by Sandy Kline
I nod. “That sounds good. Let’s get to it.”
Piper returns to his vehicle and Blade and I to the SUV. Blade starts the engine and I turn to the boy.
“Mikey, can you tell us where your dad and your uncle would be right now?”
“What’s wrong?” He asks. “Are they in danger? You gotta help them please…”
“Of course we will.” I reply. “Where would they be right now?”
“They work together for Donald and Son’s at the construction site on 23rd.”
“Thanks kid.”
Blade picks up speed and I pray that we’re not too late. After a few minutes we slow down and Blade addresses Mikey.
“This the one kid?” He asks.
“Yeah…I think so…”
“Shit!” Suddenly Blade steps on the gas and I see for the first time what’s got him worked up.
There’s an ambulance and two cop cars parked at the end of the construction site. This can’t be good.
“Why don’t you get out and see what’s going on?” Blade asks.
I nod and get out. “It’s probably just a coincidence.” I tell Mikey. “I’ll be back in a second and with you dad.”
My heart pounds in my chest as I approach the group of officers, construction workers, and emergency workers. I walk up to a man and start up a conversation.
“So what happened here?”
“Dude just fell off from the tenth floor.”
“What happened to his safety harness?”
“Probably unhooked it.”
“What ever for?”
“Sometimes you just get tangled up and it’s easiest to just unclip to sort it out then clip back again.”
I weave my way through the crowd until I get to where the fallen construction worker is lying. I say a silent prayer hoping against hope that it’ll be someone else lying there and not the two we’re looking for. The unlucky worker is still lying on his back, twisted in an odd position. Clearly his spine has broken else that position would be unattainable. Surprisingly there’s no blood at all. He just looks like someone who just fell asleep.
“What happened?” I asked the closest man to me.
He starts to grunt something derogatory before catching site of me. He swallows the remark on the tip of his tongue as his slippery eyes wander up and down my body. Suddenly I feel the need for a hot shower.
“He fell.” The pervert says.
“I hear guys unhook their harnesses sometimes up there.”
“Are you from the insurance company?” He asks, eyeballing me again.
“Do I look like I’m from the insurance company?”
“You’re the union rep then?” He asks, skeptically.
“I’m just a concerned citizen.” I reply. “I also got a brother who works here so…”
“He didn’t unhook himself then.” The man says.
“What do you mean, of course he did. The safety harness thingy is right there still clipped to his belt.”
“Sometimes guys will unhook to maneuver around or disentangle themselves but they always do it at their belt, not at the end of the harness that is clipped to whatever platform they’re working on. That dude still thought he was clipped. Somebody unhooked him then gave him a little bump.”
“Who’d wan-”
I stop mid-sentence. Standing on the edge of the crowd of people opposite me is a man in a foreman’s hardhat. His face is in the shadows so I can’t see who it is but one thing strikes me as odd. He’s also dressed differently than those around him. Just about everyone has on these yellowish or tan work boots and his are black; almost like motorcycle boots. He does have on an orange reflective safety vest and a white foreman’s helmet. He’s wearing black jeans and a black tee shirt. The other foreman’s are wearing blue jeans and button down shirts with the company logo on the pocket. This guy is too different.
“Who is that guy?” I ask my new friend.
He looks to where I’m pointing. “He’s a foreman.”
“What’s his name?”
“No idea. Guys like him are all over the place. They’ve been working night and day pushing us to meet a new impossible deadline. Half them sleep here. It’s like they gotta prove they work harder than us or something.”
“He kinda looks too-”
“Clean.” We both say at the same time.
I’m just about to make another remark when the guy takes a half step forwards before turning to leave. For a split second his face is highlighted by the bright sunlight.
“Holy shit!” I gasp.
“What?” The man next to me asks.
“I know that guy and he’s no foreman or even a construction worker…”
“Well who the hell is he?”
“I gotta go.” I reply.
I step forwards and lift up the yellow crime scene tape thinking I’ll just duck under it, run across the opening, and maybe catch up to Mark before he disappears into the crowd. I get about two steps when I feel a strong hand on my shoulder.
“Oh no you don’t.”
I turn around and it’s a real foreman.
“Sorry miss, but you gotta go around.”
“Oh yeah…sorry about that.”
“No problem.” He says.
As he turns to go I sprint for the other side of the circle of people.
“Stop!” The foreman yells.
I don’t bother to slow down as I get to the edge of the yellow tape and the rest of the crowd. I duck but still catch the plastic tape on my forehead and for one long agonizing second I think the stuff is going to hold. My back arches as my legs continue forward. Just as I’m about to lose my balance the tape gives way and I lurch forwards and disappear into the crowd grateful that no one decided to be a hero and catch the fleeing girl. I elbow and push my way through the throng until I burst out into the open. I look back behind me but no one is following. I look all around me but Mark is nowhere is sight. I continue walking through the construction site until I get to the end of the block where it ends but still no Mark. In fact I’m beginning to wonder if I really even saw him. What would he be doing here anyway?
