Author's Note: Thanks for the encouraging reviews, people. I really just
wanted to get a good take on whether or not you all were getting bored with
the story. Don't worry, it won't be over soon. My mind still has a couple
of evil plot twists left that need to be put to paper. But, it's not going
to drag on forever. For those of you that commented about the short
chapters - sorry bout that. I've got 60 pages, single line spaced saved to
my hard drive. That's about 3 pages per chapter, roughly. I'll try to make
the next few chapters after these longer, but I'm not making any promises.
:) You'll get two chapters tonight - I've got one in reserve that I'm
holding off on until I can get more written. Once again, don't hold back
your comments - I thrive on feedback. It fuels the muse. Enjoy the story!
Paul lifted both of his arms in the air and then slowly turned towards Frank. When he realized who it was that was holding him up, he grinned. "Payback, huh?"
"Shut the hell up, and get down on the ground," Frank commanded, advancing closer to Paul.
"Not a chance," Paul spat. "I only warned you the first time, this go round you're not going to be so lucky."
"I don't think so," Frank said, cocking his pistol for emphasis. "You're in no position to do anything about it, this time."
"You're not taking me down," Paul taunted, as he lunged for Frank.
Frank fired as he saw Paul advancing towards him. The gun made a deafening retort as the bullet was released from it's chamber. Frank aimed for his shoulder, only wanting to subdue the man, not kill him. The bullet penetrated Paul's shoulder and he gripped it in pain, but still advanced towards Frank.
"Frank!" Nancy cried as she opened the door to the garage. She had heard the gunshot and was prepared for the worst.
The momentary distraction was all Paul needed to tackle Frank. The two men battled for control of the gun on the concrete floor. Nancy and Joe rushed toward the fighting men, but before they could help, Paul had emerged from the fight with the pistol.
He slowly staggered to his feet and pointed the gun at Frank. He backed off to the side and then swung around to face Nancy and Joe. He looked at them directly and with the gun still trained on Frank he said, "One more move, and he dies."
Frank looked up to see Nancy and Joe standing a few feet away. His eyes silently implored his brother and Nancy to listen to the crazed man.
"You!" He commanded, pointing to Nancy with his injured arm. "Come here!"
Nancy shook her head vehemently at Paul's words. Her eyes locked once more with Franks and she stood frozen in place.
"I said, come here!" Paul screamed. He shook the gun at Frank, "Do you want lover boy to die?"
"Don't!" Nancy pleaded. Her heart beating a mile a minute, she took a few cautious steps towards Paul. She would risk being taken hostage to spare Frank's life.
As the brothers watched in horror, Nancy walked closer to Paul. Joe nodded to Frank and imperceptibly patted his waist. He was letting his brother know that he had was carrying his firearm. As Joe assessed the situation he knew it wasn't the right time to draw on Paul. He didn't want to take the risk of Nancy or his brother getting shot in the process. Even though the situation was incredibly tense at the moment, Joe knew that he had to wait for a better opening in order to take Paul down.
"Good girl," Paul sneered as Nancy stepped in front of him. He jerked her arm and pulled her against him. He roughly turned her around and wrapped his arm tight around her neck. With the injured arm, he pointed the pistol at her temple. "She's going with me, boys."
Frank decided to attempt reasoning with Paul. "Don't do this, Wheeler," he pleaded. "You're already in deep enough, as it is. Do you want to add kidnapping to the growing list of charges?"
Paul threw back his head and laughed. "My take on that is, what is one more charge gonna hurt?" He abruptly sobered up and pressed the gun harder against Nancy's head. "You're not taking me down, and my pretty little hostage here is going to ensure that." Paul shoved Nancy and pushed her across the garage.
Nancy twisted her head to look back at the brothers. She watched as Joe once again patted his waist. She almost sighed as she realized what that meant. Nancy just hoped that Joe would be able to get a clean shot at Paul before he drove away with her.
He pulled out his car keys and thrust them in Nancy's hands. "Get in! You're driving!" He directed Nancy to the passenger side, so that he could keep the gun trained on her as she slid across the seat.
Nancy's hands shook involuntarily as she attempted to unlock the car. She nervously looked up at Frank and offered a tense smile of reassurance. Paul witnessed the exchange and backhanded Nancy across the face. "I said get in the car!" he screamed.
Frank started to rush towards the scene when Joe restrained him. He saw the veins bulging with rage in Frank's forehead and neck. "I've got it covered," he whispered forcefully. "Don't get her killed before I can take him down."
Nancy's head cheek throbbed with the blow she had just received. She opened the car door and quickly jumped inside. She made her way across the leather seat of the shiny red corvette while Paul kept the gun firmly aimed at her. Paul sat down beside her and slammed the door. "Drive!" he commanded.
Nancy, who had been silently complacent until that point, muttered a sarcastic, "Where to?"as she turned the ignition.
"Wherever the hell I tell you to!" Paul thundered.
As Nancy put the car in drive, she looked over at Paul. The blood was still streaming from his shoulder wound, and he held the injured arm gingerly, blood seeping through his fingers.
Pulling out of the parking space, Nancy passed Frank and Joe as she maneuvered through the practically empty garage towards the exit. In her rearview mirror she noticed Joe remove his pistol from it's holster. Nancy quickly weighed her options. She knew that Joe would plan to shoot out the tires and render the vehicle useless. Did she take the chance that Paul would shoot on reflex, or did she jump out of the car before that could happen? Another glance at Paul, and Nancy noticed that his attention was now on his injured shoulder. The gun was still pointed in her direction, but there wasn't the concentrated aim that there had been moments before.
As she neared the exit, Nancy glanced back up at the rearview mirror and saw Joe aiming at the vehicle. As he lowered the gun to shoot out the tires, Nancy took a deep breath and flung open the door. Simultaneously, Joe fired at the Corvette and Nancy propelled herself out of the car and onto the cold concrete floor.
Before Paul realized what had happened, the car lost control and careened towards the security gate. The Corvette slammed through the control arm that blocked the exit and slid out into the streets of Chicago.
Paul lifted both of his arms in the air and then slowly turned towards Frank. When he realized who it was that was holding him up, he grinned. "Payback, huh?"
"Shut the hell up, and get down on the ground," Frank commanded, advancing closer to Paul.
"Not a chance," Paul spat. "I only warned you the first time, this go round you're not going to be so lucky."
"I don't think so," Frank said, cocking his pistol for emphasis. "You're in no position to do anything about it, this time."
"You're not taking me down," Paul taunted, as he lunged for Frank.
Frank fired as he saw Paul advancing towards him. The gun made a deafening retort as the bullet was released from it's chamber. Frank aimed for his shoulder, only wanting to subdue the man, not kill him. The bullet penetrated Paul's shoulder and he gripped it in pain, but still advanced towards Frank.
"Frank!" Nancy cried as she opened the door to the garage. She had heard the gunshot and was prepared for the worst.
The momentary distraction was all Paul needed to tackle Frank. The two men battled for control of the gun on the concrete floor. Nancy and Joe rushed toward the fighting men, but before they could help, Paul had emerged from the fight with the pistol.
He slowly staggered to his feet and pointed the gun at Frank. He backed off to the side and then swung around to face Nancy and Joe. He looked at them directly and with the gun still trained on Frank he said, "One more move, and he dies."
Frank looked up to see Nancy and Joe standing a few feet away. His eyes silently implored his brother and Nancy to listen to the crazed man.
"You!" He commanded, pointing to Nancy with his injured arm. "Come here!"
Nancy shook her head vehemently at Paul's words. Her eyes locked once more with Franks and she stood frozen in place.
"I said, come here!" Paul screamed. He shook the gun at Frank, "Do you want lover boy to die?"
"Don't!" Nancy pleaded. Her heart beating a mile a minute, she took a few cautious steps towards Paul. She would risk being taken hostage to spare Frank's life.
As the brothers watched in horror, Nancy walked closer to Paul. Joe nodded to Frank and imperceptibly patted his waist. He was letting his brother know that he had was carrying his firearm. As Joe assessed the situation he knew it wasn't the right time to draw on Paul. He didn't want to take the risk of Nancy or his brother getting shot in the process. Even though the situation was incredibly tense at the moment, Joe knew that he had to wait for a better opening in order to take Paul down.
"Good girl," Paul sneered as Nancy stepped in front of him. He jerked her arm and pulled her against him. He roughly turned her around and wrapped his arm tight around her neck. With the injured arm, he pointed the pistol at her temple. "She's going with me, boys."
Frank decided to attempt reasoning with Paul. "Don't do this, Wheeler," he pleaded. "You're already in deep enough, as it is. Do you want to add kidnapping to the growing list of charges?"
Paul threw back his head and laughed. "My take on that is, what is one more charge gonna hurt?" He abruptly sobered up and pressed the gun harder against Nancy's head. "You're not taking me down, and my pretty little hostage here is going to ensure that." Paul shoved Nancy and pushed her across the garage.
Nancy twisted her head to look back at the brothers. She watched as Joe once again patted his waist. She almost sighed as she realized what that meant. Nancy just hoped that Joe would be able to get a clean shot at Paul before he drove away with her.
He pulled out his car keys and thrust them in Nancy's hands. "Get in! You're driving!" He directed Nancy to the passenger side, so that he could keep the gun trained on her as she slid across the seat.
Nancy's hands shook involuntarily as she attempted to unlock the car. She nervously looked up at Frank and offered a tense smile of reassurance. Paul witnessed the exchange and backhanded Nancy across the face. "I said get in the car!" he screamed.
Frank started to rush towards the scene when Joe restrained him. He saw the veins bulging with rage in Frank's forehead and neck. "I've got it covered," he whispered forcefully. "Don't get her killed before I can take him down."
Nancy's head cheek throbbed with the blow she had just received. She opened the car door and quickly jumped inside. She made her way across the leather seat of the shiny red corvette while Paul kept the gun firmly aimed at her. Paul sat down beside her and slammed the door. "Drive!" he commanded.
Nancy, who had been silently complacent until that point, muttered a sarcastic, "Where to?"as she turned the ignition.
"Wherever the hell I tell you to!" Paul thundered.
As Nancy put the car in drive, she looked over at Paul. The blood was still streaming from his shoulder wound, and he held the injured arm gingerly, blood seeping through his fingers.
Pulling out of the parking space, Nancy passed Frank and Joe as she maneuvered through the practically empty garage towards the exit. In her rearview mirror she noticed Joe remove his pistol from it's holster. Nancy quickly weighed her options. She knew that Joe would plan to shoot out the tires and render the vehicle useless. Did she take the chance that Paul would shoot on reflex, or did she jump out of the car before that could happen? Another glance at Paul, and Nancy noticed that his attention was now on his injured shoulder. The gun was still pointed in her direction, but there wasn't the concentrated aim that there had been moments before.
As she neared the exit, Nancy glanced back up at the rearview mirror and saw Joe aiming at the vehicle. As he lowered the gun to shoot out the tires, Nancy took a deep breath and flung open the door. Simultaneously, Joe fired at the Corvette and Nancy propelled herself out of the car and onto the cold concrete floor.
Before Paul realized what had happened, the car lost control and careened towards the security gate. The Corvette slammed through the control arm that blocked the exit and slid out into the streets of Chicago.