Fatal Transaction (Thriller & Suspense, Cyber Crime) (22 page)

Mike dropped him back into the car. Bending down, he pulled out a knife and cut the wraps on Derry’s ankles. “There. Now stand up.”

Derry rapidly pulled both legs up and thrust his feet into Mike’s face with a hard, direct plunge. Mike flew against the brick wall, hitting his head. Jumping out of the car, Derry hopped over him and headed toward the alley entrance. He raced past the back of the car. The street was only ten feet away.

A sharp pain exploded in the back of his leg and up to his hip. The leg gave out, and he crumpled to the asphalt.

Rolling over to his stomach, Derry tried to reach back with his bound hands. Just able to touch the area with his finger tips, he felt something sticking out.

Mike walked up. “Nice kick you have there. I didn’t think you had that much life left in you.” He reached down and yanked the knife out of Derry’s leg. “Better get you inside. I need to stop that bleeding. I’d hate to have gone through all this work, only to have you die before Levy questions you.”

He wiped the knife on Derry’s pants before closing it and sliding it into his pocket. Grabbing Derry’s good arm, Mike pulled him up and half carried, half dragged him up a few steps and into a building, then dropped him unceremoniously on the cement floor just inside.

A tall woman about Sara’s age arrived.

“Get me the first aid kit.” Mike rolled Derry to his side, and ripped open the knife hole in the back of his pants. “It’s not bleeding too bad. You won’t die from
this
.”

The woman was back within two minutes, and handed Mike the kit.

“Now, go get Levy. Tell him we have Derry Conway.”

She glanced down at Derry before leaving. Mike went to work on Derry’s leg. It was a quick patch, not meant to last.

By the time he was done, Levy showed up with the woman following behind. “What about Sara?”

Mike stood. “She must have heard us coming. She escaped out the back before we could get to her.”

“You’re telling me you blew it?” His voice boomed.

“It wasn’t me. Jarred and Ben came in through the back. They let her slip past them.”

“And where are those two fumbling idiots now?” Levy’s voice came down a notch.

“Searching the neighborhood.”

Derry thought it sadly humorous to see the big man cowering.

“If they don’t find her, they’re dead. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll have you replaced, too, if you’ve lost her.”

Levy glanced past Mike to Derry. “Is this all you have for me?”

“Her computer’s in the trunk. It should have something useful on it.”

Levy continued looking down at Derry. “Does he know anything?”

“He’s playing dumb, but she’s been sharing his bed for who knows how long. He has to know something.”

“Take him to Vance. I’ll be down in a few minutes. Tell him to get things ready. Then get back to Conway’s house and help find Sara.” Turning to the woman, he added, “Get the computer. See what’s on it.”

The woman went out the door, and Levy headed back down the hall. Mike picked up Derry, and dropped him at the foot of the stairs. After a few words with an even larger man, he left.

The man glanced over at Derry. A chill ran down Derry’s spine.

Chapter 45

S
ara surveyed the backyard one last time. It never looked so big. The door to the guesthouse stood open. Taking a breath, she raced the twenty-five feet from Derry’s house to hers. Rushing in, she made a dash for the bedroom and dropped to her knees just inside the doorway. She grabbed the partially fastened baseboard and yanked on it. Pulling the one small nail loose, she tossed the baseboard aside. She reached in and felt around for her objective.

Her heart froze. Her hand went from one side to the other of the small area before landing on her goal. Grabbing the jump drive, she rose and shoved it into her pocket.

Next stop, the Knights’ house. She stepped to the bedroom door, and stalled. Ahead of her, in the living room, was the outline of a man. Was it Lamar?

Too small, too skinny. Jarred.

She looked around for a new escape route. The window. Jumping over her bed, she unlocked the window and slid the sash up. She punched out the screen, and shoved the top half of her body through the opening. Her belt buckle caught on the windowsill. Kicking wildly, she broke free.

“Got you, you little tramp.”

Her body was suddenly going the wrong way. She was being pulled back into the house. She threw her arms out on both sides of the window and pushed as she kicked, but Jarred was too powerful. Both arms scraped against the windowsill as her body was dragged back in. He tossed her onto the bed like a rag doll.

She bounced up and ran for the bedroom door. Ben blocked her path.

