Chapter 22 -- All We Like Sheep
A/N: PG-13 for language and implied violence.
Oh I miss your kiss
When you are gone
I was young and foolish
Didn't know what I was doing
Didn't know I'd lost you
'Til you were gone
Oh I miss your loving
When you are gone
Robert Palmer - Early In The Morning
Chapter 22 -- All We Like Sheep
Mara stood by the window of the abandoned apartment watching the sky darken towards evening. The sky itself was a hazy deep pink, but the delimiter of the night could be seen to the east, where the pink faded into a deeper blue.
She had spent most of the day pacing. She had stopped only to force herself to eat the fast food that The Assassin's henchmen had delivered for her. Her nerves made her feel like vomiting, but she wasn't going to turn down what might be her last meal.
Now, she found herself by the window. The colors she saw were blurring together as her eyes swam with tears yet again. She was starting to get angry again. Angry at the situation, angry at Rafe, angry that she kept crying. Surely she had shed enough tears for several years' worth in the past few days. Anger felt better than bleak despair.
She whirled away from the window when she heard the door unlocking. She saw one of the guards hurl Rafe into the room, where he landed on all fours, his head drooping.
Frozen by their actions, she looked away from him when The Assassin snarled at her, "Why don't you two put your heads together and figure out where Giancarlo is. Mr. Moretti certainly doesn't seem to be able to figure out himself." And with that, he slammed the door, blocking out the light that had shone in from the hallway.
The slamming of the door galvanized Mara into action. "Rafe," she said desperately as she ran over to where he was slowly dragging himself up off the ground. She helped him stand and gasped when she saw his face, any anger she might have felt disappearing instantly.
He was now sporting two black eyes, the second one courtesy of what appeared to be a broken nose. She winced in sympathy. "Rafe?" she asked.
"Shit." he muttered indistinctly and spat. Mara jerked away a little at his angry profanity and action, but then put one of his arms over her shoulder and herded him into the bathroom. She sat him on the toilet lid again, and turned around to switch on the light.
Steeling herself, she turned around to face Rafe, concerned that the damage she would find would be worse than what she had seen in the twilight. His head was drooping again and he seemed to be holding himself upright by force of will.
Rafe's research and subsequent meeting with Don Lombardo had evidently not gone well to put it mildly. His eyes and nose looked like one big bruise.
Mara coaxed Rafe around so that he was sitting forward on the toilet. She got him to sit back further, so he could rest against the tank. Tipping his head back, she applied a wet, cold washcloth over his eyes and nose. He flinched slightly, but settled back again.
"Rafe, I'm sorry I can't do anything about your poor nose right now, I haven't the foggiest how to reset a broken nose and..."
"Dote dewspaper editors doe everything?" he challenged halfheartedly his swollen nose blurring his speech.
"No, afraid not. Don't try to talk, just sit there. Here, sit up for a sec." She caught the wash cloth as it fell off his face. "Take these," she handed him four ibuprofen tablets and then put a cup of water to his lips.
He reached up and took the cup from her in a sudden motion, "I cad drik by byself" he grumbled.
"Okay, sorry, sorry."
"Dad it, you're apologizig agaid. Stop it."
Mara stood in silence watching him drink the water.
"Ad quit hoverig," he snarled a bit more loudly.
What the hell was the matter with him? She knew he was in pain, but this angry grouchiness was something she had never experienced from him. "Okay." she said, then more firmly. "Okay. I'll quit hovering, but you tip your head back and I'll put the washcloth back on your face. Hopefully the ibuprofen will bring some of the swelling down."
She rewet the washcloth and placed it over his eyes and nose. Stepping back, she wiped a stray tear from her eye and was starting to get angry again at herself for being...such a wet dishrag. She quietly stepped out of the bathroom, and closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar and went back to the window to stare into the night.
------------------
Kevin Kuntzler and the Deputy Superintendent of the CPD's Bureau of Investigative Services were seated in the First District office for the Organized Crime Division. They were listening to the speaker phone, where the voice of a policeman was giving them a report on what was happening.
An all-points bulletin had gone out on the Lincoln's license plates. A policeman in an unmarked car had spotted it and successfully followed it first to the building where Don Lombardo's offices were located. Another unmarked car followed it to the abandoned apartment building. There was now a third unmarked car about a block away, with detectives monitoring the building.
Day was fading into night. Kevin was exhausted by the events of the day. He rubbed his face with one hand and twiddled a pencil on the arm of the with the other.
The Deputy Superintendent took a long look at him. "Mr. Kuntzler, you should go home now. We're watching the situation. I don't know what's going on in there, but there's a van on its way that's equipped with a parabolic microphone. They'll try and listen in and see if there's any way we can move in with a team. We know for sure that Mr. Moretti is in there. As for Ms. Pitts, there's been no sightings of her, but she may very well be being held somewhere by Don Lombardo's outfit. It's just a matter of time."
