AIDAN
~~~~~~

After the call ended, Henry turned around, interlocking his hands behind his head. Louis' green irises were still fixed on the phone in my hand, frozen in disbelief. I didn't want any of this to happen. I had a reason for letting Jacob go, but I never expected Robert's kidnapping to be the consequence.

Along with him, Toby's wife was in danger too. Two lives were on the line because of me.

"Damn it!" Henry snapped.

I received a text from the Trickster which read:

'700, Suncrest apartments, 1330

Gatecliff avenue, 1340'

"He's given the locations," I said.

I showed them the message. It only agitated them more.

"How do we know where Robert is?" Louis asked.

"We don't," I replied. "We'll have to split up. Go to the locations and find out."

Toby's eyes welled. "Detective, save my wife. You can put me behind bars, I don't care. I'll give you any information you need. Please save her. I'm begging you."

That put me in an even bigger predicament. Henry didn't trust me already. No matter what my plans were, I'd caused this. I didn't want to make any promises I couldn't keep, but the look in Toby's eyes made it impossible for me to refuse.

"I will," I said.

"Will you? Because this is on you." Henry took his phone out. "I'm calling the chief. He needs to know."

Toby's dejected gaze dropped. Louis helped him to his feet. If we set him free, the Trickster would kill him for real this time. Moreover, his friend, Dustin's whereabouts were unknown, which concerned me.

"Where's Dustin?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "The Trickster has him somewhere. I don't know where he is."

"Get him back to the HQ," I said to Louis.

"I'm not going back until we find Robert," he said sternly.

"We'll have to wait here for Martin."

Henry narrated the entire incident to Martin briefly, then apologized before cutting the call. "The chief's gonna be here in fifteen minutes. He's bringing some cops along too, to take care of Toby."

"I thought so," I said.

"I think it's a great idea that he's coming. We can make sure there are no further consequences."

"By 'no further consequences', you mean if I don't screw things up again."

"Someone's gotta keep a watch on you."

"You mean put me on a leash. Why don't you say it as it is, Henry?"

"I don't have to, since you understand it well."

The only way I knew how to fix this was by saving Robert, and the woman. I hadn't expected Henry's hostility. I would admit I messed up, but he always took my side and I always believed he would. People had come and go, turned against me, and I was used to that. Not this. Not him.

I'd known the consequences before I started the mission—or so I thought. I still had conviction in what I was doing, except I never wanted Robert to pay the price.

"Can I see the message again?" Louis asked.

I held out my phone.

"These numbers." He pointed at the screen. "Maybe they are street numbers."

"They can be anything. There's only one way to find out."

I forwarded the message to Parker, asking her to check on these locations, and to see if the numbers pointed to streets. She called me several minutes later.

"Go ahead," I answered.

"Suncrest Apartments is twenty minutes from where you are," she said. "I can't find any street number matching 1330, though. The last street number here is 1328. There's no 700 either."

"What about the other location?"

"Gatecliff Avenue. Again, the street numbers don't match the ones you gave. Might be a building number. Or an apartment."

"Alright, thanks. I'll keep you posted."

I ended the call. She could be right about the apartment number, in the case of Suncrest Apartments. Perhaps seven hundred was a room. I also forwarded the message to Martin, who was most likely already on his way here.

Henry, Louis, and I couldn't decide on how to tackle this situation. We had no backup yet. Even if we were to split up and search both locations, one of us would have to go alone. I didn't mind going on my own. However, Henry refused to let me.

"Every minute counts," I said to him. "If we don't do something now, Robert might get hurt."

"You should've thought about that before you came here," he argued.

Any further provocation and I was sure he'd punch me. His eyes burned with anger and his nostrils flared. It made me wonder if my plan was worth the consequences.

Before things got more heated, the chief arrived. His police car, followed by another one, pulled over nearby. He stepped out, slamming the door. Two officers stepped out of the other car and followed him.

Martin glared at me. I prepared myself for getting yelled at again.

