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Magnum tried to keep his pace steady and even, despite each step pulling painfully on his knee and the wound in his side, not to mention the disorientation that accompanied not being able to see. A voice inside his head that sounded suspiciously like Nuzo called him an idiot for not mentioning to the others that he’d been stabbed.
In all honesty, Thomas had forgotten about the injury while he’d been seated, and the focus had been on his lack of sight. The idea that it might be permanent scared him more than just about anything, and it was certainly a greater priority than some minor cut. Although he was starting to think now that it might not be all that minor after all.
He was experiencing a familiar light-headedness that always accompanied blood loss, and how sad was it that he knew exactly what that felt like. A part of his brain reasoned that if the injury had really been that bad, then Rick or TC would have noticed, but he supposed his all black clothing might have masked the blood soaking into his shirt and waistband.
Whatever the case, it was too late now, and Magnum forced himself to focus on the here and now. He resisted the urge to hold his hands out in front of him or to shuffle his feet, each step bringing with it an intense fear that he’d walk into something he couldn’t see. Though he’d been hurt plenty of times in the past, he couldn’t remember when he’d felt nearly as vulnerable as he did right now.
A hand suddenly wrapped itself around his biceps, causing him to reflexively step backwards in a bid to free himself. The grip only tightened and jerked him forward, Magnum stumbling several steps to try and find his balance. “Stop fighting,” a voice demanded, and Thomas gave a nod in reply, not even certain he’d been looking in the right direction when he’d done so. “Walk,” his escort ordered, and Magnum moved his feet as his heartrate sped up in anticipation of seeing Higgins again. ‘Ouch,’ he thought to himself. ‘Bad choice of words.’
He could feel the change in surfaces when they entered the warehouse, as smooth concrete replaced the uneven gravel he’d been traversing before. New smells assaulted him as well, and he momentarily scrunched his nose in disgust at the lingering scent of unwashed bodies and takeout food; clearly this group had been using this place as their base for a while. Several steps later they stopped, and his arm was released, leaving Magnum waiting for what would happen next.
“About time you got here,” Smith greeted him, his impatience apparent in his tone. “Where’s the drive?”
“I want to see Higgins first,” Magnum replied, cringing internally at the words that came out by habit with complete disregard for his current sightlessness.
“I thought you realized by now that we’re in control here,” Smith countered. “How do I know you haven’t double-crossed us?”
Magnum reached into his ear and pulled the receiver free, tossing it somewhere to the ground in front of him. “I’ve done everything you said. I kept my mouth shut and didn’t tell anyone about you or your men. I didn’t say anything about you holding my business partner, and I kept HPD out of it.”
“But you involved your two buddies out there who are apparently refusing to leave,” Smith replied, bringing a flush of warmth to Magnum’s chest at the knowledge that he wasn’t alone.
Digging into his pants pocket, Thomas pulled out the thumb drive, holding it up momentarily before clenching it in his fist. “I know you can take this from me by force if you want, but I’ve played by your rules to the best of my ability. Now I expect you to hold up your end of the deal and release my friend so we can walk out of here together, and you can crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out from.”
Several seconds passed in silence before Smith chuckled. “Bring the woman,” he ordered moments later, easing some of the tension constricting Magnum’s chest. He could hear footsteps echoing off the cement floor heralding someone’s approach.
“My God, Magnum, what have you done to yourself?” Higgins’ dismay was clear in her tone, and the investigator couldn’t help but smile.
“Good to see you too,” he replied, the knot in his chest loosening some more at her presence.
“From where I’m standing, it doesn’t appear that you can see much of anything right now,” Higgins rejoined, both of them taking comfort in the familiar banter.
Magnum gave a casual shrug in reply. “Just a figure of speech. Are you alright?”
“Despite the best efforts of these brutes, I’m fine,” Juliet replied and Thomas automatically translated her meaning: some minor damage because I wouldn’t cooperate, but nothing that a few bandages and a soak in a warm tub won’t fix.
“Good,” Magnum breathed out.
“Satisfied?” Smith interjected. “Now, the drive?”
“As soon as she’s out of here,” Thomas countered, wanting to negotiate for as much as he was able before handing over his leverage.
“Fine, whatever,” Smith replied, surprising Magnum with his easy agreement. “Let her go.”
“Wait just a bloody minute,” Higgins inserted herself back into the conversation. “We walk out of here together or not at all.”
Again, Magnum couldn’t help but smile at her words, thinking how far they’d come in the past couple years since he’d moved into the guest house at the estate. Never had he expected that she would become such an integral part of his life in Hawaii, and yet in the time they’d known each other, they’d come to each others’ rescue many times over. At this point, it was just second nature.
But right now, it was the last thing he wanted. “Juliet, I need to know you’re safe.” His statement was infused with multiple meanings, which he hoped she’d understand: I’m really freaking out here and don’t know how much longer I can hold it together; if you get hurt, I’ll probably lose it and get us both killed.
