Pushing away from the counter, I caught a glimpse of someone in a red dress fleeing across Lygon Street, heading away from the store. I waited a safe length of time then rushed outside, almost diving between the two young bucks finishing their souvlaki. Kirzek broke into a jog and disappeared down a side street.

'He's on the run,' I said into the mike. 'Where are you?'

'Outside the apartment building. Get back here. Forget about Kirzek.'

I sprinted across Lygon Street, through the playground, meeting Ca.s.sie outside the foyer to Ella's building.

'How do we get in?' she asked. 'It's all locked up. I've tried buzzing her apartment but she's not answering.'

I cupped a hand to my mouth, sick with fear and adrenaline.

'Don't start freaking,' Ca.s.sie said. 'It could mean anything. Remember the photo? He tied her up, so she probably can't get to the intercom.'

I looked at the gla.s.s entrance and thought about smashing the window but that wouldn't get us up the lift. There was only one way to get in, and it occurred to me that Kirzek must have somehow bluffed his way up to the apartment.

'There are four apartments on Ella's floor,' I said, typing in one of her neighbour's numbers.

n.o.body answered, so I pressed again. Still nothing. I was about to try another number when a croaky voice rasped through the speaker.

'Yes, who is it?'

I opened my badge case and looked at the camera next to the speaker.

'This is the police, sir. We have an emergency and need you to buzz us up.'

I couldn't see the man or his reaction but guessed he was staring at me on the tiny black and white screen, half-asleep, trying to work out whether I was serious.

'I don't need access to your apartment,' I added. 'Just your floor.'

'Ah, I don't know about this,' the man said. 'Where's your uniform?'

'We're detectives, sir. There's a woman in the apartment next door to you who needs us. Please, let us in. We may also need an ambulance.'

'The woman next door? You mean Ella?'

'Yes, please let us in.'

The door clicked open and I heard the man tell us he would unlock the lift as we ran through the foyer. In the elevator, Ca.s.sie worked the slide on her gun and chambered a round.

'I don't have mine,' I said when she looked at me. 'Eckles took it.'

The elevator stopped and we eased out into the hall. I stayed behind Ca.s.sie as she took the corner with smooth and practised sweeps of her weapon. Halfway along the hall a door opened and an old man I figured was Ella's neighbour poked his head out. Ca.s.sie trained the weapon on him and the door closed immediately without the need for us to speak. Further down, Ella's apartment door was ajar.

'Take this,' Ca.s.sie whispered, handing me the gun. 'You know the layout.'

I nodded, took the Glock and stood in front of her. The entranceway light was off and so was the lounge room's. The bedrooms were separated by a bathroom and laundry, which we checked and found to be empty. I wasn't really expecting anyone else to be in the apartment, but my heart was pounding like a kick drum. Just the thought of Kirzek having been here was enough to make me sick.

Finally we came to the master bedroom, where Ella lay bound and gagged on the bed. Ca.s.sie rushed forward while I kept cover, the gun shaking in my hands.

'She's alive,' Ca.s.sie said as she removed the mouth gag.

'Oh sweet Jesus.'

Ella moaned and rolled her head from side to side. I put the gun down and tore the tape away from her ankles.

'It's okay, babe,' I said. 'I'm here. You're safe now.'

I said it over and over, hugging her like I never had before. Tears poured out of me and I was unable to stop shaking. Ca.s.sie called for an ambulance. Somewhere in the relief and confusion I overheard her tell the dispatcher that Ella might have been drugged.

'We have to keep her in the recovery position,' Ca.s.sie said after ending the call. 'Roll her on her side with one arm back. Keep the airway open.'

I rolled Ella into position while Ca.s.sie went outside to call Eckles. I heard her arranging a search team to track down Kirzek. I sat on the bed, stroking Ella's face and waiting for what seemed like an eternity before Ca.s.sie led the medics into the room. I stood back as they went to work, checking her vitals.

'Is she gonna be okay?' I said, panicked.

'Not sure, sir. She has a low pulse and low blood pressure. We'll put her on a ventilator and take her into the Royal Melbourne.'

They injected her with something, then lifted her onto a stretcher and carried her out into the hall. Ca.s.sie said she'd meet me at the hospital and went back to the car. I insisted on climbing into the back of the ambulance and sat in a corner while they loaded Ella in.

'I think she'll be fine, sir,' one of the medics said as we raced towards the hospital. 'It's basically an overdose of some sort, but we got there early enough by the look of it.'

I nodded. Ella looked so vulnerable and yet also strangely at peace.

'Your colleague told me she's a nurse, right?' he said, nodding to Ella.

'Right.'

'Don't worry, she's one of our own, so she'll get the best we can offer.'

I found some comfort in this and thanked him, then went back to watching Ella. My relief quickly turned to furious anger. Kirzek would suffer for this. I'd make sure he felt the pain of everything he'd done.

When we pulled into the hospital, I followed the medics in and met Ca.s.sie by the triage desk.

'Both birds are in the air,' she said. 'Three German shepherds sniffing the backstreets and every single blue shirt on duty is on four wheels. They'll find him.'

'They have to,' I said angrily. 'We need to send a message, or every single s.h.i.thead out there will think they can screw with a cop's family and get away with it.'

She nodded.

'There are two rules, Ca.s.s. Never f.u.c.k with the cops and never hurt a child. This guy broke both, and he needs to pay.'

