Option to Kill (Nathan McBride 3)

  “You might want to rethink that,” said Holly. “I don’t have anything conclusive yet, but we’ve started digging into Marchand Patio Supplies, and I don’t like what we’re seeing.”

  Nathan glanced at Lauren. She looked asleep. He kept his voice low. “Such as?”

  “Lauren’s stepfather was only part owner of his company. A minority owner.”

  “Okay…who owns his company, then?”

  “Three separate corporations, which themselves are owned by a combination of other foreign companies. We’ve only begun to untangle this mess, but a couple of the shell companies have high-level flags associated with an internationally wanted criminal who’s well known to the Bureau.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Hans Voda, a Spanish-born man with a dozen or more aliases. He’s connected with a couple of the major Mexican narco-trafficking cartels. Basically a freelancer, as far as I can tell. But he also does his own business on the side and cuts the cartels in on his action to keep them happy. He’s wanted for murder — high-profile assassinations — in at least three countries. He’s a nondescript, dark-haired, fair-skinned, forty-two-year-old man, but he’s known to disguise himself and has obviously been very hard to track down.”

  Nathan replayed images of Lauren’s abductor in his mind. “The kidnapper definitely fits the description. And he had a Spanish accent. Could be our guy.”

  “Hans Voda,” Holly said, repeating the name, letting it sink in. “He’s on Interpol’s ten-most-wanted list. He’s wanted for extortion, smuggling, drug trafficking, prostitution, and human trafficking, including along the US–Mexican border. And that’s all in addition to the alleged murders. The Interpol profile indicates he’s a high-functioning psychopath with…am I on speaker?”

  “No.” Another glance at Lauren showed her motionless and in the same position as before.

  “He’s got a thing for young girls, Nathan. If you hadn’t rescued Lauren, it’s a good bet he would’ve sexually assaulted her and killed her. He’s not an armchair quarterback. He personally gets into the dirt because he likes violence.”

  “It could explain why he didn’t clear the area. I spoiled his little party.”

  “I’m telling you, he’s as vicious as they come. He makes your old friend Montez look like a choirboy. I’d sure feel better if you turned this over to us.”

  “I understand where you’re coming from, but I’m not planning to take any unnecessary risks.”

  “Every minute you’re with Lauren puts both of you at risk.”

  “Lauren’s safe with me. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

  “Well, I’m worried about both of you.”

  “What can you tell me about Jin?”

  “It’s what I can’t tell you that concerns me. We’ve got nothing on her. I can’t find any records at all. I ran her full name through every available database and came up with nothing. Sound familiar?”

  “Yeah, she’s invisible. Like Harv and me.”

  Harv jumped in. “Nate, she could be a spook, or worse.”

  “True, but my take is that she’s a good guy in all this.”

  “You shouldn’t assume that just because she’s protective of Lauren.”

  “I can’t explain it. You’ll just have to trust that she’s a white hat in this. But for some reason, she’s unable to protect Lauren.”

  “You’re speaking in present tense,” said Harv. “What about her past? We don’t know anything about her. All we really know is she’s Marchand’s wife and he seems to be neck deep in Voda’s world.”

  “That’s true, but if Jin knows as much as we suspect she does, we’d both be dead if she wasn’t on our side. She pointed me out to Lauren last year. And if she knows about me, it’s a good bet she knows about you.”

  “Okay, I’ll grant you that. So where does this leave us?”

  “I’ll keep Lauren with me and stay mobile.”

  “I know you don’t want direct help from us at this stage,” said Holly, “but let me send Special Agent Grangeland in your direction. I’d feel a lot better if you had a second pair of eyes — and a second gun.”

  “That’s a tempting offer, and she’s a proven asset, but we’re okay for now.”

  “Well, then legally we’re on shaky ground,” Holly said. “As a sworn law enforcement officer, I’m officially telling you to back off.”

  “I understand. I’ve officially been told to stand down. You’re covered.”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about,” said Holly, with some frustration in her voice. “I want to hear from you after you’ve looked around the warehouse, and don’t leave any trace of your entry. We may need evidence in court someday.”

