Chapter 7

Chapter 15

Zack looked up at the doorway. 'Where is she?' he thought worriedly.

Max could sense his increasing apprehension and simile reassuringly, "I'm sure she's catching up with her old friend and lost track of time." she said.

Zack smiled faintly but was not comforted. Finally he got up from the table and pushed his way through the crowds of rich businessman and their female companions. He paid no heed to the disgruntled guests as he shoved roughly pass them. At last he reached the elevator only to be greeted with, "I'm sorry sir, the elevator is out of order."

Zack whirled on the polite voice; it was a short, bearded waiter. "Where are the stairs? He asked.

A look of surprise crossed the waiter's face, "Sir, we're on the 18th floor, are you sure you don't want to wait for the elevator?" he asked hesitantly.

Zack was rapidly losing what remained of his self-control, every fiber of his being was screaming to get to Cat. The waiter pointed in the direction of a dimly lit doorway. He fell back, startled, as Zack tore passed him.

Zack griped the door so tightly that it creaked on its hinges when he flung it open. He glanced around hastily to be certain that he had no witnesses, then he vaulted over the railing, landing with catlike grace on ground floor.

The X5 ran through the brightly-lit lobby onto the darkened streets. Even the streetlights seemed to mock him, casting their long shadows over the footpaths. Using his enhanced hearing Zack located the sound of a girl muttering.

Lilly looked up, startled, at the sound of pounding footsteps. She felt a pang of guilt when she saw it was Caitlin's boyfriend. Her conscience whispered that what she did was wrong. 'But,' the darker side of her mind retorted, 'we couldn't all be born with silver spoons in our mouths.'

"Where is she?" asked Zack.

Another twinge of guilt tugged at Lilly as she tried to walk pass the blond haired man. Before she had gone two steps Lilly felt a hand grip her arm. She gasped in pain as the grip tightened, she struggled half-heartily to get free, it was futile, the more she fought the more vice-like the grip became.

"Where is she?" the voice was cold and hard.

Lilly felt tears prick the back of her eyes. The cruelty of what she had done was setting in. She turned to face the waiting gaze of her captured. Zack suddenly saw the bag of bank notes. As if she was a rag doll Zack yanked Lilly and shoved her with bone shattering force into the brick wall.

"I really needed the money…some guys were asking about Caitlin. I mention that I knew her and they offered me fifty thousand dollars if I would bring her to them… I didn't know what they were going to do." It was an attempt to justify her actions not only to him but herself as well.

With the calculated calm of the killer that lay beneath, Zack applied pressure to the struggling girl's juggler. Her eyes widen with fear the beast within Zack surged.

"Who?"

"Somebody called …Lydecker" the suffocating girl gasped.

Zack froze.