Suffer (17 page)

32

HE STRETCHED OUT HIS ARM as the sunlight beamed through a small sliver of space in the curtains. When he felt nothing beside him, Grey opened his eyes to find himself alone. A note lay on the unoccupied pillow. He unfolded the paper and read the two words.
No regrets
.

He rolled onto his back and took a deep breath as an uncontrollable smile brightened his face. He was thinking about Abby. It was hard to consider what happened the night before as a one night stand since she was somewhere in the house. In the pool when she was wrapped around him, he told her it would be a mistake. As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, it didn’t feel like one.

Grey adhered to his normal morning routine. When he returned from his run, Chief was sitting alone at a table in one of the two living rooms which had been converted into an operations center. On one of two widescreen TVs mounted on the wall was a photo of Sheriff Doyle’s daughter. On the other, was a map of South Florida, including the Keys. Chief was pecking on a laptop when he noticed Grey enter the room.

“Morning, Boss,” said Chief with a smile. “Did you sleep well?”

In a mere six words, Chief had Grey’s mind shooting in several different directions before he could muster a simple answer. Was he being sly and knew about Abby? Was he being patronizing by calling him “Boss”? Before it became an issue, Grey gave him the best answer.

“I did. You?”

“Like a big drunk baby,” said Chief. “I think I was out before my head hit the pillow. I don’t see too many more of those nights in my future.”

“I think an unexpected night off did us all a lot of good.”

“Yeah, Evan is still unconscious, but I think I heard Abby knocking around. Of course, Kate was already up and doing her exercises. I tell you what, partner, I’m glad I’m on her side.”

“I can’t argue with that,” said Grey. “What are you working on?”

Chief reached into a stack of files and handed one to Grey. He opened it while taking a seat at the table. “According to this, the sheriff’s daughter went missing a week before Kate was attacked. Her last phone call was to a friend at two in the morning.”

“Yep,” said Chief. “She was out with friends at a bar, but I don’t think she made it home that night. Our unsub had this planed out for months. This guy is a pro, Grey. We still need to move forward with putting the squeeze on Ronnie, but I seriously doubt he’s gonna give us an address.”

“Probably not,” said Grey. “Did Carlos get back with the name of Little Al’s boss?”

“He gave us a couple possibilities,” said Chief, pressing a remote and changing the photo on the screen from Melissa to Little Al. “Here’s the tub of lard that’s holding Ronnie’s marker.” Pressing the remote again, a photo of a pawn shop came into view. “And this is where Little Al spends most of his time. He’s got a goon squad around the place twenty-four/seven. It amazes me that people think the mob is dead. That place has old school gangster written all over it.”

“Carlos will be here in an hour,” said Grey, closing the file. “Kate has her eye surgery tomorrow, and the Bureau is lending us his team for escort duty. We’ll be able to pick his brain then. I’m gonna grab a shower.”

“Wake Evan’s ass up on your way,” said Chief. “We need to get him started on that soundproof room today.”

“My pleasure,” said Grey, leaving the Chief and heading upstairs.

He knocked on Evan’s door with no response. He called out his name with the same result. Grey cracked open the door to see the bed still made. He opened it further to see flames in the gas fireplace. On a plush white rug in front of the fire, Evan was sprawled out in his boxers with his arms wrapped around a large pillow. Grey’s first instinct was to grab a camera, but instead he gently nudged him. “Wake up, baby doll. You’re gonna miss the bus.”

Evan’s head shot up and, with one eye open, surveyed his surroundings. His bright red hair was standing up on his head from the sweat and drool that stretched from his mouth and pooled on the pillow. “Is he still here?”

“Is who here?”

“Stop yelling,” said Evan, covering his ears. “The Chief. Is he still here?”

“Yeah, he’s downstairs,” said Grey, entertained by his appearance.

“Get rid of him, Grey. I’m serious. Tell him he has to leave.”

“What happened?” asked Grey laughing. “You guys were a little tipsy last night, but you seemed okay.”

“Chief wanted to have a nightcap on his balcony before bed. Two hours later I couldn’t feel my face. The room was spinning so I decided the safest place was on the floor.”

