Gage shook his head sadly, when he saw Carlos' car parked in the driveway to Biggins house. He just could not leave it be. And where did it get him? Caught, probably. As he approached the house he hoped that Carlos was still alive. It was almost as he remembered it in his nightmares. The long narrow path through the trees to the front door. The arched front door. The brick of the front porch. It was all familiar to him, and he wanted to forget it all. The only way to do that was to face the beast that lived inside.
Gage was not surprised to find the door standing open. He was even less surprised to see Taylor seated on the couch with a glass water in his hand. He slowly drew his weapon and dropped the clip. Then he tossed it into the near by chair. Biggins smiled. He had won and he knew it.
"Where is he?" Gage asked venomously.
"He's here." He set the glass down on an end table, and stood up.
"Show me." He refused to yield his ground to the larger man.
"You're tougher than when we met last." He studied Gage. The man he saw looked the same as when he last saw him, but there was something different. He was harder, though he could tell that Gage had hidden that from the people around him. He smiled at the man before him. He was the one that had caused the change in the cocky young man, and he was proud of it. "That way." He pointed to the staircase that was just around the corner from the living room.
Gage turned away from Biggins and slowly moved toward the staircase. He could feel the large man just behind him, following him up the stairs. He felt like a prisoner headed for his execution. Every step was harder than the last. More and more he became aware of what he was doing. He was committing suicide, though he would not be the one pulling the trigger. He stopped at the top of the staircase.
"Second door on the right," Taylor's voice said into his ear as tender as a summer breeze.
For a brief moment his bravado melted and he could not make himself move. He was afraid of the condition he would find Tommy in. Images of the boy dying from being beaten, being raped, or branded, filled his thoughts. Finally he was able to break through his fear and head for the second door on the right.
He firmly grasped the small porcelain knob, and gave it a twist. The door stuck slightly, but opened when Gage put his shoulder into it. His eyes scanned the room for Tommy. Nothing. There was no sign of him there. Damn it, he was so stupid. Of course Biggins would not keep Tommy there. If he were caught he would need a bargaining chip to get away.
"Where is he?" he turned quickly to face his tormenter.
"He's here." He smiled at the smaller man. "I didn't lie about that." He shoved Gage farther into the room. "Enjoy the lack of windows." He slammed the door shut and locked it.
**********************************************************************
"Let me out of here, God damn it!" Gage shouted as he pounded on the door.
This cannot be happening. Biggins had lied to him. It was a trick to get him back. Gage knew that, now. He had to find a way out of the room and to Carlos. Their only chance of getting out was together.
Gage quickly began to search the room for a way out. A loose floor board, a hole in the wall, anything that would allow him to escape.