THE VICKERS

Chapter 22

Marcus stirred from his position where he was handcuffed around the tree. Devin eased off of the car and stood before him, aiming the gun at his chest.

It took a while before Marcus realized what was going on. He groaned from the pain that would be pulsating through his head.

"You better start talking," Devin threatened when Marcus finally focused on him. He pulled against the cuffs but they wouldn't budge.

"You must have lost your fucking minds!" Marcus yanked at the cuffs even harder. "You fucking idiots! Let me go!"

"We will when you tell us where Dahlia is," I spoke up from my position against his black Honda.

"I don't know," he lied. Devin punched him but not enough to knock him out. 

"Try again!" He was wasting our time.

When Marcus didn't respond I got closer. Maybe the aggression wouldn't work but my pleading will.

"We know you set us up. We know you were the one who called both her and Devin out on that corner. We know you set up the deal so we'd get the phone from those guys so whoever took Dahlia would call us."
When he didn't respond, I continued.
" What we don't know is why. Please if there's any feeling for Dahlia left in you tell us where she is, anything, please," I begged of him.

He remained quiet.

"This is bullshit!" Devin grabbed his collar and pulled arm backwards, ready to punch him again. He stopped himself when Marcus finally began to speak.

"The men that took Dahlia, they forced me to do it."

"What do you mean force?" I asked, though we already had a good idea as to what he meant. I wanted to see if he would tell the truth.

"They came to the house, held a knife to my mother's neck and told me that if I didn't do it. Or if I helped you, they'd kill my mother."

"So you fuckin let them take her?!" Devin voice was searing with anger. Though his voice remained low, it radiated off him like heat from a blazing bond fire.

"I didn't want to, but what else was I supposed to do?" Marcus almost seemed remorseful.

"You are the police! What do you mean what else were you supposed to do?!" I shouted. There's so much he could have done with the power of the badge. But the line between wrong and right was blurred with all the corruption. 

"Look, man, I thought I could keep her safe, I didn't know they'd make you rob Fitz or anything. I didn't find out until last night."

"So you knew what they had planned? Do you know who took her?" I stepped forward to be in line with Devin. 

He didn't respond.

"Answer his fucking question!" Devin said aiming the gun to his head this time.

The gun didn't scare him much. Devin realized this so he kicked him in his leg hard enough for him to yelp in pain.

"I don't know him. Never seen him till he came to my house. His face was all burned and shit. He was going to cut off her finger when you dumb fucks didn't deliver on time. I kept her alive you know past the time."

"What do you want a fucking cookie?" Devin added sarcastically.

"Do you know where she is?" I was getting a little glimpse of hope. If he felt bad enough, or if Devin kicked him enough, he could just take us to her.

"These are dangerous," he claimed.

"Yea so is everyone else in the fucking city." Devin was right about that. If you threw a rock down the street, you'd hit someone that had commit some sort of crime.