by Nyssa Renay
“What happened, anyway?” Patience asked, setting the table.
“I’m not sure,” Allie lied. “The nurses told Kevin there was an explosion in the kitchen. Some sort of gas leak.”
“That’s horrible! Was anyone else hurt?”
Allie nodded gravely. “Yeah.”
“I’m so sorry, Allie.” Patience helped her sister toward the table, pulling out the chair for her. “Here…sit down and have something to eat.”
“I’m really not that hungry.”
“Allie, you need to eat to keep your strength up. You’ve been through a lot lately. First the bank…and now this. Please, for me?” Patience pleaded as she dished out a heaping spoonful of sweet and sour chicken onto the plate in front of Allie.
Allie couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s doting nature. “Fine.”
“Thank you, hon.” Patience cheered, filling up her own plate with white rice and cooked vegetables.
“Since when did you start eating Chinese food?” Allie asked as she took a bite of chicken. “I thought you said this stuff was bad for you.”
“Well, Mary says these miniature corn-on-the-cob-looking vegetables are great to help keep your spiritual energies up, and I guess the rice isn’t too bad for you, as long as you don’t cover it in that salty sauce.”
“Who’s Mary?”
“One of the ladies in my prayer circle. You know…in the basement at the store?”
“Ahh!” Allie laughed, knowing she could never tell any of her sister’s friends apart with their long hair and earthy, hippie clothes. “You know, when I went down there, it looked like you were having a Persian rug sale.”
Patience laughed. “Well, that cement is very cold. I didn’t want any of our patrons getting sick,” she clarified. “Besides, I think it makes the basement look really cozy.”
Allie giggled. “Whatever you say. I’m just glad you’re happy.”
“I’ve never been happier,” Patience replied as a huge smile spread across her face.
Suddenly, Allie’s cell phone sprang to life and startled both sisters. She pulled it out of her pocket and felt a twinge of anxiety as she read Joseph’s name on the screen. “I…I really need to take this,” she said as she got up and walked out of the room. “Joseph?” Allie whispered.
“Allie? Why are you whispering? Is someone there with you?” Joseph asked.
“Yes. My sister stopped by,” she answered, annoyed. “Did you find Marcus?”
“No.” Joseph sighed heavily. “Detective Sanders is going to let the patrolling officers know to be on the lookout for my car. If they spot it, it might lead us to where Marcus is being held.”
“So, you think someone kidnapped him?” she asked fearfully.
“Most likely. In all the years I’ve worked with him, he’s never disappeared like this. I’m guessing there’s another bounty hunter out there.”
“I thought you said there were only three?”
“That’s what I thought, but now I’m not so sure.”
“So, now what?” Allie asked, anxiety rising.
“Just stay there with your sister. Keep her safe. I’ve already called Christoff. He’s sending some men over to guard the apartment building. They should be there any minute.”
“No! You can’t do that,” Allie whispered angrily. “Patience has no idea any of this is going on.”
“I think it’s time for you to tell her the truth,” Joseph said coldly. “Look…having Christoff’s men watch over you is the only way I can protect you right now. If we need to, we can always erase her memory later.”
“You know I don’t like it when you do that, but I guess we’ve got no other choice.”
“I know…and I’m sorry…but I don’t think it’ll come to that.” Joseph said reassuringly. “Just make sure you both stay there until I come to get you, got it?”
“Yeah,” she replied reluctantly, just before he hung up.
“You seem upset.” Patience asked with a visible look of concern on her face. “Is everything okay? Who was that?”
Allie forced a smile. “It was just a friend.”
“And does your friend have a name?”
“Joseph.”
Patience gasped. “Allie, you’re not seeing two men at the same time, are you?”
“No. It’s nothing like that. He’s just a friend, but someone we know has gone missing. Joseph’s just starting to get a little worried about him.”
“Missing? What do you mean, missing?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about…let’s just finish eating.” Allie let out a frustrated breath as she sat back down. When she lifted the fork to her mouth, there was a loud bang on the door.
Patience startled and nearly fell out of her chair. “Who’s that? Allie what’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” Allie angrily tossed the fork back onto her plate before walking over to look through the door’s peephole to see who it was. There were two men with large guns and protective gear standing in the hallway.
“Ms. McCleary?” the closest man to the door asked. “Christoff sent us. May we come in?”
Allie sighed heavily, preparing herself for her sister’s reaction. “Sure, why not,” Allie grumbled as she unlocked and opened the door, letting the two men enter her apartment. “Guys…this is my sister, Patience.”
“Allie?” Patience began, now extremely petrified. “Who are these men? Why are they carrying guns?”
“It’s okay…just stay calm. They’re friends of Joseph’s,” Allie said, trying to defuse the situation. “They’re here to protect us.”
“From what?” Patience shouted. “Allie! What the hell is going on?”
Allie sat back down at the table and watched as one of the men secured the door while the other moved toward the window where he could keep an eye on the street below. “I-I haven’t been completely truthful with you…about Kevin…the bank…and where I got the money. I didn’t actually win the lottery.”
“What do you mean?” Patience asked nervously, watching the two men.
