Page 83 of Spark
Capelli had set up real-time alerts on the database, just in case, promising to monitor them personally for the next few days, just to be on the safe side.There had been nothing left to do but let the RPD find Simon Navarro and bring him in, so Tyler and Chloe had left the Thirty-Third.He’d worried he might be too keyed-up to sleep, even though he was beyond tired, but now that the threat had been taken care of and his adrenaline had left the building, he just wanted a shower, a sandwich, and a six-hour nap with Chloe right beside him.
“Hey,” Tyler said, putting the Mustang inparkand reaching across the console to pull her close.“I know this has been a hell of a morning, but Esme is safe.Navarro—Simon—can’t get to her.”
“I know,” Chloe said, looking as tired as he felt.“Thanks for going with me.And working on the case.And…God, for everything.I don’t think I’d have made it through all of this without you.”
He kissed the top of her head.“You’re tough stuff, Ferguson.You’d have been okay.But I’m still happy to be your wingman.”
“Not sure you’ll still be singing that tune when I hog all your covers, but we could always give it a try,” Chloe said.
“Yeah, I’m barely keeping my eyes open, here.Let’s go grab a nap.Then we can head out to spend the evening with Esme and let her know what’s going on.”
“Sounds good.”
Tyler was so bleary, he didn’t register the trip through the main door of his building, nor the elevator ride to his floor.He didn’t notice the perfect circle of electrical tape, pressed neatly over the lens of his doorbell camera.And he didn’t track the stillness in his apartment, the warning scream of his gut that something was very, very wrong, until someone had pressed the barrel of a gun directly to his temple and said, “If either of you makes a single sound, the only sign you ever existed will be a stain on this carpet.”
And then pain like he’d never felt exploded behind his eyes, his whole world going dark.
Chloe’s screamlodged in her throat, fear paralyzing her limbs as a man who had to be Simon Navarro smashed a gun into Tyler’s temple.Adrenaline flooded her veins, her hands starting to tremble as Tyler pitched forward, stumbling twice before—thank you, thank you, thank you, God—finding his feet, clearly dazed.
“Tyler,” Chloe breathed, reaching for him.Oh, God, he was bleeding, and all the color had drained from his face.
“Chloe,” he slurred, lurching toward her, but Simon stepped forward, leveling the gun at her chest, and she stumbled to a halt.
“Touching, but no.That’s not how this is going to go.”
Chloe forced her reeling thoughts to slow, the instincts she’d learned in martial arts training to kick in.Breathe first.Then buy time to assess your surroundings.Control the situation.
“Okay,” she said, calm she did not feel infusing her voice as she tried to scan the room without being obvious.“How would you like for this to go?”
Simon trained his attention on her.“You’re going to do exactly as I say.”
“Alright.”Chloe had to keep him talking.She had to think.“You’re Simon, I presume,” she said, leaving her hands palms-out in front of her, even though they itched to examine the cut now free-flowing blood over Tyler’s cheek.
“And you’re not entirely stupid,” Simon said.“But your boyfriend, here, is a nosy little son of a bitch, and for that, you’re both going to pay.”
Chloe’s mind raced, her thoughts jumbling together almost too fast to sort, until one stood out.“You know we worked on the fire investigation.”
Simon arched a brow at her.“Very good.Now, tie him to the chair,” he commanded, his dark, hawklike eyes flicking toward a chair in the kitchen and a tidy pile of black plastic zip ties on the table.“And unless you need me to blow out one of his knees as motivation, you’ll be quick about it.”
“No!”Chloe said, too fast and with far too much emotion in her voice.Tyler swayed again, and she couldn’t risk it.“Okay.Okay, I’ll do it.”
Turning toward Tyler, she guided him to the chair.He slumped against the ladder back, his arms dead weight at his sides, and dread clawed at Chloe’s chest, climbing her ribs.
“I love you,” she whispered, tears burning her eyes.
“L-love you, too,” Tyler murmured.“S’gon’ be okay.”
And then she saw it.The clarity in his eyes as they darted, just for a microsecond, at his pants pocket.The silvery edge of his cell phone, only visible to her from where she knelt beside him.
The screen that showed a connected call to Addison.
Tyler had been faking so Simon wouldn’t notice he’d gotten to his phone.He’d called in the cavalry.
They needed more time.
Chloe took a zip tie off the table, but instead of using it on Tyler, she turned toward Simon.“What are you going to do with us?”
“Whatever I fucking please,” he snapped, starting to pace.“I’min control here.Not you.”With the gun firm in his grip, he moved a tight circuit over the floor for a full minute before pointing the gun at her again, his eyes wild.“I said, hurryup!”
