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"How long ago did he leave?"
"About twenty minutes. I activated the Lojack in your car so we can track him. He's headed south towards Laughlin." Mike clutched the laptop close to his chest as he and Ed burst through the metal door that led to the Montecito's heliport. A small group of people waited excitedly to board the chopper for their tour of the Grand Canyon.
"I'm sorry folks," Ed told them cordially, disguising his distress. "We're going to have to postpone your tour." A round of jeers and complaints rose up from the crowd and Ed quickly silenced them.
"I promise we'll set up another tour for you soon and your entire stay at the Montecito is on the house."
"What the hell is going on?" The pilot had now joined the group and was eager to express his obvious disapproval at losing an afternoon of business. While Mike ushered the others inside, Ed tried to sweeten the deal.
"Look, I'll pay you twice what you were going to make off this tour if you'll fly me and my friend where we need to go."
"I'm not doing anything illegal," the man insisted, but his interest was peaked.
"Nothing illegal, you just take us where we want to go—right now."
"I gotta get reimbursed for my fuel, too."
Ed was getting annoyed with this guy, but he was desperate. "Fine. Now let's go." Ed hopped in the front while Mike took one of the rear seats. They each put on their headphones and Mike popped open his laptop to see that Danny was still heading south towards Laughlin. He relayed the directions to the pilot and they were soon in the air.
---
Danny had reached the abandoned gas station just as the payphone was ringing and the same distorted voice had given him directions to an abandoned airstrip ten miles east of Searchlight. He glanced at his cell phone sitting on the passenger seat and briefly considered trying to call Ed. That thought was quickly dismissed when he remembered that his phone was most likely bugged. There was no way he was willing to risk Mary's life when he was so close. No, he'd have to do this on his own and hope that these psychos didn't go back on their end of the deal.
Danny pulled through the dilapidated gate of the abandoned airstrip; the shiny steel padlock, which had secured it at one point, stood out starkly in contrast to the rusted metal of the chain link. He could see a jet on the runway a short distance away and he turned the car in that direction. Once he pulled up next to the plane he finally noticed a series of small metal buildings in the background and several figures with guns. As he stepped out of the car he was immediately greeted by one of them—his face of course hidden behind an evil mask.
"Good afternoon, Mr. McCoy. So glad you could join us."
"Where's Mary?"
"Ah-ah-ah. Where is the money?"
Danny reached into the back seat and pulled out the duffel bag—throwing it roughly at the man's feet.
"Where's Mary?"
The man gave a slight jerk of his head and one of the others stepped forward to pick up the bag. He stepped aside and opened it to check the contents.
"It's all here."
"Take it and get on the plane," he ordered. "I'll join you momentarily."
"I did what you asked. WHERE IS SHE?" Danny's sanity snapped and, ignoring the gun strapped to the man's side, he lunged forward. His progress was stopped by the sound of a mechanism being cocked and the feel of a muzzle pressed to the base of his skull. He'd been so blinded with rage he hadn't noticed one of the other men move behind him.
"Relax, Mr. McCoy," the man said as he backed away towards the plane. "You've fulfilled your obligations and we have every intention of fulfilling ours."
Danny felt the pressure of the gun to his head ease and finally saw the dark figure move around him to join his companion. Both men ascended the steps of the plane, but before Danny could protest the leader turned back to him. Raising his gun he pointed it at Danny first, but then moved it ever so slightly to focus on a target just behind him. The shot startled Danny, but not as much as the explosion. He fell to the ground when the force of the blast hit him hard. Pushing himself to his feet, he slowly turned to see Ed's car in a ball of flames. They were going to leave him out here in the middle of nowhere—with or without Mary it was a deadly scenario. Shaking his head in disbelief, Danny screamed in frustration.
"WHERE IS SHE!"
"She's closer than you think." Those last words were said with arrogance and amusement as the masked man stepped inside the jet and pulled the door closed. Danny didn't wait for the aircraft to take off before he bolted towards the buildings. He pushed the metal door open and rushed inside.
"MARY! MARY, ANSWER ME!" He called out to her desperately, but the only reply was the echo of his own voice. Danny heard the plane outside lift off, but his focus was on finding Mary. He searched every room in the first building, but they were empty. Finally, he descended a short set of stairs that led to a walkway to the second building.
Calling Mary's name he threw open every door he passed only to be greeted by silence. When the walkway opened up into the third and largest building his hope dwindled. It was obviously a hangar and the open space provided few places for them to hide her. As he ran towards a small closet in the back corner he tripped over something and went sprawling. Getting to his feet, Danny looked back and noticed the door in the floor and he suddenly felt sick. Fearful of what he might find, he tried to swallow the adrenaline and dread as he reached down to open the hatch. The light from above shone down through the dark hole and Danny gasped in agony.
Lowering himself through the opening, Danny maneuvered his legs so as not to step on Mary's crumpled form. Her body was curled in almost a fetal position and she was deathly pale. Once he was with her in the small space, he carefully turned her head so he could see her face—noting immediately the intense heat radiating from her body. Had it not been for the raspy sound of her labored breathing, Danny would have thought she was dead. Her eyes were sunken in and her skin had taken on a ghostly pallor. Danny gently tried to straighten her body, careful of her arm--grotesquely swollen and tinged with bright hues of purple and green.
"No," she protested weakly.
"Mary, sweetie, it's Danny. Can you hear me?"
Her only reply was a soft whimper and Danny reached down to push the sweaty tendrils of hair away from her forehead. He put his mouth close to her ear and whispered, "Everything's going to be okay. We're going to get you to the hospital. I promise, baby."
His words seemed to cause her some distress as she turned her head from side to side and whimpered even more. "No. No, Danny…have to…something…." Danny realized what she was trying to tell him and he gently kissed her forehead.
"I know, Mary. I know about the baby. Everything's going to be okay." He tried to sound hopeful as he struggled to overcome his despair. How could he promise her that when he had no idea how they were going to get out of here? The thought had no sooner floated through his head when he heard the voice of an angel.
"DANNY?"
"MIKE? WE'RE DOWN HERE!"
"I FOUND HIM, MR. D."
Danny looked up to see his friend's head peeking through the opening. He had no idea how Mike and Ed had found them and he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was the woman before him.
"Help me get her out of here." Danny pulled Mary's limp form to a sitting position and wrapped one arm around her torso while the other supported her head. He stood straight up and hoisted her body until Mike could pull her up and onto the floor of the hangar. By that point she was shivering uncontrollably and once Danny had joined them he pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around her. By the time Ed arrived, Danny was lifting Mary into his arms and walking briskly towards him.
"We've got to get to a hospital NOW!" Danny said as they hurried back through the buildings.
"Is she conscious?" Ed asked.
"Barely."
"Danny?" He heard Mary softly call his name and he adjusted her so his head was closer to hers.
"I'm right here."
"I'm so sorry, Danny."
"For what? You didn't do anything, Mary."
"But… the baby's crying, Danny. She's crying and I can't help her." Danny's heart broke as her whimpers gave way to quiet sobs.
Hearing her strange comments, Mike turned back with a look of confusion on his face.
"She's delirious," Ed told him as they stepped out into the sun and made their way towards the chopper.
Once they were loaded inside—Mary cradled in Danny's lap—Ed instructed the pilot to take them to Vegas Memorial Hospital. Danny just prayed that it wouldn't be too late.