Page 61 of On the Chase
“None of that.” Truman gave her a casual shove that rolled her onto her back, crushing her hands and feet painfully beneath her. “No one can hear you anyway. This auto shop is closed for the winter, and Monroe is like a ghost town. Just be a good girl, and I’ll deliver you into Jovanovic’s loving arms lickety-split. Well,Iwon’t be the one driving, but I’ll pay someone to get you there. How about that?”
He patted her on the head, and her rage returned, smothering the worst of her fear. If she hadn’t been gagged, she would’ve bitten his condescending, evil hand. Straightening, he lowered the top of her cage, and she heard a snap as something locked into place. Grace had a feeling that Truman hadn’t built in an emergency release lever for someone trapped in his drug hiding place.
Twisting onto her side again, she peered through the vent, watching as Truman hopped out of the back, leaving the door open. Grace felt a surge of urgency. She had to do something to take advantage of his absence and the open van door. Soon, they’d be in motion, and escaping would be that much more difficult. Once she was back in Martin’s hands… Squeezing her eyes closed, Grace blocked out the panic that followed.Think!There had to be some way to escape.
Her cell phone had been on her lap when she’d lost consciousness, so it was probably still in the interview room, unless Truman had grabbed it. Calling for help was out. Hugh’s face filled her mind, and she desperately wished she was with him, teasing him, joking with him, feeling safe. It hurt to think about him when she might never see him again, and she banished the thought.Plan!she ordered her brain.Think of a plan!
Her mind just spun in helpless, useless circles. Needing to dosomething, she reached for her ankles again, starting to pick at the tape while she thought. Truman had said they were in an auto shop. The only one that came to mind was a squatty little place perched on the very edge of town, a good distance away from any other buildings. Even if Monroe hadn’t been mostly empty, the shop was isolated. If she managed to make noise, no one would hear—no one except Truman. Her fingers dug at the tape more and more frantically, and she forced them to slow. Panic wouldn’t help. It only made it harder to think.
Truman climbed into the van, and she went still. Even though he knew she was there—he’dputher in there—she still instinctually tried to hide in place. As she stared through the vent, he carefully placed what looked like a canister vacuum on the shelf under the grooming table. His movements were so tentative that she examined the vacuum more closely, wondering why something labeled Pet Vac-N-Blow required such careful handling. She didn’t notice anything obviously off about it, though.
Once the vacuum was in place, Truman backed away, sending a grin toward Grace’s vent. “A little present for your cop friend, just in case he decides to stop your delivery today.”
Grace’s eyes went wide, and her body involuntarily jerked, thumping her bound feet against the side of her cage.Hugh?Her heart pounded as she stared at the innocuous-looking vacuum.
“Smells like coke,” Truman said, his tone slightly amused. “Officer Murdoch’s ever-so-talented dog will lead him right to it.”
It was hard to hear Truman with her blood roaring in her ears, so Grace tried to force herself to calm down so she could listen. Air tore in and out of her lungs in frantic gasps as Truman smiled.
“Don’t tell him, but there’s a surprise inside. One that goesboom.”
Grace screamed into her gag.
* * *
As the van rolled into motion, jostling her back and forth in her tiny prison, Grace lost control of her panic. She fought her restraints wildly, not even feeling her muscles shriek as she pulled against her bonds. Her fingers scrabbled to grip the tape, and two of her short nails bent back past the quick, but it didn’t matter. She needed to get free before Hugh stopped the van, before Lexi found the drug-laced explosives, before the bomb went off, killing them all. Bound as Grace was, there was no way to warn them. She’d just have to lie there and watch, helpless, as everyone died.
With each second, they rolled closer to the street where she feared that Hugh, Theo, and Otto waited, and with each second, Grace prayed frantically that they’d already left, given up, gone back to the safety of the station. She’d still be sent back to Martin and killed, but at least Hugh and Lexi and the other cops wouldn’t die along with her.
Flashing red-and-blue lights lit up the back of the van as it rolled to a stop. A sob jerked through Grace, and she choked on the wad of fabric in her mouth. This was it. She renewed her struggles, but then paused to listen as a stranger’s voice said from the driver’s seat, “Was I speeding, Officer?”
Otto’s low rumble responded. “Yes. License, registration, and proof of insurance, please.”
“Sorry about that.” The driver gave an unconvincing chuckle. “These small mountain towns come up so fast. I’m on the highway, going fifty-five, and then suddenly I’m on Main Street. Takes a while to adjust.”
Grace shifted, moving her lower body into place so she would be ready to bang her knees and feet against the wall of her enclosure as soon as there was a second of silence. Unfortunately, the driver continued to babble.
“I drive this route all the time, since the Dresden ladies love their fluffy lap dogs to be clean, but I’ve never been pulled over here before. Didn’t even know you guyshadcops in this town.” That awkward half laugh came again, and Grace gritted her teeth. If only the guy could shut up for five seconds, she could slam her legs against the wall hard enough for Otto to hear. If the cops found her first, before the bomb was activated, then she could warn them.
The faint sound of Hugh’s voice made Grace stop breathing. She strained to hear, but his words were unintelligible. Otto must have heard what he needed to hear, though, since he interrupted the still-babbling man. “Step out of the car, please.”
“What? Why?” The guy sounded panicked. He must have obeyed Otto, because the van bobbled slightly as he climbed out of the driver’s seat, and his babbled excuses and bluster grew fainter.
The back door jerked open, and Lexi hopped inside, followed by Hugh.No!Grace screamed, but the gag took away all of the sound. She swung her lower body as best she could, hitting her feet and knees painfully against the side of the small space, but an arriving squad car’s siren gradually grew louder, muffling the sound. With a glance toward Grace’s vent, Lexi went straight to the grooming table and sat in front of it, her attention locked on the pet vacuum.
“Good girl, Lex!” Hugh said. He limped toward Lexi, pulling a braided tug out of his pocket, but the dog didn’t grab on to the toy. Instead, she spun around and started sniffing Grace’s vent.
Good girl, Lexi!Grace made a grateful sound in her throat. Hugh was watching the dog curiously.
“What’s up? Bored with Mr. Tugs already?” he asked, his words barely audible above the siren. “Too many dog smells in the pet-mobile to resist?” After a few moments, he turned back toward the pet vacuum and pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket. As he lifted the rigged, deadly appliance, Grace screamed at him, but the sound was lost in her gag and the multiple sirens gathering outside.
Over and over, she slammed her body against the side of her enclosure. Tears of terror and frustration filled her eyes, turning Lexi into a blurry brown-and-black blob. Grace blinked, desperate to see, to know what was happening, and tears ran sideways across the bridge of her nose and down her face. Lexi started to paw at the vent and bark.
Frowning, Hugh put the vacuum on the grooming table and moved to crouch next to Lexi. The sirens went silent, and Grace’s knees hit with a dull thud. Hugh jumped back, drawing his gun. “Lexi, here!”
Lexi reluctantly moved to his side, her tail low and her attention still on Grace’s vent. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Grace babbled silently, rolling so her shoulder hit the side this time.
“Who’s there?” Hugh barked, and Grace thumped her knees in response. He moved toward her, but slowly, too slowly with the bomb sitting right next to him. Who knew where Truman—in his Agent Barrett guise—was, or if he had a way to detonate the explosives remotely. They didn’t have much time. Grace knocked into the side with her head. It was the loudest sound she’d made so far, but it hurt the most, and her vision grayed slightly. She gritted her teeth, blinking rapidly. If she passed out and couldn’t talk, then Hugh would never know about the bomb, even if he got her out in time.
