Page 57 of Reid's Fixation
It was Xavier. Reid smiled and picked up the phone, “It’s about time you answered asshole.”
“Listen to me very carefully Detective Collins and do exactly as I say, and Xavier won’t get hurt.”
Reid felt the blood drain from his face when he recognized the voice on the other end of the phone.
“Chief Cazair. What are you doing?”
The chief snarled in his ear, “Cleaning up the mess I left behind. Listen closely and do exactly as I say, or his life is forfeit.”
Reid’s body went cold. “Fine.”
“Get to the edge of town and then leave your truck somewhere that no one will look for it. Then find the hiking mark of 115 and start walking. You will find me there after a mile and a half. Do all of this in an hour or I will start cutting things off him.”
“I will be there, just leave him out of this.”
Mark gave a malicious laugh, “It’s already too late for that. You both should have left things alone, but you just couldn’t leave it be. Couldn’t stop pulling this thread and now I am stuck cleaning up the mess. Since you kept digging, the threat to my life and my existence was threatened. I won’t let that stand. Not now, and not later. Start moving and be here in one hour. The clock is ticking and Detective Collins? Do not try to contact anyone or I will know. You are being watched. Leave the phone in the truck.”
The line went dead, and Reid swore. “Fucking fuck!!!”
His body was cold, and yet he got in his truck and drove to where he could hide his truck from sight, hating the entire situation but refusing to let Mark hurt Xavier.
He walked to the post Mark had told him about and then he hiked the mile and a half toward Mark and with each step the trepidation rose inside of him.
He had just found Mila and now? He was giving her up to save Xavier’s life. He had to. This was his mess and he had to clean it up. He shut his eyes and kept moving, even when that revelation that he may never see Mila again staggered him.
Literally made him stagger. He had to lean against a tree and just breathe, just let his misery wash over him for a few precious seconds.
He took a few deep breaths and then finished the hike with minutes to spare.
Mark was there with Xavier, tied up at his feet.
Xavier was gagged, and his eyes were glazed over, and when he looked up, he tried to shake his head, tried to make noise, but Mark punched him in the face, making Xavier let out a groan.
Reid took a step forward, wanting to stop it, and Mark pulled a revolver from his pocket and pointed it at him.
“Let’s move. We have a long way to go.”
Reid wanted to shake his head but could see the insanity burning in Mark’s eyes and he didn’t want to see what he would do with that revolver.
Mark kicked Xavier’s prone body, yelling at him to get on his feet, which Xavier did, slowly and with a lot of difficulty, and when he stood before Mark, the man grabbed hold of Xavier’s arm in a punishing hold, and he gestured for Reid to walk in front of him.
“Walk, that way.”
Reid went in front, and started walking, knowing that Mark was far enough gone that he wouldn’t regret anything that he was going to do to them.
They walked for a few hours until they were deep in the woods of the mountain.
Their path twisted and turned, making Reid know that no one would be able to find them, had he actually let anyone know where he was going.
If they even lived. Which didn’t seem likely at this point.
Mark had them stop after another long hour had passed and Reid was panting with pain and thirst.
He was sweating and exhausted and when he looked over at Xavier, the man’s shirt was drenched with sweat and his eyes were rolling in his head from what had to be both the drugs and exhaustion.
Mark shoved Xavier roughly, and the man fell to his knees, groaning behind his gag.
“Get him up,” Mark snarled at Reid, “and then back away. I am going to tie you up and leave you for dead. You have no water, and the temperatures get freezing cold up here now that it’s November. Good luck. I hear the predators in these woods are hungry. Searching for meat. Needing the food before winter.”
