Option to Kill (Nathan McBride 3) (5 page)

Nathan and Lauren kept running as the smashed sedan sped away from the scene, its plastic rear bumper dragging along the asphalt.

“He tried to kill us!”

“Come on, we have to clear the area.” They hurried down the street leading into the Fashion Valley Mall. The parking garage on their left was fairly quiet, only a few shoppers looking for spaces. Nathan looked over his shoulder, relieved to see no one had focused on them. Several people were out of their vehicles, approaching the wrecked pickup.

Nathan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He needed to quash the adrenaline coursing through his body. Those nine-millimeter slugs hadn’t missed by more than a few feet. Luck favors the well prepared, although he knew more than luck had been involved. Nathan didn’t consider himself a deeply religious man, but offered a silent thank-you for the fortunate outcome just the same.

Something didn’t track, though. That sedan should’ve been miles away by now. Assuming the kidnapper could get his wounded comrades into the sedan in about a minute, that left plenty of time to leave the area. Why had Lauren’s kidnapper been driving along Friars Road right then? Maybe he’d stayed in the area hoping to gun them down like he’d just attempted to. But with a banged-up car, a gunshot to his leg, and two wounded in the backseat, why risk cruising the area? The guy should’ve been concerned about bleeding to death, never mind the danger of being seen by police. Unless he
was
police. Lauren said they had badges. Would any law enforcement officer — federal or otherwise — execute a drive-by shooting? It seemed outrageous unless they were dirty, which might explain a lot. But if they weren’t cops, and weren’t dirty, what was so important? If Lauren was a protected witness and her kidnapper wanted her eliminated, why leave her alive at all? Why didn’t he just kill her and stuff her body into the back of the SUV for disposal?

Her kidnapper obviously wanted her alive, and Nathan didn’t like the potential reasons why. She said he’d looked at her in a bad way. Anger flared at the thought of this little girl being brutalized by the creep. Maybe Lauren had information and her kidnapper planned to wring it out of her and pleasure himself in the process? Maybe they intended to use her as leverage to keep someone silent, or the reverse — to make someone talk. Whatever the case, he intended to find out.

For now, they needed to merge with the mall’s patrons. They were just another father-daughter combo out for a little shopping. Fashion Valley Mall had a two-story, open-air design. Retail stores occupied a central walkway with smaller branches connecting to it. It shouldn’t be difficult to disappear in there.

Nathan swept the immediate area for security guards and didn’t see any, but that could change. The unmistakable clatter of automatic-weapon fire would draw anyone with military, police, or security guard training over here to investigate. Nathan didn’t intend to be around when they arrived. As far as the authorities were concerned, he was a wanted man. If anyone had witnessed the first collision at Ulric, they would’ve reported seeing a tall man purposely sideswipe another vehicle, shoot two men in the street, grab a little girl, shoot the driver of the wrecked vehicle, and then flee the scene on foot. Quite a nasty little cocktail he’d created for himself tonight. Pour in a shot of felony hit-and-run, add some attempted murder, and top it off with a twist of kidnapping.

A perfect time to enter the controlled environment of Nordstrom.

“We’re going in here.”

“What’re we doing?” Lauren whispered as they walked in.

“We need to change our appearance. You know where to go?”

“Well, yeah.”

“We also need to work on our communication skills.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know where to go.”

He gestured with his arm. “Be my guest.”

This place assaulted the senses: glass and glitter were everywhere. He followed Lauren onto an escalator located in the middle of the store. At the top landing, they made a U-turn, proceeded to the opposite side, and ascended another escalator.

“What can I get?”

“Anything you want.”

“This isn’t a discount store.”

“Don’t worry about that, just pick something different from what you’re wearing.”

“Are you rich?”

“Rich is a relative term.”

“My stepdad was rich. He drove a Porsche. I think it cost like a hundred thousand dollars.”

“What did he do?”

“You mean like work? He made furniture.”

“What kind of furniture?”

“Mostly patio stuff.”

“He must’ve made a boatload of furniture to be driving around in a Porsche.”

“He owned two factories.”

They entered the girls’ section, and Lauren began leafing through the clothes racks. Nathan wondered if shopping came naturally to kids her age. She looked like a pro.

“Anything?” she asked again.

“Yes, but we’re a little pressed for time. I’m gonna head down to the men’s department. Are you okay up here for a while?”

Her expression went blank, then changed. “I don’t want any clothes.”

He took a knee in front of her. “Lauren, I gave you my word. I only suggested it to save some time. If you want to stay together, that’s okay, but we can’t spend a lot of time in here.”

Nathan scanned the area. A mother and her daughter were watching from across the aisle. He offered a smile and received two forced smiles in return. He used his eyes to point at the onlookers. Lauren looked at them and wiped her face. He felt bad for making her cry and knew she was embarrassed. He should have known better. Was this parenthood? Walking on eggshells all the time? Weren’t kids supposed to be tough? He cursed inwardly and felt like an idiot. After what this girl had just been through, it was a wonder she could function at all. Lauren was plenty tough, but everyone — especially children — had their breaking points, and she’d just come close.

He spoke loud enough to be overheard. “Do you see anything you like?”

The mother and daughter resumed their browsing.

“I’m sorry I cried.”

“I shouldn’t have suggested we split up.”

He felt it. Magnetic and strong. This girl needed a hug. He stayed on one knee and opened his arms. She practically fell into him. He held her head against his shoulder and caught a scent of strawberry. He felt her shudder from another spasm of tears.

“Lauren, I’m a jerk. I’m not used to being around kids. I’m really sorry about everything.”

