Chapter Five
There is language in this chapter. You have been warned.
For the first time since he began his line of work, Max didn't feel good about himself. Or the decision he had made.
It had surprised him with how hard it had been to leave Nancy behind with Randy Wolfe. The pleading look she had sent him as he walked out the door would haunt his dreams for days to come. He'd never seen anything so raw as the look of panic and terror on her face when she realized her was going to leave.
Sure, he'd seen his fair share of people being afraid, not knowing what fate awaited them. It wasn't as if his job was particularly easy—his sole purpose was to destroy a person's life, by whatever means he was hired to do. Sometimes they were innocent. Sometimes they weren't so innocent. He wasn't paid to take the time to sort them out. After all, he wasn't God.
But Nancy was different. She wasn't afraid of the unknown. It was as if she knew exactly what fate awaited her. He had finally seen the chink in her armor as soon as he had put his hand on the door to walk away from her. Never once had she begged him, even as he snatched her away from everything that was familiar to her. Yes, she had fought with him, but that had simply been instinct and survival on her part. She was human and it was human instinct to fight when threatened.
Max had finally glimpsed her first moment of weakness and he knew it had pained her to do even that—beg for help. She was alike him in that respect. And while he had hardened himself to the pleas of his victims, it had taken every effort on his part not to turn around and whisk Nancy away from Randy.
In the end, he'd had to walk away from Nancy and push her away from his thoughts.
So why was he still thinking about her?
Simple, you idiot, a small voice in his head chided him. You actually like her.
Max shook his head, dismissing the thought as he walked outside to the idling black Tahoe. He couldn't afford to take the time to like anyone. It would only get him killed in the end. It was a weakness and one he refused to show for fear of someone watching.
You're not made of stone, Max. Even you're human enough to have a heart.
The driver hopped out of the SUV, opening the rear driver's side door for him. "Would you like to go back to the airport, Mr. Grey?"
Max hesitated as he climbed into the vehicle. Without a doubt, that was where he should be heading, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Nancy. So, why the hell was he having a difficult time doing it?
"Mr. Grey?"
"No," Max said finally. "It's too late to fly out. Drop me off at the Kennedy Hotel."
There—a logical reason for his decision. It was past two in the morning, after all. He was just going to check into the hotel to get some sleep before he left town. It absolutely had nothing to do with Nancy and wanting to be a little closer to her.
Sure…you just keep telling yourself that.
Max brought his fists up to his temples, rubbing at them a little harder than necessary, trying to quash the voice in his head. He could feel a headache beginning to form, putting it off to stress and exhaustion. Not the fact that he was beginning to go crazy and actually listening to the nagging voice of his subconscious.
He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the back of the seat as the car glided down the street. He must have drifted off because when he opened his eyes again, they were parked in front of the lobby of the Kennedy Hotel. He'd barely straightened himself in his seat before a doorman walked over to the door and opened it.
"Welcome to the Kennedy Hotel." The man who greeted him was heavyset, his skin the color of milk chocolate. Even this late—or early, depending on how you looked at it—he had a bright smile as Max stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Do you have any bags, sir?"
"Just the one, but I can carry it," Max answered, pulling his duffel out of the back. "Thank you, anyway."
"My pleasure, sir. Enjoy your stay."
Max reached into his pocket and gave the doorman a twenty as the Tahoe pulled away from the hotel. If it was even possible, the man seemed to brighten even further, thanking him profusely. Max just waved him off and went inside, the cold blast of air conditioning nearly knocking him off of his feet as he walked into the lobby. He made quick work of checking in, and within ten minutes he was walking into his tenth floor room.
He didn't even take the time to take in his surroundings, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket as soon as he'd closed the door behind him.
"Daniel. It's me," Max said as soon as the phone was answered on the second ring.
"I take it everything went well?" Daniel's British accent was clear, not even the slightest hint of fatigue in his tone even though Max was calling him at an ungodly hour. Max didn't have many people he could trust. In fact, he could count on one hand the people he trusted, and that left three fingers to spare—himself and Daniel. The other man had been his personal assistant for the last five years and pretty much knew Max better than he probably knew himself.
