Black Pawn (Michael Cailen Book 1) (19 page)

Brook's party wound down around 1:00 am.  Michael sat on the
couch trying to think of how he was going to slip Brook the Rohypnol as she
said goodbye to the last of her guests.  She shut the door then turned to him
and grinned.

She made herself comfortable on his lap, straddling him. 
“Now, it's time for you and me.”  She kissed him and deliberately squirmed in
his lap.  He worried he wouldn't be able to drug her in time.

“You got any margarita mix left?” he asked.

She frowned.  “You could have had one when I made them
earlier.”

“I like to keep my wits about me when there's a crowd.”  He
smiled and stroked her hair.

“Okay. But only because it's you.”  A flirtatious grin
crossed her lips.  She kissed him again before getting up to make him a margarita.

“You're going to have one with me aren't you?”  He followed
her into the kitchen.

“I don't want to get too drunk on our first night.”  She
gave him a seductive look.

“Come on.  Don't make me drink alone.”  He wrapped his arms
around her waist and nuzzled her neck.

“Alright, one more,” she conceded.

He kissed her again, then let her get back to making the
drinks.  She finished pouring two cups when Michael insisted he heard a knock
on the door.  When she left to check, he broke the pill up and dropped it in
her drink.  He took a sip from his drink as she came back in the kitchen.

“Nope, no one there.  You must be hearing things.”  She
smiled and stepped close to him, pressing her body against his.  “What do you
say we take this to the bedroom?”

“What's the rush?”  He smiled down at her.  “This is good,
you going to try it?” he asked referring to her drink.

She picked up her drink and took a swig.  Michael did the
same, carefully watching her reaction to pick up on any sign that she could
taste the drug.  She didn't seem to notice.

“Come on.”  She slid her fingers into his pants and tugged
on the waistband as she led him towards the bedroom.

When they got to the bedroom, he suggested they finish their
drinks before getting preoccupied with other things.  Brook was apparently really
eager to get down to business because she downed her whole drink.  Michael
grinned and finished his.

Now he only had to wait for the drug to take effect.  They
moved to the bed, kissing and touching heavily.  He wanted the last thing she
remembered to be them making out.  Despite her attempts to remove his shirt, he
managed to keep it on while getting her down to her underwear.  He didn't have
a way to explain the still-healing bullet wound in his chest.  She started to
become real sleepy and out of it.  He continued kissing and caressing her until
she finally passed out.  He breathed a sigh of relief and sat up on the edge of
the bed.  After removing the rest of Brook's clothing he tucked her under the
covers.  Hopefully she would wake up thinking they had sex.  He looked at his
watch.  It was 2:04 am.  He was feeling it.  He grabbed his phone and called
Josh.

JOSH STEPPED
quietly into Jessica's room, not wanting
to startle her.  He softly said her name while gently squeezing her shoulder. 
She made a few sounds before rolling over and groggily opening her eyes.  She
saw Josh and shot up in bed.

“Did something happen?!” she asked in a panic.

“No, no.  Everything's fine.  Michael needs our help.  You
need to come with me.  He wants you to hack Brook's computer.”

“What?”  She was still half asleep and wasn't quite
registering what he was saying.  “Isn't she home?  Is Michael there?  I don't
understand.”

“They're both there, but Michael drugged her so she's
totally out of it.  We're going to use the time to search her place.  Michael
wants you to see if there's anything on her computer that could help us.”

“He drugged her?”  She rubbed her eyes.

“Yeah, get dressed.  We have to go.”  He left her room and
shut the door.

Jessica still wasn't sure she heard him right.  She thought
any moment she was going to wake up and realize she was dreaming.

Josh was waiting by the front door when she walked out of
her room, still a little sluggish and sleepy.  The pair arrived at Brook's
approximately thirty minutes after Michael had called.  Before they got out of
the car, Josh handed her a pair of latex gloves.  She gave him a strange look
and slowly put them on as he slid a pair on his hands as well.

Josh didn't bother knocking, he just walked right in. 
Jessica felt funny barging into someone's home, but she followed Josh.  Michael
rounded the corner from the hallway and met them in the living room.

“Where have you searched already?”  Josh asked.

“I just finished her bedroom.  I haven't searched the spare
room, kitchen or living room yet.”

“I'll start in the kitchen,” Josh volunteered, then headed
off to start searching.

Michael now turned his attention to Jessica.  “You got
everything?”

“Yeah,” she replied nervously. “How come you're not wearing
gloves?”

“My fingerprints are already all over the place.  I couldn't
exactly wear gloves at the party.  I'm not worried about it.”

“Well, it's not like anyone's going to be dusting for prints
later.”

“You never know.”

“I suppose,” she shrugged.

“Her computer is in her bedroom.  She's asleep.  You don't
have to worry, she won't wake up.”

He led the way to the bedroom where Brook was passed out in
bed.  The sheets covered most of her body but one shoulder was exposed and
Jessica could see she wasn't wearing a top.