“By a fire?”

“Leave me alone,” said Evan, burying his head in the pillow.

“Get up, lightweight. He’s waiting for you downstairs.”

He left Evan and headed for the shower. Along with everything else on the property, the bathroom was massive. As Grey was putting away his shaving kit, he looked over at a door to his left. The one on the right led him back to his room, but the one on the left led to Abby’s. He resisted the urge to turn left and made his way back down to the War Room. A few minutes, Evan made his appearance.

“I told you to get rid of him,” said Evan, popping a handful of aspirin and washing it down with the pink stuff. “Oh, God, that’s awful.”

“I didn’t force it down your throat, kid,” said Chief, laughing. “But I’ll go easy on you next time now that I know you’re a little soft.”

Evan gave him the finger and then lowered his head. Grey grabbed the remote and displayed a makeshift blueprint of the room they needed Evan to reconfigure. “Heads up, Sally.”

“I’m with ya,” said Evan, squinting.

“We’ll convert the media room on the back corner of the house,” said Grey, using a laser pointer. “We’ll need to split it into two separate soundproof rooms with a two-way mirror we can switch back and forth. Both have to be completely isolated, Evan. That’s very important.”

“No problem,” said Evan. “If we want it done in seventy-two hours, I’m gonna need to bring in a few of my guys.”

“How many?”

“I can do it with three, but I’d like four.”

“Three at the most,” said Chief. “And your eyes are on them the entire time. They take a piss, you’re in there holding it for them. Grey and I won’t have time to babysit, so this is all on you.”

“They’re good guys, Chief,” said Evan. “I’ve worked with them for fifteen years. We don’t need to worry about them.”

“That sounds suspiciously like you’re questioning my order,” said Chief, looking away from the blueprint and giving Evan his undivided attention.

“Dr. Singer was a good guy, too, Evan,” said Grey. “But we had two guns on him when he was about to kill Kate. Everyone that comes on this property gets treated like a security risk. They don’t go within fifty feet of Kate, and they don’t wander through the house. If we come across them without you in sight, we’ll put them on the ground. No exceptions. Understood?”

“Crystal clear, Boss,” said Evan. “Sorry.”

“Kate is having her surgery tomorrow and will be gone for most of the day,” said Chief. “That would be a great time to get your boys started.”

“Will do.”

“One of the rooms needs to be designed with comfort and a bunch of things to distract a five-year-old girl,” said Grey, continuing the brief. “The other needs to be set up like a third world country interrogation room. Bolt a metal chair to the floor and drop a high intensity light in front of it. The two-way mirror needs to be the size of a large bay window. This part is very important, Evan. Not one sound can transfer from one room to the other – especially a gunshot.”

“Done,” replied Evan. “That won’t be a problem.”

Grey stood and walked closer to the monitor displaying the room and continued outlining the modifications. Chief and Evan were fixated on the screen when Abby walked into the back of the room. Knowing only Grey could see her, she began skipping like a giddy schoolgirl toward an unoccupied chair. “Heard you boys cackling like teenagers last night,” said Abby, taking a seat beside Evan.

“Why is everybody yelling?” said Evan, covering his ears again.

“Good morning, sunshine,” greeted Chief. “Hope he didn’t keep you awake.”

“No,” said Abby, smiling at Grey. “I was in bed early.”

She noticed the picture of Sherriff Doyle’s daughter on the screen. Her smile disappeared. “Is that her?”

“Yeah,” said Chief. “Melissa Doyle; she’s nineteen and was probably taken a week before the attack.”

“She’s beautiful,” said Abby.

“I hope she still is,” said Evan, taking a serious tone. “I can’t imagine what that freak is doing to her.”

“More than likely, nothing but terrorizing her,” said Grey. “He needs her to be intact and healthy. I’m sure Sheriff Doyle requires some proof of life every time they connect. She’s still of great value to him, and he won’t hurt her until she’s not.”

“Connect?” asked Abby.

“Doyle probably gets some form of message alerting him to either a scheduled phone call or information drop,” said Chief. “I’m thinking some type of throwaway smart phone with a new number Doyle calls at predetermined times. In order for the unsub to control him, he needs to hear and see Melissa.”

