Don't Look Like a Seal Pt. 06

"Is that..." Det. Young started to ask.

I was already nodding in response.

"Yuri and his guys," I answered. "Let me try and handle this."

"We're going to get shot," She muttered in reply as she slid to a stop behind their vehicles. "You should have borrowed a vest, Ken."

"Hindsight is twenty / twenty," I sighed.

As I stepped from the car a couple of pistols were aimed at me along with at least a couple of AK-47 barrels. I started thinking that Jen was right about us dying and that a vest wouldn't be any help against an AK.

****

"Get back into the car, Grayson. I am handling this," Yuri called out to me.

"Can't do that, Yuri," I called back without raising my weapon. "That family that I was talking about is in there and I can't let them get hurt."

His wasn't raised at me but was held at his side out of respect I wanted to think, but I had no doubt that he would put a round into me and not think twice about it if I gave him the slightest reason. Det. Young was out of the car wielding her shotgun which she kept moving from armed person to armed person while she glanced over at me.

"This isn't going to end well is it?" She asked and I shrugged in response. "I'm MBPD! Everyone lower your weapons. Now!"

Yuri's men chuckled then looked to him for instructions. He glared at me for a moment but before he could give an order I spoke up.

"You swore that you'd let me handle this, Yuri," I called out. "Get back in your cars and let me."

"I think not," he stated. "You know who I am here for? You know that he killed one of my men! For that, he dies!"

"For that, he goes to prison," I disputed. "I need him to tell me who is behind all this. Let me have him, Yuri."

"You are outgunned, Grayson. You are not in any position to make any demands of me. Your lady cop friend is intimidating but I happen to know that all the cops in this city are at the warehouse. Back up isn't coming to save the day anytime soon. Tsk Tsk."

"He has a point, Kenny," Det. Young whispered through gritted teeth.

"There's a family in there, Yuri. An innocent family that will be caught in your crossfire and likely die for your vengeance," I said. "You don't want that on your conscious."

Yuri chuckled at that.

"You are one to talk to me of innocence, Ken." Yuri stated. "You know the things that I have done and I know what you have done. This will not cause me to lose a moment of sleep what about you? Will losing these people too give you more nightmares?"

"Yeah, he's as scary as advertised," Det. Young said. "If you have any rabbits to pull out of your hat you had better start yanking here, Kenny."

I nodded, looked around at Yuri and his men and quickly determined our odds. They were less than stellar bordering on suicidal if I tried anything remotely heroic here. I could tell from the smirk on Yuri's face that he had calculated the odds as well.

"We're done with this," he snorted and started to turn back toward the estate but I called out.

"Yuri, if you do this... I will make it my life's mission to tear down everything that you've built up here. Piece by piece until there's nothing left," I threatened.

He turned back toward us with a dark expression on his face.

"You think that you can get away with threatening me because you have a cop with you?" He growled. "You come after me and I will destroy everything your sentimental heart holds dear. I will start with your friends at my club. They will..."

His voice trailed off as I raised my gun and pointed it at him. Everyone tensed as if they knew this was about to end bloody. Even Yuri's furious look was replaced with one of astonishment.

"Don't threaten my friends, Yuri," I warned him. "I'm willing to die right here and now to keep them safe. You said that you know the things that I've done so that means that you know that if I have to die here today to save the people in my life then that's what's going to happen. Just know that my first shot goes right between your eyes. After that, nothing else matters."

Yuri did his best to stare down what he presumed was a bluff. I returned his stare and slowed my breathing. I wanted to apologize to Det. Young because the fact was that we were going to die here but I had to hold Yuri's gaze so he knew that I was ready for this. After a moments hesitation he blinked. Then he sighed and motioned with his hand for his men to lower their weapons.

"You are still a madman, Grayson," He stated as he straightened his suit jacket. "You and I will have a reckoning over this one day, comrade, and on that day I think that neither of us will walk away from it."

He nodded at his men who lowered their weapons and started to get into their cars. All except for Yuri who paused at his door and looked at me.

"You made a promise. I expect you to fulfill it. Understood?" He asked.

I wanted to argue that he too had made a promise that he had broken by what he had done but I simply nodded. We had just avoided certain death and I wasn't about to tiptoe that razor's edge again.

