Shadow Target (A Shadow Target Thriller Book 1), page 11
The crack of bone sounded in the tight corridor. The sentry’s upper body shot upward from the impact. His legs wobbled from the devastating blows and he swayed. Sledge drove him back into the other two men who reached for their guns wedged in the waistband of their trousers.
Before they could manage to get their guns freed, the yelping big man hindered the other guard’s movements as he collapsed to the floor. They moved sluggishly and didn’t appear to be professionals. That much was certain.
Both men abandoned their weapons and relied on brawling and brute strength to handle Sledge. Their hands balled into tightly packed fists as they surged toward him. The man closest to Sledge launched an arcing right cross at him that he managed to easily deflect.
He grabbed the man’s arm and placed him into an overarm pressure lock; then Sledge kicked the other guard in his gut, ripping the air from his lungs and sending him tumbling backward into the wall.
Without letting go of the man’s limb, Sledge bent his arm toward him, and then he grabbed his own wrist with his free hand. He thrust his elbow upward, striking the guard square in the chin.
The pop made from the blow rattled the big man and sent his head snapping backward. Sledge drilled him in the gut with two hard punches, then landed a blistering right cross that cranked his head to the side.
Sledge hammered the other guard’s skull with a kick to the face, removing him from the equation. With all three of the guards down and out of commission, Sledge set his sights on the closed door.
The bass from loud music blared in Drake’s room and vibrated the door. Sledge was certain that he hadn’t been given away to the lowlife drug dealer or the other patrons of the club who hadn’t emerged into the corridor, giving him the advantage to pursue his course of action and get some answers.
Chapter 25
Sledge twisted the doorknob and barged into the private suite where Drake was receiving a lap dance from one of the strippers while the other two danced for him, completely naked. As the blonde woman straddled his waist and leaned back into him, Drake ran his hands up her front toward her breasts when he locked eyes with Sledge.
The enjoyment of the moment vanished. Panic swelled on Drake’s face as he glanced down toward the floor, no doubt spotting his men out of commission in the hallway.
He scrambled to get up while tossing the naked woman on his lap onto the seat. The two women dancing with each other paused and glanced at the door.
Terror filled both of their faces as well as the woman who had resided on Drake’s lap. With the music pumping loud inside the private suite, it silenced the strippers’ screams as they fled for the door, hurrying to escape while they could.
Sledge maneuvered around the women and closed in on Drake as he stretched across the red leather couch to a platform that had drugs and a pistol sitting on its top. Before he could take hold of the weapon, Sledge kicked him in the side and knocked the wind out of him.
Clutching his ribs and writhing from the flat of his back, Drake mouthed something but Sledge couldn’t make out what was being said from the annoying din of music engulfing the space. After removing the thug’s gun from the table, Sledge located the controls for the speakers on the wall and switched the music off.
The thumping rap music ceased and silence took hold within the suite, allowing Sledge to hear Drake’s groans. Dismantling his weapon, Sledge dropped the pieces to the floor and approached Drake as he tried to stand and make for the entrance.
Two steps were all Drake could get before Sledge cranked the man’s chin with a sharp right jab. It dazed Drake and sent him stumbling to the floor.
“How about we don’t try that again, okay?” Sledge asked while he examined the cocaine cut into nice, neat lines on the glass top of the table. “That’s rather rude to do when someone is trying to speak to you.”
Drake palmed the side of his reddening face. His lip was busted and his hair was now a mess. He flipped over to his backside and clutched his ribs while glancing at Sledge with a malevolent glare. “Who the hell are you and what do you want?”
“The who doesn’t matter; it’s what I want that you should be concerned about.” Sledge strolled toward him, relaxed in his movements.
“Do you have any idea of who I am and the connections I have?” Drake asked grimacing from the blows Sledge had landed on him. “I’m the last person in this club you want to mess with, pal. Attacking me and my men was the worst mistake of your life.”
That’s highly unlikely, Sledge thought.
