Dangerous Trails - Chapter 12 (PG-13)
Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:23 am
Disclaimer: see chapter 1.
Chapter 12
Mick stepped back into the store and hurried into the backroom. “I’m safe. What’s up?”
“I’m trying to save your ass. There are still people around trying to find and kill you.”
“How do you know?”
“The leader of the Illustrous Circle of Imbecile Idiots a.k.a. the Legion contacted me. He is deeply sorry about the breach of treaty, by the way, and was very helpful. I may or may not have used excessive force to get him there.”
“Josef!”
“What? They are responsible for the attempt at your life and for Beth being in hospital. How is she, by the way?”
“She’s fine. If all goes well she will be able to leave the hospital tomorrow, with a heavy cast of course.”
“Good. Listen, he said he knew the two in the helicopter and that there are two more unaccounted for who are running around with stakes. He told me their names and I’ll text you with details and descriptions. They might be on their way to Honolulu or already there.”
Mick sighed. This wasn’t over. “Thanks for the warning. Do you have pictures?”
“Sadly, no. The Legion members aren’t in the system. That’s why HPD couldn’t find anything on them. I hate to say something good about them, but they are experts in covering their tracks and keeping their secrets hidden. I might employ one of them as a consultant. Their leader admitted they even got your new name. Be careful!”
Mick scowled. “Then they might find Beth in the hospital. She’s there under Jenkins.”
Without another word he ended the call and ran to his rental car to get to his Beth. He didn’t care if he brought danger to himself, he needed her to be safe.
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Steve was on his way back to the hospital. They had finally found Mick and Beth in the system, and they were in the witness protection program. Steve was sure he had looked into that database before and they weren’t in it. Now they suddenly were, with both the real name and the fake one.
There still was no identitification of the two people from the helicopter and no idea why they would kidnap the couple. There wasn’t any hint that these two caucasian people had any connection to the drug baron that Mick put away. It just made no sense.
Steve hadn’t voiced any of his doubts to his team. Danny was suspicious because Steve had been quiet and preoccupied by this low-priority case instead of solving the murder in the harbor that he left to his team. They already had a lead that it was connected to a business scam that someone was angry about.
With heavy thoughts on his mind Steve parked his Silverado and made his way to the entrance. Suddenly a dark van screeched to a halt beside his car, two black-clad men jumped out and attacked him. The bigger one had a shiny knife and tried to lunge it at Steve’s neck. The other wielded a sharpened broomstick or something like that. Steve was stunned for a moment, then he started fighting back. He brought his straightened leg out for a roundhouse kick to Mr. Knife’s arm, which made him lose the weapon and hold his limb. Steve sidestepped when the other charged at him with the spear and got a grip on the weapon to wield it out of his hands.
A noise made him turn around, which probably saved his life. The other thug had taken another smaller stake out of his pocket and had gone for Steve’s back. In the last moment Steve evaded the attack so that the stake only went through his shoulder. Steve howled in agony but the anger and adrenaline helped him to stay upright and use a few boxing moves to the other man’s face and chest.
Then everything went so fast that Steve couldn’t grip the details. There was a whoosh of air, and the second attacker was thrown to the ground. Another person took care of the man he was fighting against just a moment ago. It was Mamo who sat there holding one man down with his body weight and a determined scowl. It was Mick who held the other man’s arms behind his back and pushed him away from Steve. Both’s faces were pale, and he thought he saw teeth that weren’t supposed to be there.
He suddenly felt a bit queasy and sank to his knees. He saw Mick tackle his victim and knock his head to the van so that his body sank to the floor unconsciously. He saw Mamo struggle to hold the other man down, but there was another shiny knife and it bit deep into Mamo’s arm. Before any more damage could be done, Mick had zip tied his man and knocked him out and came to Mamo’s aid. He knocked the head of the bulky thug into the ground so he passed out.
Steve saw their faces return to normal. The eyes that had a watery blue color slowly came back to brown. Their skin color darkened back to life. Mamo held his arm, it was bleeding profusely. “Silver.” Mamo murmured. Mick ran back a few paces where he dropped a travel mug and offered the contents to Mamo. Mamo drank deeply, and the wound closed in seconds. There was a red residue on Mamo’s lips. “Thanks”, he said.
