Holding On

Chapter 44 - Unknown Card

Alex's POV

It was one o'clock and the car ride was killing me. Everything was silent, just like it had been for the last hour or so. Not much was said after John and Hunter got into their argument, and still nothing has changed. However, it wasn't the silence that was killing me now.

It was the anxiety, the anticipation of the coming meeting, seeing if Courtney was alright finally. That was what was killing me. It was obvious that it was paying a toll on Hunter and John as well. John drove all stiff, both hands on the wheel, and barely keeping the speed limit. Meanwhile, Hunter sat in the passenger seat, his fingers tapping rapidly on his knees, and his gaze continuously gazing out the window. It seemed like his green eyes were watching something that wasn't actually there. The last time I had seen my brother like this was when Katherine walked out on us all those years ago...

Sitting in the back seat, I had a clear view of both of them, though I really wished I didn't. It didn't help my nerves to see both of them like this as they thought the same exact stuff as I did. Is Courtney alright? Did they hurt her? Did they hurt the baby? These questions, along with many others, were constantly going through all of our heads.

I looked at the digital clock once again. 1:10. I knew we still had a little ways to go until we got to the docks, but it was hard feeling like time was purposefully moving slow. The scenery flew past us, yet the time went agonizingly slowly at the same time. All I could think about was that one thirty couldn't come soon enough. It was almost an eternity away.

I saw Hunter shift and noticed that his fingers stopped tapping. His gaze wasn't out the window anymore, but instead down in his lap. I guessed he was looking over the text from Michael, re-reading it for the hundredth time in the last hour. I'm pretty positive he has the whole text memorized by now, word for word. This made my gut feel even worse. It's one thing to be cheated out of something yourself, but it's a completely different matter to watch your brother go through it.

He put his phone away and returned his attention to the scenery beyond his window, resuming the tapping of his fingers on his knee. This was how the car ride continued. John remained stiff, Hunter would shift now and then to read a text, and I would watch helplessly from the back seat.

It was bitter-sweet when the docks finally came into view. The long, agonizing car ride was over, but now we had a meeting ahead of us that no one was looking forward to. We were so much closer to Courtney, but we had no idea what would be waiting for us when we finally laid eyes on her. I looked at the clock as the car was parked.

1:20. We still have ten minutes... Michael was very particular about his time, always on time, but never early or late. He hated when people were either early or late, and no one dared to try and get out of the car. The last thing we needed right now was to make Michael angry. So we remained in the car as it sat still and quiet, and only now did John relax his grip on the wheel.

Silence filled the car for a few moments, everyone practically holding their breath as we watched the clock. No one was really sure what we were supposed to do until one thirty rolled around. However, I noticed Hunter's shoulders shift then heard him draw a breath.

"You two have the guns?"

To this, John slowly nodded. We had to make a change of plans concerning Hunter when we found that Courtney had been taken and the text came in from Michael. John and I both knew that if Hunter walked in with a gun in his hand, he would sooner shoot and run than hear Michael out. Michael would end up wounded or dead, and we'd be in worse trouble.

So, me and John were the only ones that carried the guns. The rest of the gang and Lindsey had been warned about what was going down, and they were prepared to call the police if no one got word from us within the next hour and a half to two hours. We had men stationed near the docks to help out if things got out of hand. They were close enough to hear gunshots, yet far enough to stay well hidden and out of sight. Though I hoped there wouldn't be any gunshots, I knew we had to be prepared.