Chapter 33
Not wanting to let on her body was hurting and sore, Sue carefully stood up. Defiantly looking from one man to the other, she waited for one of them to speak.
"We know you can understand us, Ms. Thomas," the tall one said. "Now that you see what happens when you don't cooperate, our employer would like to see you."
His words sent a chill down Sue's spine. They'd done this to Jordan because of something she refused to tell them. They must think she told me, Sue thought swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.
"Let's go," the short stocky guy grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the door. Sue stumbled slightly, but the tall man caught her before she fell. When she looked up at him, he was leering down at her, his hands caressing her shoulders where he held her. Angrily, she pulled away and started walking down the hall.
The floor she was on was obviously a basement. The hall was lined with several steel doors, similar to the one she'd come out. The walls were the same brick dotted with lantern lights that reminded Sue of a castle dungeon. A blood red carpet covering the floor muffled her footsteps.
She hadn't gotten very far when a hand clamped over her upper arm again slowing her, the grip bruising on her already tender skin. They walked beside her like jail wardens on death row up a flight of stairs.
The floor they'd taken her to was much more extravagant. Crystal chandeliers lined the foyer and the hallway. Sue didn't have Myles' knowledge of art but she knew the paintings she passed, and those in the sitting room they entered, were quite expensive.
As soon as Sue saw the man sitting behind the large mahogany desk by the window, she recognized him. She'd become familiar with his picture from the board at the bullpen. Marcus Montega! Sue thought to herself.
Standing in front of him now without Jack, Bobby, or one of the others made her quite nervous. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. She couldn't remember being in a situation like this before without having some kind of plan.
What would Jack do? Sue asked herself. She took a deep breath and ran her sweaty palms down the sides of her slacks.
"Mr. Montega, it's so nice of you to have me over, but you really shouldn't have gone to all this trouble," Sue quipped, hoping her voice didn't sound as shaking to them as it felt to her.
Montega pointed to a chair on the other side of the desk without saying a word. Apparently, Sue didn't move fast enough because she felt two hands from behind push her forward and force her into the chair. The little yelp she gave was both from the surprise of being grabbed from behind and the pain of being manhandled so vehemently.
Now seated, Sue returned her attention to the man across from her. She had to do whatever she could not to end up in the same condition as Jordan downstairs or she wouldn't be of any help to either of them.
She tried to make it appear on the outside that she was strong, for Jordan, but this man intimidated her and he hadn't even spoken a word yet. Some people used her hearing loss as a weakness and he looked like just the type of person to use it to his advantage. Sue hoped she could prevent that.
A wicked smile appeared on Montega's face as he began to speak. "So Ms. Thomas, why don't we just cut to the chase? If you don't want to end up like your friend, you'll tell me right now where the F.B.I. has my daughter?" Montega started coldly.