“Where’s her mother?” asked Evan.

“Shelia Doyle died four years ago from brain cancer,” answered Chief. “She’s their only child.”

“He lost his wife and now some monster has his only daughter,” said Abby. “What do we do? How are we going to find her?”

“We’re not,” said Grey.

“What?”

“At least for now, Abby,” said Chief. “We have no idea where to start looking. More than likely she’s not with him, but she’s close. He’ll only be near her when he contacts the sheriff.”

“We need to focus on Ronnie,” said Grey. “He’s our first living subject that had some type of interaction with the unsub. The longer Kate stays alive, the shorter Ronnie’s life gets. We need to move on him fast.”

“Why is that?’ asked Evan.

“Chief and I agree the unsub is a professional,” said Grey. “He probably hasn’t been paid the full sum from Ronnie. When he does get paid, no doubt Ronnie is a dead man. But he doesn’t care about the money. He cares about getting caught, and the only person who can finger him is Kate. He knows as long as she’s alive there’s a chance he’ll be discovered. With that in mind, our priority is getting what we need from Ronnie. When we do, we’ll be closer to finding out who’s controlling the unsub. We can’t risk the time or energy right now to search for Melissa. I know that sounds shitty, but when we find the unsub, we find her.”

“Do you think she’ll still be alive when we do?” asked Abby, staring at Melissa’s picture.

Chief and Grey looked at each other, but neither wanted to answer; neither wanted to lie to her. They knew there was almost no chance of finding her in time.

The group was finishing the meeting when a tone on Grey and Chief’s cell phones alerted them to a visitor at the front gate. When they acknowledged the alert, their phones connected to the property security system allowing them to view their expected guest. Chief told Special Agent Carlos Ramirez that he would be out in a moment to pick him up.

Evan waited in the War Room while Grey and Abby entered the kitchen to make lunch. Abby looked around to make sure nobody was near and then pulled Grey in close. The move, and the kiss, surprised him.

“The camera is pointed at the door,” said Abby before Grey could speak. “I checked.”

“So it wasn’t a one night stand,” said Grey. “And by the way, nice entrance this morning.”

“That was only for you,” said Abby. “I never said anything about a one night stand. Unless, of course, that’s what you wanted it to be.”

“I do,” said Grey. “And I think we should have another one tonight.”

33

GREY WAS IMPRESSED WITH EVAN’S progress on the construction. Three hours after Kate left the property for her eye surgery, he and his team had the frames erected that would divide the space into two rooms. They were preparing to install the two-way mirror when Grey was alerted that Kate was on her way back from the hospital.

He was waiting on the front steps as Chief parked the SUV. He could see the agents Carlos assigned to the protection detail securing the outside perimeter of the house. After one last look around the yard, Grey walked down to the vehicle and opened the door. “I take it everything went well?”

“Very,” said Abby, stepping out and making her way to the other side. “She did great.”

Grey followed her around to help Kate out of the vehicle. She was already standing outside by the time he reached her. “I thought you’d be a little wobbly.”

“No,” said Kate. “Just a little groggy from the sedation.”

“We’ll get you straight up to your room,” said Abby, taking her arm.

“Actually, the kitchen would be better,” said Kate. “I’m starving.”

Chief stayed on the front steps while the agents finished their sweep and returned to their vehicles parked outside of the gate. He then went to join Evan and help him keep an eye on the workers. He was almost as nervous as Grey about having strangers on the property.

Kate finished her meal, and Abby helped her up the stairs to her room. She came down a few minutes later with a message for Grey. She found him in the War Room thumbing through a file.

“She wants to talk to you,” said Abby. “Alone.”

“Is everything okay?”

“She seems to be in pretty good spirits,” said Abby, crossing her arms and glaring at him. “I’d really like it to stay that way; at least for a little while.”

Grey stood with a smile and walked over to her. “I’m sure she just wants an update on the construction. I’ll be gentle.”

He looked around and then kissed her on the forehead. Even with the gesture, she still maintained her glare as he backed away from her and turned the corner heading for the stairs.

