I had a sleepless night. Tossing and turning… I might have gotten one hour of sleep at the most. I kept thinking about Adrienne…and Rourke. What could he possibly know that I didn’t? Morning finally came. I didn’t bother dressing…I was still in my clothes from the day before. A crowd of policemen had gathered at the mansion to begin the search that day. I wandered through the crowd until I saw Rourke.
“Commander!”
“Ah, good morning Lieutenant.”
“No time for chatting. I’ve got a missing person to find.”
“Yes, and I’ve come here because of that missing person. Follow me, Sinclair.”
I didn’t question Rourke. If he knew anything about Adrienne’s whereabouts, I wanted to find out. We walked away from the large crowd and down the driveway.
Finally Rourke turned. “I can tell you where she is.”
“WHAT? Commander, why didn’t you tell me last night?!”
“Because I want to make a little deal with you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This.” He pulled out a piece of paper. I recognized it immediately.
“That’s a page from the Shepherd’s Journal! How did you…? You stole it from Whitmore?”
“I borrowed it. This crystal is going to make me rich, but I can’t do it alone. I need you and your skills Lieutenant.”
“I told you that I wasn’t interested.”
“Precisely. I don’t know what’s come over you, Sinclair, but I had to make sure that my top Lieutenant wasn’t going soft on me. So, let’s make a deal…”
“You! Commander, you set this up?”
“Maybe…maybe not. The point here is that either you join me or I let the girl die.”
“You wouldn’t! No honorable soldier would!”
“Honorable? Sinclair, I haven’t heard you speak of honor since your husband died.”
I drew in a sharp breath. “Let’s concentrate on the present.”
“All right. Are you with me? Or will you let Whitmore’s granddaughter die?”
I gasped. Now he was putting it on MY shoulders? It was a total lose lose situation. I had known for a long time that Rourke was a mercenary. I had even joined him a few times. However, I stopped after Christopher’s death. I couldn’t go on living in the shadows. And now my past was facing me again. Well…what harm could it do in the long run? It wasn’t as if people lived in Atlantis. Who knew if the place even existed?
“Ok I’ll make the deal better,” Rourke said. “You can have a percentage of the profit. How bad can this be? You become Old Whitmore’s hero and get paid at the same time!”
I bit my lip in frustration. He was right, I knew it. “You’ve got a deal, Commander.”
“Good, good Lieutenant. I knew you’d see things my way.”
“Where’s Adrienne?”
“Check the abandoned building right outside of town. She’ll be there.”
I left Rourke standing in the driveway and didn't look back. I didn’t stop to think on whether he was lying or not. I just wanted to be reassured that Adrienne was alive and safe. I jumped into the car and sped down the streets. Finally the building came into my view. I shut off the car a few blocks away. If anyone was there with her, I didn’t want them to detect me. I pulled out my gun silently and walked up the street. The building that Rourke had spoken of was old and rotting. It was wooden (and the wood was a greenish color). I felt my face wrinkle into a look of disgust. How could anybody stay here? I carefully opened the door, keeping my guard up at all times. “Adrienne,” I whispered. I walked down the hallway, peering into each room as I went by. “Adrienne…Adrie…Oh my God!” I had found her. The first thing that I noticed was that she had been shot right below her right shoulder. Her clothing was dirty and bloodstained. Was she even alive? I ran to her and began to untie her. I checked her pulse. She was alive! Then she stirred.
“No! Leave me alone! Go away!”
“Shhh…Adrienne, it’s Helga. I’m going to get you out of here!”
Her eyes opened and drifted lazily in my direction. “Helga…you’re real?”
“Of course I am.” I pulled her good arm over my shoulder and helped her stand. Her legs were wobbly. She was in horrible condition. Finally I half walked/half dragged her from the room.
“This was too easy,” I muttered. “Where’s the catch?”
“Right behind ya, lady!” I looked over my shoulder. Two men were standing there, each holding a gun. I gently let Adrienne fall to the floor, where she slumped over. I pulled out my gun.
“You were the ones who hurt this girl?”
“What’s it to ya?”
I pressed my finger on the trigger. “Let me give you a piece of my mind…”
Suddenly there were shouts and the room filled with police. The two kidnappers had no time to react. They were handcuffed and lead away instantly. I knelt beside Adrienne. “Can you hear me? We’re going to get you help now. You’ll be all right in no time.” Soon some men from the hospital arrived. They put Adrienne on a stretcher. “I’m going with you,” I told them. “Someone also needs to contact Mr. Preston Whitmore right away!” I followed the men to an ambulance. When I was sure that Adrienne was stabilized, I got my car. As I drove down the street, I growled in anger. “Rourke, you play a dirty game,” I muttered. “An extremely dirty game.”