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The large, sliding door at the far end of the barn screeched open. A moment later, a beat-up pickup drove inside and parked. Jake hopped out and closed the door again.
“Perfect timing, squirt.” Consulting my pocket watch, I snapped it shut and turned with a genuine smile.
“That’s my truck,” Russ said dumbly.
Jake shot me a glare before he disappeared behind the stolen vehicle and unloaded something — rather, someone — from the back. Slinging the body over his shoulder in a fireman carry, he trudged to the center of the barn and dumped the woman at Russ’s feet. I knew he’d be handy to have around. Why didn’t I take on an apprentice years ago to do the heavy lifting? I could have saved myself so much trouble.
“Nora!” Russ’s eyes widened. The chains rattled again, but all he could do was sway on his feet. There was no way he could save her, or himself.
“Good job, kiddo! You bagged her all by herself.” I smirked at Jake, giving him a round of golf clapping. “Only took you two hours.”
“Fuck off.” Jake hooked a second set of chains to Nora’s wrists and hoisted her unconscious body up into the air. She was more or less standing near, but not too near, Russ.
“Mark?” Russ squinted at Jake. “What the fuck? What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Yeah, bet you didn’t think you’d see me again, asshole.” Jake turned his glare on Russ as he joined me, actually standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me across from the duo.
I gave the boy a curious side glance. Nothing like a good old-fashioned kidnapping to bring two people together. I always said murder was more effective than therapy. Hatred had the ability to unify people more than any other force on Earth. Love was a tangle of complications. But hate? Hate was simple; a singular, all-consuming energy.
“Safe to say you’re acquainted with Ronald here?” I gestured to Russ.
Jake nodded, giving his former co-worker a scathing head-to-toe look.
“Hey man, you got the wrong guy!” Russ sputtered. “My name ain’t Ronald. It’s Russ!”
Jake and I both ignored him.
“Ok, we got ‘em here. Now what?” Jake asked, lifting his brows expectantly.
“Are you familiar with pain compliance?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
He shrugged, making a face. “Not really.”
“They didn’t teach you that up at Parkview?”
Jake shook his head.
“Randy here is. It’s what he used to subdue Leander on more than one occasion. Except he took it beyond its original intent. You know? Thecompliancepart.” I followed Jake’s outraged gaze to the washed-up guard. “Excessive force is one of the reasons Leander won his lawsuit. Doesn’t look so good when one of your patients turns up in court covered in bruises.”
“I didn’t do anything to that sick fuck!” Russ spat.
Spreading my hands, I cringed and sucked in a hiss through my teeth. “Well, the courts say differently, Ricky. That’s what guilty means. That’s why you had to kiss your pension bye-bye and your girlfriend over there lost her house.”
“I say differently, too,” Jake added, taking a step forward, his fists clenching. “I saw him beat on more patients than just Leander. With that bitch’s help!” He pointed at Nora in case there was any confusion who the “bitch” was in this grouping.
Tsking Russ, I moved forward slowly and clapped my hands on his shoulders. “Didn’t your mother teach you not to pick on people weaker than you? It’s really in poor taste.” Holding him steady, I drove my knee into the side of his thigh.
Howling, his legs gave out. The chains jerked tight on his wrists, eliciting a painful hiss to go with his whimpering.
I took a step back, watching Russ swing for a moment before clapping my hands quickly at my assistant. “Come, come, Jacob. Time for your first lesson.”
Instead of some smart-ass comeback, Jake stepped forward, his blue eyes bright.
“There’s a nerve that runs right through here,” I said to Jake, gesturing the length of Russ’s thigh. “Hit it hard enough and, as you can see, you’ll drop your opponent no matter how big they are. Plus, it hobbles them for the next hour so even if they do get away, they don’t make it very far.”
Jake nodded, soaking in the information like a sponge.
“I also like this one,” I continued, grabbing Russ above his elbow and squeezing hard with my thumb. Russ screamed until I let go. “Immobilizes the arm, which means they can’t hit back.”
