Play Along(91)

If you shoot anyone, you are going to jail. Stace’s words from earlier echo in my mind. I don’t want to go through all this shit to end up in a Columbian prison for life.

Don’t shoot anybody. Just don’t shoot anybody, I remind myself.

Where the frigging hell are you? I get to the row of shops and start to look around frantically. The street is still so busy. Why are there so many damn people around? Actually, that’s a good thing. I can’t imagine how frightening this would be if the town were deserted. A police car drives slowly past and I feel like jumping out in front of them and asking for their help, but I know they can’t help us. Nobody on Earth can help us. I walk past an alley between two restaurants and I peer up into the shadows. I frown and stop on the spot.

Three men are up the other end in the darkness, and one of them is Stace.

Fuck.

I immediately slink up against the wall in the shadows near the opening and listen. I strain my ears as hard as I can, but I can’t hear what they are saying. I need to get closer… but what if he gets out of it and then I am here and ruin the whole thing? But, what if they kill him?

That’s it. I’m getting closer. I slowly tiptoe towards them in the darkness, until finally I can hear what they are saying.

“I’m giving you one last chance. Where the fuck is she?” Stucco growls.

Oh God.

“I told you, I don’t fucking know. She took me hostage to get off the ship. I haven’t seen her since we landed.”

“Bullshit. That’s an outright lie.”

“Go to fucking hell. I don’t know where she is.”

“Get him,” Stucco says to the other man.

The other man grabs Stace and a scuffle breaks out.

“Get your hands off me,” Stace snaps.

A punch is thrown and I screw up my face as I slowly get the gun out.

“Vikinos wanted you alive, but I don’t care for that. You are better off dead.” Stucco growls.

“Fuck you,” Stace yells as he connects a hard hit to Stucco’s jaw. He staggers back and then regains composure and runs at Stace and they fall to the ground.

I grip the gun with white-knuckle force.

The other man starts to kick Stace on the ground as he fights with Stucco, and I step forward. Don’t shoot anyone. I step back into the shadows.

Stace jumps up and does some kind of round kick and connects with the man’s jaw and he instantly drops to the ground, out cold.

Good one.

Then he turns on Stucco and goes ballistic. The sound of the hits are so brutal, I have to shut my eyes. Stace gets him on the ground and hits him and Stucco pulls out a gun.

Oh no. I step forward and point the gun at the two of them. “Don’t move,” I yell.

Stucco looks up and the momentary distraction allows Stace the crucial break he needs. He hits him hard and fast four times in succession and he slams his head on the concrete. Stucco falls back dazed and incoherent. He doesn’t move again. I walk over to Stace who has blood running down from his eyebrow.

“Are you okay?” I whisper.

He looks down the alley and nods as he wipes the blood from his lip. Stucco’s phone rings and we look at each other. Panting, Stace bends and retrieves it from Stuccos pocket, he answers it, but doesn’t say anything.

The voice on the other end is loud and clear. “Where are you, we’re coming through town now.”

Stace hits the end button and looks at me. “Run.”





19





“What?” I whisper.

“Run.” He growls as he grabs my hand. We turn and run as fast as we can to the end of the alley and then stop still in the shadows as we peer around the corner and onto the street.

A cab is slowly coming down the road. “I’m going to try and get it.” I glance at Stace and the blood running down his face. “Clean yourself up or he won’t let you in.”

“Yeah, okay,” he murmurs as he takes his t-shirt off and begins to wipe the blood from his face. I run out onto the road and put my hands up in front of the cab. “Stop, please stop,” I mouth in desperation.

The driver slows and I open the back door and jump in, I gesture a come here signal to Stace and he runs from the shadows and jumps in the back of the cab.

The cab driver frowns and turns to eye us suspiciously. “Is everything alright?” he asks.

“Yes, bar fight,” Stace replies quickly. “Can you take us to the Marriot hotel please?”

He nods cynically and turns and pulls out into the traffic.

I frown. “The Marriot?” I mouth.

Stace shakes his head subtly and grabs my hand in his, the warmth of it instantly calming me. He then lies down and puts his head on my lap and I know it’s so nobody can see he is in the cab. “Come down here and cuddle me,” he says out loud.