Prey for Us

by Geoffrey Neil

  “Not if everything you’ve told me is true.”

  “What does that mean? Thane, please clue me in. I want to know exactly how it happened in there. Did he fight you?”

  In the lift chamber. The lift support column already sped downward in the center of the wall. “How did you trigger the lift?” Morana asked, pointing to it.

  Thane turned to her. Ignoring her question, he said, “When I lowered Waylon’s block to remove him from the shaft, I noticed that he had managed to loosen his gag with his tongue and teeth.”

  “And?”

  “And he told me something—something disturbing.”

  “Okay…” Morana cocked her head. “And?”

  “We had an interesting conversation. He told me that you used your time alone with him to interrogate him.”

  Morana frowned. “He said that?”

  “Yes, he told me that you tried to force him to describe exactly how I lowered him.”

  Morana poked her tongue into her cheek and shook her head. “The bastard. That’s not true, Thane.”

  “He said that you were adamant that while I had him alone, he must have seen how I manipulated the blocks. He said that you became furious when he couldn’t describe the process.”

  “He’s lying,” Morana said. She tried to take Thane’s hand, but he pulled away and stepped back.

  “He said you tortured him with the stun gun for an answer.”

  “That’s a lie.” She reached out to him again.

  Thane stepped back.

  “Don’t you see that he was trying to trick you?”

  “He warned me to be careful with you.”

  “Thane, we agreed that he is a liar and will say absolutely anything to get what he wants. Apparently, he’s proven that.”

  “If he was lying, then how would he know anything about your desire to learn my secrets?”

  “Are you putting your trust in someone who has abused you for most of your life? Wouldn’t it make more sense to believe someone who’s never hurt you?”

  “That doesn’t answer my question. How did he know you are trying to learn my secret?”

  Morana froze, blinking. She cleared her throat and said, “Waylon heard you insist that I leave the chamber while you worked. My curiosity must have been obvious. Can’t you see he’s saying these things to create conflict between us?”

  “And how would conflict between us benefit him?”

  “If he can get us to turn on each other, it’s the only way he could get one or the other of us to help him out of here.”

  “I suppose that’s possible.” Thane chewed his cheek.

  “It’s more than possible. It’s the truth.”

  Morana stepped closer. “Sweetheart, listen… you know I respect you, and I know how important the privacy of your work is to you. I would never, ever violate that trust by telling him anything—even if I knew.”

  Thane’s expression remained unchanged as he looked at her.

  The shaft in the wall beside them opened as the lift slid down into place.

  Thane took a deep breath and slowly sighed. “It’s time to go,” he said, motioning for her to go first.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” Morana asked.

  “I’ll tell you what I don’t believe: I don’t believe Waylon told you anything about how I lowered him into the chamber.”

  “Because I didn’t ask him!” Morana said, crossing her arms.

  “It wouldn’t have mattered if you had.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  The lights blinked off and the chamber went pitch black.

  “What happened?” Morana said. She reached out to where Thane had been standing, but he wasn’t there. She moved away from the open shaft. “Did we lose power?”

  Thane didn’t answer.

  “Thane? Where are you? What’s happening?” She reached behind her and stepped back until she felt the wall. “Thane? Sweetheart?”

  The chamber was silent.

  “Thane, where are you? It’s not funny. Now I am afraid… Thane?” She couldn’t mask the tension in her voice.

  A rush of air blew through the chamber, and a hiss came from the lift shaft. Morana remembered the sound from the Gateway block.

  “Please don’t leave me!” she shouted.

  Thane’s reply cut through the darkness. “Whether you interrogated Waylon or not, doesn’t matter. What you see now is what Waylon saw.”

  “Okay,” Morana said. “You’ve made your point… please…”

  The lights blinked on. Thane stood with his hands in his pockets in his original position as though he had teleported there. “We need to leave right away. Please step inside.”

  Morana leaned into the lift shaft and looked up into the darkness. “I know it’s safe, but I’d feel more comfortable if you boarded with me.”

  Thane smiled. “Are you afraid?”

  Morana forced a laugh. “Should I be?”

  Thane didn’t answer. He stepped onto the lift and scooted to the edge to make room for her.

  She picked up her bag from the floor and joined him.

  Thane pressed the button on the wall of the shaft, and the lift began its ascent from the sub-lair. When the opening to the lift chamber disappeared, Morana and Thane rode in almost complete darkness except for the tiny square of light from the distant shaft opening above.

  Morana put her arms around Thane and spoke softly. “Sweetheart, please listen. I need you to believe that I didn’t interrogate Waylon. Everything about this sub-lair is a mystery to me, and I’m comfortable with that as long as I have you with me.”

  “Good,” Thane said.

  “I could prove to you that he lied if you hadn’t killed him.”

  “I never said I killed him.”

  “But…”

  “Waylon is gone,” Thane said.

  “But you said you took care of him.”

  “No. I said I took care of the problem.”

  “Then what did you do?”

  “I let him go.”

  “Oh, my God!” Morana let go and clapped her hand over her mouth. “Thane, how could you do that?”

