Hellcat

Chapter 58

We managed to get Danny tied up to a chair pretty good, having moved from the theater to a room that seriously needed some remodeling. After having seen the rest of the building, I just now realized we were actually in an abandoned school. Someone must have been remodeling it for another purpose before giving up. "You think that'll hold?" Matt asked after he finished helping Stick tie up Danny. How the two blind men ended up tying someone up was beyond me. "Well, it's a constrictor knot. Harder he pulls, harder it cinches," Stick explained.

I raised an eyebrow at this, beginning to casually pace around the room. Of course, I headed over to stand behind Danny to make sure Stick did the knot right. Before I even had a chance to double check it, he snapped at me. "I can tie a damn knot," he growled at me. I just raised my hands in defense. "Sorry. Wasn't sure if I could trust the one-handed blind guy," I responded with a shrug.

"Rope's the least of your concerns," Stick grumbled, ignoring my comment. "I'm gonna assume it's his Fist," Matt responded quickly. "When he summons it, shit goes sideways," the old man confirmed. "How long do we have?" Luke asked, standing beside Jessica. "Hard to say. Eh, maybe an hour," Stick said with a shrug. "And we need to figure out what he's the key to," Jessica added. "Their headquarters is Midland Circle," Stick continued to explain. "Yeah, we knew that," Luke snapped quickly.

"Matty, you ever go back to that place?" Stick questioned. "Go back? What, have you been there before?" Jessica asked as she and Luke stared at Matt in confusion. "Yeah. Um, last year, when we were investigating the Hand, the, uh, trail led us to a construction site, which is now Midland Circle," Matt explained to them rather quickly. I scoffed at this. "You mean when I had to follow you there?" I asked him, one eyebrow raised as I crossed my arms over my chest. Matt just turned in my direction. "You mean when you nearly died?" he shot back quickly.

"Anyway," he spoke sharply before I could reply. "There was a hole there. Hundreds of feet deep," Matt finished explaining. "In the middle of New York?" Luke asked in confusion. "Yeah," Matt nodded. "And you're just now remembering this?" Jessica grumbled. "You sense anything at the bottom of that hole?" Stick asked before anyone could respond. "Don't think so. I kept tabs on it. Once the building was finished, my sense was the hole was gone," he explained. "You sure?" the old man questioned. "I'm not sure of anything anymore."

"You didn't answer her question. How come we are now just hearing about this?" Luke snapped in response. "It wasn't important, Luke," Matt shot back. "Try again," was Jessica's dry response. "What? No. W-we had enough to worry about," Matt tried to explain himself. "What aren't you telling us?" Jessica asked, taking a small step forward. "I was with Elektra," Matt huffed. "It was a mistake not telling you guys about her. I realize that –" he tried to explain when Jessica cut him off.

"The next time you conveniently forget shit that affects the rest of us..." she threatened, moving forward slowly. I stepped between them. "You're not exactly an open book yourself, Jessica," I reminded her, an edge to my voice. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked me, eyebrows crinkling and a warning in her eyes. "Well, no one's digging into your past," Matt reminded her from where he stood behind me. "My past is none of your goddamn business, and it's not actively trying to kill us," she growled, eyes locked on the man behind me.

"Clock is ticking," Stick grumbled in annoyance. "So if we need more answers, going back to Midland Circle is the only play," Luke spoke up, attempting to diffuse the tension. Jessica turned on him then. "We barely made it out last time, and they're gonna be waiting for us," she reminded us. I let out a sigh, starting to pace around the room once more. "Yeah, she's right," Matt agreed. "So how do we find whatever he opens?" I huffed out, gesturing to the still unconscious Danny. "The architect?" Jessica suggested with a shrug. I glanced at her in confusion. I had never heard anyone mention an architect until now.