"Yeah, I'd better get home, I'm sure Lara's climbing the walls."
"Please give your wife my regards. She's been very helpful in raising money to build that Girls Club on the North Side. It's given a lot of latchkey girls a safe place to go after school."
"I will. Thank you again, sir."
Kevin walked down to the District's parking garage and retrieved his car. He unlocked the door and got in, sitting in his car for long minutes before he could find the energy to put the key in the ignition.
He rubbed his eyes and started the car. No use air-dreaming here. He was sure that Lara was frantic. He was very anxious himself. Two of their friends were possibly in mortal danger and, even with the news world at his fingertips, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Twenty minutes later he pulled into the parking garage beneath his apartment building. He had been glad to find that it was just after rush hour and the drive north on Lake Shore Drive had been fairly hassle free.
Kevin found his wife in the apartment, unconsciously echoing Mara's pacing. She heard and saw Kevin come in and enveloped him in a bone cracking hug.
"God, Kevin, I don't want to sound selfish and they are my friends, too, but... I'm so damn glad it's not you that's been kidnapped."
He tipped Lara's face up and looked in her eyes for a long moment, cherishing her. Their lips met in a desperate kiss.
For long moments they stood there, cradling and comforting each other. Kevin broke the kiss off and led his wife over to the sofa, where they both sat down.
She broke the silence first. "What did the police tell you?"
"They managed to tail the car Rafe left in from the office. Apparently, they were up in Don Lombardo's impenetrable hive of offices for a couple of hours. I guess the security there is crazy since the last time the police tried to nail the Don. They left with Rafe, looking rather worse for wear..."
Lara interrupted, "What did they do to him?"
"The plainclothesman said it looked like they had been using him as punching bag. I just wish I knew what the hell Don Carlo wanted out of Rafe." Kevin took Lara's hand and held it, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, trying to give some cold comfort.
"So where did they go after the oh so charming visit with the Don?"
"They drove south and have been holed up in an abandoned apartment building that's scheduled for demolition in about three months. When I left the PD, the Deputy Superintendent advised me that they were going to try and eavesdrop on the building with a parabolic mike. So far as they know there isn't anyone else in the building. So if they can hear them, they can figure out what floor they're on. So far there haven't been any lights on in any of the apartments, so they haven't been able to tell."
"So what happens now?"
"We wait, Lara. We fucking sit and wait. And hope neither of them is killed."
Oh I miss your kiss
When you are gone
I was young and foolish
Didn't know what I was doing
Didn't know I'd lost you
'Til you were gone
Oh I miss your loving
When you are gone
Robert Palmer - Early In The Morning
Chapter 22 -- All We Like Sheep
Mara stood by the window of the abandoned apartment watching the sky darken towards evening. The sky itself was a hazy deep pink, but the delimiter of the night could be seen to the east, where the pink faded into a deeper blue.
She had spent most of the day pacing. She had stopped only to force herself to eat the fast food that The Assassin's henchmen had delivered for her. Her nerves made her feel like vomiting, but she wasn't going to turn down what might be her last meal.
Now, she found herself by the window. The colors she saw were blurring together as her eyes swam with tears yet again. She was starting to get angry again. Angry at the situation, angry at Rafe, angry that she kept crying. Surely she had shed enough tears for several years' worth in the past few days. Anger felt better than bleak despair.
She whirled away from the window when she heard the door unlocking. She saw one of the guards hurl Rafe into the room, where he landed on all fours, his head drooping.
Frozen by their actions, she looked away from him when The Assassin snarled at her, "Why don't you two put your heads together and figure out where Giancarlo is. Mr. Moretti certainly doesn't seem to be able to figure out himself." And with that, he slammed the door, blocking out the light that had shone in from the hallway.
The slamming of the door galvanized Mara into action. "Rafe," she said desperately as she ran over to where he was slowly dragging himself up off the ground. She helped him stand and gasped when she saw his face, any anger she might have felt disappearing instantly.
He was now sporting two black eyes, the second one courtesy of what appeared to be a broken nose. She winced in sympathy. "Rafe?" she asked.
"Shit." he muttered indistinctly and spat. Mara jerked away a little at his angry profanity and action, but then put one of his arms over her shoulder and herded him into the bathroom. She sat him on the toilet lid again, and turned around to switch on the light.
Steeling herself, she turned around to face Rafe, concerned that the damage she would find would be worse than what she had seen in the twilight. His head was drooping again and he seemed to be holding himself upright by force of will.
Rafe's research and subsequent meeting with Don Lombardo had evidently not gone well to put it mildly. His eyes and nose looked like one big bruise.
Mara coaxed Rafe around so that he was sitting forward on the toilet. She got him to sit back further, so he could rest against the tank. Tipping his head back, she applied a wet, cold washcloth over his eyes and nose. He flinched slightly, but settled back again.