Det. Young kept her shotgun aimed at the SUV's as they departed then she blew out a breath and lowered it.

"How close were we to dying just now?" She asked.

"Too close," I answered her as I moved toward the gate. "Way too close."

"I figured," She sighed. "How do we get in?"

"I'm working on that," I told her.

I turned toward the camera in the hope that Joe was monitoring and would unlock the gate for me but I heard the sound of an engine revving.

"Look out!" Det. Young shouted as she grabbed and pulled me away from the gate.

The very gate that just exploded outward when it was rammed by one of the family's SUV's. The SUV had been reversed into the gate at speed and blasted it open. The driver pulled a near perfect handbrake turn and only slightly bumped Det. Young's car with it's front end as it spun around.

"That was the Voss' head security guy," Det. Young announced as she scrambled to her feet.

"Mrs. Voss and Karly were with him," I said as I ran toward her car. "He's the last of the kidnappers! Give me the keys!"

She tossed them toward me even as she ran toward the passenger side of the car. I caught the keys, hopped in and cranked the engine to life.

"How do you know that he's the one?" She questioned.

"Buckle up," I told her as I spun her car around and started to pursue the SUV. "Why else would he be running if he wasn't the last one? He must have heard about what happened to his team, saw Yuri at the gate and panicked."

"And took hostages?" She asked. "Why not just cut and run?"

"The money," I answered. "He's still trying to pull off the kidnapping for ransom. He'll need money if he plans to hide from Yuri."

"That's pretty slim on evidence,Kenny." She countered.

"I can't argue that but he's running and he's got Karly with him so I plan to catch up and ask him what's going on," I answered.

My phone chirped in my pocket and I yanked it free and tossed to Det. Young. She checked the ID, accepted the call and put it on speaker.

"What in the hell is Yuri Gorgovin doing at our front gate?" Alex shouted.

"Little busy here, Alex," I commented as I slid onto the main road outside the estate.

"We're following Williams," Det. Young said. "He's got Mrs. Voss and one of the daughters. Where is Mr. Voss and Addison?"

"They're safe," Alex answered. "Williams was the inside guy! He called a false alarm, knocked out Joe and the power. I thought he was still on the grounds with Mrs. Voss and Karly."

"He's running," I called out. "He must have seen Yuri leave and took a chance to run."

"We are going to have a long conversation about what the hell Yuri is doing here and since you don't seem that surprised by that fact, how long were you planning to keep it from me," Alex stated.

"One problem at a time, Alex," I said. "Do you think he'll go for the yacht or the private jet?"

"Hold on," Alex said.

I heard him ask Joe something then he chimed back in.

"The jet! Someone called for it to be fueled up," He stated. "He's going there! I'm on the way, Ken. Do not let it get off the ground!"

"That's the plan," I answered and heard him hang up. "How I plan to pull that off is a whole other matter however."

"You could try and bluff your way through it," Det. Young suggested as I used the shoulder of the road to pass a slow car. "That just worked out pretty well for you a few minutes ago."

"I got very lucky with Yuri," I stated. "I'm not counting on the same amount of luck with Williams and whoever is behind all this."

****

As we got closer to the airport Det. Young had called in for all the back up she could muster and for the Voss' jet to be grounded by the control tower.

"He may still try and make a run for it," I pointed out. "With the family as hostages the pilot may not have a choice."

"Then we'll find another way," She said.

Ahead of us we watched as Cassidy's SUV blasted through the closed gate that led to the private hangers at the airport. We followed them inside and toward the sleek white jet that sat outside a hanger. Cassidy jumped out of the SUV with his gun in one hand and Mrs. Voss clamped in his other as he dragged her towards the jet. Karly went along either from fear of the gun in Cassidy's hand or from refusing to leave her mother's side. Either way he was leading them to the jet as we slid to a stop. He looked up, raised his gun and fired at us but the struggling Mrs. Voss threw off his aim so the shot went wide. It was a hand gun but it sounded like a cannon.

"What the hell kind of gun is that!" Det. Young asked as we ducked behind the car for cover.

"That's the weapon that killed our guy with no face," I told her as he fired off a better shot that still managed to miss both of us. "That hand cannon is a Desert Eagle that's firing .50 caliber rounds."

She nodded, popped her trunk and groped around while still using the car as cover. It took her a moment to find what she wanted and another to tug it free.

