by Tim Sabados
Eighty yards was sliced to forty, which was chopped to twenty in a matter of seconds. The SUV wasn’t letting up. Neither was Charlie.
Charlie’s focus narrowed. Heart thumped wildly in his chest. His car was no match against that mammoth SUV. He chomped down on his teeth and clamped his jaw. At the last second he slammed the brakes and swung the back end of his car to try to block as much of the road as possible.
Bam! The SUV slammed into the back of Charlie’s car. Metal crunched. Glass shattered. Tires screeched in agony. Pandemonium crammed itself inside the car. Charlie was thrust sideways as everything around him spun uncontrollably. The car finally came to rest somewhere in the middle of the street. All went quiet save for the screaming in his head and the music blasting from the radio.
Charlie rubbed his forehead. All sense of direction had been decimated. He glanced over his shoulder. Out the windows to his left, then right. Nothing made sense. He happened to catch the SUV’s taillights shrinking smaller and smaller the farther it raced down the road.
“Shit!” Charlie shouted. He caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye.
Aryssa stumbled toward the car. She braced her head with one hand and reached forward with the other. “Charlie.”
Charlie climbed out of the driver’s door. The world rocked back and forth as if he were on a boat in a stormy sea. It took him a moment to find his voice. “Are you alright?”
Aryssa moaned with pain. “They got them!” She collapsed into Charlie’s arms. “I couldn’t stop…”
Charlie firmly held Aryssa and led her to the passenger door. “Get in.”
“What are we going to do?” Aryssa began to sob. “This can’t be happening.”
Charlie braced his hand on the hood as he staggered back around the car and slid into the driver’s seat. Turned the ignition. It cranked, but the engine refused to respond. “Damn it.”
Aryssa rested her forehead against the dash. She sniffled. “It’s my fault.”
Charlie turned the key again. “Not the time to place blame.” The starter whined. “There are more important things to worry about.”
Aryssa rubbed her temple. She glanced toward the back of the car and then at Charlie. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Charlie answered. “This car is screwed.” He turned the key again. Miraculously the engine stuttered to life. He shifted into Drive and the car stammered forward. Plastic crunched under the weight of the tires. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Where’d they go?” Desperation coated Aryssa’s voice.
“I don’t know.”
Aryssa grabbed her head. “We’ve got to get them back.”
“I know,” Charlie simply answered. “I know.” He looked into the rearview mirror. The street was empty. A sigh. Where were they taking Mackenzie and Zoe? What was going to happen to them? Charlie rubbed his shoulder uneasily. What could he possibly do now?
21
Sammy angrily tossed the head he’d torn from the bear bank across the table. Tattered cloth entrails wavered from its neck. Bits of stuffing swirled through the air and quietly landed as if they were too frightened to disturb the tension in the room.
“Nothing!” Sammy thrust his fist forward, making it the dot to an exclamation point. A scorn-filled glance around the table. “Do any of you see anything that resembles a coin?”
No one said a word. The silence stoked the flames to his frustration even more.
“Well, do you?”
The taller brother furrowed his brows. “Of course we don’t.”
“That’s because there’s nothing to see.” Sammy sharply gestured toward the two sisters sleeping side by side on the floor mattress. “But I do see them.” Repeatedly tapped his knuckles against his forehead. “What were you thinking?”
“They came out of nowhere. It wasn’t like we had time to analyze the situation,” the portly brother said. “We had to make a quick decision.”
“You’ve been making a lot of those lately,” Sammy commented with a hint of condescension. “It’s not what I’m paying you to do.”
“I haven’t seen any money yet,” the portly brother stated.
“That’s because you haven’t produced anything,” Sammy fired back. A nod at the kids. “Except that.”
The taller brother postured. Stepped toward Sammy. “Maybe, just maybe, there was never any money after all.” A tense pause. “Maybe you’re the one wasting our time and sending us on a wild-goose chase.”