  “Please don’t raise your voice to me.”

  “I’m sorry! But I can’t believe you set him free.”

  “It wasn’t my plan, but when he managed to loosen his gag, we got into a conversation. That’s what took longer than expected.”

  “But what about our plan? What about justice? We talked about how he would never stop abusing you. The last thing I told you before I left the chamber was not to trust him.”

  “I know. And I didn’t. I know what you wanted me to do. I actually liked the idea of getting even with Waylon, but the price I’d have to pay if the solution you suggested went wrong, was too high.”

  Morana laughed in disbelief. “There was no possibility his body would ever be found, and I would have gladly handled everything for you if you didn’t want to be the one to do it. Do you really think he’ll forget all this? Do you think he still won’t come after you?”

  “We came to an agreement.”

  Morana tilted her head back and closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on keeping her voice steady and calm. “What were the terms of the agreement?”

  “It couldn’t have been more basic. In exchange for his freedom, Waylon agreed to not file any charges against me and to leave me alone—forever.”

  “And you trust his word?”

  “He gave it to me in writing and signed it.” Thane clicked on a flashlight, pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. He held the dim flashlight for her while she smoothed the paper out on her leg, then read it out loud.

  I, Waylon Snells, will not pursue criminal prosecution of Thane Sykes for temporarily, and accidentally, detaining me against my will. I fully recognize that his action was taken in self-defense and without malice. I apologize for all the harm I have ever c
aused him. I will respect his privacy and will not interfere in his life in any way from this day forward.

  Sincerely,

  Waylon Snells

  “Thane, he’s a liar. He won’t keep that agreement.” Morana squeezed the note into her fist and then opened it again, hoping its meaning had changed or that somehow, she had missed something. She pretended to reread it while her mind raced.

  Thane said, “He said this written agreement is as good as a restraining order. He swore to me that if he violates it, I’m the one who will have a legitimate legal case against him.”

  “Sweetheart, you’ve been suckered.”

  “No, I haven’t because I don’t believe a word Waylon says—or writes. I know this paper is worthless.”

  “Then I’m confused. Why did you accept it from him?”

  The lift came to a stop about thirty feet from the surface. Instead of pressing the button on the wall of the shaft to ascend to the next level, Thane waited and said, “The moment I opened shaft where he was trapped, I felt sick to my stomach. I felt bullied by the circumstances that were forcing him into my personal creation—the sub-lair. Waylon’s eyes got big as he looked around my chamber. I felt like he was once again experiencing a special part of me he had no right to experience. It brought back the old feelings of him taking something that was mine.”

  “Then killing him would have resolved that,” Morana said.

  “I couldn’t bear having his body stored permanently in the sub-lair. And if we took his corpse to the surface, it becomes potential evidence, forfeiting the sub-lair’s advantage of absolute secrecy. Either way, Waylon continues to haunt me, possibly sending me to prison even after he’s dead. At least this way, I know he’s gone, and I keep my physical freedom.” Thane pressed the final shaft button. As the lift approached the surface, more light filled the shaft.

  Morana shook her head, looking up. “I hate him for what he’s done to you. I desperately wanted to see him pay for it.”

  “You’re the first person I’ve seen get as angry at Waylon as I get.” Thane aimed the flashlight at her hand that had gone into her bag. “What are you doing?”

  “Did you consider that he could be waiting in the garage for us?”

  “I told you not to bring guns into the sub-lair. Waylon is gone.”

  “Maybe you’re right, and he’s gone. But if not, you’ll thank me.”

  They rose up into the garage, knowing they’d be in full view of anyone who might be waiting there. Morana bent her knees and pulled her gun from the bag, holding it at the ready. The lift slowed to a stop, perfectly level with the base of the Gateway block cavity. Near the entrance, they saw that the trap floor had lifted back into place.

  Thane pointed to the entry door left ajar. “I told you he’d be gone.”

  Before they stepped off, Morana said, “You do realize that he can still, and probably will tell the world what he saw here. There’s nothing in your agreement about that.”

  “I’m counting on him not having the opportunity.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Give me Waylon’s phone. I saw you put it into your pocket,” Thane said, holding out his hand.

  “Why?”

  “Please, just give it to me.”

  Morana tucked the gun into her concealed holster and then pulled the phone from her bag.

  Thane took it and slid it into his pocket. Then he took Morana’s hand and pressed a car key into it.

  “What is this for?” she asked.

  Thane patted his pocket, “I have Waylon’s phone, and now you have his car key.”

  “How did you get this?”

  “I made it part of the deal to release him.”

  “So, you’re saying—”

  “I’m saying he’s on foot with no phone and he couldn’t have gone far. And if I timed the movement of the trap floor well enough, it would have brought him to the surface of the garage,” Thane looked at his watch. “approximately 90 seconds ago,”

  “You expect me to go get him?”

  “When you said you could handle him, I believed you.”

  “When I said that, I had the advantage of the sub-lair, but you’ve squandered that.”

  “I don’t have a problem with anything you want to do to him. In fact, I hope you make him suffer. But it can’t happen here. I can’t accept the risk.”