I step onto the sidewalk and turn to go back to where Blade is parked when I catch sight of a white foreman’s hardhat. I pick it up and wadded up underneath is the bright orange safety vest. Now I am more convinced than ever that Mark was here after all. And now that fucker is in the wind and he knows we’re after him. He’s gonna be hard to find. One more thing pops into my head. I totally forgot to ask who the man was that fell to his death. Not only did I tip Mark off that we’re after him but I failed to find out if the victim here is one of the two men we’re looking for. What a clusterfuck that was. I walk back down the sidewalk head hung in defeat. Because of me there are bodies stacking up and one more just fell to his death. I’m pretty sure his blood as well is on my hands.
I get about halfway down the block when a sudden screech of tires jars me out of my pity party. My head jerks up in alarm. I turn towards the street just in time to see a white van next to me. Remembering my anti kidnapper training from years back, I immediately turn around to walk back the opposite direction the van was travelling. The logic is that you can do a U-turn a lot faster than a car can and it gives you invaluable time to escape. Problem is, by the time I pulled my head out of my ass and saw the van it’s too late. The doors pop open and out jump two men. One of them has a large black bag which he raises over his head. I lift my arms up but the other guy grabs them a split second before the black smelly bag goes down over my head and all the way down to my elbows. Suddenly a fist slams into my stomach causing me to gasp for breath. All it takes is one huge breath and I start to black out. The last thing I smell and taste are the foul chemicals inside the bag and I’ve just inhaled them deep into my lungs. What a perfect end to a bad day.
Chapter Fourteen
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
I don’t know what makes me finally wake up; the foul stench coming off the burlap bag still ov
er my head or the careening van I’m still holed up in. A sudden turn tosses me like a rag doll against the side of the van where I smack my head against something hard. I bite back a scream and pretend to still be passed out while I figure out how to get myself out of this situation. I’m sure Blade and Piper are running around like crazy looking for me by now but there’s no way they’re going to know I’m holed up in a white delivery van. I need to give them a clue that will lead them to me. I reach up to scratch my nose and I suddenly realize my hands are nearly free. It just takes a minute to get the duct tape off my right hand. First order of business, scratch my nose. Then I slowly reach up and pull the bottom of the bag up far enough so I can see out. I’m in the delivery van still but there’s a wire mesh barrier between me and the driver and passenger. There’s a chance I can kick the back door open and get out before they can even stop the van and come around to the back to stop me. I do wonder though why they didn’t just kill me right there on the sidewalk. Keeping me alive makes no sense at all. I look around the inside of the van. There are no windows and no sliding side door. There’s just the double doors at the back end. I just don’t know if I have the strength to kick them open. I guess we’ll-”
“Shit, she’s awake!” Exclaims one of my captors. “I told ya we should have give her something extra.”
“Relax, says a familiar voice. “She ain’t going anywhere.”
That was Mark’s voice.
“I also told ya we should have just wasted her right then and there. I don’t understand why we gotta keep her alive anyway.”
“She’s my ex.” Mark replies.
“So…my ex is dead but if I saw her waltzing down the street one afternoon I’d blow the bitches head clean off and I wouldn’t be sorry about it neither.”
“You’re so full of shit. You can say that now because the bitch is dead and you don’t have to back your mouth up. I’m telling you, she ain’t gonna talk. She’s not stupid. Right Jen?” Mark asks, looking back at me.
“If I was going to rat on you Mark I would have done it the second I got back in town and found out what you did.”
“See,” Mark says to his buddy. “She’s an honest girl.”
“Where are you taking me?” I ask Mark.
“We’re going to find a companion for you so you’re not so lonely back there.”
“What do you mean?”
“We gotta pick somebody up. He wasn’t where he’s supposed to be so we’re looking for him.”
“Back at that construction site, was that guy’s fall an accident?”
“He stuck his nose where it didn’t belong.” The other man answers. “So we had to deal with him. Now shut up so I can drive.”
I’m about to complain when I see a familiar vehicle; a Land Rover. But there are a lot of these on the streets so this one may not be Piper’s. The Land Rover is pulling up to the intersection on our left. We’re at a four way stop. The car to our right is pulling across the lane.
“Wait a second.” Mark says. “That Land Rover looks familiar.”
“There’s a million of them on the road.” I observe.
“Yeah but not everyone has a Harley sticker on the passenger rear window. I think that’s Blade and his crew.”
We start to pull into the intersection when the Land Rover beats us to the punch and enters the roadway. Just when the vehicle gets even with us Blade just happens to turn to look our way. Immediately his eyes pop and he points at Mark and yells something to Piper. The chase is on.
Mark’s buddy hits the gas and makes a hard right, sending me slamming against the side. My shoulder strikes something hard and pain goes shooting through my limb.
“Take it easy!” I scream at the driver.
“No can do sweetheart. Those friends of yours catch us and we’re dead meat. You think if I scream take it easy they’re gonna go easy on us?”
I shake my head.
“Yeah…I don’t think so.”
