As if reading my mind, Jackson said, “No one will come by, Mitchum. My men are at the holding facility. That’s what we call it. It’s not a jail, or, God forbid, a prison. It’s just a holding facility. Have to watch out for everyone’s feelings. Even terrorists’.”

“And you run it?”

“Very efficiently.”

I shook my head and muttered, “Talk about the inmates running the prison. I still can’t believe they let a criminal like you do anything.”

Jackson said, “Here, I’m just a contractor, even if you think that I may be a criminal.”

“What do you mean, ‘may be’? You shot my brother and ran down my mother.”

“Are they dead?”

“No.”

Jackson smiled. “And that hot piece of ass? The one whose apartment I remodeled. What about her? How’s she doing?”

He was trying to get me to do something rash. He was playing mind games. He wanted me to punch or jump on him. I resisted. All I said was, “She’s fine.”

“Then no one will care about me or what I did. Besides, I know something you don’t.”

“Really? What?”

“This.” Jackson casually removed his right hand from the pocket of his windbreaker. It took me a moment to realize what he was holding. By the time it dawned on me that it was a Taser, he turned and fired.

Before I could do anything, fifty thousand volts locked up every muscle in my body. I fell to the hard, dusty ground.

I was conscious, but couldn’t move as Jackson kneeled down next to me. I didn’t even feel the needle he stuck in my arm.

Jackson said, “Not to worry. This is just a tranquilizer. It’s made for horses, but the effect is the same. You’re a big boy. I don’t want you acting up. This will give you a nice little nap.” He tapped my cheek like we were buddies.

The last thing I remembered was the round orb of the sun. Then nothing.

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

I woke up in a cage, with a very clear memory of what had happened. Now I had to figure out where I’d been taken after Jackson shot me full of some kind of horse tranquilizer. I was careful not to move so no one would notice me. I could hear people in the room and caught glimpses out of the corner of my eye of someone walking past me.

The ceiling was white panels with brown water stains from leaks like we had in elementary school.

My vision wasn’t perfect. I felt fuzzy. Really fuzzy. Finally, I tried to sit up. It was considerably harder than I expected. I suspected I’d be sitting for a while before I felt well enough to stand up.