I think.”

I had no more time for her nonsense and went to check the aisles myself.

Lucas barged through the door. “Status?”

“Can’t find her.”

“Check the bathrooms.”

I started with the women’s and then the men’s. “Bathrooms clear,” I said over comms.

“Not out the back door either,” Lucas replied.

“I need to see the surveillance video,” I told the clerk at the register.

She pulled out one earbud. “I’m pre-law. You need a warrant for that.”

My blood boiled. This was no fucking TV show. “You’re about to be?—”

Lucas pulled me back and laid his SIG on the counter. “Clint Eastwood once said, and I quote, ‘Do you feel lucky?’” He pointed at the clerk. “Well, do you?” Lucas gave off serious don’t-fuck-with-me vibes.

The girl’s eyes bulged, and her face turned even more pale. She pulled out a key attached to a piece of pipe. “Anything you want. Manager’s office is in the back.”

Lucas took it and picked up his weapon.

I followed him to the back. “Jordy, we can’t find her. We’re checking internal video. Find an external feed.”

“Copy that,” he replied. “But it’s not like on TV. It’ll take some time.”

“Serena doesn’t have fucking time,” I snapped.