He ran to her and with some effort lifted her into his arms. Her body kept heaving painfully against him as he laid her down on the couch and hurriedly picked up a phone to dial 911. Once he’d completed the call, he sat on the coffee table in front of the couch and took one of Julia’s hands. She didn’t notice him, lost as she was in her world of torment.
“Help will be here soon, Julia, just hold on,” Hugo whispered. He felt the moistness in his eyes forming wet streaks down his face as he watched his wife wheeze in agony. “Hold on . . . please just hold on.”
A
groan made Tegan look up from her efforts to remove the bindings from her wrists. Her eyes, which had long since adjusted to the darkness, caught sight of Mariah turning over. Tegan scooted over and gently prodded her friend with her knee. “Hey,” she said.
“Teegs?” Mariah sounded drowsy.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Some guys jumped us, and the next thing I know, I woke up in here. It’s like some kind of storage room.”
“How can you see anything?”
“Your eyes will get used to it. But listen, you’re not going to believe who’s involved in all of this.”
Mariah was wriggling into a sitting position, not seeming to have heard Tegan’s words. “Ugh, my arms are sore . . . Oh, great, I’m tied up. That’s why.”
“’Riah. There’s someone here who’s behind our abduction.”
“Who?”
Tegan had to force the name out. “Tony.”
“Right. Sure.”
“I’m not joking. I heard him. He was on the phone talking to someone and I heard his voice. And I saw his shoes and striped socks. That’s pretty much signature Tony.”
“Anyone can wear striped socks, Teegs. I don’t know who you saw, but it can’t be him. Tony’s a really sweet guy. He drove out all the way to meet us when we needed him. He went after the guy who threw the smoke bomb into our car. Whoever you saw, it wasn’t Tony.”
At that moment, they heard the sound of the door buzzing quietly and opening. Brightness flooded the room as an overhead light came on. Tegan and Mariah looked away, shielding their faces from the intense glare.
“Oh, good, you’re both awake.”
Mariah met Tegan’s eyes and Tegan saw a look of horror darken her friend’s features. Slowly, they turned to the source of the voice.
Tony stood at the entrance, sliding a keycard into the back pocket of his pants. As usual, he was smartly-dressed, his hair was immaculate and his face carried a certain rascally charm.
“Tony . . . ” Mariah said weakly.
“Hello again.” He smiled a little. “How are you doing?”
“What's going on?” Tegan asked, ignoring his question.
“Ah, yeah . . . Apparently, you guys have piqued the interest of my employer. The boss seems to think that the five of you are—how do you say—
significant
, in a way that I definitely don’t understand. Got a few questions for you, you see.”
“What questions?”
Tony shrugged. “Beats me. But”—he shut the door behind him and, to the girls’ surprise, sat on a chair he’d dragged in, legs crossed—“if the boss wishes something, then I will make it so. And here you are. Pity my men couldn’t get the others, though.”
Tegan’s back straightened. “You mean the guys escaped?”
Tony studied her with an intensity that unnerved her. “We’re going to get them back, not to worry.”
“I still don’t understand what’s going on,” Mariah cut in. “Why are we wanted? Were you just playing us the entire time, with that story of taking time off work to see your girlfriend? Were you actually following us?”
Tony turned to her with an almost pitying look. “It was my assignment to meet you and get to know you. I take orders and follow through with them. What the boss wants, I deliver. There’s always a good reason for it. But I do like you guys—you’re bright and funny.”
“Then what are you doing?” Tegan asked. It didn’t matter what he said, she felt betrayed. He’d seemed genuine. He’d given her hope that not every stranger was someone to be wary of.
“As I said, it’s just my job.” Tony lightly ran his thumb under his chin. “Strange, though, that the boss would take such interest in you five. Stranger even that the boss may decide to question you personally.”
Mariah glowered at him. “We’re not talking to anyone. We were kidnapped. That’s a serious crime. If anything, we ought to be questioning your boss.”
Again, Tony smiled. “You’re spunky, aren’t you?”
Mariah’s anger remained plastered on her face.
“You cannot begin to fathom what’s at play,” he said. “It’s huge. It’s going to fundamentally transform the entire world. It may take a few more years before the last piece is put into place, but it’ll be worth it. It’ll be nothing short of astounding.”
