I’m heading in the opposite direction to the grocery store and the companion club. I cross the street and take a left at the end. There’s a slight rise that leads to the station house. I’ll swing by and see if the sheriff’s around while I’m out… Plus, the uphill run will be a great workout.
I haven’t turned into a fitness fanatic, but I do have a punching bag at the back of The Ferryman, and I enjoy a run a few mornings a week. I’m not getting any younger, and Tori can be a handful sometimes — in the best kind of way.
The things men do for their women…
I reach the top of the rise and follow it to the right. The station house is across the street from me. Two squad cars are in the parking lot out front, but there’s no sign of life. Must be too early for the sheriff today.
I continue on, and a couple of cars pass me going the other way. It’s getting lighter, and the town is starting to wake up. I run past the drug store, which is now more than just a place to pick up your aspirin. I bet they make a fortune… marijuana and cocaine is the new alcohol and tobacco. Not too expensive that the lower and middle-class can’t afford them, but priced high enough that it’s a very profitable business. The taxes from which continue to fund the new America and Cunningham’s re-election campaign.
A few doors farther along, I see the local barbershop. It’s a small business, but one that’s been around longer than most people around here. An old-timer named Ray Hooper owns the place. He’s a great guy, comes in for a drink every Thursday evening without fail. He’s black and pushing eighty, with tight gray curls on his head. He’s sweeping the street out front, as I approach.
“Mornin’ Adrian,” he says as he bends down. “Hey, Styx.”
I stop for a moment to catch my breath. Styx isn’t even breathing heavy. He sits in front of Hooper and waits for the inevitable patting his head’s about to get.
“Mornin’ Hoops,” I say, in-between deep breaths. “You’re up early… How’s things?”
“Oh, y’know… same ol’, same ol’. You and Tori keeping well?”
I smile. “We’re alright, Hoops. I’ll tell her you were asking.”
“Hear you got a visit from some suited gentlemen last night…”
“You gotta love a small town,” I say with a wry smile.
Hooper laughs. “You know how it goes, man… So, everythin’ alright?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. Just procedure after I threw those guys outta my bar.”
“Well… you jus’ watch yaself, y’hear? Whole town likes you, son. Wouldn’t want nothin’ to happen to you.”
“Thanks. I’ll be fine, I’m sure.”
He turns and heads back inside his barbershop. “I mean, if you left, where would we drink?”
I shake my head and laugh, then set off running again. I turn left at the end of the street. I’ll head back down to the main strip and take a left, back to The Ferryman. I’ve done a good circuit, and I’m suitably tired now.
A car passes me, heading in the same direction. After a minute, I see another one. Styx growls at the second one as we come up to the end of the street. We turn left again, and I see The Ferryman up ahead on the right. Both cars that just passed us are parked outside. Styx growls again and speeds up. Something about those cars seems to have spooked him…
I keep pace as best I can and head for the bar. As I get closer, my spider sense starts tingling. I don’t like those cars either. I don’t know why, but with everything that’s happened in the last couple of days, my paranoia is working overtime.
I reach the front door and find it open. I know I shut it… Styx starts growling louder.
“Easy, boy. Keep quiet now,” I say.
I take a look at the cars. Both sedans, both white. Definitely rentals. Potentially up to eight guys, four in each… As I push the door open and step inside, I hear a woman scream.
Tori!
Without thinking, I rush across the bar and into the back. I can’t think of anything else except getting to her. I don’t know who these guys are, or what they want, but I swear to God, if they hurt her, I’ll kill them.
I round the bar at full speed, heading for the back, but I run straight into a fist. The shock of the impact sends me staggering backward, but I manage to keep my balance, leaning on the bar for support.
Really should’ve thought about this before running in…
I look up as four men walk out. Big guys, wearing jackets and jeans. A quick assessment tells me they’re all different nationalities, so I can only assume they’re associates of the three recently deceased men who came to see me the other night.
Styx is barking wildly, and I hold my hand up to him, signaling for him to stand down.
“It’s alright, boy,” I say, before looking at the men in front of me. I take a few paces back, moving into the open space of the bar. They fan out around me. Upstairs, I hear another scream, and I clench my jaw muscles, fighting to contain the anger building inside me.
“Whatever you’re after, just take it and go,” I say to no one in particular. “Just leave the woman out of it.”
None of them makes a move; they just smile and stand their ground.
I reckon I can take them — they don’t have any weapons that I can see. I just need to get to Tori.
Three more men appear in the doorway from the back and stride purposefully toward me. The last one in has Tori with him. He’s standing behind her with his hand over her mouth. She’s wearing a thin T-shirt and her panties. The bastards must have dragged her out of bed as she slept.
My heart rate’s increasing, and I’m finding it very hard to focus on anything other than my anger. It feels like a volcano bubbling away inside of me, waiting to erupt and spew violence across the land. I look over at her. Her eyes are wide with shock, and I see the fear as she struggles to stop herself crying.
“Tori, are you okay?” I ask. “Have they hurt you?”
She doesn’t react — it looks like the guy’s got a strong grip on her, holding her still. The new arrivals join the semi-circle of men in front of me. The guy with Tori stands in the center. He’s an average looking guy, just under six feet tall, probably weighs around two-ten, maybe two-fifteen. He has a Mediterranean look about him, possibly Turkish, I’m not sure.
He’s the one who speaks.
“I’m sorry it’s come to this, Adrian,” he says. “But you should have taken the first offer we made you.”
I look along the line, left to right. A real mixed bag of bad guys. Whoever this supposed terrorist network is, they aren’t too picky about who works for them. In fact, the only criterion for employment seems to be that you have to be a known badass. Or at least think you are, judging by these guys.
Styx is by my side, his fur raised and teeth bared. He’s not going to attack until I tell him to, but he’s ready.
“Like I told your friends the other night, I’m not interested in any job offers. I run this bar, and have no intention of doing otherwise. I didn’t kill your friends, but I am gonna kill you if you don’t let her go and leave here right now.”
The line of assholes start laughing, not taking me seriously.
I’m very out of practice. Problem is, I don’t want to get back in the swing of things in front of Tori… she doesn’t need to know what I’m capable of. But I can’t see any other way out of this.
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit…
Think, Adrian—think!
I take a few deeps breaths and look at the line again. This time, I’m looking professionally. I try to forget about Tori for a moment and focus on what I’m good at.
They all look capable, which is a concern, but not a big one. At the end of the day, if you push me, I’ll push back. I might not have an Inner Satan anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be Adrian Hell, even if I no longer live his life.