“You wanted to see me?” asked Grey, peeking around her door.

“Yes,” said Kate, motioning for him to sit in the chair beside her. “I guess she forgot to tell you to bring me a glass of wine.”

“I guess she did. Do you want me to get you one?”

“No, that’s okay. Eventually she’ll figure out I don’t follow doctor’s orders very well.”

“Or anyone else’s.”

“Funny guy,” said Kate with a grin.

“Thank you,” said Grey. “You feeling less groggy?”

“Yes. The food helped. I’m just glad it’s over with. Well, at least this procedure.”

“Can I see it?”

“It’s the temporary piece,” said Kate, reaching up to remove the patch. “The permanent cover will be ready in a few weeks.”

Her head was down as she took off the patch. She slowly raised it to look Grey in the eyes. His grew wide, followed by a beaming smile.

“That is absolutely amazing,” said Grey, leaning in closer to her. “Amazing. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t be able to tell which one is the prosthetic.”

“They did a good job,” said Kate, smiling back. “I was kind of digging the whole pirate thing I had going on, but I like this, too.”

“It even moves,” said Grey, shifting back and forth.

“A little,” said Kate. “But it should mimic the other eye’s movement more naturally as the muscles get stronger. That’ll take a little while.”

“You look beautiful, Kate. You really do.”

“I’m a long way from beautiful, Grey, but thank you,” said Kate, returning the patch over her eye. “They still want me to wear this until the permanent cover is ready.”

“I can’t wait to see it.”

Kate paused while adjusting the patch. “Do you know what bothers me more than losing my eye?”

“What?”

“Losing my ring,” said Kate, looking down at her left hand.

The fact that she didn’t say her ring finger wasn’t missed by Grey. In spite of the incredible amount of physical trauma inflicted, the mental trauma caused her the most pain. To what degree still eluded everyone in the house, but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind Kate was fighting an internal battle every second of every day. He was impressed with her stamina.

“We’re gonna get that back for you,” said Grey. “We’ll find it when we find him.”

“I know you’ll try. But even if you don’t find the ring, I’ll get what I need from him.”

The image of Abby standing with her arms crossed flashed in his head, but he couldn’t stop himself from speaking his mind. “Sometimes there’s a fine line between justice and revenge. I’m just afraid you might not get what you need when we get him. I worry about what’s going to happen to you if you don’t.”

“You know, I don’t think I ever thanked you,” said Kate, skirting the subject.

“For what?” asked Grey, allowing the subject change for the moment.

“For completely turning your life upside down,” said Kate. “You left everything you know behind, including your job, to help me. I’ve put a lot of pressure on you this past month. I want you to know how much I appreciate what you’re doing. On the up side, you’ll never have to worry about money; what’s mine is yours.”

“I admit that’s a nice thought, but getting paid has nothing to do with why I’m here,” said Grey, bringing her back to the subject she was avoiding. “I know exactly why I’m here. I know Evan is here because he thinks he has an obligation to Paul. I know Abby is here because she thinks this will help you heal. Chief is here because he wants the chance to give it back to the bad guys.”

“And you?” asked Kate. “Why are you here?”

“For all those reasons. But you, I really don’t know what your expectations are when we find him. What do you need from him, Kate? Regardless of your answer, I’m still going to hunt him down.”

Abby walked into the room, holding a glass of wine. “This goes against my better judgment, but I guess you’ve earned it.”

“Or was it a good excuse to come up and make sure I’m behaving?” said Grey.

“Both,” said Abby, handing the glass to Kate.

“Thanks, Mom,” said Kate. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here. I was just about to tell Grey why I want to face Caleb’s murderer. Please, sit down.”

Abby shot Grey a look that would make the devil shiver. She held the stare as she sat on the arm of the chair and then punched him in his. Grey kept his head forward and didn’t turn to make eye contact with her. He knew he’d be paying for it later.

“You know you just got me killed,” said Grey, looking at Kate.

“I know,” said Kate with a smile. “But it’s a very fair question that I don’t mind answering. In fact, I’ll be giving the same answer to Chief and Evan. It’s important that you all understand why we’re here, but very little of it has to do with me.”

