Dead Shot (A Cal Murphy Thriller Book 1)

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"It's locked," shouted the guard. "I don't hear anything. I don't see any blood either. And I don't feel like walking all the way back to our office just to get a key to double-check what I already know. Let's call this section of the warehouse clear and move on."

"I'm with you. Let's go," came the response.

The footsteps went from threatening to faint to gone. Cal and Kelly both felt it was safe to whisper but remained still.

"I thought we were done," Kelly said.

"And that was the first time you thought that today?" Cal's sarcasm attempted to lighten the gravity of the situation. It didn't work.

"No, but if we don't get you bandaged up and get out of here, someone is going to find us and turn us in."

It was five o'clock and Cal knew Guy would be looking for them. Maybe that was a good thing. Otherwise, who would be looking for them? As upset as Guy could get, his rage could cause him to send out a search party. As long as it wasn't the police, it would be OK.

Cal's phone vibrated. He had three missed calls and one text message. Guy hated text messaging, so Cal figured the calls were from his boss. He went to the text message. It was from Josh. In all the excitement over the past 48 hours, Cal nearly forgot Josh was coming to visit on Friday.

Looking fwd 2 seeing u & ragging u 4 starting Matt Garza on fantasy team. U r loyal 2 a fault. C u Thur

Checking his starting pitchers for his fantasy league team was the last thing on Cal's mind while stuck in a janitor's closet inside a building crawling with armed guards who were instructed to shoot him. But the text did cause Cal to smile and provided a momentary diversion from the fear beginning to take over his mind.

Cal then stood up and used the light from his iPhone to search for some strips of cloth to bandage his wound. By the dim light, Cal could tell that the wound wasn't nearly as deep as he initially thought. His arm still throbbed with sharp pain.

Kelly joined him, volunteering to shine the phone's light around the closet so Cal could thoroughly search the shelves for something to bandage him up. Cal found a first aid kit with some alcohol wipes to sterilize the wound along with some gauze and tape to dress it. Kelly took the items from Cal's hand. She began cleaning Cal's bloody arm and patching it up without the slightest communication from Cal. But she needed to talk.

"So how are we going to get out of here, Cal?"

Kelly's nerves were near their frazzled ends.

"Good question. I say we wait until it's dark and there's hardly anyone here. Then we try to hide in a delivery truck."

"A delivery truck? Are you out of your mind?"

Just then the sound of footsteps halted the hushed conversation. Four, maybe five people. Cal couldn't tell for sure. But they were within a few yards of the janitor's closet before they began talking. Cal and Kelly carefully returned to a sitting position.

"You guys be careful tonight. The boss man says there were some reporters who broke into our facility today. Do you all remember The Golden Rule? Let's play by it tonight. Got it?"

The remaining voices beyond the door muttered in agreement. They understood. Kelly thought she did too and gasped at the order before cupping her hand over her mouth. Cal scowled at her, something he knew Kelly could see even in the darkness of the closet.

"Peppy, you're headed to Seattle tonight. Big John, you're going to Portland. And Ringo, you've got the lucky all-nighter to San Francisco. As always, keep a low profile and travel the speed limit. We don't want anyone getting too interested in our product that shouldn't be ..."

"Product?" Cal faintly whispered. "I thought these people made vitamins and household cleaning supplies."

"... and remember, if you see those reporters, shoot to kill. We'll have a team clean up the mess and provide a nice cover story."

The footsteps sounded as if they headed out in different directions. Big overhead doors rolled up, breaking the still air. The hum of forklifts zipping about the warehouse overwhelmed the silence.

But it didn't matter to Cal. He still held his breath, hoping Kelly was doing the same. Maybe he wasn't that interested in writing this story after all. If the teens were dead, the teens were dead. No amount of sleuthing could bring them back. But Cal had already dug too far. Now all these Cloverdale Industries goons were concerned with was silencing him and Kelly - permanently. Yet the story was getting more intricate and dangerous to Cal. It appeared that Cloverdale Industries was involved in a different type of multi-level marketing company-and it wasn't legal.