“You’re not a jerk. I think you’re a nice man.”

“We’re in this together. Just you and me against the world, kiddo.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d hugged a child. Maybe one of Harv’s sons? How long ago was that? Five years?

“I don’t have anywhere to go. I can’t go home.”

“We’ll stay together until we sort this out.”

Lauren looked behind him and tensed.

A male voice said, “Is everything okay here?”

Nathan released her and turned.

A security guard.

Nathan had asked her not to react, but her instinct was too strong. He couldn’t fault her. He doubted this security guard knew of the Amber Alert or the wreck at Ulric Street, but it was a good bet he knew about the attempted drive-by shooting on Friars Road. Maybe a store employee had summoned this guard. Nathan’s scarred face made him look hard and mean and often drew unwanted attention. What was wrong with people? Hadn’t they ever seen anyone with a giant
N
carved across his face?

Nathan held Lauren protectively under his arm.

“Is everything okay here?” the guard asked again.

“Yes, we’re both just really tired,” he said.

“We can’t afford this.” Lauren held out a pantsuit and put on a sad face.

“Becca, I didn’t say that, exactly. I just said it’s expensive.” He made eye contact with the guard. “I’ve recently been laid off. We have to be careful what we spend.”

“I hear ya. Y’all have a nice night, folks.”

“Thank you, sir. We’ll try.”

The guard turned and walked back toward the escalator. The mother and her teenage daughter had resumed their surveillance. Time to go. The change in clothes would have to wait. He should’ve thought about the consequences of entering a public place like a mall, should’ve thought about all the security cameras. He also should’ve kept a better perimeter and seen the security guard coming.

He lowered his voice. “Change in plans. We’re leaving, but not quickly. We don’t want to look like we’ve been spooked. Good job with the security guard. Smart thinking.”

“I forgot I wasn’t supposed to react.”

“You did fine.”

Nathan had been in here only a few times but knew there was an exit out to an elevated walkway on the east side of the building. They’d head that way.

At the landing of the second-floor escalator, he spotted what he needed. “Lauren, see that mannequin up ahead on the right? I want you to pretend to look at the dress it’s wearing, but look for the security guard we just saw. If you see him, form a fist with your right hand for a second.”

She approached the mannequin, circled it, and touched the material. Her right hand formed a fist, then released.

Nathan kept his back to the escalator and whispered, “What’s he doing?”

“He’s talking on a radio.”

His SIG. The guard must’ve seen the handgun’s outline when Nathan knelt in front of Lauren. How could he have been so careless and sloppy? Every security guard in the mall was probably converging toward Nordstrom. He knew guards weren’t allowed to take direct action against an armed assailant, but they could definitely call for reinforcements in the form of San Diego’s finest.

How long did they have? Two or three minutes? They could run for it and take their chances, but sprinting through a crowded mall with a security guard pursuing them wouldn’t work. An idea formed — the guard’s handcuffs. If he could remove the flow of information, the rest of the mall’s security guards would be blind.

He kept his voice low. “Lauren, we’re going to run toward the exit. Stay close.”

“I’m scared.”

“Ready?”

Chapter 6

It all boiled down to timing. Nathan needed to execute a series of precise moves if his plan was going to work. He couldn’t do anything about all the customers present, but he figured their desire to remain uninvolved would render them inert.

Nathan and Lauren made an all-out sprint toward the east exit.

“Stop! You’re under arrest!”

Nathan pretended to lose his footing. He sprawled out on the ground and acted like he’d twisted an ankle.

“Stay on the ground! Keep your hands away from your body!”

“Don’t shoot!” Nathan knew the guard didn’t have a gun, but he needed to make his act believable. He assumed a facedown, spread-eagle position on the floor.

Lauren stopped running and turned around. With the guard still behind him, he gave her a wink. Her expression changed, but he wasn’t sure if she’d play along. She might bolt for the exit without him.

The guard ran forward and repeated his command to stay on the ground. Nathan turned his head and watched the guard remove the handcuffs. Perfect. In a quick move, he swept his foot and brought the security guard down. An elbow to the guard’s jaw ended the struggle. Nathan hoped he hadn’t broken anything, but he’d clocked the guy pretty hard. Within seconds, he had the guard’s wrists secured around the chrome support of a clothing rack. He grabbed the guard’s radio and tossed it aside.

Everyone in the immediate area looked startled and frightened. A heavyset man with lousy tattoos looked to be a potential threat, and Nathan decided to keep an eye on him.

He grabbed Lauren’s hand and ran toward the exit, inwardly cursing at all the cameras that had just recorded his assault on the guard. How long before his and Lauren’s faces were plastered on every television in the city?

Tattoo Man also moved toward the same exit, paralleling their pace. Just what Nathan needed, a frigging hero. He didn’t want one surveillance source replaced with a new one. He’d have to deal with this. When the guy closed to within ten feet, Nathan pulled his SIG and pointed it at the man’s chest.

The man raised his inked-up arms. “Hey, man, I don’t want no trouble.”

“Then get on the ground.”

“Okay, take it easy.”

“Please do it now.”

The big man grunted as he dropped to his knees and flopped onto his belly.

Without looking back, Nathan tucked his SIG back into his pocket and did his best to cover it with his shirt. Outside the store, he had several options. Going left into the parking garage was out, as that would take them in the wrong direction. An escalator leading down to the first level was directly ahead. So was the entrance to Neiman Marcus, but they couldn’t enter the retailer or go down the escalator without being seen by people inside Nordstrom — including Tattoo Man. Nathan made the decision to stay on the second level and head south along the stores lining the open-air walkway.

“We’re going to hurry but not run.”