High Risk by G.K. Parks (books for 10th graders TXT) 📕

maps and LockBox uniforms were nothing more than a misdirect, but he knew once the police banged down the doors and found all of this, they’d be convinced. And that’s exactly what he needed. This might be the best thing that had happened since watching the cop writhe on the floor. He found himself smiling.

“Why are you taking the box? Don’t we need those?”

“I’m putting it in the trunk. It’ll make it easier for us to grab when it’s go-time. Why are you questioning me?”

“Whatever, man.” Carter waited for the door to close before adding, “Psycho.” Cautiously, he crossed the room and peered out the curtain. Once the car pulled away, Carter went to the door and turned the knob. If he wanted to escape, now was his chance, but he just couldn’t do it. He knew if he did, Tarelli would hunt him down and kill him. And after seeing how much he enjoyed shooting the night watchman and torturing that poor police detective, Carter didn’t want to know what types of agony he’d face if he fled. So he stayed and waited.

*       *       *

Every time I closed my eyes, I found myself back in the liquor store. The murder in his eyes chilled me to the bone. I shivered uncontrollably, unsure if that was from the blood loss or fear. “Who are you?” I screamed.

The notepad fell to the floor with a thunk, and I opened my eyes. “Em?” I called.

“She left three hours ago,” Brad said. “She didn’t want to wake you.” He yawned. “What’s wrong?”

“Take those away from me. Every time I take one, I pass out.”

He picked up the bottle and put it on the end table out of my reach. He yawned again and stretched. “So what woke you up?”

“A nightmare.”

He nodded, bleary-eyed. “Is that why you don’t want to risk going back to sleep?”

I hadn’t actually thought about it. I was too determined to reconcile Brandon Tarelli’s mugshot with my memory of the third man to think about my rapidly beating heart or the cold sweat dripping down my back. “I don’t want to sleep when the clock’s ticking. What if we’re wrong about the target?”

Brad picked up the notebook, piled everything onto the table, and offered me his hand. “Then we’ll figure it out tomorrow. You need to sleep. You haven’t recovered yet, and you won’t unless you get enough rest. Give the bed another try, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll trade. Okay?” He looked exhausted.

I sighed, knowing he was right. There was nothing we could do. This wasn’t even our show. It was Voletek’s. “Okay.” I picked up the plush toy, laughing to myself. “We’ll see how this works. But I normally don’t sleep with cops.”

“Unless it’s me,” he teased.

“That’s because you’re special.”

“So are you.” A strange look came over his face. “Sweet dreams.”

I went down the hall and climbed into bed, too tired to change out of my clothes. The moment my head hit the pillow, I was out. And I didn’t wake again until the phone rang.

From my bedroom, I could hear Brad’s voice. During the course of the night, a patrol unit pulled over a car with expired tags. When they ran the plates, they found it had been reported stolen a few hours earlier. Diego Eisner was behind the wheel.

“Did they find anything in the car?” Brad asked. “Really? A motel room?” He paused. “Uh-huh.”

I got out of bed, grabbed some clothes, and went into the bathroom. Through the wall I could still hear him.

“What about the other one?” Brad waited for a response. “But you found Carter?” Another pause. “Okay, I’ll tell Liv.”

By the time Brad hung up, I had finished in the bathroom. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“Patrol made a stop last night. They arrested Diego Eisner leaving a liquor store and they found a motel key in his wallet which led to Carter Moore. They didn’t get eyes on the third man, but the motel clerk recognized Tarelli’s mugshot. He’s been renting the room for the last three weeks.”

“Since his release.”

“It looks that way. Tarelli paid up for the rest of the month in cash the same day he robbed Star Cleaners.”

“He probably used the money from the drawer.”

“Voletek and Lisco found the LockBox uniforms and the empty cash boxes from the dispensary in the motel room. They didn’t find any cash though, except whatever Diego and Carter had in their wallets, which didn’t sound like much. Voletek thinks Tarelli must have everything with him. He might not trust his accomplices.”

“Did they find anything else?”

“Not really.”

“Guns?” I asked.

“No. Tarelli must have those too, unless Diego and Carter ditched them when they spotted the patrol unit. Voletek thinks Tarelli still plans to go through with this even though we have his crew in custody.” Brad stepped past me and toward the bathroom. “Grab some breakfast and get ready to go. Lt. Winston wants to conduct a lineup to cover his ass. So every witness we have is being brought in to point out whoever they recognize, and the LT wants you to make an ID too.”

“I never saw them.”

“I know, but you heard their voices. You already know who they are. So all you have to do is ID them.”

Blowing out a breath, I went into the kitchen, dumped some fruits and veggies into the blender and made us breakfast to go. Then I filled our travel mugs and took a seat at the table and stared into the living room. The profiles on the board stared back at me. Why wasn’t Tarelli there? Was he tipped off?

“Ready?” Brad asked.

“Just one sec.” I went into my bedroom and grabbed my backup piece from my nightstand drawer, checked the safety, and tucked it into my purse. “I guess.”