Off the Grid (A Gerrit O'Rourke Novel) by Mark Young Read Free Book Online

beginning to shake from holding up his weight in an awkward position. He tried to stay in place for fear of making a sound if he dropped to the floor below. He was too far committed to pull himself back up into the attic, but he would not be able to hold this position much longer.
    No one came to the closet door.
    “Hurry up in there.” Nico’s voice. Angry.
    Gerrit heard someone vomiting. A moment later a woman’s voice called out just a few feet away from the closet door. “Give me a minute.” Her voice seemed strained, frightened. More retching. What was her name? Yeah, Cassandra.
    Muscles began to burn from the strain. He could no longer hold on. He must risk it. He eased himself lower, muscles burning, until his head cleared the opening, feet finally resting on plush carpet. He allowed his weight to rest on his feet a little at a time, waiting for the boards underfoot to give him away. This close and one squeaking board might catch Nico’s attention. He knew the man was waiting for any noise that might alert him to trouble.
    Where was the girl?
    He heard Cassandra moving around in the bathroom. Nico’s voice came from farther away, somewhere deep in the master bedroom. The girl must be near the Russian gangster. But where?
    He reached down and unholstered his .40 caliber S&W, slowly withdrawing it. His right thumb flicked off the safety and his index finger slid across the trigger. The closet door was only a few steps away.
    Cassandra’s shoes clicked on the floor as he neared the door. She seemed to be moving away. Back into the bedroom?
    He paused, keyed his mike, and whispered, “Finch. When I key the mike twice, I want you to create a disturbance in the hallway just loud enough to grab the suspect’s attention. Copy?”
    “10-4,” Finch’s voice crackled over the radio, full of tension.
    Gerrit lowered his free hand and reached down to grasp the door handle, slowly turning counterclockwise. He felt the knob stop and knew the door would open when he was ready. He pushed forward, opening it a fraction at a time. Bright light began to filter in as the door widened. He stopped, peered through the opening.
    No one.
    The door blocked his view from the rest of the bathroom but gave him a straight shot into the bedroom. He needed to get past this door so he could clear the bathroom behind him and move toward where Nico stood guard over his wife and child.
    Now was the time to make his move.
    Gerrit pushed the door further and stepped into the room. He started to level his weapon toward the bedroom door when he heard a sharp gasp behind him.
    Whirling, he pivoted to see Cassandra’s startled face. He clamped a hand across her mouth, her eyes wide with fear. She didn’t resist. How had he missed her? He looked down and saw she was barefoot. She must have kicked her shoes off after getting sick.
    Cassandra looked at him as if waiting for instructions.
    Pointing for her to move back into the water closet, Gerrit edged around the closet door, closing it behind him while still trying to keep a visual on the doorway to the bedroom. He couldn’t see anyone from this position.
    Cassandra’s hand squeezed his arm. She motioned toward the bedroom, gesturing that her husband and child were to the right, just out of sight. Nodding, he crossed the bathroom until he was standing to the right of the bedroom threshold. Carefully leaning to his left, Gerrit peered around the corner. The girl lay rigidly on the bed, fists clenched, staring up at Nico. Nico paced back and forth a few feet away like a caged animal.
    Gerrit drew back out of sight. Maybe he wouldn’t need to alert SWAT. He could end this right now.
    He brought up his weapon, looking over the front sight as he edged to the left until he had a bead on Nico’s head. Had to be a head shot. A shot to center mass would give Nico time to twitch and fire a weapon before dying. Now it was about the child, not his parents’ death. Nico must die quick.
    A shot ran out