Page 20 of Capture
Me: They’re still here. Near the headquarters, in the basement under the science library.
Mikky: Are you armed?
Me: Yes.
Mikky: I’m on my way. Don’t do anything until I get there.
Keeping that promise might be difficult. Mikael didn’t usually do the dirty work, but maybe prison changed him. We had men we called upon, faceless and nameless, dangerous men who slit throats and fired bullets, then retreated to the shadows again. Like the guy I hired to wipe out the drug dealer who was grooming and selling his shit to our girls.
These men were paid extremely well to be loyal to a fault and to keep their mouths shut. It could be the guy in a suit you walkpast in the fruit aisle in the grocery store, or it could be the guy who fixed your vehicle at the garage. Their contact numbers were on my secret phone that I kept in the back of my locked desk drawer.
Mikky knew this, and I left it up to him whether or not to call them, as I knew, after the recent incidents and suspicions surrounding Betty, that he might have lost confidence in whom to trust.
I unlocked my vehicle and grabbed my Glock from under the seat, checked that it was loaded, and slotted it into my belt. Then, I slipped on a black jacket to conceal it.
Checking the vicinity to see if anyone was watching, I walked quickly to the top of the parking lot, still checking the area to make sure I wasn’t being followed. They watch my apartment, so they’d watch me here too. And you get used to it. It’s always on your mind to be careful about what you say and do in public because they’d be taking notes to use against you.
The tracker showed that they were still in the basement under the science library. That was a problem for me. There was only one way into the basement, but two ways to access the hallway that led to the basement – the library served as the main entrance, and the fire exit at the end of the hall was the other way in or out. So, it was impossible to slip into the basement unnoticed.
There was a chill in the air caused by low cloud that made it feel later than it was, and an icy shiver graced the back of my neck. As I walked around the corner of an admin building, I glanced behind to see if anyone was following. It looked clear, so I kept my pace walking directly toward the science library.
It’s busy. Students were everywhere, getting in my way. Fuck, they don’t even look before they step out onto the path because their heads are down, staring at their phone. Easy kills exposing the back of their necks. Brainwashed fuckwits.
I tried to stay off the main paths, but sometimes it was impossible. Every time I heard footsteps behind me, I scrutinized who it was. If I were being followed, it wasn’t obvious.
The science library was in sight, and I patted my gun under my jacket for assurance before entering the library and scanning the area, searching for anyone who looked suspicious. It seemed pretty normal in there, but the staff must’ve seen Gunner being dragged through the place to the ‘staff only’ exit and then down the stairs to the basement.
I was tempted to ask one librarian who was at the information desk, as most of the staff there knew who we were and why we had entered the ‘staff only’ area.
As I approached the desk, she looked up, and then as soon as she clocked who I was, that smile disappeared.
“Has anyone gone down there?” I pointed to the door behind her.
She swallowed nervously, then nodded.
“How many people saw them go through here?” I asked curiously, glancing at three students climbing the stairs leading to the first floor. Then my gaze drifted to a guy leaning over the railing, looking down at us, having a conversation. He wasn’t there a few seconds ago. A wry smirk was on his ugly face as he shot a casual salute as if to say, ‘we gotcha.’
We’ll see. I wouldn’t bet on that.
“Not sure,” the librarian shrugged as she glanced up at that man, as fear flashed in her eyes.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I found it was a message from Mikky.
Mikky: Received intel. They want to make a deal. Where are you at?
Me: Standing right outside where they’re keeping him.
As soon as I sent the message, I checked the tracker to find that they were on the move again. I hovered by the door and swiped for Mikky’s number, and as soon as he answered, I could tell by the background sounds that he was driving.
“They’re on the move,” I told him. “What do you want me to do?”
“Pull back and watch from undercover,” he asserted. Don’t let them see you.”
“Ah, too late,” I informed him as I glanced up at the guy at the top of the stairs, who had his phone against his ear. Reading his expression, I saw that he was being informed that they were leaving.
“Have they seen you?” he asked unconcerned.
“Yeah, I’ve been spotted by one of them. He’s watching me now,” I stated, turning my back to head toward the main exit.
