Trouble

FOURTEEN

FOURTEEN

I drove to Connecticut in record time. When I got to Shane's place, he looked broken. "I'm an idiot," he said by way of greeting. I couldn't help but agree.

"Tell me everything you know," I told him.

"There's not much. Stephanie came by and said she just wanted to take her out for a little while, some girl time to get to know each other. She's a kid, Michael. She's my kid. I never thought Steph would hurt her." He was frantic now. "What do we do?"

"You do nothing. Stay here. They'll eat you alive, Shane. You're the only McMahon with a somewhat pure heart. You'd be a perfect sacrifice for them. Stay safe. I'm going after her."

"You can't go alone! It's too dangerous."

"There's no other choice. We don't have time to wait. Stephanie's had her for too long already." I tried not to panic. Panicking wouldn't help her.

"They could kill you, Michael."

"If it means she's safe, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I'm leaving. I'll find her. Just stay here. I'll be in touch."

I left his house quickly. I didn't know where she was, but I figured I could track her pretty easily. I focused on her energy and tried to find her. That didn't work, so I changed my focus. Wherever she was, the bad guys had her. Tracking them might be my best bet.

I focused my attention on Khoya, who I figured wouldn't be as good at hiding his energy as some of the others. The guy was a dangerous ball of rage, and that gave off a specific signature. I found it quickly enough, and he wasn't too far away. I followed his trail.

When I arrived, I knew I was in the right place. I began searching for any sign of Abigail, but found nothing. I could hear the thoughts of some of the people nearby.

They'd better keep their hands to themselves, Stephanie thought. We're supposed to recruit her, and I don't think she'll be too willing to join our side if they try to molest her. I also suspect she'll destroy them before they get anywhere.

I knew Stephanie was probably right. Abigail could defend herself. The problem was, the bad guys really might try to hurt her, or God forbid do what Stephanie was thinking and that terrified me. The idea of anyone even thinking of doing that to Abigail made me want to kill everyone.

Little brat isn't so tough now, Khoya thought. I searched deeper, desperate to know what he'd done to her. I could see what he saw. Abigail was alive. She was sitting in a dark room, her back to a corner, staring at the rest of the room in case a threat appeared. She had pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She didn't look hurt, but it was obvious she was frightened.

I'm coming, Abby, I silently promised. I hoped she could hear me.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get by the magic surrounding the place. I knew I'd never find her on my own. There was only one choice here. I couldn't catch them by surprise. I had to do more than that. And so, I devised the brilliant plan of allowing them to capture me. It was dangerous and incredibly stupid, but it was the only way I'd gain access into the building where they were holding her.

I let my energy radiate. Sure enough, they sensed it. Khoya was the one who came out after me. "You're a fool," he informed me. He was probably right about that in this instance, but this was literally the only plan I had. I knew it was dangerous. I knew I'd get hurt. I also knew it was the only way I could get near Abigail, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Khoya attacked me quickly. He was a brutal guy by his very nature, and he didn't hold back. He hit me more times than I could count. I tried to defend myself. I had to fight if I wanted to live. The idea was to get captured, not killed. Unfortunately, Khoya had a superhuman strength unlike anything I'd ever seen before. He beat me mercilessly. I could feel my flesh bruising. Muscles screamed as his fists came down again and again. Some of my bones snapped and broke. I suspected something may have ruptured internally. I lost the ability to focus when my head got cracked open. There was blood, so much blood.