Mick came to Steve and clapped him on his uninjured shoulder. “Let me have a look at that.”
He ripped the t-shirt off the shoulder and watched the wound closely.
“It’s not bleeding much but that’s because the stake is still in. You’re lucky we’re at the hospital already.”
Steve shook his head in a feeble attempt to clean his brain from the confusing images that were lodged in there.
“What just happened?” he asked. The whole attack and counter attack hadn’t lasted five minutes, and there were no witnesses.
Mamo sighed and stood up. “We’ll explain later. Be assured that what happened here wasn’t aimed at you. You just look a lot like Mick, who was their intended target. Mick, take Steve to the ER while I get rid of these two.”
“What will you do?” Steve asked. “We should call HPD.”
“We don’t need another two unidentified bodies in the morgue and another case you won’t be able to close. Let me take care of them and I promise answers later.”
Steve took Mick’s hand to get back on his feet. “I’ll hold you to that, Mamo. I have enough unanswered questions in my life as it is.”
Mamo smiled. “I promise, Steve. You may wish you never stumbled over this, but I will be open to you. Come to my house tomorrow when Mick and Beth are there as well, and we’ll clear everything up.”
He took first one, then the other thug in a fireman’s grip and deposited them in the backseat of their van, then drove away.
Steve stood there, rooted to the spot, not knowing what to think.
Mick smiled apologetically. “I know how you feel, but let’s take care of that wound first. You don’t want permanent damage to your shoulder, or an infection.”
“Why did they use a wooden stake?”
“I guess they didn’t want gunshots to alert the police. We’ll explain in due time.”
Defeated, Steve stumbled towards the ER entrance with Mick helping him along. He could already see the face of the doctor when he saw what kind of weapon he had in his shoulder blade. Despite all his battle experience, this one was new. It would be almost funny if it wasn’t for the mystery around Mick. Still, he felt he could trust the man, and Mamo.
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Chapter 12
Mick stepped back into the store and hurried into the backroom. “I’m safe. What’s up?”
“I’m trying to save your ass. There are still people around trying to find and kill you.”
“How do you know?”
“The leader of the Illustrous Circle of Imbecile Idiots a.k.a. the Legion contacted me. He is deeply sorry about the breach of treaty, by the way, and was very helpful. I may or may not have used excessive force to get him there.”
“Josef!”
“What? They are responsible for the attempt at your life and for Beth being in hospital. How is she, by the way?”
“She’s fine. If all goes well she will be able to leave the hospital tomorrow, with a heavy cast of course.”
“Good. Listen, he said he knew the two in the helicopter and that there are two more unaccounted for who are running around with stakes. He told me their names and I’ll text you with details and descriptions. They might be on their way to Honolulu or already there.”
Mick sighed. This wasn’t over. “Thanks for the warning. Do you have pictures?”
“Sadly, no. The Legion members aren’t in the system. That’s why HPD couldn’t find anything on them. I hate to say something good about them, but they are experts in covering their tracks and keeping their secrets hidden. I might employ one of them as a consultant. Their leader admitted they even got your new name. Be careful!”
Mick scowled. “Then they might find Beth in the hospital. She’s there under Jenkins.”
Without another word he ended the call and ran to his rental car to get to his Beth. He didn’t care if he brought danger to himself, he needed her to be safe.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Steve was on his way back to the hospital. They had finally found Mick and Beth in the system, and they were in the witness protection program. Steve was sure he had looked into that database before and they weren’t in it. Now they suddenly were, with both the real name and the fake one.
There still was no identitification of the two people from the helicopter and no idea why they would kidnap the couple. There wasn’t any hint that these two caucasian people had any connection to the drug baron that Mick put away. It just made no sense.
Steve hadn’t voiced any of his doubts to his team. Danny was suspicious because Steve had been quiet and preoccupied by this low-priority case instead of solving the murder in the harbor that he left to his team. They already had a lead that it was connected to a business scam that someone was angry about.
