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We spun around, and Craig walked up, full of pride, with a shit-eating grin on his face, followed by two officers hauling off a handcuffed Sami, sporting a bloody nose and a severely swollen eye.

I noticed Craig’s new cast had a fresh crimson stain on it.

42

CRAIG

Stay here? Fuck that shit. There was no way in hell I was going to stay put while Jonesy sprinted off to chase down the two men. He dashed off like a badass action hero, but I felt I had just as much stake in the case as he did, considering Oliver had haunted my thoughts for years, not to mention someone in that fucking crew had run me off the highway and totaled my BMW.

Whether Sami was the one driving that black SUV or not, I didn’t care. He was part of the trafficking team, and I decided I might as well go after him. I mean, how far could he run in four-inch stilettos?

As it turned out, he was faster than a jackrabbit on sunbaked asphalt. Following in the direction he’d gone, I suspected he’d head to the admin offices where I’d seen him arguing with Landon. It only made sense for him to be with the others, but the direction he was going was a longer route than the backstage exit door Jonesy had left from. Perhaps I was wrong, but my gut told me to keep up with him as best I could.

I had no idea if the FBI and the police were coordinating their efforts to corral Landon and Oliver, since I didn’t have any way to communicate with them. Knowing Jonesy, he’d already alerted everyone, plus Sean had the eyes and ears from Jonesy’s surveillance equipment.

A loud “Hey,” and a crash came from the end of the next hallway. I didn’t see which way Sami had gone, but when I turned the corner, I saw what looked like a room service attendant lying on his ass, with shattered dinnerware and the remnants of someone’s expected meal. As I ran up, the man pointed at the swinging doors, telling me someone had caused the mess he was left to clean up.

Pushing through the double doors, I recognized it was the hotel’s main kitchen. Some staff had turned to see who’d run through their domain, and I heard the clicking of stilettos on the tile not too far ahead. In my haste to follow, I almost ran into a chef who’d walked in from a hidden alcove. “Oof,” I huffed, catching myself before slamming into him.

Taking hold of his upper arm, I asked, “Sorry, but can you tell me where that far exit leads from the kitchen?”

“Uh, into one of the large ballrooms we’re serving lunch for,” the chef said, glancing down at my other arm in a cast.

“Is there a quicker way to get to the other side of the ballroom instead of going through it?”

“Yes. Go through this alcove, and a corridor will lead you directly into the foyer where all the ballrooms are.”

“Thank you,” I quickly said, turning into the open alcove.

My ribs ached from the effort of breathing as I sprinted down the corridor. All the running was better exercise for my lungs than that stupid spirometer I’d taken home from the hospital. If Sami had to run through a crowded ballroom full of luncheon attendees, I guessed he’d slow to a fast walk to avoid attracting attention.

At the end of the corridor, I pushed into the ballroom’s foyer. It was empty, dashing my hopes of catching up with him. I heard the latch of a ballroom door open about forty feet away, and Sami burst through, looking like a meal for some predator. Looking both ways, he spotted me and took off again. I was positive he was heading toward the admin offices, but he still had a way to go.

Remembering the layout from the blueprints, I knew there was a quicker route to the offices by the lobby if I headed in the opposite direction. Within seconds, two officers came around the corner, almost running into me. I explained where Sami had headed, and they took off in the direction he had gone, but if I kept going by the lobby, perhaps we’d have him sandwiched between us. I was forced to slow down as I got closer to the lobby due to the number of people in my way and the police presence, but I was focused and undeterred.

I was right in my assumption that going by the lobby would be quicker, and glancing at the admin office area, Sami hadn’t made it there yet. I raced to the opposite door and took position with my back against the wall, knowing that was his only way in. I noticed the door opened outward, which worked perfectly for my plan.

The officers’ calls for him to stop were muffled, and I knew that, as scared as Sami was, he wasn’t about to stop for them. As the footfalls grew louder, I took as deep a breath as I could without discomfort and held it. When the door opened, I swung my left arm, cast out, into the doorway. The distinct sound of cracking cartilage and probably bone, with the accompanying spray of blood, brought Sami to a complete stop, making him land with a thud on his back. When I looked down, his stiletto-clad feet sticking out of the doorway made me think of the scene in The Wizard of Oz when the house fell on the Wicked Witch of the East. I snickered despite myself. Both police officers pulled him up from the floor. Sami had no fight left in him.

Jonesy and Sean were already in the lobby, which was full of people and a multitude of law enforcement when I walked out. Apparently something had gone down just before we caught Sami. My guess was they had apprehended Landon and Oliver. As I walked out, I heard Jonesy ask about Sami. My smirk and the cops carried the answer to his question away to a waiting police car.

“Your cast is bloody,” Jonesy said with a frown.

“That’s what happens when you backhand a bad guy in an open doorway,” I replied. Sean chuckled and turned to meet some FBI agents a few feet away.

“You took him down?” Jonesy asked, facing me.

“I may be injured, but I’m not helpless, babe.” I raised my cast in front of him. “This is actually a damn fine weapon.”

“By the looks of Sami, I’d say you did your duty, Howler.”

“Let’s just say I’m invested in this entire case.” Jonesy smiled with a shake of his head.

I could only imagine what the two of us looked like standing there. Jonesy put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. Me, all disheveled with a bloody cast, and him, in his getup with full makeup. Who would’ve thought we were two professionals who took down God knows what?

After apprehending our suspects at the Palace Hotel, the FBI sent a SWAT team to The Regent Inn and found our two missing contestants. I had correctly guessed that Boris and Luca were the ones holding the women in a secluded room, deliberately chosen to be farthest from The Regent’s registration office.

When the FBI broke down the door, Boris and Luca gave up without a fight. Of all things, they were playing cards and arguing. The women had been zip-tied to chairs, their mouths taped shut to keep them quiet. The agents told us they were groggy from drugs but otherwise in good shape. Jonesy said he’d get their statements after they’d been checked out at the hospital. To ease my concern, I asked Jonesy if we could visit them there before they were released. He said that could be arranged.