Okay - you guys have been awful quiet with the comments here lately. Let me
if it's good, bad, birdcage liner, whatever! :) I'm kind of at a crossroads
right now in deciding where I should go with this plot line... Should I end
it in a couple of chapters or keep it going? Let me know what you all
think!
Nancy was gasping for air as she pressed the down button once more. She sighed with relief when it quickly descended the four levels and the familiar dinging sound of the open doors was heard. She quickly entered the elevator and pressed the door close button. Nancy picked up the emergency red phone as she pressed the ground floor button.
"Security," came the older male voice over the line.
"Thank god!" Nancy exclaimed. "9-1-1 should've already been contacted. My friend and I were attacked on the 27th floor. She's unconscious and bleeding. She needs help."
"This is Lieutenant Lou Douglas, ma'am. I'll send some guys up to your friend. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Nancy insisted. "Amy is the one that needs help. Paul Wheeler is the man that attacked us. He chased me down the stairs to the 20th floor. He's probably on his way down the stairs now."
"Is he armed?" Officer Douglas asked.
"No, not armed that I saw. But, he is wanted for questioning in the shooting of a friend of mine," Nancy informed the officer.
"Thanks for the warning," the officer replied kindly. Nancy could hear him bark orders to the others in the background. "Hopefully we'll intercept him between here and there."
"Hold on just a second, ma'am," Lou said.
Nancy heard other male voices and she swore on of them was Frank's. She was proven correct as Frank's voice came over the line. "Nan," he said anxiously. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied soothingly. "As soon as the elevator makes it to the lobby you can see for yourself."
"Thank god," he sighed into the phone. "How's Amy?"
"Not good," Nancy admitted. "She unconscious. I didn't want to leave her, but I had to go for help."
"I know, Nan," Frank replied.
"Frank, the elevator just stopped at the lobby. I'm hanging up now," Nancy told him.
Frank replaced the receiver back on it's cradle and rushed towards the opening elevator doors. Joe stared after his brother and shook his head in amazement as he watched him envelop Nancy in a crushing hug as soon as she stepped out into the lobby.
Her face pressed against Frank's chest, Nancy inhaled his scent and savored the feeling of his strong arms. After a moment, she pulled back and let him look over her. "See? I'm fine."
Frank pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Thank goodness for small miracles," he smiled. He quickly sobered at the thought of what could have happened to her. "Nan, I don't know what I would've done if anything had happened to you."
Adrenaline coursed through Nancy's veins from both the chase and Frank's statement. "Well, you won't have to find out," she replied, breaking the spell as she saw Joe waving at her over Frank's shoulder.
"Pretty risky move you pulled there, Drew," Joe teased, as he sauntered over to the pair.
"Nothing you wouldn't have done, Hardy," Nancy laughed lightly as she hugged Joe hello.
"Excuse me, miss," a young female officer interrupted. "We do need to get a statement from you."
"Of course," Nancy nodded. She squeezed Frank's hand and turned to him and asked. "Check on Amy for me, will you?"
"Will do," Frank nodded. He watched Nancy walk to the other side of the lobby with the officer and shook his head to erase the morbid thoughts that had been plaguing him since her earlier phone call.
Joe lightly punched his brother on the arm. "Told you she'd be okay," he said smugly.
Frank glared at his younger sibling and motioned towards a group of police officers. "Go flash your badge and see if you can find out what's going on."
"Where are you going?" Joe eyed his brother suspiciously.
Frank eyes shifted as he avoided his brother's gaze. "Just do it, Joe."
"Frank, let the Chicago PD do their job. Don't get in the middle of this." Joe warned him.
"Don't worry about me," Frank told his brother, as he patted his sidearm. "I'm going to go track this bastard down. He's attacked four of us now, and I'm not going to let him get to anyone else."
"I'm not the one that's going to be worried about you," Joe reminded him. He pointed over to Nancy was being interviewed by two policemen. "She'll yell at me first and then be worried about you."
"You're a big boy, you can handle a little of Nancy's wrath," Frank said pointedly. "It's not like it would be the first time."
"Frank, don't do this," Joe pleaded as he ran a hand over his worried face.
"Too late, my mind's made up," Frank replied. He pulled out his cell phone and looked at Joe. "Call me if anything happens."
"Fine," Joe sighed. He knew it was pointless to argue with Frank when he had his mind set on something. He just hoped that if Frank got to Paul before the Chicago police did, he wouldn't do anything stupid. As he watched his brother walk away, he ignored the nagging feeling that told him that this wasn't a good idea.