“Look this is going to sound crazy, but please hear me out, okay?”
Patience nodded.
“Joseph…” Allie took a long, nervous breath. “Joseph is a friend of a mob boss named Christoff…here in the city…and these are a few of his, well, henchmen,” Allie explained, knowing how ludicrous it must sound to her sister. “I’ve actually been working with Joseph for the last week or so.”
“Oh, Allie. What have you gotten yourself mixed up in?” Patience asked somberly. “Why in God’s name would you get involved with the mob?”
“Joseph saved my life and I kind of owed him,” Allie explained with a hint of guilt in her voice. “Look, it’s a long story—”
“Then, just tell me!” Patience interrupted.
“Okay, fine.” Allie took a deep breath and calmly began telling Patience about her relationship with Joseph, starting with the night he saved her life in the alleyway.
***
As he paced around his dusty, lifeless antique shop, Joseph held his cell phone to his ear, listening to the endless ringing as he tried to contact Byron to check on the Network. “Come on! Where the hell are you?” he shouted before disconnecting the call. He sighed and opened the door to the basement.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Joseph stopped and extended his arm, pointing two fingers at the large shelving unit that rested behind several piles of junk that cluttered up the far wall on the opposite side of the room. “Famistatcha daverello!” he yelled, conjuring a blast of whitish-yellow energy from his fingertips and connected with the shelving unit, sending everything hurtling across the basement floor.
He rushed over and placed his palm at the center of the newly exposed wall and angrily chanted, “Ne’lun, de leun castachi. E’farolich bayista.” With his final syllable, a large crack snaked from the top and bottom of his hand, crawling across the wa
ll and forming a large, jagged makeshift door. Slowly, the slab of concrete slid inward, allowing him access to a time-worn hidden tunnel.
Joseph descended the dark stone passageway, finally stopping in front of a large metal cabinet that was rusted from decades of sitting in the cool, damp air. He placed his hand on one of the doors, and watched as a small ring of blue light emanated from the surface of the door directly under his hand. After a few loud clicks, the cabinet unlocked and the doors opened, revealing a computer unlike any other on Earth.
It was an odd mixture of manmade technology ranging from old reel-to-reel data transfer systems to cutting-edge motherboards and microprocessors embedded in slimy, living organic tissue, grafting all the different components together into one cohesive unit.
Joseph quickly typed a sequence of keystrokes on the keyboard, activating the computer’s interface and beginning the process of logging himself into the Network’s mainframe. At first, it appeared that every access point and safeguard he’d created around the world was working normally, but just as his login had completed its connection, the screen flickered and glitched momentarily before completely powering down.
“No, no, no…this can’t be happening.” He was on the verge of panic. Joseph tore at the wires from the base of the cabinet, using them to reboot to no avail.
Suddenly, his cell phone vibrated loudly in his pocket.
“Byron! It’s about damn time! There’s something wrong with the defense network,” Joseph snapped. “I don’t know how, but I’m locked out.”
“I know,” Byron replied coldly. “I didn’t want you to interfere with my work. Here, let me fix it for you.”
Instantly, Joseph’s monitor came back to life and his eyes widened with horror. One by one, each of the locations on the screen quickly changed from active to offline as the words SATELLITE DESTROYED flashed across the middle of the screen.
“There…how’s that?” Byron chuckled proudly.
“You son of a bitch!” Joseph punched the cabinet door, breaking it off its hinges and sending it crashing to the floor. “Why would you destroy everything we’ve worked for? For what? What could they possibly have offered you to betray us all?”
“This world and everything in it…but most importantly, my freedom. The freedom to stop hiding below ground all the time. The freedom from your endless rules and all your bullshit.”
“No, this isn’t like you. I know it.”
“Of course, you do, Joseph,” Byron scoffed. “You always know everything, don’t you…that is…everything except where Marcus is.”
“I’m warning you—”
“Good bye, Joseph,” he interrupted and disconnected.
“Byron, wait!” he screamed with rage, throwing the phone onto the stone floor. This ultimate betrayal was more than Joseph could bear. A veil of red covered his vision and he punched the screen over and over and ripped out pieces of the computer, scattering them all over the tunnel floor behind him. When his rage was exhausted, Joseph fell back against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor, defeated.
Suddenly, the cracked screen on his cell phone lit up, displaying what he felt might be the only bit of hope he had left. He leaned over and quickly picked it up.
“Sanders! Any luck?” Joseph asked hopefully.
“No, I’m sorry, Joseph. We still haven’t found your car…or Marcus, but there’s something else I think you need to know.”
“What is it?” Joseph raised his hand to his forehead, preparing himself for more bad news.
“It’s Allie’s apartment building. There was some kind of explosion…and the building caught fire. There’s at least half a dozen firetrucks headed that way, but it doesn’t look good. I’m sorry, Joseph. I just figured you’d want to know.”
“Thank you, Detective,” Joseph replied coldly, then disconnected and called another number.
“Joseph!” Christoff answered, sounding frantic.
“What happened?” Joseph barked.
“I’m not sure! The place blew up…out of nowhere…took out four of my guys,” Christoff replied angrily.
