[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
“... and don’t forget the milk ...”

Howie stifled a yawn and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. His wife had been nattering at him for practically the entire time that he had been in the car. All he wanted to do was turn on the radio and pretend that he wasn’t stuck in New York City traffic. Perhaps, he could just disconnect the Bluetooth ...

“Howie, are you listening?”

“Yup, uh-huh, milk. I got it.” Howie flicked on the windshield wipers and stared at the snow that had already collected on top of the blades. It had been a bad decision to drive.

Leigh laughed softly. “Are you through the tunnel? Are you almost at the studio?”

“Yeah, I’m through the tunnel.” Howie acknowledged. “Traffic is terrible. I should have just taken the train in from Jersey.”

“Well, drive carefully.” Leigh warned. “I promised the boys that you would be home in time to tuck them in.”

It was Howie’s turn to chuckle. He knew that James, especially, would hold Leigh to her promise. “I’ll be home before bedtime.”

“Okay, well I better let you go.” Leigh’s voice was suddenly drowned out by a high-pitched shriek. “The boys are fighting.” She paused. “I love you, babe.”

“I love you too.” Howie grinned at the dashboard. “I won’t be late.”

The radio blasted on as soon as the call disconnected, filling the car with the steady baseline and repetitive lyrics of Selena Gomez’s latest hit. Howie’s grin intensified as he reached for the radio dial to turn up the volume.

“I’m so sick of that same old love ...” Howie drummed his hands on the wheel as he began to sing along. The song was catchy and he was alone; there was no harm in enjoying himself.

He had left early in anticipation of the approaching snow storm. So, even though the traffic was horrendous, Howie knew that he still had plenty of time to reach the studio. Even if he continued to go at a snail’s pace, he would likely still arrive before the rest of the guys.

“... my body’s had enough ...” Howie amped up his rendition of Selena’s lyrics as he looked over his shoulder to check his blind-spot and signalled to change lanes.

The SUV hit his car from behind as soon as he inched over the dotted line. Howie jerked forward against his seatbelt from the impact and instinctively slammed his foot down on the brake. The car skidded forward on the icy road and, without thinking, Howie cranked the wheel all the way to the right; narrowly missing the car in front of him as his front tires slammed into the curb.

‘Watch it, asshole!” A young man who had been standing on the edge of the sidewalk banged both of his hands down on the hood of Howie’s car and glared at him through the windshield. “Can’t you see that I’m fucking standing here?!”

Howie blinked back at the man in surprise. Was this idiot really placing the blame on him? Couldn’t he see that he had just been in an accident? As far as Howie was concerned, there was only one asshole in this situation, and it definitely wasn’t him.

“Learn to drive!” The man shot both of his middle fingers into the air before slamming his fists down on the hood of Howie’s car one more time for good measure. He flipped the hood of his heavy winter jacket over his head and stormed off into the street, ignoring the angry honks from approaching motorists as he hurried to beat the traffic light.

Howie leaned back in his seat and absently rubbed at his chest as he watched the man wander off into the snow. His ribs hurt from the force of being restrained by the seatbelt. Had that really just happened? Why hadn’t that man, or anyone else for that matter, stopped to ask if he was alright?

“Hey, buddy, are you okay?!” A man’s muffled voice drifted through the driver’s side window.

The quick knock was enough to sharpen Howie’s focus. He turned his head slowly, wincing at the pinching sensation in his neck, and nodded gratefully at the man who had knocked on the window.

“Turn off your car!” The man pulled his toque down over his ears and brushed at the snow that was beginning to collect on his shoulders. “You’re on the sidewalk, man!”

“Right, right, sorry.” Howie mumbled more to himself than to the man standing outside. He quickly killed the ignition, silencing Selena and stopping the windshield wipers mid-swipe.

“Are you okay?” The man stepped back and repeated his earlier question as Howie pushed open the driver’s side door. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t even see that you had signaled to come over.”

“I’m fine.” Howie stepped out into the snow and gave the man what he hoped was a convincing smile. His neck felt as though it had been snapped in half.

Howie turned to inspect the damage to his car and groaned inwardly. The driver’s side taillight was destroyed, the back bumper was hanging precariously by what appeared to be a single bolt, and the rear tire on the driver’s side was flat due to a dented rim. Howie could tell just by looking at his car that it was no longer driveable. Now, he was going to have to wait for a tow-truck, in the middle of New York City, in the middle of a snow storm. Perfect.

“I’m just gonna grab my insurance information.” The man bobbled his head in the direction of his vehicle that was now pulled up alongside the curb behind Howie’s car. “Just hang on for a sec.”

Howie nodded his agreement and reached up to massage his neck. Aside from a small dent to the front bumper, there didn’t appear to be any damage to the other man’s massive SUV. Figures.

Brushing the snow out of his hair, Howie yanked open the door to his own damaged vehicle and leaned inside to retrieve his phone and his insurance information. He sighed loudly as he reached across the centre console towards the glove-box. Leigh was going to be less than impressed when he told her what had happened. This wasn’t exactly the first time that he had been in an accident while driving a car that was only a few weeks old.

“What cha’ doin,’ Howwwwwwie?”

Howie froze at the mention of his name. It wasn’t the fact that the man knew his name that made him uneasy; lots of people knew who he was. It was the way that the man had drawn it out it that made his blood run cold. He was in trouble. He knew it.

“I’m gonna need you to back out of the car slowly.” The man continued. “Don’t even think about trying anything stupid, like reaching for your phone.”