  “I’ll be wearing gloves. Lauren doesn’t need them, she’s already been all over the place. Her prints can be explained.”

  “Since Voda took Lauren’s phone,” Holly said, “he’ll have your cell number from the texts you exchanged with her tonight. Is your cellular account secure?”

  “Yes,” Harv cut in. “Both our phones are hidden under a double-layered shell company with an eventual address in Delaware. It would be extremely difficult to trace our phone numbers back to First Security without direct access to Verizon’s encrypted servers. Holly, don’t get the wrong idea: our shell companies are legit and legal, they’re just not doing any actual business.”

  “I wasn’t worried. You’ve both got US government plates on your vehicles. So even if Voda noted the Mustang’s plate, he can’t trace you that way, either. I think you’re okay. He’d need to have a pretty high-level informant to get anything useful on you guys.”

  “Right. If it’s even Voda,” Nathan said.

  “True,” said Holly. “We can’t confirm it yet, but I still have to report his suspected presence up the chain of command right away.”

  “Understood.” Nathan thought for a moment. “Assuming it’s Voda, is there any way you can discreetly find out if the Bureau or any other law enforcement agencies have a man inside his operation?”

  “I suppose. Why are you asking?”

  “I’m not saying it will happen, but there could be more confrontations tonight, and I don’t want to worry about a friendly-fire situation.”

  “Confrontations?” Harv asked. “What happened to lying low until I get there?”

  “Look, I’m not planning to engage Voda or his men — I’ve got Lauren with me. But I need to know if I do face that situation, I won’t be shooting at any undercover federal agents.”

  “Nathan, you don’t have to go after him,” Holly said.

  “Under normal circumstances I would agree, but Jin’s a wild card. She knows who I am, and until we figure out what her connection is, Voda’s fair game. Maybe I’ll just wring it out of him. I’d love to give him a taste of his own medicine.”

  “Holly,” said Harv, “I’m with Nate on this. He needs to act as he sees fit until we understand who Jin is and why she’s involved, especially given what she knows about us.”

  “Okay,” Holly said. “I’ll look into the undercover question. But remember, I’ll only be able to speak for the FBI. What other law enforcement agencies may be doing…” She let the sentence hang.

  “Understood. And if you have to talk to Director Lansing, tell him the truth, everything that’s happened. Don’t hold anything back. Tell him everything you know.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that, Nathan. I was planning to. I can’t withhold any of this from him.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to. Lansing and I have an unspoken understanding. Our trust in each other isn’t absolute, but we have a proven history together. He knows the score.”

  “I’ll be honest, Nathan. I’m uncomfortable with this. I know you’re not indiscriminate, but if it’s truly Voda, he’s a gold mine. This could be an opportunity for us to collar him….”

  Nathan knew she’d purposely omitted the word alive. He didn’t say anything, didn’t trust himself to.

  “Of course
,” she added, “I won’t second-guess any action you take to protect yourself and Lauren.”

  “Thanks, Holly. Harv, can you forward the list of numbers?”

  “I already did. Holly, it should be in your inbox.”

  “What numbers are you talking about?”

  Harv answered. “Lauren had a piece of paper in her pocket with columns of numbers.”

  “She took it from Marchand’s office,” Nathan added. “Jin told her it was important, an insurance policy of sorts.”

  “I’ll take a look right away.”

  Nathan was about to sign off, when an idea struck him. “Wait a minute…if I call Lauren’s phone, Voda might answer. He confiscated it from her. Holly, can you record the call and get a voice print?”

  “Yes, but I’m on my cell. Can you write down a different number?”

  “I’m pulling over. Hang on a sec.”

  “Nate, keep going,” Harv said. “Ask Lauren to write the number down. There should be a notepad and pen in the glove box.”

  “Lauren, I know you’re awake. Pop the glove. I need you to write down a number. Holly, I’m putting you on speaker. Okay, shoot.”