The puny man’s idle threats were the same as every other thug Sledge had encountered. None held any weight nor shook Sledge’s resolve.
As Drake scooted on his butt toward the doorway, he stabbed his finger at Sledge who stalked him. Before he could mutter more drivel, Sledge snatched his finger, bent it sideways, and then got Drake to his feet.
Both of his eyelids pinched shut. Drake gnashed his teeth and growled as Sledge applied pressure to the digit and tweaked the man’s wrist at an unnatural angle.
“How about we stop running our mouths and focus here,” Sledge said, maintaining a firm hold on the appendage. “I want to know why you were targeting Kim Claymore.”
“Who?” Drake asked with a whimper. “I don’t know anyone by that name.”
Annoyed, Sledge smashed Drake’s nose with his free hand. A meaty thump sounded from the contact as Drake’s head snapped back.
“What did I say? Don’t jerk me around. Answer the questions, or so help me, I’m going to make you wish you were dead.”
Blood leaked from both of Drake’s nostrils down to his upper lip. Sledge kept watching at the doorway while conducting his interrogation.
“Okay, man. Christ!” Drake said in a shout as Sledge jacked his arm in the air as if to throttle him more. “That’s the rich kid from Tuxedo Park, right?”
“Yes, you piece of trash. The one you gave the Adderall and Molly to,” Sledge replied. “What hand did you have in her disappearance? Spill it and perhaps I won’t beat you into a pulp.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, man,” Drake answered with a twisted, pained frown. “The only thing I did was sell drugs to her. That’s all. What are you, some kind of private investigator?”
“Not exactly.”
Sledge peered at his watch, knowing that he had spent far too much time in the suite with Drake since pummeling his men in the hallway. If he had more men inside the club, they’d be coming soon after the strippers fled the scene in terror.
Before Sledge could utter another word, Drake slashed at Sledge’s waist with a switchblade knife. The tip sliced through the fabric of Sledge’s shirt and missed flesh as he sucked in his gut and hopped back.
Drake jumped at the chance to run and bolted for the doorway while carrying the knife. The scared man rushed out of the suite and hooked a left as he leaped over the legs of his men on the floor.
Giving pursuit, Sledge stormed the entrance to the private suite and darted out into the corridor. He raced after his target as Drake ran the length of the curved hallway in a dead sprint toward the pulsating music of the club.
The frightened drug dealer continually glimpsed over his shoulder at the entrance to the hallway as Sledge emerged from the darkness after him. Drake stumbled into men crowding the club as women performed on stage, trying to escape while he could.
Two men approached Drake who jabbed his finger at Sledge marching onward toward them; he was undeterred by the size of the goons locking onto him.
As Drake threaded his trembling body by the henchmen and rushed for the entrance of the packed club, Sledge engaged the two men who now carried pistols. He disarmed one with ease by knocking the barrel toward the floor and then prying the weapon from the man’s hand, but not before it discharged a harsh bark that trumped the music.
People in the vicinity scattered like roaches, clearing the area. The women on stage stopped their routine and retreated to the back of the stage as fast as they could.
Amid the chaos, Sledge caught one final glimpse of Drake who merged with the throng of people shoving their way out of the double doors of the entrance to the club. Then he vanished.
Sledge kicked the gun away and rammed his elbow into the goon’s skull as his partner looked for a clean shot but failed to find one. The blow rattled the thick man and weakened his legs, but he didn’t go down immediately and blocked Sledge’s path.
His partner closed the distance between him and Sledge in seconds. He thwacked Sledge with a glancing blow across his chin that rattled his cage. Stars burst as he stumbled back, slightly dazed by the brute’s heavy hand.
He charged Sledge with his arm cocked and then launched another arcing right cross that Sledge expertly deflected. Taking hold of the man’s wrist and using his forward momentum against him, Sledge flipped him end over end onto a table.
Glassware was sent from the tabletop onto the floor as the man’s flailing body skidded across the top and onto the ground. Sledge scooped up one of the turned-over chairs and smashed the steel legs into the other man’s side, knocking him hard onto the floor.