"Put this on," She ordered me as she handed me a spare bulletproof vest.

"It won't help against that," I told her as another of his shots hit the raised trunk lid.

It left a neat hole in it's wake and I pointed up at it.

"See?" I asked.

"Put it on anyway," Det. Young insisted then she called out. "Give it up, Mr. Williams! You're about to be surrounded. Let's end this peacefully!"

"We're flying out of here," he called back as he forced Karly and Mrs. Voss up the boarding ramp of their jet.

"No, you aren't. I've had the plane grounded," She told him. "You aren't going anywhere on it. Now let's talk this over."

"I've got several hostages, Detective," He shouted back from the open door of the jet. "We fly or I start killing them. Your call!"

"He's bluffing," She whispered to me. "He needs the pilot to fly and the family to ransom off."

"Are you asking me or telling me?" I asked.

"A little of both," She shrugged. "What is our plan here?"

"We need a distraction or something that will draw his attention away from us," I said.

That distraction came in the form of Alex's arrival onto the scene. His Jaguar roared onto the tarmac where he slid it to a stop several yards in front the plane effectively cutting it off from the runway. Cassidy spun toward Alex and fired a couple of rounds in his direction. I rose from behind Det. Young's car and started firing several shots that I aimed high so as to not put the family in danger. Cassidy ducked back into the interior of the jet while Det. Young rose and started running toward the front of the plane, shotgun in her hands while I ran toward the rear of the plane. With so many different moving targets Cassidy didn't know where to aim first. He started tracking me but Alex had hopped out of his car and opened fire which forced Cassidy back inside. He let loose a wild shot that came a little too close for comfort but I needed him to think he scored a hit so I spun slightly and let my momentum carry me a few feet before I crumpled to the pavement.

"Kenny!" Det. Young shouted when she saw me fall.

Alex shouted and fired more rounds to keep Cassidy inside. Cassidy fired wildly in their direction this time which forced them to duck for cover. I lay there on the hot pavement and didn't move while I hoped that he would think me dead. I'll admit that it was a stupid idea because I was exposed but I needed him to think I was out of the fight if I was going to save Karly and Mrs. Voss.

****

"Was he hit?" Det. Young asked Alex as the pair took cover behind his car. "Could you tell how bad it was?"

"I couldn't and I can't," Alex answered. "All I know is that he went down which means that you and I have to handle this now."

She nodded and called out to Cassidy.

"You're blocked in now, Mr. Williams," She said. "Let's talk about this!"

"Move the car and I won't be," He shouted back. "We take off or I kill someone."

"Someone else you mean," She shouted back. "Grayson is down and I know that you killed one of Yuri's men."

"I got Grayson huh?" He laughed. "Good. I hated that bastard. Now move the damn car and I'll..."

Det. Young rose and fired a blast from her shotgun into the front tire of the plane then ducked back down.

"You can give up on flying out of here now," She shouted. "It's not happening. This ends here. I suggest you negotiate."

"You bitch!" He shouted angrily. "You just got one of Voss' killed!"

"Don't be hasty, Williams," Alex called out. "The two of them are worth a lot more alive. You kill one and you won't get as much money."

"And you're going to need all the money you can get if you want to stay ahead of Yuri," Det. Young added. "I saw what he did to your team. I'll have nightmares about them for years. Be smart about this."

Cassidy was quiet for a moment as he seemed to consider her words carefully.

"Fine," He shouted back. "Let's negotiate!"

****

Their talking had given me the distraction that I needed as I low crawled my way to the rear of and under the private jet. I got to my feet and found the small hatch that I had hoped to find. I pulled out my phone and dialed.

"Joe," I whispered. "I need a hand."

"I assume your part of the rescue mission," he commented. "What do you need from me?"

"The code for the access hatch on the Voss' jet," I told him. "Do you know who has it?"

"Give me a second," he said and I could hear him typing away at his keyboard.

Above me I could hear Cassidy's attempts to negotiate and Det. Young's attempts to slow him down until back up could arrive. With his front wheel gone we could just wait this out but I felt that I needed to be onboard just in case things went sideways in some way.

"Okay, I got it," Joe came back on. "Mr. Voss had it."