  “I’ll give you my field office number. All incoming calls are recorded. After the recording, hit extension two-five-eight-seven. It’ll ring straight through to my office. I’ll pick up before you initiate the three-way call with Lauren’s phone.”

  Lauren wrote the phone number and extension on the pad.

  “Harv, we’ll talk later. Look into the private charters.”

  “Candace is doing it as we speak.”

  “Okay, Holly, I’ll make the call to your field office as soon as we hang up.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Nathan looked at Lauren. “I’m going to call your cell phone and see if your kidnapper picks up. I’m setting up a three-way call with Holly so she can record it. What’s the number she just gave us?” Nathan keyed it in and tapped the call button. He waited until the recorded message ended before entering Holly’s extension.

  “I’m here,” Holly said.

  “Good,” said Nathan. “Hang on. I’ll make the other call.” He pressed the symbol for adding a call and asked Lauren for her number. When it began ringing on Lauren’s phone, he brought Holly back into the call. “Holly, are you there?”

  “I’m here. I’ll call you afterward.”

  A moment later, a voice Nathan recognized answered Lauren’s phone. “Whoever you are, I’ll give you credit. You’ve got some balls. Turn the girl over, and I’ll let you keep them.”

  “Good evening, Mr. Voda.”

  A pause. “You think I can’t find you?”

  “How’s the leg?”

  “Give me the girl.”

  “I’m a businessman. How about a trade?” Nathan winked at Lauren. “Three hundred grand, and she’s yours. I don’t take checks.”

  “And if I say no?”

  “It’s been nice talking with you. Good-bye, Mr. Voda.”

  “When and where?”

  “I’ll get back to you.” Nathan ended the call and waited for Holly. Fifteen seconds later, his cell vibrated. “Did you get that?”

  “Yes. We’ll do a voice-print analysis. I wish you’d kept him on the phone longer.”

  “I don’t want him to think I have ties to law enforcement. Hopefully he guesses I’m horning in on his action — a rival cartel or some independent contractor. It’s something he should be able to relate to.”

  “Smart thinking. We’ll do another three-way on your next call. I’ll get my people working on this right away.”

  “Sounds good. One more thing. I need you to find out if SDPD has my bad guy in custody from the grocery store.”

  “Will do,” Holly said. “Harv already asked me about it.”

  Nathan also told her about the MP5s he’d stashed behind the stucco wall where he’d rammed Voda’s Escalade. It was possible Voda and his goons had retrieved them, but he needed to mention it just in case. The only thing Nathan didn’t tell Holly was that he’d seized a cell phone from one of Voda’s men. He felt badly about not mentioning it, but if he had, Holly would want it right away and he needed to go through it first.

  Holly’s tone was firm. “No unnecessary risks, Nathan.”

  He agreed, thanked her, and ended the call, then looked over at Lauren. “If you’re going to fake being asleep, you have to slow your breathing in half.”

  “You noticed my breathing? Seriously? You are such a spy.”

  “You watch too many movies.”

  “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me the truth.”

  “Let’s change the subject. I need to go over some stuff with you before we reach your stepdad’s warehouse.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like being very quiet during the operation. Don’t say anything or make any noise unless I prompt you. We’re invisible.”

  “Sounds cool.”

  “Lauren, this is serious. I mean it. Don’t make a sound. I want you to think about your footsteps, your breathing, accidentally bumping into things. You need to be totally silent.”

  “I can do that.”

  “You also need to learn some basic hand signals.” Nathan showed her the gesture for holding position, taking point, following, forming up, hunkering down, looking in certain directions, and several others. Lauren was a quick study and could emulate all of them within a minute. He also taught her directional indicators using the clock method. Twelve o’clock — straight ahead. Six o’clock — directly behind. Three o’clock — to the right. Nine o’clock — to the left. He tested her with a couple of landmarks, and she seemed to have a good command of the concept. Perhaps a little too good.

