Chapter 2 - “Don’t Let Them Take Me
”The boy’s fingers tightened around Daniel’s jacket.
“Please,” he whispered. “Don’t let them take me.”
Daniel watched the two men cross the street.
Neither hurried.
That bothered him.
Men who were afraid of being seen usually rushed.
These two walked like they expected everyone else to move out of their way.
Daniel looked down at the child.
“What’s your name?”
“Ethan.”
“How old are you?”
“Nine.”
“Where are your parents?”
Ethan’s lips trembled.
“My dad…”
He stopped.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Ethan. Look at me.”
The boy did.
“Who are those men?”
“They said I saw too much.”
Daniel felt something cold settle in his stomach.
Outside, one of the men pointed toward the diner.
The other nodded.
Daniel stood.
His chair scraped loudly across the tile.
Half the room glanced over.
Carol stopped pouring coffee.
“Everything okay, Daniel?”
“Take everybody toward the kitchen.”
Her smile disappeared.
“What?”
“Now.”
Something in his voice made her stop asking questions.
Daniel placed Ethan behind him.
“Stay close.”
The boy nodded quickly.
The front door opened.
The bell gave one cheerful little jingle.
The sound felt completely wrong.
Two men entered.
One was tall and broad with slicked-back hair. The other was shorter, heavy through the shoulders, with a dark tattoo climbing the side of his neck.
Their eyes moved through the diner.
Booth.
Counter.
Kitchen.
Then Daniel.
Then Ethan.
The tall man smiled.
“There you are.”
Ethan pressed against Daniel’s back.
The man walked closer.
“Kid, your ride’s waiting.”
Daniel didn’t move.
“He doesn’t look like he wants a ride.”
The smile disappeared.
“This doesn’t concern you.”
Daniel glanced around the diner.
Families.
Workers.
An old man who suddenly looked very interested in his newspaper.
“It concerns me now.”
The tattooed man laughed softly.
“You some kind of hero?”
Daniel’s face didn’t change.
“No.”
“Good.”
The man slipped one hand inside his coat.
“Then be smart.”
Ethan whispered behind Daniel.
“That’s the one.”
Daniel heard him.
“The one who what?”
Ethan’s breathing became ragged.
“The one who held my dad down.”
The tattooed man froze.
For the first time, his confidence slipped.
Daniel saw it.
And Daniel understood.
Whatever Ethan had witnessed, these men weren’t here to bring him home.
They were here to make sure he never talked.
The next chapters are on the left side of your screen.
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