A/N: See intro for the standard stuff. I hope you enjoy. Please R&R.
TenFour: And then everything goes bad.
Annabel walked out of her apartment, surprised to find Horatio walking toward her. She smiled at him. Horatio gave her a small smile back.
"I thought you were tied up with something at work."
"I thought you were planning to stay in."
"I was. But I needed some food. I've neglected grocery shopping again." Annabel suddenly frowned. Something wasn't right. "Did you..." Annabel felt the arm go around her the same instant she saw Horatio reach for his gun. Everything seemed to slow down. A gunshot exploded in her ear. The echo was drowned out by her scream as Horatio fell. The arm tightened around Annabel's neck and the hot barrel of gun was pressed to her head.
"I should drop you right here, Detective McGinty."
Annabel's head jerked slightly as she recognized the voice. Her attackers arm tightened even more. "I had the wrong brother," Annabel choked out. She watched Horatio for any sign of movement. "You certainly had everyone fooled."
"Clued in a little late, didn't you, Detective?"
Annabel didn't answer him. She tried to calculate how likely she was to knock him off balance without getting shot. Her gaze was still locked on Horatio. She could see his shirt starting to look wet. Annabel prayed that it was a shoulder wound, not a bullet right through his heart. She fought down a sharp wave of panic. Panicking over Horatio wouldn't help her one bit.
"You murdered your own sister." She needed to keep him talking. Keep his attention divided. Bring down his guard. "You shot her down, then stood by your father and praised the conviction of an innocent man."
"Paulie Cabral was anything, but innocent."
"Luna was your sister."
"She was running around with trash. She brought down the family prostituting herself to that."
"Paulie had left the gang."
"You never leave the gang. You wanna here something funny though, Detective? As much as I hate the Noche's, I just did them a favor." He leaned in close to Annabel. "Did you know your boyfriend was green-lighted? I'm guessing not."
"Green-lighted by the Mala Noches?" Annabel didn't have to feign the surprise in her voice.
"Yea, they didn't like him. Too much in other people's business."
Annabel was a little amazed at how much he wanted to talk. She flashed a twisted little smile. "He's a lot like me."
"Well, pretty soon you're gonna be a lot like him. Dead." Annabel's heart squeezed and she took a shaky breath. "Well, whatdaya know. You do scare. Are you gonna beg, Detective?"
"In your dreams, Marco."
"In my dreams you do beg. Right before I kill you. It's really sweet."
"It ain't happening here."
"But I want to hear you beg. I think we need a little privacy. Let's take a little ride." Marco started pushing her past Horatio. Annabel looked down, trying to see if he was breathing. Marco pushed her harder. She almost lost it when Marco kicked him as they went by. Annabel sent up a silent prayer. Please let him be breathing. Please let him keep breathing until help arrives.
Marco pushed her toward a beat up Plymouth. He pressed the gun into her side and made her open the door. Now that Horatio was out of her sight, Annabel could push concern for him to the back of her mind. There was nothing she could do on that front. She needed to focus on getting away from Marco. Then she could help Horatio. Focus. A thin layer of anger drifted over her shock and panic. Annabel's mind clutched at the anger, drawing strength from it. Marco forced her across the car and into the driver's seat. Annabel fiddled with her seatbelt.
"Quit goofing off. Just start driving." Marco waved the gun at her. Annabel bit down on her lip.
Annabel flashed him a defiant look. "Fine. I won't buckle up. We'll get pulled over and that'll end your fun really quick. Why don't you just shoot me now?"
Marco laughed. "You really are a bitch. I'm gonna have fun breaking you before you die."
Annabel shuddered and snapped the belt in place. She turned the key and the car roared to life. She pulled away from the curb. She could hear the sounds of sirens. Please save him. Annabel sent one last prayer toward Horatio.
"Almost a little late. We cudda missed our party."
"Do you have somewhere you're planning on heading? Or am I just going to drive around while you yammer at me?" Annabel was purposely trying to bait him.
Marco smiled at Annabel. It was filled with all that was cold and wicked. "I hear the Everglades are a good place for a party. And when I'm done plenty of help cleaning up."
Annabel grimly nodded. She carefully wove her way through the traffic. Not too fast, but with a definite urgency. She had formed a plan. Not a good plan, one that could still get her killed, but still a plan. She glanced over at Marco. He sat grinning at her. Apparently his mid was whirling him into silence too. That worried her more than his staring. A quiet murderer with a gun was worse than a talking one. Annabel turned on to Route 41. Marco looked around a little.
"Where are you going?"
"To the Glades. Just like you asked. What did ya expect? Me to drive right up to the entry booth and pay the fee? The Glades are more than just the park." Annabel refrained from actually calling him an idiot. That might push him too far. Marco just grunted.
Annabel increased her speed slightly, hoping no one was out trolling for speeders. When she hit 70, she said one last silent prayer and whipped the steering wheel hard to the left. Annabel closed her eyes. The car squealed in protest as it lost its grip on the road. It spun and flipped into the underbrush. The car came to a rest on its roof. Annabel opened her eyes and looked around. The seat belt bit into her shoulder. Something was wet on her face. She bent her head and looked at the roof. No water in the car. Thank God for small favors. She tried to reach her face to wipe the wetness away, but the pain in her shoulder forced her to stop. She looked for Marco, but he was gone. Annabel smiled as the blackness claimed her. Should have had his seatbelt on. Idiot.
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