by Vivian Lux
My father was asleep on the sofa, the TV still blaring, as I slipped in to the front door. I tiptoed past him and up the stairs. I was exhausted, but my heart was strangely light.
Chapter 34
Lexi
I awoke to the sound of sirens and the insistent buzzing of my phone on the nightstand. I grabbed the phone before it fell to the floor and looked with surprise at the display.
"Ingrid?"
There were a couple of panicked gasps before Ingrid finally answered me. "Lexi. Fuck, Lexi, I'm about to shit myself. I'm freaking out here."
I sat up in bed. The sirens were getting louder. "Ingrid, are you okay?"
She gasped a sob. "I don't know." Then her voice became pleading. "Can you come here?"
"Now?" I looked at my alarm clock. It was four in the morning. "First tell me you're okay and what happened."
The sirens were coming down my street. I had to plug my left ear to hear her. "Got a phone call just now, it was a number I didn't recognize so of course I didn't answer." Her breath hitched. "I checked my messages after and oh fuck."
"Fuck?"
"It was all garbled, you know like in those movies? The one where they're trying to disguise their voice?"
"You're kidding."
"No I'm fucking not, Lexi," she barked angrily. "Whoever this sick fuck was told me I needed to stay out of their territory, and that they were watching me right now and I looked really pretty while I slept."
I leaned back on my bed. "Jesus."
"I'm scared to be alone in here, Lexi. Please, can you come over?"
The sirens had stopped so close to my house that I had to practically scream over them. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
I hung up and slipped quickly from my bed, grabbing yesterday's jeans from their heap on the floor. I could hear my parents' sleepy voices across the hall. "What's going on?" I shouted over the noise of the sirens and opened their bedroom door without a thought.
"Fire engines," my mom said worriedly. "Five of them."
"What house is it?"
"I can't tell," my father said, peering through the window. "But it's on our side of the street."
"Holy shit," Mary said, appearing at the door and rubbing her eyes.
"Language, Mary." my mother sighed, barely turning from where she was glued to the window.
"I'm going to go see what's going on," my father announced, pulling on his sweatpants and an old police sweatshirt.
"I'm coming with you, Kevin." My mother was already slipping into her robe.
Sarah appeared silently in the hallway and followed us as all five trooped down the stairs. My father went to the door first, cautiously testing the handle for us.
"Is it warmer in here or is it just me?" Mary remarked.
"Stop that. You're imagining things," my mother snapped. "Kevin, what's going on?" My father had stepped onto the porch and was staring intently into the night.
"Let me see." I pushed my way past my mom and pressed myself against my father. He silently lifted his arm and slung it over my shoulder, pulling me closer as we both stared at the inferno in front of us.
451 was consumed with flames.
The smoke was thick and the fire so hot that even five doors down I could feel the heat blast my face like I had opened an oven door. I wondered how the firefighters could even get close enough to attempt putting it out. Neighbors milled anxiously across the street, watching as the three hoses poured water on the unaffected flames.
"Good riddance," my dad said softly.
I looked up at him in surprise, but before I could say anything, my mother joined us, slipping her arm into mine. "That house was a blight on the block," she agreed. "I hope it burns to the ground."
I stood in between my parents, watching the flames while my mind raced at a million miles an hour. He must have come back after we'd left. He must have stolen back in the dead of night. I felt a slow grin starting to spread my lips in spite of myself.
My mother hugged me tighter. "Are you upset?" she asked.
"No," I breathed. "Now something can rise from the ashes."
Chapter 35
Case
Bruce was breathing heavily, sweat pouring from his receding hairline. His proud gut jiggled against the ropes with each panicked breath.
"This kind of Mafia shit pisses me off, Bruce." Case knelt in front of him, crouching amiably like they were old friends. Bruce's eyes shot from him to Crash, who was idly playing with the duct tape they had just removed from his mouth. "So cut the noble crap and just tell us what the fuck we want to know."
"Untie me first," the bartender squeaked.
