The Law of Three

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Introductions

 -- Bay Ridge --

Someone yanked the hood off his head from behind. He assumed it was Jamie because Sarkey stood in front of him arms crossed.

Roland blinked his eyes and waited for them to adjust to the dim light in what appeared to be an abandoned workshop. Lathes and workbenches occupied the floor to his left. Air hoses dangled from the ceiling interspersed with rusted piping. Battered tool chests stood against the wall to his front. Three large roll up doors were set in the wall to his right. In the far right corner he saw a metal door under an exit sign that dangled from several exposed wires.

He sat lashed to a chair, his legs secured to the front legs of the chair with zip ties. Each wrist was handcuffed to a back leg of the chair. Roland grabbed the chair legs and tried to move them. The tubed steel frame wouldn’t yield.

“Comfortable?” she asked.

“Happy?” he replied.

Sarkey smirked.

“You’re not Cuman Union so who are you?”

A foghorn sounded not far off. Roland smelled sea air.

“FBI safe house?” he asked.

“Asset forfeiture. Took it in a drug raid,” she responded. “Answer the question.”

Roland craned his neck taking in the surroundings.

“We’re not far from the river. Good.”

“Why good?”

“Because they hate water Agent Sarkey.”

Jamie came into view and took a seat at a workbench covered in small arms and computer equipment.

“Who are they?” Jamie asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Why don’t you ask your partner?”

“Why don’t you just tell us,” Sarkey demanded.

Roland ignored her and looked up at the ceiling observing the evenly spaced skylights.

“When it comes it’ll come through one of the skylights. They like to be on top of their prey.” Roland locked eyes with Sarkey. “Of course you already know that.”

Sarkey stomped over to Roland and backhanded him across the face. Jamie raised his eyebrows then turned back to his computers. Roland spit blood.

“Really?”

Sarkey opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a loud banging at the door. She had her pistol out a second later. Jamie grabbed an H&K MP5 off the workbench and pointed it at the door.

“Who the hell is that?” Sarkey asked Jamie.

“Why don’t you answer the door and find out?”

“Why don’t you shut the fuck up?”

Sarkey and Jamie looked at each other unsure of their next move. The banging on the door sounded again.

“If it was the Union you’d already be dead and they don’t knock.”

Sarkey nodded at Jamie and jerked her chin in the direction of the door. Sarkey took up position behind Roland and pointed her pistol at his temple. When Jamie stood to the side of the door Sarkey nodded her head.

“We’re closed!” he shouted. He looked at Sarkey. She mouthed, closed? Jamie shrugged his shoulders.

“We want Roland Priest,” came a woman’s voice muffled through the thick door.