Guard (The Underground Book 3) Page 24

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah. I don’t know why you’re so hell-bent on recovering Haley Sullivan specifically tonight. It’s too risky. I don’t even have enough details to help you.”

  “That’s for me to worry about. You have your eyes on them now?”

  “Yep. Conveniently I have their entire itinerary.”

  “Perfect. So if there happened to be an explosion, your priority would change.”

  “True. Where is this explosion going to occur?” Dayton sounded leery.

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it. You need to be appropriately shocked and concerned. In the scatter of people, my guys will go for the women.”

  “I hope you know what you’re doing. I don’t see why you’re in such a hurry. We don’t have to pick this woman up precisely today. She’s gotten lax. She’ll stay lax. I’m worried about this plan of yours. It feels too rushed.”

  “Never doubt me.” Anton ended the call and dialed the next man on his list. This had to go off without a hitch. He wanted that bitch. As an added bonus, he wanted Belinda Gallo too. Teach her a lesson about snooping around in things that weren’t her concern.

  Chapter Twenty

  Haley kneeled down to speak to Fredrick. That was the name she knew him by, at least. It was possible he made it up. She’d never seen an ID or anything, and she doubted he had one. Hell, he might not even know his real name at this point. He showed signs of schizophrenia every time she found him under the L. “You doing okay, Fred?”

  He blinked. “Where you been, girlie? Haven’t seen you in weeks. Thought maybe the snatchers got you.”

  “The snatchers?” She shuddered.

  “Them masked men who come in the middle of the night and cart away the homeless. Government conspiracy, I tell you. Trying to kill us all off one at a time.” He reached for his chin with one hand and stroked his scraggly beard. “They ain’t got me yet, but I’m ornery. They’d probably throw me back.” He grinned widely, reminding her of the fact that he was missing several teeth and the ones still intact were blackened from years of neglect.

  “Have you seen these men, Fred?”

  Belinda kneeled down next to Haley, probably having sensed a story.

  “Nah. I don’t stay visible at night. You know me. I finds me a place to sleep where no one can get to me. But I heard the stories. They got Earl a few blocks from here just last week.”

  Earl. Dammit. Haley found it hard to remain calm. Maybe she shouldn’t have come here tonight. Maybe it was too soon.

  But people were dying, being snatched off the street exactly as Fredrick described it. She needed to pull up her big girl panties and do what she could to help put an end to this insanity.

  For a second, she flinched at the thought. After all, she was wearing a ridiculous skirt today, and no panties at all. She never should have allowed Mikhail to enforce that decree.

  She clenched her legs tighter and ignored her predicament. “You certain about Earl? You haven’t seen him?”

  “Nope. We was supposed to meet up the other night. He didn’t show. Some of the guys that hang around his corner said they heard him screaming one night and ran toward the sound, but they were too late. He was already in the backseat of a car. The snatchers had him.”

  “Did they say what the snatchers looked like?” She used his own words.

  “Black clothes. Black masks. Cain’t nobody even tell if they’s white men or black men. Don’t matter, neither. Earl’s gone either way.” He reached out with one hand and grabbed Haley’s forearm. His fingers curled around her wrist. He wore ridiculous-looking, lime-green women’s gloves, the fingers cut off, and the yarn worn and dingy. His nails were black at the tips from the dirt under them.

  Haley didn’t flinch. In fact, she leaned closer. Maybe not everyone could do what she did, but after a lifetime of working next to her parents to help the downtrodden, she saw people differently than most. They were humans first. Just like her. Just because Fredrick hadn’t had a bath in who knew how long and he had untreated mental illness didn’t mean he wasn’t human.

  He crooked his finger and glanced around, trying to get her closer.

  When she leaned forward farther, he whispered in her ear. “If they find ’is body, will ya let me know? I’d like to be able to say a prayer for him.”

