Captive Angel Ch. 04

Hunter had no shoes.

The glass glittered in the bright lights, sparkling along the floor like evil little diamonds waiting for their taste of blood.

"Shit! Uh, not just yet, I'm kind of busy here," Hunter yelled, trying to find a direction where the glass wasn't as plentiful.

Angel stared at the floor and then caught a glance of Sebastian, still unconscious, his smarmy little glasses sitting crooked upon his nose. The bulge in his pocket caught her eyes and she remembered his gun.

She hurried over to him, digging into his pocket, her hand going around the handle of the gun. She started to pull it out, ready to do whatever she had to, to save Hunter when a hand came around hers. "Not so fast, my dear," Sebastian said, his blue eyes glaring at her.

With a growl of pure rage, she rammed her forehead against his, feeling his glasses break even as she shouted at him. "I AM NOT YOUR DEAR!" His hand fell away and he slumped back against the wall.

The pain made Angel dizzy and for a moment she wondered if she hadn't succeeded in knocking them both out. But then the spinning eased and she could see again. She grabbed the gun, turning with it in her hands, pointing it at the two men who were fighting in close quarters now. She pointed the gun at Floyd, praying with everything in her that she was doing this right, and pulled the trigger.

The report was huge in the room, the kick from the gun sending her arms up and over her head. Both men had turned, staring at her in disbelief. There was a hole in the wall just above their heads, white plaster and pieces of molding raining down upon them.

Hunter grinned, then turned, grabbing the manacles in his fists one more time, swung them, hitting Floyd across the nose, breaking it. He went down, not getting up again.

"Where'd you get the gun?" Hunter asked, bending at the waist to try to catch his breath, rubbing a tiny trail of blood from his lip where Floyd's fist had brushed when he hadn't ducked quickly enough.

"What?" Angel shouted, not able to hear him over the ringing in her ears.

Hunter chuckled, carefully picking his way through the mess of glass and taking the pistol from her loose grip. He hugged her quickly, kissing her stunned mouth and holding out his hands so that she could unlock the manacles, before going to Clyde.

He slipped the man's shoes off his feet, slipping his own feet into the expensive leather and then took his wallet, pulling a wad of money and sliding it into the front pocket of his jeans.

"What are you doing?" she asked, startled to see him stealing the cash.

"We're going to need money," he shouted.

"I heard you fine, there's no need to shout," she grumped.

He chuckled again. "We're going to need money to use while we hide out and try to get you home, Angel," he said in his normal voice. "Why don't you go to the desk and see what Sebastian might have in there that we can use."

She went to the desk, rummaging through the drawers. "Why don't we just call the cops?"

"He's got big connections, who's to say that he doesn't have the cops in his pocket. I can't trust the cops around here. We've got to get away from here then I'll talk to the cops." Hunter came up behind her, jingling a set of keys that he stuffed in his front pocket. He pulled open his shirt, stripping it off his chest. "While I kind of like the outfit you're wearing now, I think others might like it a little too much." He held the shirt out while she slid her arms into it, snapping the front closed for her.

"Thanks," she said, her voice shaking.

"Hey, doc, don't lose it on me yet, we still have to get out of here. This is a huge place. I'm going to need you with it." He tipped her chin up to face him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, really," she said, emphasizing the word. "Can we just get the hell out of here?"

"You bet. But first, I want Mutt and Jeff manacled together. It won't keep 'em down long, but if I take the handy set of keys with me, it could take them a while to get lose." He looked back and forth from between the two of the huge men. "Which one do we move?"

"I don't know, you got a crane in your pocket?"

Hunter grinned. "It's been called big but never that big, sweetheart."

"Ha, funny," but she still smiled going with him to Floyd, figuring it might be easier to slide him across the linoleum that was in the hidden room. They got the two brothers close enough together and then manacled them together. By the time they were done, Angel was getting nervous. "Why isn't anyone coming to check on the gunshot?"

"In this room, screams and loud noises are the norm, Angel. No one will come in and check. We've got a little time yet. But I want us out of here before dark and that comes soon." He glanced out the window to where the late afternoon sunshine was just breaking through the colored leaves on the trees.

