Bluegrass Undercover (Bluegrass Brothers)

throw out the pan. Now I can cook a meal for ten with my eyes closed.”
    “That makes me feel better. I’m going to leave a little early and get fresh groceries for dinner. Cade’s coming over at seven, or whenever practice in Lexington ends. I’m going to need all the time I can get in case I ruin it the first time and have to start over.”
    “Call me if you need anything and good luck!”
    “Thanks, I’ll need it.” Annie tossed her garbage into the trash can and headed back to her office to look over the recipe just one more time.
     
    Cade ran his finger down the column and checked it off. Austin’s grades were improving. He had three more tests to grade, and then he could head over to Commonwealth Stadium. School had let out, and everyone was on their way to Lexington for practice. He wanted them to get used to the stadium and the facilities so nothing would take their focus away on the big day.
    Coach Parks had driven the bus over, and they had section meetings first and then they would warm up. That gave Cade enough time to get the quizzes graded and submitted. Cade put the graded paper in his finished pile and recorded the grade in his book before he reached for his mug filled with water. He absently took a gulp of water before starting to grade the next paper.
    Cade closed his eyes and then opened them again. He had read the same answer five times and still couldn’t finish reading it because it was moving around the page. Something wasn’t right. He was sweating and very dizzy. He took another drink of water and tried to focus on the far wall. It blurred as his vision tunneled. Something was really wrong.
    He tried to stay calm and assess the situation. He had taken a drink of water and then gotten dizzy and light headed. He had drunk more water to try to feel better and that’s when he started sweating and getting tunnel vision. He tried to reach for the phone to call 9-1-1, but his arms wouldn’t move. He was positive now, he had been poisoned.
    He took a deep breath and focused on his cell phone sitting on the edge of the desk. As he exhaled, he lunged for the phone only to fall out of his seat and onto the ground completely paralyzed. His eyes blurred and everything started to fade to black. He tried to focus his eyes but could only see a shadow of a figure come to stand over him. It had to be the boss. He was making his move.
    He felt hands grab under his arms. He willed himself to fight, to kick, to punch, but nothing would work. He tried to open his mouth, but no sound came out. He wasn’t even sure his mouth opened. He was trapped in his own body as he watched the blurry lights pass by him as he was dragged down the hall. He had to fight. He had to try. With one last effort, he felt his finger move before the tunnel collapsed and everything went black.
     
    *     *     *
     
    Annie placed the groceries on the counter and reached for the ringing phone. “Hello.”
    “Annie? It’s Al Parks. I know Cade was planning on coming over there for dinner, but I have some questions about practice I need to ask him. I thought he was coming after he got done grading papers, but I guess I was wrong.”
    “Cade’s not here. He was supposed to be at practice.” Annie felt a chill dance down her spine.
    “Well, if he’s not there and he’s not here, then he must be at school. I tried his office, and I tried his cell, but he’s not answering. If you see him, will you tell him to give me a call?”
    “Sure, Al. Look, I gotta go.” She hung up the phone and raced into her bedroom. She pulled out her underwear drawer and lifted the hidden compartment to get her DEA-issued 9 millimeter and badge. She had a boyfriend to save…again.

Chapter Twenty-Three
     
    Cade felt like he was swimming in caramel. Everything was moving slowly and his memories were sticky. Only years of training kept him from opening his eyes. He knew he had no strength or balance so he focused on controlling his breathing and listening. If he could just figure out where he was and who took him, he could develop a plan for escape.
    Shuffling sounds came from behind him and then the sound of a furnace kicking on. He knew he was sitting in a chair and hoped no one was in front of him. He cracked his eyes and peered out through his eyelashes, right into the face of a skeleton. He looked past the skeleton and saw shelving full of old beakers, test tubes, and Bunsen burners. He knew where he was. He was in the science