really.”
Mia remembered now how upset and frustrated Tom had been when she had refused to give him the source’s name. So that’s why. That asshole.
“Then Tom misunderstood… there is no source on the inside. Just a bunch of sources outside with small bits of information that they don’t even know the meaning of. I gathered enough to make sense of the puzzle… that’s how I got to you.”
Danny straightened and gazed down at her. “So. You want to do things the hard way.” He smiled. “I like the hard way.”
The last thing Mia saw was his fist coming at her face. She closed her eyes and screamed. Screamed again. Then she fell in to darkness.
**
Nick got out of the car and looked around the parking lot. Empty.
“I’m going in there.”
“Nick – wait!”
Not many people could physically stop Nick from doing what he wanted to do, but Adam was one of them. His massive arms clamped down around Nick’s chest and he held him from behind.
“Fuck, Adam… let me go!”
“No.”
Nick struggled, but it was no use: even with Nick’s strength, trying to break Adam’s grip was like trying to break a steel bar with a feather. He calmed down and slumped, tears in his eyes.
“It’s going to happen again, Adam.”
“What is?”
“Somebody that I love is going to be killed right in front of me, and I won’t be able to stop it. We can’t wait for the cops… we need to go and get her.”
Shelley . Slowly, Adam relaxed his hold. “Nick. Listen to me.”
“OK.”
“Are you listening?”
“Yeah.”
Adam let him go and the two men faced each other. Adam saw Nick’s tears and his hard blue eyes softened.
“Nick, this is not going to be anything like Shelley, I promise you. We’re going in there to get Mia, we’re not waiting for anyone. OK? That isn’t even up for debate. But before we go charging in, we need to know how many there are.”
“God, Adam. We can each take five easily.”
“If they have guns?”
Nick fell silent.
“Right. Exactly.”
“So what do we do?”
“You stay here. I’m going to take a look.”
Nick nodded even though every cell in his body was telling him to run through that door to Mia. He watched as Adam crept around the side of the building, peering through windows; it looked like an abandoned storage space. Nick looked behind him, in to the poorly-lit street, squinting to see if anyone was hanging around.
Adam came back and Nick almost jumped at him.
“So?”
Adam didn’t want Nick to know that he had seen some giant guy punching Mia. If he did, he’d bust through that door for sure.
“OK. I saw one guy and one woman. No guns, at least none at hand.”
“Mia?”
“Yeah, I saw her. Listen, we need to go down what looks like a long hallway, so there may be other people. Let’s take it slow, OK? If we get caught, we’re no good to her, Nick.”
“I know.”
“Are you hearing me?”
Nick stared at Adam and took a breath. “Yeah. Yeah, I hear you.”
“OK. Let’s go.”
The men snuck through the door and down the hall, stopping every few steps to listen. Nick counted eight closed doors and when Adam tried them, they were all locked. Adam pressed his ear up against one and his face blanched.
“What?” Nick whispered. “What is it?”
“Kids.” Adam could barely get the word out. “Kids crying.”
They stared at each other, horrified.
“The cops are on their way,” Nick said, trying to think straight. “They’ll help the kids.”
“Yeah. Yeah, let’s get Mia.”
They heard shouting and scuffling at the end of the hall and they picked up the pace a bit, trying to keep quiet.
Nick poked his head around the open door in to the room where he heard yelling. He saw a dark-haired man shouting at a small blonde woman. She was cowering in a corner, terrified. Her nose was bleeding.
“Get me some more water, bitch!” he shouted. “Now!”
“Danny…” The woman was begging. “Danny, please. You’re going to kill
Mia remembered now how upset and frustrated Tom had been when she had refused to give him the source’s name. So that’s why. That asshole.
“Then Tom misunderstood… there is no source on the inside. Just a bunch of sources outside with small bits of information that they don’t even know the meaning of. I gathered enough to make sense of the puzzle… that’s how I got to you.”
Danny straightened and gazed down at her. “So. You want to do things the hard way.” He smiled. “I like the hard way.”
The last thing Mia saw was his fist coming at her face. She closed her eyes and screamed. Screamed again. Then she fell in to darkness.
**
Nick got out of the car and looked around the parking lot. Empty.
“I’m going in there.”
“Nick – wait!”
Not many people could physically stop Nick from doing what he wanted to do, but Adam was one of them. His massive arms clamped down around Nick’s chest and he held him from behind.
“Fuck, Adam… let me go!”
“No.”
Nick struggled, but it was no use: even with Nick’s strength, trying to break Adam’s grip was like trying to break a steel bar with a feather. He calmed down and slumped, tears in his eyes.
“It’s going to happen again, Adam.”
“What is?”
“Somebody that I love is going to be killed right in front of me, and I won’t be able to stop it. We can’t wait for the cops… we need to go and get her.”
Shelley . Slowly, Adam relaxed his hold. “Nick. Listen to me.”
“OK.”
“Are you listening?”
“Yeah.”
Adam let him go and the two men faced each other. Adam saw Nick’s tears and his hard blue eyes softened.
“Nick, this is not going to be anything like Shelley, I promise you. We’re going in there to get Mia, we’re not waiting for anyone. OK? That isn’t even up for debate. But before we go charging in, we need to know how many there are.”
“God, Adam. We can each take five easily.”
“If they have guns?”
Nick fell silent.
“Right. Exactly.”
“So what do we do?”
“You stay here. I’m going to take a look.”
Nick nodded even though every cell in his body was telling him to run through that door to Mia. He watched as Adam crept around the side of the building, peering through windows; it looked like an abandoned storage space. Nick looked behind him, in to the poorly-lit street, squinting to see if anyone was hanging around.
Adam came back and Nick almost jumped at him.
“So?”
Adam didn’t want Nick to know that he had seen some giant guy punching Mia. If he did, he’d bust through that door for sure.
“OK. I saw one guy and one woman. No guns, at least none at hand.”
“Mia?”
“Yeah, I saw her. Listen, we need to go down what looks like a long hallway, so there may be other people. Let’s take it slow, OK? If we get caught, we’re no good to her, Nick.”
“I know.”
“Are you hearing me?”
Nick stared at Adam and took a breath. “Yeah. Yeah, I hear you.”
“OK. Let’s go.”
The men snuck through the door and down the hall, stopping every few steps to listen. Nick counted eight closed doors and when Adam tried them, they were all locked. Adam pressed his ear up against one and his face blanched.
“What?” Nick whispered. “What is it?”
“Kids.” Adam could barely get the word out. “Kids crying.”
They stared at each other, horrified.
“The cops are on their way,” Nick said, trying to think straight. “They’ll help the kids.”
“Yeah. Yeah, let’s get Mia.”
They heard shouting and scuffling at the end of the hall and they picked up the pace a bit, trying to keep quiet.
Nick poked his head around the open door in to the room where he heard yelling. He saw a dark-haired man shouting at a small blonde woman. She was cowering in a corner, terrified. Her nose was bleeding.
“Get me some more water, bitch!” he shouted. “Now!”
“Danny…” The woman was begging. “Danny, please. You’re going to kill
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