Tegan leaned away from him. “I don’t know what
it
is, but you sound calmly fanatical about it.”
“If the boss permits, maybe you’ll discover what the final outcome of this vision will be. Then maybe you’ll understand why so many are heavily invested into this organization.” As he picked some lint off his shirt, Tony continued, almost as if to himself, “But this is very unorthodox. Even the people high up in this organization have never seen the boss in person, and yet you soon may.”
The girls watched, stone-faced, as he got up and took out his keycard. “I don’t know when exactly we’ll pull you out for the interrogation. When the men come to retrieve you, don’t fight them. You’ll only give them reason to hurt you, trust me.”
He exited the room, then closed and locked the door behind him. The girls didn’t move after he left, and remained still even as the lights went off in the chamber, submerging them in darkness once again.
* * *
Tony drove slowly through the cavern where the storage room was located and into a concealed underground tunnel, being careful to avoid the dirt-stained vehicles driving into the cave as he exited. The tunnel was lit by bright LED lights to allow the drivers to see their way over the packed dirt roadways.
The SUV rolled out into broad daylight onto a makeshift road that was part of a restricted area of the mine site. He rounded a huge waste rock dump to leave the zone and was nearly flattened by the thirteen-foot tall tire of a four-hundred-ton mining truck.
“Moron!” Tony yelled, then got an unsavory amount of dust whooshing through his open windows which he hastily wound up. He glared at the monstrous vehicle as it lumbered past and bitterly thought,
I’ve been here for a few hours and I’ve already developed a hate for mining sites
.
Why the boss had wanted the five brought to the company’s copper mining facility in New Mexico was not his concern, but it irritated him how loud and raucous the place was, not to mention dirty. The workers were hardly any better, with their shouting and general unkemptness.
He refused to look anywhere but forward as he made his way to the main office complex. Once in the parking lot, he braced himself and opened the car door. A blast of hot air and diesel fumes assaulted him. The rumbling of rock crushers sounded in the distance of the open pit mine.
Tony quickly dodged into the slightly cooler office building and went straight to the receptionist behind the counter. “I’d like to speak with Mr. Ajajdif, please.”
“He’s at the main security post checking up on things,” the woman said nasally, not looking up from her work.
Tony pulled a face. “Of course he is. Thanks.”
The woman didn’t respond as he headed back into the heat. Getting into his vehicle, he wound down his windows again and pulled out of the lot.
Just when he thought nothing could annoy him further, he found himself stuck behind a large truck that was spraying water to keep the dust down on the dirt road. Tony made an obscene gesture toward the driver of the tanker even though the man would not be able to see him.
Oh, yes, thank you. Muddying up this place makes things a whole lot better, doesn’t it? I need to get out of here.
Five minutes later, he made a left turn to the main security post. He saw two men outside; one was medium-built and auburn-haired, and the other was a giant who had his back to Tony. The giant was holding a cigarette between his fingers.
When Tony parked beside them and got out, the men looked over. “Well, well,” said the Lebanese-born hulk, sneering, “if it isn’t Tony Cross, the tiger who failed to capture five kids. I’d say you’re more of a kitten, truth be told.”
Tony’s lip curled back as he looked up at the towering man. “How’s the weather up there, Elias? Getting enough oxygen for that tiny brain of yours?”
Elias Hajjar’s lips twisted downward.
Tony masked his satisfaction. “If the boss is right, those
kids
were in league with the group that gave you that disgusting injury. It improves your looks, truth be told.” He mimicked the big man’s voice.
Hajjar, the nearly seven-foot-tall head of security for the mining site, looked as if he wanted to squash Tony under his boot. Instead, he blew a thick cloud of smoke into the young man’s face. He was a heavily tattooed ex-mercenary with black holes for eyes and tree trunks for limbs. Tony appeared tiny and malnourished by comparison. Hajjar’s face had been severely disfigured in a horrible accident the year before when a large shard of glass had fallen onto his face. There was an untidy, jagged scar that extended from his forehead down to his chin. He was partially blind in one eye but was doing remarkably well—well enough to be reassigned as the head of security for Quest Mining, a division of Phoenix Corporation.
