When the Smoke is Going Down

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Nora squirmed feebly as she sat there in the chair. She winced as she felt pins and needles beginning to form in her feet.

She hated this predicament. How in the world had she ever been so stupid as to go off alone when she'd known this maniac was on the loose? Damn it, this was all her own fault!

Tears began to burn behind her eyelids. She was so exhausted and weary - but how could she possibly sleep? She was a damn hostage!

The little brunette made a face of disgust at the sound that suddenly hit her eardrums. Paul was evidently sound asleep - and snoring. It was a loud and highly offensive sound with that huge nose he sported.

Nora glanced around the darkened room through her tears. She'd willed them not to fall, but that had proven to be a useless battle. If only she could free herself... Levesque had tied her up pretty securely, much to her dismay and discomfort.

Her gaze trailed to the door just past the short little hallway beyond the bed. She could see a line of light beneath, from outside. Behind her and to her right was the window. It hurt her neck a little to crane it to peer toward the window. The drapes were tightly drawn, but some illumination from the lamppost outside filtered in through them.

Paul hadn't gagged her this time around. She could scream and hope help somehow reached her - and quickly - but what good would that do? The moment she opened her mouth, the bastard would awaken - and more likely than not, he would become violent because she'd tried some "funny business."

It was a matter of weighing her options. What would be worse? Screaming and alerting Levesque, and therefore most likely having to deal with his wrath and violence, or doing nothing and having to deal with facing him tomorrow and continue being his prisoner? Well, since he hadn't raised a hand toward her in violence thus far while she'd cooperated, she figured not screaming would work more toward her favor. Either way, both options still had her feeling bleak.

*

Adam groaned at the sound of the incessant knocking on the hotel room door. He felt Amy shift as he sat up to get up, the redhead pulling the blanket up over her head. He went to the door, squinting as he opened it.

"I can't sleep," Jay said as he stormed in past his best friend. He raised his hands to his head, tearing at his short blond hair. "I have to get out there and search for her, Adam."

The tall blond man stared incredulously at him bleary-eyed.

"How are you going to do that?" he asked. "We don't even know where she is."

Jay cast his best friend a dirty look.

"Are you saying *you* wouldn't do the same thing if it were Amy?"

Amy tensed, his blood pumping faster at the mere thought of Paul Levesque getting his hands on his wife. He didn't even like the idea in a hypothetical sense.

"Of course I'm not saying that," he said in a soft tone, his gaze darting over to the form under the blanket in the nearby bed. He winced, knowing she was awake and had heard every word.

The blond man sighed wearily and ran a hand through his long hair. He knew just exactly how Jay was feeling... It was the same exact feeling he'd experienced when Amy had been shot when Levesque had been gunning for *him*.

"All right," he said. "Let's round up Kurt and Steph and Shane and Torrie and get a move on."


 
 
 
 

Part 16

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