Hunter gathered all the money he could find as well as car keys. They were going to need transportation until he could get out of here and stop and make a phone call.

He had an idea of where they could go but he needed to call in a favor.

As soon as they were ready, he tucked the gun into the back of his jeans, grabbing Angel's hand and going to the door. No one was in the hallway, so they snuck out, slipping down toward the stairs. But before they could get there, someone started coming up them, so they turned down the other way, running quietly down the hall.

There a set of stairs leading down took them to a hallway that went to the kitchen.

The room was quiet right now but they could hear a television set playing somewhere close by. Quietly sneaking into the room, Hunter found two jackets hanging amongst others, pulling them off the hooks and handing one to Angel. It was huge, the sleeves covering her hands, but she didn't fight him when he turned and pulled the hood up over her bright red hair.

"Stay low and stay right behind me, okay?" he whispered, opening the door of the kitchen as quietly as he could.

He slipped outside, holding the door open for Angel, cursing when a burst of wind blew dead leaves up in a small tornado, some flying into the room with what seemed like loud scraping noises.

"Damn," he hissed, pushing the door closed with the quietest of clicks. "Come on, Angel. We got to find us some wheels."

He missed seeing the man coming into the kitchen from the small room next door where he'd been taking a break before preparing supper for the staff of the household. But the man didn't miss them. He went to a small phone on the wall, dialing in a three-digit code and waited for it to be answered.

When no one did, he tried another number and then another until he finally found someone to answer him.

* * * *

Hunter and Angel snuck around the corner of the huge mansion, staring at the well-maintained lawn that graced the front yard. It was like a wide green ocean, an occasional tree or bush breaking its immaculate surface. If Angel were a fanciful person, she might have thought that not a colored leaf dare touch the pristine yard.

"Over there," Hunter whispered, nodding his head toward a wide lot that was full of cars.

"How are we going to figure out which one?" she asked as he pulled out the keys.

He smiled at her and hit a button on the small black plastic key fob watching the cars until he saw the lights flash on a huge SUV. "You had to figure he'd go for the biggest, wouldn't you?"

They ran towards the SUV but before they could get there, there was a shout from behind them.

"Fuck! Angel, run!" He pushed her ahead of him waiting to hear the first burst of

gunfire, knowing it was coming.

The first shot went wide, hitting the windshield of a car. Angel looked up at the sound, a small shriek coming from her though she barely had the breath left to run.

She heard a grunt and turned her head, seeing Hunter grabbing his head and tottering. Before he could fall, she grabbed his arm, yanking him upright.

"Get up!" she shouted in his face. "We aren't going to get out of here unless you stay on your feet." She took a precious second to glance into his eyes, seeing them wild and disoriented, clouded with pain. Taking the keys out of his hands, she guided him the few feet left to the SUV and opened the door to the back seat. "Get in!" she screamed, almost catching his foot in the door as she slammed it shut before sliding into the driver's seat.

Her hands shook so bad she almost missed the ignition switch, but she jammed the key in, turning the engine over with a roar. She threw the gearshift into reverse as the first bullet hit the windshield.

A surprised laugh escaped her. "They're bullet proof," she cried hysterically.

Something thumped against the back of the SUV and looking into the rear view mirror, she saw a man trying to get the back gate open. She slammed her foot down on the accelerator, hitting him hard enough to knock him out of the way, then spun the wheel and threw the transmission into drive.

Angel screamed when a hand reached out from behind her, grabbing at the other seat. Hunter, his head still bleeding, managed to drag his big body over the middle console and shoved himself into the passenger seat. "Don't scare me like that!" she yelled, slapping at his arm.

"Hey," he ground out. "Shot here? Think I could get some sympathy?"

"I'm driving, we'll talk sympathy when I figure out how to get out of this fucked up asylum."

Hunter sat back, staring at her with amazement. His head throbbed, he was bleeding and hurting, they had guns blazing all around them and she sat behind the steering wheel, both hands firmly placed, her foot on the accelerator with a determined look upon her face. She was...amazing.

