Pride, page 17
Hard to say who was worse. Were all Kuznetsov’s people this callous? “They don’t need to die,” I said.
“They’ll talk,” Alan said. “Kids always see more than you think. You should take them with you, or make sure they can’t tell anyone about us.”
Now it was us again. Alan was either really nuts or smarter than he showed the world. If he could get Prem out of the room, he only had to deal with Manjeet — and me. But those kids would die if his plan worked.
“Children are easy for you to manipulate,” I said. “I’m sure they’re too traumatized to make sense of what they see. You should take the money and leave us here.”
“We should do it,” Alan said. “There’s plenty for three new lives. Kill her and the kids, and we go.”
“Someone will hear the shots,” I said. “Just leave us here.”
“Shut up!” Prem screamed the words. We’d gotten to her, but not the way I planned.
I glanced toward Alan. His mouth was clamped tight. I turned back to focus on the gun. We were all stuck in place. Manjeet by the front door, Prem blocking access to the back of the house. Me and Alan trapped in the middle. If Alan was my ally, we might have a chance, but this wasn’t two against one, it was me against them all.
“Manjeet, call him,” Prem said, now calm. “There’s no good way out. Let the boss decide.”
“What if he says we all die?” Manjeet asked as he pulled a burner from his pocket. “What if he says to wait for him?”
“Then we run, idiot.” Prem motioned with the gun for me and Alan to move closer together. We stayed put.
Manjeet left a two-word message and hung up.
I would need that phone when this was over. It would go a long way to replacing my recording. Having the drop number and the code was almost as good as a name. Some technical whiz at the RCMP would find a way to trace it.
“You can’t just call him?” Alan asked. “I’ve got his direct number. Maybe I should make the contact.”
“Why?” I asked, still hoping to stop him escalating this to the point that Prem started shooting. “Are you that sure he’ll believe your version? What is that, by the way?”
He grinned and seemed to relax completely. “I came by to make sure the merchandise would be ready to sell on. Prem pulled a gun on me. You barged in and made the situation worse.”
My stomach turned every time someone made the kids sound like a product. But, as horrible as it sounded, I had other battles to fight first.
“What will you say when he calls, Prem? Assuming he does call. How long will you wait?” I wanted them thinking about anything other than killing everyone and running.
“Exactly what happened,” she said. “He’ll contact us in a couple of minutes. I’ll tell him what Blackhouse tried to do. He’ll get us out and deal with the cops, and you.”
“Seems like something the boss would delegate,” I said.
“Maybe,” Manjeet said. “But he’ll sort it out. Just keep quiet and wait.”
Prem used the gun as a pointer again, motioning Manjeet to pull Alan to me. “Bring the phone here. I’ll talk when he calls.”
Manjeet dragged Alan to my side. Then stepped toward Prem. Alan shifted his weight to his back foot. He was going for the door.
Not fast enough. Manjeet turned and pushed him to the floor. “Don’t fucking make me hurt you.” He tossed the phone to Prem. It rang as she caught it.
50
What would I give for a couple of seconds where I could turn on my phone?
Apparently, it was going to cost me nothing. Manjeet was busy subduing Alan. Prem looked at the phone. I took mine out and turned it on. I glanced up to see Prem bringing the burner to her face, still looking at the small display screen. No time to open and activate the recording app, but I could hit redial, drop it back in my pocket and hope David would be able to hear the conversation.
Prem turned her attention back to us as she answered the call.
“Yes,” she said. I guess the burner didn’t have caller ID or she didn’t want to risk a name. “That’s true.”
So, this was going to be one-sided with no names tossed around in an incriminating manner.
Manjeet pulled Alan to his feet and shoved him to the couch. “Don’t move.”
Alan slumped, like he was giving up. He’d taken his only shot and failed. I didn’t expect it to last, but at least now the room was quiet.
“Where?” Prem asked. “When?”
The person on the other end was issuing orders. Probably about what to do with me and Alan.
“We’ll be there.” Prem closed the call and tossed the phone into the kitchen. She motioned with the gun for me to join Alan.
I didn’t move. The moment I sat down I lost any possibility of escape. I might not be able to make it through the door, but at least I had a chance from here.
“I’m not sitting next to him,” I said. “Who called back?”
Prem smirked. “You’ll know soon enough. We’ll be on our way in a few minutes.”
“Where are we going?”
“Let it be a surprise,” she said. “Manjeet, get the money.”
“I’m not leaving you here alone with them.”
She lifted the gun and pointed it at him. “I’ll be fine. Get the cash. We need to give it back. You should have listened to me in the first place when I said to tell the boss.”
I thought Manjeet was going to argue. His expression tightened with anger. Then he gave a nod and headed through to the kitchen.
“You think giving the money back will satisfy him?” I asked. “Aren’t you another couple of loose ends?”
Prem rolled her eyes. It was worse than having the gun in my face. She didn’t care about anything.
“Yeah,” Alan said. “I’ll tell them you knew about the skimming, and you set it up. He’ll believe me over you. You sell kids for Christ’s sake.”
