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Smith must have heard it, too, because he swallowed and said, “I’m going to put the gun on the ground.”
“Do it slowly,” Cody ordered. “Any sudden moves? You’re dead.”
Smith lowered himself very slowly and set the gun on the ground. As he stood up, he jumped off the stoop and tried to run. Cody stuck out his leg and tripped him. Smith tumbled to the ground, and Cody was on him. He pulled Smith’s hands behind his back and secured them with a zip tie. Then he secured his legs.
Leaving Smith lying on the asphalt of the parking lot, his cheek pressed into a puddle of oily water, Cody yanked out his phone. Dialed 911. When the operator answered, he said, “Cody Parker here. I’m at the Hawthorne Building.” He rattled off her office’s address. “Someone posing as an Evanston cop just tried to abduct one of the lawyers who works in this building. I’ve secured him, but the real Evanston PD needs to come pick him up.”
Cody listened for a long moment. Finally nodded once. “I hear them. Thanks.”
As he slid his phone into his pocket, the cuffed man on the ground said, “Let me go, and I’ll give you a lot of money. Over a hundred grand. I’ll give you the account number and password. Take it and let me walk.”
“Not happening, asshole,” Cody shot back. “You threatened to kill my woman.” He looked up at Sierra. “Is this the guy who pulled you over that night?”
His woman? Sierra barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She nodded. Cleared her throat. “I’m sure he is. It was dark along that stretch of road. But that scar near his mouth is distinctive. It’s him.”
Cody nodded as he stood up. “We’ll make sure the cops know that, too. They’re almost here.” He pointed at the flashing red and blue lights approaching her building. “I’ll contact Mel and see if Trotter had any associates in the Evanston PD.”
The guy’s face whitened, and Sierra smiled. “Bingo. He didn’t like hearing that.”
“I predict he won’t like a lot of what happens from now on. A bad cop tars the rest of the force. Doubt these guys are going to have much sympathy for him. And a cop in prison? Not an easy life.”
Two police cars pulled up, and both officers jumped out of their cars, guns in hand. “Who called this in?” the first guy said.
“I did,” Cody answered. He jerked his head toward Sierra. “He was trying to abduct her.”
“How did you manage to subdue him?” the second cop asked.
Cody smiled, all anger and no fear. “I had a bigger gun.”
“I’m gonna need to see your concealed carry permit,” the first cop said.
“Happy to oblige,” Cody said as the two cops pulled Smith to his feet.
Both of them reared back when they saw his face. “Saunders? What the hell?” one of them said. “And why are you wearing Smith’s name tag?”
“Duh,” said Cody. “So Ms. Baker and I couldn’t identify him.”
The first cop stared at Cody, his jaw tense. “This man is an Evanston police officer. You’re going to have to come to the station with us,” he said.
“Happy to. As long as you understand he tried to abduct Ms. Baker. When she refused to go with him, he threatened to kill her.”
“Her word against his,” the second cop said.
“I heard both of them clearly,” Cody said, his voice hard. “She asked him why he was arresting her, and he refused to answer. Told her to get in his car, or he’d shoot her.”
Both cops looked at the zip-tied man, water dripping off his face as he stared at the ground. “That true, Saunders?”
Saunders didn’t say a thing.
The two police officers dragged Smith/Saunders to one of the cruisers. Put him in the back seat and fastened his seatbelt. Then they slammed the door.
* * *
Three hours later, Sierra stepped out of the Evanston Police Station with Cody. On the way to the police station, she’d been numb. Terrified. If she’d walked out of her office alone tonight, she’d either be abducted or dead. Probably both. Instead, thanks to Cody, they were driving back to her house.
They hadn’t had a chance to talk privately about what had happened, and she wasn’t sure Cody even wanted to. Why would he? He’d been doing his job. Nothing more.
“How’re you doing?” Cody asked quietly.
