It seemed like an eternity to Jack before Ryan’s voice came back through his earpiece. “Nine in the safety zone for pickup. ETA is five minutes. Copy.”
“Affirmative. Ten minutes and then we move.” Jack said. “Copy.”
Four copies came across the radio, and Jack thought ten minutes might feel like an eternity. Ten minutes to keep everything smooth.
Summer fluffed up her hair, tied her shirt in a knot just under her bra line and appeared from the corridor. She walked casually toward the man guarding the room holding the kids.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The man asked.
“I had to use the rest room.” She answered. “Remember.” She lifted her shoulders and pursed her lips as if pouting. You don’t remember me?”
The man swore under his breath and then gestured her to turnaround. Summer flipped her hand around and with more effort to stretch out her body and reveal her thin dark skinned waist; she raised her hands up high.
“You don’t look like or act like a kid.” The man growled under his breath.
He turned her to face him and the button she’d loosened popped open in perfect timing. His eyes immediately went to her lacy bra.
“Oops!” Summer said.
Trenton was behind the man now, a thin strand of wire between his fingers. Within in seconds, he wrapped the wire around the man’s neck. They both went to the ground, but Summer was quick to stop Trenton before the man was dead. It took the both of them to drag him into an office and cuff him to a chair.
Summer flicked one of Axel’s cards at the man. It settled on his lap.
“I don’t think he’ll be needing that,” Trenton said.
“Why?” Summer asked.
“When the building goes, he’ll still be cuffed to the chair.
Summer went to the man and uncuffed him from the chair. “He can still run.” She flipped the card over and wrote “bomb” in big letters. “Everyone deserves a chance.”
“you're too nice,” Trenton said.
“I was the one provoking him.”
“True.”
“Let’s get the kids and go. They're over here.”
Summer jogged away, and Trenton followed her. Summer knew young people had better careers to chase and becoming drug dealers wasn’t one of them. That was the old way. The youth was the hope for forming a new population. She wanted to tell the young people to be the force behind a new world, a better world.
Summer and Trenton entered the conference room. At first, she said nothing, studying the faces of those gathered in the room. She got a distinct feeling they were not welcomed, and already some loyalty had begun between hostage and captor.
At first, the captured boys were defensive. Free food, a warm, dry place to sleep, they liked the playing grounds with no curfew, but when Summer started talking and took over, they changed their minds. Knowing most of them were without families, she told them of places where they could go and the men they could become. She knew some of them had lived-in poor households, abusive parents and occasionally too wealthy to the point of spoiling. It had set all of them apart from one another. Not anymore. They were all equal now, and they all had chances they were never given before the Shift. Summer sounded gracefully mature and confident. Even Trenton was willing to follow her.
“I need you all to listen to me.” She said.
“You’re one of those freaks. People who can see things before they happen.” One of them yelled.
“Yes. Yes, I am. And if you don’t listen to me. You are going to die.” She said seeing the boy’s face turn ashen.
She cleared her throat stepping up onto one of the conference tables; she looked down at the boys slash men. With her hands on her hips, she spoke clear and loud.
“There’s a bus that’ll be here in less than eight minutes. If you want to leave you can otherwise you can join us. The bus will take you to the Arco Arena where you’ll be safe.” She said holding their attention. “You will have food and shelter there.”
“What about a curfew?” One yelled out.
"I won't lie, you will have a curfew, but you'll also be able to learn valuable skills that will help the states rebuild."
“We have no one left. Who cares?” Another busted out.
Trenton smiled up at her, and she gave him a little grin.
“We need your help. Any of you know how to use a gun?” She asked.
The mention of guns and idea of being able to defend themselves must have sounded enticing.
They’d moved in closer looking up. One dark haired kid stepped forward.
“I can shoot.” The kid said.
Trenton tossed him a gun. Several stepped forward, the remaining left the room to the pickup zone. With Mustang, Conman, Trenton, herself and the four kids, they were eight powerful.
Summer got down off the table and walked over to Trenton and the kids. One of them knew Trenton well, and they were talking among themselves.
“You and Trenton want to partner up.” She asked.
The kid nodded. "They can go with me," Trenton said.
The kids nodded falling in behind Trenton. They hopped on the elevator and arrived not far from the closed doors of the dining room. Summer stepped in behind Mustang and Conman waiting for their signal. It was becoming clear to Summer that she'd found her calling.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Riley watched Mark try to figure out what was happening to him and she was enjoying every moment. The main course had arrived. Because of Mark’s state, she could slide a smile Sam’s way. Riley didn’t speak willing Sam to move fast and get out of Mark’s view. He lusted after women like a bull elk during mating season. One-way or another, willing or not, if he wanted her, he’d have her.
"Where did you go after you healed up? You didn't go to Arizona because it was the first place I looked." He said picking up his fork and then his knife. He held the knife in his hand and then pointed it at her. She started to pick up her fork, but then he stopped her. "No way." He said and switched plates with her.