  Haley wrapped her own smaller hand over his and squeezed. “I will, Fred. Don’t you worry.” She released him at the same time he let go of her so she could stand. “Stay safe, Fred.” She reached into the satchel strapped across her body so it rested on her hip and pulled out a package. She knew he wouldn’t pay much attention to the toothbrush or other hygiene items, but he would eat the sandwich, and he was one of the good guys. He would find another lost soul to gift the rest of the stuff to.

  As she stepped back, Belinda did the same next to her. “You’re an amazing woman, Haley Sullivan.” Belinda’s voice was choked up.

  Haley smiled. “I’m just a woman. One person. Trying to make a difference.”

  “I didn’t think anything you could do alone would matter much. But I was wrong. It means the world to these people that you stop and listen to them. Could change anyone’s life any day.”

  “That’s why I do it.” She felt Mikhail’s presence at her back, but she didn’t turn around.

  There was little doubt he’d stepped closer when Fred had grabbed her arm, but he knew she wouldn’t forgive him if he intervened. She’d given him a lecture that would rival any mother speaking to a small child as she rode in his Jeep to a nearby location to park.

  Even Belinda kept quiet in the car. Of course, she had Nikolav next to her in the backseat, and she’d been tongue-tied since the moment they met up with him in the lobby.

  As she turned to the left to continue down the street, the earth rumbled beneath her. She had to bend her knees to keep her balance, covering her head at the same time with both hands as the concrete from the overpass rained down around them. The ground continued to shake. An explosion?

  Before the earth stopped moving and the screams began, Mikhail had his arm around her and nearly lifted her off her feet, rushing her away from the epicenter.

  He didn’t say a word, and when she wasn’t quick enough, he did lift her, cradling her in his arms while he ran forward as fast as he could, dodging people and debris everywhere.

  “Belinda.” Haley gripped her satchel and twisted her neck around to peer over his shoulder.

  Nikolav had her friend by the hand, and the two of them were running right behind Mikhail.

  The majority of people ran in the same direction as the four of them, but some were too curious, and they fought the crowd to get closer to the explosion. What was wrong with people?

  Was this a terrorist attack? It wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Chicago was a major city, and the rail system above them was an easy target.

  Finally, Mikhail rounded a corner and flattened himself against the side of a building.

  Haley wiggled free, her body sliding down his to stand in front of him. She smoothed her skirt down to make sure it wasn’t hiked up too high.

  Belinda was breathing heavily as she came to a rest next to Haley. “Shit. What the hell was that?”

  “Must be a terrorist attack,” Haley responded.

  “Don’t bet on it,” Mikhail muttered as he peeked around the corner and then glanced down the street in every direction.

  “Fuck,” Nikolav shouted.

  Haley followed his gaze to find him staring at four men emerging from the cloudy fall of powdery concrete. They were running toward the four of them, dressed in black, weapons at their sides, black masks.

  She would have agreed with Belinda under normal circumstances and thought these men were terrorists. But after the conversation she had with Fred, she knew who was barreling toward them—the men Fred referred to as snatchers.

  Mikhail yelled over the screaming all around them, clapping a hand over Nikolav’s shoulder. “You take Belinda
. I’ll take Haley. Let’s split up. Don’t stop moving.”

  Nikolav nodded. He grabbed Belinda’s small hand and turned to drag her down the street to their left.

  Mikhail took Haley’s hand and turned in the other direction. “Can you run?”

  Thank God she’d put on her tennis shoes before leaving her office. She always dressed as low key as possible when she handed out supplies. Today had been no exception, except for the stupid jean skirt that abraded against her thighs with every step and kept her from getting a wide enough stride.

  Somehow she managed to keep up with him. She wasn’t in the best shape. She hadn’t been to the gym in over a month, and her strength wasn’t completely back from weeks of being drugged.

  But she fought, knowing it was important.

  Mikhail rounded a corner, and then another.

  She didn’t know where they were anymore. She’d lost track of how many turns they made and what direction they were facing. But that didn’t matter as much as getting someplace safe.

