5. Maximum Risk

Chapter Three

His head was hurting and although he felt like he was sitting up, he couldn’t move. He didn’t know why. He pried his eyes open and saw he was tied to a chair in the middle of a huge space. He moved his head and winced and then saw the black hair and gray eyes. “Keifer?”

“Good, you’re awake.”

Chris tried to move his arms but they were firmly tied to the chair. “What’s going on?”

“We need your help.”

“There you go again with the not asking politely.” Chris squeezed his eyes shut, hoping it would alleviate the spinning in his head. 

“We tried. Twice and you turned us down. You’re talented, you’re fast. We need your help.”

“Maybe you should try helping yourself.”

“This is the biggest score. We’ll cut you in, you’ll walk away with a cool half a mil before you’re done,” came a new deeper voice.

Chris opened his eyes to look at the man talking to him. It was one of the two men he’d seen at the school. “You don’t look like Jonathan Hart.”

The man stepped forward, placed his hands on top of Chris’ arms tied to the chair, and started adding pressure.

Chris winced. “Break my arms, I’m no use to you.”

The man shifted, lifted his hands off of Chris’ arms, and then suddenly, swung a punch, and Chris would have doubled over if he hadn’t been tied to the chair. He tried to get air in but the man grabbed him by the throat. “I’m not asking politely anymore.”

The pressure increased on Chris’ throat and he couldn’t get air in. His throat was hurting, a headache was pounding in his skull and darkness was crowding his vision. Chris hit the man’s head with his forehead and sagged in the chair as the man let go, and staggered back. He whipped out a gun and aimed it at Chris. “One more move like that and I’ll shoot  you in the heart.”

Keifer pushed the man’s gun hand down. “No, not like last time, that’s why we need him, you idiot.”

The man backhanded Keifer across the face hard enough to make him fall. “Don’t tell me what to do. He’s just a punk, we’ll find someone else.”

Keifer took his time getting up and he motioned to Manny who showed the man something on a phone. The man frowned and looked at Chris. “As soon as it’s done, he’s dead.” He kicked out and the chair fell backward. Chris hit hard and it knocked what breath he had in him. He felt like he would pass out but finally managed a breath. Anger surged up and he glared at the ceiling until a door slammed and Manny and Jack got the chair upright and cut the ropes. 

Chris lunged for Keifer, slamming him against a metal pole. “The answer is still no.” Chris rolled his shoulders, resisted the temptation to punch Keifer in the jaw, and started for the door.

“You’re probably thirsty and hungry,” said Keifer, looking like his jaw hurt. “Manny.”

Chris narrowed his eyes as Manny walked over to a refrigerator in one corner where some old cast-off chairs on a well-worn rug sat. He came back with a short glass of water. “Here.”

Chris stared at the water but he was thirsty and his stomach was hurting where the guy had punched him. He gulped down the water and started for the door but after a few steps, the floor seemed to move and ripple and he didn’t know where to put his feet. When he tried to focus on something else, the walls seemed to breathe, in and out like giant lungs. He staggered and felt someone hold his arms, then a voice whispered in his ear. He sagged to the ground and passed out.