"No can do, asshole," Crash said casually. "If you don't want to talk, it's fine, I'll just let you sit and think some more. Cool down."
"No!" Bruce's eyes shot to the newly repaired walk in freezer. "Please, no, I can't take being in there any more."
"So cut the shit. We're not leaving until you tell us what you know."
Bruce's eyes rolled back in his head. "You assholes are going to get me killed."
Case pulled out his knife and idly picked at his nail. Brice watched the knife with horror. "Crash, don't you think that's something he should have thought of before he got us mixed up in his shit?"
"I'm not the smartest guy," Crash answered. "But even I know you shouldn't be selling drugs to two different gangs at the same time. That's how shit goes bad for you real fast."
"I needed the money!" Bruce exploded. 'You scumbags don't have the first clue what it's like. You roll in here, drink my beer and take my protection money and what do I get? A shit bar in a shit neighborhood and my fucking dirtbag son just got into Rutgers somehow. How'm supposed to make ends meet?"
"So who is it?" Case moved over him, letting the fat man feel the full imposing height of his bearded form. "Who did you sell us out to?"
Bruce stammered and swallowed. "Guy named Lopez. Fernando Lopez."
Crash hissed. Case nearly exploded. "Los Lobos? You fucking had us moving in the same business as those psychotic cartel assholes?" He smashed his fist into Bruce's face.
Crash pulled back worriedly. "So they shot at us. What's next, huh? What're we going to do?"
Bruce let out a sob as blood poured from his nose. "I'm sorry," he sniveled.
"Fucking everybody's sorry," Case spat. "Okay Bruce. I think you need to chill for a while, while we figure out what the fuck to do with a stupid traitor like you."
"No!" Bruce wiggled against his bonds futilely, still screaming his apologies as Crash and Case lifted the wooden chair and deposited it in the freezer. With the door shut tight you could barely hear his cries.
"Go switch off the circuit," Case told Crash. "He can sit in the cold dark and worry about dying for a while."
Just then his phone buzzed in his pocket. He was ready to tell Teach that they got the info they needed when he saw in shock that it was Lexi calling.
He moved quickly away from the freezer, lest she hear Bruce's screams, and cleared his throat several times.
"Lexi," he said softly. "You're up early."
She gave a small laugh. "I couldn't sleep through the sirens."
He grunted, not knowing what to say.
"They couldn't save it," she said softly, barely audible over the connection. "It burned to the ground, Case. There's nothing left of it."
He exhaled. "Good."
She was silent for several moments. Then she cleared her throat, "Listen, um, I'm with Ingrid right now. I just got her back to sleep, she was freaking out pretty hard about a phone call she got. Someone saying that she was in their territory and they were watching her."
Case's heart splashed in his stomach. "And you're there? Lexi what the fuck are you doing there? Get out!"
She sputtered. "I'm fine, Case. What aren't you telling me?"
He grimaced, pacing frantically like a caged lion. Los Lobos, they were watching Ingrid and Lexi was there, right now. "Hold on, I'm coming over."
"She
just fell asleep," Lexi protested.
"I don't give a shit. She needs to wake the fuck up and you need to go somewhere safe." He wracked his brain. The clubhouse wasn't safe, not until they figured a way out of this mess. Ingrid's apartment clearly wasn't safe.
And he had gone right to Lexi's after the shooting. If they were watching him, he had led them right to her.
"Fuck," he screamed, punching himself in the thigh. "Stay there," he barked. "I'm coming right now." He jabbed the phone off.
The room suddenly went dark. Bruce's screams got louder.
Case whirled around to find Crash just returning from the breaker room. "Took me forever to figure out which one it was. Asshole didn't have anything labeled."
"I have to go."
"Where the fuck are you going?"
"One of my dealers is being threatened. This is probably the best way to figure out what we need to do to end this." And I need to protect Lexi, whatever the cost, he didn't add. He hoped he could put Crash off for another, less chaotic day.
