Stolen Shadows

19 - The Trade Off

For the first few hours, she was alright. Sore, tired, pissed as hell, but alright. Then, Axel showed up. He dragged her from the floor, tied her to the chair, and beat her. With every blow, pain coursed through her like fire; with every blow, she became more enraged. Addison didn't know how long it went on for. Probably not more than fifteen, twenty minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, he stopped.

Addison spit the blood in her mouth into his face. Axel winced, just barely, and wiped it away with his hand.

"Disgusting," he hissed. He leaned forward, one hand on the back of her chair and his breath hot against Addy's face. "Listen up," he said. "You're going to do me a favor."

Addy leaned forward to meet him. "I won't do anything for you."

'We're going to film you," he went on, ignoring the interruption. "And you're going to say exactly what I tell you too."

Addison bared her bloody teeth. "And why would I do that?"

She heard a faint click, and then the barrel of a gun was pressed to her neck.

"Because if you don't, I'll kill you."

Her sneer turned into a smile. "No, you won't. If you wanted me dead, you'd have killed me already. You need me for something."

Axel grinned back. "You're smart, for a pretty girl. No wonder they made you chief." He pulled back the gun and tucked it into his jacket. "Alright, Miss Spencer. You're right; I can't kill you, yet."

Addison didn't miss the yet. Axel straightened and unrolled his sleeves. "So, here's the deal. You make this little video for me, declaring a time and a place for the tradeoff."

"The tradeoff?" Addy asked. Trading for what?

Axel sighed. "You see, your rag tag police force managed to arrest someone I've been looking for. God knows how. But now I would like him back, and I think the NYPD would give up even their precious vigilante for their chief."

The haze around Addison's mind split as his words landed. The vigilante.

You've gotta be fucking kidding me, she thought.

It took another half hour to set up the video and for Addy to repeat the lines she was given. She couldn't do anything here, strapped to a chair and fighting the urge to slip into unconsciousness. Even if her team walked into Axel's setup, they'd at least stand a chance on even ground.

Finally, the strobe light blinked out, and it was over. But Addison had managed to slip one last message in: her apology to Sophie, voiceless, but there.

Addison forced herself upright. She could feel something warm at her side; blood. Sophie's work was good, but even the best stitches wouldn't be able to hold up against Axel's fists. Something had torn, ripped, she was bleeding, she didn't know how bad—

Another wave of dizziness passed over her. She slumped in her chair again, waiting for the darkness to pass. Through the haze she saw Axel's disappearing figure.

"Wait," she called out, but it was faint in her ears. Still, Axel stopped and glanced back. "How... how are you sending the video?" she asked.

She thought she saw Axel smile, but couldn't have been sure.

"Oh," he said. "Well, it's easy, darling. We have your phone, and you've got the number of every important policeman in the city. And—" he came back to Addison's side, bending close just to gloat. "I heard of a certain detective who must be worried about your disappearance. I'm sure she'll relay the message."

He patted her shoulder and walked off again. This time, Addison didn't call him back. Sophie, she thought. Sophie will get the video.

In some ways, it was a good thing; the right people would know immediately, and they would have the rest of the day to plan for tonight. But then, it was Sophie. Sophie, who Addison had gone to last night; Sophie, who had stitched her back together; Sophie, who had shared her bed and her hands and her heart in a way Addison didn't know if she could reciprocate. She knew it would hurt her, to see the video. It hurt Addison just to think about it.