“Yes. We make him a lot of cash on that. Money guys are easy to find. Finding the contacts to buy the product and pass it along, that’s a lot of expensive and risky work. He’ll be happy we brought you in.”
I was pretty sure what would occur if we left this house. First, Alan would take two in the head. Then Manjeet, then Prem, then me. They’d want me to witness the killings, feel the terror of my own death coming.
“What do you think will happen to the kids?” I asked, not caring what she said. It was taking Manjeet a long time to bring the money. I needed to stall enough for me to figure out how to avoid being taken away.
“The boss will get them picked up. He’ll deal with them right away. A couple are getting too old to generate the real profit anyway. By lunchtime we’ll be relocated and back in business.”
I saw Alan fidget on the couch. I needed him to keep quiet so I only had to juggle two high risk actions. If he poked them into violence again, we wouldn’t make it out of the house. I glared at him, but he wasn’t looking at me to get the message.
“Where is the money?” I asked. “It’s taking a long time to retrieve. Maybe Manjeet is on the run?”
“He knows better than to try.” Prem glanced into the kitchen as she spoke. “He does what I tell him to do.”
“So, you make sure he never learns to get by without you?”
Where the fuck was David? There was nothing to tell me how long we’d been here waiting. In this kind of stress, you can’t trust your body. A clock just marks time, no subjective experience to stretch or speed up the seconds.
The back door slammed.
“See. What did I tell you?” Prem said. “Manjeet, bring something to tie them. We need to go now.”
Alan jumped up from the couch. “No. I won’t go anywhere.”
Prem pointed her gun at his foot. “I don’t want to shoot, but I will if you make me.”
Manjeet tossed two duffel bags on the floor and went back to the kitchen.
Someone banged on the front door. “Police. We’re coming in.” Andy.
51
“Stay out!” Prem rushed toward me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me close enough to push the gun against my temple. “I’ll kill her and the kids if you open that door.”
“Gun.” I yelled right after, so they knew she was able to follow through.
I had no doubt Prem would pull the trigger and worry about consequences later. The children were safer than me. Prem would need to go down that hall and drag them back to the living room. She couldn’t afford the time.
“Manjeet, bring the brats here.”
Why do I ever think things will go even a tiny bit my way?
Manjeet didn’t answer, just ran down the hall and came back later with a sleeping Nora. He dropped her on the couch and left again, returning with three more, carrying them like they were sacks of meat. When he finished his trips, fifteen kids lay on the furniture and floor. They ranged from a baby to what I guessed was a ten-year-old.
“Mrs. Gupta, let us in,” Andy called through the door. “We’ll just take the children. They must be in the way, right?”
He was appealing to the nurturing side of a woman who didn’t have an ounce of compassion.
She pushed the gun a little harder into my temple.
“Don’t try to be the hero. You open your mouth and I shoot you and then Blackhouse and as many of those kids as I have bullets for.”
All I could do was watch and remember everything in case we survived. I told myself Andy must have an expert to fall back on for the negotiation. Even if I couldn’t see it, Prem must have something to offer to make a deal — or some kind of escape plan. At the first gunshot, the doors would burst, and she’d be lucky to live long enough to regret losing control. I didn’t know how much of the reality got through her rage.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Alan said. “The boss knows what’s going on. He’s got people in his pocket who can fix this.”
“Manjeet, go check the back door and bring something to shut him up. I need to think.”
Again, Manjeet followed orders. He returned with a roll of duct tape and a dish rag. He jammed the rag in Alan’s mouth and held it in place by wrapping the tape around his head. It was going to hurt and do some damage when someone eventually removed it. Then he taped Alan’s hands and feet.
“They are in the yard,” he said while he put the finishing touches on the gag. “Three, with riot gear.”
“They won’t move unless ordered.” Prem released the pressure a little on my head and arm. Not enough for me to make a doomed attempt at escape, or even to say anything, but enough that I didn’t need to keep holding my breath to avoid a bullet.
“Her?” Manjeet asked, pointing in my direction with the tape.
“Only her hands and feet.” Prem nudged me to put my arms out. “I might need her to do some talking.”
He wrapped my wrists a few turns. “Make her sit so I can do her feet.”
“No, you get down and do it.” Prem pointed the gun at my waist and pushed again. If I survived, I’d have bruises everywhere.
Manjeet looked like he was going to argue this time. I looked at the floor and saw why. There was no room unless he moved two little boys.
“We should use the tunnel,” he said, putting the tape on the coffee table and bending to pick up the first boy. “Just gag her and leave them. Take the money and run.”
He moved the second boy to a corner across the room.
“How far do you think we can run?” Prem asked. No trace of dismissal in her voice. This time she wanted his answer.
“Far enough,” he muttered, still apparently reluctant to get down and restrain me. “We set up somewhere and call the boss.”
“What, to kill us?” Prem squeezed my arm tightly. “Forget her feet, go take the bags to the entrance. Let me think.”
He shrugged and grabbed the bags to haul them down the same corridor leading to the kids’ rooms. A tunnel wouldn’t go far in this neighborhood. Too many underground services and no convenient wooded area for a hidden exit.
