Double Cross #3
Xander yanked the knife free, spun Joel around, and slammed one cuffed hand onto the cold granite counter, fingers spread. Without hesitation, he pinned his hand and neatly severed Joel’s pinky.
Joel’s eyes flew wide as the pain hit. His scream was cut off as Xander clamped a hand over his mouth. Joel writhed, dancing helplessly as Xander leaned close and whispered in his ear.
“Lots more to go, Joel. Let’s say that one was for bringing my daughter into your shit. Then there’s Doug, Teuila, Captain Charlie, David, Pete, Jorgen, and the co-pilot.” Xander’s voice dropped. “You could have diverted us to Niue, you asshole.”
Joel tried to fight as Xander readied his knife to slice another digit.
“Address. Where you’re taking her. Now!”
Xander released his grip, and Joel blurted out the studio’s address.
“Good boy.” Xander stared directly into Joel’s bulging eyes. “Guess what? You’re coming with me. She gets hurt? I’ll start your sex-change operation inch by inch. I fucking promise.”
He spun Joel around and punched him hard just behind the ear, dropping him in a heap.
Xander grabbed a hand towel and wrapped it around Joel’s bleeding, cuffed hands, then shoved a washcloth into his mouth.
Dragging him to the bedroom door, he let him drop, reached into his pocket, and pulled out one of the flashbang grenades he’d lifted from Simo’s trunk.
He yanked the pin and kept the lever tight. He cracked the door, checked the hallway, then grabbed Joel by the back of his shirt and began hauling him down the stairs, slow and quiet.
As they neared the kitchen, raised voices echoed: angry and overlapping. Xander peeked around the corner and met Simo’s eyes across the room. Alabama’s back was to him, another man beside him, three more spread through the kitchen, guns trained on Simo and his people.
Simo gave a barely perceptible shake of his head.
Xander shrugged, lifted the hand holding the grenade, and lobbed it behind Joel’s men.
He ducked back and clapped his hands over his ears.
The flash and concussive boom ripped through the house. Shouts turned into screams. Xander judged the noise as not being loud enough, pulled the second flashbang, yanked the pin, and tossed it in.
The second blast sent bodies crashing to the floor, men writhing and clutching their ears.
Better.
Xander grabbed Joel and dragged him through the chaos and out into the garage.
Through the passenger window of Simo’s Challenger, he spotted the key in the ignition. He dumped Joel onto the concrete, yanked open the door, and began shoving him into the front seat.
As he buckled him in, the hair on the back of his neck prickled.
Xander dropped to one knee as a rifle butt smashed through empty air and slammed into the roof where his head had been a heartbeat earlier.
From the crouch, he snapped out a sidekick, his heel crashing into the attacker’s knee. It buckled sideways with a sickening pop. The man screamed.
Xander surged up as the rifle barrel swung toward him. He grabbed it, forced it up toward the ceiling, and kicked the ruined knee again. The man collapsed, howling, his leg bent all wrong.
Xander ripped the rifle free and stared down at the hard, crewcut man writhing on the floor.
“Fuck you, you cocksucker!” the man spat.
Xander answered by reversing the weapon and smashing the butt into his skull. The man dropped, lights out.
Xander spun. Joel was awake now, staring wide-eyed from the passenger seat.
Xander slammed the door shut, ran around the car, tossed the rifle into the backseat, hit the garage opener, and fired up the engine.
The Hellcat Challenger burst onto the street. Once through the gate, Xander pulled over long enough to punch the address into the GPS. When the map popped up, he floored it toward San Fernando.
Dusk’s coming, he thought grimly.
His earpiece crackled. Gunnar’s voice cut through. “Xan, do you copy?”
Xander tapped once.
“Xan, listen carefully. Halo will be fine. Joel’s hitters’ weapons were all blanks. Do you copy?”
“Are you serious?” Xander shouted. “I copy. I’m still making damn sure she’s ok. Do you copy?”
“Copy. Ari wants to know what you plan to do with Joel. He says he fulfilled his part of the deal and apologizes deeply about Athena. Do you copy?”
“Roger. I’ll let Ari know where Joel can be found when I’m done with him.”
“Xan, our comms were compromised. Everything hit at once. You understand?”
“Yeah. Whatever.”
Xander kept his eyes on the road. Joel rocked back and forth in pain. Xander resisted the urge to smash his face in.
Joel managed to spit out the gag. “Fuck! FUCK! My finger! You cut my finger off, you dick!”
“Dick?” Xander said lightly. “Sure. I’ll cut that off, too. Why the hell not?”
He reached for his knife. Joel slammed himself against the door, cowering.
“You better start praying Halo’s ok,” Xander said coldly. “That’s all I’ve got to say.”
He returned his focus to the road.
“If you take the 118 exit, it’ll be faster…” Joel muttered.
“You better be right.” Xander swerved across lanes and hit the on-ramp. “Joel, I’m done threatening. I’ll ask once. Where is Elara Swan?”
“I don’t know who the fuck that is! Why do you people keep asking?” Joel snarled.
“She’s the girl you were seen with, along with Johnny Stone, leaving a club called Aurae or something.”
Joel’s eyes went wide. “Elara… that was her name? Oh fuck. Johnny talked, didn’t he?”
“How would I know?” Xander shot back. “But you know who she’s related to.”
“Who? Halo? I don’t fucking know!”
“No. Elara Swan.”
“How the fuck should I know! It was an accident!”
“Annabeth Swan ring a bell?”
Joel went pale. His mouth worked, no sound coming out.
“Ari’s niece,” Xander continued. “Ari was responsible for her safety. He’s furious. That’s why you’re in this mess.”
Joel slammed his head against the glass, then the headrest. “I am so fucking dead.”
“Well—no.” Xander shot Joel a death grin. “Here’s the funny part. I want you dead. Ari wants you alive. We had a chat about you.”
“Fuck! You don’t understand! Ari’s tied to Sugar Man. That fucker will laugh while he skins me alive! Just kill me!”
“Oh, this gets better,” Xander said calmly. “I already met Sugar Man.”
Joel stared. “Bullshit.”
“Had my knife at his throat. He threatened Halo. Turned out to be a misunderstanding.” Xander chuckled. “He works for Ari Ascher.”
The possibility of the truth hit. Tears rolled down Joel’s face.
“No lie.”
“Oh fuck… Xander, you—you owe me!”
Xander shot him a look. “For what? You kidnapped Halo. You dragged my daughter into this, wanted to fucking sell her to God knows who!”
“NO! I was just lying to get Halo to comply! If—if it wasn’t for me, you’d never have gotten Halo! There’s a hundred grand in a suitcase there, take it and let me go!”
Xander shook his head. “Be a man for once. I turned down a million to walk away from you.”
Joel stared. “No fucking way.”
“Ask Ari.”
“Hurry! Foothills exit!”
“Where is Elara?”
“If I tell you, I’m dead.”
“You already are.” Xander smiled thinly. “Halo made another copy of her video. Tell me where Elara is, and you get it.”
“You’ve got more than one copy by now. I’m not fucking stupid!”
“Worth a try.” Xander showed him the memory stick, then stuffed the Snakes on a Plane drive into Joel’s pocket. “Poetic, huh?”
“Now, where is Elara Swan?” Xander pulled the knife fully free, holding it low and ready.
“Fine!” Joel sobbed. “Topanga Canyon Road… I dumped her there!” Joel muttered. “It was a fucking accident.”
Xander nodded, disgust plain on his face.
“The studio’s right here,” Joel whimpered, pointing. “Oh fuck… I see the car. We’re too late…”