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the phone inside the booth ringing. She made her way to the booth,
popped the door open, and answered the still-ringing phone.
Hello?
Detective Stone. I m glad to see you made it.
Quickly, Nic s eyes darted around the immediate area, but she
saw no one. Listen, Marcone, let s cut the crap and get this over
with. And if you ve done anything to Carly, and I mean anything,
this evening won t go like you planned.
She heard a low chuckle on the other end of the phone. I don t
think you should be making any threats, Detective. Especially if
you want to see her again.
Nic tightened her jaw. In her other ear, she heard Bill s voice,
Keep cool, Nic. We don t want to piss him off yet. Nic swallowed
her anger. What makes him think that s a threat? As far as she was
concerned, it was a promise.
So, Marcone, what do you want me to do next?
Marcone smiled. That s better. Cooperation is the name of the
Vendetta 165
game, Detective. Now walk over to building 16A on the north side
of pier 21. Go inside and wait. The phone disconnected before Nic
could say another word.
Bill pulled the headset away from his ears to avoid hearing all
the foul language Nic was spewing as she did as Marcone
instructed. Okay, guys, once Nic s inside the building, we re going
to get into position. We ll be able to hear everything, but only
Mahoney will be able to see what Nic sees, so everyone stay on
your toes! The three men double checked their weapons and
waited.
Reaching building 16A, Nic slowly opened the heavy door, a
loud creak announcing her arrival. She flashed her light inside and
found it empty, so she cautiously entered. Three hallways con-
verged on the point where she was standing. The interior was
exceptionally dark, so she knew Mahoney couldn t see a thing on
the video feed, since she couldn t see much of anything herself.
While she waited, several fantasies of how she would personally
deal with Marcone danced through her mind, bringing a feral grin
to her lips.
Several minutes later, her acute hearing picked up the sound of
footsteps approaching to her left, but the darkness provided ade-
quate concealment to the owner. The footsteps stopped several feet
away from her. The sound of a switch being flipped, then a dim
light appeared at the end of the hallway she was facing.
Detective Stone, drop the documents on the floor and pro-
ceed to the door at the far end of the hall.
I m not turning this over until I see that Carly is okay, she
stated without turning toward the voice.
Back at the van, Bill and the SWAT guys were scrambling out
and heading in the direction of building 16A. They stayed strictly
in the shadows since they still didn t know where Marcone s men
were located. They wouldn t move any closer to the building until
they knew their positions.
The voice mumbled something low, which Nic was able to
hear. She won t give up the documents until she sees the girl. A
long pause. Yes, sir.
Enter the room at the end of the hall.
Nic smiled, pleased that Marcone recognized her seriousness.
As she made her way down the hall, she realized the person she
had just spoken to was not following her. Reaching the door, she
turned the knob and pushed it open. The light above the door went
out, plunging her into a thick-blackness that completely blinded
her. Every nerve was on edge as adrenaline surged through her.
Where are you, you slimy son of a bitch? Almost as if Marcone could
read her thoughts, a bright light came on forcing her enlarged
166 D. L. Pawlowski
pupils to constrict and reflexively she closed her eyes.
Welcome, Detective Stone.
Cautiously, Nic opened her eyes, allowing them time to adjust
to the brighter conditions. Directly ahead of her, a tall man in a
dark suit was standing behind her friend who was gagged and
bound at the wrists. Nic s first impulse was to run to Carly, but
since she looked more angry than frightened, Nic squelched the
urge.
Do raise your hands, and keep them away from your body,
Marcone instructed. Tony, pat her down.
On command, a man stepped up behind her and ran his hands
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