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This place is a time capsule, evidence of lives once lived.
The overhead lights flick on, flooding the space in bright white. I squint against the sudden brightness, my eyes struggling to adjust. When they finally do, my gaze falls on a familiar face, unconscious.
“Dad!” I gasp, rushing over to him.
One look is all it takes for me to know that Lucius wasn’t kind to my father. Dad’s strapped to a chair, tied up in all manner of handcuffs, zip ties, ropes, and duct tape. Overboard, if you ask me. Lucius was probably scared shitless Dad might manage to escape and overpower him.
I remove the cloth gag from Dad’s mouth, looking him over. He’s thinner than I remember, cheeks gaunt and his beefy shoulders visibly smaller. There are dark circles underneath his eyes, crusted flecks of blood beneath his nose and staining his shirt. Bruises cover his arms, his legs, along with various cuts where his clothes don’t quite cover. Traces of debris and dust from the explosion we were caught in coat his body.
That son of a bitch didn’t even offer Dad the chance to shower.
I gently pat Dad’s cheek, trying to wake him. “Hey,” I say gently. “Hey, Dad. Wake up.”
His eyes flutter open. “Raquel?” he whispers, voice weak and thin.
“What did that bastard do to you?” God, I think I’m going to cry. This is just too cruel.
Save it for later, Rocky.
“Raquel… You came?”
“Of course I did. Come on, focus. Do you know where Lucius went?”
“No… No, I think I passed out.”
“It’s okay. It’s fine. Let me just get you out of these ropes and we can—”
“Rocky, look out!”
A big shadow looms over me. I turn just in time to see Lucius take a swing at me, metal pipe in hand. I roll out of the way just time, feeling the cold metal whip the air directly next to my head. I manage to put just enough distance between us that I’m able to get a word out.
“Stop! I have what you asked for!”
Lucius snorts, still geared and ready for a fight. We’re two animals in a cage.
“Hand it over,” he snaps.
“Let Dad go first.”
“Fat chance, Raquel. You really think I’m going to let you have the chance to pull one over on me.”
I put my hands up in surrender. “I’m not going to pull anything, I swear.” I reach into my pocket and fish out the USB, holding it up for him to see. “Look, the codes are on here, alright? They’ll give you access to Dad’s offshore accounts. That thirty million is all yours.”
“Throw it to me,” he says. He looks flighty, shaky. Clearly, he’s never held a hostage for ransom before. Maybe I can use that to my advantage?
I do as he asks, but not quite. I don’t throw the USB directly to him, but just to his left. Lucius scrambles for it, turning his back to me. I quite frankly don’t care if he wants the money, but the thing about caged animals is they’re nervous. Nervous creatures do unpredictable things, and I’d much rather deal with him now than later. I know I’m not strong or fast, but I’ve got spirit. If Gabriel were here, he’d knock Lucius flat on his ass.
So here goes nothing.
I bum rush Lucius as he bends over to pick up the USB. I kick him hard in the ass, sending him flying to the floor. I try not to shudder when I hear his teeth crack against the cement. As squeamish as the sound makes me, I can’t afford to feel sorry for him.
He’s disoriented, blood trickling from his nose and mouth. He recovers in no time at all. Lucius turns, swinging wildly at me with the metal pipe.
“Raquel!” Dad shouts, warning me. He struggles against his bindings. “His left side is open!”
I come at him with a nasty left hook, tapping into my training with Gabriel. I keep at it, swinging and kicking and leaving him no chance to recover. I don’t think I’ll be able to overpower him, but maybe I can wear him out. I’ve got him backed into a corner, tripping over his own feet. Lucius falls hard on his ass…
But he’s far from done.
