Mr. Dark 2 (Tamed #2)(16)

"Put him on the phone," the voice commanded.

I handed the phone to Mark, who held the phone up to his ear. "I'm here...... okay...... okay..... not going to happen. Not there, I'm not a fool. That's fine. Just me and her. Fine. Three hours. Now put her on the line, let her verify the identity."

Mark handed the phone next to me, and nodded. "Tabby is supposed to be on the line."

"Tabby?" I asked, my throat tight and my eyes starting to water. "Are you all right?"

"Oh Sophie, I'm so scared!" It was definitely Tabby. Even with all the fear choking her voice, the accent, the intonation, everything was her. "They keep saying there's some guy they are interested in or something. What the hell is going on?"

Before I could answer, the phone was taken away. "You have your proof. Three hours."

The phone went dead in my ear, and I cursed, only muffling my voice enough to make sure the preschoolers in the area didn't hear me. I handed the phone back to Mark, who shut it off and took out the battery. "We meet in three hours, at the same nightclub where you and I met. Which at least confirms who took your friend. That club is owned by a Confederation member. Don't know how many in the Confederation are in on it, but it doesn't matter, I guess. Let's get back, I need to get us ready."

* * *

Mark

The club was dark, which I expected. I wished that I could have left Sophie behind, she wasn't prepared for this, but the men on the phone had been very clear, we had to come together. It made sense. They assumed that having Sophie nearby would reduce my combat efficiency, since I would spend energy and brain power trying to defend her at the expense of killing them. They were right. It came down to how much of a decrease in my abilities Sophie would cause, and if it would make them better than me. Honestly it was an interesting conundrum, and one I would have enjoyed contemplating at any other time.

I didn't even try to hide what I was carrying, coming loaded full bore in a tactical vest, my Glocks in cross grab holsters against my ribs. I had my throwing knives in a thigh sheath on my right leg, and was as ready as I could get. Sophie on the other hand looked like she was wearing just a hooded sweatshirt, although it was different from the one she had worn earlier. She had borrowed one of mine, in order to fit the armored vest underneath. I just hoped she didn't have to use either of her two surprises she had under the shirt.

"Yo, I'm here," I called into the seemingly empty club. I knew all of the entrances and exits by heart, and immediately cut to my right, reaching for the Glock under my right arm, pulling it out and scanning. Sophie stayed right on my heels, exactly as I had asked her to do. She was quiet, her body semi-crouched as we made our way around the inside wall. Staying there had trade-offs. On one hand, I couldn't be crept up on from behind with my back to the wall. I could keep my eyes on the entire first floor of the club. However, I also couldn't see about two thirds of the upper floor, especially directly above me. Thankfully, they couldn't see us either. "Come out, it's just the two of us, like you asked."

There was motion near the VIP rooms, close to the hallway that led to the manager's office. Shaun, the manager, came out holding Tabby, along with two other men. He had his favorite pistol, a Colt 1911 in his hand by his side. "Snowman. I honestly didn't think you would do it. I mean, we all knew you'd stashed money away like my grandma used to. All those hits you made, and jobs you pulled, and you still didn't live anywhere near as good as you could have. I figured you for one, maybe two more years in the game. But I didn't think you'd go out like this. You were always too smart. I mean, it's not like you couldn't get yourself a dime bitch after you got out. Giordano wouldn't have had any problems with that, you know, after a year or two."

"So it was Sal who signed off on this?" I asked, trying to draw them out. Keeping them talking was vital to my plan. There was no way I could take them out without knowing exactly how many men Shaun had with him, or where they were located in the club. "He told me he gave me the rest of that night."

"Sal's a good judge of character, you know that. Didn't get to where he was without it. He saw in your eyes that you wouldn't take out your girl. Don't know why, either. I see better girls than her in here all the damn time."

"I'm not interested in girls, Shaun. I've always been interested in women."

Shaun laughed and stepped forward. "Come up here, man. Both of you. When you're at the bottom of the stairs, my boys will let the girl go."

"Fine. We'll come up the east side stairs. I see any of your boys anywhere near it, I start shooting. Let the girl go and she can come over to the east side as well. That cool?"

"Cool."

I nodded to Sophie, who followed me. I was proud of the fact that she hadn't said a word since we came in. There was no point in creeping up the stairs, they were open to the center of the club on all sides. Instead, Sophie and I took them at a quick but even pace, making sure my Glock in my left hand was visible, but not pointed in Shaun's direction. I wanted him aware but distracted, not fearful.

When we reached the second floor, my eyes swept the walkway, spotting two other men. Shaun was smart, he knew me. In normal circumstances, five on one would be odds I would walk away from. "All right Shaun. Let her go."

Shaun laughed like I'd just told a funny joke. "Come on, Snowman, you think I'm stupid? I know how good you are. I let this bitch go, and before I can count to ten I'm a dead man. No way. Drop your guns, and then I let her go."