Nancy was gasping for air as she pressed the down button once more. She sighed with relief when it quickly descended the four levels and the familiar dinging sound of the open doors was heard. She quickly entered the elevator and pressed the door close button. Nancy picked up the emergency red phone as she pressed the ground floor button.
"Security," came the older male voice over the line.
"Thank god!" Nancy exclaimed. "9-1-1 should've already been contacted. My friend and I were attacked on the 27th floor. She's unconscious and bleeding. She needs help."
"This is Lieutenant Lou Douglas, ma'am. I'll send some guys up to your friend. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Nancy insisted. "Amy is the one that needs help. Paul Wheeler is the man that attacked us. He chased me down the stairs to the 20th floor. He's probably on his way down the stairs now."
"Is he armed?" Officer Douglas asked.
"No, not armed that I saw. But, he is wanted for questioning in the shooting of a friend of mine," Nancy informed the officer.
"Thanks for the warning," the officer replied kindly. Nancy could hear him bark orders to the others in the background. "Hopefully we'll intercept him between here and there."
"Hold on just a second, ma'am," Lou said.
Nancy heard other male voices and she swore on of them was Frank's. She was proven correct as Frank's voice came over the line. "Nan," he said anxiously. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she replied soothingly. "As soon as the elevator makes it to the lobby you can see for yourself."
"Thank god," he sighed into the phone. "How's Amy?"
"Not good," Nancy admitted. "She unconscious. I didn't want to leave her, but I had to go for help."
"I know, Nan," Frank replied.
"Frank, the elevator just stopped at the lobby. I'm hanging up now," Nancy told him.
Frank replaced the receiver back on it's cradle and rushed towards the opening elevator doors. Joe stared after his brother and shook his head in amazement as he watched him envelop Nancy in a crushing hug as soon as she stepped out into the lobby.
Her face pressed against Frank's chest, Nancy inhaled his scent and savored the feeling of his strong arms. After a moment, she pulled back and let him look over her. "See? I'm fine."
Frank pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Thank goodness for small miracles," he smiled. He quickly sobered at the thought of what could have happened to her. "Nan, I don't know what I would've done if anything had happened to you."
Adrenaline coursed through Nancy's veins from both the chase and Frank's statement. "Well, you won't have to find out," she replied, breaking the spell as she saw Joe waving at her over Frank's shoulder.
"Pretty risky move you pulled there, Drew," Joe teased, as he sauntered over to the pair.
"Nothing you wouldn't have done, Hardy," Nancy laughed lightly as she hugged Joe hello.
"Excuse me, miss," a young female officer interrupted. "We do need to get a statement from you."
"Of course," Nancy nodded. She squeezed Frank's hand and turned to him and asked. "Check on Amy for me, will you?"
"Will do," Frank nodded. He watched Nancy walk to the other side of the lobby with the officer and shook his head to erase the morbid thoughts that had been plaguing him since her earlier phone call.
Joe lightly punched his brother on the arm. "Told you she'd be okay," he said smugly.
Frank glared at his younger sibling and motioned towards a group of police officers. "Go flash your badge and see if you can find out what's going on."
"Where are you going?" Joe eyed his brother suspiciously.
Frank eyes shifted as he avoided his brother's gaze. "Just do it, Joe."
"Frank, let the Chicago PD do their job. Don't get in the middle of this." Joe warned him.
"Don't worry about me," Frank told his brother, as he patted his sidearm. "I'm going to go track this bastard down. He's attacked four of us now, and I'm not going to let him get to anyone else."
"I'm not the one that's going to be worried about you," Joe reminded him. He pointed over to Nancy was being interviewed by two policemen. "She'll yell at me first and then be worried about you."
"You're a big boy, you can handle a little of Nancy's wrath," Frank said pointedly. "It's not like it would be the first time."
"Frank, don't do this," Joe pleaded as he ran a hand over his worried face.
"Too late, my mind's made up," Frank replied. He pulled out his cell phone and looked at Joe. "Call me if anything happens."
"Fine," Joe sighed. He knew it was pointless to argue with Frank when he had his mind set on something. He just hoped that if Frank got to Paul before the Chicago police did, he wouldn't do anything stupid. As he watched his brother walk away, he ignored the nagging feeling that told him that this wasn't a good idea.