They were in the city, almost beside Puget Sound; Zach could see the water from the car. The downtown skyscrapers loomed just ahead of them and to their left, over the tops of tall buildings that blocked most of Zach's view. He, Grandfather, and the two Asian men had driven south past the Space Needle and were now coming into the heart of Seattle.
This close to the waterfront, he glimpsed activity all around them—cars in every direction, people walking or riding their bikes in the rain. But no one looked up and saw Zach; no one could know that he had been rescued last night only to be kidnapped again today. No one noticed that he had no way to escape, that even Grandfather, who had rescued him, was trapped inside this car. They might as well have been a world away.
The Asian driver made a right turn and took them down a steep bit of hill, heading toward the water. With another right turn, he swung them onto a level street, then into a parking space at the foot of a tall brick building. He stepped out, circled the car, and opened Grandfather's door.
The Asian man in the back seat with Zach barked a command. "Out!" He showed them his teeth and waggled his gun.
"Zechariah," Grandfather urged from the front, "don't argue—just do whatever he says. Don't give these men any reason to harm you."
"Out!" the man in the back seat repeated. "Hands against your body," he instructed Grandfather, indicating the cord on Grandfather's wrists; Grandfather dutifully hid the cord against his waist. The Asian in the back seat exited on the driver's side while Grandfather climbed out on the passenger side. Quickly, inconspicuously, Zach, alone in the vehicle for the briefest moment, drew one of the photographs he had taken from Grandfather's photo album out of his pocket and dropped it to the floor. Then he stepped out after Grandfather and into the pounding rain.
The two Asian men hid their guns inside their jackets, but kept their hands ready. They nudged Grandfather toward the brick building.
"I hope you will consider my offer," Grandfather negotiated as he stepped across the sidewalk. "I am less wealthy than McWrait, but far more generous."
"Our vessel is not yet ready," the Asian man from the back seat replied idly. "We have time. Your proposal might amuse us."
"I can give you the money today, in cash," Grandfather offered.
The man who had been the driver grinned—he was missing a tooth, Zach saw—but the other considered Grandfather with mild interest. "Of course you can. But Mr. McWrait will not be happy if we break our deal with him." He was taller than the man with the missing tooth, and more threatening as he sneered at Zach.
He entered a code into a keypad at the corner of the building. It opened a gate that led into a small courtyard between the brick building and the structure beside it. The driver led them through the courtyard to a door. It was unlocked, and they followed him down the hall within to another door. This one opened to narrow stairs that descended into the basement. Machine noise rumbled up toward them.
Zach stepped reluctantly through the door and followed the driver down. At the bottom, a broader corridor met them. The driver stepped aside and the taller man, his gun back in his grasp, motioned for Zach to continue. Grandfather began to follow them, but the driver stopped Grandfather with a hand. "No," he said. "You go a different way."
"Please," Grandfather requested, keeping his voice low, "let me stay with the boy. You see how frightened he is. It won't take us long to work something out." He looked earnestly between Zach and the taller Asian.
The driver stepped between Grandfather and Zach. At the same moment, quicker than Zach could react, the taller Asian kicked Zach's feet out from under him and pinned him against the floor with a knee. All the air was forced from Zach's lungs; the man's knee pressed into his chest, so that he couldn't pull in enough air to yell.
"No!" Grandfather cried. "Zechariah! Please, we can work something out!"
The man brought out two rags from inside his jacket. One he wrapped over Zach's eyes, blindfolding him; the other he tied as a gag in Zach's mouth, just as before. Zach flailed, but it did him no good. The man was too heavy for him to budge.
The tall Asian lifted Zach from the ground and hauled him away, unfazed by Zach's aimless punches and Grandfather's protests. After a few steps, the noise of the nearby machinery grew suddenly louder; the Asian man had opened a door. The room rumbled from every side as he carried Zach through it.
Then the Asian stopped, set Zach roughly on his feet, and forced both of his hands straight out in front of him. He wrenched Zach's arms around a cold, metal pipe and bound his wrists together with a rope.
"No!" Zach screamed as he tugged against the rope, but the gag squelched his cry. He yelled for help, but it did no good; even had he been able to scream openly, the equipment in the room would have drowned out his voice.
The tall Asian finished tying Zach's wrists together and whispered into his ear. "Six hours—then our ship will be ready, and we will take you on a nice trip. You wait here until then." He patted Zach's shoulder. "You will like your new country."
With that, he strode away, his footsteps vanishing into the din. What little light Zach could make out went dark, and he heard the door shut behind the man. He strained against the rope again, but though he could slide it up and down the metal pipe as far as he could reach, he could not wiggle his hands free, and he could not pull the rope apart.
He was tied up again, here in the basement of some tall building, and no one knew where he was—no one except Grandfather, and he was a captive, too. Furious, Zach kicked the pipe, but that only stung his big toe enough to make him cry.
It was hopeless. He would stand here helpless, hungry, and scared for the next six hours. Then they would take him away forever. The thought drained him of his strength. He wished Dad would come rushing through the door, rip the rope away with his strong hands, and take him home—but wishing didn't make it happen. All alone, Zach sobbed into his gag.
*****
The Boy Who Appeared from the Rain Page 105