Walking to the mini fridge, Max took out a small bottle of Jim Bean and twisted off the cap. Tilting his head back, he let the amber liquid burn a trail down his throat, wincing at the bitterness of the alcohol. "I just delivered her."
"Are you on your way back?"
"Not exactly."
"What happened?"
"Nothing." Max let out a weary sigh as he sat down in the armchair by the window. San Diego twinkled back at him through the large picture window, but he found himself unable to truly appreciate the spectacular view. "I'm just tired. Figured I would stay here for the night."
"What aren't you telling me?" Daniel demanded. "You know I'm too smart to fall for your bullshit, Max."
"It's the girl. I—" Max took another swig from the tiny bottle, letting out a grunt as he swallowed it down. "I don't know what it is, Daniel."
"Then get on a plane and get your ass back. I already have your next job lined up for you."
"Don't you think I would come back if I could? I don't know what it is about her, but I can't leave this time. At least, not yet."
Daniel drew in a sharp breath. "You like her."
"Don't be stupid."
"You're the one being stupid. She's a mark, Max. A job. Just like all the others."
"That's what I keep trying to tell myself. And yet, here I am holed up in a hotel room because I can't stop feeling guilty about leaving her there."
"Who would have thought the legendary Max Grey had a conscience?" Daniel was actually chuckling, which surprised Max since he'd barely known the other man to laugh at anything for as long as he'd known him. "I'm actually surprised."
"Shut up."
"What makes her different than all the others? You've never felt this way before with any of the other marks."
"I wish I knew." Max stared at the empty glass bottle, twisting it around on the arm of the chair. "Maybe if I did, I would be able to push it away and get the hell out of here."
"I'm guessing you didn't call to talk about your feelings," Daniel said after a moment of silence. "What do you want me to do?"
"Find out what you can about Randy Wolfe."
"Who is he?"
"He's the one who hired me to bring Nancy to him. She told me his name since he wasn't being so forthcoming with it. She seemed afraid of him, though she was trying to hide it as best as she could."
"All of them are afraid. What sane person wouldn't be? You're like a friggin' Angel of Death, Max."
Max rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you mean that in the nicest way possible."
"Hell, no. I'm just telling you the truth."
"She's different. I don't know why, but she is." Max stood up and walked over to the window, staring down into the city. "The entire time she was with me, she never showed an ounce of fear. She didn't plead with me once until I was walking out the door and leaving her with Wolfe."
"There's not a single person I know who wants to die, Max. She's afraid of death, just like you or I would be."
"Maybe…"
Daniel let out a long sigh. "Look, I'll find out what I can. Do I need to book your flight for tomorrow—or rather, later today?"
"Were not listening to anything I just said. I can't leave, Daniel."
"Honestly? I was hoping you were having some kind of mental breakdown, but I can see that's not the case. I'll email you everything about Randy Wolfe. Get some sleep in the meantime."
"That's likely not to happen," Max muttered, pulling the curtains shut across the windows, blocking out the twinkling skyline. "Thanks, Daniel."
"That's what I'm here for."
Max hung up the phone, slightly amused by Daniel's annoyed tone. Daniel rarely became aggravated with anything, but it had become a game for Max to see what buttons he could push when it came to his friend. While Daniel didn't necessarily like his idea, Max knew he would still work tirelessly until he got him every single morsel on Randy Wolfe that he could.
Padding to the bathroom, Max turned the taps on the shower to the hottest possible temperature he could stand. Shucking off his clothes, he climbed underneath the steaming jets of water. Resting his hands against the wall, he let out a soft groan as the water rained down on his back, feeling his muscles begin to relax.
For a few blissful minutes, he felt his problems washing away with the water down the drain and allowed himself to have that luxury. For just that moment, he could push everything out of his mind. He could pretend that nothing else existed except for him and the hot shower. There was no job, no worries, no feelings of guilt.
And just for a moment, there was no Nancy Drew.
Max was jarred awake hours later by the sound of his phone ringing on the nightstand. Jerking his head up from the pillow, he glanced at the clock, the angry red numbers displaying the time at just after five in the morning. Stifling a curse, he picked up his cell phone and saw it was Daniel.
