“Hang up the phone,” said the man.
“No, I’m not. My sister might be nosy, but she’s harmless.”
“Yeah, I’m harmless,” she said, “unless I think you’re in trouble.”
“I’m not in trouble,” she said. “I’ve spent lots of time with this guy. Haven’t I, Rick?”
“Don’t call me by my name, and hang up the damn phone.”
Astra heard a struggle going on, with her sister crying out. Finally Amy got her phone back and said, “I have to hang up now.” But she was sobbing, and, all of a sudden, the phone went dead. Astra put hers down very carefully and said, “Oh, my God.”
“What?”
“I think she’s in trouble.”
The vehicle in front of them picked up speed and ripped around a corner, hard.
Chapter 10
Astra was flung from one side to the next, as Charles chased after the vehicle in front.
Garret reached out, snatched her into his arms, and held her close, using his legs to brace them, as they went around corners.
“Is my sister involved in this?”
“I’m not sure,” he said, “but it’s possible. Do you know who this Rick person is?”
“I think she mentioned him before, somebody who Gregg worked with.”
“That’s what she said, but is he a good guy or not a good guy?”
“As far as I remember, he kept asking Gregg to go work for him.”
“Privately?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know what the job was.”
“It’s probably something off the books too.”
“I don’t know what that means, but it doesn’t sound good.”
“No,” Garret said, “I doubt that it is. But we can’t jump to conclusions. I just know from the sound of what we heard that, whatever scenario your sister has gotten herself into, it doesn’t look good.”
Just then the vehicle ahead whipped into a car park. Garret himself almost missed it. Just as the taillights went around, he caught it. Immediately Charles turned into the same place and blocked the side entrance. Garret slipped out, and so did Kano. She watched in shock, as they disappeared. She leaned forward to the front seat and asked Charles, “Do we just sit here, in the middle of the road?”
“No,” he said. “I’ll take this parking spot, right up here,” and he pulled the large vehicle in and around, moving it quietly into the back corner.
She asked, “Now what?” She watched as Charles pulled a handgun from the glove box. “Now we wait again,” he said.
“I don’t feel so good about my sister right now.”
“No,” he said, “neither do I. We’re trying to get a make on the vehicle she got into and to see if we can get an alert sent out on it.”
“I still don’t understand why she would have left to go with him in the first place.”
“She obviously knew him,” he said. “The question is, how well did she know him?”
“And how did he get her to leave?”
“I don’t know,” Charles said. “That’s something you might answer, but, for us, it’s hard to know. It was enough for her to walk out of the safety of my house though.”
“Who would know that she’d gone in there?”
“Somebody who was monitoring Kano’s and Garret’s calls or movements. Or she got a call and told them where she was.”
“But going to your place was all very secret.”
“True, but a lot of people in that world know the business I’m in,” he said quietly. “It’s one of the reasons I keep extra safeguards in place, so that we are secure in there. But, once you leave it, you’re out in the big bad world again.”
“Damn,” she said, settling back. “Amy’s always been one to do things her own way.”
“Do you think there’s any chance that the baby isn’t Gregg’s?”
“That would be sad,” she said. “I can’t really tell you the answer to that.”
“And you don’t have to,” he said. “We can only hope that we get answers sooner than later.”
“It’s just really suspicious that she left at the same time we’re out looking for Gregg.”
There was a commotion, and, even from where they were parked, the sounds came through the vehicle. She gasped and leaned forward, pointing. “There. What was that?”
Charles hesitated.
“Shouldn’t we go help them?”
“No,” he said. “There are times when you have to trust in their abilities, and this is one of them.”
“But, if I wasn’t here, you would go, wouldn’t you?”
He nodded. “Well, yes,” he said reluctantly. “I would, indeed.”
“Then go,” she said. “Unlike my sister, I know to stay put.”
He hesitated.
She said, “No, don’t hesitate because of me. Just go. We have to make sure that nobody else gets hurt because of this mess. I’m already afraid my sister is involved to a point that—that she’s hurting the people I care about.”
He looked back at her and said, “They’ll be fine.”
“But you don’t even believe that yourself. You don’t know what they’re up against.” She added, “Would it be so terrible to go as a backup, just in case? Everybody needs help at one time or another.”
He chuckled at that. “Very true,” he said. “You have to promise.”
“I promise,” she said. Maybe her reaction was a little too fast because he looked at her. “I promise,” she said again. “I won’t do anything stupid.”
“Says you,” he said, but he got up and headed outside with one final look. “Please stay in place.” She nodded. And, with that, he was gone. She watched what was going on outside, feeling helpless and useless. She quickly dialed her sister back, and, when there was no answer, she sent a text.
Her sister responded. I think I’m in trouble.
Astra groaned. Rick?
Yes, he’s not who I thought he was.
And she wasn’t at all surprised. Where are you?
I need a ride. I’m in trouble.
Where are you, Amy?
Come and get me.
But her sister was not making any sense and not giving her any directions.
Where are you? Tell me so I can help.
And then there was nothing. Astra groaned and bent her head over her knees, wondering who the hell she could call for help. This night had seriously gone to shit. When her phone buzzed suddenly, she was surprised but delighted to see it was her sister again. But the message was one that immediately had her blood boiling.
We have your sister. We’ll trade her for her boyfriend.
Just then, two more vehicles came in the car park behind her. As she watched, they whipped around at a speed that was not normal at all. Still in shock from the message she had just received, she sat here, watching, as they headed around to where the men had disappeared from. Now she realized she was up against an ugly choice. Did she listen to Charles and stay in place? Or did she go see if she could help them get out of trouble?