“Please just call me Norah.” She wasn’t sure why it mattered all of a sudden, but she wanted to hear him say her name. She wanted to feel as if she mattered to him, she realized.
“Norah,” he said softly. “Everything will be all right.”
She nodded and he pushed open the door. The man that stood just inside was large, intimidating, and she felt a twinge of recognition just as she had with the two men who broke into her apartment.
“Harley.” A tall, slim man with a voice deeper than she would have expected stood from behind a lavish desk and opened his arms to embrace Harley. “It’s nice to see you, and even nicer to see you, Miss McNamara. Your pictures don’t do you justice. I’m Tom Hewitt. I’m sure Harley here has told you all about me.”
“Nice to meet you.” She almost whispered it and scooted closer to Harley.
Her instincts were telling her to run, and run fast. She wasn’t sure why she was so comfortable around Harley, but she knew with every fiber in her soul he wouldn’t hurt her. She couldn’t say the same for the other two men in this room.
“I am afraid you will have to wait outside, Miss McNamara,” Tom said easily, and he angled his head at the other man.
“Tom, with all due respect, I would prefer for Miss McNamara to stay with me. I want to ensure she is safe.”
“Who will hurt her here, Harley? This is the safest possible place for her right now.” He laughed a little and gestured again to the man by the door. A man that Norah now realized she had seen before. With Clayton. She backed towards the nearest wall to place herself between it and Harley.
“Norah, what’s wrong?” Harley looked at her with confusion. When he saw the fear in her eyes, he moved to stand directly in front of her. “Tom, I think it’s best if your guard waits outside. He seems to have scared Miss McNamara, and I think we can both agree she has been through enough already.”
“You know, Harley, I always liked you.” Tom’s voice took on a chill as he walked around the edge of his desk and pulled out a cigar. “You amused me as a boy, and when you became a cop I began to notice that you had a hell of a detective’s nose on you. I should have realized early on that you were bound to stick it somewhere it didn’t belong.” He drew out a clipper and sliced off the end of his cigar. “It was only a matter of time.”
The door opened, and the man that had been guarding it grabbed Norah around the wrist and hauled her away from Harley.
“Harley!” she screamed as he pulled her back through the door.
Harley spun to grab her, but a guard that had been hiding in the shadows outside of the door charged him. His fist caught Harley in the chin and dazed him. He rebounded quickly and kicked him in the stomach.
It barely fazed the guard, and he had Harley on the ground in a matter of seconds. He could hear Norah screaming and he knew he had to get to her fast. He pushed the rage and confusion at the betrayal to the corners of his mind, knowing it would only cause him to make stupid mistakes. One of them had already cost him Norah, and he had to get her back.
“I had really been hoping it wouldn’t come to this, Harley, but unfortunately you have been causing me more trouble than you are worth.” Tom lit the end of his cigar and blew out a large puff of smoke into Harley’s eyes as he knelt on the ground in front of him.
“Why are you doing this?” Part of the betrayal forced its way to the surface. He couldn’t believe that this man, one whom he had known ever since he could remember, had betrayed him.
“You see, Harley, being a good businessman means that you have to be able to adapt to changes. I am simply adapting to a change in power. It sure is a shame you won’t understand that. You would have made a very valuable asset to my team.”
Tom stood and looked down at the guard who had his knee pressed into Harley’s back.
“Kill him, have your brother bring me the girl. I’ll be waiting in the car. Don’t make me wait long,” he warned.
The guard smiled down at Harley as if pleased with the order. He lifted Harley by the throat so his feet were inches from the ground. What was this guard on? He wondered. He fought for air as Norah fought her own battle down the hall.
* * *
“LET ME GO!” she screamed as she tried to claw at the guard’s hands that were still secured around her wrist. “Harley! Help!” she screamed again.
“Your boy toy can’t hear you now.” He grinned at her. “He probably can’t hear much of anything anymore.”
“No.”
“Oh yes.” He nodded and continued pulling her down the hall.
Was he telling the truth? Was Harley dead? He couldn’t be. He was going to come in and save her, wasn’t he?
“Please let me go,” she cried again. “I don’t know anything, I swear!” Tears began streaming down her face.
“Shut up, bitch.” The guard growled at her and pulled the door open to a small room. He threw her into it and she came into contact with the wall. She crumpled to the ground, stunned.
“Please just let me go,” she pleaded again, knowing it wouldn’t go anywhere, but she wanted to keep the door open long enough for Harley to find her. He has to find me.
Her already torn gown was now barely clinging to her skin, and she had to hold the top to keep her bra from being exposed.
The guard laughed and gripped her up by the throat, slamming her into an old mattress in the corner. “Shall we have some fun?” He followed her and started to remove his shirt. Fear filled her mind—she knew what he planned to do. As her eyes frantically searched for anything that could be used as a weapon, she prayed for a miracle.
* * *
HARLEY WAS QUICKLY losing the fight. The guard was easily twice his size, and he was damn near out of breath. His eyes caught the glint of light off the guard’s eyebrows and he noticed the rings piercing his skin. Using the last of his strength, he pushed past the guard’s defenses and ripped one out. The guard screamed and released Harley, and he tumbled to the floor.
He recovered quickly, thinking of Norah, and ran to Tom’s desk. There had to be a gun somewhere. The guard stood, and the look of pleasure he once wore when he was dangling Harley by the throat was gone, replaced with something that sent shivers up Harley’s spine. He had better find that damn gun.
The guard lunged for him, and Harley’s hand closed around the butt of the revolver Tom had always kept in his drawer. Tom had always been paranoid. He brought it eye level and pulled the trigger.
* * *
NORAH SAW A pipe sticking out from behind the corner of the mattress and she started to crawl towards it. It was the only thing in the room except for her and the large guard, and she damn well intended on using it. She had never physically hurt anyone, but she knew where it hurt to be hit.