The Prophet (Ryan Archer #2) (26 page)

He walked half a block farther down, then crossed the street again and stared back at the wall, the trees overhanging, the rain sizzling on the sidewalk. Lightning flashed. He felt burdened to make a decision. Archer might be inside, but he couldn’t know that for sure. He felt it best to return to the Mustang and wait it out for a while, then reassess.

He sat in the car with the engine off. He stared at his cell phone.

Tell me where you are. Tell me you are okay.

He watched his mirrors and watched taillights fade into the night. He was parked where he could see if anyone came or went from the gate. So far, all seemed quiet. Webb was not a fan of sitting and waiting. He had no reason to believe that Archer might be inside, other than the fact that he knew the man better than anyone else on earth. And every bone in his body was screaming loud and clear,
Archer went over that wall.
 

* * *

The ladder ended at a brick ledge. Archer stepped onto the ledge then down onto a flat asphalt surface. He hunkered down and leaned on his forearms to gaze back at the ground. The rain looked mystical falling through the amber light from the flood lamps. The asphalt surface was narrow. Most of the roof was made up of steep pitches tiled with red terra-cotta. Footing across the roof would be difficult under the best of circumstances, and tonight would be nearly impossible.
 

He could see the tops of all four towers from his position. Each of the towers had multiple windows, but again he assumed that motion sensors were in place, and aside from that, footing would be treacherous. He decided that entry through the towers was a bad idea. Then he saw what he was looking for.

An aluminum air vent louver was screwed into the brick surface of a wall that extended up out of the asphalt. Archer stood at the louver and squinted to see between the aluminum slats. All he could see inside was darkness. He ran his fingertips along the four edges. It was held securely in place by a series of metal screws. The screws required a flat-head tool. He dug a knife from a pocket of his jeans and flicked the blade out. The cutting edge wasn’t a perfect fit but he’d have to make it work.

Archer squatted in a corner where two walls joined, hunkering down in the limited cover of shadow. He listened to the chatter coming over the earpiece from the stolen walkie-talkie. So far there had been no mention of an intruder. He felt confident that he hadn’t been spotted.
 

He went to work with the knife blade, twisting the screws out of the aluminum frame one at a time. They dropped to the gritty surface and spun around in the standing water. It was slow work. The blade kept slipping because it was slightly too wide for the grooves that had been milled into each screw. He had to apply the correct amount of pressure and make a quick turn. When the last of the screws fell away from the aluminum frame, he used the knife blade to loosen the louver from the wall along each of the four sides. Then he replaced the knife to his pocket.

Archer lifted the louver off its mount and set it aside, cautious to not make a sound. The radio chatter in his ear still gave him confidence to proceed. He leaned his head into the airshaft and peered down into the darkness. The ventilation shaft was barely shoulder-width. It would be a snug fit. He shined a penlight into the darkness and saw that the shaft dropped away straight down for at least thirty feet. He swallowed hard. He had no way of knowing where the shaft led from there. There was a very real chance his body might get lodged somewhere along the way and he’d die in there.
 

He checked his cell phone and saw texts from Webb and Rosemary. Smith was stable. He closed his eyes for a moment to say a prayer of thanksgiving. Webb had asked for his location. He also let Archer know he was parked on a street outside the church wall in his Bullet Mustang. Archer stood to look out across the church property to try to spot Webb’s ride but couldn’t see anything on the street through the trees. Archer replied simply: no worries, boss.

Thunder rumbled across the sky like artillery fire on a distant battlefield. Lightning flashed behind dark layers of cloud.

Archer hooked his hands along the top of the brick wall and swung his legs into the open airshaft. He held the penlight in his teeth. The sound of his breathing was amplified by the aluminum walls. The fit was actually snugger than he had expected. He hesitated a beat, reconsidering. But then the moment of doubt passed and he began the slow passage downward into the unknown.