  Morana looked at the key, then slowly looked at Thane. “So, you let him go, hoping I will take care of him somewhere else?”

  “I can hope.”

  “But you let him get away. Why didn’t you keep him restrained? I would’ve gladly taken him somewhere else.”

  “After he convinced me to let him go, and after everything you said you wanted to do to him, I couldn’t be sure that you wouldn’t kill him on the spot, right there in the sub-lair.” Thane pointed toward the trap floor.

  “I’m much more controlled than that.”

  “I’m sorry it’s like this. I want to experience the relief you described, but I can’t do it here. If you can find a way to do to him what you said you wanted to, it would mean so much. I don’t know what I could possibly do to express my gratitude because I’d owe everything to you.” He opened his arms and pivoted, looking around the shop.

  “Are you serious?” Morana asked, again.

  Thane nodded while going back to the lift. “He couldn’t have gone far, but there won’t be much time. He could be knocking on a neighbor’s door to make a call or to get a ride at any moment.”

  Morana ran to the entrance. She stopped in the doorway and turned back to Thane. “If he manages to slip away, your life is in grave danger. I advise you to lock this door and not come out until you hear from me.”

  “I understand,” Thane replied. “I’m putting my trust in you.” The lift dropped, and he disappeared into the floor.

  Chapter 21

  MORANA IMMEDIATELY NOTICED that the back door was open a few inches. With Thane on his way down to the sub-lair and given his desperate request, Morana ignored his order to stay out of the house. She pulled her gun and cleared the backyard before crossing to the back corner of the house. She sidestepped to the open door and waited, listening. Footsteps scuffed inside, from one of the rooms beyond the kitchen.

  She eased the door open with her foot and stepped inside, clearing the kitchen.

  As she crept to the hallway entrance, the footsteps stopped. Something crashed to the floor around the corner. Morana lunged into the hallway aiming at a figure standing in the den.

  “Not a move!” she shouted.

  “No! Wait! Don’t shoot!” Clay dropped his phone and raised his hands.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Morana said, lowering the gun.

  “God, you scared the shit out of me!” Clay said, he clutched his chest, catching his breath.

  “You chose a horrible time to break into Thane’s place.”

  “I didn’t break in. The front door was unlocked, so I came in looking for you and Thane. Where were you?”

  “We have to go.” She took his arm and dragged him toward the front door.

  “But where are we going?”

  “We had Waylon, but he’s on the run again.” She showed Clay the key. “Thane got him to give up his key so he’s on foot and we need to catch up to him.” She opened the front door.

  Clay followed. He looked at the key, turning it over a few times.

  “Hurry up,” Morana said, holding the door for him.

  Clay said, “But this is a BMW key.”

  “So?”

  “He didn’t drive here in his BMW, he has the Mercedes.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I already told you he drives a red Mercedes and I tagged his car with a GPS tracker on my way in. I’ll show you…” They went outside and stopped on the porch. They scanned the street. Clay frowned. “It was parked right there a few minutes ago.” He pointed to an empty pl
ace at the curb.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Morana said.

  Clay walked toward the empty place at the curb. “I’m telling you the red Mercedes was parked right there. I checked the VIN to confirm it.” He pulled out his phone.

  “Shit!” Morana said, kicking the porch banister.

  “Wait a minute,” Clay said, looking at his phone. “It might not matter. The tracker app is working,” Clay said, tapping on his phone. “He’s on Cumber Street headed south. Let’s go.”

  Dusk settled in as they sped from Thane’s house. “Maybe now you can tell me why the hell we’re chasing this guy,” Clay said.

  Morana told Clay about Thane’s years of abuse at Waylon’s hand. She told him about Thane’s recent attempt to confront Waylon at the job fair and how it only succeeded in rekindling Waylon’s abuse. Finally, she alluded to the hidden labyrinth Thane had created beneath his garage.

  “You’re saying there’s no way to detect this place even when you’re standing in the garage?” Clay asked.

  Morana laughed. “Not a chance, and if you knew how deep underground it went—Clay, I’m telling you, it’s a perfect world for the ultimate privacy.”

  “So, why would Thane let Waylon escape?”

  Morana sighed. “He’s scared, and he wants to limit culpability to me, so he didn’t want anything to happen on his property.” Morana studied Clay’s phone mounted on a cradle between their seats. A dot representing Waylon’s car moved westward on a map. “Dispensing with Waylon is a much bigger deal than resolving Everett’s fake accident, and Thane knows it. He didn’t say it directly, but he looked me in the eye and said he wouldn’t know how to repay someone who has saved everything for him. We need to be his salvation.”

  “Listen, Mo, I have no ethical problem making a shit-ton of money with you, but if you’re talking about—”

  “I’m talking about doing whatever is necessary to acquire access to a technology that is literally earth-shattering. If Thane needs some pest-control, then that’s what I’ll give him. He’ll understand exactly how he can pay me back.”

  “Right.” Clay drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “If Waylon is on the run, why can’t we just forget about him? He’ll never find or be able to access this underground place you are talking about.”