TAKING TO TASK
CHAPTER 12
"…INTO THE FIRE"
Frowning, Joe stared at the two goons and sighed, feeling the weight of the world pressing down upon his shoulders. He slowly opened the door on his side of the car and stepped out, almost feeling the two revolvers pointed at his back. Joe raised his hands and waited – if he was going to get out of this in one piece, he was going to have to be patient and to think.
Something, he admitted to himself at least, I'm not always so good at!
"Let's go across the street," Goon 1 said to him in an almost polite tone of voice. Goon 1 came around the car and took one of Joe's arms, nearly dragging him from the car and toward the redbrick building. Joe contemplated struggling but the business end of the gun pointed at his back stopped him and he allowed Goon 1 to lead him into the building.
"Down this hallway," Goon 1 grunted. Joe supposed he really should learn the goons' names sometime. He still hadn't ever learned who they were, other than they were two of Ras-Alman's band of thugs.
"You guys wanna tell me what's going on?" Joe cautiously pulled on his arm in Goon 1's grip but found the guy holding vise-like to it.
Neither of the goons answered him and Joe sighed. That was no help at all.
I really doubt I'll get anymore help than that out of Ras-Alman either, Joe sighed. Great.
He was led into a room at the back of the building and shoved inside. The goons locked the door, leaving Joe in the room alone.
Joe raced to the door and pounded on it. "Let me out you goons! Come on!"
Neither of the goons answered him and Joe's shoulders slumped in dejection. He turned to look around the small room and found it to be not much bigger than a janitor's closet. Unfortunately it was completely empty; there wasn't even an air vent, a bottle of bleach or a window in the place.
Just great, Joe grimaced as he paced the room. Approximately seven steps long and five steps wide with a concrete floor, it afforded nothing in the way of comfort. Joe went back to pound on the door a few more times to no avail and with a sigh he sat down on the floor and wrapped his arms around his knees.
This is another fine mess you got yourself into, Hardy. A simple little stakeout job and you manage to get made by the suspect and taken captive to boot. I can hear Frank, Nancy and Dad know, chewing me out for being inattentive.
Except I wasn't! I was doing what I was supposed to do!
Joe looked around the room again and sighed. He was at least glad there was a light in the room. He couldn't see anything resembling a light switch, which meant it was most likely controlled from outside the room. That meant the bad guys had control of whether he could see or not.
Joe rocked back and forth a little, trying to stay warm. He knew that Nancy and Frank would figure out he was missing when he didn't check in with them. He just hoped that neither of them got captured trying to get him out of here. Ras-Alman wanted Frank back; Joe just knew the terrorist was going to use him to get Frank to do what he wanted. Joe just hoped Frank had more sense than that.
Frank had Diana to think about.
Joe sprang to his feet when the door clicked and opened and Goon 2, holding a gun pointed at Joe's head, stepped into the room.
"Stand back against the wall, keep your hands up," Goon 2 ordered.
Joe stepped back cautiously until he was against the wall, his hands raised to either side of his head. Goon 2 stepped into the room, keeping his gun trained on Joe's head.
"Hey, there, Marc," Joe said impertinently to the man standing behind Goon 1 at the doorway. "What's up? Did you need something? You could have just asked."
Ras-Alman glared at Joe from behind his bodyguard. "You have something I want, Mr. Hardy."
"I do? What's that?" Joe asked as if he didn't know the answer already.
"My son-in-law, of course," Ras-Alman said. "You think I would not be watching for you?" Ras-Alman demanded of him as he came into the room behind his employee. "You think I would not know that you would watch for me? I knew you would remember this place, Mr. Hardy."
"Good for you," Joe commented snidely. "Glad you knew that I would remember it. What does it get you besides a whole lot of nothing? If you think for a single second I'm going to give Frank up to you, you can think again. I know you don't get the concept of loyalty, Marc ole buddy, but I'm very loyal to my brother."
"I do understand loyalty," Ras-Alman stepped closer to Joe and grabbed Joe by his collar, lifting Joe off the ground and shoving him back against the wall. "I am loyal to those who are loyal to me. My son-in-law has betrayed me and that betrayal will be paid for in full. If I must start with you, I will."
With that he threw Joe to one of the side walls, causing Joe to hit with a jarring, painful thud. Joe let out a cry of pain before he snapped his mouth shut and rubbed at his shoulder.
"Now," Marcius said, sounding all together reasonable. "As I was saying, my young friend. Where is James?"
Joe looked up at Marcius Ras-Alman, hate filling his blue eyes.
"I have… no idea… who you're talking about," Joe gasped painfully. "No idea."
Joe was lifted up off the ground again, this time by Goon #1. The goon held him tight while Ras-Alman hit Joe, hard, in the pit of his stomach. Joe would have doubled over in pain if he could have but, instead, he scowled painfully and struggled to break Goon 1's hold on his arms.
"Let's try again," Ras-Alman said pleasantly. "Where. Is. James?"
Joe met his gaze clearly and said, again. "I don't know anyone named James."
He barely managed to steel himself when Ras-Alman stepped forward and began to hit him.
Over and over again, until he collapsed in agony, still held up by Goon 1.