"Rafe, I'm sorry I can't do anything about your poor nose right now, I haven't the foggiest how to reset a broken nose and..."
"Dote dewspaper editors doe everything?" he challenged halfheartedly his swollen nose blurring his speech.
"No, afraid not. Don't try to talk, just sit there. Here, sit up for a sec." She caught the wash cloth as it fell off his face. "Take these," she handed him four ibuprofen tablets and then put a cup of water to his lips.
He reached up and took the cup from her in a sudden motion, "I cad drik by byself" he grumbled.
"Okay, sorry, sorry."
"Dad it, you're apologizig agaid. Stop it."
Mara stood in silence watching him drink the water.
"Ad quit hoverig," he snarled a bit more loudly.
What the hell was the matter with him? She knew he was in pain, but this angry grouchiness was something she had never experienced from him. "Okay." she said, then more firmly. "Okay. I'll quit hovering, but you tip your head back and I'll put the washcloth back on your face. Hopefully the ibuprofen will bring some of the swelling down."
She rewet the washcloth and placed it over his eyes and nose. Stepping back, she wiped a stray tear from her eye and was starting to get angry again at herself for being...such a wet dishrag. She quietly stepped out of the bathroom, and closed the door, leaving it slightly ajar and went back to the window to stare into the night.
------------------
Kevin Kuntzler and the Deputy Superintendent of the CPD's Bureau of Investigative Services were seated in the First District office for the Organized Crime Division. They were listening to the speaker phone, where the voice of a policeman was giving them a report on what was happening.
An all-points bulletin had gone out on the Lincoln's license plates. A policeman in an unmarked car had spotted it and successfully followed it first to the building where Don Lombardo's offices were located. Another unmarked car followed it to the abandoned apartment building. There was now a third unmarked car about a block away, with detectives monitoring the building.
Day was fading into night. Kevin was exhausted by the events of the day. He rubbed his face with one hand and twiddled a pencil on the arm of the with the other.
The Deputy Superintendent took a long look at him. "Mr. Kuntzler, you should go home now. We're watching the situation. I don't know what's going on in there, but there's a van on its way that's equipped with a parabolic microphone. They'll try and listen in and see if there's any way we can move in with a team. We know for sure that Mr. Moretti is in there. As for Ms. Pitts, there's been no sightings of her, but she may very well be being held somewhere by Don Lombardo's outfit. It's just a matter of time."
"Yeah, I'd better get home, I'm sure Lara's climbing the walls."
"Please give your wife my regards. She's been very helpful in raising money to build that Girls Club on the North Side. It's given a lot of latchkey girls a safe place to go after school."
"I will. Thank you again, sir."
Kevin walked down to the District's parking garage and retrieved his car. He unlocked the door and got in, sitting in his car for long minutes before he could find the energy to put the key in the ignition.
He rubbed his eyes and started the car. No use air-dreaming here. He was sure that Lara was frantic. He was very anxious himself. Two of their friends were possibly in mortal danger and, even with the news world at his fingertips, there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Twenty minutes later he pulled into the parking garage beneath his apartment building. He had been glad to find that it was just after rush hour and the drive north on Lake Shore Drive had been fairly hassle free.
Kevin found his wife in the apartment, unconsciously echoing Mara's pacing. She heard and saw Kevin come in and enveloped him in a bone cracking hug.
"God, Kevin, I don't want to sound selfish and they are my friends, too, but... I'm so damn glad it's not you that's been kidnapped."
He tipped Lara's face up and looked in her eyes for a long moment, cherishing her. Their lips met in a desperate kiss.
For long moments they stood there, cradling and comforting each other. Kevin broke the kiss off and led his wife over to the sofa, where they both sat down.
She broke the silence first. "What did the police tell you?"
"They managed to tail the car Rafe left in from the office. Apparently, they were up in Don Lombardo's impenetrable hive of offices for a couple of hours. I guess the security there is crazy since the last time the police tried to nail the Don. They left with Rafe, looking rather worse for wear..."
Lara interrupted, "What did they do to him?"
"The plainclothesman said it looked like they had been using him as punching bag. I just wish I knew what the hell Don Carlo wanted out of Rafe." Kevin took Lara's hand and held it, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles, trying to give some cold comfort.
"So where did they go after the oh so charming visit with the Don?"
"They drove south and have been holed up in an abandoned apartment building that's scheduled for demolition in about three months. When I left the PD, the Deputy Superintendent advised me that they were going to try and eavesdrop on the building with a parabolic mike. So far as they know there isn't anyone else in the building. So if they can hear them, they can figure out what floor they're on. So far there haven't been any lights on in any of the apartments, so they haven't been able to tell."
"So what happens now?"
"We wait, Lara. We fucking sit and wait. And hope neither of them is killed."
posted by Dace @ 10:20 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home