Ca.s.sie looked over her shoulder nervously and I realised my voice had become shrill. People in the triage area were looking at me but I didn't care. I wanted to shout at everyone.

'So what do you want to do?' Ca.s.sie said.

'I want to find him.'

32.

'I NEED A GUN,' I SAID AS we drove out of the hospital. 'Let's head back to my place. I've got one under my bed.' we drove out of the hospital. 'Let's head back to my place. I've got one under my bed.'

My private gun was a Colt .45 that I sometimes used on the firing range. Although it was fully registered, I wasn't supposed to carry it around with me, but I didn't care about that.

Ca.s.sie turned the car onto Kings Way. She appeared to be considering my request.

'You don't want to get one from the watch-house?' she said.

'No. Eckles won't sign one out to me, so I need my own.'

'You're going to kill him, aren't you?' she said, edgy.

I didn't answer her.

'I can't talk you out of it?'

'Nope.'

's.h.i.t.'

When we pulled up outside my building, I unclipped the microphone, earpiece and transponder and packed them into the glove compartment. Ca.s.sie waited in the car while I ran up the internal staircase. The sensor light outside my apartment lit up the hallway as I fumbled with the front door key. Inside, I only had time to register that Prince wasn't there to greet me when a shadow floated in behind me and a blade pressed against my throat.

'Do not reach for gun,' Kirzek whispered in my ear. 'Put hands on chest.'

I gritted my teeth and did as he ordered, kicking myself for not expecting this. After giving the laptop back I'd a.s.sumed he'd go on the defence, disappear into the night. In hindsight, I should've realised Kirzek was not a man to run and leave unfinished business. Foolishly, I'd let my guard down and fallen into his trap.

'Filthy pig. Pity you come home so soon, huh?' said Kirzek. 'I figure you would eventually, but not so soon. I am still not caught yet. So what is the matter? Are you weak, McCauley?'

I could smell his body odour, feel his breath on the back of my neck.

'Perhaps if you had listened to me it could be okay,' he said.

'Hey, I did listen. I did everything you asked. I played by your rules.'

'Ah, you think I am stupid immigrant?'

'I never said that.'

'You don't have to. See, you think you are smarter than me. You think I have no brain. Let me tell you, I have been in police too. In Romania, I am police, like you, but we do things differently. Do you know what my expertise was?'

'No.'

'Torture,' he said, patting down my chest and waist, looking for a gun. 'And counter-surveillance. You didn't listen to me. I told you: no pigs.'

'I came alone for the swap. You saw me. I was on my own.'

'Then why are helicopters and filthy dogs out there looking for me?'

'That wasn't my fault. I kept you out of this until after the swap. That was the deal as far as '

'Shut up, shut up! Just walk backwards, slowly.'

The blade pressed against my throat as Kirzek led me into the lounge. Gla.s.s lay on the floor and the curtain flapped against the balcony door. He must have scaled the outside of the building to break in. Not bad for a man his size. In the reflection of the television screen I saw that he'd changed into a dark T-shirt and pants. I also caught a glimpse of a bruise on his forehead and a tiny silver crucifix hanging from his left ear. As he pushed me into the sofa, I scanned the coffee table, searching for a pair of scissors, a steak knife, anything to defend myself with. But there was nothing.

'You don't have to do this,' I said. 'You turn me loose, maybe you'll get some leniency.'

He laughed. 'I don't want leniency.'

'What do you want?'

'I want you to scream,' he hissed, pressing the blade harder against my throat.

Instinctively, I spun away from it, scrambled around the coffee table then kicked it over as Kirzek lurched around the sofa. He stumbled at first then charged across the room towards me. I raced to the front door but stopped to avoid having my back to him. Swivelling, I ducked low as he swung the knife in a broad arc. It hit off-centre, slashing the side of my neck, and I was able to sidestep and run down the hall towards my bedroom. My knee crunched against the skirting board as Kirzek brought me down with a crash tackle.

'Now I will hear it,' he wheezed in my ear. 'You will scream like pig.'

My whole body felt like it was squashed in a vice and my knee throbbed in pain. Kirzek twisted my head and forced me to look him in the eye.

'I gave you plenty chance. Now look what happens,' he said, a smile spread across his meaty face.

'You're a filthy c.o.c.kroach,' I snapped back. 'You won't be safe anywhere. Even in protective custody they'll make you eat your own s.h.i.t.'

He chuckled, wiped at sweat on his forehead.

'You think I will go to prison? Let me tell you something, I will never go back. Never.'

'Right.'

'It is shame about your b.i.t.c.h wife, huh. Pity we not have more time. Pity for her. Maybe I spend some time with her after I finish here.'

'She's a grown woman, Kirzek. Don't you like them younger?'

A look of alarm pa.s.sed over his face.

'We know what's on the laptop. We know about everything. The Holy Brethren's going down. No one walks away from this.'

Somewhere outside I heard Ca.s.sie yelling, but I couldn't focus on the words. I couldn't focus on anything any more. All I saw was the knife, smeared with my own blood, striking towards me, then three loud cracks splintered the blackness, jolting Kirzek like a fit. His eyes fixed to mine as the knife fell to the floor. I looked back up the hall and saw Ca.s.sie in silhouette, gun trained on Kirzek's body.