With heavy thoughts on his mind Steve parked his Silverado and made his way to the entrance. Suddenly a dark van screeched to a halt beside his car, two black-clad men jumped out and attacked him. The bigger one had a shiny knife and tried to lunge it at Steve’s neck. The other wielded a sharpened broomstick or something like that. Steve was stunned for a moment, then he started fighting back. He brought his straightened leg out for a roundhouse kick to Mr. Knife’s arm, which made him lose the weapon and hold his limb. Steve sidestepped when the other charged at him with the spear and got a grip on the weapon to wield it out of his hands.
A noise made him turn around, which probably saved his life. The other thug had taken another smaller stake out of his pocket and had gone for Steve’s back. In the last moment Steve evaded the attack so that the stake only went through his shoulder. Steve howled in agony but the anger and adrenaline helped him to stay upright and use a few boxing moves to the other man’s face and chest.
Then everything went so fast that Steve couldn’t grip the details. There was a whoosh of air, and the second attacker was thrown to the ground. Another person took care of the man he was fighting against just a moment ago. It was Mamo who sat there holding one man down with his body weight and a determined scowl. It was Mick who held the other man’s arms behind his back and pushed him away from Steve. Both’s faces were pale, and he thought he saw teeth that weren’t supposed to be there.
He suddenly felt a bit queasy and sank to his knees. He saw Mick tackle his victim and knock his head to the van so that his body sank to the floor unconsciously. He saw Mamo struggle to hold the other man down, but there was another shiny knife and it bit deep into Mamo’s arm. Before any more damage could be done, Mick had zip tied his man and knocked him out and came to Mamo’s aid. He knocked the head of the bulky thug into the ground so he passed out.
Steve saw their faces return to normal. The eyes that had a watery blue color slowly came back to brown. Their skin color darkened back to life. Mamo held his arm, it was bleeding profusely. “Silver.” Mamo murmured. Mick ran back a few paces where he dropped a travel mug and offered the contents to Mamo. Mamo drank deeply, and the wound closed in seconds. There was a red residue on Mamo’s lips. “Thanks”, he said.
Mick came to Steve and clapped him on his uninjured shoulder. “Let me have a look at that.”
He ripped the t-shirt off the shoulder and watched the wound closely.
“It’s not bleeding much but that’s because the stake is still in. You’re lucky we’re at the hospital already.”
Steve shook his head in a feeble attempt to clean his brain from the confusing images that were lodged in there.
“What just happened?” he asked. The whole attack and counter attack hadn’t lasted five minutes, and there were no witnesses.
Mamo sighed and stood up. “We’ll explain later. Be assured that what happened here wasn’t aimed at you. You just look a lot like Mick, who was their intended target. Mick, take Steve to the ER while I get rid of these two.”
“What will you do?” Steve asked. “We should call HPD.”
“We don’t need another two unidentified bodies in the morgue and another case you won’t be able to close. Let me take care of them and I promise answers later.”
Steve took Mick’s hand to get back on his feet. “I’ll hold you to that, Mamo. I have enough unanswered questions in my life as it is.”
Mamo smiled. “I promise, Steve. You may wish you never stumbled over this, but I will be open to you. Come to my house tomorrow when Mick and Beth are there as well, and we’ll clear everything up.”
He took first one, then the other thug in a fireman’s grip and deposited them in the backseat of their van, then drove away.
Steve stood there, rooted to the spot, not knowing what to think.
Mick smiled apologetically. “I know how you feel, but let’s take care of that wound first. You don’t want permanent damage to your shoulder, or an infection.”
“Why did they use a wooden stake?”
“I guess they didn’t want gunshots to alert the police. We’ll explain in due time.”
Defeated, Steve stumbled towards the ER entrance with Mick helping him along. He could already see the face of the doctor when he saw what kind of weapon he had in his shoulder blade. Despite all his battle experience, this one was new. It would be almost funny if it wasn’t for the mystery around Mick. Still, he felt he could trust the man, and Mamo.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx