Chapter Eight
Steve awoke slowly to find himself tied to a kitchen chair. A quick glance around showed that Mark and Jesse had also been restrained in the same fashion.
"Are you ok Steve," asked Mark. Steve nodded.
"Where's Amanda?" he spoke suddenly, the worry for his friend evident in his alarmed tone.
"When Jesse started yelling, I made her and CJ run out to the truck. She's safe, Steve. She drove away."
"But the weather!"
"I have a feeling she's better off," commented Jesse who was sitting across from Steve. His shoulders were slumped and Steve could just make out the shape of a dark bruise on his face. Jesse's nose and lip were bleeding. Steve gasped.
Seeing his friend's reaction, Jesse explained, "I yelled to warn everyone when you got hit. It wasn't appreciated."
"Quiet, Jesse," warned Mark, "Here she comes."
Steve's head was pounding as he wrenched against the ropes to see who 'she' was. A woman approached the prisoners. Her face was shrouded in a ski mask and her clothes were dark. She was carrying a large kitchen knife, and Steve could make out another blade under her shirt, threaded through her belt.
"Jennifer, I presume?" said Steve.
He woman laughed before replying. "Yes, I suppose that's me, your entertainment for this evening. Your woman friend seems to have made it out in that truck, so it seems time is of the essence, huh boys?" Jennifer placed her hands on Steve's shoulders and leaned into his ear. "I'm going to be needing my gun back, if you'd be so kind."
"And if I won't get it for you?"
"Well, your bloodied friend over there is as good as dead." At this the woman paused. The alarm that registered on her doomed captive's face was priceless. Chuckling, she continued, "He's seen my face, but the older gentleman . . . 'dad' I believe I heard you say? I can negotiate with his life."
"So we're all hostages?"
"Good for you Sherlock, but like I said, time is running out. I'd like that gun. I'd like to leave with all of my . . . evidence , if you will. But if you take much longer, I will kill you all."
"Why do you want the gun so badly? You can pick up another just like it on the street in an hour," said Steve.
"Let's just say my boss likes to have proof of clean work. Now, enough stalling. I'm untying you. You're going to take me to my gun." She untied one of Steve's wrists, all the while holding the knife against the back of his neck. "Slowly, now. You scare me, you die. You all die. I am deadly serious. If I don't have the gun and all my stuff, I will be terminated. It's you or me, and I'm liking my odds."
As Steve and the woman made their way out of the kitchen, Jesse turned to Mark.
"I'm going to describe as much as I can about Jennifer, so you can get her if . . . well, if things don't go my way."
"Jesse, don't bother," replied Mark. "This woman is some kind of hired gun. I think she's already killed someone, probably at the house down the street. If she won't leave behind a gun or a pack, she won't leave any of us behind. We're all in the same boat here, I'm afraid."
Jesse's head dropped and the two men sat in silence, waiting for whatever was going to happen next.
Steve awoke slowly to find himself tied to a kitchen chair. A quick glance around showed that Mark and Jesse had also been restrained in the same fashion.
"Are you ok Steve," asked Mark. Steve nodded.
"Where's Amanda?" he spoke suddenly, the worry for his friend evident in his alarmed tone.
"When Jesse started yelling, I made her and CJ run out to the truck. She's safe, Steve. She drove away."
"But the weather!"
"I have a feeling she's better off," commented Jesse who was sitting across from Steve. His shoulders were slumped and Steve could just make out the shape of a dark bruise on his face. Jesse's nose and lip were bleeding. Steve gasped.
Seeing his friend's reaction, Jesse explained, "I yelled to warn everyone when you got hit. It wasn't appreciated."
"Quiet, Jesse," warned Mark, "Here she comes."
Steve's head was pounding as he wrenched against the ropes to see who 'she' was. A woman approached the prisoners. Her face was shrouded in a ski mask and her clothes were dark. She was carrying a large kitchen knife, and Steve could make out another blade under her shirt, threaded through her belt.
"Jennifer, I presume?" said Steve.
He woman laughed before replying. "Yes, I suppose that's me, your entertainment for this evening. Your woman friend seems to have made it out in that truck, so it seems time is of the essence, huh boys?" Jennifer placed her hands on Steve's shoulders and leaned into his ear. "I'm going to be needing my gun back, if you'd be so kind."
"And if I won't get it for you?"
"Well, your bloodied friend over there is as good as dead." At this the woman paused. The alarm that registered on her doomed captive's face was priceless. Chuckling, she continued, "He's seen my face, but the older gentleman . . . 'dad' I believe I heard you say? I can negotiate with his life."
"So we're all hostages?"
"Good for you Sherlock, but like I said, time is running out. I'd like that gun. I'd like to leave with all of my . . . evidence , if you will. But if you take much longer, I will kill you all."
"Why do you want the gun so badly? You can pick up another just like it on the street in an hour," said Steve.
"Let's just say my boss likes to have proof of clean work. Now, enough stalling. I'm untying you. You're going to take me to my gun." She untied one of Steve's wrists, all the while holding the knife against the back of his neck. "Slowly, now. You scare me, you die. You all die. I am deadly serious. If I don't have the gun and all my stuff, I will be terminated. It's you or me, and I'm liking my odds."
As Steve and the woman made their way out of the kitchen, Jesse turned to Mark.
"I'm going to describe as much as I can about Jennifer, so you can get her if . . . well, if things don't go my way."
"Jesse, don't bother," replied Mark. "This woman is some kind of hired gun. I think she's already killed someone, probably at the house down the street. If she won't leave behind a gun or a pack, she won't leave any of us behind. We're all in the same boat here, I'm afraid."
Jesse's head dropped and the two men sat in silence, waiting for whatever was going to happen next.