Though he could tell she was less than happy, her response also indicated her understanding. “Alright, I’ll go,” she agreed, “but I’ll be waiting for you outside.”
“Fair enough,” he replied, his lips tugging upwards in amusement once more.
He listened to her stride for any hint of discomfort and was gratified when she passed by close enough that he caught a bit of her familiar scent. The footfalls grew quieter and eventually disappeared, marking her exit from the building.
Pulling his cellphone from his pocket, he unlocked it and then hit the speed dial for Rick, hoping he’d touched the right button and hadn’t just taken a picture of the floor instead. “Do you have her?” he asked without preamble when the call was answered, hanging up as soon as he’d received confirmation that Higgins was safe.
Magnum flinched when the phone was plucked from his fingers, but he was resigned to whatever would happen next. “You got what you wanted,” Smith stated, his patience having run out. “Give me the drive.” Wordlessly, Thomas opened his hand and held it out, someone taking the drive from him immediately.
He stuck both hands into his pockets as he tried to ignore the cloying weakness that was pervading his body, the last of his energy disappearing with the knowledge that Higgins was out of harm’s way. Although he knew better, he let his mind drift, no longer caring about what might happen to him. He’d accomplished his mission and would happily deal with the consequences, which he expected would reveal themselves in just a few more seconds.
“What the hell?” The words of surprise pulled Magnum’s attention back to what was happening around him, the initial exclamation now followed by a series of swear words and then the cocking of a gun. From the strong smell of gun oil, he guessed it to be pointed at his head; it was remarkable how much less effective a threat that was when one couldn’t actually see it.
“Where’s the real drive?” Smith demanded, the anger clear in his tone.
“It’s safe,” Magnum replied still maintaining his nonchalant demeanor. “You’re welcome to it once I’m back with my friends.”
“How do I know you won’t double-cross me again?”
Magnum shrugged. “You don’t,” he replied, pulling one hand from his pants pocket and placing it lightly against his damp shirt. Holding his palm up so the other man could see, he continued, “But if you don’t let me go soon, I’ll probably die in this warehouse, and the location of that thumb drive dies with me.”
Smith let out a vicious curse that had Thomas grinning despite his dire situation. “Alright, come on then,” Smith said as he pulled Magnum along by his arm.
Despite his inability to see, Thomas could swear his vision was tunneling as his blood loss inched closer to being critical. He was feeling chilled as well and knew his body would begin to shut down soon if he didn’t manage to bandage his wound and stem the bleeding. He heard the opening of the door and felt the slight dip as he stepped over the threshold. For the first time since all this had begun, he had a tiny bit of hope that he might somehow survive it.
“Seems like your friends are still waiting for you,” Smith declared as he noted the trio’s presence next to the Range Rover. Magnum stayed silent and merely smirked in reply. “I suppose you’re expecting me to just let you go so you can drive away with them?”
“I’ve told you my terms; it’s up to you if you want to accept them or not,” Thomas replied confidently, although inside, he was nervous with anticipation as he waited to see if he’d be released or not.
“Mm,” Smith hummed as he released his hold, leading Magnum to release the breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding.
Thomas’ relief was short-lived as he was suddenly struck across the temple. His arms flew out in a helpless bid to save himself, he tumbled to the ground at his attacker’s feet. “What sort of idiot do you take me for?” Smith hissed down at him, emphasizing his question with a forceful kick.
The boot landed close enough to Magnum’s wound that the blow pulled a howl of pain from his throat. He curled up against the pain, feeling more tears seeping from beneath his closed eyes and soaking into the gauze that covered them. His chest was heaving for air as he tried to push back the fire in his side, the ground feeling like it was bucking and swaying beneath him. He swallowed thickly against the sensation and wished he could open his eyes to prove to his confused brain that he was firmly on solid ground. Instead, he pressed his forehead firmly into the uneven gravel, trying to convince himself that he was lying still.
Above him, Smith shouted, “I want the thumb drive he stole.” Confused and in pain, Magnum’s muddled brain tried to understand why the man was suddenly shouting. “You have two hours to return my property if you want your friend back alive.”
Magnum felt hands gripping his arms but was too disoriented and weak to fight them. They pulled him along, and moments later he once again felt smooth flooring beneath his feet, his stomach sinking as he realized his gambit had failed. After moving several metres, he found himself suddenly released, and the lack of support had him swaying dazedly on his feet, his stomach lurching unhappily at the rough handling. Licking dry lips, and hoping he was looking in the right direction, he rasped, “What now?”
“Now, you’ll stay out of my way while I wait for your friends to deliver,” Smith replied, punctuating his statement with another blow to Magnum’s face. Thomas went down like a rock. He’d pushed himself hard to make it to this point, but his body had now run out of steam. With a soft sigh, his cheek pressed against the cold floor, he let go, sinking quickly into another level of darkness.