"You got any clues?" she shouted at him as he just sat and stared at her.

"Uh, yeah," he said, staring out the cracked glass of the windshield. "Turn here!" he shouted.

"Here?"

"Yeah, here!" he grabbed a hold of the door handle just as she cranked the wheel, the SUV rose up onto two tires as she turned sharply. It dropped and so did his stomach, giving him that sick roller coaster ride feeling. "Maybe I should drive?"

"Shut up, you've got a head injury." She drove with one hand down the long twisting single lane, searching through the pocket of the coat she was wearing. There was a napkin in it and she took her eyes off the road long enough to slap it against his head. "Hold that there and quit being a back seat driver."

"Gate," he said.

"What?"

"Gate!" he shouted, pointing in front of them.

There it was, a big iron structure with the top bearing pointed, spear like barbs. It kept them in and away from any chance of escape. She slowed the truck, staring at it and at the guards that came out of the gatehouse next to it.

Behind them came the sound of more men running up and closing in on the truck.

"Shit," Hunter said. "I'm sorry, Angel."

"Not yet you aren't. Buckle up, cowboy, things could get a little bumpy."

"You aren't going to...Angel that thing is solid steel." He grabbed for his seatbelt.

"And I'm betting that anyone paranoid enough to install bullet proof glass in their SUV also had it reinforced." She slammed down on the accelerator, watching as men dove for cover as she barreled past. She saw the gate getting bigger and bigger in the windshield and felt the scream wanting to tear from her mouth.

They hit the gate with a crunching sound, and a scream of metal against metal. Then they were through, bouncing over the intricate metal work of the gate that now lay on the ground, Angel frantically wrenched the wheel to the right as they were out on the main road.

"Which way?" she shouted at Hunter, feeling a bubble of exuberant euphoria bursting inside of her. They were out; they were away from that madman. She hit the window button and cracked the window, letting the cool October air rush over her cheeks.

"Do I look like a GPS system? Keep driving, we should find a sign or a gas station somewhere." He opened the glove box on the SUV, searching for more napkins for his head. There was a box of Kleenex and he grabbed a handful, wadding them up and pressing them tightly against the small furrow the bullet had dug into his scalp.

"Oh my," he said. He closed the glove box quickly.

"What?" she asked, glancing over at him.

"Clyde or Floyd liked their recreational drugs. We don't want to get pulled over in this thing, Angel, watch your speed."

"There are drugs in the car?" she asked, her tone sharp.

"Yeah, uh, this could be party central at any college campus."

"Well, we have to get rid of them," she argued. "We can't just throw them out the window, some kid might get hold of them. Geez, Hunter, think of something, will you?"

"Don't get hysterical now. God, woman, you just faced down a psychotic madman, his two hulking henchmen, not to mention two dozen men with guns and a huge ass iron gate and you're panicking now?" He laughed though it turned to a moan.

"I wonder if he has any Tylenol in there?" she asked nodding to the glove box.

"He has everything but Tylenol in there, Angel."

They drove for ten minutes, coming to an intersection that led to a business district. Both of them gaped at the sign they saw.

"Chicago?" Angel was aghast. Why had he taken her so far from home? How had he even found her?

"I was in Texas..." Hunter said softly. "In my office in San Antonio, how the hell did he get me here?"

"I was in Michigan, not quite so far a hike, but why go so far away to kidnap a doctor?" She thumped her fist on the steering wheel. "What, don't they have decent doctors in Illinois?" She started to turn towards the bright lights she could see in the gathering haze of darkness as it settled.

"Whoa, not so fast."

"Why, we need to find a place to stay, to dump the drugs and I need to check your head, it might need stitches?" She waved angrily at the car behind her who honked his horn and flipped her off as it went around her.

"We need to get far away from Chicago and stay on the road for a while. I'll live for a couple hours longer. If you don't want to drive, I can do it."

"Fine," she said, her breath huffing in disgust. "Which way?"

"Ahh," he hesitated, checking the sign again. To the left led into Chicago, to the right would take them around the huge city. "Right," he said finally just as another horn honked.