“Come on Mark.” I plead. “You and Blade, you’re brothers. He’s not going to do anything to you.”
“Yeah and I got his old lady hostage. How do you think this is going to play out?”
I know exactly how this is going to finish. Blade is going to kill both men. The driver may be executed, but for Mark’s betrayal he may end up being tortured or something. You just don’t do this to an old lady; especially not the President’s old lady. They’re both dead men.
Suddenly the driver slams on his brakes and I go tumbling up against the wire mesh barrier that separates the back compartment from the front driver’s compartment. If I don’t die in a car crash I may just die from tumbling around in here. I feel like a rag doll that’s been tossed into a dryer on high heat. Not only am I being bruised from head to toe but it must be a hundred and ten degrees back here. My clothes are sticking to my body and sweat is running down into my eyes making them burn.
“Can somebody please open a window?” I holler.
“A little busy up here.” Mark shouts back.
“Oh com-”
My sentence is cut short by a metallic pop pop pop and three air holes magically appear in the side of the van. Sunlight streams in adding a little light to my darkened prison.
“Stop shooting!” I scream uselessly. There’s no way Piper or Blade can hear me.
“Scream a little louder Jen, I don’t think they heard.” Mark replies.
“Either that or they don’t give a damn.” The driver says. “Maybe we shou-”
A sudden explosion of glass shuts the man up momentarily. The van slows a little, before a barrage of gunfire deafens me. Guns are loud enough but when in a confined space there’s nowhere for the sound to go but straight into your skull.
“What are you doing?” I scream at the driver. “You can’t shoot and drive. You’re going to get us killed.”
“I can fucking multi-task so just shut the fuck up already.”
“Red light, red light, red light…”Mark shouts to his partner.
The driver hits the brakes again. The tires scream in protest as we skid into the middle fo the intersection. But instead of coming to a stop he makes a hard left and our four wheeled coffin actually comes up off of two wheels. For a split second it feels like my world suddenly stops and we’re just hanging there on two wheels in the middle of the street. I look out the front window and I can see the startled faces of other motorists who are also caught in the sudden violence of the afternoon. There’s a woman in the crosswalk who doesn’t even lift up her head. She is completely oblivious to everything that’s going on around her. She doesn’t even see the man lunging at her trying to get her out of the path of a car that has swerved to avoid our van. Directly in front of us is a small two door Honda Civic with two people in it. The driver is an Asian woman in her twenties and the other is a white man in his forties with a clipboard. His pencil is poised to leave a remark but our van which is about to end up in his lap has shaken his concentration.
To our left, just off the driver’s window is a familiar Land Rover. Blade is leaning out the window but his shot gun is cartwheeling out of his hands and the look of shock on his face is almost comical. Their car is on a collision course for a cyclist who picked the absolute worst time on earth to not follow the rules of the road and enter the intersection despite a caution light. He is staring right at Piper who is gripping the steering wheel like his life depends on it. Actually a twenty-five year old bicyclist’s life depends on it instead.
For what seems like five seconds everyone is frozen in time. Then at the end of the appointed time a pin drops and it’s chaos all over again. The oblivious woman in the cross walk is tackled and dragged to the side of the road in the nick of time. The white man in the Honda Civic grabs the wheel from the young woman and yanks with all his might causing the small car to swerve out of the way just in time. Blade’s shot gun eludes his grasping hands and falls to the street below. The cyclist finally looks up in surprise and makes a sudden correction that puts him
out of harm’s way and we go shooting across the intersection narrowly avoiding the mayhem we caused by our presence.
I find my voice again.
“Just let me out!” I scream. “Can’t you pop the back door and let me out?”
“Not from the inside.” Mark hollers back.
I open my mouth to lodge further protest when we hit what must be one hell of a big speed bump. My body suddenly becomes airborne and it feels like I’m in outer space for a split second. Then my head strikes the van’s ceiling with an audible thud and I go crashing painfully to the floor in a heap.
“That fucking hurt!” I shout. “Can’t you be more careful?”
“Here comes another one.” Mark yells.
“Another what?” I ask just as I go weightless one more time.
I grab for anything that will anchor by body to the floor but one more time I receive a nasty knock on the head before falling with a thud on the floor.
“Can’t you take another route?” I ask. “That seems like a reasonable request.”
“Are you kidding me?” The driver asks.
“Sorry,” Mark begins. “She can be a little hard to stomach.”
“You think?” His partner replies. “Is this really the broad you used to date?”
“Yeah, can you believe it?”
“No, I can’t.”
“Yeah I know.” Mark replies. “It’s times like these that makes me wonder what the hell was I thinking?”
“I’m right here you know.” I but in.
“Oh shit!” Swears the driver. “I think this is them, coming up on inside, two cars back.”
Mark turns around to look. “I don’t see them.”
“Look again because I think I saw them again.”
Mark looks again. “No I don-” Then he catches himself. “Oh shit, you’re right, it is them. You gotta lose them. We’re not going to be able to shoot our way out of this one.”
“Hang on.” The driver warns. “This might get a little rough.”
