Dead Wrong (A Cal Murphy Thriller Book 7) Jack Patterson (good beach reads .txt) 📖

challenges as he held his breath under the stench of odor emanating from his captor.

First, I can’t run.

Second, I’m outnumbered.

Third, I have no weapon.

Fourth, I can’t stand the smell of this guy.

Cal watched as the other men stood up abruptly and exited the warehouse. The bald man ran after them. The sound of a muffled conversation preceded the slamming of car doors and the screeching of tires. Moments later, the bald guy lumbered back into the warehouse.

Cal tried to work the ropes free but to no avail.

“Where was we?” the man growled.

Cal mumbled something.

The man looked at him slack-jawed and gestured for Cal to speak up.

Cal mumbled again.

“What you say? Say it more loud.”

Cal mumbled a third time.

“What?” the man said as he inched closer to Cal.

“I said—” Cal never finished his sentence—at least not with words. He waited until the man got close enough and then he delivered a nasty head butt, sending the man sprawling to the ground. He spun around and kicked the man in the head. He then found a rough piece of metal on a nearby support pole to saw through his bindings.

For the next few minutes, Cal worked quickly to secure the man to the chair that held him only moments ago. Once satisfied that the man wasn’t going anywhere, Cal slapped the man in the face and woke him out of his stupor.

“Care to tell me what’s going on now?” Cal said as he circled the man.

“I know nothing,” the man said. He then spit at Cal.

“I don’t doubt that, Einstein, but I need to know who you are, where your friends are, and why you chose to kidnap me.”

“How you say, ‘Burn in hell,’?” the man said.

Cal noticed a pouch of dental equipment sprawled out on a nearby table.

“Well, look what I’ve found here,” Cal said. “I’m not a real dentist, but I’ve pulled my share of teeth in the past. I wouldn’t mind pulling some of yours, comrade.”

The man grimaced and looked away.

“Looks like we’ve found a winner. Something our good comrade doesn’t want.” Cal paused. “Too bad. Open up and say, ‘Ahhhh.’ ”

Cal jammed a piece of metal into the man’s mouth.

“This is gonna be fun. Do you know what the word ‘fun’ means?”

The man squirmed backward before Cal stopped pressing him any further.

“Okay, okay. I talk. I tell you what you want to know.”

CHAPTER 40

KELLY PACED AROUND THE HOUSE and felt the knot in her stomach tighten as she chewed on her fingernails. She checked the clock again—and it hadn’t moved.

Where is he? He should’ve been home by now.

She picked up her phone and dialed his number again.

C’mon, c’mon. Pick up your phone.

Nothing.

She let out a scream and took a deep breath. This is the exact reason she wanted to go to California once his investigation started happening. The farther away we are from this place, the better. She never counted on Marcus Hale to cut their assignment short, though she wondered why he ever let them leave in the first place.

Kelly’s mother slipped into the room.

“Kelly, dear, is everything okay?” she asked as she rubbed Kelly’s back.

Kelly shook her head and tried to hold back her tears. “I don’t know where Cal is. He was supposed to be home a while ago.” The tears started to flow. “I’m just scared.”

Her mother hugged her from the side. “I’m sure he’ll be home soon. Why don’t I fix you a cup of tea?”

Kelly nodded and slumped onto the sofa.

What can I do?

She picked up her phone and had an idea. It was a long shot, but at least the voice on the other end would understand: Tom Corliss.

Maybe he can help.

“Is everything all right, Kelly?” Corliss asked.

“It’s Cal. I haven’t heard from him in a while.”

“What were you two up to tonight?”

“Nothing that should’ve led to Cal becoming a target.”

Corliss cleared his throat. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“I may have been on an assignment for Cal.”

“Doing what?”

“Staking out Scott Perry.”

“And why would you do that?”

“I think you know why—but that doesn’t matter at this point. What matters is that I found Perry meeting with what looked like members of the Bratva. And Cal is nowhere to be seen several hours later.”

“Don’t panic yet. You never know what’s going on. He could have car trouble and his phone died.”

Kelly let out a long breath. “That’s not a comforting thought either since it probably happened inside the Beltway.”

“True.”

She sat down at her computer and started composing an email to Corliss. “Look, I’m sending you the pictures I took tonight. Maybe that’ll help.”

“Okay.”

She waited for a moment. “See them yet?”

“They’re just coming in. Hold on a second.” A pause. “Bingo. I’ve got ‘em. Good work, Kel—”

He stopped and Kelly went breathless.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Do you have any idea who this guy is?”

“No. Should I?”

“This guy is among our top twenty fugitives in the country. He’s very dangerous, too. I’m so glad nothing bad happened to you.”

“Thanks—but is there anything else I can do to possibly help you catch this guy?”

“Stay put and I’ll be in touch. And let me know if you hear from Cal.”

“Will do.”

She hung up her phone and fell back into the couch.

Her mother returned to the living room with the cup of tea. “It’s hot dear,” she said as she passed the cup to Kelly. “Any word?”

Kelly shook her head. “I’m really starting to get concerned.”

CHAPTER 41

“KEYS! KEYS! WHERE ARE THE KEYS?” Cal said as he scampered around the warehouse. With two other cars parked behind the building, he figured the keys had to be around there somewhere. He searched the bald man thoroughly before searching the open office near the table where all the other henchmen had been sitting.

“You never find them,” the bald man said before laughing. “You be dead soon.”

Cal glared at him from across the warehouse as he continued searching. So far the only thing he’d noticed were large stacks