Page 28 of Dusty and Dented
Chapter Twenty
The movie hadn’t yethit the halfway point, at least according to how much time was left, when he realized that Andy had fallen asleep.He didn’t move for a while, wanting to make sure she was good and asleep, and that his moving—even getting up, if he could manage to get out from under her—wouldn’t wake her.
When he felt she was sleeping hard enough, he eased out from under her, then stood next to the bed watching her sleep for several seconds.She looked so peaceful, so innocent, that he wanted to pull her back into his arms and protect her from the world.
But he had things he needed to do first.things that would help ensure that Andy was safer.He took a deep breath and pushed it out in a rush, then forced himself to turn away.He picked up his boots and carried them out of the room with him.
He carried them down to the main room on the ground floor to put them on so he didn’t wake her.He hoped she would sleep long enough that he was done with this, but didn’t think he would be that lucky.
It was nearly midnight and he didn’t think Andy would wake but he wanted to be prepared, he went in search of Taylynn so Ravan’s old lady could keep an eye out for Andy, just in case she came out of the room before he came back upstairs.Then after speaking with Raven and his lady, he headed downstairs to confront Shadow, with Shotgun and Bear at his back.
He opened the door to the cell where Shadow sat bound in a chair at the center of the room.
Dagger didn’t say anything as he walked around the bound man, trying to decide what to do or say first.He wanted to start with pain.He wanted to hit Shadow and keep hitting him until he couldn’t lift his arm anymore, or until Shadow was just a bloody lump of meat and bone, but while it might make him feel better, it wouldn’t get them anywhere.
No, he needed to do this more carefully.He needed to find out who had sent them after her.Why had they targeted Andy and what had they planned to do with her?As he began listing the questions he needed answers to, some of the rage passed.Not that it was gone, but he was able to push it back, at least enough so he could think more clearly about what had to be done.He moved around the man once more, trying to decide the best way to approach the questioning.
He didn’t think Shadow would tell him anything, not without some significant incentive.Dagger was more than ready to provide the incentive, but just as he clenched his fist and prepared to deliver the first blow, a vision of Andy, sleeping and peaceful in his bed two floors above them, flashed in front of his eyes, making him pause.
An ache flashed through his chest, followed by determination even stronger than before.
“Why Andy?”he asked through gritted teeth.
“Who?”Shadow asked as if he had no clue who Dagger was talking about.
“You could have snatched anyone.What made you and your minion choose Andy to take?What made you think she was the best target to get our attention?”Dagger forced himself to pace around the bound man and not use his face as a punching bag like he wanted to.
“We weren’t trying to get your attention.We didn’t know she had anything to do with the Angels.”
“Then why take her?”Dagger clenched his teeth again.If this wasn’t Angels’ business, then why had she been taken?Was someone after her?
Shadow lifted one shoulder and let it fall, as much as he could with his hands bound to the chair behind him.
“It was a job.We were hired to take her.”
“I hope the money was good,” Bear said from where he leaned against the wall in one corner of the room, his big, beefy arms folded across his chest.
“Think it was enough money for what’s about to happen here?”Shotgun shot Bear a look that said he didn’t think so, no matter how much they’d been paid.
“Who hired you?”Dagger demanded, still pacing.
“I don’t know ...some guy out of Denver.”
“Why?”Dagger flexed his fingers, then cracked his knuckles against the palms of his hands.
“I don’t know.Didn’t say.”
“What were you going to do with her?”
“Nothing.Just deliver her to him.”
“What was he going to do with her?”