Sara screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would hear. Ben clamped one hand over her mouth, and grabbed her around the waist with his free hand. With both of his hands occupied, Sara broke her hands free and dug her fingernails deep into his face. This time, he was the one screaming. He drew back. Her hands followed, continuing to rip at his face. His hold on her fragmented then broke as he used both hands to cover her target.

Sara ducked under his arms and pushed with her legs. Again, she felt her body snap backwards. Her shirt pulled tight against her body. She flew across the room. Her small frame smashed up against the far wall. 
She spun around as the lights came on. Ben covered the door. Jarred covered the window. She sprung at Jarred with her claws out.

One well-placed smack across her head knocked Sara off course. She fell on her nightstand, knocking its contents to the floor.

“You want to try that again?” Jarred glared down at her. He stood ready. Her last hope vanished.

Pain shot through her side. It was her rib.

“I guess not.” She worked her way to her feet. She glanced at Ben. She’d done a job on his face. Blood ran down both sides. “You should get that looked at. It could get infected.”

“You think you’re real funny don’t you?” Ben stepped into her bathroom and grabbed the hand towel. He returned, dabbing his face.

Jarred made a short phone call—“We got her”—then informed Ben that Mike was on his way.

Sara’s heart sank. Derry would be killed, and it was her fault. She should have waited to get the jump drive. She should have waited until Lamar was here to protect her.

***

Derry sat in an old wooden chair. Metal strips hung loose next to his arms and legs. His shoulder and leg ached. He looked down at the bands of cloth slowing the blood.

Levy showed up holding a small stack of papers. “Derry Conway, accountant, black belt second degree, former street thug. I see you’ve been mixed up with the police, too.” He set the papers on a table and glared down at Derry. “Where’s Sara?”

“I told your goon, I don’t know.”

“But he thinks you do.” Levy paused for a few seconds. “Do you know what you’re sitting in?”

Derry examined the chair more closely. It was a nightmarish contraption out of the 1930s. It looked like an old electric chair, the type seen in movies.

“A homemade electric chair? Your high school science project?”

“Not homemade. This chair was used by the state of New York to execute thirty-seven men. I paid a lot of money to get a hold of it.” Levy paced back and forth in front of Derry as he spoke, looking not at him but at the chair, as if it were an exhibit at a museum. “The state planned to destroy it. Most of the men who sat in this chair were condemned to die, some by the state of New York, others by me. You, however, have the opportunity to live.”

“Oh, yeah. I tell you where Sara is, and you let me walk out. What do you take me for? A fool?”

Levy studied Derry for a few seconds. “I see I am not dealing with your typical street thug. You are right. I could never let you go after seeing my face. So, I will be completely honest with you. I will give you the opportunity to decide how much pain you suffer before you tell me what I want to know. This chair has been modified. Your death can be fast and somewhat painless—or very slow and
very
painful.”

Derry tilted his head to one side. “You’re insane.”

A fist landed in his stomach. When Derry reopened his eyes, the huge man stood next to the chair.

“This is Vance. He doesn’t like it when someone disrespects me.” Levy nodded to Vance, who stepped away toward a panel of knobs and switches on a table behind Levy. “To save you more pain, tell me where Sara is hiding.”

Derry shifted his attention to Vance then back. “I don’t know where she is, and even if I did, I’d never tell the likes of you.” He reached up and lightly touched his shoulder.

“I see. You don’t believe what this can do. You don’t understand how much pain I can inflict on a human before they die. Or you think you are tough. Able to stand up to my chair. Either way, you need a demonstration.” Levy turned toward Vance. “Get Seth.”

***

“Hand it over.” Jarred continued to block the window.

“Hand what over?” Sara glanced toward the hall. Ben kept an eye on her as he cleaned up the mess she had made of his face.

“What do you take me for? You wouldn’t come back here if you weren’t after something important. My guess is it’s the information Levy’s looking for. Where is it?” As dumb as Jarred was in so many areas, he understood people.

“I came back because I saw you leave. I thought it would be safe.”

“I told you she was hiding in those weeds.” Ben had a moment of enlightenment. Good for him.

“Yeah, and after bozo here threw a few rocks at me, I saw you two bumbling idiots leave. The coast was clear. I came back here to grab some clean clothes before I split.”

Jarred gave her the once over. “Yeah? Where are they?”

