Chapter
17
Nick
was shocked to see the tears in Kevin’s eyes.
Had he ever seen him cry? He
forgot for a moment about what was happening around him and focused on his older
friend. Kevin looked absolutely
lost. He was always their rock, their
calm in the middle of the storm, and now he reminded Nick of a small child.
Kevin
noticed that Nick was looking at him, and turned quickly away, ashamed that the
younger man caught him in tears. Nick
reached out with his hand and touched his arm.
Their eyes connected, and the love and understanding that Nick felt in
that moment seemed to give him strength.
Kevin took that strength offered him and reached into the depths of his
soul, searching for the control that defined him. He grasped onto it, and pulled it back to the
surface. He managed a tiny smile, his
face full of thanks.
It
was Howie who asked the question.
“Who
was it?” They didn’t even recognize his
voice. It sounded dry and hollow, and
full of defeat.
For
a moment, Daniels just stared at him.
Then he turned to Stevens and nodded.
Stevens raised Howie’s phone and dialed the number. Painful seconds went by before a voice
answered.
“Do
you have my money?”
“We
need to know who died.”
“Do
you have my money?”
“We’re
still working on that.”
“Then
why should I tell you?”
“For
the sake of the loved ones waiting outside,” Stevens spat.
The
criminal became furious. He lunged
across the room towards Brian, who was tending to Lila. He grabbed him by the arm, and without even
allowing him to stand up, dragged him across the floor. Brian let out a yell, and A.J. stumbled to
his feet in a mad attempt to stop him.
Thief number 2 was too quick for him.
He shoved the gun to his forehead, slamming him back against the
wall. Lila shrieked.
Once
he had Brian over where he wanted, he kneed him hard in the stomach, knocking
the breath out of him. He brought his
hand down cruelly over his shoulder blades, knocking him flat.
Brian
gasped in pain. It took all of A.J.’s self control to keep still. He was fuming with anger, and the
helplessness of his position was killing him.
“You
tell them that if they don’t pay up, I will do more than shoot you dead.”
Brian
glared up at him, his sides heaving.
“Go
to hell.”
“Tell
them!” He shoved the phone into Brian’s
ear. Brian said nothing. His tormentor kicked him savagely in the
ribs, and he cried out in agony.
“Damn
it Brian, do it!” A.J. cried. Lila began
to sob.
He
couldn’t stand this. Even as he said it,
he knew why Brian didn’t answer. A.J.
would have done the same thing. He was
too proud. At the same time, he couldn’t
handle watching his friend be beaten.
“I
want to talk to Kevin,” Brian rasped, as the crook prepared to deliver another
blow.
“What?”
he bellowed.
“Put
Kevin on, and I’ll talk. Only to
Kevin. You can beat me to death if you
want.”
The
punch came swift and hard, this time to his head. He rolled over, stunned, and lay there
unmoving for several moments. A lump
rose in A.J.’s throat, and his nails dug into his
palms, drawing blood.
“Put
Kevin on the fucking phone,” he hissed into the mouthpiece.
Stevens
raised an eyebrow. He had heard the
commotion over the line, and knew things were going wrong, but he was
unprepared for this.
“Do
it!”
He
handed the phone to Kevin, who stared at it wide-eyed. He took it with a shaking hand, and spoke.
“Hello?” Upon hearing the new voice, the thief once
again thrust the phone down to Brian, who still hadn’t moved.
A.J.
was relieved when he reacted, moving his head to accommodate the phone.
“Kevin?”
he whispered.
Kevin’s heart almost broke at the sound of Brian’s weak voice.
“Hey
cuz,” he said softly. “How are you? They treating you ok?”
“Just
fine,” he murmured. Kevin could tell he
was in pain.
“Is
A.J. still with you?”
“Yes. So is Lila.
They shot a woman.”
Brian
heard the click of the gun being cocked near his head.
“Tell
him.”
Brian
squeezed his eyes shut, praying for the strength he needed and fighting back
the hatred that was ready to consume him.
“They’re
telling me to tell you that if you don’t come up with the money, they are going
to do more than just kill us.”
A
small noise escaped Kevin’s lips.
“We’re
going to get you out of there, don’t you worry.
I promise, do you hear me?” The
sound of Kevin’s voice reassured him more than anyone except A.J. could ever
know. He hated the thought of upsetting
his cousin, as he was sure he was, but he just had to hear one of their
voices. Knowing that the other three
were out there, waiting for him, trying to rescue them was something he
desperately needed.
“I
hear you. Tell Nick and Howie I said
hi.”
The
foot impacted his back, and the phone flew out of his hands and clattered to
the floor. His assailant scooped it up.
“There. You have 18 minutes. Get it done, or I’ll make good on my threat.”
Kevin
threw the phone forcefully to the ground, and turned away. He placed one palm flat on the trunk of a
squad car and covered his eyes with the other, bent over in grief.
“Oh
God,” Howie whimpered. “One of them is
dead. One of them is dead. Oh God…”
“No,”
Kevin croaked. “They’re both ok.”
Howie’s
knees almost gave out he was so relieved.
Nick steadied him, and they both went over to Kevin, followed closely by
Stevens and Daniels.
“What
happened?” Nick asked quietly.
“They
put Brian on the phone. I… I think they
were beating him.”
Howie
moaned softly. Kevin repeated the
message Brian had delivered, not without difficulty.
“Please
stop them. Please get them out alive.”
Daniels
met his pleading gaze and gave a solemn answer.
“We
will do everything within our power.”
“And
if that’s not good enough?”
“Just
pray that it is.”
***