She made the turn, driving off into the night in a stolen SUV full of drugs with a man with a gunshot injury to his head and no clue as to what to do next.

"I need to find a pay phone," he said, sinking lower into the seat and leaning his head back.

"Has the bleeding stopped yet?" she asked, reaching out to touch the wad of tissues he was holding to his head.

"Yeah, it's fine. Just find me a pay phone," he snapped, instantly feeling ashamed as he saw the look in her eyes. "Listen, Angel, I'm sor..."

"No, don't worry, it's fine. I guess the doctor in me just has to know everything." She waved off his concern, turning on her turn signal and pulling into a small gas station party store combination. "They have an outside payphone. If you'll give me some money, I'll pick up a bandage for your head and something to drink."

He sighed, knowing he'd hurt her. He pulled money from his pocket, digging into the center console for a couple of quarters before sliding out into the cold air. Zipping up the coat over his bare chest, he ignored the looks he got from a couple of kids who stared at the blood on the coat and on his head and headed for the payphone.

She was waiting in the car for him when he got back. She handed him a can of orange juice and gestured to the back seat. "I got some cookies too, in case you're hungry. Let me clean this up a little and we can be back on our way."

"Okay," he said, holding still under her probing fingers. She pulled some cotton balls out of the bag and cleaned the wound with a little hydrogen peroxide, blowing on it when he hissed at the sting. It wasn't long, only a graze on the side of his head about an inch and a half long and less than an inch wide.

"You got lucky," she said, tearing the backing off a big band-aid. "If you'd had your head turned more that would have gone right into your skull."

"Yeah, well I live protected by the Patron Saint of Fools and Broken Dreams." He pulled away from her fingers, pushing the band-aid down herself. "Keep following this road, it should take us around Chicago and from there we can head west."

"West? I thought we'd be going to Michigan, you know, to drop me off." Her eyes were huge as they stared at him, terrified at the thought of being on the run.

"Where do you think would be the first place Sebastian would look for you?" he asked her.

"But why would he bother, especially if I keep my mouth shut about him or where I'd been..." she sighed, "It won't matter a bit, will it?"

"No." He reached out and clasped her hand that rested on her thigh. "We've done something Sebastian can't forgive. We've beat him. He'll be gunning for us both now."

"So what are we going to do?" Her eyes were huge, the green startling in the glow of the streetlight.

"We stay ahead of him and we figure out what in my father's journals he wants." He opened the juice, taking the two Tylenol capsules she handed him and washing them down with the first swallow. "I've got a friend who's going to help us. He's going to overnight some stuff to me. He's making a reservation for us in the next town along the way west of here in a small motel. We get there and the stuff he's sending will be here tomorrow."

"Well, it's a plan anyways," she said. "I can't believe I once wished that my boring life would get just a little more exciting."

He laughed. "Just goes to prove..."

"You should watch what you wish for," they both finished together.

"I can drive, if you want," he offered.

She checked his eyes, noting the normal dilation in the light. "Okay, but if your head gets worse or you need a break, you'd better not be macho about it."

He made an X over his heart, laughing as she snorted at him. "Yeah, like I believe that."

They switched places, Angel climbing over the console and into his seat, slipping the seat belt over her should and clicking it into place.

He put the car into drive, and pulled out into traffic.

* * * *

Police are looking for two people who they feel have some knowledge of a random act of violence done earlier today at the home of one of our more prominent citizens. An SUV was stolen by this unknown couple who drove away doing massive damage to the estate and to two bystanders who are now in stable condition at a nearby hospital. Police are searching for a man and a woman in a red Cadillac Escalade for questioning. If you see this couple, please contact the hotline number below. Once more...

The employee at the small party store listened again to the news blurb, watching as the SUV in question pulled out of his parking lot and headed west. He looked at the television, checking out the number, then shrugged. They didn't offer a reward and the lady had been nice to look at, had even smiled at him when he'd made a play.

She just didn't seem the type though, to do the damage the news talked about. He shrugged again, heading for the cooler and putting it out of his mind.