The Innocents, Nathan Senthil [best life changing books .TXT] 📗

he forced his mind to concentrate on something else. The green woods on the roadside might do some good.

“Put your gun away.”

“It makes me feel safe,” Joshua said.

“Oh please,” Peter said. “This isn’t Die Hard, and you aren’t John McClane.”

Joshua laughed. “Fine.”

As he reached the glovebox, the car swayed.

“What?” Joshua asked.

“I don’t know. Something wrong with the car.” Peter parked up and got out while Joshua stayed inside the vehicle.

For now, he would hold on to the weapon, he’d decided. Because a silver truck was approaching them from the opposite lane. He could feel his heart beginning to race as sweat escaped through his skin. He was uneasy until the truck sped past them.

Sighing, he reminded himself to stop being unreasonably jumpy.

“We got a flat,” Peter said, looking at the front left tire.

“Shit.” Joshua placed the gun on his crotch, pulled out his Skoal tin, and used two pouches. Then he grabbed the gun.

The black sedan, driven by the doctor girl, slowed as it reached them. And again, Joshua tensed.

When it crossed the Audi, Joshua craned his neck and scanned inside her car. It was empty, except a few stuffed toys jammed near the back windscreen.

Damn. I’m losing it.

The girl pulled over in front.

She got out, so did Joshua, the gun hidden behind his back. Waving, she walked towards them. Joshua returned the gesture with his free hand. As he did, he scanned her head to toe. She was wearing a pantsuit, and it had no bulge of a weapon. At least on her front side.

Shut it. She’s just a good Samaritan.

“Got a flat?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Peter said.

“Two at the same time?” the girl said. “That’s super weird.”

“What?” Joshua asked.

He hadn’t noticed until then, but the girl was correct. The front right tire was flat as well. What were the odds?

Very fucking slim.

The dull uneasiness at the pit of his stomach upgraded into full-fledged paranoia pounding his heart. He sat on his haunches and took a closer look at the tire. Some kind of metal protruded from the dusty rubber, fueling the paranoia.

Pocketing the gun, he jogged to the trunk and rummaged through the tools. No pincers but he recovered a pair of pliers from it. Then he returned to the tire and yanked the metal out.

Seeing the shiny item pinched between the pliers, his fears were validated.

It was a caltrop, colloquially known as ninja road star. Basically, it was a metallic object with strong nails on all sides. Didn’t matter at what angle it rested on the road, one spike always pointed skywards.

A device of ambush.

Breathing fast, Joshua stood and surveyed the vicinity. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Except the girl, chatting with Peter.

He quickly slid over the hood and grabbed her upper arm.

“Ow,” she yelped.

“Are you crazy?!” Peter said.

“Shut up, both of you,” Joshua said and frisked her.

“What the hell?” she yelled, but too shocked to move as Joshua’s desperate hands groped for a weapon.

But they didn’t find any.

“I’m extremely sorry.” He took a step back, confused.

“Sorry?” The girl tied her arms across her chest.

“Give me a sec.” Joshua took a long meticulous look around. Still nothing suspicious. The road was free, not a single vehicle in sight.

But how long would it be that way? Gunshots might pierce the atmosphere any second now and rob the beautiful girl of her future. Life full of unexplored opportunities and unachieved dreams lost because she helped two pensioners stranded on a highway. They should hurry, and for that, he needed to calm the indignant girl first. So he played the guilt-trip card. “Please forgive the old man.”

Tongue nudging at her cheek, the girl stared at him. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll let it pass as a senior moment.”

Peter laughed. “Damn right.”

A smile crept to the girl’s face.

“We’re in danger,” Joshua said. “We need to change the tires as soon as possible.”

“D-danger?” The girl glanced back at her car and took an unconscious step back. “I-I don’t wanna get in trouble, Mister.”

“We really need your help because we have two flats.”

“But I don’t know how to change wheels. And I can’t give you my spare. It won’t fit your car.”

“No, ma’am,” Peter said. “We have two spares, but only one Jack. Give us yours, and we’ll drop it at your workplace later.”

“M-my workplace?” The girl was possibly regretting her choice to help strangers.

“It’s too risky for you to be here right now.” Joshua showed her the caltrop. “People who dropped it will come any minute. I’ll pay for the Jack if you want.”

The girl bit her upper lip. “It’s alright, you don’t have to pay me.” She hastened to her car; apparently the gravity of the situation had finally sunk in. Her little voice trembled as she spoke. “But my Jack’s a bit heavy.”

“No problem.” Joshua waved Peter over. “We can both carry it.”

Once they positioned themselves over the trunk, she clicked the remote and the lid popped open. From inside, two men pointed shotguns in their faces.

Chapter 26

April 12, 2019. 9:02 P.M.

 

The sound of snoring brought some sense of normalcy whenever Joshua drifted into reality. He’d deduced they were held in Calabria’s back office. The smell of cheese betrayed the location, although his head was covered with burlap. The bag, a gift from the people who’d abducted them on the highway, had not been removed even once.

It could be a few hours or a day or two since he was dragged to this place and fastened to a wooden chair. The zip ties were cinching his wrists, cutting off the blood flow. He couldn’t feel his hands anymore, except a tingling sensation of coldness. Not to say he wasn’t in pain. His lower back stung