I got 5 reviews on the opening chapter, and felt like I should continue this. BUT... I want more reviews this time around. P And big thanks to Jojo for helping me out of horrible writer's block. Like Taken? Go read Better Than Me, by CorvusCaminus. ; D
It was just after one in the morning when Cloud cut Fenrir's engine and headed back to the front of the bar. The full moon cast an eerie glow on the building. Groping for his keys, he slowly approached the old oak door. As the key slid into the hole, he wondered idly if Tifa was still awake. When he didn't hear the familiar metallic sound of the latch sliding open, his initial confusion was immediately replaced with overwhelming panic. The door was already unlocked. Forcing himself to calm down, he pushed the door open and cautiously stepped inside.
Telling himself it had only been a careless mistake, Cloud looked around the bar. Tifa had probably just gone to sleep and forgotten to lock the door, he told himself. The voice in the back of his head strongly told him otherwise. Tifa wasn't one to be careless. He quietly made his way up the stairs. Turning the knob slowly so as not to make too much noise, he looked in the kid's room. They were both soundly asleep with the sheets tangled around them. He closed the door again, only somewhat relieved. He made his way across the hall to Tifa's room. Panic rose again. Her door was open, and her bed still made. Tifa wasn't in the house.
He quickly came back down the stairs, searching the bar for any sign of where she had gone. He found nothing, not even a note. And then, he saw the blood on the floor. His eyes went wide, barely registering what this implied. Swallowing hard, he realized what had happened. Tifa had been attacked, and by the looks of it, kidnapped or worse... Cloud didn't let himself finish the thought. He ran back outside and looked frantically around the yard. Just as he had suspected, there were muddy tire tracks cut deep in the grass. And for the second time in his life, Cloud was thankful for the heavy rain.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, a small black car was making it's way deeper into the night. Driving the car was a heavy set man named Ace. He had now driven a good half hour, and was far from the bright lights of the city. He reached for his cell phone. The Boss had said he would call with further instructions, but he hadn't done so. And until the Boss called, Ace had little idea of what he was supposed to do with his 'cargo', much less where to go with her. He glanced back at Tifa bound in the backseat. As if on cue, the phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts. He flipped it open.
"Ace?" The man on the other end had a thick accent, although Ace couldn't quite place it. His voice was cold like steel.
"Yeah Boss?" Ace tried to hide the hint of intimidation in his voice. He had heard many stories about the Boss, and if any of them were close to being the truth, this was not a man you wanted displease.
"Did you get the girl?"
Ace nodded a quick affirmative, and then reddening slightly stammered a "Yes, Sir." The Boss then gave him directions to a small inn where they would be meeting. It was a good three hours away. Before he could acknowledge him, the line went dead. He swallowed hard. He had never spoken to the Boss directly before, and it was not something he looked forward to doing again. And now he'd be meeting him in person. He didn't like the sound of that.
Back in Seventh Heaven, Cloud was starting to panic. 'Tifa could be anywhere by now,
and who knows how long she's been gone...' His thoughts ran in endless circles of guilt. If only he had gotten home sooner. Or... never left her alone in the first place. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he focused on the task at hand. He had to find Tifa. As he stepped back outside, a feeling of desperation came over him. Throughout his entire life, Cloud had seemed destined to fail. He suddenly stood a little straighter, his eyes filling with a hard determination that rivaled granite. He was not going to fail again.