Back inside the 21st District Intelligence Unit, Mouse immediately began digging through the prison records connected to Tirell Ches.
“Visitors include his mother, his sister…
and somebody registered as his cousin,” he said while profile after profile appeared across the monitor.
A few seconds later, one name caught his attention.
“His cousin is listed as Chris Dunning.” Mouse opened the man’s identification record and photograph on the main screen.
Antonio Dawson took one look at the picture and immediately said, “I saw him at Midway.” Mouse’s fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard as he pulled up everything available on Dunning.
“Chris Dunning.
Did three years for aggravated assault,” he said.
“I’m running property, vehicles, known addresses, and anything else tied to him.” Several searches returned almost immediately, but Mouse shook his head.
“Nothing in his name.” He kept working without slowing down and muttered, “Let’s cross-reference relatives.
Start with his mother.” A new profile appeared.
“Chris Dunning’s mother is Jill Dunning,” Mouse said as he opened her records.
“She’s got an older light-colored four-door Ford, and she used to own a place in Englewood before it went into foreclosure.” Mouse paused when another result appeared.
“Well, that’s interesting.
About a year ago, she bought a house in Hyde Park worth more than two million dollars.” He glanced toward Antonio and added, “That’s a pretty big change in circumstances.” Antonio stared at the property information for only a second.
“Send me the address.” He turned toward the rest of Intelligence before Mouse had even finished forwarding it and shouted, “All right, guys, we’ve got a lead.
Gear up and move!” The Intelligence Unit immediately came alive.
Officers grabbed jackets, weapons, radios, and whatever equipment they might need while Antonio coordinated the address with the rest of the team.
After hours of dead ends, they finally had somewhere to look for Adrian.
By then, the night over Chicago had grown much darker.
Inside the expensive Hyde Park house connected to Jill Dunning, two of Derek Keyes’s men entered the basement and roughly pulled Adrian Knight upright.
His wrists and ankles were still wrapped in heavy layers of tape as they dragged him out of the room.
They hauled Adrian upstairs and into an elegantly furnished office.
A large mahogany desk dominated one side of the room while expensive bookshelves and polished furniture gave the space the appearance of a wealthy professional’s private study.
It looked completely different from the basement where Adrian had spent the last several hours being tortured.
“He’s here,” one of the men said.
Derek looked up as Adrian was dragged into the office.
“My guys say you’ve finally got something you want to tell me.” Adrian slowly raised his bruised face and forced out a single word.
“Water.” Derek studied him for a moment before motioning toward one of his men.
The man brought over a glass and pushed Adrian against the corner of a sofa so he could sit upright.
Adrian held the cup awkwardly between his bound hands and drank while his bloodshot eyes quietly surveyed the room.
There were five men inside, including Derek.
Adrian took another drink while memorizing where each one was standing.
His battered appearance made him look exhausted and nearly defeated, which was exactly what he wanted them to believe.
When he finally lowered the glass, his eyes settled on Derek.
“Beautiful house,” Adrian said weakly.
Derek frowned.
Adrian glanced around the expensive office once more.
“Would make a perfect grave.” Derek stared at him as though he had misheard.
“What’d you say?” He stepped closer.
“Say that again.” Adrian didn’t.
The Glock 18 from his Combat Storage Space suddenly appeared in his bound hands.
Derek’s eyes widened.
Before anyone could react, Adrian opened fire.
The office erupted in gunfire as Adrian swept the weapon across the men nearest him.
Derek jerked backward as rounds struck him, while two of his men were caught before they could properly reach their weapons.
Blood sprayed across furniture and walls as bodies crashed to the floor.
“Ugh!” Derek collapsed heavily near the desk.
“Damn it!
He’s got a gun!” someone shouted.
Still restrained, Adrian threw himself sideways and rolled across the floor before the surviving men could return fire effectively.
The first magazine emptied almost immediately, forcing him to use one of the remaining magazines supplied with the system weapon.
He stayed low while turning toward movement behind the sofa.
Two men were scrambling for cover.
Adrian fired again.
The close range left them almost no time to react.
Bullets tore through the sofa and struck both men before they could bring their pistols to bear, sending them collapsing behind the furniture with cries of pain.
Then the Glock went silent.
Adrian removed the empty magazine and brought out his final one from Combat Storage Space.
Before he could fully recover, the office door suddenly burst open and two more armed men rushed inside.
Both froze for a split second at the sight of bodies scattered throughout the room.
“What the hell?!” Adrian was already on the floor facing them.
He raised the Glock and fired.
The two men jerked backward as rounds struck them almost simultaneously.
Blood splashed against the wall behind them before both collapsed near the doorway, leaving the office filled with smoke, shattered furniture, and bodies.
A moment later, the Glock clicked empty again.
Adrian coughed and dropped his arms to the floor.
He was out of ammunition.
His wrists were still bound, and the thick tape around his ankles prevented him from standing normally.
Adrian immediately began tearing at the layers wrapped around his legs, but the amount Derek’s men had used made the job far harder than it looked.
He pulled desperately at the tape.
Almost there.
Then movement came from behind the large desk.
A surviving man suddenly lunged into view with a pistol in his hand.
His face twisted with rage as he raised the weapon directly toward Adrian.
“Die!” Adrian’s pupils contracted.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Come on!” With his hands still tied together, Adrian launched himself forward before the man could steady his aim.
His shoulder slammed into the gunman, and both men crashed onto the floor with a heavy thud.
The pistol discharged wildly as they struggled.
Adrian clamped both bound hands around the man’s gun arm and repeatedly smashed it against the floor.
Shots cracked through the office and struck the floor and furniture around them while neither man had enough control to aim properly.
Then the pistol stopped firing.
Click.
Click.
The magazine was empty.
“Damn it!” the man snarled.
Adrian immediately shifted his weight and drove his forehead into the man’s face.
Bam!
The headbutt landed squarely.
Blood poured from the man’s nose as he cried out in pain, but he still managed to swing one fist into Adrian’s abdomen.
The blow landed hard enough to make Adrian’s entire body recoil.
Thud!
Pain tore through his already battered ribs and stomach.
But Adrian didn’t let go.
The 30% Vitality increase from the Punisher System had already allowed him to endure punishment that would have left an ordinary rookie helpless.
He forced himself forward again and wrapped his tape-bound hands tightly around the man’s neck.
The gunman immediately grabbed at Adrian’s arms.
Adrian tightened his grip.
This time, he had no intention of letting him go.
[Goal Tracker]