Say Hello to the Stars

Chapter Twelve

Baxter leads me through millions and millions of rooms, all different and unique in their own way. The heels of my sneakers are practically skidding across the floor as I can't keep up with his footsteps. Dozens of people line each doorway, armed and heavily suited.

I try to take in as much as I can about the place; anything to familiarize myself in case I need an escape route.

My one and only concern at the moment is if these people are willing to hurt me if needed; by the looks of it, the odds are weighing heavily against me. Another thing dawns on me realizing that Baxter's in his territory now; he could easily lie and trick me into something not worth going through.

As we round the corner, three huge metal doors greet us. A bright red light shines above us. Baxter quickly punches a few numbers in the security system and the light changes to green, and we continue our trek. The marble floors transition into sleek grey tile; the freezing temperature seeps through my shoes and gnaws at my toes. My jacket is left back at the car, and now I dread abandoning it. Baxter ushers me into a room, where an old man with greying hair is awaiting our arrival.

The corners of his eyes wrinkle as he grins. "Mr. Daren, Ms. Farewell. Just the two people I've been expecting."

Baxter nods respectively. "Nice seeing you again, sir. As you can see," he motions over to me, "I've fulfilled everything promised."

"I can agree to disagree with that, Mr. Daren. The girl coming here hasn't given us anything but exposure. Has she brought the money?"

I wave my hand a little. "Hi, I can talk for myself. Yes, have the money. But, I must have my brother at my side before I hand it over. Sorry if that's not the answer you had hoped for, but I would like to have some sense of security knowing that you have held up your end of the deal. Andy was promised to be unharmed as long as I fulfilled what was required."

"How do I know you won't run off once you've received your brother?" He growls.

"Trust me, my gut instincts are telling me you probably did something to him, making it harder for the two of us to make a clean and quick escape. There's not a doubt in my mind that you guys are able to kidnap someone and not hurt them; I mean, it's just not in the nature of a criminal."

Once silence follows my response, I know I've gotten my answer. Andy is somewhere in here, injured. Maybe worse. If there's a way I can convince Baxter to help me find him..

No. Forget it. Within the last few days I've spent with him, his character has given me an idea of what he's striving for; acceptance. The way Baxter holds himself makes it obvious how much of an outcast he thinks he is. If he successfully completes this 'mission,' he will be one step closer to acceptance.

Can't say that I don't disagree with that he's aiming for; sometimes being alone isn't all that fun. I'd know, trust me.

Yet that doesn't mean you should go with a bad crowd. Baxter isn't that kind of person. He isn't a criminal. If anything, he's the exact opposite.

The old man clears his throat. "What makes you say we injured your brother?"

"I didn't; your silence did."
Now it's my turn to grab Baxter's arm. I drag him to the a dark corner in the room.

He glares at me. "You did not just walk away from him."

"Oh calm down, it's not like he's going to kill me or anything. Who is he anyways?"

"He's the man in charge down here. If you slip up, he'll kill you; this whole operation is being secretly run and so far word hasn't gotten out yet. They're hoping that it stays that way. You're playing a dangerous game doing this."

"And what exactly am I doing?"

"You showed disrespect by walking away. Annabel, he doesn't take things lightly."

I glance back at the man; his stance hasn't changed. "I just want my brother back."

Baxter smiles faintly. "You will, trust me. Just follow my lead, okay? I'll get you out of here as soon as possible." He presses his hand against my back as we re-approach the man.

Baxter rambles off with an apology, gradually leans onto the topic of my brother. The next part is a blur; after Baxter asked, the commander snapped his fingers and within seconds two large guards walk in with Andy. His head's hung low and his clothes in tatters. His dirt-caked bangs fall over his eyes, making his hair look brown instead of blonde.

As soon as he catches sight of me he rushes towards me. His knees buckle as we fall into an embrace. My shoulders shake as I sob into what's left of his sooted shirt.

"Annabel..." he whispers repeatedly, as if he were just learning it for the first time.

The cracking of my voice interferes with my words. "I thought you would be dead. I thought you were gone."

A small shed of happiness breaks through as he laughs, filling the air with warmth. "You really think you'd get rid of me that quickly? After all this time?"

Before I'm able to respond, the old man pipes up. "Ms. Farewell, we're not done yet. In case you have forgotten, you owe us something in return."

I retrieve the money pouch in my pocket and toss it over, making sure to aim it to where he'd have to run to retrieve it. "So I'm assuming we can go now?"

He growls. "Go ahead, but if we find anything wrong with this, we will find you again. The price for that, however, will be something much more valuable."

I nod quietly as the guards escort us out of the building. Baxter trails behind us, considering he's the one to get us home. Never in my life have I ever clung to someone as much as I have now. My eyes won't blink until Andy is home safely.

-

Baxter drops us off at our small abode. My eyes linger on him for a second, wondering if maybe, deep down, the old Baxter is in there somewhere. The thought leaves as soon at it comes, considering we now have bigger conflicts to deal with.

We say our silent goodbyes as we part our separate ways, knowing fully well that they'll cross again tomorrow.

Andy leans heavily on my shoulder and chuckles, "Man, I have got to get us a better security system."