Sara glanced around the room. “I didn’t have a chance to get them. I—”

“You’re lying again. You had several minutes back here, and your closet door is closed, along with your dresser drawers. Your lie doesn’t hold up. And with the money you stole, you could buy several clothing stores. You were in the clear. You wouldn’t risk coming back here, unless it was for something really important. My guess is it’s the account number and password of the bank account.” Jarred moved toward her. “Now hand it over, or I’ll have to search you.” His lips formed a devilish smile, his leer moving from her face to her body.

“You won’t touch me.” Sara backed into the corner.

Jarred’s smile broadened as he closed the small gap between them. He forced her deeper into the corner. Her blood ran cold as her mind stalled out. She’d been here before, too many times. She flung out her claws, aimed at Jarred’s face. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them together.

Sara struggled to free her hands, hoping to give him the same treatment she’d given Ben. His grip was too tight. He spun her around, smashing her face into the wall. He pushed his smelly body up against hers. His free hand groped her body. He wasn’t searching for the jump drive.

“I heard you like this kind of stuff. It reminds you of your youth.” He shoved his body against her again. Images and feelings from the foster home flooded her mind. She went stiff. She couldn’t move or think. She tried to fight it, but her mind and her body wouldn’t listen. She was shutting down, just like all those times before. Jarred spun her around and threw her onto the bed.

She wanted to move, to fight, but she was paralyzed by fear. She had promised herself she would never let anyone do this to her again. Anger burned deep inside her.

Jarred continued to grip her hands as he leaned forward, dropping his knees onto the bed, straddling her. Rage flooded every inch of her body. She had to keep her promise, even if it meant her death. She had to act now.

In one swift move, she brought her knee up hard, smashing it between his legs. He yelled in pain as he fell to one side, reaching to protect his injury from another hit.

Ben laughed. He’d been enjoying the show, the big pervert.

Sara rolled away from Jarred. Ben remained at his post near the door, but the window was now open. In a flying leap, Sara shot out the window, clearing the frame. Crashing to the ground, she rolled before springing to her feet and dashing for the Knights’ front door.

As she raced toward the driveway, she glanced over her shoulder at the window. Ben’s head stuck out. Good, he wouldn’t be coming out in time to stop her.

Cutting around the corner, Sara glanced back one last time. It was clear.

“Ouch.”

All forward movement stopped as she ran full force into a body. She bounced back a good foot as two large hands grabbed her.

“Trying to escape? Not today you little snob.”

Looking up, she could just make out Mike’s crooked smile.

***

Derry sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, as Vance strapped someone named Seth into the chair. Levy paced the area between Derry and the chair.

“This man’s incompetence cost me six million dollars. Money your girlfriend stole from me. He is lucky this will be a short demonstration”

Derry focused on Seth. He had been badly beaten. Someone used his face as a punching bag. The poor man slumped in the chair, crying as he kept repeating the same plea. Telling Levy he was sorry and it wasn’t his fault. Begging for his life. His voice was as weak as his body.

Levy shifted his attention to Vance. “Make it slow and painful. I want Derry to understand what you are capable of.”

Vance, expressionless, nodded in obedience before flipping a few large switches. As Vance turned a knob, Seth screamed. His body shook as his voice wailed a broken, “Noooo.”

Derry wanted to turn away, but something kept his gaze glued to the ghastly scene.

Vance turned the knob in the opposite direction before flipping the switches off. He moved over to Seth and checked his pulse and eyes. Spinning around, he said something about Seth being okay.

How was that possible? He couldn’t be okay.

Vance moved back and repeated the process. This time Seth’s vibrations were stronger, more violent. After each bout, Vance checked Seth and then applied the voltage for a longer period of time.

“You see, Vance is a master at his work. He loves it. Each time he checks to see how much more Seth can take. He’s narrowing in on that point where Seth’s mind will snap and he will do anything to make the pain stop. But there is nothing I want from Seth. He does not have the option to make the pain stop.”

Derry looked up at Levy. Levy was enjoying this. These men were out of their minds.

“Okay, I get the point.”

Levy peered down at Derry. “Do you?”

Without waiting for an answer, he changed his focus to Vance. “Finish him.” Levy spun around and headed up the stairs. “Give me a call when Derry’s strapped in.”

Vance flipped the switches one last time, and gave the knob a hard twist. Seth’s body shook, but only for a second as sparks lit up the floor in front of the chair. Vance said a few foreign words while Seth’s cries changed from terror to sick laughter.

Leaving him in the chair, Vance repaired the wires, cutting them apart and twisting them back together.

Ten minutes later, Derry watched as Seth died. It was fast, but far from painless.