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“Drive, Tommy,” Finnegan shouted, already turning in the front seat as Issac struggled with the two men in the back. “Ah no ya don’t,” he snapped as Issac’s pocket meowed cheerfully and the two pried at each other’s hands until the device was ripped free. Cold rushing air filled the car for a moment. “Put ‘im out, dammit! Can no one do ting’s right tonight?”
“He’s wriggly,” the man at Issac’s feet said as a cloth that reeked of chemicals burned against Issac’s mouth and nose.
Issac kept fighting, kept trying to get away until the world went dark.
* * *
“Dimitri,” Adrian shouted, grabbing hold of his arms and shaking him. “Focus, bratiska. Are you hit?”
Dimitri blinked at his brother, his ears still ringing from gunshots, and- He grabbed hold of Adrian’s elbows. “They have Issac,” he said desperately. “They grabbed Issac!”
“Da, you said that,” Adrian said, his jaw tightening as he pushed Dimitri back against cold, solid wall. “But who is they?”
“I-I don’t,” Dimitri said, hearing something fall to the ground and looking down at the cracked screen of his phone. When had that gotten out of his pocket?
“Move, Volkov,” a second voice, familiar and immediately annoying, snapped.
“He’s in shock, Kot,” Adrian said, looking to one side.
“We don’t have time for him to be in shock,” the Cat snapped as Dimitri looked around. He had thought he had seen the Cat look murderous outside the library after he and Issac had their fight. He was wrong. This was far worse. “Move or I will move you.”
“Just-” Adrian started then sighed, slowly letting Dimitri go. “Just be gentle.”
Whatever the Cat thought gentle meant it wasn’t the same as what Dimitri thought it was. Powerful fingers grabbed hold of his jaw and pushed him back into the wall, forcing the two of them to lock eyes. “Who took Issac?”
“I don’t- oy,” he winced as the Cat forced his head into the unyielding concrete.
“We don’t have time for you not to know,” the Cat growled, holding his hand towards Adrian when his brother stepped forward. “These men have broken the off limits order by firing shots at you. They have poached in the Russian Ring and took someone under the protection of both the Family and the Organization. They have thrown out his phone. If you do not start remembering details, Issac is dead. There is nothing that is going to keep him alive if we don’t find him immediately. Do you understand me?”
Someone whimpered and Dimitri realized that it was him. He swallowed, hard, and nodded.
“Close your eyes,” he ordered and repeated when Dimitri hesitated. “Close. Them.”
He did.
“Now,” the Cat said, nothing but a voice and a vice grip on Dimitri’s jaw, “you are walking towards the gym. Why?”
“Issac went down to it to get something he left in there before it got thrown away,” Dimitri said, his voice quivering. “I was going to meet him so I could have more time to talk to him about what happened on Saturday to freak the two of you out.”
“Good boy,” the voice praised. “Tell me what you see as you get closer.”
“Issac-”
“No,” Cat said, his fingers tightening. “Before that. You can see the gym but you don’t see or hear Issac yet. What do you see?”
“I-it’s dark,” Dimitri stammered, “really dark. I thought there was a light outside the gym locker rooms but- but I think I can see a car idling next to the door even though its lights are off. I can hear it. I can smell the exhaust; it’s burning oil.”
“God bless a mechanic’s little brother,” Cat muttered. “Then what?”
“Light, from the locker room,” Dimitri said, his breathing coming a little faster. “Someone opened the door. I thought it was going to be Issac but they’re too tall and too many. One- One held the door while two others carried something. Issac shouted to let him go-” he swallowed, squeezing his eyes tighter. “Something is wrong with his voice. I don’t know what but it scared me. He’s never sounded like that before. I ran to get to him when the first figure raised his arm. I think I heard Issac shout and the figure jerked. I heard a gunshot and I ducked behind a wall. I don’t-”
“Stop,” Cat ordered, tightening his fingers again. “You’ve heard Issac. But we need to know about the other men. You said that the one who aimed at you jerked. Did he say anything?”
“I-I think he did,” Dimitri said uncertainly. “The shot hurt my ears and he fired a few more I think but… Yes, he swore at me.”
“What did he say? The exact words.”
“Fucking- Fucking Russians? No… He said it wrong.”
