“I sure am,” the big guy muttered. He reached out and jabbed Maverick in the ribs. To his horror, the big guy was carrying a gun, which he’d just shoved against Maverick’s side.
Bit of an overkill. The guy could snap me in half if he wanted to.
“You’re coming with me, Doc.” The big guy jabbed him again, pointing toward the rooftop entrance. Maverick nodded calmly.
“Take it easy. I’m coming, okay? Anything you need. Let’s do this.”
Maverick was desperate to put the man at ease. He didn’t mind too much if he got hurt, but if the guy started shooting and injured … or killed … anyone else, Maverick would never get over it. He walked calmly through the crowd, nodding and waving so no one would suspect he was a prisoner.
As they made their way down in the hotel’s opulent elevator, Maverick continued to greet people warmly and never once even thought about trying to signal for help. He just wanted to get this very dangerous man far away from all the other people.
I can’t let an innocent person get hurt. I just can’t.
They exited at the front of the hotel, and the man directed Maverick down a side street. Again, Maverick nodded calmly, not making any sudden moves that might set the man off. He had questions bubbling up in his mind, but he wasn’t going to push the issue until they were safely away from others.
They reached a luxury sedan, and the man unlocked it with the touch of a button. He nodded at the passenger door, and Maverick got in, realizing that the man had him covered the whole time, even as he went around to get in the driver’s side.
It was obvious that the man had done this before. He handled the car and the gun with skill. His finger stayed on the trigger, and the gun stayed pointed right at Maverick’s chest, even as they pulled out into traffic.
“What do you want with me?” Maverick asked, keeping his tone casual. “I’m just a geek … a tech head. I’m really not worth much. If you wanted millions in ransom, you could have chosen one of the rich people back at the gala.”
The tough guy snickered.
“For a smart dude, you’re pretty slow. It’s not money my boss wants. It’s that big brain of yours. It’s worth a lot, you know? Your ideas, your abilities. The boss has plans, right? Big plans. He just needs the right smart guy to make it work.”
There was a slight break in the traffic, and the tough guy turned to grin at him.
“Guess what, buddy? You are that guy.”
Maverick watched the gun warily as the guy looked back at the road to move with the traffic. Tough Guy was still keeping the gun on him at all times.
“But I’m just a nerd,” he protested. “Why did they send big muscle like you? It should be obvious that I couldn’t fight my way out of a wet piece of tissue paper.”
Maverick held up an arm and did a bicep curl. Absolutely nothing happened. His arm stayed rake thin. Tough Guy had a good laugh about it.
“I’ve just been told to secure you, and I don’t ask too many questions,” he said, glancing at Maverick to make sure he was still being compliant.
“You’re the wiz at all the medical tech, the guy who’s been making all that noise at Monroe Industries. Head researcher in silicone and biotech. That makes you the guy my boss needs.”
“You seem to know an awful lot about it,” Maverick said with a slight edge to his voice. He was getting a bit tired of playing the good guy. “Where did you get your certification?”
Tough Guy chuckled.
“Now I know you’re tugging me, smart guy. I just told you. I don’t know shit. The boss, he trusts me, so he told me that we need you. I follow the projects, so I know what’s needed. Obviously, I have no fucking clue about the tech stuff.”
“Oh,” Maverick said, biting back a sarcastic remark. He was using the conversation to distract the guy, and if he got cute about things now, he’d just force the guy to focus on him again. He had to play it cool just a bit longer.
They pulled up at a red light, and Maverick watched as the gun lowered just slightly. Tough Guy was watching the traffic, not bothering to look at Maverick. As the light turned green, Tough Guy lowered the gun even farther.
Maverick knew this was his only chance. He opened the door and dove out onto the street, tucking himself into a roll as he careened across the road. Horns blared, and he was almost hit by a passing car, but he didn’t let it distract him. He shot up onto his feet and bolted for a nearby restaurant.
He knew that Tough Guy would be coming after him, and quickly too. He bolted through the restaurant, ignoring the staff and patrons. They had to have a back door, and he ran through the kitchen, finding it easily and racing out into the alley.
He kept running through a few twists and bends until he knew he couldn’t run any farther. He wasn’t fit enough for this shit. Chest heaving, he snuck behind a dumpster and hid, waiting for his breath to settle.
After some time had passed and no one came up the alley, Maverick finally felt that he was safe to move. It looked like he’d lost Tough Guy, and he had to admit, he was a little proud of himself.
But what now?