not going to like this. Perhaps we could talk. You’re getting into a lot more trouble here than you may realize. We could talk and I could help you. I’m sure there’s something I can do for—”
“Do you know how full of shit you are?” snapped the woman.
And with that she pulled out a roll of duct tape and ripped off a piece. She dragged her sleeve over his mouth to dry his face, slapped the tape over his lips, then turned to the cart and pulled out a few sheets.
“Get in the laundry basket!”
His clothes soaked from the wet carpet, Clariton blurted a muffled plea.
“Get in!” shouted the woman.
She and the gangly guy grabbed Clariton and dumped him into the basket. They then piled the sheets back on top of him. Next the two of them ran around the room, first to Carol, then Todd, the bodyguard, and finally Bradley, strapping tape over each one’s mouth.
Above the screaming alarm the leader shouted, “We’re going to go in the other room. We’re going to be right in there, and if we hear so much as a peep from any of you, I’m going to shoot both this lady and Clariton in the head! Got it? Don’t any of you move and don’t any of you try anything stupid!”
“Oh, my God…” begged Cindy. “Just leave me! Don’t take me! Please, I won’t cause any trouble!”
“Shut the fuck up!” he shouted, pressing his gun so hard against Cindy Wilson’s skull that her head tilted to the side. “Now, listen carefully so you can spread the word. We are Americans, we are acting independently, and we are all three dying of AIDS. We are appalled by Congressman Clariton’s position on the AIDS epidemic. After we give the congressman a small dose of our lives, so to speak, we intend to release him. So tell the cops to leave us alone unless they really want him dead. You’ll be hearing from us very soon.”
“Ta-ta, kids,” said the gangly one. “It’s been a real… blast!”
His mouth covered with tape, Todd twisted on the floor. The leader was shoving Cindy Wilson along, and the other two were wheeling the cart loaded with Congressman Johnny Clariton through the back door, the one Cindy had used.
“Get down, asshole!” shouted the leader at Todd. “And don’t do anything stupid or this chick’s dead!”
Todd dropped his head, his right cheek sinking into the wet carpet. The fire alarm kept on shrieking, water from the single sprinkler rained down, smoke continued to pump into the room, and somewhere in the distance he could hear the cry of the fire trucks. But all of this seemed almost inconsequential, for the one thing that had seized Todd’s mind was the image of the guy with the shaved head.
What the hell was so incredibly familiar about him?
12
They turned a sharp corner and Matthew slammed Cindy Wilson into the waiting freight elevator. Once the cart and the others were in, he released the STOP button, hit another, and as soon as they started to descend they ripped off their smoke masks. Matthew then slumped against the wall of the lift. His heart was pounding, to be sure, but his head felt as if it would explode. He closed his eyes, opened them, saw only dancing ribbons of light. He shook his head, tried to focus on something, anything, and saw the pile of linens shifting.
Jabbing his gun into the cart, he shouted, “I’d love to kill you right now, Mr. Johnny Clariton!”
The lump muttered an indistinguishable string of words and froze.
The elevator slowly stopped on the ground floor, the doors eased back. Matthew stepped out first, again saw no one, then seized Cindy Wilson by the wrist and started dragging her along. Not wasting a second, Elliot and Tina shoved the cart out, charging after Matthew down the long hall until they reached the service area, where a red light was flashing and an obnoxious alarm was honking. Their blue vehicle sat undisturbed, though, backed up against the loading dock.
Matthew, still clutching Cindy Wilson, looked at Elliot and snapped,
“Do you know how full of shit you are?” snapped the woman.
And with that she pulled out a roll of duct tape and ripped off a piece. She dragged her sleeve over his mouth to dry his face, slapped the tape over his lips, then turned to the cart and pulled out a few sheets.
“Get in the laundry basket!”
His clothes soaked from the wet carpet, Clariton blurted a muffled plea.
“Get in!” shouted the woman.
She and the gangly guy grabbed Clariton and dumped him into the basket. They then piled the sheets back on top of him. Next the two of them ran around the room, first to Carol, then Todd, the bodyguard, and finally Bradley, strapping tape over each one’s mouth.
Above the screaming alarm the leader shouted, “We’re going to go in the other room. We’re going to be right in there, and if we hear so much as a peep from any of you, I’m going to shoot both this lady and Clariton in the head! Got it? Don’t any of you move and don’t any of you try anything stupid!”
“Oh, my God…” begged Cindy. “Just leave me! Don’t take me! Please, I won’t cause any trouble!”
“Shut the fuck up!” he shouted, pressing his gun so hard against Cindy Wilson’s skull that her head tilted to the side. “Now, listen carefully so you can spread the word. We are Americans, we are acting independently, and we are all three dying of AIDS. We are appalled by Congressman Clariton’s position on the AIDS epidemic. After we give the congressman a small dose of our lives, so to speak, we intend to release him. So tell the cops to leave us alone unless they really want him dead. You’ll be hearing from us very soon.”
“Ta-ta, kids,” said the gangly one. “It’s been a real… blast!”
His mouth covered with tape, Todd twisted on the floor. The leader was shoving Cindy Wilson along, and the other two were wheeling the cart loaded with Congressman Johnny Clariton through the back door, the one Cindy had used.
“Get down, asshole!” shouted the leader at Todd. “And don’t do anything stupid or this chick’s dead!”
Todd dropped his head, his right cheek sinking into the wet carpet. The fire alarm kept on shrieking, water from the single sprinkler rained down, smoke continued to pump into the room, and somewhere in the distance he could hear the cry of the fire trucks. But all of this seemed almost inconsequential, for the one thing that had seized Todd’s mind was the image of the guy with the shaved head.
What the hell was so incredibly familiar about him?
12
They turned a sharp corner and Matthew slammed Cindy Wilson into the waiting freight elevator. Once the cart and the others were in, he released the STOP button, hit another, and as soon as they started to descend they ripped off their smoke masks. Matthew then slumped against the wall of the lift. His heart was pounding, to be sure, but his head felt as if it would explode. He closed his eyes, opened them, saw only dancing ribbons of light. He shook his head, tried to focus on something, anything, and saw the pile of linens shifting.
Jabbing his gun into the cart, he shouted, “I’d love to kill you right now, Mr. Johnny Clariton!”
The lump muttered an indistinguishable string of words and froze.
The elevator slowly stopped on the ground floor, the doors eased back. Matthew stepped out first, again saw no one, then seized Cindy Wilson by the wrist and started dragging her along. Not wasting a second, Elliot and Tina shoved the cart out, charging after Matthew down the long hall until they reached the service area, where a red light was flashing and an obnoxious alarm was honking. Their blue vehicle sat undisturbed, though, backed up against the loading dock.
Matthew, still clutching Cindy Wilson, looked at Elliot and snapped,
Similar Books