“I know where I kept my money,” Sammy said defensively. “Why the hell would I turn into a snitch?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.” The taller brother took another step. “Maybe you’re trying to set us up. Sell us out. That car did come out of nowhere. No one said anything about this dancer friend of yours having someone helping her.”
“I had no idea.” Sammy postured. Wasn’t going to back down. “You better choose your words carefully, especially if you’re going to accuse me of lying.”
“And what are you going to do about it?” The taller brother took a step toward Sammy. “Me and my brother have been the ones who’ve put our necks on the line.” He tipped his chin curtly. “While all you’ve done is bitch and moan about…”
“Enough!” Ariek slammed his fist against the table. “All this arguing isn’t helping solve the issue at hand.”
The taller brother faced Ariek. Anger wrinkled his forehead. “It was your idea to have us watch the hospital.” His voice became more pressured. “We did what we had to do.” Jabbed a finger toward Sammy. “I don’t need this…this piece of crap telling me all the things that I’ve done wrong.”
Sammy puffed his chest. “We wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t…”
“Sammy!” Ariek fired off.
“I’m not going to let this two-bit criminal try to blame me…”
“Both of you need to chill the hell out!” Ariek’s face was the color of a fire-roasted chili pepper. “Yes, it was my idea that started this ball rolling. And I take responsibility for it.” A pause. “However, we need to tackle the situation before us. Not the one that got us into this mess.” He glanced at each of the men standing around the table. “Like it or not, we’re in this together. And we better figure a way out, or we’re all as good as dead.”
Voices went dormant behind sealed lips. Sammy slowly rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. The silence was an annoying drip splattering against his patience. He couldn’t hold back. “What are we going to do with them?”
Ariek shrugged. “Haven’t figured that out just yet.”
The portly brother slid his finger across his throat. “It’s the quickest.”
“No way,” Sammy said in a voice wrinkled with shock. “Which of you has the guts to kill two little girls?” A pause. “I sure don’t.”
“They’ve seen our faces,” the portly brother argued. “There’s no other way.”
“A bit harsh,” the taller brother stated, “but I’ve got to agree. There aren’t many options.”
Ariek shook his head. “Look at them.” He swung his attention toward the two girls. “It’s the middle of the afternoon and they’re sound asleep. You’ve pumped them so full of drugs that they’re not going to remember a damn thing.”
A faint smile thinned the taller brother’s lips. “Had to shut them up somehow.”
“It’s a blessing in disguise,” Ariek commented. “But I have to agree with Sammy. There’s no way that I could live with myself if we killed them.”
“You can be disgusted with the results, but something has to be done. And sometimes you’ve got to get your hands dirty,” the taller brother said. “What worries me right now is that the entire police force is searching for them as we speak. And the longer they remain in our possession, the greater the chance they’ll be found.” He tapped his chest. “I’m not going down for something that could’ve been fixed in the first place.”
“Well, I don’t want the blood of two kids o
n my hands,” Sammy said firmly. “There’s got to be a better way.”
“You could sell them.” The portly brother suggested. “You’ve been worried about not having enough for that shipment.”
“Into the trade?” Ariek questioned with curiosity staining his tone.
The portly brother nodded. “Why not?”
Ariek rubbed his chin, as if encouraging his prudence. “It would rid us of the problem.” He looked right at Sammy. “Give us a chance to pay off our debt, too.”
Sammy nodded his agreement. “Young and innocent. I’m sure they’d fetch a damn good price.”
Ariek chuckled. “And if something happens to them, we’ll never know.”
“Ignorance is bliss,” Sammy commented.
“After a few days, you won’t even remember them,” the taller brother said encouragingly. “I’ll just keep them stoned until they wake up someplace far from here.”
“In a land far, far away,” Sammy added.
Ariek slid his hands into his pockets. “While I love this idea, I think we can do better.”