If it couldn’t get any more degrading, he took her silverware as well. Riley glanced down at the plate hoping Sam had planned this. She wasn’t even sure if she could chew. Her jaw ached from Mark’s fist.
Mark looked at his water glass and then at hers. He switched the glass. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She picked up the glass and pretended to drink. Pretending to swallow was hard since her throat was dry. He watched confused. It was what she wanted him to be. He switched the water and wineglass yet again.
“You were in Arizona?” Riley asked.
"Yep. I made several trips. Clearly your brother over there," he pointed with his knife to Eric, "was on his way out of town the first time I saw him."
Riley looked at Mark inquisitively. He put a forkful of food into his mouth and slowly chewed. “God, this tastes good. Where is that red head?”
Riley scrambled for answers. Suddenly she had this bad taste in her mouth, and it wasn’t the food. “You were in Arizona? When?”
"About the time Kid, there was traveling down the highway with his beautiful fiancé." He said nonchalantly. All the while, he kept shoveling the lasagna into his mouth. "I knew you were planning something." He paused shaking his fork in the air. "It was my first trip. A few days before everything turned chaotic."
Riley glanced over at Eric hoping he couldn't hear the conversation. Thanks to the three women at the table conversing and laughing loudly, she doubted he had.
“I really had little to do with it.” He said pointing his fork at Eric. He chuckled. She took a deep breath and looked at him. “I often wondered if that pretty little thing lived.”
"Shay." She said under her breath.
"They were supposed to kill him, but it looks like I should have handled it myself. Here we are." He set his fork down. He miscalculated the table, and his elbow hit the edge. "You see; those men were evil. The shift had nothing to do with the way they did business. One, in particular,
dark to the core."
Mark was talking freely now. His speech slightly slurred and his eyes glassy. Riley didn't like where this conversation had gone, but she wanted to know more.
“You were the one who ran Eric off the road?” Riley said. “You left them both to die on the highway?”
"Well. I helped. I was almost sure Eric was dead. Those men had other plans for the girl though." He leaned forward unaware of what she knew. She wasn't about to tell him that she had been one of Ringo's victims.
Riley couldn't speak. The emotion stuck in her throat along with hatred.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked. “Where did you go?”
“Oregon.” She said. “You were way off.”
He smiled. “I would’ve never thought you’d go there.”
Riley felt like saying Because you’re an ass, but she didn’t. “Yeah, I went to Oregon.”
“With whom?”
“Myself.” She said. “It was quiet there.”
Riley saw Mark beginning to fall victim to the drug. His eyes darted about the room, but there was no lingering focus. His attention was on his food mostly, and she had until that was gone to figure out where Jack was and what their plan might be. She connected a glance with Eric, and he casually pointed his finger upward on his nose into the balcony toward the recessed lighting. She nodded. Mark dropped his fork on his plate, and it clattered loudly. Riley jumped. Red sauce sprayed over the front of his white shirt and he began wiping it with his napkin spreading the sauce into the material and making it worse.
“Shit.” He said. “Where’s that redhead?”
Sam stepped around the corner, and he grabbed her wrist roughly. "Fix this." He yelled.
Riley's pulse quickened, and she looked over at Eric who was holding up two fingers behind him. They went in two minutes. Two minutes was an eternity.
"Hey, Hey," Riley said. "Soda water. You have any soda water back there?" She asked Sam. She shook her head, yes and Mark pushed Sam away. Riley saw Dragon shifting nervously on his feet.
"Get it." He said. The tables had turned, and the drug was reacting to Mark's mood expanding what was already a horrible personality. "This is something you would do." He said to her.
“Not this time.” She said. “It’s all you.”
He reached across the table and grabbed her by the neck. She’d forgotten how strong he was and he’d forgotten the knife next to the bread on the table. With one hand on his, she brought the other up finding the knife. Then with one swift and hard motion, she laid the butter knife across his arm. Butter knives can cut, especially ones designed just for her to use as a weapon. The kitchen help had been thinking ahead. The sharp edge cut into his flesh turning the skin into hamburger. He screamed out releasing his hand from her neck. He snatched up the white linen napkin and wrapped it around his arm. Riley scrambled out of her chair and stood. One quick glance over at Eric told her there was little time left.
Riley stood solidly on her stiletto heels pressing her thighs against the tight dress. She held the knife in front of her. Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight seconds of control.
“Oops.” She said.
The muscle from every corner of the room was rushing forward, but Mark stopped them. Fortunately, the attention was on Mark and Riley. Riley held her gaze on Mark with the knife pressed outward in front of her.
"See Riley, never the smart one. You should never bring a knife to a gunfight. For an officer of the law, you should know better." He said.
“I’m not an officer.” She said. “Anymore.”
