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Full of Grace
Nick had lost count of how many times he had been hit and kicked now. He stopped counting at 137 when Frank delivered a blow to his head that left him reeling and he couldn't remember where he had left off.
It didn't even seem like he was in his body any more. He was somewhere else, on a beach, lying in the sand with Kevin by his side and everything was right with the world. There was no Stefanie, no Frank and no one was beating him senseless. He just stared blankly ahead at a crack in the mortar that surrounded the cinderblocks that made the walls of the basement.
Stefanie saw that Nick was somewhere else and not nearly as close to breaking as she wanted him to be. She frowned, she didn't need the information from him anymore, she knew how Kevin worked, she knew that right about know he would be going off like a loose cannon looking to be the hero. By now Kevin had to know that Nick was not coming back and that she had him. She knew how he worked alright and he would play right into her hand. He would never go to anyone but Nick for help, never risk the humiliation of letting his macho facade crack in front of anyone. No, he would never ask for help, it simply wasn't Kevin. After all, that quality was what had made him perfect for her in the first place.
The frown on Stefanie's face turned to a smile as she thought of the plains she had laid to bring Kevin to her. Oh yes, he would play right into her hands.
Nick was no longer a necessity to finding Kevin, now he was a plaything. Something to toy with while she waited for Kevin to try to play hero. But first....
She laid a hand on Frank's shoulder as he pulled back to take another swing. "Wait."
Frank's hands dropped as he hopped from foot to foot, keeping limber as he waited. Stefanie walked in front of Nick, "Last chance to tell me where he is, Nick."
Nick gritted his teeth and kept silent. He waited for the blows to begin again.
Stefanie knew he wouldn't crack. She had to give it to the young man, he was certainly stronger that she gave him credit for. A delicious game to see what would make him crack. She almost liked him for the grit he was showing. Almost. She looked at Frank, "Well, he's useless to me. If Mohammed can't go to the mountain, you bring the mountain to Mohammed." She lifted her hand off of Frank's shoulder and handed him the knife she had brought downstairs. "Kill him."
Frank just looked at her. Nick's eyes snapped open too as he looked at her also. Stefanie looked back at them, "Well? I said kill him. Do it!"
Frank's jaw worked up and down uselessly for a minute and then he found his voice, "B..but, this kid is worth millions in ransom alone! Why would you want to kill him? If you don't want him, give him to me, I can make some money off of him!"
Stefanie raised an eyebrow and in the blink of an eye, a shot rang out in the darkness of the basement. "When I say to do something, I mean now."
The shock waves of that shot went through Nick's body, weakening his knees beneath him, if he had been standing on his own, he would have sunk to the floor. His breath left him as darkness swallowed him.
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