“Better?” Sammy questioned with curiosity. “They help us with the payment and we get rid of them. How can that get any better?”
Ariek face scrunched as if he’d swallowed something bitter. “By dealing a final blow to the source of our problem.”
Sammy folded his arms over his chest. “You want to take out the Network?”
“No,” Ariek answered bluntly. “You must have a death wish to think we can do that.” He pointed at the torn bear head. “I’m talking about Aryssa.”
Sammy’s thoughts came together. He tapped the table with certainty. Glanced at the sleeping sisters, then at the shredded bank. The coins—Aryssa had to have them in her possession. Was there any other logical explanation? “I think I understand what you mean.”
“See how calmness makes you see things more clearly.” Ariek sighed. “She’s got to have them.”
Sammy clenched his teeth. He hated when Ariek tried to impart some kind of wisdom on his behalf. His breath smoldered. That argument with the taller brother had only added to the storm cloud covering his judgment. He slowly exhaled and did his best to let the tension escape from his throat. Took a moment before he quietly nodded. “Are you suggesting we use them as bait?”
“The girls for the coins,” Ariek concurred. “It means that you’re going to have to make another phone call.”
Sammy pulled his cell from his pocket and gripped it tightly. “If we do this, what’s preventing Aryssa from going to the cops?”
“Once the exchange occurs, we call them before she does,” Ariek answered. “Make it look like she’s the kidnapper.”
“Too risky,” the portly brother said. “She’ll be given the chance to tell her side of the story and the cops will eventually figure it out that she isn’t the one. They’ll then come after us.” He sat in a nearby chair. “I say we off her once the money exchanges hands.”
“That’s if she has it,” the taller brother commented rudely.
Sammy contained his ire. “I know she has it.”
“If you say so,” the taller brother said.
Sammy grumbled. Swallowed the words that were ready to spew out his mouth. “Killing her is a bit extreme, especially in front of those kids.”
“Why does it matter?” the portly brother asked with a shrug. “They’ll be too stoned to remember.”
“We could off them all,” the taller brother said.
Ariek leaned over the table. “That’s just creating an unnecessary bloodbath.” A pause. “No one has made mention of that person helping her.”
The portly brother punched a fist into his open hand. “I say kill him, too.”
Sammy held out his hand to stop the flow of escalating ideas. It was time to make a command decision. “This is what we’re going to do.” He took a brief survey of the mattresses on the floor. The bathroom in the corner. The showers. The makeup counter with its several mirrors and chairs. The hooks embedded in the walls and floor. And finally the box of chains and leather restraints.
“I’m going to call Aryssa and convince her to exchange the coins for the girls.” Sammy looked toward the taller brother. “Don’t worry, if she says she doesn’t have them or doesn’t know where they are…” he smiled sinisterly and briefly stared at the sisters. “Let’s just say that I’m going to effectively encourage her to give me what I want.” Held up his finger to snuff any comments. “And when we make the trade, this is what we’re going to do.”
22
Aryssa hastily scampered up the flight of steps, darted down the hall and then pounded on the door with the side of her fist. “Charlie!” She sharply exhaled to try to quell her anxiety. “Charlie, are you home?”
He didn’t answer. Panic frayed the ends of Aryssa’s nerves. Numbness trickled down her legs. She tightened her thighs to prevent the almost inevitable slump to the floor. Bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Tried to rein in her jumbled thoughts. Why hadn’t she been more aware of her surroundings? How could she have let herself get beaten like that? Where had they taken Mackenzie and Zoe? Were they okay? Would the coins really get them…?
Aryssa pounded again. “Charlie, please answer.” She lifted her fist and was about to descend on the door. Click. The lock. Clunk. The deadbolt.
Charlie swung open his apartment door. Slumber weighed heavily on his lids. He rubbed his temple. “What’s going on?”
Aryssa held up her phone. “He called.”
“Sammy?”
“He wants the coins for the girls.” Aryssa hastily slid past Charlie.