Discarding the chair, Sledge rushed to the entrance to try and catch up with Drake before he got away. He pushed the tinted glass doors open and ran out to the parking lot where he was confronted by the meaty bouncer.
As people cleared the club in panic, Sledge caught a glimpse of Drake climbing into the driver's side of a black BMW parked in a reserved spot toward the front of the lot.
The meaty bouncer tried to grab Sledge with his large hand. His fingers swiped at his shirt but he couldn’t find purchase on the clothing.
Sledge skirted by the bouncer and shoved him as he focused on the BMW.
Brake lights flashed red; then white lights emerged as the BMW tore out of its parking spot in reverse. Tires squealed as the front end whipped around, facing the street.
The bouncer stayed on the offensive and tried to restrain Sledge but failed to contain him. A single strike to the man’s throat sent both of his hands clawing at his neck as he collapsed back into the building's wall.
Sledge rushed the BMW as the vehicle raced toward the street, dodging what few people remained in the lot. The car narrowly avoided running over the bystanders who jumped clear of the sedan as it careened out into the road.
Horns blared from other drivers that Drake nearly clipped with the front end of his ride. The BMW’s rear tires spun wildly as its back half rotated a full ninety degrees in the middle of traffic.
Shooting down the sloped drive to the road at full tilt, Sledge made for his truck as the BMW righted its course and took off down the street. He climbed into the driver’s seat, fired up the engine, and punched the gas, sending the pickup in a forward jerk after his mark.
Chapter 26
Tailing the luxury sedan, Sledge kept within striking distance as he piloted the Silverado past the slower-moving vehicles. His headlights shone at the trunk of the BMW as it swerved erratically into oncoming traffic.
Cars ahead of Sledge slammed their brakes and jerked into his path to avoid colliding with the BMW. He pumped the brake and worked the steering in one fluid motion as he skimmed by the honking vehicles.
Despite Drake's attempts to ditch his tail, Sledge wasn’t easily deterred. Every sharp turn that caused chaos on the streets, and sent cars into Sledge’s path, couldn’t keep him from Drake before the weasel could slip away.
Sledge punched the gas and surged ahead of a yellow hatchback that blocked the street. The truck’s engine revved a throaty roar as it shot by the car toward the Beamer.
Drake hung a nail-biting right turn at the street ahead. The sedan cut in front of an approaching van that came to a sudden skidding stop. It steered out of the van’s way and clipped cars parked at the curb, damaging its front end.
The reckless driving of the drug dealer was now endangering civilians. Sledge had to end this while he could before someone got hurt or the police showed up. Neither would work in his favor.
Gaining on the nimble sedan, Sledge pushed the truck up the straightaway at max speed. The needle moved upward in the speedometer as the headlights shone at the BMW’s tinted back window. His front bumper stalked the Beamer’s trunk, closing to less than four feet before making contact.
As Sledge sought a pit maneuver to stall the sedan, Drake cut to the left and made for an alley at dangerous speeds. Instead of making a tight turn into the narrow opening of the buildings, he made a wide arc that sent the hood of the sedan crashing into the corner of the building.
The BMW jolted from the collision. Metal crunched as smoke leaked out from under the crumpled hood. The driver-side door of the Beamer flung open as Sledge stopped directly behind the sedan.
Drake climbed out past the exposed airbag that had been deployed and collapsed onto the pavement. The headlights of the Silverado revealed a gash above Drake’s forehead.
Placing the truck into park, Sledge jumped out of the cab and advanced on the drug dealer who crawled along the concrete, then tried to stand and run.
“And where the hell do you think you’re going?” Sledge asked as he landed a boot into the mid-part of Drake’s spine. “I wasn’t finished talking.”
The drug dealer collapsed onto the ground, prone on his stomach. Sledge flipped him over to his back and straddled the man’s waist. Bunching his fingers into the front of Drake’s silk shirt, Sledge jerked him upward from the concrete.
