board; the walls were cracked and crumbling, as if they might collapse at any second. The only light was from a string of bare bulbs attached to the ceiling.
MaryAnn followed the lights, her pace quickening as an angry roar bellowed from behind.
Tears returned to her eyes as MaryAnn randown the endless tunnel, her anger quickly giving way to despair.
‘Mom!’ she cried loudly. ‘Mom!’
A sound from up ahead almost made her stumble:
sobbing
.
‘MOM!’
MaryAnn rushed to a series of cells identical to the one she had fled. Two of the cells were open and empty, but the next four were closed.
MaryAnn stopped at the first closed cell, desperately trying to quiet her breathing as she strained her ears. The sobbing was coming from within.
‘Mom?’ MaryAnn called. ‘Mom, is that you?’
The woman inside whimpered and her sobbing grew in volume. MaryAnn reached for the square window cut in the door, her fingers fumbling with a sliding bolt that hadn’t been oiled in decades.
But before she could get it free, a giant fist grabbed her by the hair and yanked her off the ground.
‘You little bitch!’
MaryAnn couldn’t believe the pain. It felt like her entire scalp was about to be ripped from her skull.
‘I was being nice to you.’
MaryAnn tried to talk, to beg to see her mom, but the agony was so great she couldn’t move her mouth.
‘Put her in cell three,’ said a second voice. ‘Maybe the company will settle her down.’
MaryAnn tried to see the second man’s face, but tears from the pain were blinding her.
The large man lifted her higher and leaned in close to her ear. His face was flushed red and a thin sheen of sweat made his flesh glisten.
‘You just lost a friend,’ he whispered menacingly. ‘Bad move.’
MaryAnn whimpered and then, overcome with pain and fear, promptly fainted.
22
Moving towards the Mercedes, Sam slipped in beside a group of three men ambling past the corner. Their bodies acted as a shield in case the driver’s gaze drifted from the motel. Once he was beside the car, Sam moved out of the trio’s slipstream and reached for the passenger door. It was unlocked.
By the time the driver noticed him, it was too late. Sam had a knife to his throat and the car door was swinging closed to lock out the prying eyes of passers-by.
The man yelped in surprise, his head cracking against the side window as he recoiled from the knife. Sam moved with him, the sharp blade drawing a trickle of blood as he applied pressure.
‘I’m a friend,’ the man cried. ‘I want to help.’
‘Where’s my family?’ Sam asked, his voice cutting a sharper edge than the blade.
‘I don’t know. I swear.’
Sam applied more pressure to the knife andthe trickle widened into a three-inch gash.
‘I’m telling the truth,’ the man pleaded. ‘My name is Zack Parker and my family’s been kidnapped.’
‘Bullshit!’
‘I wish it was,’ Zack groaned. ‘By Christ, I wish it was.’
‘You were outside my house before the explosion.’
‘Yes.’
‘Why?’
‘He said my family was there.’
‘At my home?’
‘Yes.’
‘Who said it?’
‘The kidnapper. I don’t know who he is.’
Sam growled, baring his teeth like a feral dog.
‘I swear to you,’ Zack said, ‘I don’t know who’s doing this.’
‘The explosion?’
‘I didn’t do it. I . . .’ Zack winced. ‘How could I? My wife and daughter were inside.’
‘
Your
wife?’
‘Yes. My family was switched for yours.’
Sam felt fingers of madness clawing into his mind. ‘Bullshit!’
Zack exploded. ‘You think I don’t want to believe that? You think I wouldn’t give anything for it not to be true?’
‘I don’t know you,’ Sam snapped back. ‘You could be the one who phoned me.’
Zack leaned into the knife, allowing it to slice deeper into his flesh as he forced his face closer to Sam’s.
‘My family died in your house. The man who called you has already destroyed me.’ Zack’s eyes glistened.
MaryAnn followed the lights, her pace quickening as an angry roar bellowed from behind.
Tears returned to her eyes as MaryAnn randown the endless tunnel, her anger quickly giving way to despair.
‘Mom!’ she cried loudly. ‘Mom!’
A sound from up ahead almost made her stumble:
sobbing
.
‘MOM!’
MaryAnn rushed to a series of cells identical to the one she had fled. Two of the cells were open and empty, but the next four were closed.
MaryAnn stopped at the first closed cell, desperately trying to quiet her breathing as she strained her ears. The sobbing was coming from within.
‘Mom?’ MaryAnn called. ‘Mom, is that you?’
The woman inside whimpered and her sobbing grew in volume. MaryAnn reached for the square window cut in the door, her fingers fumbling with a sliding bolt that hadn’t been oiled in decades.
But before she could get it free, a giant fist grabbed her by the hair and yanked her off the ground.
‘You little bitch!’
MaryAnn couldn’t believe the pain. It felt like her entire scalp was about to be ripped from her skull.
‘I was being nice to you.’
MaryAnn tried to talk, to beg to see her mom, but the agony was so great she couldn’t move her mouth.
‘Put her in cell three,’ said a second voice. ‘Maybe the company will settle her down.’
MaryAnn tried to see the second man’s face, but tears from the pain were blinding her.
The large man lifted her higher and leaned in close to her ear. His face was flushed red and a thin sheen of sweat made his flesh glisten.
‘You just lost a friend,’ he whispered menacingly. ‘Bad move.’
MaryAnn whimpered and then, overcome with pain and fear, promptly fainted.
22
Moving towards the Mercedes, Sam slipped in beside a group of three men ambling past the corner. Their bodies acted as a shield in case the driver’s gaze drifted from the motel. Once he was beside the car, Sam moved out of the trio’s slipstream and reached for the passenger door. It was unlocked.
By the time the driver noticed him, it was too late. Sam had a knife to his throat and the car door was swinging closed to lock out the prying eyes of passers-by.
The man yelped in surprise, his head cracking against the side window as he recoiled from the knife. Sam moved with him, the sharp blade drawing a trickle of blood as he applied pressure.
‘I’m a friend,’ the man cried. ‘I want to help.’
‘Where’s my family?’ Sam asked, his voice cutting a sharper edge than the blade.
‘I don’t know. I swear.’
Sam applied more pressure to the knife andthe trickle widened into a three-inch gash.
‘I’m telling the truth,’ the man pleaded. ‘My name is Zack Parker and my family’s been kidnapped.’
‘Bullshit!’
‘I wish it was,’ Zack groaned. ‘By Christ, I wish it was.’
‘You were outside my house before the explosion.’
‘Yes.’
‘Why?’
‘He said my family was there.’
‘At my home?’
‘Yes.’
‘Who said it?’
‘The kidnapper. I don’t know who he is.’
Sam growled, baring his teeth like a feral dog.
‘I swear to you,’ Zack said, ‘I don’t know who’s doing this.’
‘The explosion?’
‘I didn’t do it. I . . .’ Zack winced. ‘How could I? My wife and daughter were inside.’
‘
Your
wife?’
‘Yes. My family was switched for yours.’
Sam felt fingers of madness clawing into his mind. ‘Bullshit!’
Zack exploded. ‘You think I don’t want to believe that? You think I wouldn’t give anything for it not to be true?’
‘I don’t know you,’ Sam snapped back. ‘You could be the one who phoned me.’
Zack leaned into the knife, allowing it to slice deeper into his flesh as he forced his face closer to Sam’s.
‘My family died in your house. The man who called you has already destroyed me.’ Zack’s eyes glistened.
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