Fair Game Inc (2010) (28 page)

oLetAEs look around back,o Roger suggested.

They made their way through what had once been a landscaped garden. The remnants of shrubs lay like tumbleweeds on the freezing ground. Yellowed grass rose tall as hay before dying off in patches for the coming winter. Like a ghost the figure of a Grecian woman stood in the center of an abandoned fountain. One of her arms was missing and half of her face had been worn away by the weather. Grayson shuddered. oWhat kind of creep is this guy?o

oA desperate creep obviously.o Roger turned away from the fountain and went to investigate the metal doors on the loading bay. oDid Amber ever say exactly what kind of work he did?o

oBasic PI stuff, I gathered.o Grayson tried the padlock on the door. oWait a minute. Amber did say something about that Heck guy being angry at her for stealing one of his clients.o

He could tell by the look on RogerAEs face that they drew the same conclusion. oThis is shaping up to be an entirely different scenario altogether.o

oYou think James Heck has a personal vendetta against Amber,o Grayson said, voicing this new fear.

oThink about it. This Heck guy is furious with Amber for stealing his client, so he does a little PI work of his own and finds out that AmberAEs got a gig going at Barlow & Charles.o

oHe wouldnAEt know that she was working off a court settlement.o

oRight. So he goes to Barlow, hoping to get in on some of AmberAEs action. Or maybe heAEs worked for Barlow before.o

The possibility only intensified GraysonAEs desperation. He gave the lock another urgent shake. Rust came away in his hand, but the lock held. oWho knows what Barlow was into behind my back?o

oBarlow pays Heck to pull a prank that will make you angry enough to fire Amber.o

oNo one expected us to get personally involved.o Something nagged at the back of GraysonAEs mind, demanding his attention. oWait a minute, Amber did say something about this Heck guy harassing her to go out with him.o

Implication hit him like a blow to the stomach.

oThis may not be about Barlow at all,o Roger said, voicing GraysonAEs own thoughts.

oIf this Heck guy thought Amber stole his client--o

oThen his little revenge plot to steal her client fails,o Roger interjected.

oThen on top of that she turns him down personally--o

oIt makes this Heck guy--who sounds like heAEs unbalanced anyway-!all the more desperate.o Roger stopped talking abruptly.

Grayson rattled the handle again, to no avail. oWe have to get in there! This is the place, IAEm sure of it. If HeckAEs our man, it makes sense heAEd hold her in a place like this. I mean, whoAEd come here? Bet even the landlord hasnAEt been here in ten years.o He reined in the urge to throw himself against the metal doors, knowing it would only gain him a dislocated shoulder. oIf we could get our hands on some bolt cutters, weAEd be through there in a minute.o

Roger eyed the sky which was turning from dark gray to faintest pink. oItAEs nearly dawn, Gray. We canAEt just hack our way through a lock in broad daylight. ThereAEs got to be another way in. A side door, a broken window ... Gray?o

RogerAEs voice came as if from a distance as GraysonAEs attention was captured by a faint ray of light spilling out from one of the lower windows into the darker shadow between the side of the building and a row of half dead poplar trees.

Grayson leapt from the crumbling concrete of the loading dock into the brush beneath. Skeletal trees marked the property line between what had been a building next door. One wall of the foundation was all that remained of the neighboring structure. The rest had been bulldozed and covered with gravel. A weather beaten sign announced daily parking for five dollars. But the ticket dispensing machine bore the scars of numerous collisions and years of rust.

He pushed through waist-high stalks of dead plants, heading toward the pale glow of light heAEd seen from the loading bay. Down in the low ground between buildings it was harder to see. The wind shook the dried leaves in an eerie death rattle.

Roger crashed through the brush behind him. They werenAEt going to win any prizes for stealth he thought, whirling and holding up a finger for silence. Chastened, Roger continued more quietly.

Ahead the yellowed stalks of grass were gilded with light. He crept closer, wincing at the sound of grass crunching beneath each footfall. Hidden by the fence of tall stalks was a basement window. Grayson flattened himself against the wall and looked down.