He’d had to go through intensive surgeries just to regain the semblance of a human face. It was a miracle that the man was even alive. Or a shame, as Tony saw it.
Tony held his breath until the smoke abated, then muttered, “Classy.”
“What is it you’re here for, Tony?” Vladimir Ajajdif asked. For some reason, the hint of a heavy Russian accent struck Tony as funny but he didn’t dare show it. He knew, as many did, that Ajajdif was one of the very few people who had actually seen the boss—indeed, Ajajdif claimed that the boss had personally saved him from a life on the streets of San Francisco nearly two decades ago.
Sliding his fists into his pockets, Tony said, “I have an assignment to complete because the men I hired were unable to do so.” He heard Hajjar snicker but continued, “I’ve got the girls safely locked away in the storehouse underground.”
Ajajdif looked toward the direction of the tunnel, which was hidden by a huge pit at the center of the site with tall mounds around it. While the mining activity was legitimate, it was merely a cover for the massive project that was being worked on beneath their feet.
“I might be tempted to check on these girls myself,” Ajajdif said. “See if they’re actually the ones who took part in wrecking my operations last year.”
“No,” Tony said sharply. “No one’s to go near them except those under my instruction. I came here to tell you that. You need to keep everyone else away from them. Besides, it’s none of your business. The boss happens to be very interested in them and may interrogate them soon.”
At that, Ajajdif’s head snapped up. “The boss is coming
here?
You’re sure?”
“I was only told that the kids are meant to be questioned.”
Ajajdif turned away, uttering what Tony could only guess to be Russian curses. “Why wasn’t I told about this?”
“I only found out myself a couple hours ago.” Tony glanced at his watch. “I need to get going.”
Ajajdif waved his hand dismissively. Hajjar placed his cigarette between his lips and watched Tony leave through half-lidded eyes. “Make sure you get them this time, runt.”
“Make sure the devil doesn’t find your filthy soul and drag you back to where you belong,” Tony said coolly as he shut the car door.
Hajjar spat in his direction. “You’re no angel either, Cross!”
Tony could see Hajjar’s contorted face getting smaller and smaller in his rearview mirror as he drove away. With a smile, he left the mining site.
T
he red Mustang pulled into Silver City early that morning. Aari was barely able to keep his eyes open. Marshall had miraculously not fallen asleep at the wheel and Jag seemed to be holding up as well. The one person Aari was worried about at the moment was Kody. The poor guy looked like a walking corpse, and super-hearing wasn’t needed to catch the earthquake in his stomach.
They’d scoured every small town between Deming and Silver City. Kody had run through all the streets, checking each residence thoroughly while avoiding detection before returning to the car with drooping shoulders each time. The mad running, lack of sleep and hunger combined with the heat was weighing him down. Aari would often have to reach over and shake Kody to keep his friend from passing out.
“You guys need to eat,” Marshall said. His words were less pronounced than before but he seemed to be faring better than the boys. “I’m guessing the last you ate was lunch yesterday.”
“We need to find the girls,” Jag responded dully. “We can’t stop the search just to sit in a diner.”
Marshall sighed. “You need the energy. How about a compromise—we get food from a drive-thru.”
“I think we should, Jag,” Aari said. He glanced at Kody who was curled up beside him.
Jag looked back at them, then nodded in resignation at Marshall. The Sentry continued down the road before turning into a drive-thru. As they pulled in, Aari caught sight of a dirt-caked SUV exiting with the driver one-handedly typing on a phone. For a second, he thought that the man could be Tony but the vehicle was gone quickly and he dismissed the thought. Tony was in California with his girlfriend, and that was hundreds of miles away from where the boys were right now.
“One thing, Marshall,” Aari said as a thought came to him. “There was a guy we met at the diner in Salt Lake City—he was very helpful. He went after you to teach you a lesson for . . . attacking us with your smoke bomb. I guess I kind of want to apologize for that. We didn’t know you were a Sentry at that time.”
“Huh?” Marshall sounded baffled.
“You were attacked. A dude came after you when you drove away from the Denny’s we were at.”