* * *

 
The meal was served. The dining hall was filled to capacity and the atmosphere was jubilant. The invitation had specified that this was a formal affair, and so the gentlemen in attendance wore tuxedos and the women were dressed in formal evening gowns. Wine was served, and glasses were filled and refilled.
 

Alexander oversaw the festivities. He laughed with the men and charmed the women. The evening was moving along according to schedule. He listened to Klosko dispense orders and was confident that everything seemed to be in order. He watched the clock with a vigilant eye. Silas had been very clear that the ceremony was to begin at precisely nine o’clock.

At 8:30, Alexander excused himself from the dining hall to check on Tatum Cloud and her father.

* * *

Webb sat in the Mustang with the headlights off, staring at the ivy-covered wall. His cell phone chimed and he looked at the text message from Archer: no worries, boss.

Webb smiled and shook his head. “At least you’re alive,” he said.

THIRTY-NINE

Havitz, the man in the chair, had ignored the little girl’s requests. He didn’t want to mess with the hassle of bathroom breaks until Grohl returned from the food run. But the girl was persistent. She was starting to whine. She was making life a living hell. This was why Havitz had never married.
 

“I said I need to pee,” Natalia repeated for the fifth time. She crossed her legs and twisted her face in a pained expression. “I’m gonna pee my pants,” she protested.

Again, Havitz pretended he hadn’t heard. He stared at the window, focusing on nothing but the hazy distance.

Natalia twisted and squirmed. “It
hurts!
” she insisted.

“Shut up,” Havitz said.

Natalia briefly stopped moving and narrowed her eyes at him.

“What did you say?”

“Shut up.”

“That’s not a nice thing to say,” she complained.

Havitz offered no reply.

“Do you want me to pee my pants?” she asked. “Do you want the room to smell like pee-pee?”

Havitz considered this. His eyes shifted to her. He frowned.

She stared hard at him.

Havitz glanced at his watch. How long had Grohl been gone? Surely he’d be back any moment. He opened the door a crack to make sure Grohl hadn’t already returned. He had not.

“Please, mister,” Natalia continued. “I’ve held it a long time.”

Havitz checked his watch again. Then he sighed.

“Fine,” he said, rising from his chair.

Natalia, pleased at her powers of persuasion, swung her feet to the floor and stood up. “My bladder is about to burst,” she said as she headed to the bathroom door.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he muttered.

He hooked a hand around her upper arm, giving it a commanding tug to let her know that he was in charge. Then he glanced at Sonny.
 

“Be a good boy,” he said. “Sit right there and keep your mouth shut. She will be back out in a minute.”
 

Sonny was sitting cross-legged on the mattress. He nodded his head obediently. He waited until the bathroom door was shut, then scrambled to his feet and stood on his toes to see out the window. The window had grime around the edges and there was a tear in the screen. There was a building directly across from them and he could see lights but the sun had gone down so it was dark outside. It seemed to be raining harder now but he couldn’t see much. Plus, he was scared to stand and look for too long. Sonny flopped back down on the mattress and folded his legs again. His heart was beating very fast.

Natalia stood staring down at the toilet.

“What about my hands?” she said.

Havitz knew the drill by now. He snipped the zip tie and took a few steps back.

Natalia rubbed her hands over her wrists. It felt good to be able to move normally again. She stared down at the toilet seat for a moment, then glanced over her shoulder at him.

“I need privacy,” she said. “Please leave.”

He shook his head. “I’m standing all the way back here. I promise not to watch.”

“Not good enough.”

“I’ll turn my back.”

“Nope. I’m a girl. I need privacy. You have to wait outside.” Natalia folded her arms over her chest, making it clear she wasn’t budging on this topic.

Havitz checked his watch.
Where the hell was Grohl?

“I don’t have time for this,” he said. “How about if I just let you piss your pants instead?”

Natalia shrugged, fully prepared to call his bluff. “Suit yourself,” she said.

Havitz quickly backed down. He raised a hand in contrition. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll give you two minutes.”

Natalia’s expression never softened. “Thank you,” she said.