  A shot rang out.

  Mikhail glanced over his shoulder and picked up the pace. While he ran, he leaned toward her and pulled something out of the back of his jeans.

  When she caught a glimpse of the object in his hand, she gasped. He had a gun. How had she not known he was carrying a gun?

  He squeezed her hand tighter, if that was possible. “Faster, baby. Let’s get to that station up ahead. It will be crowded. We can get lost among the people.”

  She nodded, though he couldn’t see her. Setting her sights on the stairs leading up to the L platform, she commanded her burning legs to continue. One foot in front of the other. Again. Again.

  Instead of taking the stairs as she expected, Mikhail yanked her behind them into the small space buried in the shadows. The stairs were metal, and she could see between them. Three of the black-clad men were in pursuit, darting in and out of people, shoving them out of the way with no regard for anyone. An older lady hit the ground hard on her butt and screamed.

  The men ignored her.

  Mikhail lifted his gun, his finger on the trigger, and rested it on the step at the level of his shoulder, aiming between the stairs. With his other hand, he shoved her behind his back. “Crouch down.”

  She did as he told her, holding his legs with both hands.

  Where was Belinda?

  She tried to control her breathing as it occurred to her these men were after her. Not Belinda. They wanted her.

  Separating from Belinda had probably been the best plan.

  Although four men had become three. That meant one of them had followed Nikolav and Belinda. But he was just one man. Nikolav could outrun anyone. Did he too have a gun? She shivered, her fingertips digging into Mikhail’s calves.

  Suddenly, Mikhail took a shot. The resounding backfire knocked her to her ass. She scrambled to get back on her toes and wrapped her arms around his legs. One man held his leg, putting pressure on his thigh. His face was contorted in pain as he hobbled forward and then gave up and sat on the curb.

  The other two men glanced around as if they weren’t sure where the gunfire came from. They both lifted their weapons and scanned the crowd. The screaming from the explosion increased, and people ran in every direction to get out of the way. The sun was setting. In the dusk, it was getting harder to see.

  The two remaining men hesitated when they must have realized where Mikhail and Haley were hiding. They inched forward, guns aimed at the stairs.

  Haley held her breath, eyes wide, unblinking. Heart racing.

  It didn’t seem they could get out of this alive. They were trapped.

  Mikhail took another shot, hitting one of the men in the arm and knocking his gun out of his hand.

  The last man didn’t even glance at his partner. He continued forward, gun aimed at Mikhail. As he passed a young woman who had crouched down on the street with a small child in her arms, he reached down and grabbed the woman by the arm, hauling her up in front of him.

  The woman screamed, her arms flailing toward her daughter.

  The little girl was approximately two, and she sat in the street in a pale pink dress, tears racing down her face. She sobbed, one thumb in her mouth, her other hand reaching toward her mother.

  “Fuck,” Mikhail muttered. “Fuck.”

  People darted in every direction, their focus shifting from the explosion to the gunman now holding a hostage in the middle of the street. He transferred the aim of his gun from the stairs to the woman’s temple, continuing to inch forward.

  The woman grabbed the man’s forearm. She had to walk on her tiptoes to keep from being hanged by the masked man’s arm. He looked every bit like a bank robber. But Haley knew he was one of the snatchers Fredrick had described.

  And his mission was to recover Haley.

  “Fuck,” Mikhail stated again.

  When the man got within yards of the stairs, he shouted, “Trade you, Dudko.”

  Mikhail didn’t flinch. Haley almost wet herself.

  “No one else has to get hurt. Hell, you know nothing will happen to your whore in my care. Orders are to return with her alive. Hand her over nicely, or this woman dies.” He pushed the gun harder into the woman’s skull.

  The woman whimpered, but she didn’t move more than necessary.

  “Not gonna happen, asshole. If you know my name, then you know I’m not inclined to negotiate.”

