A McLure Christmas (Part Three)
Part Three of A McLure Christmas! Have you guys heard about BZRK Origins? The prequel ebook on Amazon? Excuse me while I go cry a river of tears no one told me about it and I just read it today.
They searched the entire mall without any luck. When she wasn't calling Stone, she was texting him. He wouldn't answer her. While Stone wasn't very reliable when it came to getting ready on time, or paying attention to her or Dad when a pretty woman walked by, he was good for one thing.
He always answered his phone. Thinking about it, she could not remember a single time he missed her calls. He replied to her texts within seconds. His cell phone was quite possibly an extension of his body. So Stone not responding…well, it felt like he came home without an arm or a leg.
Considering the way Stern was acting, Sadie feared that was a likely possibility. Stern tried to hide his internal panic, but she did not fail to notice the beads of sweat falling down his face, or the twisted, pained expression he let slip through. He insisted she remain close as they searched each store.
They checked the bathrooms, where Stone said to say he was going, but he wasn't there.
"Shit," Stern hissed.
She took a deep breath. "He's probably just flirting with some girl." She said, but she was not convinced.
Stern said nothing as he tapped a message on his phone at alarming speed.
"This is Stone we're talking about. No one would ever hurt Stone. He'd annoy them to death."
That was something she felt much more confident in. Her remark drew a smirk out of Stern, although she knew it was for her own comfort.
They didn't notice it right away, but a boy with an over-sized black hoodie was walking rather hurriedly with a pair of adults. The hoodie must have been two sizes too big. It obscured any body shape, so it was just Sadie's assumption the figure was a boy. Stone hadn't worn a black hoodie today, so Stern didn't hone in on it. In fact, it wasn't the hoodie that caught Sadie's attention.
It was Mr. Macy's and Mrs. JCPenny. The couple who had been eying her from man carried all the bags now, and the woman's gloved hand rested on the young boy's back. To anyone else, the trio could have easily been a family finishing some last minute shopping.
To Sadie, however, the whole scene seemed…odd. Odd enough that when Stern ordered her to stay put inside nearest store—Sears—she decided to follow the strange group.
She remained close enough to not lose their trail, but far enough not to attract any attention. She window-browsed and checked her phone, sent her brother a message or two. She dialed his number when she noticed the woman reach toss something in the nearest trash can. When Sadie searched inside the garbage, she found her brother's phone. She glanced back to the couple with the boy. The hoodie dwarfed him, making him seem much smaller than he truly was. But she noticed the jeans were the same color as Stone's, and it was the same color hair.
They were heading towards the parking lot.
They were taking her brother. She quickly closed a majority of the distance between her and the kidnappers. She saw the glint of a blade peaking out from the woman's hand, the hand resting on Stone's back. She saw her brother's shaking, wobbly legs and his fidgety hands.
Sadie McLure knew the smart thing to do—the responsible thing to do—was to phone Stern and let him take care of this. He probably had a gun on him. God, how she'd like to see Stern blow these people's brains out.
Sadie did not give a damn what the smart thing or reasonable thing to do was. Besides, when Stern had refused to tell her where he went off to. He didn't want her following him.
Red seeped into all her senses. She didn't think it was possible, but just like in the movies, the color itself smeared her vision. Anger rushed through her blood. The constant chatter of shoppers became a muffled, foreign sound by the time it reached her ears.
They were almost out of the mall, now.
She wanted to shout his name, tell him not to worry, but she couldn't. Sadie had no idea what these people wanted with Stone. Without knowing their motive, she couldn't risk alerting his kidnappers they'd been found out. What if they decided to stab him and run?
Her thoughts bounced around her skull, too fast, too much, all at once. Her eyes taking in all the sights and desperately searching for options. Her brain measured distances—too close, too far. She also calculated the possibilities of success for each of her courses of action. None of them had very good outlooks.
Always the pessimist, Stone remarked a few weeks ago. She insisted that no, she was a realist, and she preferred a world without all the sickeningly sweet sugarcoating.
She ran out of time for second-guessing. They already crossed the threshold and stepped foot on the parking lot pavement.
She zeroed in on the last kiosk before the mall exit. She threw her wallet at the cashier, not needing to be bothered with mall security. They'd corner her off and question her too long and then she'd lose Stone—she would lose Stone—and that was not acceptable.
She snatched the display mug off the counter. Gripping the handle with a death-grip, she launched into a sprint towards the woman. She screamed, not one of those stereotypical horror movie screams, but some animalistic, inhuman shout laced with absolute rage.
She smashed the mug over the woman's head with all her might. The mug shattered and bits of it embedded themselves in her skull. She dropped the knife, thankfully. She did not have a plan to deal with stab wounds, hers or Stone's.
Stone—because the hoodie-clad boy could not be anyone else—shouted incoherently.
She was shouting, too, only she was sure the entire mall understood her. "Don't you fucking touch my brother!" She screamed as she used a shard of the mug to cut the woman's face. She screamed and cursed and punched and kicked, surely getting both the mall cops' and regular cops' attention. The woman's accomplice revealed a gun, even managed to point it between her eyes, but not too long after that mistake a hole appeared between his own eyes and he went down, a red halo surrounding his head.
The woman pulled out her own gun, but a bullet tore through her shoulder, and she went down.
They were a few feet outside the mall, leaving lots of witnesses. Sadie stepped back as police officers swarmed the scene. Somehow—later, when she asked, he refused to tell her—Stern was one of them. He was wearing a police uniform.
"Jesus Christ," Stone whispered. Luckily, he was in shock, and didn't seem to notice or care about Stern's outfit change. Sadie knew better and said nothing while in the parking lot. She acted like she didn't know him.
"Officer," she said, "these people tried to kidnap my brother."
Stone just kept saying "Jesus Christ," under his breath. He changed it up a bit, asking the occasional, "What?" or "What?" He looked at her like she suddenly grew a second head. "What?" He repeated.
He couldn't keep his stare fixated on one single thing very long. He had this cutting, all-seeing stare, like he suddenly had a glimpse into her very being, like he saw and comprehended her very essence. The short few seconds they held eye contact were incredibly uncomfortable for both of them. He gave Stern the exact same look and at that moment, Stone wanted to jump out of his skin.
Stern guided them towards a squad car and told them to get inside. He insisted Sadie sit in the front. "Don't touch each other," Stern warned as they approached the car. "Don't touch your faces. Take that sweatshirt off."
They did as he said, leaving the hoodie on the ground. She wanted to hug Stone, mostly because he couldn't stop shaking, but also to make sure he was here, he was real, and she hasn't lost him.
They drove off. Stern switched the lights on, so traffic was not a problem. Stern drove thirty miles above the speed limit. She fumbled for her seat belt.
"My nose itches." Stone said, his voice detached.
"Do not touch your face." Stern repeated.
"I…I left my wallet there." She suddenly remembered.
"Thanks, Sis." Stone mumbled.
"You're my brother. Only I get to put you in mortal danger." She deadpanned.
They fled the mall. Sadie didn't know where the head of security was taking them, but she knew, with the utmost certainty, Stern would break any and all laws to keep them safe.
Dad made friends like that.
***
This fic is turning into a bigger story in my head than I intended. I approve.