“Is she naked?” she asked.

Michael glanced at Brook and then back at Jessica. “Yeah.”

“Did you...”

“No.” He knew she was going to ask if they had sex and he
cut her off before the words left her mouth.  He walked to Brook's computer in
the corner and gestured towards it.  “It's all yours.”

“What am I looking for?”  She sat in the chair in front of
the computer.

“Anything that might tell us where her brother is.  Contact
lists, documents, emails.”

“What's his name again?”

“Dominic Fosters.”

“Alright.  I'll see what I can find.”  She started unpacking
her laptop and booted up Brook's computer.

“I'm going to help Josh search the rest of the house.  Call
if you need me.”

Michael and Josh searched the rest of the house, but turned
up nothing helpful.  Josh asked what their next move was.

“Well, we've searched the whole house.  Short of searching
it again, I don't think there is anything more we can do but wait to see what
Jess turns up.”

As if hearing her name, Jessica came flying in the kitchen
and clung to Michael's side staring back towards the hallway she came from. 
She looked petrified.

“What happened?” Michael asked as Josh pulled a gun from his
waistband and cocked it.

“Okay, two things.  I found something and she looked at me.”

“What do you mean she looked at you?” Josh asked.

Michael didn't say anything he just made a bee line for the
bedroom.  Brook had rolled over and was now on her side facing in the direction
of the computer.  She still appeared to be sleeping.  Michael grabbed her wrist
to check her pulse.  Josh hovered next to him while Jessica remained in the
doorway nervously holding her arms, too scared to enter.

“Josh, there's a small flashlight in my glove box.  Go get
it.”  He handed Josh his keys.

Josh returned a minute later with the flashlight.  Michael
rolled Brook onto her back again.  He lifted her eyelid and shined the light in
her eye, then turned it away.  He checked her other eye and got the same
result.

“No.  She's out of it.”  Michael put the flashlight in his
pocket and turned to Josh and Jessica who were standing in the doorway.  Josh
had his arm around her to calm her.  “She may have opened her eyes but she
didn't see you,”  Michael assured her.  “You said you found something?” he
asked, returning their focus to the mission at hand.

“Yeah.”  She stepped back in the bedroom, still jittery but
confident Michael knew what he was talking about.  “I found some deleted
emails.”  She slowly walked back to her laptop keeping an eye on Brook.

From her laptop she pulled up some emails.  “They are all
signed 'Nicky' which I thought might be his nickname.”

Michael leaned over Jessica's shoulder and read the email on
the screen.

Hey Brook.  How are things?  I'm doing okay but I need
some money.  I'm sorry, I hate to ask but it's hard finding work.  I won't make
it through the month.  Could you wire me some like you did last time?  Please,
I really need your help.  I'll pay you back, I promise. -Nicky

“That's dated two months ago.  You got any more recent?”

“No, only older.  There are gaps of months between the emails,
but I back traced the emails and they all were sent with the same service
provider.”

“Is there any way you can turn that into an address?”
Michael asked.

“Yeah, I just need a few minutes to hack the service
provider.”

“Do it.”

Jessica tried to ignore his demanding tone and got to work. 
Michael and Josh just stood there looking at each other and around the room
unsure of what to do with themselves while she worked.  After a few minutes,
Michael sat on the edge of the bed, lay back and shut his eyes.  He was
exhausted.

Ten more minutes passed which felt like ages for Michael. 
He was beginning to wonder if Jessica meant she'd need a few hours instead of a
few minutes.

“He's in Pennsylvania,” she finally announced.

Michael sluggishly sat up and walked over to Jessica.  Josh
was already looking over her shoulder.  They both committed the address to
memory while Jessica pulled it up on a map.  It was smack dab in the middle of
Pennsylvania.

“That's only about eight hours away,” Josh remarked.

“Good work.”  Michael squeezed her shoulder. “Pack it up,
you're done.”

She shut down Brook's computer and packed up her laptop. 
She stood and looked at Michael lying on the bed with his eyes shut.  “Are you
coming?” she asked.

He forced himself to sit up again.  “No.  I'm staying here. 
I don't want to blow my cover until I'm sure I won't need her again.”

She was disappointed, but tried not to let it show.  “I'll
see you tomorrow then?”

“In a few hours, Jess,” he smiled at her.  “It's almost
morning.”

She smiled.  “I guess I could live without you till then.”

Jessica woke around 11:00 a.m.  Next to her in bed, Michael
was sound asleep.  She lay quietly studying him, watching his chest move up and
down as he breathed.  She felt so peaceful.  Ten minutes later, her stomach
began to wake and she went to the kitchen in search of food.

Michael and Josh woke around 1:00 p.m.  Jessica made them
lunch while they sat at the kitchen table discussing their plan to visit
Dominic.

Josh yawned.  “When did you want to leave?”

