Think Hale, think.It was dark outside. That meant they knew I was missing. Maybe they’d call the police.
I got love through the bond from my mates and I tried to breathe through the panic.
“Not letting you go until you fix it.” He shook his head.
“Fix what?” I really had no idea what was going on. I owed Clegg nothing. Why did he think he had any rights to my drug formula?
“We can’t figure out the formula. We need you to tell us what we’re missing,” the woman replied, pointing to a white board with calculations on it.
I turned to Clegg. “You have no right to steal my formula.”
Wait, the break-ins at the lab and the house…
“Oh, we didn’t steal it. I reverse engineered it. But I need a bigger sample, or your notes, because there’s a few things I can’t figure out. This is a lot more clever than I expected for a party drug,” she replied.
“You broke into the lab and my house,” I replied, it all fit together.
“Well, you wouldn’t sell me more drugs or the formula. If you’re getting out of the business, fine, but I still want to sell it,” he said. “It’s big money.”
“Why do you think you’re entitled to either? I was doing you a favor, Clegg. You came to me, remember?” Something about the way he said it didn’t sit well. Who was he selling it to and what had he promised?
I knew Clegg because he and his pack were around. He went to the Titty Tank. We bought moonshine off him for parties. It was at a kegger where he’d asked if I’d sell him large quantities of it.
Also, I knew Clegg was just part of the moonshine mafia, notthe brains.
“Why do you need it?” I was curious. “There are other drugs.”
“Not like this. Also… it has… uses and you can’t make it fast enough anyway.”
Oh. I see. Yeah, Grace wanting to get it off the market was probably a good thing.
“So, here’s how it goes. I untie you and you fix it,” Clegg proposed.
“Or what?” I looked at the white board. She’d gotten pretty far. I was impressed.
“Or you do it.” Clegg looked baffled, likewhy wouldn’t I?
“You’re only of use to me if you can solve the formula before she does.” Another man appeared, this one a little better dressed. “Or you can just sell it to me.”
And there were the brains. I needed to get out of here.
Clegg got out a knife and cut the tape. “Go fix it.”
“Um, you can’t just kidnap people–or break into their houses because you want their stuff. I sold the formula to Compass BioTek. I can’t give it to you, and if you fix it and sell it, you’re violating their copyright and they’ll come after you.” Okay, I hadn't officially sold it yet, but whatever.
Wait, I was free. I started running for the open barn door. They weren’t very smart kidnappers, were they?
“Go catch him, Clegg,” the guy shouted.
Did I have my phone? Wow, look at that. Clegg wasn’t known for his brains. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket as I ran into the darkness and called emergency.
“This is Hale Thorne, I’ve been kidnapped by Clegg Hawkins and he’s holding me in a barn, pretty sure we’re off the old highway,” I told her. Shit where did I go? Gunfire echoed too close for comfort.
“We got a call earlier about suspicious activity, sending someone now,” she replied. “Was that gunfire?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” someone said from behind me with the click of a rifle.
