Hotel Key

Chapter 36

Daryl was already waiting outside when the doors to the bank were finally unlocked. He tried not to show his impatience while the clerk went to fetch the manager. And he didn't protest when the manager checked his ID even though the clerk already checked it twice. Once he was finally alone in the small room, he realized his hands were shaking. He tried and failed twice to get the lid off the safety deposit box. Daryl cursed himself for not letting his brother come with him. And then he cursed himself again for wishing Merle was there after the bullshit he just found out the man was doing behind his back.

Doesn't matter who was fuckin' who, Daryl reminded himself. We just need to get RickyJo home safe and then we can deal with the cheating bullshit situation. The night before, Daryl was sure that catching his wife cheating was the worst thing that could ever happen to him. But now that her actual life was in danger, whatever assorted idiot nonsense that was going on between her and Merle seemed to pale in comparison. He was sure it would need to be dealt with at some point. But it just didn't seem important at the moment.

Daryl unzipped the backpack he brought into the bank with him. He took a deep breath to steady his hands. And then he finally caught the tiny lip of the lid and slid it off the long metal box. Counting the money out, he set it on the counter first. Daryl counted it again, just to be sure he had the right amount. He needed six hundred thousand dollars. But Merle said to get seven just in case. So that's what Daryl did. When he had the correct amount laid out, he stuffed the stacks of neatly bundled bills into his bag. He shook his head when he realized that what he took barely put a dent in the amount of money that was packed into the long rectangular box. And there was a second box he didn't open this time that was also stuffed full of money. The sheer amount of it hadn't really registered in his mind when he was here the last time. He'd been more concerned with the car and bike titles than the massive stacks of cash. Now that he realized how much there was, he decided that once this was all over, he was going to come back here and take one of the large stacks. Then he and RickyJo were going on vacation. She couldn't go too far away right now. Not with her being due to have a baby in a few more months. But they could go to the beach. And after the baby came he could take her somewhere further. Maybe even to Ireland, which for some reason was the place that popped into his head when he thought about somewhere far away that he'd like to go.

Daryl secured the lid back on the box and placed it carefully back into its spot in the wall. Then he slung his bag onto his back and headed out of the bank. He started the car, pulling his phone out and checking it to make sure he didn't miss any calls even though he had the ringer turned all the way up so that there was no chance of him missing a call. Then he drove back to the apartment and headed inside.

"They didn't call did they?," Merle asked. Daryl shook his head, quickly handing his phone over to Shane so it could be hooked into the device that would track where the calls were coming from. Daryl understood the purpose of the device, but he had no idea how it worked. He just headed for the kitchen and poured himself a large cup of coffee. Despite the whiskey that Merle forced on him the night before, Daryl hadn't slept. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could picture was all the horrible things that might be happening to RickyJo. Daryl glanced across the room at his brother. From the dark circles under his eyes, Daryl assumed Merle hadn't slept either. Probably for the same reason.

Shane let him get a few sips of coffee down before he started going over what Daryl was supposed to do when the man called him. He needed to keep the kidnapper on the phone for at least three minutes if he wanted them to be able to trace the call. Which didn't sound like much time. But Shane assured him that it was going to feel like forever. Shane told him the best thing to do to stall for time was for him to demand to talk to RickyJo. And they also needed to make sure she was alright before they turned a large sum of money over to her kidnappers. Daryl jumped when there was a knock on the door, his body immediately going into fight mode.

"It's just Carol," Shane said, rising from his chair and opening the door. "She said she was coming up to make us something to eat." Daryl nodded. He didn't think he could eat anything. But he figured he better try. This might turn into a long day and making himself sick to his stomach from chasing down the whiskey he drank the night before with nothing but coffee wasn't going to help the situation. But as he sat down and grabbed a piece of toast and a scoop of scrambled eggs, he couldn't help but wonder what RickyJo was having for breakfast. She'd been having some odd pregnancy cravings lately. Not for anything weird like pickles and ice cream mixed together. She'd just been eating things she didn't normally eat. The last week or two she'd been on an avocado kick. Not only was she eating chips and guacamole at every opportunity, but she'd even taken to smashing up a plain avocado and smearing it on toast for breakfast. Daryl doubted that her cravings were being catered to by her captors. And he worried that they might not be giving her anything at all.

