Chapter 14

They didn’t have long. Even in a more or less empty industrial district, there was a good chance someone had called the cops and reported gunfire. Worse, he had a bigger problem.

Kara wasn’t here and they didn’t have any survivors, which meant he had no lead to find her. If something happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. There wasn’t time to wallow, though. Taylor moved quickly from body to body, checking for any kind of intel. Mostly, they were clean. No IDs, no helpful notes giving detailed instructions.

There were cell phones, however. It might take some time, but he could dig through them, maybe pull some numbers that would lead him in the right direction. It was his best bet.

After grabbing up several, he climbed up to the railing to where Bonnie still was, leaning over the body of a man that was up there, a large caliber rifle next to him.

She’d been right; they’d had someone up there providing cover fire for them. It also explained that first shot that kicked the whole thing off. She’d taken him out before everything started, which had been the right move. “We needed one alive,” he said. “How the hell are we supposed to find Kara now?”

“I’d like to note that you killed most of them. But before you get all puffed up and angry, you’re not screwed yet. Your daughter’s probably still breathing.”

“And you know this how exactly?”

“This guy’s name is Fischer. We’ve crossed paths before.”

“So?”

“So, this whole setup is exactly his style. He loves ambushes like this. He also likes to have insurance. He usually keeps his bait alive, gives him options if things go sideways.”

“So he has her held somewhere else?”

“Most likely. Guarded, but alive. This was Plan A. Fischer always has a Plan B.”

“Not that he’ll need it now,” Taylor said, gesturing at the body.

“I’m betting he’s not working alone. They wouldn’t send one guy after me. Besides, if he was alone, he would have sent lackeys to do this, so he could manage the operation.”

“So you’re saying, what? Other people in your profession?”

“Yeah. Probably.”

“Shit.”

“Actually, it’s a good thing, because it tells us how to find your kid.”

“What do you mean?”

“It isn’t a coincidence Fischer is here. We use the same broker, a Brit named Bailey. Whoever your senator is using to make these arrangements probably has only the one contact. So he went back to the well.”

Taylor didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but that wasn’t it.

“Broker?”

“We don’t exactly advertise in the classifieds. Brokers are our middlemen. They find work that suits us and handle the initial contacts. Fischer and I both used Bailey. Fischer was probably his second-best worker, after me of course.”

“So this Bailey would know who else has been hired? Maybe even where they’re keeping Kara?”

“Normally. No. Bailey gets the jobs and makes sure the money is paid, stuff like that. But multiple hitters, he’d have to coordinate. We don’t play well with others.”

“And you think he brought in multiple hitters?”

“With Fischer here on site, yeah. Probably.”

“Then we find Bailey.”

“Yeah. He’s got a place just over the West Virginia border. Tries to keep it quiet, but...” she said, giving a half shrug.

In the pause, Taylor heard the distant wail of sirens.

“Time to go.”

They sprinted for the exit and across the parking lot back to the SUV, Taylor tearing out of the parking lot before Bonnie’s door was even closed.

He could see red and blue lights in the distance as he turned a corner and disappeared into the city, which would make it easier to lose any cops that might choose to follow them than it would up on the freeway. Taylor circled wide and got back up on the freeway, heading west toward West Virginia. They didn’t talk, which was normal after action like that. There was the comedown as the adrenaline subsided, each close call replaying in their heads as they relived each point where they nearly died.

In the moment you didn’t have the luxury of time to think. You just did. The thinking happened afterward, and no contact was perfect. It was quiet enough that, when one of the purloined cell phones rang, it caused him to jump slightly.

“Twitchy,” Bonnie said with a smirk.

Taylor ignored her and answered the phone.

“Is it done?” A voice said.

American by the sound of it.

“Yeah, it’s done, but probably not in the way you hoped.”

“Who is this?”

“Taylor.”

“Your daughter is as good as dead,” the man said, his voice fading as it sounded like he was pulling away from the phone.

“Wait!” Taylor shouted into the phone. “It’s not my fault. Bonnie went crazy, killed one of your guys at the meet, took his gun, then took everyone else out. I was lucky to get out alive.”

There was a pause, and Taylor waited. “If you don’t have Bonnie, we have no reason to keep your kid breathing.” “Now’s when you need me even more. I’m the only one who’s ever tracked her down. I can do it again.”

Another pause, longer this time. “One last chance. Call this number when you have her. We’ll give you instructions then.”

“I want proof of life first.”

“Do your job.”

“Only if I know she’s alive.”

Silence, then rustling. “Hold on.”

The background noise cut off, but the line didn’t disconnect. The silence dragged on for what seemed like forever. Then he could hear sound on the line.

“Taylor?” Kara’s voice came through.

Not scared. Angry. Furious. Kara was a fighter, first and always.

“I’m coming for you. Don’t...”

There was more rustling, and then the man’s voice returned. “You heard her. Seventy-two hours, then we kill your kid.”

“I’ll find her,” he said, and they hung up.

Taylor lowered the phone and looked to Bonnie. “Was that Bailey?”

She shook her head. “No, Bailey’s British. But I recognize that voice. Another hitter named Foster. He uses Bailey, too.”

“So that confirms Bailey’s coordinating all this?”

“Looks like it.”

“Then this is the right play. We find Bailey and make him tell us where Kara is.”

“Works for me.”

It took almost six hours to get to Bailey’s, and they split the driving, giving each of them a few hours of sleep. They had slept on the plane, but there was no telling how long this would take, and Taylor was a believer in getting rest whenever he could.

It also seemed that Whitaker had managed to get Solomon to back down for the time being. They passed several troopers on the way to the broker’s, but none came after them. He just hoped Solomon’s patience held because there was no telling how long this would take to unravel.

Bailey lived well off the beaten path, which made sense for someone in his profession. Once off the highway, it was a winding set of side roads, each getting smaller and more rural than the last. Since Bonnie knew where they were going, she drove the second half and surprised Taylor when she pulled off to the side of the small dirt road they had been driving on, well away from any driveways or buildings.

“Here?” Taylor asked, looking around, trying to figure out why she stopped.

“No, it’s about a mile away. We do the rest on foot.”

“Paranoid?”

“Very, and we don’t want to spook him.”

Taylor made his way around to the rear of the SUV and pulled out an M4, handing the other one to Bonnie. A forest like this, far away from other people, was the kind of place for mid-distance weapons.