Instead, he pointed a finger. "I will deal with you later. Right now, the hostages are our priority. I don't want to sit around and do nothing while one of our own is in danger too. We bring Robert and the woman home, safe and sound. I got your message, Aidan. I don't suppose we know where each of them is."

"No. We have to split up," I replied. "I have a feeling we'll find out what the numbers mean when we get there."

"Fine."

He beckoned the two other cops, sending one of them to take Toby back to the HQ.

The other stayed with us. Martin introduced him. "This is Sergeant Cliff. I've known him for quite some time. He works in LA. He came here for another assignment and has agreed to help. We might need the extra hand. There's another officer who's gonna arrive soon..." He turned back at the road. "In fact, there he is."

Yet another police car stopped and out stepped a young cop.

"That's Luke," Martin said. "Now there's six of us. Henry, Louis, the two of you will go to Gatecliff Avenue with Luke. The rest of us will check out Suncrest. We'll keep in touch the whole time."

"We'll meet back at the HQ," Henry said.

"Watch each other's backs," Martin ordered. "Don't get killed out there."

Henry, Louis, and the young officer took off in their respective vehicles. The rest of us went to Martin's car.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Cliff matched his pace with mine. "I heard a lot about you."

I gave a curt reply. "Hmm."

I couldn't pay attention to him. My mind was too clouded.

"I heard about what happened from the chief," he added. "Did you really let that kid go?"

For God's sake. I ain't replying to that.

"I mean, you're great at your job," he added. "You've solved cases nobody else could. I think you must've had a reason for doing what you did."

"I don't want to discuss that right now."

"Of course. You don't have to tell me anything. I just believe you have good reasons."

That caught me off guard a little. With all the hostility I received so far, this came as a surprise.

I glanced at him, not sure what to say. "Uh... Thanks."

We left in Martin's car. Parker had said Suncrest was twenty minutes away. I hoped Robert would be there because I wanted to be the one to save him and apologize. After all, the idea to bring him and Louis along on this mission was mine.

Hence, the responsibility of their lives was mine as well.

***

Suncrest apartments was seven storeys high.

Parker was right about the street numbers. None of them matched the ones in the message.

"I'm going in," I said. "Someone has to stay behind and keep watch. Just in case."

"Cliff can do that," Martin said. "I'm coming with you."

Cliff stood by the car, while the two of us hurried inside the building. I took a quick mental note of my surroundings—plain interiors, nothing fancy. The lobby was quite small, with the front desk up ahead, and the elevators to the right.

We took the elevator to the seventh floor. Coming out to the hallway, we scanned the room numbers. Unfortunately, the sequence for the rooms began with 701. There was no 700.

"So, it's not a room," I said. "Why would he mention the apartments then?"

"Maybe it's not this building, but where it's located." Martin guessed.

"Then it could be anything."

I chewed my lip in frustration. Every second we spent here was a second wasted. I was desperate to find my friend. We went back down to the lobby and left the building.

Clouds dimmed the sky and a cold wind blew my hair back. Mist escaped my lips as I exhaled, pulling my jacket closer, observing the area for any clues. Anything that seemed out of the ordinary.

Cliff stood in front of the car, staring somewhere.

"You find something?" Martin asked.

"Not sure." He turned to us. "You?"

"Nothing," I replied. "None of the rooms match the number. It's not a street either."

"Huh," said the sergeant. "What about a license plate?"

I pulled my brows together.

He gestured to a white Volkswagen Passat across the street. "That car's registration number is seven hundred. I was about to check it out before you guys came."

The Volkswagen was parked near the sidewalk with its front wheels turned outwards, like it was about to drive away. I walked to the road to investigate. Its windows were moderately tinted and I saw the silhouette of the driver. If I got close enough, I could see his face clearly.

As I neared it, the car suddenly swerved, knocking the rear bumper of another car before speeding off.

I rushed back to our car. "Shit!"

The three of us scrambled inside. Martin revved the engine and raced after the white car.

700 Suncrest apartments, 1330.

At least we established what the 700 meant. The other number was still a mystery. I took my gun and checked the rounds. About six remained.

