His Witness To Love by Summer Rose
CHAPTER SIX
Lauren left seconds after they exited the deputy chief’s office. He'd never really been one for the office or the station downtown.
The rest of the day went by faster than Mack had planned. He made his way back to the safe house, hoping to catch Brie before it was too late. His driving was slightly on the wild side, turning corners and only just barely missing green lights.
The door was unlocked when he got back, and no one could be found. There was neither a sound to be heard nor a soul to be seen. He called out and looked around until he saw the note left ominously at the counter.
It was written in basic font and service paper, nothing suspicious about it.
“Gone shopping, Robert and Lidia have gone bird watching.”
Mack tossed the note aside and laughed at his own paranoia; his fear was valid, but at this moment, everything he had done so far made him feel a bit silly.
His jacket and tie followed the note, hitting the counter without a sound. He was tense; in just a day, he was going to do something extremely dangerous, a negotiation style that claimed the lives of more officers than he’d like to count.
“Somebody has to do it,” were the words he offered his own silence.
***
At the same moment in another part of town, Brie and Rachel found themselves in the town’s shopping district, a busy, bustling place. Brie was done up with a scarf, shades, and a hat. These had been her conditions if she was going to allow Rachel to drive her outside the house.
The shops seemed to wave at you, with fabrics billowing in self-engineered winds from behind clear glass panes. Rachel had taken her into one such shop, and she was in her third dress.
“It looks so good on you, babe.” Rachel kept fussing over her, and Brie wasn’t sure if she enjoyed it or was overwhelmed.
The dress went in the bag by Rachel’s order, and on their way to the cashier, Brie noticed something strange. A man in the corner looked down at his palm, then her, and back to his palm. The sight drew blood out of her face.
“Rachel, we need to leave,” Brie was suddenly agitated.
“But we haven’t even paid yet?”
“Rach, drop the clothes and come with me.”
“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”
“Man behind me, blue hoodie, he’s been looking at me.”
Rachel’s face went just as white. You’re sure?”
Brie nodded.
Rachel led them out a service door at the shop’s side. They retraced their steps to find the car. Fear claimed them when Brie saw the same man they tried to avoid speed walking straight for them down the road. Brie ran; she could only hope Rachel had followed her example.
They didn’t get far. The flood of people on the sidewalk narrowed their choice of turns until, eventually, they hit a dead alley. Brie could feel her heart pound against her clothes. This wasn’t how it ended; she wasn’t going back to being tied up, doing the things they did to Rachel.
Brie picked up a rock and stood with her back to the solid brick surface, blocking her escape. She was going to scar one, kill them if she had to. They always came in numbers. She would make him regret being the first to get to them. The man rounded the corner leading into their dead alley, and Brie began to scream.
Rachel lay curled up in the corner in shock.
“Hey! Hey! Take it, easy, lady! Are you crazy or something?”
Brie’s voice trailed from a scream to a drawl of confusion.
“This fell out of your purse at the shop, and you were definitely going to need it.”
He flung a small pouch with two cards.
“Jesus, going to get me in trouble with all that yelling.”
The man walked away with a look of disgust on his face. Rachel looked up at Brie, and they both began to laugh. It was a guttural thing, straight from their stomachs, strong and free. It brought Brie to her knees, hugging Rachel's balled-up frame. Then the tears began to flow. The sobs came faster and stronger than any laugh they could muster.