29. Cat
29
CAT
I woke with a terrible headache. As I pried my eyes open, I realized I was in a warehouse of some kind. I was surrounded by large barrels with big warning logos that said Danger : Flammable Solvents on the sides. Whatever they contained must have been the reason my eyes stung and my throat burned. Despite the sting, I tried to keep my eyes open to take in my surroundings.
I was on a hard chair, my ankles tied to the two front legs, and my arms tied behind me. I heard a noise behind me and turned my head quickly to see what it was. I instantly became dizzy and closed my eyes, wincing in pain.
“Good, she’s awake,” a voice bellowed behind me, making my head hurt even worse. “ Grab the phone.”
Two men came into my line of sight. One was tall and skinny and looked high as a kite. The other was much shorter and pudgy. He had a scruffy beard and looked disheveled. Both had ugly red snake tattoos on their necks.
“Smile for the camera, darlin’,” the shorter one said as he held up his phone and snapped my picture.
I didn’t smile, which only made him laugh.
“Send that to Fletcher then wait a few minutes to call him,” a third voice said behind me. “ I want him to panic for a bit after he sees that photo before we reach out.”
“You got it, boss,” the short man who took my photo said.
Neither of these men looked familiar, but they must be part of the Cross Street Kings gang that killed my parents.
The chemicals still stung my eyes, but I forced them to stay open so I could stay alert and focus on what was happening in front of me. Maybe there was something I could use to my advantage. Perhaps I could take advantage of my blow to the head and make them think I had back fallen asleep.
“You sure we can’t play with her a little bit before we kill her, boss?” the tall one asked as he sneered at me.
“I don’t want to risk her escaping,” the boss’ deep voice said from somewhere in the distance behind me. “ Just stay on track and meet us at the safe house when you’re done.”
“So, leave her alone until we can kill her and Fletcher together?” the shorter one asked.
“Yes,” the boss responded impatiently. “ Stick with the original plan.”
Oh God . They were going to lure Vince here and kill us both.
“Now, call him,” the boss said.
I tried to turn my head to get a view of the boss, and see if I recognized him, but from where my chair was positioned he was too far back and likely behind some of the large drums.
The boss, whose voice had been relatively calm and collected up to this point, now became menacing. “ Fletcher , you took a few things of mine, so now I took something of yours.”
Vince took something of his? Maybe this wasn’t about my parents or the Cross Street Kings at all.
Now was my chance. “ Vince ! Don’t listen to him—it’s a trap!” I screamed, hoping he could hear me through the phone.
“Shut her up!” the boss ordered.
The short man came over and pressed a handkerchief over my mouth roughly—not only preventing me from talking anymore, but also making it difficult to breathe.
“Fletcher, I’m texting you the address of where your lady friend is,” the boss continued. “ Meet me there. No cops, or she dies.”
He ended the call, which prompted the man suffocating me to release his grip. I gasped for air, desperately trying to refill my lungs.
“Get everything set up,” the boss demanded. “ I’ll meet you back at the safe house when it’s done. Remember , we may have a cop helping us out by redirecting resources elsewhere to prevent help from coming to rescue her, but chances are Vince won’t be coming alone—so be careful on your way out.”
“You got it boss. See ya later,” the short one replied.
I knew I was running out of time. I needed to stall them.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “ What do you want with me?”
“Your boyfriend arrested one of our boys. This is payback for Oklahoma ,” the taller man said. “ You made the mistake of shacking up with someone who's stupid enough to trust someone who wants them dead.”
Stupid enough to trust someone? What was he talking about?
“We got somebody on the inside who feeds us everything we need to know,” he added.
“Shut the fuck up, Spade ,” the shorter one growled. At least I knew the tall one’s name now.
“What’s it matter, T ?” Spade told the short guy. “ Once Fletcher gets here, we’re gonna light this place up and lock the doors. She ain’t gonna be able to tell anybody jack shit. She’ll be dead, Fletcher will be dead, and we’ll get revenge for Oklahoma .”
Light it up? Oh God … They were going to set fire to the place with whatever is in those flammable drums.
Spade and T started to dump several of the bins with the flammable contents all around the room. While Spade continued to dump, T made his way to the back exit and locked the doors with a chain. He and Spade then made their way to the only other exit, and then left me alone.
This was my chance. I needed to get out of here. Vince was likely already on his way, and I couldn’t let him die. I didn’t want to die either.
I tried in vain to pull at the ties around my wrists. Nothing worked. I had nothing to use to get them off. The chemical smell was getting even worse since they spilled some of it out in the open. I coughed as the scent burned my nostrils, eyes, and throat.
Think.
Once Vince got here, we wouldn’t have much time. I needed to find a way out now. I looked all around the room. I began to come up with a plan so that Vince and I could get out of here alive. I just hoped it worked.