Martin cleverly dodged traffic, keeping at the tail of the Volkswagen. He caught up with the vehicle quicker than I expected. Driving alongside, he matched its pace. He wrenched the wheel and rammed into the side of the car. The impact caused a violent jerk, sending my head bumping painfully against the window.

The Volkswagen recovered and crashed into us with full force. The impact shattered my window and shoved me to the side. I shielded my face from the glass. Martin veered off course, almost hitting the rear of another vehicle while trying to get back on track.

I took my gun, intending to shoot the driver of the car. That was when his window rolled down and I got to see the one behind the wheel.

"Dustin?" I muttered in surprise.

Just when I wondered where he was, he showed up out of the blue. Unlike Toby, he was more elusive.

I spotted a pair of feet appearing in the backseat window, like someone kicked from the inside. Dustin stole a glance at the backseat, then at us, eyes widening in fear. I lowered my window to fire at him, just enough to slow him down. Not hurt him.

He pulled out a gun of his own. We ducked as he fired. The chief hit the brakes, falling behind to save us.

The firing stopped. Dustin pulled back inside his vehicle when Cliff started shooting at him. The sergeant fired several more shots, even as the Volkswagen drove forward. One of his bullets hit the taillights.

"No, stop! We might hurt the hostage," I said.

Cliff immediately ceased fire. We had to stop that vehicle without potentially harming the hostage.

"There's someone in the backseat," I said.

"Are you sure?" Martin replied.

"Someone was kicking the window from the inside."

As we pursued Dustin, the chief checked on Henry and Louis. He jutted his chin out in the direction of the radio transceiver. I picked it up and held it near his mouth so he could speak.

"Guys, what's your status?" he said. "Tell me you found something."

"We're currently in pursuit of two identical vehicles—black Mercedes S-Class, at Gatecliff Avenue," Louis replied. "They have the exact same license plates too."

"And they're shooting at us, so I'm guessing we're on the right track," Henry added. "The numbers from the message pointed to their plates. I think that's what the Trickster meant."

We heard gunfire on the other end, following by Henry's cursing and tires squealing.

"At least, we solved that mystery," Martin said.

"Not quite," I replied.

The chief glanced at me. "What do you mean?"

We still missed something. Or at least, that was what my gut told me.

We approached an intersection. The lights ahead turned red and traffic from the left began moving. Dustin showed no signs of slowing. He sped up, running the red light. He flew past the vehicles, narrowly missing them, and made it past the intersection. Martin tried to follow suit.

I clutched the handle above my door. "No! Bad idea!"

"We can't slow down!" he yelled.

He attempted to drive past the line of cars and got halfway across. We almost reached the other side, when a vehicle smashed sidelong into the rear fender. Martin lost control, and the car skidded. White smoke rose as the tires squealed. He tried to regain traction.

Thankfully, we didn't hit anything else. The car screeched to a halt near a pole.

"Damn it," he grumbled.

"Please don't ever do that again," I said.

"Sorry. I didn't want to let him get away."

He got back on track and resumed the pursuit. The Volkswagen gained distance, though it was still in our sights. We had to catch up quick. I couldn't get that remaining number off my mind.

"Sir," Cliff said. "We need to catch up soon. It's past one. Traffic gets heavy around this time in the afternoon. It'll make things complicated."

Martin glimpsed at the small LED clock atop his dash. "I know."

The clock showed 13:15. It gave me an idea.

"The other number," I said. "What if it's time? If you're using a twenty-four-hour format, 1330 would be half-past one."

Martin stole a glimpse at the clock again, then at me. "That's fifteen minutes from now."

"Yeah."

"Are you sure about that?"

"There's only one way to find out. We need to stop that car soon." I picked up the transceiver. "Louis?"

A reply came, "Yeah."

"This is a wild guess, but those numbers might also be time. 1340 in your case is forty minutes past one."

"You certain it's time?"

"Like I said. Wild guess."

"Better safe than sorry, I suppose."

Strange how he wasn't as mad at me as Henry was. He had every right to be. His best friend was in danger because of me.

