Chapter 2

Jessica couldn't sleep. The thought of that injured man in the derelict house was just too much for her.

She gently closed her back door and set off with a satchel under her arm just as the first fiery streaks of sunlight crept over the quite suburban street.

Her heart was full with dread as she walked along. If her parents found out she surely wouldn't be getting that car for her birthday next month. Why did these things always seem to happen to her.

The street was deserted save for one man walking hurriedly in the opposite direction. He was handsome, any other day she would have given him a second glance but she definitely had other more pressing matters on her mind.

He was still there where they had left him, but he was now awake. He looked at her through dazed, unfocused eyes.

"Don't look at me?" she snapped.

After a moment she went to her bag and pulled out a handkerchief. He winced in pain as she took the handkerchief and covered his eyes tying a knot at the back.

She went to her bag again and took out a length of rope. She put his wrists together and began tying him up. He wasn't going to like what was coming next and she didn't want him lashing out at her.

"Please, do you have water," he asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Be quiet," she hissed. "You need to be somewhere where you're not seen. Children come to play here sometimes."

She turned frightened eyes on the entrance as if she would see them there now.

Lee grimaced as she took hold of his legs. "Please, don't."

But she dragged him across the floor by his legs even if one of them was broken. With strength born of desperation she dragged him past the staircase to a little door at the side.

She opened the door wide and carefully she sat him up and pushed him through. She then let him tumble down the stone steps to the basement. He lay on the bottom step biting his lower lip against the searing, stabbing pain shooting up from his leg.

"Leave me," he cried out hoarsely as she took hold again.

"I'm going to make you more comfortable now," she told him.

She put hands under his arms and dragged him to a far corner. Once there she took hold of his shirt and pulled him sitting upright. Sweat glistened on his face and neck as he struggled against the pain.

Never show the enemy that they have you on the ropes. Don't give them that satisfaction. He told himself.

He struggled to control his breathing as the pain began to ease to a more manageable level.

"I suppose it's pointless to ask how long you intend to keep me here," he asked.

"I don't know, you'll be found soon enough I expect. I don't know," she shrugged.

"That was a cryptic answer," Lee's voice was beginning to slur.

He was expecting the boys in any minute. The welcoming committee. Broken bones mean nothing to trained thugs, they take pleasure in twisting broken arms and making you cry out. Lee wished above anything that this ninny would push off so he could mentally prepare himself for it.

"Right I'm going to go. At least it's cooler down here. That's why I brought you down here, so that you'd be more comfortable." She told him.

"I'm not a bad person, you followed us and fell through the roof. That's hardly my fault. You shouldn't have followed us."

He hadn't a clue of what she was talking about.

"I'm going to go. Don't look at me, look the other way."

She put a hand to his cheek and put him facing away from her, then she removed the blindfold.

"I probably won't be back," she said as she got up from the dusty ground.

"You'll be fine here, someone will find you eventually I'm sure."

She went to leave but turned and saw that he was looking straight at her.

"Stop looking at me," she yelled.

He cowered a little as she approached but she only kicked dust up in his direction.

"I told you not to look at me."

Lee looked instead at his tied hands.

"That's better. I don't want to have to put the blindfold back on. That wouldn't be fair."

He nodded compliance.

"Right well good bye then," she turned on her heel and walked back up the steps. She closed the door after her frowning as there was no key in the lock. After a moment she found a pile of discarded planks of timber. She propped them up against the door to shield its existence.

She walked back home then breathing a little easier. There was nothing on the local news about a missing man, perhaps he has no family. No one to miss him. It was only when she got back to her room did she realize her mistake. He was supposed to be a drunk who wandered in there and had a nasty accident. That wasn't a workable story if his hands were tied and the door is concealed behind planks of wood. She pulled a face at her own stupidity.

Charlotte lifted her tossed head from the pillow.

"You went to see him, didn't you. Is he ok?"

"He was gone."

"He was gone?" Charlotte sat up.

"Yeah there were footprints leading to the doorway,"

Charlotte smiled in relief. "He can't be too badly off if he's able to walk."

"That's what I thought," Jessica said as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror and ran a hand through her hair.

~o~

Amanda was frustrated and more than a little irritable. She had been scouring the surrounding neighborhood all night and had turned up exactly nothing. She had been organizing a more extensive search when she got the call to return to headquarters. Why Billy wanted to see her in person she couldn't fathom. Couldn't it be said over the phone.

Billy turned from the window as the young woman entered.

"What news Amanda?"

"Nothing sir. We've gone door to door, searched every out house and garden. Nothing,"

Amanda ran a hand through her mass of tangled hair. Now she was sitting down for the first time today exhaustion was beginning to take hold.

"We will have to dismiss your theory that he is somewhere in the surrounding area Amanda. His communicator may have been lost in a scuffle. You haven't recovered it have you?"

"No sir, and it's still giving off a feint signal. It's still somewhere in this immediate vicinity."

"Nevertheless we will need to move the search further a field. The idea of members of The Hazel gang holding up in one of these surrounding terraced houses is somewhat ludicrous."

"Yes sir," Amanda nodded.

Billy gave her a long look.

"Grimes and Bakerfield have taken over for today that will give you ample opportunity to go home and consider possible scenarios. Be thinking about who could possibly hold a grudge against Mr Stetson. There were three men on lookout yesterday afternoon. He was the only one targeted, why."

"But sir I'd do much better..."

"I am not accustomed to my orders being questioned Mrs King. You are to go home and report back here first thing tomorrow morning."

"There was a club on the east side..."

"Amanda I shall have a call put through to your house in less than an hour. I will expect you to be there,"

Amanda said nothing but looked as though there was a storm raging behind her dark eyes. Billy went to her and put a hand to her shoulder.

"Rest Amanda, you can visit that club tomorrow. You're no good to anyone when you've been on your feet for as long as you have.

The young agent nodded, letting out a shaky breath. She had to agree with her boss but doubted very much she would get much sleep.

~o~

With one leg he managed to slide himself up the stone wall. He stood for a moment trying to breathe through the pain. Once he felt he was steady he dragged his leg after him, using the wall to keep himself upright. He had managed to untie his hands biting on the knot with his teeth. He soon learnt that his wrist was also broken.

He leaned in the far corner and struggled with his pants but eventually he managed to go. He wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of soiling himself regardless of how painful and awkward it was. The relief of that was wonderful. He had been holding it forever. He turned to head back but lost balance on his one leg and landed with a smack on the stone floor. He lay trembling as fresh waves of pain washed over him. He tried to raise himself but darkness clouded in like a shroud and he slumped to unconsciousness.