Chapter Four
Bane moved quietly around the side of the building and looked up at the last room on the second floor.
This was where Drew would be. The motel was so old they still had windows that opened and this window didn’t look closed very tightly.
He decided on a different way to get inside that room.
Along that same side he found a painting ladder that went straight to the roof.
Bane looked around as he felt super suspicious about this.
He honestly could not believe the luck he was having.
He climbed slowly and carefully as he wasn’t sure just how old the ladder was or even if it would carry his weight.
When he finally reached the roof, he grasped the edge and pulled himself over the top of the roof.
He moved quietly to the very edge and peeked over the side to look down at the open window.
The curtains moved with the breeze. Bane reached into the duffle bag he’d brought and grabbed a coil of rope.
Looking around for something to anchor himself he found an old AC unit that no longer worked apparently.
He moved over the unit and tried to shake it loose but it was solidly secured to the roof.
He wrapped one end of the rope to the unit and dragged the other end to the edge of the roof.
When he saw how long the rope was, he nodded.
With the rope in one hand, he lowered himself over the edge of the roof, climbing down.
He pushed the window open all the way and carefully climbed through it.
He landed softly on his feet and paused for a moment to listen before he moved to the door.
He cracked the door open a little and paused to listen again.
In the bedroom next door, he listened for a bit but all he heard was loud snoring.
Shaking his head, Bane opened the door a little wider and slipped inside.
Then he stopped and stared at the twin queen-sized beds in the room.
On the bed closest to him a man had his eyes open widely as he stared at Bane. His hands were tied together then his arms were brought up over his head and bound to the bedframe. He had tape over his mouth.
On the other bed was another man. The whole room reeked of stale beer from the countless empty bottles scattered on the floor. The other man’s snoring was loud enough to cover any other the room carried.
Bane just shook his head and carefully crept over to the first bed. One look told him exactly who this was, despite all the bruises he wore on his face. Bane motioned with a finger over his lips to be quiet.
Drew gave him a slight nod.
Bane went over to the second bed as he grabbed the knife he had tucked in his boot. Silently, he passed the knife deeply over the snoring man’s throat. Blood spread like a stain of red over the man’s shirt. It pooled beneath his body soaking into the mattress.
Bane turned back to Drew while still holding the bloody knife. He stared at him silently then raised the blade to where the rope had been tied to the bed frame. The rope snapped in half.
Drew could lower his arms as he groaned from behind his gag.
Bane leaned in closer and asked in a whisper, “Does this room connect with the next room?”
Drew nodded then turned his head and pointed out the connecting door.
Bane helped Drew to his feet and finally untied him.
Drew ripped the tape off as soon as his hands were free and asked in a whisper, “How the hell did you get inside?”
Bane just shrugged then he shushed him again with his finger to his lips. He eased the adjoining door open and took his bag with him into that room. He set the bag down and left it. He then came back into the room where Drew waited.
Then he went to the room’s door, eased it open and peeked out. It took him a moment but he finally made out the man sitting in a chair with his head tipped to the side. Asleep on the job and that made this his fault, Bane concluded to himself.
Bane turned back to Drew and raised his finger then turned back to the guard sitting outside the room. He reached for his knife again and without thinking about it he shoved the knife into the back of his neck.
The guard didn’t even open his eyes as he slid forward off the chair and landed quietly on the floor.
Drew didn’t watch the execution but instead he sat down on the bed and quietly put his shoes on.
Bane still had the bloody knife in his hand when he walked out to the hall. They both stepped over the dead man and continued to the staircase leading down to the ground floor. They headed to the tree line.
Suddenly, a man stepped out from the darkness and raised his gun. His body then jerked around and he fell face first into the dirt.
Bane raised his gaze to see James lowering his gun with the silencer on it.
Drew stared down at the dead man then looked at both men and asked, “Just who the hell are you guys?”
Bane gave James a nod then got busy cleaning his blade as he replied, “No worries, we’re with Shay.”
James gave Drew a nod as he kept watching the hotel.
When Bane put the blade back where it belonged he looked over at Drew and asked, “Were there any other guests in the hotel that you know of?”
Drew shrugged. “A few but they were all Black Wolves. It seems that’s where they stay. They own the hotel.”
Bane looked pleased about this fact and reached inside his packet. He pulled out a remote and pointed it at the second to the last room on the second floor. He pushed the large red button on it.
Instantly, the room exploded while shooting flames out the window and black smoke began pouring out. The two rooms on either side of the middle one began spreading flames throughout the hotel. Men in other rooms were rushing outside but in the end, it looked like only three men made it.
It took the old motel only minutes to really catch on fire. Then after a few more minutes, they heard the sound of fire engines blaring a warning that they were racing toward the motel which was now burning rapidly.
Bane calmly headed deeper into the woods.
James joined him.
Drew did not intend to be left behind and he quickly caught up.
The entire night sky now glowed red as the fire burned behind them.
By the time they got back to the car, Bane turned to look at Drew and spoke quietly, “Your brother sent us to find you and bring you to where he’s staying at the moment.”
Drew just nodded then he got in the backseat and waited for them to join him.
Bane started the engine and slowly drove away.
During the ride back, James turned the radio on. He found a station he liked that had modern rock on it. Playing some song called...Young Again. He gave Bane a grin.
Bane reached over and switched it to classic rock as Aerosmith played Dream On. He gave James a smirk.
There seemed to be unspoken jokes going between them. Otherwise, the trip had no conversation at all.
When they reached the garage through the back door Drew got out and stared at the back of a mansion. He looked at Bane and James and asked, “What the hell is Shay doing in there? I didn’t know he hired people in this price range.”
Bane shrugged. “It’s an old family house really. I inherited it from my grandfather. Only I don’t work for your brother.”
Drew stared at him. “Like I asked before who the fucking hell are you?”
Bane motioned at him to go inside.
James smirked at him. “Good luck with that line of questioning if you want an answer.”
Drew just shook his head and headed toward the back door.
When they reached it, Bane moved forward and inserted the key. Turning the lock, he pushed the door open only to stop at the sounds of several weapons being cocked at the same time. “Gentlemen, we’re back and we found Drew. If you shoot at us your asses are mine.”
Now they could hear the click of the guns being uncocked.