At the speed with which Martin drove, I imagined how gruesome it would be if we got into an accident. It should've surprised me that he, of all people, drove so recklessly. Then again, we had no choice. There was a lot at stake.

We gained on Dustin. His car veered, crossing over the median strip and onto the opposing lane. Desperate to get us off his tail. I knew Martin was going to follow suit again which I dreaded.

"Oh no," I mumbled.

He swerved and mounted the median strip, entering the wrong lane. I was rattled about in my seat. We immediately faced the onslaught of oncoming traffic. My heart leaped to my mouth as the chief tried to evade the honking vehicles, who tried to get out of the way. Some of them ended up crashing into others.

"We're gonna get killed!" I yelled.

"Please, you drive worse than this," he argued.

"It's different when I'm behind the wheel!"

I wasn't used to someone else driving rashly while I sat on the passenger side. The speed forced me back into the seat. The gap between us and Dustin was closing. He couldn't go at max speed in this lane, and that was our advantage.

Up ahead, a truck blared its horn as it approached. Martin tried to get out of its way, but I stopped him.

A crazy idea struck my mind. "No, keep going."

"Are you serious?" he exclaimed.

"Just do it."

I counted on the truck to steer out of the way instead and it did exactly that. As it turned, the large trailer it hauled behind tilted and skidded outwards, blocking the road. Dustin tried to slow down. Fortunately, the truck didn't fall to its side. It screeched to a halt after creating a roadblock.

Martin pulled over near the Volkswagen and we got out.

Cliff hurried to the driver's side, pointing his gun at the window. "Step out of the vehicle!"

Dustin got out, raising both his hands up. A gun was clutched in one.

"Drop it," said Cliff.

Dustin tossed the weapon aside. "Don't shoot."

I saw the look in his eyes—the same fear and vulnerability I saw in Toby before. It made me sympathize with both of them. They were mere puppets, risking their lives for the ones they loved. They had no guarantee they would even make it back home.

The sergeant held him at gunpoint, while Martin and I rushed to the backseat.

That was when I heard muffled cries coming from the trunk. I passed a quick glance at Martin before hurrying to it. When I lifted it open, a woman lay inside, her hands bound and her mouth taped. Strands of her frizzy blonde hair fell on her face. Her frightened eyes, with dark circles under them, were red from crying. Bruises marked her cheekbones and the soles of her soiled feet, and her elbows and knees were grazed.

She mumbled in fear at the sight of me.

This wasn't Toby's wife.

"I need a knife!" I yelled.

Cliff produced a switchblade from his pocket and tossed it to Martin, who handed it to me. While the chief helped free the other hostage, I cut the woman loose and helped her out of the trunk. She kept mumbling frantically all the while. I figured she probably thought I was another of her kidnappers.

"It's okay. We're cops," I said. "We're here to help you."

The second I removed the tape from her mouth, she cried out, "There's a bomb under the car!"

I almost forgot about the time. Checking my watch, I saw there was barely a minute left.

Martin heard her yell and ordered, "Get back, now!"

He held the other woman—Toby's wife—who was in the same miserable condition, and pulled her away.

I grabbed the arm of the one I rescued and ran. I put her in front to protect her, encouraging her to run faster. She ran as fast as her bruised feet would allow, yet it wasn't enough.

Despite seeing it coming, the explosion still caught me off guard. The deafening sound alone made me jump. Heat and energy pulsed in a wave, sweeping me off my feet and throwing me forward.

I hit the ground hard—ears ringing and head throbbing. My vision blurred, my body ached, and my limbs felt like water. Every breath I took was heavy, and I struggled to lift my head. Something had sucked away all my strength.

The woman lay several feet away from me. Unconscious. I couldn't check to see if she was alive. I hoped she was.

"Aidan!"

Sounds like Martin. I don't know. The voice sounded muffled against the ringing in my ears. I rolled on my back and fell limp, unable to move anymore.

This wasn't supposed to happen, like all the unfortunate events over the past three or four days. If I had to die, it had to be after I hunted down Frost. Until then, I couldn't afford to lose. I didn't want to.

The burning car, with its flames raging, was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.