Sam asked.
‘Did you pay cash for your room?’
‘Visa.’
‘The police can track it.’
‘So?’
‘The bodies aren’t who they’re expecting. Can you explain that?’
‘I can now.’
‘Will they believe you?’
Sam pondered the question. ‘I wouldn’t.’
‘That’s exactly what he does: puts you in a position where you’ve nowhere to turn. You have to keep running, and when you’re running, you don’t have time to think.’
‘Or to sleep,’ Sam added, but instantly felt guilty for his own weakness.
‘Sleep gives you strength,’ Zack said. ‘I never realized what an important tool it was until I tried to go without. Look at me.’
Sam lifted his gaze.
‘I wore myself to the quick trying to stay ahead of this fucker, but he’s sleeping and plotting and laughing himself sick. If I had to start again, I would take better care of myself so that maybe I would be faster and more alert when it counted.’
Sam lowered his gaze again, his guilt over the weariness he felt undiminished.
‘I have a room we can use,’ Zack continued.‘The clerk takes cash and doesn’t give a damn what name we give.’
‘We?’ Sam asked.
‘Whoever’s behind this is done with me now,’ Zack said. ‘You’re his new plaything. You may not believe me, but I don’t want anyone to go through what I did, to lose what I’ve lost. I’ll do everything I can to help, but there’s one condition.’
‘Go on.’
‘Once your family is safe, I get to pull the trigger that sends this bastard straight to hell.’
23
MaryAnn opened her eyes to darkness once again, the clunk of a closing door so quickly absorbed by thick walls it could have been a tendril of dream.
She tenderly touched the top of her head, wincing at the pain that pricked her scalp. She smoothed her hair and imagined it was her mother’s hand.
‘Who’s there?’ asked a woman’s voice, just barely above a whisper.
MaryAnn froze. The voice didn’t belong to her mother.
‘I know someone’s there,’ said the voice. ‘I saw them throw you inside.’
MaryAnn sniffled, barely holding on to what little control she had left.
‘I’m MaryAnn.’
‘Are you alone?’
‘I – I think so.’
‘How did you get here?’
‘I don’t know. I was asleep in bed, and then . . . I woke up here.’
The woman’s voice softened, but only slightly.
‘How old are you?’
‘Thirteen.’
‘Have you seen anyone else?’
‘No. I heard someone sobbing in another cell, but I didn’t get to see her. I . . . I think it might be my mom.’
The voice hesitated. ‘She’s been weeping for hours. I think she may have gone a little crazy down here. Not that I blame her.’
‘Where are we?’
‘I don’t know, child. They’re not forthcoming with answers, though I’ve tried.’
MaryAnn’s voice began to crack. ‘I’m so scared.’
‘I know, baby.’ The woman’s voice melted into a soothing tone. ‘Come on over towards my voice. There’s a cot and a couple blankets. It’s not much, but it’s better than that filthy floor.’
MaryAnn picked herself off the floor and slowly moved in the direction of the voice. When her legs bumped into the metal frame of an army cot, she reached down and felt a pair of bare legs, rough stubble marring smooth skin.
She recoiled.
‘It’s OK, child,’ assured the voice. ‘We’re in this together.’
MaryAnn fought against her instincts not to trust strangers, but she was so scared and missedher mom so much, she sat on the cot and rested her back against the woman’s legs.
The woman stroked her hair, cooing softly in a quiet sing-song voice. MaryAnn began to relax, tucking her feet under her and curling closer to the warmth of the woman’s body.
‘You rest now, baby,’ said the voice. ‘I won’t let anyone hurt you. That’s a promise.’
MaryAnn’s emotions bubbled to the surface and she cried herself to sleep.
24
Neither driver nor passenger absorbed the heated-leather comfort of the
‘Did you pay cash for your room?’
‘Visa.’
‘The police can track it.’
‘So?’
‘The bodies aren’t who they’re expecting. Can you explain that?’
‘I can now.’
‘Will they believe you?’
Sam pondered the question. ‘I wouldn’t.’
‘That’s exactly what he does: puts you in a position where you’ve nowhere to turn. You have to keep running, and when you’re running, you don’t have time to think.’
‘Or to sleep,’ Sam added, but instantly felt guilty for his own weakness.
‘Sleep gives you strength,’ Zack said. ‘I never realized what an important tool it was until I tried to go without. Look at me.’
Sam lifted his gaze.
‘I wore myself to the quick trying to stay ahead of this fucker, but he’s sleeping and plotting and laughing himself sick. If I had to start again, I would take better care of myself so that maybe I would be faster and more alert when it counted.’
Sam lowered his gaze again, his guilt over the weariness he felt undiminished.
‘I have a room we can use,’ Zack continued.‘The clerk takes cash and doesn’t give a damn what name we give.’
‘We?’ Sam asked.
‘Whoever’s behind this is done with me now,’ Zack said. ‘You’re his new plaything. You may not believe me, but I don’t want anyone to go through what I did, to lose what I’ve lost. I’ll do everything I can to help, but there’s one condition.’
‘Go on.’
‘Once your family is safe, I get to pull the trigger that sends this bastard straight to hell.’
23
MaryAnn opened her eyes to darkness once again, the clunk of a closing door so quickly absorbed by thick walls it could have been a tendril of dream.
She tenderly touched the top of her head, wincing at the pain that pricked her scalp. She smoothed her hair and imagined it was her mother’s hand.
‘Who’s there?’ asked a woman’s voice, just barely above a whisper.
MaryAnn froze. The voice didn’t belong to her mother.
‘I know someone’s there,’ said the voice. ‘I saw them throw you inside.’
MaryAnn sniffled, barely holding on to what little control she had left.
‘I’m MaryAnn.’
‘Are you alone?’
‘I – I think so.’
‘How did you get here?’
‘I don’t know. I was asleep in bed, and then . . . I woke up here.’
The woman’s voice softened, but only slightly.
‘How old are you?’
‘Thirteen.’
‘Have you seen anyone else?’
‘No. I heard someone sobbing in another cell, but I didn’t get to see her. I . . . I think it might be my mom.’
The voice hesitated. ‘She’s been weeping for hours. I think she may have gone a little crazy down here. Not that I blame her.’
‘Where are we?’
‘I don’t know, child. They’re not forthcoming with answers, though I’ve tried.’
MaryAnn’s voice began to crack. ‘I’m so scared.’
‘I know, baby.’ The woman’s voice melted into a soothing tone. ‘Come on over towards my voice. There’s a cot and a couple blankets. It’s not much, but it’s better than that filthy floor.’
MaryAnn picked herself off the floor and slowly moved in the direction of the voice. When her legs bumped into the metal frame of an army cot, she reached down and felt a pair of bare legs, rough stubble marring smooth skin.
She recoiled.
‘It’s OK, child,’ assured the voice. ‘We’re in this together.’
MaryAnn fought against her instincts not to trust strangers, but she was so scared and missedher mom so much, she sat on the cot and rested her back against the woman’s legs.
The woman stroked her hair, cooing softly in a quiet sing-song voice. MaryAnn began to relax, tucking her feet under her and curling closer to the warmth of the woman’s body.
‘You rest now, baby,’ said the voice. ‘I won’t let anyone hurt you. That’s a promise.’
MaryAnn’s emotions bubbled to the surface and she cried herself to sleep.
24
Neither driver nor passenger absorbed the heated-leather comfort of the
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