LEAVING TONIGHT: By Lori Titus
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011The Marradith Ryder Series: The Art of Shadows: Part 26
If Fiona was thinking clearly, she would have realized earlier that the person who took Rafael knew both her and her husband very well.
They’d laid clues around the city, making her think that his abduction had something to do with the Graymoor. The body they found in the park that morning was meant to throw her off the trail.
And she’d fallen for it.
A whole day had been wasted. If she was thinking clearly, Miranda’s diner should have been a starting point for her to look.
Fiona had a driver from the hotel take her straight over. Despite the people still walking the streets, she saw the windows of the diner were dark.
She circled around the back. It only took a few minutes to break the lock. Shivering, she remembered hearing that Pablo had died behind the resteraunt, his blood streaming into the snow.
Inside, the cafe was dark, but there was enough light from outside to help her navigate through the shadows.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to center herself, and breathe. Where was Rafael? Could she feel him?
There was a tug, a spark of intuition that lit through her mind. Turning left, she sprinted through the dark kitchen.
At the back was a door. Two sets of stairs– one that led up, and another that led down.
As she descended the stairs, she thought about what she might see when she reached the bottom. Holding onto the railing, he realized that the cement steps were damp. The heels that she wore almost slipped on the surface. Oh, that would be great, she thought to herself. Break my neck on this damn staircase looking for Rafael.
Fear made her stomach turn. And then she began to feel angry. Angry that Rafael had put himself in whatever danger that brought him here. Angry that she hadn’t seen it coming or been able to do anything about it. And worse than that, angry that all this time had passed and she still loved him, despite the coldness, the attitiude, the silences between them. She deserved better, but she always went back.
There was a smell of filth that nearly choked her.
She found a chain, and pulled on it. The room flooded with light.
At first, she wasn’t sure exactly what she was seeing.
A man’s form, bound and bloodied, leaned forward in a chair. His head was slumped to his chest, black hair falling long and limp across his crown. His feet, bare and cold against the floor, were the first thing that she noticed. She recognized those feet, the long toes and short, square nailbeds.
“Rafael!” she yelled, and gulped in a mouthful of disgusting air as she did so. There was so much blood all over him; some fresh, some crusted over and turned brown.
She tried lifting his head, and it fell backwards. The whites of his eyes were showing.
He coughed then, and blinked. Tears sprang to Fiona’s eyes.
“I know that’s not Fi, you bitch,” he said. “Leave me alone.”
****
Justin was surprised to get a text from Marradith late that night. She technically was still pissed enough to not be speaking to him. As he feared, this message was nothing personal. She continued to text him, but he hadn’t heard her voice in days.
Granthem, we have something major here.
Rafael?
Yes, we found him, but it’s not good.
You and Daria?
Well, I told Fi, came Marradith’s reply. He imagined that she frowned as she typed it. We told her where we thought he was, based on a tip. She beat us there.
Did you get to see him?
Another moment before her reply. She was chosing her words carefully.
I didn’t recognize him, Justin. It was that bad. Daria said the same thing.
Where are they taking him?
They are flying him to White Sands. We’re going along.
I’ll meet you there.
Didn’t you just get in from L.A.?
Yes. And that doesn’t matter. I love you.
Same here. Travel safe.
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©2011 Lori Titus