“You just came out of surgery, sis,” said Abby, still looking at Grey. “You need to rest, and the last thing we need to do is stress you out.”

“Abby, look at me,” said Kate. “I want you to listen and absorb every word, okay?”

Abby broke her visual lock on Grey and faced her sister. She sensed a change in the tone of her voice; it sent chills up her spine.

“Since the moment I invited him into my house, the monster out there has been dictating how I live my life, and I’ve been living it in agony and fear. We’ve been in constant danger when I defied him and survived. All of you have been in constant danger because of him. Tomorrow all of you will be in harm’s way because of me. Grey has a right to ask me any question he wants. He won’t only be risking his own life for me; he’ll be risking all of yours as well. You have no idea what I’m asking of him, Abby. He does.”

“It’s too soon, sis,” said Abby, taking her hand. “You need more time to heal.”

“No, I don’t,” said Kate in the same dark tone. “I won’t heal until he starts hurting. I need to know he’s living his life in fear because he knows we’re coming after him.”

“What else do you need, Kate?” asked Grey, keeping her focused. “Tell us.”

“I need to watch him suffer,” said Kate drifting, further into the darkness. “I need to be the last thing he sees before I kill him, and that’s going to take a very long time. I want him to feel helpless and know there’s no other outcome but excruciating pain and death. I want to see the same look in his eyes that Caleb had. Then I want to see his sick life disappear. You said there’s a fine line between justice and revenge. There is no line, Grey. I’m going to have both. He’ll never do this to anyone else again. I’ll make sure of that.”

Abby was listening to a stranger. She wasn’t listening to the woman who would drop everything to help a friend. Gone was the gentle, sweet, and loving mother and wife. Gone was the woman who loved to garden and cook enormous holiday meals for family and friends. The Kate she remembered would never hurt anything. The Kate in front of her was ready to kill.

She missed her sister, but she understood why she was gone. Abby grew angrier at the men responsible. They failed at taking Kate’s life, but succeeded at taking her soul. In that moment, Abby realized there would be nothing she could do to stop Kate; she no longer wanted to try.

“They’ll be working around the clock downstairs,” said Grey, startling Abby out of her thoughts. “The room will be ready by tomorrow afternoon. Once we confirm everyone is where they should be, you can make the call tonight.”

“Grey, it shouldn’t be a phone call and you know it,” said Kate. “Ignoring my request isn’t going to make it go away. You should know that by now.”

He leaned back in the chair and rubbed his temples. “The first step and you’re already changing the plan.”

“I never agreed to the phone call, so technically I’m not changing anything,” said Kate. “There are too many ways it can go wrong. Face to face will give us the most impact and almost guarantee the result we need.”

Grey knew she was right and didn’t argue the point, but he didn’t like the idea of taking her off the property so soon without a protective detail. He couldn’t bring Chief because he needed someone at the house to help babysit the workers. He couldn’t use the FBI agents in any situation that would make them witnesses in court. Grey and Kate had no choice but to execute the first phase of the plan on their own.

When the location of all the targets was verified a few hours later, Grey and Kate drove off the property toward an upscale North Miami neighborhood. Hardly a word was spoken between them during the drive. As Grey parked the car in front of the large house, he broke the silence with a question. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’m starting to get my life back,” answered Kate as she opened her door.

“If anyone else is inside, you turn around and get your ass back in this car,” said Grey in a commanding tone. “No exceptions, Kate.”

“Aye-aye,” she replied with a salute.

She was fearless and in complete control as she walked up to the front door of the house. Grey had a high-powered flashlight ready in one hand and his pistol in the other. He continuously looked around the yard, the house, and his mirrors. He shifted his focus to Kate when a light illuminated the porch and the door opened.

“Oh, my God, Kate,” greeted Tonya with a gasp.

“I know you weren’t expecting me, but I need to talk to you. It’s very important.”

“Yes, of course,” said Tonya. “Please come inside. I’m sorry but Ronnie isn’t here. He doesn’t get home for another two hours.”

“I know.”