Michael rubbed his eyes.  “I don't know.  I still feel beat,
but I'd like to get it over with.”

“We could take turns driving overnight so we could still get
some rest,” Josh offered.

“Actually, I'm going by myself.”

“What? Why?” Jessica interrupted.

“Because I don't know what kind of a situation I'll be
walking into.  I don't know much about this guy.  It could be dangerous and I
don't want you there if things get ugly.  I don't plan on spending much time
there.  I'll get what I need from him and be done.  I don't see any need to
drag you along.”

Jessica wasn't happy at the thought of him going off and
leaving her.

“Well if you plan on going alone then you should rest
tonight and go in the morning,”  Josh said.

“Yeah, you're probably right,” Michael agreed.

The three played dominoes for a few hours and then watched a
movie.  Around 9:00 p.m., Michael and Jessica went to bed and Josh took his
post on the couch keeping watch.

Michael had left his cell phone on the coffee table and
around 11:30 pm, it started buzzing.  Josh saw it was Brook calling and ignored
it.  She left a voice mail.  A few minutes later, she called back and left
another voice mail.  Five minutes passed and she called again but didn't leave
a voice mail.  Josh got curious as to why she seemed so frantic to contact
Michael.  She sent a text,
Where are you?

Michael was dreaming that Josh was shaking him and calling
his name.  He woke to find it was actually happening.

“What's going on?” he sat up quickly.

“We have a problem.”

Michael followed Josh into the living room.  “What is it?”
he asked again once they were a safe distance from the bedroom.

“Brook's been trying to reach you for the past half hour.”

“Why?”

“See for yourself.”  He handed Michael his phone.

Michael listened to the two frantic messages left by Brook.

Jake, please call me when you get this.  I just got home
from work and someone broke into my house!  The place is a mess, the police are
here.  Please call me.

The next message played.  She sounded more desperate.

Please call me.  I don't want to stay here tonight.  Can
I please stay with you?  I'm scared.  Please call me.

Michael hung up the phone and ran his fingers through his
hair.  This was bad.

“What's going on?”

Both men turned toward the hallway.  Jessica was standing
there with a worried expression.

“I don't know,” Michael replied.  “Someone broke into
Brook's place.”

“Like a burglary?”  She stepped closer.

“Doubt it.”  Michael was rapidly trying to process this new
development and figure out his next move.

“You think someone else is looking for her brother?” she
asked.

“Maybe.  But why now?  If the CIA had wanted to find him 3
years ago, they could have done it a lot better than me.  I don't know.  I feel
like there's something I'm missing.”

“You gonna call her?” Josh asked.

“I don't know that I want to.  What's my reason for not
letting her come over?  I'll let her find someplace else to stay tonight and
call her in the morning.  I'll say my phone was off.”

“What's gonna happen when the police run your prints?”
Jessica asked.

Michael and Josh just looked at each other.

“Let's go back to bed.”  Michael put his arm around her and
led her back to the bedroom.

MORNING CAME
and Michael woke with a feeling of dread
over the break-in at Brook's.  His biggest concern was, why?  Jessica was also
starting to wake as he looked at his watch.  It was 7:15 a.m.  He went into the
living room to call Brook.  Josh was still on the couch.  He shut the TV off
when Michael started to dial.

“Hey Brook.  It's me. I just turned my phone on and got your
messages.  I'm sorry.”

“I really needed you last night.”  She sounded upset.

“I know.  I'm sorry, my phone was off.  I was asleep.  Were
you able to find a place to stay?”

“Yeah. I stayed with my friend April. I don't know if I can
go back there.”

“Did they take anything?”

“I couldn't tell, it was such a mess.  It didn't look like
they did.  My TV, stereo, and computer were still there.  It didn't look like
they took any jewelry, but I was too upset to really look.”  Her voice quavered
and she sounded like she might cry.

“At least you're safe.”

“Yeah, I suppose ... Hold on, I'm getting another call.”

He waited while she took the other call.

“Still there?”  She came back on the line.

“I'm here.”

“That was the detective working my case. He wants to meet at
my house in ten minutes.  Can I call you later?”

“Yeah, let me know what happens.”

Michael hung up the phone.  He had a solemn look on his
face.  Jessica emerged from the bedroom and joined them.

“What's wrong?” Josh asked.

“She said a detective wanted to meet at her house in ten
minutes about her case.”

“It's kinda early for that isn't it?” Josh seemed
suspicious.

“That's what I was thinking.  We should ditch the phones.”

“What are they going to do to her?” Jessica asked.

“It doesn't matter,” Michael replied coldly.

“Are they going to kill her?”  She looked concerned.

Michael didn't answer.  He knew they would.

“Are they going to torture her?”  Jessica became more
distressed.  As much as she didn't like Brook, she didn't feel she deserved to
die a horrible death.

As much as Michael wanted to cut his ties with her and stay
away from the death trap her house was about to become, he was also feeling a
plague of conscience.