"Need backup?"
Case considered. Going in to what may potentially be a trap was foolhardy, but he didn't have time. "Go back to the clubhouse and get everyone up and ready. I'll be in touch if I need backup."
"Got it," Crash nodded and headed for the door.
Case ran through the dark bar, pausing only to lock the heavy doors behind him. He didn't need any curious patrons wandering in to find Bruce before they were ready to deal with him. He leapt into his Jeep and sent the tires squealing across the snow as he floored it and wrenched the wheel. "Shit," he repeated, unable to say anything else. "Shit, shit shit."
He pulled up in front of Ingrid's building and hit Lexi's number on his phone to be let in.
It rang five times before voicemail picked up.
He jabbed the off button.
Shit.
He called again, just to be sure.
Voicemail again.
There was a suited businesswoman about to the exit the building. He ran up to the door as she opened it, hearing her gasp in fear and not giving a shit.
He ran up the stairs, unwilling to wait for the elevator. Running gave him something to do. Running gave him time to swear with every step, cursing his slowness and stupidity. He had just gotten her back. He had just found her. He had finally had her and now?
The door to Ingrid's apartment stood slightly ajar and his heart froze. He reached in to his holster for his gun and knocked the door open with the tip of his boot.
The apartment was echoingly empty. He scanned the room slowly, paralyzed, seeing the scattered papers, the broken glasses and the overturned chair. The bed was rumpled, with twisted sheets dragged on to the floor.
And in the middle of the living room was Lexi's purse, with the missed call indication beeping futilely inside.
Chapter 36
Lexi
Ingrid's sobs had subsided. That was good. "Now take a deep breath," I told her, my voice muffled through the dark hood.
She gave a panicked gasp. "I can't...get any air."
"Yes you can," I encouraged her, ignoring my own claustrophobia. With each breath, the fabric of the hood pressed against my face. I tried to listen to my own words and regulate my own breath as I pressed up against her, grateful at least that our kidnappers had thrown us into the same small space. "Just try to slow it down, okay?" I said to both of us. "Just try to breath normally."
I leaned away from her for a second, swinging my tied hands around. My fingertips brushed a concrete wall that scraped my knuckles. So we were in a basement. Maybe. Maybe a vault. What little air I could get into my lungs was cool and damp and smelled of mildew. "Ingrid honey?" I asked, pressing against her again. "Can you reach out your hands? Tell me if you feel a wall."
She moved sharply and then cried out. "It's right fucking there," she sobbed and I felt her rubbing her hands together miserably.
"Okay, honey, I want you to slide over so your back is against that wall okay? You'll feel better with something to lean on." And I needed to know where I was, even if I couldn't see shit through this infernal hood.
"I can't move," she wailed.
"Yes you can, they only tied our ankles. Just slide your butt over a little, okay?"
She shuffled over, sniffling all the while. When she left my side, I felt a twinge of horror. I wanted her to stay near me. Blind to my surroundings, it felt good to be pressed up against someone familiar, even if she was nearly paralyzed with fear.
But I needed to move. Even if this was futile, I still needed to have a sense of what was going on. The men who had come into Ingrid's apartment had moved so fast we had barely seen them. And the ski masks over their faces were even worse. I had screamed, only once before I felt the gun against my temple.
"Hush your mouth, little girl." The man's breath was rank and he spoke with a slight accent, rolling his Rs. "One more scream and that's it."
And then the hood had been thrown over my head and the world was black.
I was ready to scream as soon as we hit the lobby, but we must have gone down the service elevator, because the next thing I knew the cold air hit me for just a moment before I was flung into the trunk of a car. Ingrid landed on top of me, knocking the air from my lungs and then the blackness was total as whoever held us closed the trunk and banged on it twice. Ingrid screamed as the car started to move.
I tried to keep my wits about me by counting the number of turns we made. If we were behind Ingrid's building, then we must be headed north. I kicked the trunk at every stop, screaming for someone, anyone to hear us. "One left, one right, the sound of a bus, another right, stop sign...." it all jumbled in my brain and I couldn't keep track anymore.
