Shit.
“Shadow?”
“Not sure.” Anna dipped her chin and picked at a loose thread on her jeans. Her face contorted in a scowl–lips pursed. “Haven’t seen her since the motel. Don’t know what they’ve done to her. Bastards.”
The dizziness waned with each passing second. The sick feeling tormenting me ebbed as well. The throbbing in my head lessened, giving me a reprieve from the constant pressure inside my skull.
I got to my feet. The world spun. I pressed my hand against the cold surface of the smooth wall, took a deep breath, trudged over to the door, and tested the handle.
“It’s locked. Won’t even budge,” Anna said in a curt manner. She continued picking at the loose thread on the seam along her pant leg. “Believe me. I pounded on the door for a while.”
I sighed, then released the handle. “Great.” I placed my hands on my hips, then skimmed over the room again, searching for anything of use or a possible way out.
“I’ve already checked the room as well.” Anna glanced up at me, then released the thread that wound around the tip of her finger. “There’s an AC duct toward the back, but it’s out of reach.”
I glanced down at Anna, getting a better look at her face. Her right cheek looked bruised. The bottom corner of her lip was puffy, swollen even. I pointed at her cheek, then her lip. “What happened there?”
“Being mouthy. I have a tendency to do that.” She shrugged. “I got a shot in on that short, stocky guy when they were bringing us down here. He didn’t like being hit, much less by a woman.”
I shook my head, then walked away from the door. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“More than you know.” Anna pulled her legs toward her chest, then rested her forearms on the tops of her bent knees. Her hand reached over and palmed the gash under the sleeve of the white coat she had on.
“Yeah. Seems that way.” I paced around, looking to the wood rafters and the AC duct that hung down from the ten-foot ceiling. I dug my hand into my pocket to fish the phone out, but found nothing more than empty space.
My hands balled into fists. I sighed, shook my head in frustration, then turned toward Anna.
She stared at me. “What’s wrong? Well, besides the obvious.”
“They took my phone. Granted, the battery was dead and the screen had a nice crack in it, but it was the only lifeline I had to my wife and son. Now that’s gone,” I replied, aggravated.
Anna nodded. “I’m sure they are. We’ll reach them in time.”
“Are you sure about that?” I shot back, perturbed with myself. “I should’ve just listened to what you said and—”
“And what? Leave her to the whims of these ruthless thugs?” Anna pointed at the door. “Don’t beat yourself up too much. You felt you were in a position to do the right thing. Besides, the hit men don’t know where your family is staying, so they should be safe until we get there.”
I scratched at the stubble growing from my chin. “Yeah. They shouldn’t, but I still worry about them. Hell, look at what’s happening outside. It’s the end of the world, I’ve got a bounty on my head, and now we’re trapped in another situation with more bad people.”
“Our world is full of them, Lawson,” Anna replied. “It’s a hard life to escape when you’re as entrenched as we are. Shit. I have a hard time remembering when I had any peace. Any sort of normal existence.”
“You and me both.” I shook my head. “I’ve been a brawler most of my life and got tangled up with the wrong crowd. From there, it only got deeper until the point where I lost who I was, and it hurt my family. I thought I got out, but Mr. Coleman dragged me right back in with the promise of money.”
Anna nodded, then continued to pick at the loose thread on her jeans. “I know how that is. My father was a contractor. Skilled and deadly. He worked for some big crime families up north around the Boston area when I was growing up. He made many enemies over the years, taking out some powerful targets. It got to the point where he started to fear for our safety and he began training me to fight and handle myself. At the time, I didn’t know why. I mean, I enjoy fighting. Always have. I’m good at it. I thought it was just something for us to do together. You know, a little father daughter bonding.
He finally came clean and told me what he did for a living after a break in at our home. For the longest time, he said he was in sales. Anyway, I drifted further into the dark, criminal underworld when he, my mom, younger brother, and even the family dog was killed. Since then, I’ve been trying to track down the bastards who snuffed them and who placed the hit.”
“And here I thought my past was complicated.”
“You’re not the only one who has gone through the meat grinder,” Anna said, twisting and pulling at the now frayed denim. “And this isn’t the worst spot I’ve ever been in. Don’t get me wrong, these guys are bad, but between the both of us, we’ll figure something out. You’ll get back to your family, and I’ll find the answers I’m after.”
The lock to the door clicked. Anna looked to me, then stood up. She moved away from the entrance and stood at my side.
The door swung open. Beams of light moved in the darkness, then shined at our faces. I lifted my hand, shielding my eyes from the punishing, bright-white light.
Two