  “A point of clarification. You are not taking an active part in tonight’s operations. I am not giving you a gun to act as my backup. Your role is to be very quiet and stay out of my way. If I need something from you, I’ll ask. Understood?”

  She nodded agreement, but he saw her mind working behind those discerning blue eyes.

  Chapter 14

  After they exited the 905 interchange, Lauren directed Nathan east toward Otay Mesa for several miles, then had him turn left into a cluster of industrial buildings. A huge auto-wrecking complex dominated the right side of the road. Nathan was somewhat familiar with this area of South San Diego. First Security, had installed a state-of-the-art system in a self-storage facility a little farther down 905.

  Lauren sat forward and pointed to a side street. “Turn here. It’s the next one on the right.”

  Nathan studied the huge building as he drove past, making a mental note of the security lights mounted on the walls. Many of the lights were dark, and it didn’t take long to see the pattern. Along the loading dock, every third light was on. Marchand probably did it to save on the electric bill. He didn’t see any security cameras, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. He guessed the building’s footprint to be roughly three hundred by five hundred feet, and it looked to be about twenty-five feet high. Whatever the case, Mr. Marchand probably stored a boatload of patio furniture in there. Several vans were parked about two-thirds of the way down the loading dock, under an illuminated security light.

  “Are those the company vans?”

  Lauren nodded.

  “You used one of them to drive home last night?”

  Another nod.

  “You okay?”

  “This place creeps me out. We’ll be together, right?”

  “Yes.”

  He made a U-turn and cruised past the south side, taking notice of the building’s main entrance. Two cars were parked at the curb, but the amount of dust and grime on them suggested they hadn’t been moved in some time. Just to be sure, he pulled alongside and had Lauren reach out and feel their hoods. She said they felt cold. The public streetlights weren’t a huge concern, but if anybody drove past while they were on foot, they’d be seen. The low, fire-resistant landscaping offered no place to hide. Anyone seeing a man wit
h a duffel bag would probably be more than a little suspicious. Nathan might as well wear a cardboard body sign with CAT BURGLAR in huge block letters.

  He decided the loading dock offered the best option for visual cover. A ten-foot-high wall paralleled the sunken area where trucks backed up against the building to load and unload their cargo. If he parked the Taurus behind the wall, no one from the street could see it.

  He was just about to turn into the driveway when he spotted bleed light from an approaching vehicle. He gunned the engine and made a quick left turn back toward the auto-wrecking yard. Ten seconds later, he saw the vehicle turn down the street where he’d just been. He also saw the unmistakable shield-type logo of a security company on the door panel. This complicated things and forced a change in plans. He didn’t know the frequency of the patrol vehicle’s rounds, so parking next to the loading dock was out. He’d need to find a parking place along the street, preferably with a few other cars present. Near the wrecking yard, he found a good location. It would make their approach to the warehouse longer and less stealthy, but it couldn’t be helped. He made a U-turn, pulled up to the curb, and parked.

  “What’re we doing?”

  Nathan nodded toward the warehouse. “Security patrol.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “We’re going to wait.”

  Half a minute later, he watched the security vehicle exit the warehouse property on the far side of the building and turn directly toward them. Crap. He didn’t know if the driver would recognize an additional vehicle parked on the curb since his last cruise-through.

  “Lauren, climb into the back and lie down. I’ll be right behind you. Hurry!”

  She unbuckled her belt and scrambled over the center console. Nathan hit the door-lock button and heard all four locks clunk into place. He practically dived into the rear compartment and flattened himself out on the seat.

  Lauren’s head ended up against the small of his back.

  The world outside grew brighter with each passing second as invasive light raided their hiding place. He felt Lauren’s body shudder and reached back to give her arm a reassuring squeeze. The light reached a peak as the patrol car pulled alongside. The bleed light changed from white to red as the driver applied the brakes. Things got worse when a million-candlepower beam swept through the interior above them. The intensity hammered Nathan’s eyes. He knew the driver was using the post-mounted spot to check their car. The beam moved back and forth in a jerky yet controlled manner.