Hooked

would swoop down on him like voracious locusts. When they finished, he’d rot in prison until his pecker shrunk to a circumcised peanut.
    Then he remembered something Walsh said. The cop would make sure the gangbangers would make him their personal fuck if anything happened to Tawny that he could have prevented. But he couldn’t help Tawny. He didn’t know where Russo told Reggie to take her.
    What was he thinking? Men like Benny didn’t go to prison for tax evasion. Not Republicans. He leaned forward and dropped his head in his hands. It was dawn, and he was still in this stinking hole.
    Eileen started this, but she did it for him. Well, for her too, but who could blame her for not wanting to give up her life. Eileen’s hair would turn gray without Clairol, and she’d never have her nails done again. She’d kill herself in prison. The thought was too depressing. His head hurt trying to put everything in perspective.
    He didn’t notice the man standing outside the cell until he heard him clear his throat. He’d seen him before but couldn’t place him.
    “Harry Winokaur,” the man said. “FBI.”
    “I have nothing to say until I talk to my attorney.”
    “Then listen, jackass. When your lawyer get s here, discuss my offer with him. I’m sure he’ll advise you to take it.”
    * * * * *
    L inc jogged toward the dilapidated building with one other guy, a ruddy-faced, stocky worker named Bill, while a few others hurried to search the other buildings―old shops, a convenience store, and a few long-empty skeletons. None were in jeopardy of falling down, and most were easily accessible. According to Hardhat, the hotel had taken quite a few solid whacks this morning.
    “We removed the front doors first thing,” Bill said. “The building was locked until then and the first floor windows boarded up to keep out vagrants. If the woman’s inside, whoever put her here had a key.”
    “My guy would have had a key,” Linc said. Russo’s company probably deconstructed the building to salvage reusable materials.
    “You take the first floor,” Bill said to Linc. “Nothing much there. Mostly lobby space. I’ll take the second. Then we can split the remaining rooms and go to the third and so on. If you feel you’re in danger in any part of the building, don’t proceed. And watch yourself on the stairs. There’s debris everywhere.”
    Linc nodded and began searching the first floor space, calling out Tawny’s name. There was barely enough light to see.
    Nothing of value remained in the skeletal building, including molding and trims. When the first floor proved vacant, he headed for the second floor. Bill met him, and they quickly surveyed the rest of the rooms by going in two different directions. On three, they split, Bill taking the back half, Linc the front. He heard Bill call out. “She’s over here, Detective, along with a couple of stiffs.”
    Linc ran down the hall, mindful the oversized boots made his footing more treacherous. “Where are you?”
    “Here, not far from where they were using the ball.”
    Linc followed Bill’s voice, until he found the room where Tawny lay unconscious, strapped to the radiator. His heart sank. “Is she—” The question caught in his throat.
    “She’s breathing, but I can’t say how bad she’s hurt.”
    A quick glance revealed Colin slumped over Reggie in a congealed puddle of blood. Crusty matter clotted their bashed-in heads. He bypassed them to get to Tawny. When he called her name she stirred and moaned, and his heart spiked with hope. Bill ripped the tape off her mouth, and Linc pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the soot around her eyes, lips, and nose.
    “Tawny, can you hear me?” He said her name again and again.
    “She’s knocked out,” Bill said. “Better cut those bindings. She might freak if she sees a stranger tugging on her.”
    “Do you see anything attached to the radiator, like explosives or a timer?” Linc asked.
    “Jeez, I didn’t think of that.” Both men flattened to the ground, checking her back without moving her and examining behind the radiator. “I don’t see anything,” Bill said. “You?”
    “No, she’s clear.”
    Bill unraveled the lengths of cord as Linc snipped it.
    “Tawny,” Linc said. Again she stirred. Deep grooves marred her skin. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
    She opened and stretched her mouth, dry from all the cement dust filling the room. A chunk of plaster fell down on top of