Among the overgrowth of weeds, he wouldnAEt even have noticed the window if it wasnAEt for the pale light leaking from the room beyond. Recessed into the wall, the window was also sheltered by a low wall of corrugated metal.

Crouching by the wall, he craned his neck to see down inside. But the only view was of a narrow concrete hallway that branched off at right angles into another beyond. The faint light came from around that corner. Too dim to be cast by a lamp, Grayson realized, more like a flashlight. If it had been any lighter outside, he wouldnAEt have noticed it.

oSee anything?o Roger asked.

oJust a hallway.o Grayson jumped down into the well around the window. Putting his hands against the frame, he heaved with all his strength. But the rusted metal held. He didnAEt dare risk making enough noise to break the glass.

oThereAEs got to be another way in.o Roger slunk away from the wall and moved quietly along the side of the building.

Grayson pressed his ear against the glass, listening intently. Over the crunch of RogerAEs footsteps he thought he could hear the low murmur of voices. No, a single voice, he decided. Someone talking on the phone, maybe. Or talking to himself.

oGray!o RogerAEs whisper brought his head up. Ahead he saw Roger crouched in the tall grass.

Running close to the wall, he tried to make as little noise as possible. Roger knelt beside a crumbling set of stone stairs that led to a rusting metal door. His hand closed upon the metal handle. Predictably it was locked. But the rusting lock didnAEt look all that sturdy.

oOne good tug,o Roger said, placing his hands above GraysonAEs.

oOn the count of three,o Grayson said, bracing his weight.

oOne, two...o

A piercing scream tore through the basement below them.

****

Amber screamed at the shock of cold steel against her throat. A big mistake. She heard HeckAEs laughter above her head, knew he feasted on her fear. The impossibly sharp edge pressed against her skin could only belong to a large knife. She shouldnAEt have screamed. He was enjoying it far too much.

oNot so brave after all, are we, Amber?o He chuckled again. oWho would have thought with all that false bravado?o

Could it be that he only meant to frighten her, to shake her up? No, the rational part of her brain insisted. She knew who he was. There were laws against forcibly confining someone, laws against uttering death threats. No, James Heck was merely toying with her, prolonging the pleasure of his great revenge.

And she would never see Grayson again. The thoughts poured into her mind before she could stem the flow. Not only would he never know what happened to her, Amber thought dismally, but his last memories of her would be of their late night argument and their terse words the next morning. If only she could tell him she was sorry....

Thoughts of Grayson forced her mind back to work on a solution. Amber swallowed carefully.

oLook, James....o It was hard to talk with the blade of a knife pressed against her throat. oIAEm sorry I hurt you.o Amber imagined herself talking to Grayson. Picturing his face before her lent conviction to her words. She felt the blade slip a fraction of an inch away from her throat. oI didnAEt realize how selfish I was being. I was too wrapped up in my own problems.o

oSure you were, babe.o HeckAEs harsh voice jolted her back to reality. oThe whole lot of you laughed at me. At the association lunches, the Christmas parties. aeSo howAEs it going, James? Still peeking into windows?AEo he mimicked a passable imitation of her voice. oDid you think I didnAEt know you guys called me Heck Sleaze and Company?o

The knife dimpled her flesh. Amber didnAEt dare draw breath to answer.

oI was the bottom of the barrel. Until you stole even that from me.o

oI didnAEt know you were bidding on the job, James,o Amber whispered. Not being able to see stretched the tension between them. Better that way, she decided. That way she couldnAEt see his face contorted in anger. She wouldnAEt know when the moment came. oI was just trying to keep my own firm from going bankrupt.o

oLike you needed clients,o Heck spit through his teeth. oWith that lawyer boyfriend of yours feeding you work.o

Irony was Grayson hadnAEt been paying her at first. SheAEd been working off the last of the court settlement. She decided not to share that with James Heck. The last thing she needed was to hear him laughing at her before she died.

oYou could have left me to my pathetic life, Amber.o The sadness in his voice made his heart clench. Sadness mixed with righteous anger.

