Girl Jacked by Christopher Greyson

him.
    “You have an address? Since he has no jail time, they would have listed it under probation records. It should be in there.”
    “I’ll try.” Her fingers flew over the keyboard again.
    Jack shook his head. He worked at the station and knew next to nothing about their computer systems. He’d have to sign up for some more classes.
    “Nothing.”
    Jack closed his eyes, laced his fingers behind his head, and exhaled.
    “Check who posted his bail.”
    After a minute, Replacement tilted her head and shook the mouse. “That doesn’t make sense. Nancy Mulligan bailed him out but that’s the girlfriend he assaulted.”
    Jack frowned. “It happens all the time. I don’t get it. Why would a girl stay with someone that treats them like that?”
    “She lives at 303B Hillside Downs Road.”
    Jack was too familiar with Hillside Downs. It was an apartment complex with about 100 apartments total. They looked like something from a third world country and going there was about as safe.
    Gun. Taser. Vest. Mace for the dogs.
    Jack grimaced as he started to make a list of things to take.
    Jack looked at the clock. “I can’t go out there now. I’ll need backup. I’ll go in the morning. You’ll stay here.”
    “Great. Sure!” Replacement smiled and moved to the couch.
    Jack looked down at her and frowned. I didn’t mean that you'd sleep here! I meant that I would go, and you won’t go. He wanted to say but instead he ran his fingers through his hair. I’m getting soft.

Chapter 10 – The Downs
     
    The next morning Jack drove out to Hillside Downs followed by Kendra and her partner Donald Pugh. They stopped before the entrance and Jack walked back to meet with them.
    “Thanks for coming.”
    “No problem.” Donald gave a curt nod.
    Donald was Kendra’s partner. He had cajoled Jack once into promising to take him to the police gun range for an afternoon and he was still waiting for Jack to deliver. When it came to shooting, Jack went alone to the gun range. It wasn’t because he was bad; it was the opposite. He was like a celebrity at the range. Jack had found out the hard way the downside of being the fastest gun hadn’t changed since the old west. The title put a mark on your head, and everyone wanted to try to take you down. He didn’t know if Donald wanted tips or to take a shot at besting him.
    “I normally enjoy watching you get into trouble but not here.” Kendra looked over and her eyes rounded in concern.
    Jack understood her meaning. He started to speak in his stern military ‘no nonsense’ tone. “The guy we’re looking for is Kevin Arnold. He’s a little, skinny, rat faced white guy.” Jack handed them a copy of Kevin’s mug shot. “He has an outstanding warrant for failure to appear from Lincoln County.”
    Kendra passed the paperwork over to Donald.
    “He had no known address but I looked up who bailed him out… Nancy Mulligan. It’s her apartment. If we’re lucky, Kevin Arnold won’t be far behind.”
     
    The two patrol cars rolled through the front gates of Hillside Downs. The ‘Downs’ were four three-story buildings with all the warmth and charm of 1950’s Russian architecture. They were squat, square and appeared as if whoever had built them had asked for the cheapest model possible. The peeled paint, rusted railings, and crumbling walls added to the feeling of desolation.
    As they drove to Building 3, the windows all appeared empty. There were only a couple of actual shades and even fewer curtains. Most windows had some sheet or blanket that covered the room from the outside world.
    Jack, Donald, and Kendra parked at the side of the building.
    A dog tied to a railing of one apartment rushed the car. It came straight at them before it reached the end of its chain. It had run so fast that the collar yanked its neck. Its whole body violently twisted around and it fell into the dirt. The dog scrambled to its feet and began barking incessantly.
    They looked up and the windows