TAKING TO TASK
CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"MISSING IN ACTION"

I didn't miss this feeling, Frank thought as he tried to calm his ragged nerves. During his time as James Fleming he never once had the feeling that his stomach was making a bid for freedom, never had to worry about adrenaline rushes that caused bright spots in his head. I didn't miss that feeling that something is terribly wrong. I didn't know at the time that something was wrong but I didn't miss the feeling it brings.


Damnit, Joe! What are you doing missing a check-in? What are you doing not answering your bloody cell phone!

Frank gave considerable thought to cursing, violently, as many times as he could. He had known, or rather felt, sending Joe to stake out Ras-Alman alone was a bad idea. Frank's former father-in-law was not only vicious and cruel, he was cunning and very intelligent. He knew how to run his affairs without getting caught. The Federal government had brought him in three times but had nothing with which to continue to hold him.

"We'll find him," Nancy murmured to her boyfriend as she gently stroked his arm, trying to relax him. They were in a second rental car, one that Nancy got from the hotel that morning under the alias given to her by the army contacts. Frank drove, following the directions given to them that morning by Joe so they would be able to find the building Joe staked out that morning.

Nancy was connected to the internet via wireless modem, tapping into one of Ras-Alman's companies, taking care to remove any trace of her intrusion into their system. Others had tired the same thing, obviously, and Ras-Alman had an eerie amount of security on his computer.

"Oh, my," Nancy said a moment later as Frank made the last turn onto Manchester road. "This is where… there's a large shipment coming in from New Orleans, up the Mississippi!"

"Shipment of what?" Frank, distracted, paid more attention to driving and looking than to his girlfriend. He looked at her a moment later, blinking guiltily. "What did you just say?"

"I said," Nancy said. "It's on one of those old fashioned steamships. One that Ras-Alman owns. Well, it's not in his name exactly, it's in an alias. A subsidiary company of a subsidiary company of a sister company of – you get the idea."

Frank nodded. A tangled web of ownership, more of Ras-Alman's uncanny business acumen.

Nancy brushed back a lock of her gold red hair and frowned, chewing on her lower lip as she worked. Frank watched her and wondered when she picked up that quirk. He didn't remember that from the past; she never really had what he called habitual mannerisms. Seeing her now, he smiled and relaxed back in his seat, wondering just when she started doing that.

"There's the car," Frank paused about a block down. He could clearly see their other car, parked in one of the streetside parking spots – and very empty. He could see well enough to know that Joe was not visible. He might be hiding out in the car.

"Let me just walk down real quickly and look," Nancy said. She pulled her long hair up and placed St. Louis Cardinal's baseball cap over her hair and handed the laptop to Frank. "Stay put."

"Right," Frank agreed, frowning.

Nancy was gone a moment later, walking casually down to the light behind them. She walked across the street and went in and out of a couple of different shops, one a book store, the other a clothing store. She came out of one of them with a small bag and she continued down the street and past their other car.

She went another two blocks down from the car, going in and out of two more stores before making her way back on Frank's side of the street and got into the car, tossing her three shopping bags into the back of the car.

"He's not in there," she said softly. "It was empty. I couldn't really look too closely but I don't think I saw his cell phone either."

Frank frowned. "Do you think he went and hid somewhere?" he asked.

"If he did why didn't he call?" Frank demanded. "He would have called, wouldn't he? He knows better than to just keep us waiting here."

Nancy nodded, laying a soothing hand on Frank's arm.

"You're right," she said softly. "So that leaves us with something we neither one want to consider. Ras-Alman has him."

Frank swallowed nervously, peering anxiously at his girlfriend. It was the same conclusion he'd come to but hadn't wanted to face.

"Blast it!" Frank exclaimed, hitting a large hand against the steering wheel of the car. "How could he get himself captured? Why?"

Nancy shrugged uncertainly. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'm so sorry. What do you want to do?"

Frank sighed and rubbed at his forehead, a headache starting to beat a tattoo inside of his head. He groaned.

"If he's in that building we have to go in and get him out," Frank admitted. "Have any ideas?"

Nancy paused, staring at the red brick building a block away. She had walked by it when looking in the car but had not stopped to look too closely; she hadn't wanted to draw attention.

"Let's go see if we can find a blueprint for the building," Nancy suggested. "We'd have an idea of where we were going before we try to get in there."

Frank paused nervously, his heart slowly climbing out of his throat again. He clutched the steering wheel tight enough that his knuckles turned white but he felt control returning again.

"Okay," he said. "Do you think he'll be alive by tonight? I assume we're going in tonight?"

Nancy nodded. "He wants you," she reminded Frank gently. "As long as he thinks Joe can help him get what he wants, either by luring you there or by getting Joe to tell him how to find you, he'll keep Joe alive."

Frank released the steering wheel, leaning back against the neck rest behind him.

"Fine," he said.

He looked at the red building again.

"Let's go back to the hotel, find those blueprints and make our plans. But I want to go in as soon as possible. Ras-Alman may need Joe alive – but Marcius can still hurt Joe. We… " the dark haired young man studied his friend for a moment. "We have to get him out."

Nancy leaned forward and gently touched Frank's arm. "I know," she said softly. "And, Frank, trust me when I say we ARE going to get him out. One way or another."