One man stood with a gun pointed at Nathan while the other patted him down. Finding nothing, they cuffed his hands behind his back and shoved him into the car. Immediately a bag was rammed over his head. The car ride continued for forty-five minutes, best he could tell and finally stopped. The man to his left got out and the other gave him a rough shove toward the door.
Outside the vehicle, he was dragged by a man on either side hauling him roughly along. Nathan was angry wondering if this was the treatment they’d given Emma.
He heard the swish of two doors and a hand in the middle of his back impelled him forward. There were no sounds, not even footsteps as they pushed him forward. Dirt, he thought, along with the smell of manure. Some sort of stable?
He listened intently but other than the harsh breathing of both men, there were no other sounds as yet to identify where he was.
They grabbed him and twisted him around and slammed him by the shoulders onto a chair and the bag was removed. The moment his eyes adjusted, he scanned the area to determine, exits, the number of captors present, movement, weapons.
“Where are we? Where’s Jessop?”
“Shut up!” one of his captors growled before slapping him across the face. Nathan’s head swiveled back to center. “I’ll be sure and return the favour and high five your face next opportunity.” He knew he was inviting another but Nathan couldn’t resist the dig. It came and he wasn’t surprised. The miscreant raised his fist ready to continued when a disembodied voice rapped sharply, “Enough!”
“Ah, Jessop, finally.”
“Indubitably.”
“Come out of the shadows, let’s get a look at you.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
The moment he was visible Nathan asked, “Where’s Emma?”
“She’s fine for the moment, safe and sound.”
“Make sure she stays that way, Jessop!”
Jessop laughed, “Doesn’t look like your in a position to call the shots here Nathan. I suggest you shut up or my men can work you over.”
“Did it give you a kick to attack innocent people such as the Banks?”
“It got your attention, didn’t it?”
“My shops will survive so no prize there,” Nathan goaded.
“I can always rectify the situation at a later date should the need arise,” Jessop assured him.
“What of all those innocent businessmen and families, whose lives you stole by destroying their companies?”
That hit a nerve, Jessop closed the gap, fuming, “they got what they deserved!”
“I don’t think they saw it that way.”
“All that matters is that they received retribution, MY retribution.”
Covert Novelist 