When Darkness Falls

by Jennifer Youngblood

  “Do you have the jewels with you?”

  “Yeah, they’re in my backpack in the car. In the passenger seat.”

  Sam motioned at Bill who immediately went to retrieve them.

  “The haul should bring around $105K. I can do another job and get the rest. You can even take the BMW as collateral. That’s another $35-40K.” He remembered the earrings he’d given Chloe. “And I can get my hands on a pair of earrings that are worth another $20K.” Garrett looked wild-eyed at Sam. “Please, man, give me a chance to make this right. I’m no good to you injured.” Or dead, he added silently.

  Bill handed the black, drawstring bag to Sam who looked inside. His expression grew thoughtful. Garrett had the impression that time had come to a halt and everything depended on this one moment.

  “All right. We may be able to work out a deal … for old time’s sake.”

  “Okay, anything.” The relief that surged through Garrett was so swift that it left him lightheaded.

  “We’re gonna take a ride and talk things over. There’s something I want to show you.”

  “A ride?” Garrett went tense as suspicion clouded his eyes. “I would, man, but I’m really tired. You see, I just got back into town—”

  “It’s not optional,” Sam cut in. He motioned at Bill. “Help him to the car!”

  * * *

  Garrett’s apprehension mounted to frenzy when they pulled into the parking lot of what looked to be an abandoned warehouse. He fleetingly wondered if Sam were taking him here to die. A sick panic clawed over him, and he had to will himself to remain calm. “What’re we doing here?”

  Rather than answering, Sam exited the car. Bill left the driver’s seat, came around, and opened Garrett’s door. Having no other choice, Garrett stepped out.

  “This way,” Sam said gruffly with a wave of his arm. Garrett moved to follow, but he wasn’t fast enough for Bill who shoved him in the back.

  “Take it easy!” Garrett grumbled. Every impulse commanded him to run, but he forced his feet to keep moving slowly forward. It was dark inside the warehouse, and it took a minute for Garrett’s eyes to adjust. They walked to the back where Sam stopped in front of what looked to be the door to an office. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked it. They stepped inside the pitch-black room. When Sam flipped on the light switch, Garrett’s breath caught, for in the center—bound to a chair—was a man dressed in an expensive white shirt and tie. He was blindfolded and gagged. The second the light came on, he began thrashing wildly.

  “What is this?” Garrett asked, a sense of horror overtaking him.

  “One of the men who owes my boss a considerable amount of money. Unfortunately for him, his extension has run out.”

  Sam’s voice was so casual he might’ve been discussing the weather rather than the fate of the bound man. Nausea overtook Garrett as his gaze went to the man who was writhing and grunting. Then he looked at Bill, whose blank expression had been replaced by an eager intensity as he began cracking his knuckles. He’d been incredibly naïve where Sam was concerned. No, not naïve—downright stupid! It went through his mind that Sam wasn’t the longtime friend he thought him to be and that Hank was right all along.

  Sam laughed. “Bill lives for these moments.” He gave him the nod. Bill stepped up to the man and ripped off the blindfold.

  The man jerked his eyes around the room and then settled on Sam. “This is ludicrous. I demand an explanation! I told you I’d get the money I just need more time!”

  There was a haughty tone to his voice like he was ordering a subordinate to make him a copy or bring him a file. It seemed so out of place in this setting that Garrett’s mouth dropped slightly. He looked at Sam, whose thick neck had gone a deep red. He was stroking his goatee while watching the man with open disdain. Garrett knew the man was in serious trouble when Sam spoke.

  “This here’s my boy, Danny.”

  “I’m not your boy,” the man said hotly, “and I demand that you release me this instant!”

  Sam was now eying him with fascination. His voice had a faint taunting edge to it. “When I first met Danny, he was riding high.” He glanced at Garrett. “A Harvard grad with a big house on the benches in Draper. Yep, Danny didn’t grow up fighting for everything like we did, he was handed it all on a silver platter by his mommy and daddy.” He grunted. “Danny came to me for a loan—something about starting a multi-level company that was gonna make him a millionaire overnight. You see, Danny’s like most of his neighbors, high up there on the hill. Hocking everything he has to pay for that expensive lifestyle with his beautiful wife, boats, cars …” He laughed to himself. “Danny even offered me a piece of the pie—on the condition that I was willing to work hard and clean up my image a bit.” He looked at Danny. “Isn’t that right?”

  Wariness was creeping into Danny’s eyes.

  “You know, there are many sophisticated ways of torturing people, but Bill and I prefer the old fashion way, don’t we?”

  The wariness in Danny’s eyes had turned to naked fear, and his lower lip was starting to tremble. “I made a mistake.”

  His voice sounded pitiful and small, a sickening reminder to Garrett that he’d sounded much the same way. He could feel the man’s fear, growing larger and more terrible until it began to ooze off the walls, going sour and rotten. “P-please, let me go. I’ll get you the money.” His face seemed to fold in on itself as he began to sob in long, ragged gulps.

  Garrett felt the man’s humiliation, almost as though it were his own. To see such a man reduced to this pitiful state unnerved him in a way few other things had. He despised the man for being so weak, and he loathed Sam for openly mocking him when he was at his lowest. Revulsion welled inside of him, and it was all he could do to prevent a look of disgust from forming over his face as he looked at Sam. He was a bottom dweller—a two-bit thug. How had he not seen it before? It was like a tooth being unearthed to expose a decaying root. It had been there all along but was so cleverly hidden that he’d never noticed it.

  “Please!” Danny’s cry tore through the room. “I’ll do anything! Just please don’t do this.”

  “Yeah,” Sam said in a bored tone. “Heard that one before.” He gave Bill a nod.

  Bill punched Danny so hard that the chair toppled sideways, causing him to hit the floor with a loud thud.

  “Stop it!” he cried. “Please! I’ll get the money!”

  Bill grabbed the chair and sat it up right. Then he began mercilessly pounding Danny’s face. There was a sharp crack as blood started spewing from his nose. The sound of flesh giving way under the brute strength of Bill’s knuckles was too much for Garrett, and he averted his gaze.

  Finally, the beating stopped, and Danny slumped over, eyes closed. His face was misshapen and bloody, resembling raw hamburger meat. For a second, Garrett feared that he was dead, but then he let out a sob. “Please,” he whimpered. “I’ll do anything. I promise, I’ll get the money.”

  Sam stepped up and grabbed him by the hair of the head. Then he bent down next to Danny’s face. “Not such a big shot now, are ya, Danny boy? You don’t look so good. What will your wife think of you now? How will she ever explain this to the neighbors?”

  Garrett fought the urge to wretch. It was bad enough to watch the man get beaten to a pulp but then to have Sam openly mocking him was revolting.

  Sam’s voice went hard. “You’d better get the money or your lovely wife and kids will be next! And we won’t be as kind to them as we were to you!”

  Danny’s eyes shot open as a new terror came over him. “I’ll get it!” he said hoarsely. “I’ll get it!” he sobbed.

  Sam studied him. “You have 48 hours, Danny boy.” When he let go of Danny’s hair, his head fell heavily to his chest. He looked at Bill. “Get this trash out of here.” He motioned at Garrett. “Come, we have much to discuss.”

  A curious numbness settled over Garrett as he walked back to the car. This time, Sam got behind the wheel and motione
d for him to get in the passenger seat.

  Sam started the engine and began to drive. A few minutes later, Garrett turned to him, not trying to hide the bitterness in his voice. “Was that charade really necessary?”

  A trace of amusement crossed Sam’s features. “Is that what you think that was?”

  “You could’ve tortured that man anywhere … anytime. You didn’t have to wait until you had an audience. I told you I would get the money.” He felt sick—sick at heart and desperate.

  “It’s like this—if it weren’t for our friendship, I wouldn’t be giving you a chance to make things right.”

  “Some friendship!” Garrett muttered.

  Sam slammed on the brakes, causing them to lurch forward. He threw the car into park and then grabbed Garrett’s shirt with his fists. “You’re treading on thin ice here! With the snap of my finger, I can have Bill rearrange that pretty face of yours to the point where you won’t be able to stand the sight of yourself!”

  The malicious light in Sam’s eyes caused a trickle of fear to run down Garrett’s spine as he held up his hands in defeat. “Sorry, man.”

  He swore and let him go. Then he jabbed a finger into Garrett’s chest. “Don’t push me too far!” Sam put the car into gear, and they drove in silence. By the time they’d pulled into Garrett’s driveway, Sam had changed back to his usual, controlled self. He turned to Garrett, his voice businesslike. “Here’s how this is going to work. Your extension is over.”

  Garrett started to protest but stopped when he saw the warning look in Sam’s eyes.

  “There’s only one way out of this. There’s a job coming up—a big one. You pull it off, and your debt will be paid in full.”

  Fear rose thick in Garrett’s throat. “But I told you I would give you the jewelry and the BMW. That should take my debt down $150K. And then I’ll give you the earrings, which means I’ll only owe you another $30K. I can easily get that.”

  Sam let out a cutting laugh. “Sorry, man. That might’ve worked several weeks ago, but the price has now gone up. A little thing I like to call interest.”

  “What?” Garrett felt the sensation of being strangled with invisible hands. He fought to get a good breath as his mind raced through his options. Then he realized that Sam was speaking.

  “This job requires a certain skill set. A skill set which, unfortunately, you don’t possess.”

  “I don’t understand. If I can’t do the job then why are you even talking to me about it?”

  “There’s a safe involved. A very sophisticated safe.”

  It all came together in a sucker punch that nearly took his breath away as the world began to spin. He could feel the fingers of hysteria, trying to claw into his mind. “This whole thing is a set-up. You never wanted the money. You used me, exploited my weakness!”

  Sam made a face. “Oh, don’t be such a whiner. It’s not my fault you’re a compulsive gambler.” His voice became practical. “You have access to the person we need. It’s as simple as that.”

  “Hank,” Garrett said flatly. “You want Hank.” Of course he wanted Hank! Everyone wanted Hank! He was the superstar. A mixture of bitterness and worry settled over him simultaneously.

  A cruel smile spread over Sam’s face. “You’re a fast learner.”

  Garrett balled his fist. “No, absolutely not! Hank will never go for it! He’s gotten his life cleaned up and gone all churchy on me. Now, he’s an upstanding business owner. He’ll never go for it!”

  “Well, you’ll just have to convince him. Hank has always looked after you. I’m sure he’ll step up to the plate when he realizes what’s at stake.”

  Despite the fear, anger took hold. “Oh yeah, and exactly what is at stake here?” A burning hatred pulsed through his veins as he locked eyes with Sam.

  “Do you really want me to say it out loud?” He let out a long sigh. “If you value your life, then you’ll convince Hank to do the job.”

  Garrett just sat there, mulling through the options. “How much time do I have?” he finally said.

  “A couple of weeks … give or take. The plans are being put into motion. This is a time sensitive thing.”

  “Where’s the job?”

  Sam shook his head. “That’s all you get for now. Get Hank on board, and then we’ll talk.”

  “What if I can’t convince him?”

  Sam’s eyes cut into his. “Then I won’t be able to stop what comes next. And I can assure you that what happened to Danny boy is child’s play compared to what we’ll do to you. This is your last chance! Don’t screw it up!”

  * * *

  Chloe and Hank were in the hospital room with Glory. Chloe was sitting off to the side, and Hank had scooted a chair next to the bed and was holding Glory’s hand.

  “I told you, Hank, it’s nothing to be alarmed about. It was just a mini-stroke.” Glory shook her head in exasperation. “You always get so bent out of shape at the smallest little thing. I told the nurses not to call you, but they insisted.” She shook her head. “I tell you, I feel perfectly fine.”

  “A mini-stroke is not a small thing,” he countered. “Did you not hear what the doctor said? It’s a warning sign that you might have another stroke within 48 hours. Dr. Mills said you have as much as a 5% chance of having another stroke.”

  She pursed her lips. “Dr. Mills is a nice man, but he doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.”

  Chloe chuckled and then clamped her lips shut when she saw the look of exasperation on Hank’s face. Glory laughed. “See, even Chloe knows I’m right. Doctors practice medicine. They practice it, Hank, it’s not an exact science. No one can predict how the body will react. And if what Dr. Mills says is true, then I have a 95% chance of not having another stroke. The odds are in my favor. That’s a good thing. We should be celebrating right now.”

  Hank let go of Glory’s hand. Then he blew out a breath and rubbed his neck. Chloe was coming to learn that he often rubbed his neck when he was frustrated. When he looked to her for help, she stood and went to his side.

  “Glory, Hank is right. You need to take better care of yourself.”

  She looked disappointed. “Not you too.”

  “You need to stay on your low-salt diet,” Hank said, “no cheating. Dr. Mills thinks it’s the high blood pressure that triggered it.”

  “I’m an old woman with very few pleasures in life. If I want to eat salted popcorn while I watch my shows, then I will and neither you nor the doctor is going to stop me!” She thrust out her chin and peered at him over the rim of her glasses.

  Hank scowled. “Well, you’re certainly as cantankerous as ever. I guess that speaks for something.”

  Glory chuckled and reached for Hank’s hand. “I’m going to be okay. And I won’t overload on the popcorn.” Her eyes went soft. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” he relented.

  It was a tender thing to watch the two of them bantering back and forth. This was the side of Hank that Chloe loved. It had felt so right to be with him, but how could she reconcile this wonderful guy with the criminal that was being questioned by the detective?

  Glory gave him a motherly smile. “You always think you have to take care of everyone, but you need to start taking better care of yourself.” She gave Chloe a meaningful look. “I’m glad you finally have a good woman by your side. It makes all the difference in the world. You two can take care of each other.”

  Chloe’s eyes shot open wide as her face fell. She looked at Hank with a panicked expression. Hank’s eyes seemed to be asking for a commitment that she couldn’t make—not with his past looming over them. He could read the hesitation on her face. His shoulders slumped as he looked away.

  Glory frowned. “Things were going so well between the two of you. What happened?”

  Hank forced a smile. “Nothing, Glory. Don’t read too much into things.”

  “Don’t play games with me, Hank Singleton. I may be old, but I’m not stupid! I know you as well as I know myself, and
Chloe’s thoughts show on her face.”

  Heat pummeled over Chloe as she rocked back.

  “That’s a good thing,” Glory assured her. “I mean that as a high compliment. It’s refreshing to see someone who’s open and honest.” She eyed Hank. “Now, what’s going on?”

  “There’s been another theft, and Detective Flores came to the office to question me. Chloe heard it, and I told her about my past.”

  “You told me portions of your past,” Chloe cut in. “But I haven’t heard the full story.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I meant. I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”

  The door opened, and a doctor entered the room. He looked at Hank. “Can I have a word with you? I want to go over the particulars of Mrs. Douglas’s diet, so that we can be sure that she follows it to the letter.”

  “Of course.” Hank stood, and he and the doctor left.

  “They treat me like a child,” Glory muttered. She motioned to the chair where Hank had been sitting. Chloe sat down. Glory looked her in the eye, and Chloe had the impression that she was somehow seeing into her soul. “Hank has made his share of mistakes, but he’s a good man.”

  Tears pooled in Chloe’s eyes, and she began blinking rapidly in an attempt to hold them back. “I don’t know what to think,” she admitted. “But what I do know is that I can’t go through another heartbreak like I did with Dan. And I can’t allow myself to fall in love with someone who isn’t what he appears to be.” Her mouth formed a hard line as she waited for Glory’s rebuttal.

  Glory gave her an affectionate smile. “You know that Hank’s a good man. You’ve felt that. Listen to your heart.”

  She shook her head, doubts coming faster than she could field them. “I don’t know … maybe I got so caught up in the confidence of your words that I made myself believe that Hank was the one. Or maybe I wanted so desperately to rid myself of Dan that I latched onto Hank.”