Jase jerked open the door, which set off the alarm and pissed him off. He hit the stairs at a run, Kate’s heels flew out of her hand, and she pounded down the stairs right beside him. The alarm went silent when the door closed behind them, but the damage was done.
They didn’t slow down until they reached the exit to the alley, where both of them slid to a halt. Jase cracked open the door to see a big white stretch limousine idling in front of a black Cadillac Escalade whose engine was also running. A chauffeur in a bill cap sat behind the wheel of the limo. The privacy partition was up, and all three-hundred-plus pounds of Denny Reyburg sprawled in the rear seat of the car.
The passenger door stood open. The bodyguard with the shaved head leaned in, trying to load the girl inside while the guy with the earrings waited a few feet away.
“Hurry up and get her in here,” Reyburg demanded. “I have plans for her tonight.”
“Callie!” Kate pushed past Jase and bolted into the alley. He swore as she launched herself at the bald-headed bodyguard. Jase grabbed the guy with the earrings, spun him around, slammed a fist into his face and drove another into his stomach.
The guy fell back a couple of steps and yanked a big semiauto out of the shoulder holster beneath his black jacket. Jase kicked the gun out of his hand and sent it flying, threw a series of left-right combos that knocked the guard staggering backward.
Trying to wrestle Callie free, Kate fought like a tiger, but the bodyguard knocked her down and Reyburg pulled the girl into the back of the limo. He managed to slam the door and the vehicle lurched forward. Gravel spun beneath the tires as the limo roared off down the alley.
Jase dodged a blow, linked his hands behind his opponent’s neck and pulled his head down, jerked a knee up into his face. Bone crunched, the guy went down hard, and Jase ran for Kate.
She was on the ground, the bodyguard’s gun pointed dead center in the middle of her forehead. Jase’s insides did a slow, tight roll, and he charged, slamming into the bodyguard, taking both of them down, the pistol sliding a few feet out of reach.
The bodyguard ended up on top, got in a couple of solid punches. Jase looked up to see Kate pressing the guy’s own pistol against the side of his head.
“Get off him!” she demanded, holding the gun in a two-handed grip.
“Take it easy, lady. I was just doing my job.”
“Bullshit! She’s only a little girl!”
Jase rolled to his feet and picked up the other guy’s pistol, a Browning 9 mil. Taillights flashed as the limo pulled around a corner and disappeared out of sight.
“We gotta go!” He tucked the pistol into the waistband of his slacks, but Kate was already running for the black Escalade idling in the alley, jumping into the passenger seat and pulling on her seat belt.
Jase slid in behind the wheel and slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator. Tires spun and the Escalade leaped ahead in pursuit. He buckled his seat belt, pulled out his cell phone and tossed it to Kate as the SUV slid around a corner and picked up speed.
“Taggart’s number’s in my contacts. Fill him in and give him our location.” He prayed the taillights he was following were the right ones and just kept driving, slowly gaining on the other vehicle.
Kate made the call and Jase heard sirens behind him, but he didn’t let off the gas. If the limo got away, the girl could end up dead—or worse. A guy with Reyburg’s money rarely went to jail.
“There!” Kate pointed at the entrance to an underground garage, and Jase saw the limo taillights disappear into its depths. Kate spoke to Taggart while Jase made the turn, slowing to follow the limo, which had stopped in the garage up ahead.
The SUV slid to a halt, and Jase and Kate both shot out of the car. They rushed to the limo, and Jase pulled open the rear passenger door.
The limousine was empty.
Kate frantically scanned the garage, but there was no sign of Denny Reyburg or Callie Spencer.
Jase grabbed the limo driver by the back of the neck and hauled him out of the car. “Where are they?”
“I don’t... I don’t know.”
Jase squeezed the driver’s neck and shoved him down on his knees. “Where. Are. They?”
“She’s just a little girl,” Kate pleaded. “Tell us where he took her.”
“I—I don’t know, I swear. He’s...he’s got a place somewhere in the building, but I don’t know where it is.”
Jase squeezed the driver’s neck until he started wheezing. “Try again.”
“Okay...okay! Reyburg’s got a place in the basement. He takes the girls down there. That’s all I know.”
Jase shoved the driver away, and he and Kate both ran for the elevator. Kate pushed the button for the lower floor, then spotted the stairs. “There!” She grabbed Jase’s arm and they raced in that direction.
