The Heart of the Jungle, стр. 47
Finally, with another hate-filled glare at Michael, he gestured to Chris. "You. On your feet. You're coming with me."
"Where are we going?" Chris asked.
"Away from here," he said, with an angry glance in Michael's direction. "Somewhere I can think this through without all of the incessant sniveling."
Michael whimpered. "What about my stuff?"
Brunner turned toward him and spat again. "I'm done being your errand boy. You can shrivel up and die for all I care. I don't need you anymore."
He turned back to Chris. "You're going to walk calmly out of here with me. You make one wrong move, you attempt to alert anyone to your situation, and I will make a telephone call to the people who have your daughter." He stepped toward Chris and stared directly into his eyes.
"And then, she will die. Understood?"
The blood in Chris's veins turned to ice. He swallowed hard and nodded. What else could he do but go along?
"I thought that would ensure your cooperation." Brunner waved the gun toward the doorway. "Stay one step ahead of me. Do exactly what I say, and everything will be just fine." As Chris rose from the bed to comply, he watched Brunner conceal the weapon in his jacket. Though hidden from casual view, he knew it was still aimed at him. The fabric that covered it made it no less deadly.
Chris stood and preceded Brunner into the hallway. His mind was spinning, formulating and discarding plans for escape as he marched toward the elevator. With every step, he was supremely conscious of the gun pointed at his back.
They stepped into the elevator. "So far, you're doing well,"
Brunner said.
Chris grunted in response. He was still trying to figure out a way out of this mess and coming up empty. He had no experience with hostage situations and could think of no recourse but to blindly follow commands. If Brunner was to be believed, it wasn't only his life on the line. Brianna's was also in jeopardy.
If only there were some way to let Jason know what he had done, what had happened.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why had he let his temper get the better of him? Why had he rushed blindly into this mess? Not only had Jason warned him that he needed to keep a low profile, but he'd specifically said that recklessness could put Brianna's life in danger. Now, because of his carelessness, he'd jeopardized everything. He shook his head.
Great time to grow a pair, Chris.
The elevator arrived at the ground floor, and Brunner placed an arm around his shoulder, affecting casual acquaintance. The position was meant to emphasize the hard lump of the weapon against his side, a constant reminder that he was a prisoner. If he didn't cooperate, there would be serious consequences. With firm but surreptitious pressure, Brunner steered him toward an exit.
They walked into the parking garage and soon located Brunner's vehicle, a nondescript black Mercedes sedan. There were thousands like it in Las Vegas, so even if Chris could somehow alert Jason, it wasn't likely he'd be able to mount an effective rescue.
Brunner shoved him into the back of the car and climbed into the driver's seat. They pulled out and headed west toward I-15. Once on the freeway, Brunner drove north out of the city. Chris sweltered in the back seat as Las Vegas dwindled behind them. It was so hot outside, even on its highest setting the air conditioning couldn't keep up. They ascended into the foothills. He wasn't sure where Brunner was taking him, but his prospects for surviving the trip were becoming grimmer with each passing mile.
After what seemed like a lifetime, they turned into the Valley of Fire State Park, and Brunner negotiated the gravel road until he'd found a quiet location well off the main thoroughfare. He parked the car and instructed Chris to get out.
Chris obeyed and walked ahead of Brunner into the desert wilderness, sweating profusely in the relentless sun. Clouds were gathering on the far horizon, and he wished the brewing storm would hurry up. After they had walked some distance, Brunner instructed him to sit on a rock.
"I find the emptiness of the desert to be a balm. Wouldn't you agree?" Brunner asked.
Chris shook his head and mopped perspiration from his forehead.
"I can't say it's doing much for me," he replied honestly.
Brunner laughed. "Well, you are at a bit of a disadvantage." He paced back and forth. The shifty roaming of his eyes and the expression on his face indicated he was working over details, plotting his next course of action.
Probably figuring out how best to dispose of my body. Chris's gut lurched sickeningly. Facing death on one's own terms was a vastly different experience than facing it at the hands of a madman. Would a gunshot to the head be painful? How long would the pain last? Were these his final moments?
Why now, when he had everything to live for again, was his life about to be taken away? Was this some kind of cruel punishment for the times he'd nearly thrown it away? Was this the cost of a squandered gift of existence?
"Don't look so morose. I'm not going to kill you," Brunner announced suddenly. Chris's eyes widened in surprise. "In fact, I'm going to give you exactly what you want. We're going to recover your daughter."
"What?" Chris asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Don't think this is an act of beneficence on my part. She's nothing more than collateral. I won't hesitate to kill both of you if you don't cooperate fully."
Chris nodded, his eyes filling with tears. "Yes, of course."
"You play along and I might let you go free once it's all over."
It all seemed too good to believe. There was some kind of catch.
There had to be. The insincerity in Brunner's tone warned him to be wary. It wasn't likely he'd keep up his end of the