Page 67 of Fight or Flight
“Yeah, whatever. Did you find anything new?” I sit down on his perfectly made bed and sigh after the first searing gulp of coffee goes down my throat.
“I did. I think I know where they are holding her,” he replies calmly, and I almost drop the cup, spilling coffee on myself.
“What? Why the fuck aren’t we already going, then? How did you find out?” I yell, ready to run in whatever direction he tells me.
“Calm down, Aidan. We need to be smart about it. Can’t go guns blazing.”
“Why not? That’s what you did when your precious Jen was in danger, right? But since it’s Claire, you don’t give a fu-”
“Hey!” Brody booms, and my body straightens. His nostrils flare, and I take a step back when he comes to loom above me.
“Look, man. I get what you’re going through. I do. But you need to pull yourself together. There are only two of us. And fuck knows how many of them. I already scoped the place, and I think there is a way for us to get there. However, you need to have your head in the game. This can’t go wrong, or you’ll lose her. You got me?”
“Yeah. Shit,” I rub my face and sigh before sitting back down. “You already scoped the place? On your own? You could’ve woken me.”
Brody smiles and takes a sip of his coffee before he leans on the chest of drawers, his legs crossing at the ankles. At that moment, it’s not hard to imagine him doing this kind of police stuff every day. For a second, I wonder if it weren't for his leg getting so badly hurt that he'd be interested in returning to work in the law enforcement field again.
“Thought about waking your ass. Decided against it. And it was a good call, seeing your outburst just now.”
“Probably,” I admit dejectedly. “So, how did you find them?”
This time, it’s Brody’s turn to sigh tiredly. “I hit a breakthrough after you’ve gone to bed. Got excited, but then hit a brick wall. I had to admit we were running out of time here, so I had to call an old friend to help me out. Otherwise, I would still probably be running in circles here.”
I give him a look. “A friend?”
“A hacker,” Brody replies and scratches at his neck. “Someone I used to know during my time in the FBI. Actually, even before that. He’s not exactly squeaky clean, and it cost a pretty penny for him to find what I was looking for. Anyway, I’ve got the address, and I’m pretty sure it’s the place.”
“How much money are we talking about?” I ask slowly, and by the way, he doesn’t meet my eyes anymore. I know it had to be a-fucking-lot.
“Don’t worry about it,” he waves his big paw, but I’m already shaking my head stubbornly.
“Tell me.”
He winces and then grumbles, “Thirty grand.”
“Thirty grand? What the fuck?” I splutter.
“Yeah, he saw through my bluff and knew I was desperate. But it’s done. It’s over. Now we have to go get your girl and be out of this godforsaken place. I fucking hate Chicago.”
I’m stumped, but I agree that if it was the only way, then it’s definitely worth it. “Shit, man. I’ll pay you back. I’ll take a loan, I-”
“No need. You’ll just have to work for me until you die,” he jokes, but I don’t find it funny.
“How did you get such an amount of cash on such short notice?”
“Oh, uh.” Brody scratches his head again. “I already had it. I pulled it from our savings account we planned to use to finish the house with.”
“What? Won’t Jenny be angry with you?”
He gives me a patronizing look and shakes his head as if he thinks I am a complete moron. Which I know I am.
“Jenny was the one that told me to do it. She and Claire are like sisters; for me, there’s no scenario in which I want to see my woman grieve because she lost her. For me personally, it wasn’t exactly a hard decision either. It’s just money. We’re talking about the life of someone who’s a part of our family.”
“Do you...” I snap my mouth, finding it hard to voice the thoughts that have been swirling around my head ever since I found out someone grabbed her. “Do you think she’s still alive?”
“I do.” He says confidently, and I know it’s just words, but I feel the heavy grip of fear letting go of my throat just a bit. “If they wanted her dead, she would be dead on the spot. That’s what they supposedly did with the roommate. There has to be something they want from her if they decide to risk so much by kidnapping her in daylight and driving her all the way down here.”
“But what do they want with her?” I ask, begging Brody with my eyes to make it all make sense.