Charlie sighed. “A one-for-one exchange?”
The door clicked shut behind Aryssa. She nodded. “If I don’t do it, he’ll kill them.” She sniffled. “I…I can’t have that on my conscience for the rest of my life. Especially after I screwed everything up.”
“It wasn’t you,” Charlie said reassuringly. “We’ve been over this. It was both of us.”
Aryssa lowered her head. “I can’t help but feel…”
Charlie rubbed Aryssa’s shoulder. “What else did he want?”
“To meet him at ten o’clock in the alley behind the …” Aryssa hesitated. The place had already created friction between herself and Charlie. Was it another unintentional reminder of all she had done? She let the name slip slowly past her parched lips. “The Penn.”
“Umm.” Charlie seemed to reel backward from the words. “Really…he really wants that…?”
Aryssa nodded her affirmation. Time was of the essence. She needed to put that past behind her. “We’ve got less than two hours.”
Charlie scratched his cheek. “Maybe we should get the police involved. I mean, this has taken us deeper and deeper into…”
Aryssa waved her hand to cut Charlie off. “No cops. He said no cops.” She shivered. “If there’s even a hint of them…then the deal’s off. He’ll kill them.”
“The cops could hide themselves. You know, like watching from the rooftops.”
“No. I’m not taking that chance,” Aryssa said firmly. “Let’s just give him the coins, get the girls and get them safely to their mother.” A sharp inhale. “Then we can put this whole thing behind us.”
Charlie leaned against the wall. “I don’t like the sound of any of this. Why does he want those coins so badly?”
“I don’t know,” Aryssa responded bluntly. “And I don’t care.” She gestured out the door. “Those girls are more important than some damn coins.”
Charlie sighed. He bowed his head and lost himself in his thoughts for several long seconds. “That money is replaceable. Those girls aren’t.”
“I don’t see any other choice but to give it to him.”
“Neither do I.” Charlie bowed his head. “This time we’re not letting them get the better of us.”
* * * * *
A breezed strolled down the alley and gently flicked Aryssa’s hair. It whisked away a few drops of humidity’s perspirat
ion, but there was still a large part that clung to the air the way dirt clings to sweaty skin. Aryssa took a deep breath to try to suppress her ballooning apprehension. She coughed. “What’s taking them so long?”
“I don’t know,” Charlie said in a tense tone.
“It’s almost twenty after,” Aryssa said. “They should’ve been here by now.”
“They will.”
“How do you know?” Aryssa did her best to shore up her resolve, but the entire situation had already taken a bite out of the foundation of her fortitude.
“He’s the one that called you, didn’t he?”
“He could be playing us.” Aryssa glanced over her shoulder to her right, then her left. “He could be watching us right now and planning a way to rob us.”
Charlie peered into the alley’s darkness. “I bet they’re not even sure that we have them.” He sighed. “This all started when they tried to steal those banks. It shows me that they want those coins and they want them bad.”
“Is there a point to what you’re saying?”
“Yeah. They’ll be here.”
Silence built a wall between Aryssa and Charlie. It crumbled after a couple of minutes when a pair of headlights lit up the other end of the alley. A dark SUV slowly made its way between the buildings, past the several Dumpsters that stood stoically against soot-stained walls and garbage cans stuffed with burgeoning plastic bags. It slowed to a stop some sixty feet away.
Aryssa’s heart thumped wildly against her ribs. She tightly gripped the toiletry bag with palms glazed in sweat. Stood perfectly still, almost defiantly, in the headlights. Charlie muttered something, but she refused to turn away from the car. Refused to move her lips to ask what he had said. Refused to display any sign of weakness.
The two front doors swung open in unison. A man in dark clothes stepped out of the driver’s side and slid himself to the far edge of the door. Sammy stepped out of the other. He kept it open as he walked to the front of the car and then leaned against the hood. Folded his arms across his chest.