Cold Hit

Chapter 55

More Russian shouting leaked out into the lobby.

"I'm outta here," I said, and stepped into the elevator and pushed the button. As the doors closed I heard more shouting and doors slamming.

The Acura was parked in a red zone in front of the building with my handcuffs draped over the steering wheel so I wouldn't get towed. It's the universal signal to traffic cops identifying a detective's car. Once I was inside with the engine running, I called dispatch and ordered immediate backup for Cooper and Dark. Then I waited to see if Sammy was as nuts as Emdee said.

He was.

Three minutes later a black Cadillac exploded out of the underground parking garage and turned in my direction. There were four burly guys, including Sammy, packed cheek to jowl inside. All were wearing strained blank expressions. They spotted me as they sailed past. Brake lights flashed. The Cadillac skidded to a stop and began a Y-turn, coming back after me.

The black Caddy was only four cars back, tracking me on the 405. It was the worst tail since Hef designed the bunny costume. At any given moment, I could see them in two of my three rearview mirrors.

Somewhere near San Pedro I caught sight of a white, windowless Econoline van.

Please don't let that be Zack, I thought. I've got enough trouble right now without adding him to the mix.

I lost sight of the van when I exited the freeway and turned left onto the Coast Highway heading toward the recently decommissioned and razed Long Beach Naval Yard.

The massive property slid by outside my left window-hundreds of acres of freshly paved parking lots loaded with multicolored marine shipping containers.

I looked back. The black Cadillac was now caught at a light; so, without making it look too obvious, I slowed down and timed it so I missed the next signal. Then I spotted the Cad coming up on me again. Sammy must have somehow reined in all that homicidal rage because they were being more careful now, staying further back.

Up ahead loomed the two-story-high, curvaceous blonde cutout in her black miniskirt. I pulled into the abandoned dress company parking lot and stopped next to the entrance of the main office. Then I stepped out of my car and headed toward the building.

I took the stairs two at a time, quickly reaching the second floor. When I got to the sewing room, Emdee was waiting.

"They follow you?" he said, looking out the window.

"Yeah. You were sure right about Sammy. He almost unpacked me right there in his own office. If his brother hadn't walked in, I wouldn't have made it out of there."

"If they followed you, then we're in business, Joe Bob."

So we waited.

I walked over to one of the camera positions and spoke into the pinhole to Roger who was in the ESD van out back with four CTB surveillance guys he'd recruited. I brought Roger up to date, told him the Russians were about to make their move.

But nothing happened.

Emdee and I sat around until well after sunset. Then we walked downstairs and checked the parking lot and the road out front.

No sign of the black Caddy anywhere.

Finally we climbed down to the ESD van hidden in the culvert. I knocked on the back door. Roger opened up. The four CTB surveillance team members inside were all wearing black Kevlar with heavy ordnance strapped to their sides.

"He didn't take the bait," I said.

"What the fuck is wrong with that boy?" Roger said.

We turned the surveillance team loose and watched them drive out of the parking lot in their black Suburban.

"So what do we do now?" Emdee asked after they were gone.

"We regroup," I said, softly.