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familiarity in the faces of complete strangers& in reality, looking
for Ryan. She should have remembered her gloves, Tobi thought,
as she rubbed her hands together to keep them warm. She glanced
at her watch and realized there were still seven minutes until he
was supposed to show. Tobi kept the same mantra running
through her head. Keep calm and think smart! She would pump
him for any information she could, and maybe they would get
Ryan home before the night was over.
The small crowd in front of her dispersed, and there stood a
man with the most diabolical smile on his face. Tobi swallowed
hard, feeling her hands tremble and her heart racing. This was the
eerie man from the elevator that day, and the same man she saw in
the parking lot afterward. He d been watching her all along. Tobi
felt anger well up within her, and had to remind herself why she
was here. Ryan, this is for Ryan.
He sat down next to her and remained silent. Tobi started to
fidget as she waited for him to say something. Not being able to
stand it any longer, Tobi broke the silence.
 Where is she?
 What, you don t wanna know how I am or how my day has
been? he asked, feigning a hurt posture.  How s the head
feelin ?
Tobi saw the cocky grin on his face and faltered momentarily
as understanding dawned on her. This was the man also
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responsible for the incident in the tunnel. Instinct told her she
needed to get as far away from him as quickly as possible, but she
was more concerned at this point about Ryan.
Tobi s muscles tensed and her palms became damp as she
raised her chin defiantly.  Cut the sarcasm; you know why we re
here.
 Tsk, tsk, Dr. Drexler. You don t need to be rude.
 Please, can you just tell me where she is?
 In due time. Isn t it a lovely night out?
 Why are you doing this to me? Tobi asked with a slightly
raised voice.
He leaned toward her.  Listen, bitch, we do this at my pace
and no faster. You ever wanna see her alive again, you ll shut your
fuckin mouth and do what I say, you got that? Swiping a hand
across his face, he smeared a line of saliva that had slipped out
during his tirade.
 Yes.
He sat back and replied,  Good.
Tobi chose to remain quiet and looked around to see if she
could pick out any of Jake s men or Jake himself. She wanted to
appear nonchalant, but if her heart beat any louder, it would give
her away.
 You don t have a fuckin clue what this is all  bout, do you?
 No, I really don t.
 Well, you will before it s all done and over with.
 Is it something Ryan did?
With a snort, he stood up and started walking away. Tobi
thought he was going to leave when he turned back and walked
toward her. He stopped directly in front of her and bent at the
waist so his face was within inches of her own.
 That your bitch s name?
 That s my girlfriend s name, yes.
He waited a few seconds before saying anything more.  I bet
you love her a lot, don t you?
Unsure of how to answer, Tobi spoke from the heart.  Yes, I
love her very much. I d do anything for her.
 That s good to know, Doc, because you just may have to.
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He sat back down and leaned in close.  Do you take me for a
fool, Doc?
 I& I don t know what you re talking about.
 Do you think that I would just assume you came here without
any kind of help?
 I came alone, just like you asked.
Laughing, he grabbed her arm, digging his nails in through her
coat, and hissed,  She s a cop, you stupid bitch. With a jerk to
her arm, he let go and leaned back.
She rubbed her arm to alleviate some of the pain but had no
idea what to say. Luckily, she didn t have to talk because he
started speaking before she got the chance.
 Here s what we re gonna do. You re gonna follow me, and
we re gonna lose your tails. If I m satisfied with what I see, I ll
take you to her. If not, you re both dead. Understand?
 Yes. I m sorry, Jake, please forgive me. I have to take a
chance for Ryan s sake.
Victor took her arm and jerked Tobi away from the direction
she had entered. He knew that all the main entrances and alleys
would probably be monitored, so he d already made plans for their
escape another way. Going into one of the shops, he said,  You ll
have to hurry to keep up with me. They ran down some back
stairs that opened into an underground passage, past several
overflowing trash bins, and boxes upon boxes piled high. This
appeared to be the place where all the stores dumped their trash
for pickup. Victor pulled her through a dark and damp tunnel
where the stench was so strong that Tobi felt bile rising in her
throat. Just when she thought she couldn t stand it any longer, they
came to the end of the tunnel, which opened into another
underground passage. He opened one of the large steel doors and
pushed her up the stairs. At the top, they went through another
door that led directly into an alley. Looking around, Tobi realized
they were across the street from the mall.  Over here, he said,
yanking her arm toward a beat-up old van. He opened the door
and motioned for her to get in. When she hesitated, he gave her a
hard shove in the back.
 It s her funeral.
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Tara Wentz
She climbed into the van and winced as he slammed the door. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]