It was around noon when the much awaited call finally came. Shane seemed to be convinced that the whole thing must have been planned by someone they knew. But Daryl still only recognized the voice as belonging to the same man he spoke to the night before. Other than that, the man wasn't familiar to him. In a stroke of good luck, the man called him from RickyJo's phone. Which meant he either was convinced that they had not gone to the police. Or he was just plain stupid. Because not only was Daryl's phone attached to some sort of tracking system, but Shane had the tech department down at the precinct tracing RickyJo's phone specifically.

"Do you have the money?," the man asked. "I know you went to the bank." Shane and Daryl exchanged glances. Shane was sure that these men had someone watching him. But Daryl hadn't seen anyone. And he'd been keeping an eye out too. Because if he did see whoever it was, he planned to snatch the person up. And then this little game would be over in a hurry.

"I've got it," Daryl assured the man. Daryl fought back the urge to demand a meeting time and place. But he kept quiet and let the man lead the conversation. What was important now was keeping him on the phone as long as possible.

"Meet me at the Fourth Ward Park in two hours," the man demanded. "On the north side of the playground ...and bring the money."

"Hey!," Daryl hollered when it seemed like the man was about to hang up. "I ain't bring ya shit unless I know my wife is alright."

"You have my assurance that she's perfectly safe," the man said, the irritation rising in his voice. "...and that's how she'll stay as long as you do as you're told."

"Well forgive me if I don't wanna just take yer word for it," Daryl huffed. "If you want me ta meet you in two hours, then I wanna know for sure that she's alive. Put her on the phone."

The man didn't say anything else. And for a moment, Daryl was terrified that he had ended the call. But he could still hear some shuffling noises on the other end of the line. Daryl couldn't make out all the words. But it sounded like the man was arguing with another man. Then the line went silent. Daryl glanced at his phone. The call was still connected. The man must have put him on mute to keep him from hearing whatever argument was going on. Daryl's heart was beating so hard that he could hear the whoosh of it in his ears. He glanced at Shane, hoping the three minutes was close to over. But Shane just motioned for him to keep going. The time wasn't up yet.

"Hello?"

The first thing Daryl heard when the audio of the call was reconnected was RickyJo's voice. She sounded shaken up. But she was alive. And that's what was important.

"RickyJo!," Daryl gushed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," she said, though she didn't sound okay. "I'm not hurt," she clarified.

"I love you," Daryl said. "...I'm doing everythin' I can to make sure I get ya home safe." Daryl heard her suck in a deep ragged breath. Her breathing was thick and shallow and he could hear that she was starting to cry. He felt the pain in the dead center of his chest. Like someone reached inside him and squeezed his heart. The panic was rising inside him. And he wanted to throw all rationale out the window. He needed to get her out of there now.

"I love you too," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry for everythin'." Her voice was hitching and it was clear that she was scared and about to lose what little control she had over herself. Daryl didn't fight it when Merle leaned over him and grabbed the phone from his hand.

"Listen up," Merle told her. "Stop cryin'. RickyJo!" The sound of Merle using her proper name seemed to jolt RickyJo out of her crying fit. He never called anyone by their actual name. He'd been calling her babygirl for nearly a decade. "Yer the strongest woman I know," he told her. "And ya only have ta be strong just a little while longer. Can ya do that fer me?"

"Yes," RickyJo said, the hitch in her voice nearly inaudible now. "I can do that." Merle cast a nervous glance at his brother before he spoke again.

"I love ya," he said. There was a pause on the other end before she answered.

"I love you too," RickyJo said.

There was a shuffling noise on the other end of the line. Merle shoved the phone back at Daryl. But he stayed nearby, ready to snatch it back if he felt it was necessary.

"Are you rednecks done?," the man asked, his tone full of mockery. "...Or are there more of you there that she's sleeping with?"