“What about Allie and her sister? Were they killed in the explosion, too?”
“No, but I think they were taken from the building before it happened,” Christoff answered regretfully. “One of my guys made it up to Allie’s apartment before the fire department got there. He said he didn’t see any sign of Patience or Allie…or their bodies.”
“The explosion must have been used to cover their escape?” Joseph breathed a sigh of relief, hoping they were still alive, for now.
“What’s our next move?” Christoff asked, hoping Joseph had one of his plans already in motion.
“Honestly…I don’t know. He’s managed to kidnap Marcus, Allie, and her sister…right under my nose. All I can do now is wait until he makes his next move.”
“Who is this guy?”
“An old friend.” Joseph sighed heavily as he got back to his feet. “At least, I thought he was.”
“I’m sorry, Joseph.”
“Nothing we can do about it now, but it’s obvious he’s using anyone I’m associated with to get to me. I need you to send a few guys to look after Kevin in the hospital, just in case.”
“Sure thing.”
“Watch yourself, Christoff. He might be after you, too.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Joseph, let me have my guys pick you up and bring you here. You know…make a united front…in case this asshole tries anything while we search for Marcus and the girls.”
“Fine.” Joseph sighed, fighting off a growing headache.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the store,” Joseph said. “Have your guys meet me in the alleyway next to the building.”
“You got it,” Christoff acknowledged.
Joseph put his cell phone back in his coat pocket and headed back through the tunnel and to the basement. Once he’d reached the foot of the staircase leading upstairs, he turned and raised a hand toward the tunnel, chanting, “De’lun, castacho!”
The entire passageway collapsed in on itself, burying both the tunnel and the computer for good as Joseph slowly walked back upstairs and approached the side door of his store to wait for his ride.
About ten minutes had passed, which felt like an eternity to Joseph, before he finally saw the car turn down the alleyway and head directly toward him. He took a small metal box out of his pocket and pointed it at the car. He pressed a button on its side, casting an infrared beam of light onto the vehicle as it scanned the car for hidden explosives. With another press of a button, Joseph attempted to detonate anything his scanner might have missed and was relieved when the vehicle didn’t burst into flames as it slowly came to a full stop in front of him.
Joseph was on guard for any action Byron might take against him. Joseph knew that Byron could use anyone and anything to get what he wanted. He hadn’t felt this paranoid since his own people were trying to hunt him down hundreds of years ago.
As he climbed into the back seat, he put one hand on the driver’s shoulder and the other on the passenger’s shoulder, rendering them unconscious so he could make sure they were actually humans and not decoys.
“Tuali, marliacho,” he muttered, casting an orange wave of energy around their heads. Joseph closed his eyes to receive fragmented images from their memories, displaying nothing out of the ordinary to cause him concern. Satisfied, Joseph sat back and snapped his fingers, instantly waking the two men up.
“Ready to go, sir?” the driver asked, slightly jerking his head as if he’d accidently dozed off for a moment.
Before Joseph could answer, his cell phone rang. He looked down in amazement as he read the name on the screen.
“Marcus, where the hell are you?” Joseph asked frantically.
“I’m…I’m in the trunk of your car,” Marcus groaned in pain.
“
Wait, this car?” Joseph asked.
“No! Our car!”
“What happened?”
“I got jumped after I dropped Allie off. I must have blacked out, but when I woke up, my hands and feet were bound with duct tape. It’s taken me a while, but I finally managed to get my phone out of my pocket and call you. I’m surprised the thing still works; it’s all smashed up.”
“Do you know where you are? I can’t track your phone or the car.”
“How’s that even possible?” Marcus asked painfully through gritted teeth.
“It was Byron,” Joseph admitted shamefully.
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know, but he must have had this planned for a while now.” Joseph sighed heavily. “He’s got Allie and her sister, too. I need to know where you are!”
Suddenly, Joseph heard a commotion. There was a struggle, and then the trunk slammed shut. Joseph heard Marcus faintly call out, “Park Street….”
Joseph disconnected and shouted to the driver, “They’re on Park Street! Head over to The Park Crystal…now!”
***
As the car turned the final corner that led to the store, Joseph ordered the men to park at least fifty yards away, just in case Byron had anyone keeping watch. The moment the car stopped, Christoff’s men jumped out of the vehicle and opened the door for Joseph.
“Stay as close to me as you can,” Joseph ordered as he exited the car. “No one will be able to see us as long as you remain close to me. Let’s go,” he said, motioning for the henchmen to follow him toward the front window of the store.
As they walked along the sidewalk, Joseph looked around for any signs of Marcus or his car, but there was nothing. The small group stopped in front of The Park Crystal as Joseph scanned the inside of the store for any signs of movement.
“I don’t see anyone in there,” Joseph said as he peered through the window. “He must be holding them in the basement,” he said as he walked down the narrow alley on the side of the building followed closely behind by Christoff’s men.
Once Joseph reached the end of the alley, he peered around the corner to get a good look at the back of the building, hoping at least to see his car parked by the delivery door. Still, there was no sign of his car or Marcus.