Howie let his hand drop from the handle of the glove-box to the cool leather of the seat. He hesitated for a split second; his eyes lingering on his phone that was clipped to the centre console as he toyed with the idea of picking it up. The man must have sensed his hesitation because he stepped closer to him and pressed what Howie knew to be the barrel of a gun into the small of his back. Howie could feel the chill of the weapon through the down-filled lining of his jacket, and the sensation was enough to make him realize that this definitely wasn’t the time to try and be a hero.

“Do you want money?” Howie fought to keep his voice steady as he backed himself out of the car and straightened up. “You obviously know who I am, so you must know that I can give you whatever amount it is that you want.”

“Not exactly.” The man pressed the gun harder into Howie’s back and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “I need you to listen to me and to do exactly what I say. A tow-truck has just pulled up behind us. When the driver gets out, you’re going to tell him that you need your car towed to the nearest Audi dealership. You’re going to tell him that you don’t need a ride, and you’re going to pay him in cash. Understand?”

Howie nodded. He let out the breath that he didn’t even know that he had been holding as he felt the barrel of the gun pull away from his back. The whole situation was completely surreal; he was being attacked in broad daylight in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the country. People were rushing by in all directions, but he was pinned between the man and the car. The open driver’s side door was obviously blocking people on the street from seeing that he was in trouble. At least, he assumed that was the case. If someone could see that he was being threatened with a weapon, that person would have stepped in to help him. Wouldn’t they?

Despite the wind and the swirling snow, Howie was sweating. He could feel the sweat running down his back and collecting at the base of his hairline. What was he going to do? He could hear the tow-truck operator getting out of his vehicle. He only had a split-second to make a decision.

“Everyone okay?” The tow-truck driver shouted his greeting into the wind. “Anyone need a tow?”

“Y-yeah.” Howie stammered. He turned around slowly, his eyes locking with his attacker’s as he twisted towards the tow-truck driver. His attacker’s eyes were flashing with amusement; almost daring Howie to disobey the instructions that he had given him. “I don’t think that my car is driveable.”

“You’ve got that right!” The tow-truck driver laughed. “Any place special that you want me to take it?”

“Just – just to the nearest Audi dealership.”

Howie delivered the words that he had been instructed to say followed by a long, defeated sigh. He knew that he didn’t stand a chance when it came to a gun. Sure, he was in good shape, but his physical fitness wasn’t going to prevent him from getting shot. As depressing as it was, Howie understood that he had no choice but to play along.

The tow-truck driver nodded. “You want to ride along with me?”

“No thanks.” Howie once again delivered the rehearsed response. “I can pay you up front ... in cash.”

The driver shrugged. “Whatever you want, man. It’s $200.00 flat.”

Howie plastered a fake smile on his face and reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet. He was acutely aware of the fact that his attacker was watching his every move. He could feel the man’s eyes expertly tracking his fingers as he plucked ten twenty-dollar bills out of his wallet and handed them over to the tow-truck driver.

What was the man worried about? Howie wondered. Did he think that he was suddenly going to make a run for it? Did he think that he had a teeny-tiny weapon concealed in his wallet? What would he do if he did try to escape? Shoot him in the middle of the street in front of the tow-truck driver?

“Thanks for your help.” The man with the gun spoke up as the tow-truck operator began to hook up Howie’s car to his truck. “We’re gonna take off now, if that’s okay. Do you have everything that you need?”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead.” The tow-truck driver waved his hand dismissively through the heavily falling snow. “I’ve got this under control.”

“Let’s go.” The man hissed directly into Howie’s ear. “We’re gonna get in the car with my friend over there. Got it”

Howie swallowed hard. He squinted through the big, wet snowflakes that were swirling around in front of his face and, for the first time, caught sight of a second man sitting in the driver’s seat of the SUV that had run him off of the road. Howie silently cursed himself as he took a tentative step forward; his shoes slipping on the slick pavement. Why hadn’t he noticed the driver when he had first looked at the SUV to inspect the damage? God, he was oblivious sometimes.

“Faster.” The man nudged Howie from behind and he stumbled forward, nearly losing his balance. “We’ve got places to be.”

This time, Howie couldn’t swallow. His mouth was too dry. His heart was hammering in his chest as his feet propelled him closer and closer towards the SUV. He wanted to run. He wanted to scream. He wanted to do anything except follow the man’s instructions, but his body was betraying him.

“Are you sure that you don’t need money?” Howie tried again. His voice was high, pitiful. “I have lots.”

The man shook his head. “Right now, all I want is you.” He pulled open the back door of the SUV and motioned for Howie to get inside. “After you, Mr. Dorough.”

Howie took one last fleeting look down the sidewalk. All of the pedestrians seemed to have disappeared. The street was deserted aside from a few people waiting to cross the street; people who were hunkered down in their parkas and scarves, people who were completely oblivious to the fact that he was about to be abducted. Even the tow-truck driver had pulled away. A few pieces of red glass from his car’s broken taillight still littered the curb, but even those were quickly becoming obscured by the rapidly falling snow.

“Nobody’s going to help you.” The man voiced Howie’s fears as he shoved him roughly towards the open door. “Nobody is even going to know that you were here.”

Howie could feel his whole body shaking as he allowed himself to be forced into the vehicle. The man climbed in behind him and slammed the door shut. The driver wasted no time pulling away from the curb. Traffic was still moving slowly and, for a brief second, Howie thought about jumping out of the car. But the thought faded just as quickly as it had arrived. Howie knew that he wasn’t that brave; he was going to play by the rules and do whatever it was that these two men wanted him to do. He figured that was the best way to keep himself alive.