To Slow a Treacherous Heart ✓

19| Threaten Me Twice

Updated: 16th April 2019

Chapter Nineteen: Threaten me twice

Ryan banged his head on the steering wheel. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Jason closed the laptop he had been holding.

"Where the hell is she!" he yelled, furiously staring at the empty road ahead of him.

They'd tried the circus; which had been a few miles outside the city. They'd tried Thorne's last known address.

Nothing. Nada. Zit.

And he was getting frustrated.

Suddenly his phone began ringing. He answered it and out it on speakerphone.

"It's Detective Alverez. We've got information. The man I sent to spy on the Irish redhead has returned. He apparently heard someone say that he was last seen carrying his 'drunk girlfriend to the back of a car. He found the car and tailed it. We have a location."

Ryan couldn't speak. It felt as though something had decided to stick itself in his throat and he could do nothing to get it out.

"Thanks detective," Jason said. "If you could just send us the location we would be grateful,"

Ryan found his voice. "Yes, and send a few men to perimeter the area,"

Ryan's finger hovered over the end call button when the detective let out a colourful curse. "Wait," he said.

"What is it?"

"He's on to us,"

"WHAT?"

"He just faxed us a message," Alverez said, his breathing laboured. "I'm sending it to you right now. It says, 'I see that you've got my location Monseur Alverez. Tell Monseur Martinez that I will be waiting for him and Jason at that address at exactly eight pm. Bonne Chance!'" Alverez sucked in a breath, "We need to contact the police,"

"And say what?" Jason countered. "That a man just sent us a fax, asking us to meet him? That's not enough cause for suspicion."

"He may be right," Ryan added. "Besides if he knows what we're doing he will know if we go to the police. We need to go in alone. But send some men exactly fifteen minutes after we go in." he changed lanes and added the location onto his GPS.

"No problem Mr. Hart," and the line went dead.

Shit.

He turned to Jason. "I-"

"Well, that explains the car and the expensive suit,"

"I can explain,"

"Well, this should ne good," he replied, folding his arms.

Ryan returned his gaze to the rode. "People use pseudonyms all the time,"

"People who have something to hide? Of course." Jason tugged at his seatbelt again.

"I didn't want anyone digging into my past. A new identity is what I needed at the time. I-is something wrong with the belt?"

"No. I just don't like confining situations. The hospital gave me enough of that,"

"Oh," he replied. "Unfortunately, I don't think-"

"I can manage. I'm not a baby,"

"It's-"

"You were explaining to me why you lied to us?" Jason said, his voice slightly mocking. "I mean, if being the creator of Hart Automobiles and not telling May and I about it could be considered a lie."

"Honestly, tell me when I could have had the time to explain it?"

"May won't like it," Jason replied, not really knowing how to answer the question. "She's not the kind of girl she used to be,"

"I'm beginning to realize that." He clenched his jaw.

Jason decided to drop it. "So, what's the plan?"

The buildings slowly gave way to trees as they drove away from Merriborne. In an hour or two they would reach their neighbouring town; Portersville where the redhaired Barnibus Ingleworth lived. The road seemed dark and scary, and the flying shadows cast by Ryan's headlights seemed to wreak havoc on his mind with images of what Thorne could be doing to May. His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

He rolled the windows down. No one would recognize him in the woods. The wind blew past him as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

Finally, he replied. "Still working on it,"

The silence that raged through the car was almost palpable.

After what felt like an eternity, Jason's voice cut through it like a hot knife through butter. "Let's hope your plans are as good as your ability to lie."

***
Next Update: 18th April 2019