"We should call Frank," suggested Monica.
Jake immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed Frank's number. It rang a few times before he got voice mail. He closed it, obviously angry. "No answer. What if something's happened already?" he said.
"We should go and check, just in case," Alex suggested.
"Good idea," Cody agreed as they got themselves ready for the trip.
00000
Frank tried to hide the cringes of pain as Michelle gently washed away the blood.
"I've got a question for you, Donovan. Why didn't you get this checked out at a hospital? I mean, this does look pretty bad," wondered the teen as she dabbed at the wound.
Frank hesitated for moment before answering. "Because it's fine," came the reply.
Two eyes looked up at his face. He noticed her staring up at him.
"You and I are a lot alike Frank Donovan. More than I think you'd care to admit," she finally told him.
Frank was stunned by her statement. Michelle saw that the only reaction he made was though his eyes.
"Why would you think that now?" he asked. "We aren't alike at all," he replied, turning his stare away from her.
"When I was 10, I was the same gutsy lady I am now. My parents didn't like this attitude of mine at all," Michelle suddenly said.
"What has that got to do with...?" started Frank.
"Well, I was at school - believe it or not I do go - and I wanted to try something new. So I climbed to the top of the slide and I jumped off it," she continued, putting some alcohol on the wound.
Frank blinked his eyes a few times, trying to stifle a gasp of pain. She stared into his eyes again, wondering what his reaction was going to be.
"That was crazy," he mentioned.
"No more crazy than the things I'm doing these days to stay alive! Anyway, when I hit the ground, pain shot through my leg. The teachers, principal, other students, even my own parents kept trying to persuade me to go get it checked and a cast if I needed it for I had a really bad limp. I kept telling them I was fine. It wasn't until almost a week later before someone finally dragged me in to get it checked," she explained to him.
Frank didn't say a word the entire time, listening to a story similar to something he could tell.
"And it was a good thing too," she said. "My ankle was so badly broken, the doctors wondered how I was able to walk on it for so long. I had to have a cast on it for two months after that little stunt," she said, as she finished wiping the blood from Frank's wound.
"You seem to know this well," he told her, impressed at her first aid skill.
"When you're out on the street as much as I am, you sometimes learn a few tricks besides street smarts," she told him. "I've learned how to treat my wounds over the past two years."
Frank stared at her after the statement with curious eyes. "Two years?" he repeated.
She nodded, with a sigh. "That's how long I've been staying with Amelia. With anyone like her, you'd want to have some sort of medical knowledge."
Although he didn't show it, Frank was amazed by this new information.
00000
Jospeh continued to gaze at the building, the package still underneath his arm. "It's such a sin that I have to get rid of such a pretty face and her protector," he mused, walking into the lobby of the building.
Once inside, he glanced from side to side.
"Such a pity, but I can't go to jail after what I've done. I have to kill the wench," he said with a sigh.
00000
Jake dialed Frank's number again on his way to his apartment. It rang a couple of times before someone picked up.
"Hello?" came a female voice.
"Michelle, is that you?" he said.
"Yes, it's me. What's wrong Jake?" she asked.
"Listen to me carefully. The others and I are worried about that guy that showed up at The Nest earlier tonight. I have a feeling that he may have done something or will do something. We're coming over right now to check on things," Jake told her.
"Alright, we'll be waiting. I doubt Donovan could go anywhere anyway," she said.
"Where is he right now?" wondered Jake.
"Resting on the couch. I pretty much had to drag him there but he's there," Michelle replied.
Jake raised his eyebrows at the statement. "I'll see you when we get there, okay?" he finally said.
"I hear you," came Michelle's voice before both hung up the phones.
Jake placed the phone down and put his hand back on the steering wheel. 'I hope nothing happens before we get there,' he thought.
Michelle put down the phone just as it began to ring again.
'Now that's weird. Why would they call back again so soon?' she thought as she picked up the phone once more. "Hello?"
"Why, hello young lady. Remember me?" came a menacing voice.
Michelle paled. "How'd you get this number? Even better, how'd you find us?" she demanded as she heard the familiar voice.
"I followed you here. I just want to tell you to have fun, for you won't make it out alive!" Joseph told her before hanging up the phone.
Frank opened his eyes and looked over at her. "What's wrong?" he quietly asked.
"He's here. We have to get out! He's here!" she screamed as her eyes bulged out.
She put a hand over her mouth as her eyes frantically looked around the apartment. Frank felt a feeling of horror deep within his gut; something was going to happen.
00000
Jake and the others pulled up to the apartment building. They looked into the lobby to see a familiar figure heading towards the elevator.
"We've got to get him!" cried Monica.
"You two stay here. We'll go ahead. Once it's safe, you go up and check on Frank and Michelle!" Alex told both her and Cody.
The two nodded as Alex and Jake moved closer, guns ready. They carefully walked up the stairs o Frank's level and looked down the hallways until they saw Joseph turn a corner. They followed him, only to meet up with the barrel of a gun once they turned the corner.
"I know why you're here!" Joseph told them.
"Don't do this!" Alex said.
"I know I don't have to but I will anyway. You see, I am a man who's done things that that kid has already threatened to expose two years ago. She has to die tonight," the man told them. "Now go back down those stairs and outside!"
Jake and Alex looked at each other, a silent message passing between them. They suddenly both lunged and tackled Joseph to the ground, the package flying out of his arm and landing nearby.
"Good, we finally got this guy!" Alex sighed.
"I agree totally Alex. One man causing so much trouble." agreed Jake.
Joseph started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" asked Alex.
He didn't have to answer for now they heard the ticking coming from inside the package. The two looked at each other in fear, giving Joseph the chance to escape down the stairwell. Jake ran after him as Alex pulled out her cell phone.
Frank answered the phone.
"Hello?" he said.
"Frank! Get out of the building, there's a bomb in here!" Alex told him.
"A bomb?" he repeated.
"Yes, a bomb. We have to evacuate as many people as possible!" she replied.
"Of course!" he replied before hanging up the phone. "Michelle, we have to get going!"
She obeyed and headed towards the door, but before they could get anywhere, Frank suddenly sank to his knees with a groan, grasping his stomach. Michelle hurried over to him.
"See, we told you that should've been checked!" she exclaimed.
Helping him to his feet, she lent him as much support as she could.
Soon, they were on their way out the door, hearing the sirens of the fire engines in the distance. The walk down the hall was slower than Frank liked, but his injury was proving to be worse than he thought, and they passed the bomb on the way, not realizing what the package contained.
"Come on, we have to hurry!" Michelle told him, as they neared the stairwell.
00000
Jake and Alex were outside with Monica and Cody.
"Where's Frank?" asked Monica.
"Still inside. They should be outside any time now," Jake replied.
"Some people are outside already," Cody told them. "We went in and got a few people out."
"Good," Alex said.
00000
Frank and Michelle made it to the top of the stairwell.
"We're almost there. Think we can make it out from here?" asked Michelle.
Frank nodded, but before they could go any further, the bomb decided to explode, sending debris everywhere. Michelle screamed, and Frank automatically shielded her with his body as the blast came right at them. Fire suddenly ripped through the building as the fire trucks pulled up. The four team members were shocked at the sight.
"Frank!" they all cried.
TBC...