  The man chuckled sardonically. “Right. I just watched you help your woman take care of the vermin of society. I know better than to think you’d let this bitch die. Your moral code holds a very high sanctity of life. Convenient for me. Too bad for Ms. Sullivan.”

  “Put the gun down,” Mikhail said. “You’re surrounded, and you know it.”

  Haley glanced in every direction. Was Mikhail right? How did he know that? Maybe he was bluffing.

  The guy laughed again. “If I was surrounded, we wouldn’t be having this discussion now, would we?” He opened his mouth to say something else, but suddenly his head yanked back as if in slow motion, blood spraying all over the woman and for several feet in every direction.

  The masked man slumped to the ground, his gun falling next to him.

  The woman screamed louder and scrambled to get away from him. Her face was covered with blood, and she wiped it away with her sleeve. Her gaze shot behind her, and she raced toward her child still sitting in the street crying.

  Only a mother could have pulled her shit together and not collapsed on the spot.

  Haley stood and then lurched forward, thinking to make sure the woman was okay, but the mother swept her child off the ground and raced away from the scene.

  Mikhail lowered his gun and glanced behind him as he hauled Haley up next to him by the forearm. “You okay?”

  She nodded, plastering herself to his side, her hand clenching his shirt at his chest. She looked around. There were two other guys. Where did they go?

  A car squealed around the corner and came to a stop in the middle of the intersection. Black. Tinted windows. Before it came to a stop, someone pushed the back door open from the inside and reached out a hand.

  The man who’d been shot in the leg scrambled into the car. The man holding his arm ran for the other side, yanked the door open, and crawled in also. Before the doors were shut, the car peeled away again.

  Haley spun around at the sound of heavy breathing to find one of the FBI agents behind them. She thought his name was Bill. Had he shot the last man? Probably.

  “You two okay?”

  “Yes. Anyone on Nik and Belinda?” Mikhail asked.

  “They’re safe. Patrick picked them up a few minutes ago.”

  Mikhail nodded. “Get us out of here.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Haley couldn’t stop shaking as she sat in the back of the black sedan. It wasn’t much different from the one that had picked up the bad guys. She wrapped her arms around her middle, unable to keep the chill at bay even though Mikhail had her plastered to h
is side.

  He spoke to Bill in the front seat. “You know who those guys were?”

  “Not a clue. But someone’s picking up the body now. Hopefully that will give us some information.”

  “Did you get a plate off that car?”

  “Didn’t have any.”

  “Of course.” Mikhail slammed his hand against the door.

  Haley flinched next to him but said nothing. She was still fighting the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. Her life was a nightmare. When would it end?

  “What was the explosion? Did you see it?”

  “I saw it. I wasn’t far from the epicenter. It was a few blocks east of here under the L platform.”

  “Under? Why under?”

  Bill met Mikhail’s gaze in the rearview mirror.

  The explosion had been meant as a distraction so the snatchers Fred spoke of could recover Haley. Someone had known she would be working under the green line that evening, and they’d gone to great lengths to ensure she was recovered.

  New tears fell.

  “Fuck,” Mikhail muttered, ducking his head but not looking at her. Fuck seemed to be his new favorite word. And she couldn’t blame him. But was he pissed at her?

  This was all her fault. If she hadn’t insisted on working today. If she hadn’t begged him to let her hand out supplies to the homeless…

  She stiffened. How did Yenin and his men know where she would be and what time? That was the most frightening thought of all.

  There had to be a mole. Someone who worked for the FBI had to pass information to Yenin. The list of people who knew Haley would be handing out supplies to the homeless tonight was long. Leo had spoken to his contact. Mikhail had spoken to Taylor. Word would have spread to dozens of people, including all of the ones who surrounded the four masked men and reclaimed Haley.

  She hadn’t specifically seen any of them, so she had no idea how many were watching the shootout. None of them would have been able to show their faces unless absolutely necessary. Only Bill had stepped out, and he’d been the one to shoot the masked man.