"When I told you to get me information, I didn't expect you to call me back at five in the morning," Max grumbled as he turned on his back. "You're the one who told me to get some sleep. Remember?"
"You really aren't a morning person, are you?"
Max closed his eyes as he counted silently to ten. "You better have something for me, Daniel, or I will be on the first plane back in order to kick your ass."
"Such hostility," Daniel muttered. "And yes, I have some information for you. I emailed it to you if you can be bothered to get out of bed and grab your laptop."
"Just tell me what it says, Daniel."
"And put all of my hard work to waste?" Daniel seemed slightly offended, but Max was too tired to deal with his hurt feelings.
"Daniel…"
"Oh, all right. Fine." Daniel let out a theatrical sigh. "It wasn't too hard to find anything on Randy Wolfe. He was born in San Diego in 1985, had a good life growing up. Homecoming King and Prom King. Voted most likely to succeed by his classmates. After graduation, he went to Stanford but dropped out his junior year."
"Any reason why?"
"No. As far as I could tell, he was a great student—not a blemish on his record. After dropping out, he began to get into some trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"Minor stuff at first—vandalism, shoplifting, trespassing. Eventually, he escalated into robbery and assault. He spent about six months in jail before his father hired some hotshot lawyer and he got off on probation. After that, he left San Diego and showed up a couple of years later as an assistant cruise director aboard the Emerald Queen."
"Emerald Queen? Why does that sound familiar?"
"Because it was in the news for weeks a few years ago when a stolen cache of emeralds were found hidden on board. They had been taken in a major heist back in Miami. Turns out Wolfe was the mastermind behind the theft." Daniel hesitated. "Your girl was the one who found the emeralds and sent Randy away to a Rio prison."
Max sat straight up in bed, clutching the phone tightly in his hand. "She was?"
"Yes. Now you can see why he was so eager for you to find her. Anyway, from what I hear, Rio prisons are not something to write home about. He couldn't have been too happy with her, especially considering she was only eighteen at the time and managed to do what the police couldn't."
"How did he get out of prison?"
"Let's just say that the warden of the prison suddenly got a boost in his earnings for the year."
"Do you know who footed the bill?"
"Not yet. Give me a little more time and I'll even find out how he takes his coffee." Daniel grew silent for a moment and when he spoke again, there was the slightest hint of worry to his voice. "Given Wolfe's line of work, he had to have gotten help from someone pretty corrupt and rich. I think you're right to be worried about her, Max."
"That's what I was afraid of." Max rubbed a hand over his face, trying not to yawn. "I don't know if I can leave her there, Daniel."
"I was afraid you were going to say that. What do you want me to do?"
"Get on the first flight to San Diego and meet me here."
"What are you planning, Max?"
"I've got to get her out of there. And I'm going to need you to help me do that." Max was already pushing the covers away and getting out of bed. He walked over to his duffel bag and pulled out a clean set of clothes.
"I don't suppose there's any way I can talk you out of this crazy idea?"
Max shook his head even though Daniel couldn't see him do it. "Would you leave her in there, Daniel?"
The other man let out a weary sigh. "No. Dammit, Max…I'll call you in an hour to let you know when I'll arrive. Just promise me you won't do anything until I get there. You'll only succeed in getting yourself killed and you know how much I despise funerals."
"Thanks, Daniel."
Throwing the phone on the bed, Max went to the bathroom to get dressed, a plan already forming in his head.
There you go—a Max chapter. We'll get back to Nancy in the next one, but I felt Max deserved his own chapter. He's such a fun character to write and I am happy that y'all are enjoying him!
I would love to thank the following people for their kind reviews: Alicia Hardy, Guest, lys, Michelle Gallichio, SC15, and Paaps. I would also like to thank MCR-1993 for the PM—I appreciate you for voicing your concerns and I am glad I was able to answer your questions.
That being said, if any of you have questions, feel free to PM me or you can even find me on Twitter supernaturalsam.
I will try my best to update within a few days, but I may possibly have a hurricane to deal with since Isaac is heading my way. As always, I apologize for any mistakes!
Until next time!