Chapter 80 The Threat
DETECTIVE ROURKE'S POV
I was at my desk going through case files when my phone rang. It was my contact inside Collins' organization. The one who had been feeding me information for months.
"We have a problem," he said. His voice was shaking.
"What kind of problem?" I asked.
"Hayes knows where they are," he said. "He found the safe house. He is planning to move on them soon."
I felt my stomach drop. "How did he find them?"
"Someone talked," my contact said. "One of the guys who delivered supplies. Hayes paid him fifty thousand to give up the location."
"Do we know when he is planning to move?" I asked.
"Could be tonight," my contact said. "Could be tomorrow. But it is going to be soon. He has been gathering weapons. Getting his men ready. This is happening."
"Okay," I said trying to stay calm. "Thank you for the warning. I need to move them immediately."
"Be careful Rourke," my contact said. "Hayes is desperate. He knows if the girl testifies, he is done; he will do anything to stop her."
"I know," I said. "That is why I am not going to let him get near her."
I hung up and immediately started making calls. First I called the department to coordinate backup. Then I started looking for a new safe house. Somewhere even more remote than the last one. Somewhere Hayes could never find.
I found a cabin three hours north. Middle of nowhere. No neighbors for miles. It was perfect.
I texted Jason the coordinates and then called him.
"Rourke," Jason answered. "What is going on?"
"You need to leave right now," I said. "Hayes found your location. He is planning to come for Caitlyn."
"How did he find us?" Jason asked.
"Someone talked," I said. "One of the supply guys. Hayes paid him off."
"That son of a bitch," Jason said. "How much time do we have?"
"I do not know," I admitted. "My contact says it could be tonight or tomorrow. But you cannot take that chance. You need to leave now."
"What about Tommy and the crew?" Jason asked.
"I will handle them," I said. "Right now you need to focus on getting Caitlyn out safely."
"Where are we going?" Jason asked.
"I sent you coordinates," I said. "New safe house. Even more remote than this one. No one will find you there."
"You said that about this place," Jason reminded me.
"I know," I said. "But this time we are not telling anyone. No supply runs. No visitors. Nothing. Just you and Caitlyn completely off the grid."
"What about food?" Jason asked. "What about supplies?"
"I will stock the place before you get there," I said. "Enough for at least a month. After that, we can figure something out, but for now, you need to disappear completely."
"Okay," Jason said. "We will leave in the next hour."
"Make it thirty minutes," I said. "Hayes could already be on his way."
"Thirty minutes," Jason agreed. "Rourke?"
"Yeah?" I said.
"If something happens to me you need to protect Caitlyn," Jason said. "Promise me you will keep her safe."
"Nothing is going to happen to you," I said. "But yes. I promise. She will be protected no matter what."
"Good," Jason said. "Because she has been through enough. She deserves to live."
"I know," I said. "That is why we are doing this. Now go. Get her out of there."
I hung up and called my team. Told them to meet me at the old safe house. We were going to set up surveillance. If Hayes showed up we would be ready.
"What is the plan?" my partner Jenkins asked.
"We watch the house," I said. "If Hayes shows up we grab him. Catch him in the act of trying to harm a witness. That should be enough to revoke his bail permanently."
"And if he does not show up?" Jenkins asked.
"Then we keep watching," I said. "Until he does. Because he will. He is too desperate not to."
"This is risky Rourke," Jenkins said. "If something goes wrong and someone gets hurt it is on us."
"I know," I said. "But we do not have a choice. Hayes is hunting her. If we do not stop him now he will never stop."
"Fine," Jenkins said. "But we do this by the book. No cowboy stuff. If Hayes shows up with weapons we call for backup."
"Agreed," I said.
I drove to the new safe house to make sure it was stocked and ready. It was a small cabin with one bedroom and basic furniture. Not fancy but it would work.
I loaded the place with supplies. Food. Water. Medical supplies. Everything they would need to survive for a month. Maybe longer if they rationed carefully.
Then I drove back to the old safe house to set up surveillance. My team was already there. Setting up cameras. Positioning themselves around the property.
"Everyone in place?" I asked.
"Yeah," Jenkins said. "We are ready. If Hayes shows up we will see him coming."
"Good," I said. "Now we wait."
The hours passed slowly. The sun went down and the property got dark. We sat in our cars watching the monitors. Waiting for any sign of Hayes.
My phone buzzed with a text from Jason. "We are at the new location. Everything okay there?"
"All clear so far," I texted back. "Stay put. Do not leave for any reason."
"Understood," Jason replied.
Around midnight we got movement. Three cars pulled up to the road near the safe house. They stopped about a hundred yards away with their lights off.
"That is him," Jenkins said. "That has to be him."
"Wait," I said. "Let them commit. Let them make the first move."
The car doors opened, and the men got out. I counted eight of them. All armed. They moved toward the house quietly. Professionally.
"On my mark," I said into my radio. "Wait until they are inside."
The men reached the house and kicked in the front door. Went inside. Started searching the rooms.
"Now," I said.
My team moved in fast. Surrounded the house. The lights came on everywhere.
"Police! Drop your weapons!"
The men inside tried to run but there was nowhere to go. We had every exit covered. Within minutes they were all in handcuffs.
But Collin was not with them. He had sent his men but stayed back himself.
"Where is Hayes?" I demanded. "Where is your boss?"
"I do not know what you are talking about," one of the men said.
"Do not play dumb," I said. "You work for Collin Hayes. Where is he?"
"We do not work for anyone," the man said. "We were just checking out this empty house."
"With weapons?" I asked. "At midnight? Try again."
The man did not say anything else. None of them did. They all lawyered up immediately.
I called Jason to give him an update. "We got some of Hayes' men, but Hayes himself did not show. He sent them in first."
"So he is still out there," Jason said.
"Yeah," I said. "But now he knows we are watching. He knows we are ready. That should make him think twice about trying again."
"Or it will make him more
e desperate," Jason said.
"Maybe," I admitted. "Which is why you need to stay hidden. Do not leave that cabin for anything."
"We will not," Jason said.