“Running was a dumb move. It seems you’re not too smart. All I wanted was answers to a few questions and now you’ve royally pissed me off.”
Part of that statement was a lie. Sledge wanted the deplorable man to suffer for preying on the girls and threatening to harm them.
Spitting to the pavement from his bloody mouth, Drake stared up at Sledge with a dazed look.
Police sirens sounded in the distance. Soon, they’d be on-site and Sledge didn’t want to be in the vicinity when the authorities arrived.
He dragged Drake’s meager frame across the pavement back to his pickup. Sledge then scooped him off the ground and shoved the drug dealer into the back seat of the cab. He gave little resistance to being handled as he flopped onto the seat, disoriented and hurt from the crash.
Sledge climbed into the cab through the open driver’s door, slammed it shut, and then drove off as the din of sirens converged on the street behind him.
Chapter 27
Drake glanced about the empty plot of land with a bewildered gaze from outside of the pickup. Blood seeped from the wound on his forehead, trickled down to his chin, and dripped onto the ground. He tried to stand and use the truck’s bed to help him get up, but wobbling legs made that difficult to achieve.
Lights from Atlanta gleamed like stars from all around them. There wasn’t a building within earshot of the sector of the city to which Sledge had driven them.
“Now that we have some alone time, how about you stop wasting mine and tell me what you know about Kim Claymore.” Sledge stood before Drake with his hands on his hips. A disgusted scowl formed on his face as he glared at the man who had a hand in Kim’s disappearance. “Come clean with what you know and perhaps I won’t break every bone in your body.”
“I didn’t do anything to her,” Drake said, pleading his case with his hands raised in submission.
“I know learning is hard. It looks like you need a refresher course.” Sledge hammered his nose with a jab, furthering the damage already done.
Drake howled and cupped his nose with his hand. His dress shoes stomped the earth in frustration.
Sledge continued, “Don’t lie to me. If you want to feel real pain, then keep it up. I’m not stupid, so don’t act like you’re going to weasel yourself out of this. Again, I know you had contact with Kim and her friends. You sold them drugs and threatened to hurt them if they said a word about it. That, in and of itself, begs for me to beat the living shit out of you.”
“I only threatened them to make sure they wouldn’t squeal to the authorities. I didn’t mean it.”
Sledge raised his eyebrows.
Drake lowered his hand and said, “Look, I can’t tell you. They’ll kill me if I do.”
“And what do you think I’ll do if you don’t?” Sledge removed the 1911 from his waistband and aligned the muzzle with Drake’s forehead. “Come clean or it’s lights out. I doubt anyone would lose sleep over a piece of trash preying on young women. I know I won’t.”
“Shit. Fine, man.” Drake’s strained voice boomed loudly in the night sky.
“Better.” Sledge lowered the 1911 to his side and then said, “Tell me why you targeted the girl. I know you met Kim online and conned her into meeting you. I’m skeptical it was only to just sell her drugs, and since there has not been a ransom attempt, it’s safe to say that this isn’t about getting money from the parents.”
“I don’t know why she was targeted,” Drake answered as he wiped away the blood running from his nose. “All I was told was her name and that I needed to gain her trust. The drugs were secondary to that and helped me get in deeper with her. She’s a nobody as far as I’m concerned. I don’t decide who is targeted. I’m just the one who plays the part and kicks them up the river.”
“So, you’re part of a human trafficking ring in Atlanta then? I’m guessing that’s what has happened here, right? You gained her trust, pumped her full of narcotics, then passed her off to be auctioned to the highest bidder?”
With eyes downcast, Drake bobbed his head but didn’t mutter a verbal reply.
“Who do you work for? I want the names of everyone involved and, more importantly, who you ditched Kim with.”
“I don’t know their names.”
Sledge glared at Drake as he aimed the gun at his shoe and popped off a single round near the man’s foot. The bullet punched the dirt and made Drake flinch and jump.
