A Necessary Evil(13)

“Nah,” Lonnie said, clearly trying to rein in his temper. “Nah, you’re right. Sorry I said anything. Let’s get to the cruiser. It’s freezing balls out here.”

Kurt studied Lonnie for a few more seconds before nodding and slapping him on the shoulder. “It’s all right, Lonnie. I know it’s frustrating. I’ll give you a pass this time. Now, run ahead and warm up the cruiser. You know it’ll take me longer to get down these damn stairs than you. No hard feelings.”

“Ten-four, Sarge.” Lonnie turned and started for the steps.

Kurt knew Lonnie had only backed down out of respect for Kurt’s seniority and for fear of being busted down for insubordination. He also knew Lonnie had meant every word he’d said. But what stuck in his craw more was the troubling knowledge that Lonnie was not totally wrong. Kurt couldn’t deny, at least to himself, that there was a small part of him that agreed with Laurel. A small part that had no choice but to acknowledge the fact that maybe Frankie was smarter, more decisive, and, frankly, better at doling out justice, just as he had been thirty years ago.

It was Addie all over again.





Chapter 7




Mollie



The man pulled a shiny silver pocket watch from his trousers and consulted it. “It’s been over twelve hours,” he said with a look that Mollie could only interpret as amusement. “I’d say your grandfather is moving heaven and earth to find you by now. Too bad he never will. At least, not until I’m ready.”

“What does that m-mean?” Mollie asked from the corner of the room. She was shivering from head to toe and wishing she’d worn a sweater instead of the thin blouse she’d picked out the day before.

“It means, my dear Mollie, I have great plans for the two of us.” He shoved the watch back into his pocket, casually walked over to Mollie, squatted before her, and lifted her chin with his finger. Mollie jerked away from his touch. The feel of his skin on hers made bile rise in the back of her throat. The man scoffed. “That’s fine. You don’t have to enjoy our time together. You just have to obey.”

“What are you going to do with me?” she asked, scooting further into the corner in a vain attempt to get away from her abductor.

The man smiled, and Mollie was instantly reminded of Heath Ledger’s character, the Joker, in The Dark Knight. “Why…telling you would ruin the surprise. And where’s the fun in that? Huh?” He stood, walked over to the bed, kicked off his boots, and sat on the edge. “Now, it’s late. I’m going to get some beauty sleep for a couple hours, and then, my dear Mollie, the fun will begin.”

His voice sent an icy shiver up her spine, and Mollie blinked hard to keep tears from streaming down her face. She’d given up all hope of convincing the man to let her go as soon as he’d told her this all centered around revenge against her pops. Whatever her grandfather had done to this man in the past was big enough and bad enough that he was willing to kidnap Mollie in order to send him a message. Someone that desperate, that driven, could not be persuaded to change their plans. There was no way she’d ever get him to see her as anything other than an implement of revenge against Pops. The only hope she clung to now was that someone would find her before the man carried out his plan, whatever it was. Mollie wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“I suggest you get some sleep too.” He lay back on the bed and tucked the pillow beneath his head. “Long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

Mollie gathered what little bit of courage she had left, shifted to her knees, and looked right at the man. “Why haven’t you done whatever it is you’re going to do already? You just said you’ve had me here for twenty-four hours. All you’ve done is sleep, read, and ask me questions about my pops. Why don’t you get it over with?”

He shot up from the bed and was in her face in a fraction of a second, so close she could smell the sweat mingling with his fading cologne. “Watch yourself, little girl. I’m in charge here, not you. Do you understand?”

Mollie whimpered as she nodded vehemently. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

The man patted her cheek lightly. “Thatta girl.” He stood straight and walked back toward the bed. He threw a glance at her over his shoulder. “Remember your place. Remember who you are. And remember why you’re here.” He climbed back into the bed, and within minutes, he was snoring carelessly.

Mollie pulled her legs up to her chest, hugged them tightly, and cried into her knees. Her situation was hopeless. This man, whoever he was, had some sort of sadistic plan for her with the sole objective of exacting revenge on Pops. She had spent the past twenty-four hours imagining all the horrible things he would do to her, but she couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t so much as laid a hand on her since they’d arrived in The Vault. In some ways, it gave her hope that he didn’t plan on physically harming her. Perhaps he only wanted to scare Pops and prove to him that he could get at him anywhere, anytime. Perhaps he would release her after Pops got the message and apologized for whatever he’d done to the man in the past.

But the more rational, realistic part of her knew it probably wouldn’t be enough just to send a message. Whatever Pops had done to him had upset him so much he was willing to stalk and kidnap his favorite granddaughter. The chances she’d be handed over safe and sound at the end of this whole ordeal were slim to none. It was much more likely he was simply biding his time and waiting for exactly the right moment to punish Pops.