Joe relayed the code and I punched it in as he said it. I heard a click and the handle popped free. I gripped it and gave it a slow twist.

"Joe, I'm in," I told him quietly. "Call Alex and tell him and Jen to keep stalling Cassidy while I get onboard."

"Do you have a plan?" he asked.

"I'm working on it," I replied and hung up.

I left the phone on the tarmac and climbed the short ladder into the cramped space. I couldn't risk it going off and alerting Cassidy if I got a call. Luckily I knew a little about jets of this type. We had trained on infiltrating them so I knew there was a small hatch that would grant me access to the cabin. I felt along the ceiling toward the rear of the jet until I found the small latch. This should allow me to slip into the small galley area between the seating area and the restroom if I remembered correctly. I could still hear Det. Young and Cassidy as they traded demands back and forth so I carefully pulled the latch. I pushed the hatch up just enough to allow me to peer out then blew out a relieved breath when I didn't see anyone or get immediately shot.

"Gotta do this slowly," I thought as I carefully moved the hatch aside and slipped into the cabin.

I slipped to the side of the galley, stood up and took a quick peek toward the front of the jet. Cassidy was at the open door. He still held Mrs. Voss with one hand with his pistol in his other. Karly was seated a few feet from them and was watching them intently. I got down, aimed my weapon forward and crouch walked down the aisle toward where she was seated. I was nearly to her when she turned and saw me. Her eyes went wide then darted to where Cassidy held her mother. I motioned for her to come with me but she shook her head slightly to tell me that she wasn't leaving her mother. I gestured more emphatically and even though she looked like she wanted to argue she slowly slipped out of her seat. I continued to face forward while I maneuvered her so that I was between her and Cassidy then backed us back to the galley.

"Go," I whispered as I pointed toward the hole in the galley.

"My mom," She whispered back.

"I'll get her but I need you safe first. Now go," I told her.

She looked like she wanted to argue more but she thought better of it and let me help her down into the hole. I turned back toward the front of the jet and wondered how I was going to get Mrs. Voss away from Cassidy.

****

"Get someone out here to change the tire you shot out or get us another jet," Cassidy demanded out the door.

"You have to give me something in return if you want me to get that into motion," Det. Young called back. "Good faith on your part."

"You're trying my patience, Detective!" He shouted. "How about I shoot the little redhead through her kneecap in good faith , huh? How's that sound to you!"

"Don't do it, Cassidy!" Alex shouted. "We can work this out peacefully if you'll let us!"

"Fuck that!" He shouted back then looked over to where Karly had been seated. "Karly, get your ass up and... and... where in the hell did you go?"

"She's gone, Cassidy," I called out as I rose to my feet. "This is over. Put your gun down, let Mrs. Voss go and put your hands up."

"You're supposed to be dead!" He shouted as he aimed his gun at me.

It was a suicidal move on his part. I already had him in my sights before he started to move and when he did Mrs. Voss jerked away from him. I fired two shots and both hit Cassidy in his chest. He fell back against the door jam, tried to raise his gun again but I squeezed off another round.

"This is for Nikolai," I muttered as my shot struck him in his head.

The force pitched his body back and to the side. He fell out the open doorway then down the stairs to the pavement below. Mrs. Voss rushed toward me once he fell from view. I caught her, hugged her and assured her that it was over. She was trying to tell me something but all I could hear was the ringing that comes after firing a gun off in a confined space. I turned toward the cockpit to assure the pilot that it was over when another pair of shots ring out. My breath was knocked out of my body and I fell backward into Mrs. Voss who tried to catch me but we both ended up tumbling to the floor of the cabin in a heap.

****

When they heard my shots from inside the jet, Det. Young and Alex hurried toward the lowered stairs only to be met by Cassidy's body as it flopped to the ground.

"Check him," She shouted to Alex as she started up the stairs intent on making sure that Cassidy was the only casualty when she saw someone, an armed someone, emerge from the cockpit, aim and fire off a couple of quick rounds.

"Freeze!" She shouted at the person. "Drop the weapon! Now!"

Alex came up behind her with his pistol drawn to back her up. The figure turned toward them, saw the shotgun and pistol pointed at him and dropped his handgun.

"Hands up and turn around," She ordered him as she started up the stairs with her shotgun still trained on the man.

"We need help in here!" Mrs. Voss shouted out.