Deadly Coincidence (Brantley Walker Off the Books #4) - Nicole Edwards Page 0,92
like this.”
“People surprise you.” Charlie sighed. “And not always in a good way.” She pointed out the windshield. “You’re gonna want to take a left on Main. According to the GPS signal, they’re holed up in an industrial area close to the rail yard.”
“You’re familiar with the area, then?” Brantley asked.
“I don’t live too far from there. Taylor’s a small town. Those of us who live or work here know our way around.”
Reese remained quiet, half listening to Charlie’s instructions. While they focused on the navigation, he shot a text to Trey, asking for an update.
Luckily for him, Trey didn’t mince words, responding quickly. The update: Gerard and Katrina were still waiting for the phone call. They’d scraped together the full two million and were more than willing to pay it to get their son back.
If all went well, they wouldn’t have to pay. The only concern Reese had was whether or not Dante’s partner was going to do things the hard way. Money was a significant motivator, and for those driven by greed, they’d do pretty much anything to get it.
“Just outta curiosity, what charges will they be brought up on?” Charlie asked.
“Destruction of property, assault, attempted murder by blowin’ up the house,” Brantley rattled off.
“Sure. Those I can see. I guess what I mean is, Dante’s not bein’ held against his will. Does kidnapping still apply?”
“That we know of,” Reese added. “It could’ve started out that way. We don’t know the status of their workin’ relationship at the moment.”
“I’m not a DA,” Brantley said, “so it’s anyone’s guess. I figure Marcus Harris will be charged with kidnappin’. He’s the one who made the ransom call, therefore he’s stated his intent.”
Reese still couldn’t wrap his head around the reason for cutting Dante’s finger off. They’d watched Dante willingly open the door for someone—they now assumed that someone was Marcus—then let him in. They’d done enough damage to warrant some attention. That and the blood they’d covered the house in. What was the point of leaving a finger? It seemed like overkill. The only thing that made sense was the pair had a falling-out.
“True.” Charlie looked at Brantley. “What about Dante? Will he be charged with anything? Extortion? Coercion?”
“Plus the aforementioned assault, etc. He’s damn sure guilty.” Brantley glanced at Charlie. “But you have to remember what this’ll do to the governor’s reputation if people find out his son staged his own kidnapping for a payday. I figure he’ll have this swept under the rug. Can’t afford for it to get out.”
Reese had to agree there. He didn’t see Governor Greenwood watching his son go down for extortion. The best they could hope for was that they got Dante into rehab for his addiction.
“This is it,” Charlie said, her voice lowering. “It’s around the corner. Since this is a sparsely traveled area, I suggest we move closer on foot. They see your truck, who knows what they’ll do.”
Brantley nodded, then shot a look back at Reese as though seeking his input.
He nodded his agreement, retrieved his weapon from its holster, thumbed off the safety. Because they weren’t sure what they were walking into and Tesha wasn’t far along in her training, Reese had opted to leave her back at HQ with Luca and Holly, so he was rolling without his four-legged backup today.
Once Brantley stopped the truck, the three of them got out. They moved as one, Reese keeping close to Charlie, letting her lead the way while Brantley covered their six.
Charlie began using hand signals the closer they got to the building, splitting them up. They’d tested their comms earlier to ensure they could communicate between them if necessary, so Reese moved away, heading for the south entrance.
He kept close to the building, scanning his surroundings as he moved. This looked to be a deserted area, mostly three-story corrugated metal buildings surrounded by pitted gravel lots and old chain-link fence.
The big metal door he came to was once red but had faded with time and gotten a few colorful graffiti paint jobs over the years.
As quietly as possible, he opened it, peeked inside before moving into the interior. The inside was damp and dark except for the sunlight peeking in through the large windows that ran the length of the building on all four sides. If it wasn’t for the grime clouding the glass, the space would’ve been well lit. Thanks to it, Reese had to move in the shadows, keeping an eye out for someone or something lurking.