Enough anger to make him feel righteous about killing her. Amber felt the pinch of the knife again. This time there was a purposefulness to the bite of the blade that hadnAEt been there before.

oWait!o she said hoarsely. Unlike the other times he didnAEt loosen his grip on the knife so she could speak. oYou donAEt have to kill me to fix this, James. I could help you. IAEd be happy to, really.o

oSure, like you helped me out of a job. Out of my livelihood. Out of my life!o

The blade vibrated with his anger.

oToo late, Amber Babe. You had your chance.o

****

AmberAEs scream. Grayson knew it instinctively. Terror lent him strength. He threw the sum of his weight into one desperate tug, felt Roger mirror his action.

The ancient rusted lock gave suddenly, unbalancing them both. Together they fell in a heap. Grayson was the first on his feet.

It was darker inside now as the sky lightened with dawn. Grayson bolted down the narrow hallway, Roger close behind him.

They came to another hallway, followed the wan light to the left. The narrow hall opened suddenly into a large open room.

In one sweeping gaze, he took in the bound shape huddled on the floor, the greasy figure of James Heck looming above. In the pale glow of the flashlight, he saw the gleam of a knife.

Caught by surprise, Heck whirled in their direction. Grayson sprang.

The impact knocked Heck to the floor. Grayson sprawled awkwardly on top of him. Anger burned through him, bright and hot. Fury that he would harm the woman he loved. Outrage that a worm like James Heck would sink to terrorizing a blindfolded and bound woman. Especially one as tiny as Amber Shaw.

But anger also drove James Heck, who for being pudgy, was also stronger than he looked. Despite the impact, Heck hadnAEt lost his grip on the knife. Grayson looked up just in time to find it sailing down in his direction. He rolled out of the path of the nasty looking blade, giving Heck a chance to half scramble to his feet.

From the corner of his eye he saw Amber trying to struggle to her bound feet, her head cocked, listening intently.

oWell, if it isnAEt lover boy,o Heck snarled.

oGrayson?o AmberAEs hoarse whisper cut through him and he longed to go to her, but for both their sakes he had to keep an eye on that knife.

Heck lunged at him. The knife flashed in the wan light. Grayson leapt backward. He felt the rush of air as the blade narrowly missed his chest.

Roger! he thought suddenly. Where was Roger?

A blur rushed by him, kicking dirt into his eyes. Grayson blinked. HeckAEs eyes widened as he took in the twin rushing toward him. So he hadnAEt known. Grayson leapt in RogerAEs direction.

Too late Heck turned to meet RogerAEs onslaught. Caught off guard, he brought the blade down, unsure which twin to target. Grayson knocked his stroke wide. The knife clattered to the ground. Then Heck was pinned under Roger, who had always been better at fighting. Grayson turned to Amber

****

Sounds of a scuffle echoed through the basement. Harsh breathing. The male smell of sweat. Amber heard Heck call someone lover boy, then what she thought was GraysonAEs grunt of surprise. The dull impact of a punch being thrown in tight quarters. She called GraysonAEs name, got no answer. Someone rushed past her. Another set of footsteps, moving quickly. Another impact. She struggled to get her bound feet under her, failed and sprawled awkwardly on the floor.

Then suddenly there were warm hands on her back, warm hands turning her gently. The dull light was unbearably bright after the suffocating darkness. GraysonAEs face swam through her tears.

His hands moved over her shoulders, probing gently, feeling along her arms until he located the cold metal handcuffs pressed tightly into her skin. oAre you hurt?o His aching concern for her brought another wave of tears.

oNo,o she croaked. oJust cold and stiff.o

He pulled her handcuffs and all into his arms. oWeAEll get you out of here, get you warm,o he promised. She felt the warm brush of his lips against her cold cheek.