“One… Two… Thr…”
“OK! OK! I was going to tell him about…”
“I am listening…”
“About the Senator and Nancy Smith…”
“Ah! We are getting somewhere, aren’t we? What about them?”
“They are having an affair.”
“Good. You see how easy it is. At this rate, we are both going to make it to the wedding in time. Alright. Let’s get to the more serious stuff.”
This time without any warning, another blow to his ribs. The pain was worse than the first time, and he teetered on the verge of fainting. A bucket of cold water was splashed on his face. When he returned to consciousness, Alex had never hoped for a nightmare more than he did at that moment.
It wasn’t a bad dream. It was very real, and he was faced with the daunting task of revealing secrets about the Senator he had never shared with anyone else. He felt drowsy, and the truth serum injected into his body started to work its magic. Over the next hour, he described in detail compromising information about the Senator’s past indiscretions and favorable real estate deals from major campaign donors. He also confessed his love for Caroline and how he never wanted to hurt the Senator ever in his entire life.
“Here is what we are going to do. Given the Senator’s anger about the issue, I don’t expect that he will ever want to see your face again. But because you were cooperative with me, I will work with you. I will cover you with the Senator. From here on out, you answer to me. You are my bitch. I call, you don’t ask why. If I ask you to jump, you will. Understood? Complete loyalty if you choose to keep your life or anyone else you care about, including the pretty girl who was wedded off to someone else. If you work with me, you will have more rewards than you will know what to do with. Understood?”
Alex helplessly shook his head.
“These injuries will heal fast. You may think you broke something, but my guys are expert handlers. Next time there won’t be coming back.”
“Understood.”
The ordeal of watching Caroline walk down the aisle was one thing, the lingering pain that made it impossible to stand or walk as he stumbled to his feet on a backroad he couldn’t recognize was a new level of suffering. He had never experienced as much pain or desperation to live. All he could think about was he needed to get away as quickly as possible before they catch him again. He will reflect on the damage he had done to the Senator later. For now, he crawled his way to an intersection and called the only person he could turn to.
Casey answered the call immediately.
“Casey, I… Eh… need… your help. Please…”
“What is happening, Alex? Where are you?”
He scanned up and looked at the faded street signs. Kings Ln and Holms St.
“Please come. I need help immediately.”
“Are you hurt? Have you called an ambulance? The police?”
“No! Please don’t… Please come… Get here as soon as you can…”
“Alright. Hang on. On my way!”
Alex felt like he was in a war zone. This was the quietest he had ever seen a city block in the middle of the day. Scanning in all directions, he prayed Casey would get to him before the people to whom he owed his life changed their minds.
~~~
