Pulp Friction: Atlanta

Wicked Bindings pt. 5

Chapter Five

Wick would rather hunt down a dozen of Mitchens's offspring than listen to one more minute of Ned's nagging.

"Tell me something, Ned. Did I return the file to you undamaged?" Wick turned in his seat, pulling the seatbelt away from his neck, and studied Ned's profile as he followed the GPS directions.

"That's not the point. I asked for your help, hence putting trust in you that you blatantly took advantage of."

Wick snorted. "You locked the file in your car, hence no trust was put in me for me to break. And that is the point. Returned means I only borrowed them, no stealing involved. My conscience is clear." He settled back in the bucket seat and pointed to the turn-off. "Right coming up now."

He watched as Ned passed their turn.

"Right going down now. I always thought GPS was overrated."

"Tell me something; how sure are you about this Mitchens character?" Ned swung his rental car down a dirt path about a quarter mile from the turn-off.

"On a scale of one to ten? He's a solid seven...maybe eight." Wick circled his hand around the "oh shit" bar as they bounced down a dirt road that no vehicle was meant to travel. He heard the thin branches from the surrounding trees scrape down the paint job. "Man, you are never driving anything I own."

"I'm not willing to gamble my reputation on a seven, maybe eight; nor am I willing to tip a potential off if we don't have solid evidence. Your plan of just showing up on his doorstep, well it sucks. How the hell do you run your business?" Ned finally stopped the car and turned off the engine. "We need more than this. If you had listened to me and taken me with you instead of playing Hardy Boy I could've notified my team and had something more to work with."

Now Wick remembered why he didn't miss the force—the damn red tape. "I'll get in the house. If there's anything to find, I'll find it. You wait here and make your plans, when I come out we'll either arrest him or start over looking for the right killer."

He climbed out of the car as Ned laughed at him.

"Just like that? You'll get in the house?" Ned waved his hands in the air as he also exited the vehicle. "I'm supposed to sit on the sidelines while you break the law?"

Wick was already walking toward the house when he stopped and turned. "Let's not play dumb here, Ned. You emailed me because you want to get this fucker, and breaking the law was the last worry on your mind. You don't want me to work outside your limits? Shoot me. Otherwise shut the hell up."

***

It took no effort to sneak into the house. The isolation that Mitchens probably used to his advantage also helped Wick. It didn't really surprise him how normal the inside looked. It was extremely neat, tiny and almost sterile in a sense. Wick believed Mitchens wasn't home, but he still stuck to the corners and kept his senses on high alert. It took him only minutes to do a quick search of the two bedrooms, family/living room combo and kitchen.

Even though Wick's information stated that Mitchens lived here, it didn't appear...well lived in. There was a slight perceptive difference between inhabiting a place and keeping it clean and owning a place that stays clean. Wick stared at the queen size bed in the master bedroom. This bed didn't seem slept in often. The bathroom didn't have the qualities of a bathroom frequently showered in, that someone brushed their teeth at the sink on a regular basis. Something about the whole place just appeared slightly off to him.

He did another walk through, this time concentrating on the less obvious features. Like a slightly uneven board on the floor that nearly blended in. It was no surprise that he missed it his first time through, the change in color and leveling were only a shade off the rest of the floor. But like most things, once he noticed it he couldn't not see it. He knelt down and traced the seams across at least a dozen boards until a knot caught the tip of his finger. He wiggled his finger into the knot to pry open the trap door.

"Of course...stairs." He mumbled under his breath. Crouching down, he descended the first couple of steps and lowered the trap door slowly. He stayed like that while getting his bearings together enough to notice a faint glow of light and some rustling types of noises.

Staying low and keeping his steps quiet he swiftly made it to the bottom of the stairs and immediately maneuvered himself into a dark corner. The light drifted toward him through an archway. Keeping to the shadows he positioned himself so he could peer into the illuminated room.

On a king size bed a bound and gagged naked woman squirmed around. Immediately Wick drew his gun and stepped into her line of sight. He brought a finger to his lips to shush her and carefully entered the room, scanning it for other occupants.

Her eyes grew huge and she started bouncing around on the bed, talking around the ball gag firmly placed in her mouth. After his search of the room satisfied Wick that they were alone he holstered his weapon and made his way to the girl.

"Are you physically hurt?" He asked as he removed the gag.

"Who the hell are you?" She growled, causing Wick to step back a foot and stare at her. For some odd reason he didn't think stating her rescuer landed as the correct response. "Is this some sick game play going on? Your ad clearly stated one on one. Not ménage. I won't be forced into something I didn't sign up for."

It took Wick only a second or two to realize that she addressed someone else, not him, with that second part. Unfortunately, that was the exact amount of time needed for a sharp pain to ricochet through his head before the blackness engulfed him.