Ticktock. Mark let out a loud roar of laughter, and then he hurled himself at her. The weight of his body connected with her. He threw her to the floor hard knocking the wind out of her lungs. The knife in her hand sailed across the room landing somewhere faraway. Riley heard the women at the opposite table scream, and from a blanket of fog, she watched the two scramble out-of-the-way. Riley was staggering to get to her feet, but the fall had temporarily shut off her airway.
“Come on Riley. Suck it up.” He growled.
Ticktock. Riley finally caught a breath as she heard the doors explode open from both sides of the room. Eric and Blake jumped to their feet and Dragon went with them. The first sound of gunfire exploded inside the room. There was a high-pitched scream and then more followed. Mark jumped to his feet and dove for cover behind one of the center beams. The guests were on their feet running for an exit, any exit. They stepped on or shoved others to the ground. Riley went as bullets whizzed by overhead. She coughed out another breath and crawled for cover. In front of her two women, the women in her vision huddled under a table. Fear played on their expression as all laughter erased; Mascara ran down their cheeks. Then the room went silent. Riley rolled overlooking for her team. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dragon making a beeline towards Mark.
"You," Mark screamed out at Dragon. There was an uncontrolled rage in his voice. Riley watched Mark fumble with his weapon. The drugs were working their magic as his eyes deceived his fingers dropping rounds onto the floor.
Dragon stepped in closing the gap between them. He raised his left hand throwing an uppercut at Mark. The blow sent him sailing five feet backward. Mark never expected it. There was a burst of shouts. More gunfire followed and then stopped. Free of flying bullets, Dragon moved in for the second punch, but Mark was already on it.
"You weasel," Mark yelled out to one of his muscles crossing the room. "Kill him."
“I don’t think so,” Jack said dryly.
Riley heard Jack's voice, and she knew everything would be okay. Eric smiled at her composed and focused. The two blondes scurried from the room followed by several other patrons who hadn't made it out yet. Riley took in a big breath of air feeling the oxygen return to her brain. Eric was waving her over to them, but she couldn't get her feet under her yet. Mark's muscle stepped across the room, and a few others followed in defense of their hire. With the deadliest calmness, Dragon aimed around Mark and shot his bodyguard. The man's chest exploded out from his black shirt spraying a warm red, liquid all over the white table clothes on the nearest tables.
“Go.” He yelled out to Riley.
Mark pulled his trigger. Click! He moved away from Dragon and fell in next to his guard. Click!
"You stupid excuse of a man! You have to load one in the chamber, Raeburn." Dragon snarled with a grin.
At that same moment, Conman and Blake were making their way towards them. Riley watched one of Mark’s men reach out and sucker punch Eric hard. Eric twirled around in one graceful swoop snatching the man’s gun from his hand. Blake moved in next to Eric waiting for the next round. The lights flickered, went out and then came back on. Somebody wasn't fueling the large backup generators. The lights were about to go out.
From somewhere unseen, One of Mark's men grabbed Eric just as the lights went out. The only light now was a few surviving candles flickering on tabletops. She saw Eric pull the trigger, but only a desperate click echoed. The gun was empty. Riley felt a surge of dread.
“Come on Eric.” She yelled.
The man grabbed Eric, through the darkness, she saw his attackers hand swing upward, and then Eric went slightly limp. With one good hold, the muscle started dragging Eric towards the kitchen. Eric wasn't fighting. Gunfire blasted through the room. The lights flickered on. Some of the bulbs in the chandeliers damaged by gunfire. The glow was no more than shadows casting an evil hue.
"Eric," Riley screamed out.
She found her feet and scrambled to a standing position. Bullets whizzed as she started to run towards her brother. Within the chaos, a hand snaked out and grabbed her almost pulling her to the floor. Riley knew this touch. She knew this hold. It was Jack. He pulled her in tight towards him. Ryan, Sam, and Blake stepped in behind Jack.
“He’s got the building wired.” He yelled. “We’ve got to go.”
Riley struggled under his hold desperate of be free. “Eric.”
She needed to save her brother. Under
no circumstance was Mark leaving this building without releasing him. Jack held her tight. He held her so close that she could feel his blood racing through his veins by mere touch.
“Eric.” She whispered. Tears filled her eyes and sobs caught in her throat. Riley pleaded with him. “Let me go.”
"Never." He said. “I’ll get Eric. You got to trust me.” He pulled her into the room with the others behind them. To her, it felt like that entire event took only seconds. Their team filing in behind them fired at Mark's men. Like ants, they come out of nowhere. Dragon fell in behind them. Jack tossed him a worried expression.
"He's with me," Riley said.
Riley watched Eric and the man holding him slip through the double doors. Eric lifted his head and looked at her, his head heavy, his eyes sleepy. Riley reached out with her hand as if she could reach far enough to save him. The gunfire in the room was intensely explosive forcing them to move. Then, Eric was gone. The closest exit was the one in front of them.
In the Shadow of the Tiger (The Fighter Series Book 2) Page 32
