Where was he?
The details of the moments before he’d been knocked unconscious rushed into his memory. There’d been two people skulking about, not just the one he’d seen. And he’d been ambushed.
He tried moving his other arm instead and found it was free. With the motion, his watch face lit up. The sudden brightness made him grimace, but he was able to see the numbers clearly. That was a good sign. And he hadn’t been out long. Maybe a minute or two. Long enough to be tied up and—he probed his duty belt and pockets—disarmed, but hopefully not long enough to be worried about long-term effects. He wasn’t quite two years out from his last concussion, and he’d really like to avoid permanent brain damage. Or any brain damage for that matter. But that was a concern for later. Right now, he needed to figure out how to get out of here.
He took stock of the situation. Felt the ground beside him. Mulch. He was lying on a bed of mulch, a chain of zip ties securing his wrist to the base of a large shrub. His vision was limited by the leaves overhead and the fact he didn’t have enough room to sit up, but the harsh light outside the shadow of his makeshift prison indicated he was probably in the landscaping that lined the front parking lot of his workplace.
Turning his head to the left, he confirmed that theory. The front of the building loomed large about ten yards away. He scanned as much of the area as he could. No one was in sight. No vehicles pulled up to the doors for a quick getaway. No lights on where they shouldn’t be—at least, not in the lobby or businesses with front-facing windows.
Where were the people who’d knocked him out? Had they managed to break into the building? He checked for his badge and groaned when he didn’t find it. Whoever had done this to him had access, not only to the main entrance but to the security office and the master key card inside. If they knew what they were looking for, they could get into any of the businesses inside without setting off alarms or having to break through doors or windows. He had to stop them.
He tugged against the zip ties holding him in place. They were solid, heavy duty. But that didn’t mean they were unbreakable. He aligned the closure of the one around his wrist so it would take the brunt of the force, then yanked hard. The thick plastic cut into his skin but didn’t give. He wasn’t in a good position for leverage. He’d have to come up with another way out.
Think,man.
The police were supposed to be on the way. He could yell for help when they arrived. But Kincaid usually only had one or two officers on duty overnight. If they were occupied elsewhere, he could be waiting awhile. He didn’t have time for that, not when his assailants had unfettered access to every business in the building.
Letting his body relax, he tried to think through his options. No knife. No phone. No keys. He shifted. Noted the snug fit of his boots. So his assailants either hadn’t noticed his paracord laces or hadn’t bothered to remove them. He could work with that. He wasn’t in an ideal position to put them to use, but it was better than just lying here until the police arrived.
Awkwardly, he drew his left leg up and reached for the bootlace with his free hand. After a few fumbling attempts, he managed to get it loose and threaded through the connecting zip tie. Then he added slipknot loops to either end. Feeling like a pretzel, he stretched his arm as far as possible and pulled his legs up to reach the loops he’d made.
His knees knocked into the branches above him and bits of dirt dropped into his face and eyes. Grunting, he blinked away the debris and started working the laces like bicycle pedals. Within a minute, the connecting zip tie snapped. He was free.
Wasting no time, he rolled out from under the bush and stood. The pounding in his head immediately intensified, and he closed his eyes to ward off a bout of nausea. Right. He had taken a hard knock. He pressed his hand to his forehead, willing the pain away. It didn’t work, but he didn’t have any more time to spare.
He stumbled toward the building. Reached for the closest door handle. Locked. He slammed a fist against the brick façade. He needed to get in there.
An approaching car engine caught his attention, and he whirled. With any luck that would be the patrol car he requested. The responding officer wouldn’t have a master key, but he could use his phone to contact Peter’s boss and either get someone out here or arrange to have the building unlocked remotely.
Sidestepping so the glass doors wouldn’t be at his back, Peter waited and sucked in a breath of relief when a marked vehicle pulled into the parking lot.
He took a step away from the building and waved the officercloser. The car pulled up to the sidewalk, and the officer lowered his window.
“You the one who called?”
“Yes. We’ve got a bit of a nasty situation here. I came outside to check things out and got whacked in the head and tied up. I managed to get free once I came to, but whoever did it took my weapons, my work and personal phones, and my access badge. I’m assuming they’re inside now.”
The officer called for backup, then exited his vehicle. “You need me to call the EMTs?”
“No, I can get checked later if necessary, but I don’t think I was out long. Bigger priority is getting inside. Without my badge, I can’t access the building or reach a phone to call for assistance.”
“Who do you need me to call?” The officer pulled out his phone.
“My boss, Andre Phillips.” Peter rattled off the number. “He’ll be able to get us inside or send someone who can.”
The officer dialed the number. “Mr. Phillips? This is Officer Kevin Henderson from KPD. I’m here at the 1798 Building with one of your security guards.” He glanced at Peter’s uniform, his eyes tracking to where his name was embroidered above the left shirt pocket. “A Mr. Lewis. There’s been an incident, and we need help accessing the building. ... Yes, he took a blow to the head, but he seems to be fine. ... Yep. ... Appreciate it. We’ll be waiting.” The officer disconnected the call and returned his attention to Peter. “He said he’ll be here in five minutes.”
“Great.”
Five minutes sounded like an eternity at this point. But as long as the culprits were still inside, maybe they could catch them and minimize the extent of the damage. Of course, that was assuming they’d gone in there in the first place. He couldn’t imagine why they’d take his badge otherwise. Anyone with half a brain would know it would be deactivated as soon as it was reported stolen, so it wouldn’t be any good to them after tonight.
“Listen, I’m going to move to the corner of the building so I can see if they try to sneak out through the security office. They probably don’t know about that exit, but it’s the only one besides this one that won’t sound an emergency alarm if they try to—”
A blaring alarm interrupted him, and he exchanged a startled look with the officer.
“Stay here,” Officer Henderson commanded. “I’ll try to head them off.” He broke into a run before Peter could protest.
Indecision warred within him. The officer was right to order him to stay put. He was currently unarmed, and there were two assailants, which meant one could try to exit this way if they had split up. Somehow he doubted that was the case though. If Officer Henderson wasn’t quick enough, they would escape.