It had been too quiet outside for too long. Prem was nervous. If I could get her to loosen her grip, maybe I could use that. But the gun was tight to my side and pointed at a lot of my vital organs.
“What are they doing out there?” Prem asked like I would know. But asking meant she would let me talk.
“Waiting. I mean, I guess they’re deciding how to breach without killing anyone. Maybe making sure the neighbors are safely out of range of any stray bullets? Arranging for the power to be shut off?” Certainly not listening in on the whole thing because I called David. I’d somehow forgotten that fact when she put the gun to my head.
“That might work,” Prem said. “Even if they cut the power, it won’t be too dark.”
And the longer they delayed, the less effect it would have. “You should go now.”
“And leave you and that asshole to talk?” Prem removed the gun from my side and used it to point at Alan. “You ready to die?”
Not even close. “If you shoot, they’ll breach. Why don’t you try to talk to them?”
“No. Don’t move.” She stepped away from me to pull the drapes aside and take a peek. “Fuck.”
“What’s going on?” Manjeet asked as he came back into the room. “What are we going to do?”
Prem looked back at the room. She took in the whole scene, kids on the floor. Alan gagged on the couch. Nora curled up beside him. Me standing like an idiot. I should have run to the back door as soon as she let me go. But if I did, I’d be leaving those children to take her anger.
“Is the tunnel clear?”
“You want me to go through and check the other end?” It was like he couldn’t do anything without her instruction.
“Yes. That’s what I meant when I said check out the tunnel.”
Manjeet looked at me confused. I wasn’t going to help him tell his crazy wife with a gun that she hadn’t asked him to do anything other than put the bags at the entrance.
52
“Mrs. Gupta, we’re going to call your landline.” David this time. “Please pick up so we can work out a solution to this situation.”
The phone rang as soon as he finished talking.
“Go check the fucking tunnel,” she shouted at Manjeet.
He turned and left. The phone kept ringing.
“You should talk to them,” I said.
The cops would hear everything from my phone, and hopefully be recording it, so I reverted back to my original plan. Get them to implicate Kuznetsov with the little added bonus of finding out where the tunnel exited.
“No. They want me to be tied to the phone.”
Alan was staring at me like he wanted to say something. It wouldn’t be anything useful, so I looked away from him. “The longer you stay here and don’t talk, the faster they will decide to breach. Maybe you should head down that tunnel now. It can’t be that long, right? Does it go to another house around here?” That would make the most sense. The two of them could sit quietly in another home and wait out the drama.
“How did you know that?” Manjeet asked as he came from the hall.
“You fucking idiot,” Prem said. Her language was deteriorating as her panic built. Panic wasn’t what I needed. Panic would get her pulling that trigger on impulse.
“No. Just a lucky guess. I would do the same thing. It’s probably a good time to go now that the neighbors have been evacuated.”
The phone stopped ringing.
Alan started grunting and bouncing on the couch. It worked to get our attention, and he really wanted to say something.
“What?” Manjeet said. “Let me cut off the gag. Maybe he’s got an idea.”
Prem stepped away from the window, looking around the room like she’d find a solution somewhere in the corner.
Manjeet, apparently tired of waiting for her, pulled out a box cutter and grabbed Alan. He lifted the tape in the middle of the gag, then ran the blade down the center. Alan coughed and sputtered, causing the blade to nick him on the chin. Blood flowed.
“Well,” Prem said. “What did you want to tell us?”
The phone rang again. I wished it would stop because I needed to think. And because I was afraid the noise would drown out the voices and no one on the other end of my call would hear anything important.
Alan kept coughing.
“He needs some water,” I said.
Someone banged on the front door again. “Mrs. Gupta, you need to talk to us. We would like to make sure the kids are okay.”
She raised the gun toward the door.
“No,” I said. I wanted to yell but I knew it would have the opposite effect that I desperately needed. It worked to make her hesitate. “Shoot at a cop and they’ll be in here before you can pull the trigger again.”
“She’s right,” Alan choked out. “Just talk to them. Buy some time.”
“Time for them to sneak in here somehow?” Prem asked. “I’m not stupid.”
“No. You are pretty smart, just stuck.” I took a step backward to make it harder for her to shoot us all before someone could stop her. I had to bring her back to a point where she had choices. “You can’t shoot us, Prem. If you want to escape, you need to go right now. Take Manjeet and the bags of money and go.”
“Mrs. Gupta? Can you confirm that everyone is okay?” David called through the door.
Prem pointed the gun at me. “Tell them you’re fine. Don’t say who is here, don’t say anything about the kids.”
“No one is hurt,” I shouted toward the door. Obviously, David was putting on an act for the Guptas. He knew exactly what was going on.
“Okay,” he said. “Now can we talk?”
“Get away from the door or we’ll find out how many times I can pull this trigger before you can stop me.”
“Prem, let’s just go,” Manjeet said. “We’ll be fine. We have enough to retire somewhere we can’t be found.”
“That’s what I was going to say,” Alan said. “Just go. The boss will take care of you. I’ll keep the cops here long enough for you to escape.”
