He scanned the interior and found two life forms inside. Both were in stasis, and only the subtle shifts of breathing and the heat their bodies produced suggested they were even alive.
Reid glanced down at the phone clenched his fist and let the shattered remains fall at his feet. The clacking sounds were soft to his ears. Even if he were discovered, it wouldn’t change their fates in the slightest, but he didn’t want to make a whole day of this.
He burst through the door, allowing the resounding crash to announce his presence as pieces of the doorframe scattered into the hallway. His eyes flashed as one of the lifeforms further in the house bolted upright.
Reid steadily walked toward his target.
A voice yelled down the hallway and he could hear the smooth sound of oiled metal sliding against metal. “What the fuck! Who the fuck are you?”
Reid ignored the ramshackle security feed and the taunts of the man he hoped was Santino. This was almost too easy.
“Fucking idiot! I have a gun!”
The man accentuated his point by appearing at the end of the hall, head ducked around the corner and shooting at him. Reid stopped and waited as every single one of the bullets missed him. Desperation and shock were not the keys to good aim.
Underneath the sound of gunfire and curses, he could hear the murmur and whimpering of fear. The second figure remained still in the room behind the man who fired at him.
Reid cocked his head, hearing the telltale signs of rope. She must be bound.That would be Marsha’s woman, I imagine.
He surged forward and turned the corner, throwing the man who was frantically trying to load a new clip backward and to the ground. Fresh sweat and fear filled his nose, mixed in with the stench of stale urine and cheap alcohol. It twitched with disgust as the shooter fumbled away from him and aimed his pistol at Reid's chest.
He plucked the gun out of his hand, crushing it before letting it drop on the his greasy head. Placing one foot on the shooter’s chest, Reid pressed him down to the floor. It wasn’t enough pressure to break a rib. Not yet anyway.
“Santino?”
“Who the fuck are you?”
Reid applied more pressure until the glaze of alcohol vanished from the man's eyes. “Okay, okay, okay! Hold up man.”
“Are you Santino?” He hoped not. He couldn't see Clara with a piece scum like this guy, scrawny and haggard and most egregious of all, with bad aim.
“No man, No.” The guy gulped under his boot. “I'm nobody, nobody! I'm not Santino. He ain't here. I'm just a hire, a paid hire.”
Reid's eyes flashed and it caught the shooter’s eyes. They widened with fear as the smell of fresh piss filled the room.Can’t fake that while maintaining eye contact.Reid sneered down at the miscreant with disgust.
“Where is he?”
“Don't know. I only know he's after revenge. I'm just trying to get paid. Please don't kill me!”
Reid lifted his foot, crouched down and raised the man up by his collar until he dangled in the air in front of him. He threw the husk of his body into the back wall, enjoying the sound of the man's head thumping against it and the way he fell to the floor, unconscious.
He straightened out his suit and approached the fear-stricken woman in the corner. Her eyes were almost as dark as his own. Her hair was a tangled mass around her shoulders and down her back.
He slowly lifted his hands, showing his palms, before he reached toward her face and removed the gag in her mouth.
“Are you here to save me?” Her voice was hoarse.
“Save you? No. I'm here to get you out. The rest is up to you.”
She nodded and visibly relaxed as he moved to untie the bonds around her legs and arms. Reid leaned forward and sniffed her hair and she drew away from him as if he punched her.
“They hurt you?” he asked, knowing they had, but didn't know to what extent.
Tears streamed down her face and she looked away. It was enough of an answer for him. Her clothes weren't torn, but that didn’t mean anything.
“I'm a doctor.” Why he told her, he wasn’t sure. The last thing he needed was another woman in his life. “I can help you...”
“My girlfriend—”