Havitz exited and closed the door behind him.

Then Natalia’s eyes lit up. She glanced up at the window above the toilet. She stood on the toilet seat and reached for the lever that locked the window. It was very stiff. She tried to move it but it felt stuck in place. Her heart was beating fast. Then she quietly stepped down from the toilet seat and padded stealthily over to the bathroom door and very carefully turned the lock on the doorknob, biting her tongue, terrified of making a sound and alerting the man with the blond hair that she might have something in mind besides simply going pee.

She hurried back to the toilet and climbed up, pulling at the lever with her fingers. It wouldn’t move. So she tried to wriggle it. The paint around it started to crack. She pulled harder until she felt the lever turn toward her. A smile filled her face. She was thrilled.

The window opened slowly as she lifted. There was a screen on the outside. She didn’t know how to remove a window screen. She pushed against it with both hands, but it simply flexed under the pressure from her small hands. She was so nervous her hands started shaking. At least a minute had gone by. Soon he would be trying to open the door and find it locked. That would make him very angry. And she knew she wouldn’t get a second chance to try this. She had a feeling that those men intended to hurt both her and Sonny.
 

She leaned in and pushed with both arms, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth. Suddenly the upper corner popped out with a snap. Her heart froze in her chest. She kept pushing until a second corner released, and then the entire screen popped free and fell away, dropping out of sight. The rain spritzed her in the face. She quickly scrambled up onto her knees on top of the toilet tank and leaned her head out the window. Suddenly she had a very sick feeling inside. She hadn’t realized how high the apartment was.
 

There was a knock at the door.

“You done in there?” Havitz said.

Natalia filled with panic.

“Um … almost,” she said.

She leaned farther out the window and spotted a narrow ledge right outside. It wasn’t very wide but she was pretty sure she could stand on it. So she twisted her body around until she was seated in the open window. Then she lowered her feet to the ledge. Thunder rolled and made her flinch. The ledge appeared to run the length of the building. She stood up and leaned into the wall, placing her hands flat against the brick surface. She nervously closed the window and scooted along to one side, terrified to look down. Within a few seconds she had moved several feet from the window. Then she froze, not knowing what to do now.

Havitz knocked again, then grabbed the doorknob. It wouldn’t turn.
 

“Hey, open up,” he said.

The girl didn’t reply.

“Unlock the door and get out here,” he said. But she didn’t answer.

He took a step back and kicked the door open. The bathroom was empty.

* * *

Alexander personally delivered dinner to Tatum. He carried a silver tray with a covered dish and a glass of tea. He unlocked the door and found her resting on the bed in her room.

“How are you?” he asked with a warm smile.

“I’m well,” she said. “Will I have a chance to see my father?”

“Yes, of course,” he assured her. “After you finish dinner there is going to be a special event, and you will be seated with your father there.”

Her face brightened. “I’d really like that.”

Tatum gave Alexander a big hug.

“Have you been able to sleep?” he asked her.

She nodded. “I’ve slept some,” she said. “But honestly I’ve been a little restless because I’m so excited to see Dad.”

“I’m sure you are,” Alexander said. “Try to be patient just a little while longer. It’s going to be a very special evening.”

“What is special about it?”

Alexander sat beside her on the bed and placed a hand on her leg.
 

“You and your father are going to officially become members of our church tonight,” he told her.

She considered this a moment, then looked down at her feet.

“I have to admit I don’t really know what that means,” she said. “I’ve never belonged to a church, so I don’t know what to expect.”

His smile widened. “It’s like becoming a part of a great big family. A family that will love you unconditionally.”

“What does
unconditionally
mean?”

“It means no matter what. No matter what you do, and no matter what you go through or how hard life might become, the church family will always be there for you. That sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, I think so.”
 

“I’m so proud of you, Tatum,” he said. “And I’m super excited to welcome you into our family. Now, here is your dinner. Enjoy it, and I’ll return shortly to escort you to the grand ballroom. Okay?”