But now we weren't moving anymore and alone as far as I could tell. Tentatively, I leaned forward, swinging my bound feet under me and rocking forward on my knees. I lost my balance and fell forward heavily, catching myself painfully with my elbows. I gritted my teeth and tried not to cry out in pain. I didn't want to upset Ingrid any more.
"Lexi?" she panted.
She wasn't calling me Delaney anymore, I thought wildly. She's losing it. "I'm fine, Ingrid. I'm right here."
Shimmying forward, I half slid, half crawled on my elbows, until my hands brushed up against the wall. "Okay, this room isn't that big," I called to Ingrid.
"You're too far away," she moaned.
"I'm right here." The exertion was making me breath harder, sucking the fabric of the hood closer around my nose. I knelt back and lifted my arms, trying to catch it between my elbows and pull it free. When I succeeded in moving the hood forward enough on my head to grant me a pocket of air, I exhaled in triumph. "Okay," I said, half to myself, half to Ingrid. "Okay I can do this."
Sliding back on to my elbows, I shimmied my knees over until my left side was pressed against the wall. This was my reference point. I slid along like a blind slug. running my hands along the wall, feeling for something, what I didn't know. A door, mostly, but barring that a jagged piece of wall that could loosen my bonds.
When I reached the corner without feeling anything. I turned. "Small fucking room," I gritted. "I think we're in an old storage closet of some kind.
Ingrid's only answer was a soft moan. I resumed my sluglike exploration, sliding myself along until I bumped into Ingrid. "Sorry honey."
"Stay right here?"
I fumbled for her hands and clapped them between mine. Her bonds seemed tighter than mine did. "Hang on honey, I'm going to find a way out of this."
I slithered over her and resumed my exploration. At the next corner, I sighed. "There has to be a fucking door somewhere," I snarled. "They didn't throw us in a fucking pit or something."
I heard Ingrid shuffle and sit up. "The door was made of concrete or something too, I think," she ventured. "I banged my head against it when they were throwing us in here and it fucking hurt."
I let out a whoosh of breath. "Good girl, Ingrid," I said encouragingly. "That's really helpful."
So I might not be able to feel the difference with my hands. I decided to feel for gaps around the floor instead.
I resumed sliding, letting my fingers search for any variation in the concrete. When they slipped into a small space, barely wide enough for my pinkie, I sucked in my breath. "There you are," I hissed.
"What are you looking for?"
"A hinge," I muttered, sitting back on my knees. I slid my hands carefully up from the edge up the gap, feeling the seam where the door met the wall. "If there's a hinge sticking out, I can maybe use it to get loose."
Ingrid moaned in soft hope.
I had reached as high as I could on my knees. "I'm going to try to stand up," I told her. "If I fall down on you, I'm sorry."
"I'll catch you," she answered with just a hint of her usual spunk. Her panicked gasps had calmed as she listened to me searching for a way out.
I turned around so that my back was to the wall. Using it as a brace, I slid my feet under me. Slowly and unsteadily, I pushed my way up the wall until I was standing. "Ha!" I called in triumph. I hopped along the wall with my hands out in front of me. "I'm up!"
Something slammed in to my side, knocking me to the floor where I landed in a heap. Pain flared from my hip and I whirled my head around, trying in vain to see what had struck me.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, girlie?" came the snarl from above.
Chapter 37
Case
Case paced the cement floor of the clubhouse garage.
"Tell me again?" J. had his arms crossed over his chest, his head moving mechanically from side to side as if he couldn't stop saying 'no.' "And slow the fuck down this time."
"She called me while we were at Bruce's bar."
"Who did?"
Case looked over his shoulder. Crash was standing nearby, listening, but there was no helping that now. "Lexi," he said, grimly.
Crash's head shot up. He stared at Case uncomprehendingly. "Lexi?" he asked.
